ーーNatsuki Subaru had an obsession that he must not allow this situation to come to pass.
I didn't know why. I didn't have any basis for it. It was just a vague feeling of unease. But deep in my heart, I was certain that it must not happen.
On top of a hill, Emilia, her silver hair fluttering in the wind, holds out her palm towards him, and they meet as Betelgeuse, arms outstretched, a joyous expression on his face as if welcoming him.
Subaru had unconsciously been trying to avoid situations where the two of them should never meet.
And yet now, in a desperate situation where everything was deadlocked and Subaru was unable to do anything, she found herself present.
"Wh-what...!"
Before surprise or regret, anger wells up inside me.
It was anger at myself for not making an effort to avoid this situation, even though I knew I should have. And above all,
"You should have known-- PUCK!!"
A raging roar pierced the grassland, reaching the spirit floating beside the silver-haired girl. The spirit that heard the voice also paid no attention to Subaru, instead its gaze was fixed entirely on Emilia's profile.
Waving his hands, he flies around Emilia, his face plastered with an impatience I'd never seen before.
"Leah! You can't do this, leave here right now! He's the Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult! You should never have met him! You shouldn't have been here!"
"I can't go back now, and I have no intention of going back. Everyone else is fighting even after getting to that point, and I wasn't brought up to be able to sit back and relax."
Emilia responded to Puck's desperate call, her cheeks stiff with tension. Seeing her stubborn attitude, Puck put his hand to his face, shook his head and said, "No, no."
"It's not about who or what! It's the Witch Cult! It's the Witch Cult… Ah, I just remembered! It's a trial! It's a trial, Lia. The Sin Archbishop is imposing the trials! And, my contract means I can't be involved in the trials! That's as far as it goes! So…!"
Puck stopped speaking, his expression stiffening as if he was forbidden to say any more. Even Emilia was surprised to see the young cat who always exuded a relaxed attitude and gave the impression of never being disrupted by his own pace, and her eyes widened slightly.
"Puck... do you know something?"
"I don't know anything! But I know something! I can tell. That's why you can't go, Lia. You have to go back right now. If you stay here, if you meet those guys, something worse than death will surely happen!"
Puck gives an answer that isn't really an answer, but he is so flustered that he doesn't try to stop Emilia by force, nor does he use his great strength to forcibly control the situation.
Subaru felt an unbearable anger at her frustrating attitude. He didn't know why his heart was burning so much.
Subaru: "If Emilia were to show up here… then what am I for?! —You!"
"You say that out loud?! Lia overrode what I said and came all the way here for who...!"
Subaru yelled, his face twisted in frustration, and Puck also choked out a voice.
Hearing his answer, Subaru realized there was a truth he could not look away from, and was overcome with remorse.
It's a natural and obvious conclusion.
There could only be one reason why she got off the fleeing dragon carriage and returned to the battlefield.
Without saying anything, without telling her anything, Subaru and the others stayed behind, despite the danger.
She always chooses to cause harm to others, and no matter who shuns her, she always follows her own heart. There's no way that a girl like her would just accept being protected.
It was a mistake in judgment. Once again, Subaru had made it again.
And as they continue to miss each other, it all comes to light at the worst possible time.
--The situation no longer allows for any time to spare.
"Puck is..."
Still on the hill, Puck clings to Emilia, pleading with her to change her mind, but there's no way he can bend her stubborn will.
Emilia had also half given up on asking for Puck's cooperation, and had closed her eyes, relying solely on her own magical power, and begun to chant.
And the silent, eerie madman, Petelgeuse,
"What... Ah, what a wonderful day it is. A true reflection, surely there is no other body more suitable for the vessel..."
Tears flowing from his eyes, the madman takes a step towards the hill, his voice trembling with uncontrollable rage, his steps shaking, but surely his progress is a countdown to his own destruction.
"――――"
Puck is unreliable, and Subaru, driven by a sense of mission, steps up to his feet.
And at the same time that he let go of her hand, Patrasche's breathing quietly stopped. A tear ran down Subaru's cheek. He roughly wiped it away with the back of his hand and ran off.
"Subaru-kun?!"
Leaving the shocked voice of Ferris behind him, Subaru ran on, forgetting the throbbing pain in his body. Without even a glance at the battlefield beside him, where the Witch Cultists and the extermination squad were clashing, Subaru's eyes were fixed solely on the girl on the hill.
Now, I'm the only one who can stop her from meeting the madman.
I don't know how much of a help this tiny little person like me can be. I don't know, but even so, I have to do it. If not, then why――
"Please don't get in the way--Death!"
Sensing Subaru running towards him, Petelgeuse tilted his head to look back, and the shadow of him expanded - a jet-black demonic hand shot out, closing in to entangle Subaru.
The pressure from the palm of his hand felt as if it was trying to rip his limbs off, but Subaru twisted his body and dodged through the gap without slowing down. At this point, a change occurred in his body, which should have been severely tired and injured, as his concentration became sharper.
In other words, a display of superhuman strength in an emergency.
Subaru's body was moving beyond its limits, and he continued to narrowly avoid the approaching palms.
Betelgeuse clicked his tongue at Subaru's unusual movement,
"Damn Death, but you see the invisible hand..."
"Don't open your filthy mouth any more! I'm not letting you do anything else!"
The distance between them was now less than twenty meters, and the number of demonic hands that were out to tear Subaru to pieces was so great that it covered the entire field of vision.
But he felt no fear of his body being torn apart. What drove Subaru on was the burning flames of impatience that pushed aside the fear of death in his heart, threatening to burn his entire body to ashes.
He stepped forward, dodging the palm as it grazed his cheek. The area from his left cheek to his ear was torn cleanly, and the blood spurted out, searing his nerves. But, forcing his willpower to fight back in the intense pain, Subaru's body went forward, forward――and then, his outstretched arm reached out to grab Betelgeuse's delicate shoulder,
"If the invisible hand is putting you at a disadvantage, then there's nothing you can do."
"--What a desperate attempt!"
"--Uldona."
Petelgeuse chants a short incantation with a bored look on his face.
Subaru opened his eyes wide upon hearing those words, and the moment he did, the ground he was standing on shook violently, throwing him off balance as if his feet had been swept away. And then,
"Could that be...?!"
"The invisible hand is a symbol of favor bestowed only upon me… but have I ever said that I can only use that?"
Petelgeuse tilted his head ninety degrees and stepped away, uttering a nasty sarcastic remark.
No, the ground beneath Subaru's feet rose up with incredible speed, propelling Subaru's body, which was directly above him, into the sky.
The whole area beneath his feet leapt up like a spring-loaded platform, and Subaru's body, which was on top, was hurled effortlessly into the air. The height easily exceeded ten meters――,
"--Huh, Ah!?"
Subaru's body was thrown into the ground, bouncing about, and the blow to his chest took his breath away. The impact made his consciousness cloudy, and he was thrown out in that state, with no effective way for him to avoid the fall.
Falling from a height. And it had already been established in "True Murphy's Law" that there was a high probability of falling headfirst. Now, too, he fell headfirst, his neck breaking and his life being lost - at the last moment,
「Subaru――!!」
At the same time that Ginrin let out a cry of urgency, a transparent mass rose up from directly below to catch the falling Subaru.
Although every effort had been made to cushion the impact of the fall, the material was such that damage was unavoidable. Subaru opened his eyes in agony at the hard feel and the coldness of his skin, and there he found,
"An ice mountain? Or a tower?"
An iceberg had been built up to the same height as the uplifted earth in order to rescue the washed-up Subaru - and that was the true nature of the mass that had saved Subaru from falling to his death.
His bloodied skin stuck to the iceberg, and Subaru pulled himself up, grimacing in pain as his skin was peeled off. He simultaneously felt a sense of relief that he had escaped death, and of the irreparable mistake that had been made.
--There is no need to wonder whose hands created this iceberg.
"--Emilia!!"
Subaru turned around, picked himself up on the slippery iceberg, and impatiently turned his face towards the hill. However, the land rose up, blocking his view with a cliff, and he was unable to see the movements of Emilia, Puck, or Petelgeuse, who were now isolated on the other side of the hill.
However, Emilia's chant was interrupted, and she cannot see Petelgeuse's invisible hand!
"This is the worst... this is the worst, getting around the wall..."
They had to get off the iceberg and cross a wall of rising earth. The rising earth blocking the hill was like a steep cliff, and the terrain made it difficult to go around to the other side. Subaru couldn't do it alone.
The skin on my palms stuck to the ice, and the pain of it peeling off burned my brain. I felt repeated sharp pains that brought tears to the corners of my eyes, and I literally bled as I went down the iceberg.
Luckily, there were several grab bars to grab onto, and combined with how desperate I was, I was able to make a surprising descent down the mountain of ice, almost falling.
However, before he could catch his breath, Subaru looked up at the wall, at a loss.
"This wall... Shit, that guy was playing the shamisen...!"
Slamming his bloodied hand against the earthen wall, Subaru gritted his teeth and once again regretted his shortsightedness.
He had underestimated Betelgeuse, thinking that if he could just seal his "invisible hand," he would be able to neutralize him. As a result, he had been completely outwitted like this――
"--Subaru-sama!"
"...Mr. Wilhelm?"
From behind the bowed Subaru, an old swordsman rushed up.
His injuries were minimal, and he held the sword up, nodded to Subaru, glaring at the wall,
Subaru: "For just a moment, I caught sight of Emilia-sama. —Is the Sin Archbishop on the other side?"
"That's right... That's it! He's been defeated! Emilia... We must not let that guy and Petelgeuse meet! It will be bad... I can't explain it well, but it's no good. That's the only thing..."
Unable to put into words the reason for his impatience, Subaru clung to Wilhelm, enduring his frustration. Wilhelm nodded at Subaru's incoherent words,
"Leave it to me. I'll cut through the wall with my own hands now."
"I said I'd cut him down..."
How could they climb such towering walls――? In response to Subaru's question, Wilhelm gave a very concise answer through his actions.
That is, the flashing white blade gouges into the wall, and countless slashes begin to cut through the earthen wall in rapid succession. The answer is simple, it literally "slashes open".
"Uh, oh..."
Witnessing the Sword Demon's serious slash from up close, Subaru could do nothing but be entranced by the overwhelming skill. Even in this critical moment, the beauty of the flashing blade, the height of the slash, this was indeed something that could be said to demonstrate the existence of the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
With Subaru and Wilhelm facing the wall at the rear, the battle between the Witch Cults and the extermination squad was reaching its climax, even as they were taken from the front line.
The extermination squad - the Beastman Mercenary Corps - fought well, Ricardo's machete blew away the Witch Cultists. And behind them was Julius, accompanied by six quasi-spirits of different brilliance,
"Ea, Qua, Ik, Aro, In, Ness - everyone, lend me your strength."
The quasi-spirits whose names were called responded with stronger glows. In the next moment, six different types of light lit up on the slender sword Julius held, transforming into a rainbow-colored blade as he sent the "superior knight" onto the battlefield.
"You're finally ready! You've kept me waiting so long!"
"I'm sorry, Ricardo. I've put a lot of strain on your valiant efforts. —From now on, I'll show you results that are worthy of your efforts."
Responding gallantly to Ricardo's taunt, Julius lightly swung his rainbow-colored sword. In the air, a rainbow traced the blade's path, and sparkling lights danced wildly.
It was a fantastical sight. However, the practicality of that blade was unclear as Julius approached the Witch Cult. The man in black noticed this and prepared a dagger at his waist, stabbing the leisurely advancing knight.
"Right now, my sword interferes with all things. It is futile to challenge it."
A rainbow flashes and the black-clad dagger disappears along with his arm.
The attack didn't even draw blood. Both arms were gone up to the elbows, and the man in black was hit with the next attack and annihilated, before he could even comprehend the damage that had been done to him.
"Now - only those who wish to be enchanted by the brilliance of the rainbow may stand before me!"
The Witch Cult surged towards Julius, who spoke and raised his sword. Julius intercepted them with Ricardo standing beside him―― Truly a reliable figure.
And this one too,
"Through the wall!"
"---Shh!"
Beyond the digging slash, a faint light shone through the wall, and just as Subaru cried out in anticipation of a breakthrough, the tip of the sword beautifully pierced the wall.
Wilhelm, covered in dirt, kicked the wall down with a front kick, creating enough space for a person to pass through. Following the Sword Demon as he glided through, Subaru also appeared on the other side of the wall.
A great deal of time had been lost. During that time, we had been completely unable to interfere with our actions. As a result, if Emilia had been lost――
"Emi――"
However, Subaru's worst-case scenario unfolded in a completely different way.
"--Ah, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts."
With a trembling voice, Betelgeuse groaned in pain and spilled blood.
A considerable number of icicles were already sticking out from half of its body, especially the left lower abdomen, and a stake protruding from the ground from its left foot had ripped through the armor, sewn its body to the ground.
And behind Emilia, facing it, there were numerous ice blades floating, still waiting to be fired, and it was clear at a glance that the situation was in Emilia's favour.
Because I understand -- it was the worst.
"--Emilia!!"
Subaru shouted, trying his hardest to stop it from becoming a reality.
However, before Subaru could say it, the dying Petelgeuse held out his palm towards him - and extended his jet-black demonic hand.
The approaching palm was moving at an incredibly slow pace, perhaps due to a problem with Betelgeuse's own vitality. Even if he pulled the unseen Wilhelm back and dodged, it was still at a comfortable walking speed. However, to Subaru, the hand did not seem like a threat.
"It's dangerous, Subaru――!!"
To Emilia, who knew nothing about it, it could only be thought of as a fatal blow to Subaru.
Therefore,
"Ah, the abandonment of thought――you are just "slothful", aren't you?"
The maniacally grinning face was cut off by the falling blades of ice and sent flying through the air.
Blood spurted from the severed torso, and the limp body collapsed. The flying head fell across the grassland, making a heavy thud as it disappeared beyond view.
Emilia put an end to the madman, Petelgeuse.
This was a different kind of worst case scenario than the one Subaru had imagined, a different kind of "worst case."
"Subaru-dono. It seems that thing is..."
Confirming the death of the Sin Archbishop, Wilhelm's smile lightened slightly. Similarly, Emilia, while still feeling regretful about her own actions, seemed to have a sigh of relief on her shoulders.
Subaru raised his head in front of the two of them and spoke,
"You two, get away from me right now - but it's too late!!"
Just before he stretched out both arms and tried to push away Wilhelm beside him, his mouth made a movement and spoken something different from what he had intended.
Immediately afterwards, Subaru had the illusion that the ground beneath his feet was swelling up. No, the shadow exploded, and countless arms were born from it.
It rose silently like a writhing snake, aimed right at Wilhelm, who was nearby, but the old swordsman dodged it just in time. Even though he couldn't see the threat of the invisible hand, he sensed Subaru's warning and instantly turned around, leaping like the wind to Emilia's side.
Subaru - Petelgeuse - glared at him with disgust.
"I feel awful... Death. Is it really that disgusting to have someone else inside my head...?"
I dug my fingers into the wound, my consciousness flickering with pain as I tried to maintain my sense of self. If I didn't stay alert, I was terrified that I'd be taken over at any moment.
The sensation of a stranger, a hateful being, sitting so boldly next to my brain. If I had followed the previous incident, I should have been able to predict this situation.
So I had to avoid this situation.
"What… Subaru, what happened?"
"No, Emilia-sama. Right now, that person is Subaru-dono, and not just Subaru-dono. ーーSubaru-dono! Are you out of your mind!"
Emilia looked worriedly at Subaru, who seemed to be acting strangely, and Wilhelm called out to her, placing his arm around her. Subaru frowned and stepped back in response.
The issue of "Possession" was something that everyone in the extermination squad had been told about and was a common understanding of. Wilhelm must have realised from Subaru's attitude that he was struggling with the consciousness of a madman.
Naturally, his expression turned stern, and he pointed the tip of the sword he was holding in his hand towards him. He didn't immediately attack, but he was certainly on guard. And it was something Subaru had asked him to do before entering the battle.
"I'm glad you kept your promise, Wilhelm."
"Please don't make me cut you down. Is there any way to escape without being controlled?"
「I wonder…to be honest, I'm not sure if I can even maintain my sense of self right now. If I let my guard down, it feels like I'll get my neck or something chopped off at any moment.」
Both of his arms were spasming, and if he let his consciousness wander, he could feel the fingertips of his raised arms crawling towards his throat. If he was left alone, he would have his neck gouged with a force approaching the limits of the human body, and he would have ended his life in excruciating pain. He was a vile bastard who wanted to make him commit suicide every time.
"Moreover... in the case of other people, they use it on themselves... but then they try to make me commit suicide right away. What kind of thinking is that...!?"
His voice trembles, his fingertips tremble, and his gaze begins to become unsteady.
His mind was being invaded by Betelgeuse, and even control over his body was slowly being taken away. He had already lost feeling in his feet. Slowly, from one end to the other, the existence that was Natsuki Subaru was being painted over by the existence that was Betelgeuse.
"It's been a long time since I've had this much trouble transferring."
Subaru: "Talking to a spirit body… I'm finally reaching the end of my rope. Shit, Death."
The image of Phantom Betelgeuse appeared in his mind. The image was of Betelgeuse, whom he had seen for the first time - a vision of him that had now exploded into dust, but the ghostly figure circled around Subaru, gazing all over at him as he desperately resisted,
"Good resistance, good expression, good attempt! A trial! A trial, trial, trial, trial, trial, trial! This is how a trial should be! It is the same for me, the witch, and the half-demon who is nothing more than a vessel! A trial! Ah, the trial of love!"
Subaru: "Don't make that noise in my ear, dammit. What is this trial… Just keep holding me back like this… There's no way there's anyone who can defeat me with sheer ego…"
Be strong, put up a false front, and cheer yourself up.
If I didn't do that, I would be tempted to give in to this self-destructive urge right now, or reach out my arms from the shadow beneath my feet, on the verge of exploding, and trample everything around me until there was no trace of it left.
If this impulse is something that Betelgeuse has always had, then it does make some sense as to why the madman had been acting so crazy and strangely up until now.
If they have this much desire for destruction, they're more than capable of biting off the tips of their fingers.
With a power that is so difficult to control, it is not surprising that one would lose their mental balance.
--Is this the world that Betelgeuse sees?
『--- I'm not asking for your understanding, desu.』
It was then that Betelgeuse, who was supposed to be an illusion, coldly spoke to Subaru.
Up until now, Petelgeuse had expressed anger, madness, and ecstasy, but for the first time, all emotion had been drained from his face.
This was something that chilled Subaru to the bone more than any other attitude he had shown up until now.
"I don't ask anyone to understand me. Above all, sympathy is an insult to the love I give you! It's humiliation! It's nothing but disgrace! I will only think, reflect, be conscious and strive to repay that favor! That alone will save me!"
"You..."
Bringing his face closer, the illusion of Betelgeuse extends his tongue to warn Subaru.
A feeling of disgust and some pity flashed through Subaru's mind, but he dismissed it as merely a momentary hesitation.
The madman and the ordinary man continued to fight for dominance. Then,
「ーーSubaru!」
"Subaru-kun!"
"Big Brother!"
From behind, they had annihilated everyone down to the last Witch cultist, and then Julius, Ferris, and Ricardo came running up to them.
"Subaru!"
"Subaru-sama...!"
"――――"
In front, coming down the hill, Emilia and Wilhelm were walking towards them, their expressions of wariness lingering and worry peeking out from beneath them.
My heart beats louder and louder.
His heart was racing at the sight of all those who had gathered, and above all else, Emilia was standing right beside him. Subaru's heart, trembling at her closeness, suddenly lit up.
"――――"
Suddenly, Subaru's limbs stopped shaking.
The aftereffects of fighting against what was trying to overflow from inside him, which had been causing his limbs to tremble, suddenly disappeared, and he let out a long, deep breath.
"Subaru…?"
Emilia tilted her head at Subaru's calm demeanor.
Cautiously, her fingers reach out and try to touch Subaru's cheek.
Just before her white fingertips touched her cheek, Subaru raised his hand and took hers. "Ah," Emilia cried out softly, her amethyst eyes glaring in my direction, her black pupils intertwining with mine.
And then, a gentle smile formed on Subaru's cheeks,
"--Leah, no!"
"I finally caught him - Death."
Puck jumped out and shouted a warning, but Petelgeuse was quicker to respond with a cheek-splitting grin.
In an attempt to protect Emilia, whose arm was still being held, everyone tried to move at once - but they were stopped as a black demonic hand reached out and bound them all.
"Meow!?"
"What is this? It's just as Big Brother said!"
"This is the Sin Archbishop's... 'invisible hand'!"
Ferris, Ricardo, and Wilhelm were bound and unable to move, and cried out in agony. Their limbs were grabbed by arms reaching out from the ground, and the three of them were on all fours as if their limbs were made of lead.
However,
"---It seems like there are some people you don't get along with, right?"
"It appears that's the case... Let's have everyone released safely."
Julius dodged the demonic hand by jumping backwards at the last moment and readied his sword.
By some means or other, Julius had managed to escape the restraints of the invisible hand, but Betelgeuse, who had seized control of Subaru's body, glared at him with hatred,
"--Death, the spiritist?"
"If that's the case, then what's the point?"
Betelgeuse clicked his tongue in genuine irritation.
Julius, who remained calm throughout the whole thing, was probably planning a solution by prolonging the conversation even a little. However,
"There's no point in trying to buy time. The vessel is already within my hands---"
As he spoke, Petelgeuse lifted Emilia's pale arm, which he still had his grip on. Emilia was unable to resist as she was lifted into the air by countless invisible hands, her mouth covered and she was prevented from chanting.
Emilia struggles to escape, twisting her body desperately. The Great Spirit who was supposed to be watching over her at all times, however, forbade anyone from interfering with her.
"Why... why am I here...? Lia, oh, Lia, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Why... if I can't be of any help here, why did Echidna have to leave me...!"
There was a tone of regret in her murmur, and resignation weighed down on her small body.
Hearing this, Betelgeuse suddenly stopped moving. He raised his head and slowly, with a creaking movement, looked down at the kitten.
「You bastard…」
It was righteous indignation, an unbearable feeling of anger.
The explosion temporarily awakened Subaru's consciousness, who had been banished to the void.
Any hope of resistance should have been dashed, yet the sight of Puck's pathetic state somehow managed to bring him back to consciousness.
Then,
"Trials, contracts... that's ridiculous, you know. Then why are you here?! What are you doing here..."
"What do you know, Subaru? You don't know anything. Even I couldn't remember until this very moment. What do you know about the witch!"
Puck looked up at Subaru, anger in his eyes, and they glared at each other.
However, after they had exchanged this relentless hatred, Subaru's consciousness was once again on the verge of being swallowed up by the flickering shadow of Betelgeuse.
My consciousness was fading, and this time I knew it would just be crushed,
"--Do it, Julius."
"What are you talking about?"
"If things continue like this, we'll be taken over and wiped out... If that's going to happen, then stop it."
Gripping the sword, Yuitsu entrusts his wishes to him, who is able to convey his own will to his body.
To at least resolve this situation, he wants Petelgeuse to be killed. If you are the vessel for that, then I will take on that role.
"No, Subaru. You should think about it. I'm a knight and a spiritist. I have made a contract to cooperate with your goal. To go against that…"
"My goal is to save Emilia…. My life is a separate matter…"
Subaru's reply seemed to be squeezed out, causing Julius to distort his face in anguish.
Subaru couldn't help but laugh when he saw Julius, who had always maintained an elegant and calm demeanor, show an expression of distress for the first time.
Her cheeks relax and she lets out a small sigh.
"What a stupid thing to say, what a stupid thing to say, what a stupid thing to say!"
The phantom Petelgeuse appears once again, circling around Subaru as if to taunt him as he makes his decision.
The ridiculousness of the scene also brought laughter to my eyes, and finally a faint laugh escaped my throat.
"Subaru, I…"
"Don't make a mistake in your judgment, Sir Knight--"
As Julius tries to express his hesitation, Subaru urges him on with a trembling voice. But Julius still can't make up his mind.
As if to push him forward, someone interrupted the conversation that everyone was watching with bated breath.
Subaru-kun was on the verge of being taken over, and Julius couldn't make the decision to put an end to it. So, there's nothing that can be done, right?"
Ferris, whose hands were bound by the demon's grip and who was forced to lie face down on the ground, lifted his head and smiled faintly from his painful position.
With sweat on his forehead and a single strand of hair flowing, he looked beautiful, and even though I knew he was a man and only had a cloth draped over his shoulders, I couldn't help but feel a sense of sensuality.
And the way she smiles with her red lips parted is truly worthy of being called "devilish."
"Wait, Ferris. What are you--"
"There's no turning back, I'll do it."
As Julius called out to stop him, Ferris quietly clicked his tongue.
A soft kissing sound echoed, and Subaru Betelgeuse blinked, wondering what was going to happen, waiting for a change. However, there was no sign of anything happening.
--Immediately afterwards, Subaru's whole body felt like it was boiling and was on fire.
"--Ah, what?!"
Hot. Hot, hot. Hot hot ...
Hot throat, hot eyes, hot body, hot tongue, hot nose, hot hands, hot ears, hot feet, hot blood, hot soul, hot life, hot hot hot.
Your blood boils, your internal organs simmer, and you emit such a high fever that it feels as if your brain is vaporizing, causing your vision to become blurred.
The sudden, fatal abnormality in his body prevented Subaru from even being able to speak.
『Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa――!?』
Just before he was burned to pieces, he saw in his eardrums that Betelgeuse was in the same pain as Subaru. Since they shared the same body, the pain Subaru suffered was his own pain.
And that means he too will experience this hopeless demise.
--A feeling of "serves them right" wells up within me, but it quickly disappears in the face of the pain.
They suffer, roll, convulse, and are unable to move.
Before I knew it, everyone who had been tied up was now free. Of course. If the people who should be using the invisible hand were like this, who could tie anyone down?
"Ferris! Why...!"
"That's not what he wants. Protecting what he wants to protect is his true wish… right?"
Subaru no longer had the energy to even move a finger or express his pain. He realized that Ferris had caused it, and that Wilhelm had attacked Ferris.
Emilia crouched down and shook the dying Subaru's shoulders.
"Wait… Subaru, that's not right, that's not okay. Please. Wait… no, no, that's not right. I want you to…"
Her voice was tearful. Who was she crying for? Who was she crying for? She had always been a kind-hearted person who only did things for the sake of others.
I think it would be nice if that someone was me.
"Ah, I can't watch this."
Ricardo shook his large body and turned away.
And stepping out from beside him was a royal knight with slightly disheveled purple hair - Julius, clutching a rainbow-colored sword and with a look of loneliness on his face.
"...It was my fault that Ferris acted the way he did. I will eventually receive this punishment."
Telling myself not to worry about trivial things didn't motivate me.
You should continue to worry about me, but don't ever forget. If you forget how much I've suffered, I won't be able to rest in peace.
--The tip of the rainbow-colored sword was placed against the neck of the lying Subaru.
"No… you can't, Julius. After all, Subaru is still…"
"The lifeblood is out of control... No more."
Emilia said something to Julius, but the knight shook his head and didn't hear her.
The voices of the discussion grow distant. Farther and farther away, disappearing somewhere.
『This shouldn't have happened… I, I! Love, favor! I should have received the blessing of the Gospel…!』
--Shut up, come with me to hell.
Far, far away, falling, falling into some unknown place.
Ah, am I going to die again? I will fall into the abyss, lose everything, and end my life miserably again, bearing the weight of my failures.
Looking back at the world.
Never forget what went wrong and why.
"--Subaru, I'm sorry."
I hear a tearful voice, and then the last thing I hear is the voice of the girl I wanted to hear the most before I lose consciousness.
And then, aha! I understood. The reason for my failure.
"I'm—"
--Subaru should not have made up with Emilia.