"I... I don't give a shit about those bastards, alright!? They left me for dead! They used me! And now they got exactly what they deserved endin' up in this hellhole!"
Hiain yelled, his voice cracking violently. He bared his fangs, his chest heaving as he glared down at the small, black-haired boy.
He was trying to sound furious. He was desperately trying to wrap himself in a shield of righteous hatred, to convince himself that the comrades who had abandoned him to the slavers were nothing but garbage meant to be discarded in turn.
At a glance, it looked like pure, unadulterated spite.
Subaru simply stared back, his dark, sunken eyes completely unmoved by the lizardman's outburst.
"——So you don't want me to save them?" Subaru asked, his head tilting slightly to the side.
The question pierced right through the armor.
Hiain gritted his teeth. His jaw trembled, and his throat bobbed as he tried to force out a confirmation, but the words refused to materialize.
"———"
"You know how this island works just as well as I do," Subaru continued, his voice terrifyingly flat, devoid of any childish innocence. "When their Sparka starts, they're going to die. It's a guarantee... you know that just as well as I do."
The Witchbeasts kept in Ginunhive's pens weren't mere obstacles——they were executioners. True, the monstrous lion Subaru's Unit had faced was an anomaly, a beast that had already slaughtered multiple groups before they even stepped onto the sand. But the standard beasts were more than enough to tear apart a handful of exhausted, terrified slaves.
If Subaru hadn't been there to crush that lion, Idra, Weitz, and Hiain would currently be rotting at the bottom of a monster's stomach.
"D-damn it..." Hiain stammered, his webbed hands coming up to grip his scaly head. "Why are you... why is a creepy brat like you actin' like you know everything?! Damn it, no... I don't want them to die! They fed me when I was starvin'! They taught me how to survive! ...But for what?! So they could just throw me to the wolves the second things got bad?!"
Subaru looked at the miserable, conflicting mess of a man in front of him. A part of him wanted to call Hiain an idiot. To tell him how ridiculous it was to cling to a grudge when lives were literally on the line.
But he didn't.
"It's too lonely to decide that a person's worst moment is the only thing that defines them." Subaru said quietly.
Subaru knew better than anyone in this world how a life-or-death situation could twist a person's mind. Terror made people do ugly, pathetic, desperate things.
But was it really a sin to be just selfish enough to want to live? If Subaru condemned everyone who had ever broken under the fear of death, he'd be standing completely alone.
Subaru averted his gaze, looking down from the observation deck. Below them, the iron gates of the arena were groaning open. The crowd of doomed newcomers was being herded toward the bloodstained sands.
The next Sparka was about to begin.
"Think fast, Hiain," Subaru commanded, his voice hardening as he turned his back on the lizardman. "Are you going to let them die just to satisfy your pride, or are you going to do something about it? What will you do?"
"———"
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After all the pain he had gone through——acting as a decoy, being dragged to this island of blood and sand, cursing their names every single night just to keep his own spirit from breaking——they had gotten themselves caught anyway.
His justification for hating them vanished into thin air. Without that righteous anger to shield him, Hiain was forced to face the ugly truth: he was just a cowardly lizard who had been left behind. He was pathetic.
And now, as a final, cruel joke from the world, he was being forced to sit in the stands and watch the very people he had sacrificed himself for be torn to pieces.
The murmur of the gladiators in the stone bleachers was a low, morbid hum. It wasn't the sound of excitement, definitely not, it was the grim, suffocating feeling of men watching someone else die instead of them.
Hiain swallowed hard, his throat dry as bone.
Down below, the heavy iron gate groaned, spitting five lizardmen out onto the sun-baked sand. Their tails dragged behind them, their scales dull and rigid with the exact same terror Hiain knew all too well.
"It seems they managed to form a proper Unit, at least. They definitely have a better chance at surviving than we would've... if it weren't for Natsuki."
Idra, sitting by Hiain's side, muttered the assessment.
The rust-haired young man was trying desperately to keep his voice steady, to put up the front of a hardened veteran.
It was a hollow effort. Deep down, Idra was just as broken and terrified as Hiain was, his own guilt over his actions in the arena still eating him alive.
It was just a miserable attempt to make Hiain feel slightly less hopeless. It didn't work.
Before Hiain could respond, the murmurs in the crowd abruptly died out.
High above the arena, the heavy, inescapable voice of Gustav reverberated across the stone.
"——From this point onward, the Sparka will commence!"
The four-armed, blue-skinned Governor looked down upon the venue, his presence an absolute law that bound everyone on the island.
At his declaration, the opposing gate——the one leading into the pitch-black holding pens rattled open.
From the darkness, the Gladiator Beast slowly slinked into the light.
It was entirely different from the monstrous lion Hiain's group had faced, yet its existence felt just as inherently wrong. It was a massive, grotesque rat, its body covered in deceptively soft-looking fur, with large, molted bird wings sprouting unnaturally from its shoulders.
The physical differences didn't matter. The instant Hiain laid eyes on it, his instincts screamed the exact same violent warning: That thing is going to eat them.
Hiain gripped the edge of the stone barrier, his claws scraping against the rock. His pride was worthless. His hatred was an illusion.
"... Please. Natsuki."
He muttered the surrender—his decision—to the empty air beside him.
When he looked to his right, the spot where the black-haired boy with the nasty eyes had just been standing was completely empty.
"Hrk——"
A sudden, sharp gasp came from Weitz. The tattooed gladiator leaned entirely over the stone railing, his eyes bulging as if his brain was violently rejecting the reality of what he was seeing down on the sand.
"Argh... I knew he was crazy but...!"
――The multitude of gladiators in the audience of the venue were all staring in amazement.
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Reid Astrea was a man who lived solely for his own desires.
He was a monster who swung whatever it was in his hand with equal, devastating power and talent. History revered him as the pinnacle of skill, the Heavenly Sword, but those who had actually met him knew the ugly truth: he was a walking natural disaster, feared just as much as he was worshipped.
Natsuki Subaru hated being looked at like a monster.
He hated the gazes of the gladiators in Ginunhive——eyes that saw only an anomaly. An unnatural, terrifying existence packed into a shrunken, childlike body.
Of course, he couldn't blame them for thinking like that. But——
If he was going to lead a rebellion to escape this island of death, he couldn't do it through terror. He couldn't afford to be like Reid. He needed to forge that cold fear into something entirely different.
He needed to turn it into hope.
Not just because it was a vital, tactical necessity to unite the gladiators, but because, deep down, he was still the same fool he had always been.
Because honestly, wasn't being looked at as an amazing guy who swoops in to save the day just the greatest feeling in the world?
The wind roared in his ears, snapping him out of his fleeting thoughts.
The blue sky of the Empire blurred as gravity took absolute hold of him. Natsuki Subaru had vaulted directly over the high stone barrier of the stands, plummeting straight down toward the bloodstained sands of the execution grounds.
As he twisted in mid-air, the grotesque rat-beast below him snapping its head up to track his descent, the dark clouds of logic and fear vanished entirely from Subaru's mind.
Against all common sense, a vicious, exhilarating smile split across his face.
"Thanks for the inspiration not to be like you, you damn stick swinger——!"
So thus, he declared.
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Cecilus Segmunt, the Blue Lightning, was currently having the time of his life.
Gladiator Island was supposed to be a cage, a place of endless bloodshed and misery. Yet, despite the difficulty of leaving Ginunhive, Cecilus hadn't felt much urgency to try. He was content to wait for his cue.
And now, with Basu having crashed onto his stage, his boredom had been thoroughly obliterated. Watching the black-haired boy, Cecilus couldn't help but feel a stirring in his chest——a mix of anticipation and curiosity that the Blue Lightning of Vollachia rarely experienced.
There was something about Basu that defied logic. Even after reassessing his opinion of the boy during their chat in the cell, Cecilus knew there was a mystery to him yet to be unraveled. A plot twist waiting to happen.
Down in the blood-stained sands of the arena, the Sparka was reaching its climax.
The crowd roared as the massive, abominable-looking witchbeast thrashed in the center of the pit. Its jaw snapped wildly, cornering a group of exhausted lizardmen gladiators who looked as if they'd accepted their demise.
They were extras. Casualties meant to emphasize the danger of the beast before someone of interest arrives to take it down.
But Basu didn't seem to care about the script.
A blur of black shot across the arena. Subaru didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second. He vaulted off a crumbling stone pillar, black energy trailing from his boots as he launched himself directly into the beast's path.
Cecilus watched from the spectator walls, his small legs kicking back and forth over the ledge.
"Oh, so that's how you're doing it," Cecilus murmured, his starry eyes tracking every erratic movement. "Leaping straight into the jaws of death to save a group of extras you don't even know, solely because of their despair? How honestly benevolent of you, Basu."
Down below, the witchbeast lunged at the new target. Subaru ducked underneath the snapping maw with ease before he stepped directly into the monster's guard. His fist, wrapped in that volatile layer of Cursed Energy, slammed upward into the beast's lower jaw. The shockwave visibly rippled through the air. The sickening crunch of bone echoed over the roaring crowd as the massive monster was launched backward, its neck snapping before its heavy body crashed limply into the sand.
The arena fell dead silent for a second, followed by an eruption of deafening cheers. The lizardmen stared at the boy who had just saved their lives, utterly dumbfounded.
From his perch, Cecilus tilted his head, his smile widening.
That was his true and honest train of thought regarding Basu's kindness. But beneath it lay something else… a thread of doubt.
Is that truly the entire reason?
From what Cecilus could tell, Basu would have leaped into danger to save them regardless, simply because he possessed the strength to do so. It was a self-sacrificing mindset that Cecilus, as a man who lived solely for the sword and the stage, couldn't entirely comprehend.
But Cecilus's instincts—the absolute pinnacle of martial intuition—screamed at him that kindness alone didn't make a man fight with such suffocating desperation.
"Why else would you do this, Basu?" Cecilus whispered to the wind, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sheathed sword. "I can't help but feel like there's a grander reason driving you."
He remembered the story Basu had told him. The mentor who forgot. The hero who lost his heart, and the student who felt inadequate standing in his shadow.
Ah… Are you trying to prove something to yourself, Basu?
Cecilus thought, his eyes gleaming. It was a fascinating motivation for a protagonist.
But Cecilus waved a hand, dismissing the thought. He wasn't going to bother asking for the answer because that would certainly spoil the fun, wouldn't it?
A play was always most enjoyable when the climax was wholly unpredictable. Simply, it was best to keep it that way. Besides, if Basu actually managed to esccape the island and told him the truth one day, that would be a genuine display of friendship.
"Keep entertaining me, Basu," Cecilus laughed quietly, watching Subaru help the stunned lizardmen to their feet. "Show me just how far you'll go to reach your happy ending!"
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"Very well then. You have… all done well to survive Sparka. By my jurisdiction as the official, I accept you all as members of Gladiator Island!"
Gustav's booming declaration echoed through the colosseum, causing every gladiator who had been holding their breath to exhale in a collective rush of relief.
Down below, in the center of the blood-stained sandy arena, the outcome was clear.
Natsuki Subaru had slain another Witchbeast.
Its massive, mangled body lay unmoving, the dust still settling around it. Yet, despite witnessing the raw, volatile power the black-haired boy wielded once again, the watching gladiators didn't feel the primal fear they had previously.
Instead, a strange sense of admiration had pierced their hardened defenses. The child they had presumed to be a monster had gone out of his way to save a group of doomed Sparka participants——and seemingly for no reason at all.
Subaru let out a heavy breath, wiping a smudge of dirt from his cheek as he turned away from the beast's corpse.
That one was even easier to deal with than the last one.
Subaru thought, shaking out his hand.
All I had to do was mangle its wings to ground it, then deliver a single strike wrapped in Cursed Energy to rattle its brain against its skull.
He glanced up at the spectator balcony. The Governor of the Island, Gustav Morello, stood with his four burly arms crossed, overseeing the Sparka's conclusion. Subaru had expected the giant man to be furious about the unauthorized interference. He had been preparing an excuse in his head.
Surprisingly, Gustav's expression remained unreadable. He simply gave a sharp nod before turning and disappearing back into the corridors of the arena.
Well, apparently not. But anyway——
"W-we're alive…!"
"Thank you... thank you so much…!"
"I can't believe it…"
The varied responses from the group of lizardmen behind him were exactly what Subaru had anticipated. Some laughed, some cried, and others fell to their knees, bowing their heads in profound gratitude.
Subaru offered them a small, slightly wry smile. He accepted their thanks, even though he knew he hadn't done this purely out of the goodness of his heart.
"He'll probably have it in for me next time we meet, though," Subaru muttered, looking back at the empty balcony where Gustav had stood.
"N-Natsuki…! Natsuki!"
A familiar voice yelled from the sidelines. Subaru turned just in time to see Hiain, the lizardman gladiator he had spoken to earlier, jump down from the lower stands and sprint across the sand toward him.
Hiain's scales were standing on end, a sign of extreme distress. He grabbed Subaru's shoulder with his large, webbed fingers, his eyes wide.
"W-why… I know you offered 'n all but… why go and do that? Just for me?"
Subaru scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit awkward under the intense scrutiny.
"Well… it wasn't exactly all for you," Subaru admitted honestly. "But I have the strength to do it. Why would I just sit back and watch them die when I know I can stop it?"
"——Y… you… are one crazy softy then, eh?!" Hiain sputtered, his jaw dropping. "B-but… the Island Chief… surely he can't have liked that stunt! What if he has you executed for breaking the rules!?"
Hearing Hiain's frantic fears, Subaru just waved his hand dismissively.
"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Subaru said, glancing up toward the highest spectator seats where a certain blue-haired child had been sitting. "There's only one person on this island who can really kill me, and he won't do that unless my 'storyline' gets boring."
"What're you talkin' about…?" Hiain asked, thoroughly confused.
"Ah, well speaking of Gustav…" Subaru sighed, his eyes catching movement from the gladiator's entrance tunnels.
A pair of heavily armored Vollachian soldiers marched out onto the sand, their spears held at their sides. They didn't look hostile, but they certainly didn't look friendly either. They stopped a few paces away from Subaru.
"…The Island Chief wants a word with you," one of the soldiers stated flatly.
Subaru patted Hiain on the shoulder. "See? Just a talking-to. Keep your chin up, man. And… talk to them, alright?"
With that, Subaru stuffed his hands into his oversized pockets and walked toward the soldiers.
All exactly as expected…
Subaru thought, bracing himself for whatever Gustav had planned next.
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The heavy wooden doors of the Governor's office shut behind Subaru with a resonant thud, leaving him alone with Gustav Morello.
The massive, four-armed man sat behind his desk, his expression as unreadable as a slab of granite. He didn't speak immediately, instead taking a moment to simply observe the black-haired boy standing before him.
"You interfered with a Sparka that was not your own," Gustav stated, his deep voice leaving no room for argument. "The laws of Ginunhive are absolute, Natsuki Subaru. A Sparka is a sacred rite of survival. To intervene is to defile it."
Subaru kept his posture relaxed, though his hands were shoved deep into his pockets.
"They were going to die, Gustav-san. I had the power to stop it, so I did. If you want to punish me for keeping your gladiators breathing, go ahead."
Gustav's four arms crossed over his broad chest.
"This island is a cage for the Empire's dregs. Their lives are forfeit the moment they step onto the sand. By breaking the rules, you have challenged my authority as Governor."
"So?" Subaru tilted his chin up defensively. "What's the verdict? Execution? Throwing me in solitary?"
"Neither," Gustav replied smoothly. "As punishment for your blatant disobedience, you will be required to participate in further Sparkas. Whenever a batch of gladiators is deemed too weak to survive on their own, you will be thrown into the arena alongside them."
Subaru blinked. He stared at the giant man, waiting for the punchline.
"...Wait. What?"
"You heard me."
"Let me get this straight," Subaru pulled a hand out of his pocket, gesturing vaguely. "My punishment for fighting a Witchbeast without permission… is that you're going to officially order me to fight more Witchbeasts? And protect more people?"
"It is a grueling, exhausting sentence indeed. You will face beasts of increasing ferocity until your body gives out," Gustav said, his tone entirely serious. "Do you have an objection?"
Subaru's mouth hung open slightly. That wasn't a punishment. That was literally a VIP pass to do exactly what he wanted to do: keep casualties to a minimum and get stronger by fighting.
"No... no objections," Subaru muttered, eyeing the Governor suspiciously. "But... why? You're the boss here. You could just have me locked up. Instead, you're basically giving me an excuse to run wild in the arena. You're… helping me."
Gustav didn't flinch. "I am upholding the law of the island. Your strength is a resource. It is my duty to exploit it."
"Bullcrap," Subaru shot back, stepping closer to the desk. "I'm a prisoner. A kid, too. You don't strike me as the type to bend the rules just because someone has a strong punch. So what's the real reason?"
Gustav was quiet for a long moment. Two of his arms uncrossed, resting flat on the mahogany desk. He leaned forward, his gaze piercing through Subaru as if trying to read his very soul.
"Rumors have a way of reaching even the most isolated of islands, Natsuki Subaru," Gustav said quietly. "Especially rumors concerning the highest seat of power in Vollachia."
Subaru furrowed his brows. "Rumors?"
Does he know about Gojo, maybe? Subaru wondered.
"A boy of black hair and dark eyes," Gustav continued, his voice dropping into a low, measured register. "Wielding an unnatural, violent power. Leading the Shudraq. A boy who carries the blood of the Wolf, yet stands in rebellion against the Empire itself."
Subaru stared blankly. "The Wolf...?"
"Do not play the fool with me. I am well aware of the whispers from the capital," Gustav said. "They say you are the bastard son of the Emperor. A forgotten prince who has returned to bare his fangs at the throne."
Subaru's brain completely blue-screened.
…What? Bastard son? Of the Emperor?! This damn misunderstanding, again?!
"Hold on, wait, wait, wait!" Subaru waved his hands frantically. "I think there's a massive misunderstanding here! I'm not anyone's bastard son! I'm just Natsuki Subaru!"
Gustav nodded slowly, as if appreciating Subaru's denial.
"Of course. In your position, denying your lineage is the only tactical choice. To admit to royal blood on this island would make you a target for every assassin in the Empire. I commend your discretion."
"No, I mean literally, I am not related to Vincent!" Subaru groaned, rubbing his temples. "I'm not even from this country!"
"The Emperor's blood is not something that can be easily hidden," Gustav said, completely ignoring Subaru's protests. "Your arrogance, your strength, your refusal to bow to the rules of death... it is all very befitting of the Vollachian royal line."
Subaru let his arms drop. Gustav was completely convinced. Nothing Subaru said was going to change the four-armed man's mind.
This guy must think I'm a traitor right now… so why is he helping me?
"So," Subaru sighed, accepting the headache. "Because you think I'm…royalty… you're giving me a pass?"
"I am an official of the Empire, loyal to the throne," Gustav corrected sternly. "But the throne is currently in dispute. As Governor of Ginunhive, it is my duty to test the mettle of those who walk upon my sands. If you truly carry the blood of the Emperor, then a few Witchbeasts should be a trivial hurdle for you. Consider this your trial."
Subaru looked at the massive man. Beneath the strict, imposing exterior, Gustav was a man of deep principles. He wasn't helping Subaru out of kindness; he was doing it out of respect for the supposed 'potential' Subaru carried.
If he thinks I'm the Emperor's kid, and that makes him let me save the gladiators... then fine. I'll play along.
"Alright, Gustav-san," Subaru said, his gaze hardening into something much older than his physical body. "If you want a trial, you've got one. Throw whatever you want at me. But if I'm in that arena, nobody dies. That's my rule."
Gustav's lips twitched upward by a fraction of an inch. It was the closest thing to a smile Subaru had seen on him.
"We shall see if the Wolf's fangs are as sharp as his tongue," Gustav said, dismissing him with a wave of his lower hand. "Get out of my office, Natsuki Subaru. You have a Sparka to prepare for tomorrow."
The heavy wooden doors of the Governor's office shut behind Subaru with a resonant thud, leaving him alone with Gustav Morello.
The massive, four-armed man sat behind his desk, his expression as unreadable as a slab of granite. He didn't speak immediately, instead taking a moment to simply observe the black-haired boy standing before him.
"You interfered with a Sparka that was not your own," Gustav stated, his deep voice leaving no room for argument. "The laws of Ginunhive are absolute, Natsuki Subaru. A Sparka is a sacred rite of survival. To intervene is to defile it."
Subaru kept his posture relaxed, though his hands were shoved deep into his pockets.
"They were going to die, Gustav-san. I had the power to stop it, so I did. If you want to punish me for keeping your gladiators breathing, go ahead."
Gustav's four arms crossed over his broad chest.
"This island is a cage for the Empire's dregs. Their lives are forfeit the moment they step onto the sand. By breaking the rules, you have challenged my authority as Governor."
"So?" Subaru tilted his chin up defensively. "What's the verdict? Execution? Throwing me in solitary?"
"Neither," Gustav replied smoothly. "As punishment for your blatant disobedience, you will be required to participate in further Sparkas. Whenever a batch of gladiators is deemed too weak to survive on their own, you will be thrown into the arena alongside them."
Subaru blinked. He stared at the giant man, waiting for the punchline.
"...Wait. What?"
"You heard me."
"Let me get this straight," Subaru pulled a hand out of his pocket, gesturing vaguely. "My punishment for fighting a Witchbeast without permission… is that you're going to officially order me to fight more Witchbeasts? And protect more people?"
"It is a grueling, exhausting sentence indeed. You will face beasts of increasing ferocity until your body gives out," Gustav said, his tone entirely serious. "Do you have an objection?"
Subaru's mouth hung open slightly. That wasn't a punishment. That was literally a VIP pass to do exactly what he wanted to do: keep casualties to a minimum and get stronger by fighting.
"No... no objections," Subaru muttered, eyeing the Governor suspiciously. "But... why? You're the boss here. You could just have me locked up. Instead, you're basically giving me an excuse to run wild in the arena. You're… helping me."
Gustav didn't flinch. "I am upholding the law of the island. Your strength is a resource. It is my duty to exploit it."
"Bullcrap," Subaru shot back, stepping closer to the desk. "I'm a prisoner. A kid, too. You don't strike me as the type to bend the rules just because someone has a strong punch. So what's the real reason?"
Gustav was quiet for a long moment. Two of his arms uncrossed, resting flat on the mahogany desk. He leaned forward, his gaze piercing through Subaru as if trying to read his very soul.
"Rumors have a way of reaching even the most isolated of islands, Natsuki Subaru," Gustav said quietly. "Especially rumors concerning the highest seat of power in Vollachia."
Subaru furrowed his brows. "Rumors?"
Does he know about Gojo, maybe? Subaru wondered.
"A boy of black hair and dark eyes," Gustav continued, his voice dropping into a low, measured register. "Wielding an unnatural, violent power. Leading the Shudraq. A boy who carries the blood of the Wolf, yet stands in rebellion against the Empire itself."
Subaru stared blankly. "The Wolf...?"
"Do not play the fool with me. I am well aware of the whispers from the capital," Gustav said. "They say you are the bastard son of the Emperor. A forgotten prince who has returned to bare his fangs at the throne."
Subaru's brain completely blue-screened.
…What? Bastard son? Of the Emperor?! This damn misunderstanding, again?!
"Hold on, wait, wait, wait!" Subaru waved his hands frantically. "I think there's a massive misunderstanding here! I'm not anyone's bastard son! I'm just Natsuki Subaru!"
Gustav nodded slowly, as if appreciating Subaru's denial.
"Of course. In your position, denying your lineage is the only tactical choice. To admit to royal blood on this island would make you a target for every assassin in the Empire. I commend your discretion."
"No, I mean literally, I am not related to Vincent!" Subaru groaned, rubbing his temples. "I'm not even from this country!"
"The Emperor's blood is not something that can be easily hidden," Gustav said, completely ignoring Subaru's protests. "Your arrogance, your strength, your refusal to bow to the rules of death... it is all very befitting of the Vollachian royal line."
Subaru let his arms drop. Gustav was completely convinced. Nothing Subaru said was going to change the four-armed man's mind.
This guy must think I'm a traitor right now… so why is he helping me?
"So," Subaru sighed, accepting the headache. "Because you think I'm…royalty… you're giving me a pass?"
"I am an official of the Empire, loyal to the throne," Gustav corrected sternly. "But the throne is currently in dispute. As Governor of Ginunhive, it is my duty to test the mettle of those who walk upon my sands. If you truly carry the blood of the Emperor, then a few Witchbeasts should be a trivial hurdle for you. Consider this your trial."
Subaru looked at the massive man. Beneath the strict, imposing exterior, Gustav was a man of deep principles. He wasn't helping Subaru out of kindness; he was doing it out of respect for the supposed 'potential' Subaru carried.
If he thinks I'm the Emperor's kid, and that makes him let me save the gladiators... then fine. I'll play along.
"Alright, Gustav-san," Subaru said, his gaze hardening into something much older than his physical body. "If you want a trial, you've got one. Throw whatever you want at me. But if I'm in that arena, nobody dies. That's my rule."
Gustav's lips twitched upward by a fraction of an inch. It was the closest thing to a smile Subaru had seen on him.
"We shall see if the Wolf's fangs are as sharp as his tongue," Gustav said, dismissing him with a wave of his lower hand. "Get out of my office, Natsuki Subaru. You have a Sparka to prepare for tomorrow."
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The stone corridors of Gladiator Island were cold and damp, echoing with the distant snores of exhausted fighters and the occasional rattle of iron chains. The flickering torchlight cast long, dancing shadows against the rough-hewn walls.
Subaru walked slowly down the corridor, his hands shoved deep into his oversized pockets. Beside him, Louis trotted happily, clutching a hardened piece of bread that Gustav had allowed him as a ration increase for surviving the Sparka.
"Slow down, Louis, you're going to choke…" Subaru chuckled, gently patting her back as she coughed through a mouthful of crumbs.
"Uaa! Aau!" Louis chirped defensively, holding the bread closer to her chest as if Subaru was going to steal it.
"I'm not gonna take it! Look, I've got my own," Subaru said, pulling his own piece of stale bread from his pocket. It tasted like cardboard, but after fighting a Witchbeast like that, he wasn't about to complain.
Louis watched him chew for a second before scooting closer. She bumped her shoulder against his own, offering a muffled hum of satisfaction as she continued to nibble.
Subaru let out a soft sigh, resting a hand on top of her blonde hair.
"You know, you're getting pretty brave out there," Subaru murmured, his voice echoing quietly in the empty hall. "You didn't even flinch when that thing roared today. You're turning into a regular little gladiator."
"Uau~" Louis hummed proudly, puffing out her chest.
"Just don't get too reckless, okay? I can handle the fighting. You just focus on staying safe. And maybe learning how to say actual words eventually. 'Subaru' would be a good start. Su-ba-ru."
Louis looked up at him, blinking her blue eyes.
"Aa… Ua…"
"Close enough, I guess." Subaru laughed.
For a moment, walking down the dim corridor, the weight of the Empire, the Divine Generals, and Gojo's amnesia faded into the background. It was just a quiet, peaceful moment between the two of then who had been thrown into a nightmare and somehow managed to survive.
"Alright, let's get some sleep," Subaru said, turning the final corner toward their holding block. "We've got another Sparka tomorrow, apparently. Gotta make sure the 'Bastard Prince' is well-rested, right?"
He smiled down at Louis, but the smile died on his face the moment he looked up.
Standing at the end of the corridor, blocking the path to their cell, was a figure.
It was child-sized, matching Subaru's current stature perfectly. The spiky hair, the slouching posture, the way its hands rested in its pockets… it was a perfect mirror image.
But it had no features to make out. No face, no color. It was a pitch-black, three-dimensional silhouette that seemed to swallow the torchlight around it.
Louis stopped walking. She dropped her bread, shrinking behind Subaru's legs with a frightened whimper.
Subaru's breath hitched. A visceral, primal revulsion twisted in his gut. The ambient temperature in the hallway felt as if it had suddenly plummeted.
He remembered this feeling. He remembered the whispers in his mind. The dark temptations that had urged him to prioritize his own survival, to abandon his friends, to be selfish.
His hand clawed at his chest, right over where his heart was beating frantically.
"Long time no see, Natsuki Subaru——"
The voice was revolting——it was the catalyst for his guilt, his hatred, his deepest regrets.
Subaru didn't even think before he moved.
The stone cracked under his boots. He closed the gap in a fraction of a second, moving faster than the faceless entity could react. His hand shot out, grasping the lightless fabric of its collar and slamming it brutally against the wall.
"Y-You… why… how? How are you here, Pride?!" Subaru yelled at the top of his lungs, his grip tightening until his knuckles turned white.
"Gotten stronger… huh…"
Pride grabbed Subaru's wrist, attempting to pry himself free, but found his shadowy fingers utterly incapable of budging Subaru's reinforced grip. He gave up almost immediately, letting his arms drop to his sides with a helpless shrug.
"Good for you, bro——"
"Don't joke with me! How are you alive?! I thought Reinhard killed you!"
"Haha… nope~" Pride chuckled, the sound grating and hollow. "That would've definitely been the best outcome, though, right? For the both of us, too. Game over. Bad ending. Roll credits."
Subaru's brows furrowed. His Cursed Energy flared, casting harsh blue shadows across the corridor, but he didn't strike.
This wasn't how a monster should act. But it wasfamiliar. The flippant tone, the dismissive mannerisms, the desperate attempt to act like he was in control of a situation where he was totally helpless…
It was exactly how Natsuki Subaru used to act when he was terrified.
"But well——" Pride started, trying to keep up the casual act.
"You hate yourself, don't you?"
Subaru's voice was dead calm. He glared at the featureless face with such piercing intensity that Pride's words caught in his throat.
"———"
The entity fell silent. So Subaru continued. It was the least he could do. He knew this person better than anyone else in the world, because this person was him. The worst parts of him.
"You can act all prideful, arrogant, and cocky. You can deflect, play it off as a joke, and cover it up like the irredeemable, selfish idiot you are. But that single thing hasn't changed, has it?"
Subaru leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper.
"You despise everything about yourself."
Those words hit the nail on the head. Although Pride had no face to show emotion, the pitch-black mass of his body seemed to shudder and shrink. The oppressive aura he gave off wavered, cracking under the weight of the truth.
"…You really are the worst, Natsuki Subaru…" Pride muttered. Without a doubt, if he had a mouth, he would be grimacing.
"But unlike me, you won't change," Subaru said, refusing to let him off the hook. "No——you can'tchange. Because in the end, 'Pride' is all you have left to protect your fragile ego, right?"
Silence hung between them for a long moment. The only sound was Louis's nervous breathing from down the hall.
When Pride spoke again, the fake bravado was completely gone.
"…How would you react, if you learned that EVERYTHING was a lie?" Pride asked, his voice bitter and exhausted. "Your entire existence. The reason you are where you are. All of it, just a ploy for something you can't even comprehend. You'd be pretty pissed off, right? Well… I can't even be angry anymore. I just want this whole thing to be over."
The faceless head tilted slightly, staring at Subaru.
"You'll save me, won't you?"
"———"
Subaru's eyes narrowed. "Save you? What the hell are you talking about?"
Pride chuckled, as if expecting those words to come.
"Heh, right, you're confused. Well. Let's just say, as far as I know… that Witch, Pandora, and that bastard Kenjaku have some real spicy things in store."
Pride turned his head, averting his unseen gaze. He glanced down the hall at Louis for a moment, then shook his head.
"'A disaster rivaling Satella.' That's what Rein called me. Isn't that hilarious? I wonder if that fate was ever changed, or if I'm still on a collision course to become the ultimate monster in their little stage play."
Subaru's grip on the shadow loosened slightly as his brain worked in overdrive.
"So… so wait." Subaru stammered. "All that random pain I'd occasionally feel in my chest… that was you? Trying to find me?"
"Ehh, something like that, I guess. It's hard navigating without a physical body, bro."
Subaru's frown intensified. He didn't trust a word of this. Pride was a liar. He was the manifestation of Subaru's worst flaws, granted form and Authority. He was manipulative, cowardly, and completely self-serving.
Why is he here? What does he want? Is he trying to trick me into letting my guard down?
"What… is your goal?" Subaru demanded, his voice hard. "Why did you show up here, right now?"
Pride's unseen gaze snapped forward. The darkness of his form seemed to stabilize, growing dense and incredibly heavy.
"To stop existing. Or, what we know better than anyone else… to die a quick, forgetful death with no afterlife."