Chapter 125 - x

CHAPTER 5

BELIEVING

1

A pillar of ice stretched up into the sky, freezing the entire chapel.

The air crackled, as if the night sky itself was dying. Just how much terrible resolve did that pillar of ice contain within?

Only the architect of such a painful scene could possibly know.

"…Emilia…"

An absolute wall of ice swirling with a tremendous amount of mana. It couldn't have been created by anyone other than Emilia.

In order to stop Lion Heart, Regulus's kingdom had to be destroyed.

In order to do that, the residents had to be set free, and Subaru had hoped that Regulus's wives would know how to do just that.

And if that came up empty, if they didn't know how to escape, either— then I realized this would probably be the only option. But even if I realized it, I wouldn't be able to actually do it.

Subaru had been sure that Emilia wouldn't even be able to think of the last resort, but seeing what happened, he realized he had been wrong. Emilia had made the decision. This was her answer.

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait… This is… Did…?"

Regulus's face stiffened as he stared in shock at the spire of ice that had shot out of the chapel.

There was no way for outsiders to know what conversation had passed in the chapel, but even as oblivious as Regulus was, the meaning of that scene should have come through loud and clear.

He should have realized at the very least that his wives had passed from

his kingdom—

"You! Is this what you wanted to do?! Can you even call yourself human?!

To so selfishly steal away that which another man loves without restraint?! How…how hideously cruel must you be to do something so awful—gh?!"

Regulus stamped the ground as he ran his hand through his hair and shouted in abject fury. That small gesture caused the road beneath him to explode, and the ground shifted so much, it almost felt like the city itself was leaning. In fact, several of the surrounding buildings tilted as well, and he ripped a massive hole in a wall that he punched to vent.

But he was no calmer when he glared back at Subaru.

"Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied now?! Overjoyed at robbing my innocent wives of their lives all for the sake of killing me. What humanity— gaaah!"

As Regulus cursed Subaru, airing his grief at having his partners stolen from him, his body suddenly went flying.

The reason was a lance of ice unleashed by the girl who emerged from the frozen chapel on the other side of the road.

More missiles of ice slammed into Regulus's body, one after the other, with deadly force, mercilessly sending his slender frame up into the air, where another pillar of ice slammed down into his body.

It was unrelenting, sending Regulus hurtling down into a nearby canal. The moment he hit the water, it froze over with a violent crack, encasing him in ice.

"—Consider that the divorce papers from your wives."

Freezing over the city road covered in water, Emilia's silver hair billowed behind her as she returned to the fray. Her violet eyes were filled with a cold animosity and a powerful resolve as she slowly walked over. Subaru rushed to her side.

"Emilia!"

"Subaru, is that wound going to be okay?"

"I'm fine! The cut is just a little bit deep, but it looks worse than it really is. More importantly, the wives in the chapel…"

"—They all wanted to punish Regulus. So…"

Emilia looked down, turning her thoughts to the frozen chapel behind her.

That reaction alone was more than enough to grasp the weight of what

Emilia had taken upon herself. However, Subaru had no intention of making her bear it alone.

"I'm sorry for making you shoulder something so terrible. But now his

Lion Heart is…"

"No. It doesn't look like it will be that simple."

"Huh?"

She had made the difficult choice. They should have reached the answer for defeating Regulus. That was the whole reason Emilia had given her all for the sake of winning this battle.

He was stunned by her furrowed brow when behind him the ice sculpture in the frozen canal cracked.

The fault lines in the ice spread even to the wall holding back the water. Leaks had sprung in the broken canal, flooding the surrounding city streets, and even reaching Subaru's and Emilia's feet.

Then an arm burst out from inside the ice sculpture.

"Truly, you are the most laughably disrespectful, irredeemably vulgar, stunningly incompetent, unbelievably shameless, and irrevocably lowclass…!"

Shattering the ice prison with an unnecessary flair, the villain stepped out, still dry despite being fully submerged in water.

There was not a single stain on his white suit, his white hair was totally unruffled, and his pale face was not only unscathed but there was not even a bead of sweat on his brow. It was like a waking dream—or rather a waking nightmare.

After that concentrated barrage, seeing him totally unharmed could only mean that his Lion Heart was still in effect.

"So now what? How are you planning to take responsibility for what you've done? After acting so high-and-mighty and skulking about doing so many things in the shadows, it all ended in a massive and utterly misguided failure, leaving nothing but the enormity of the sacrifices you have exacted. Is this some sort of joke to you? I wonder how you intend to make things right?!"

Subaru took stock of the situation that was seemingly unchanged as Regulus raged. Was it really misguided, and were they really meaningless sacrifices?

"There's no way! Not with how much you blabbed about the effects of your Lion Heart… There's no way you have the brains or the balls to bluff like that!"

Subaru unintentionally defaulted to provocation, but Regulus had regained his usual composure and that all-too-familiar sneer.

"Do you think I'm good-natured enough to let such unpardonable slander pass without comment? I should tell you, not infringing on people's hearts is the absolute minimum courtesy that should not need to be taught! No one has any right to look down on anyone else, so how can you so comfortably display your feeble-mindedness to the world? Are you utterly brainless in addition to being contemptibly heartless?" Regulus tapped his white head mockingly. "Maybe that wanton girl just miscounted? Not even able to count the lives you've stolen puts you in the realm of a true mass murderer. What is wrong with you?"

"You…! How can you even say something like that…?"

"Don't try to deflect. Whatever I have or have not done up to now has no bearing on what that woman did. Don't try to escape the blame for the sins you've committed. Don't avert your eyes from your crime. Trying to blame me for the things you've committed? You must feel no remorse and have no

interest in atonement. Are you not ashamed of yourself?"

He berated them with projected outrage and an irrational theory. But the only reason someone like Regulus Corneas could exist at all was because he didn't feel the slightest doubt about how he lived his life.

How many contradictions did he have to stuff into a single line before he would be satisfied?

Talking with Regulus wore at the nerves. It was enough that Subaru could sense the danger creeping in closer. He couldn't help but wonder if trying to stay sane while challenging the Archbishops was a foolish idea from the very start.

"Either way…crap, I must've miscalculated something."

Lion Heart and Little King were connected, and the foundation of that connection definitely rested with the wives in the chapel.

That much had to be true given what Regulus had said and done thus far. Over the course of the life-and-death escape during the past dozen or so minutes, Subaru had gleaned the depths of Regulus's intelligence and vocabulary.

Regulus didn't have the mindset to trick others or the skill to pull the wool over someone's eyes with smooth talking.

He was utterly lacking in empathy and couldn't put himself in anyone else's shoes. He was the only one who mattered in his world, and the limits of his understanding only extended as far as his own skin and no further. The marriages were shams, he only espoused the shallowest of principles, he was a complete amateur at fighting, and he was pure evil in nature.

In other words, he was an Archbishop.

"Fifty-three people…"

As the gears spun in Subaru's head, Emilia suddenly murmured.

Emilia had been almost painfully quiet since returning from the chapel. It was only natural considering what had occurred there, but after letting Regulus's nonsensical censure pass without comment, she finally opened her mouth, and that was all she said.

However, Regulus was easily provoked, and he cocked his head when he heard that.

"What? What was that? Not an 'I'm sorry'? Not a tearful apology and begging for forgiveness?"

"It was fifty-three people. That was the number of women you were imprisoning. I would never mistake that number. I would never miscount the number of lives."

"Hmph. So? What, then? What were you expecting me to say? Did you want praise for being able to count?"

Regulus replied with a scornful sneer. There was a loathsome pettiness to it that even the master of provocations, Subaru, had to acknowledge was impressive.

However, ignoring all that, Emilia turned toward Subaru.

"It's okay, Subaru. I've figured it all out."

"You did…?"

"And I'm really angry… I won't ever forgive him."

Subaru saw it as he recoiled. Emilia's voice dropped low as all emotion drained from her soft expression. Her face seemed like it had frozen over; she was the maddest he had ever seen her. There was a cold flame in her frozen eyes as she put her hand to her breast.

"Regulus's heart is here—it's in my chest now."

2

"Hnk."

Regulus put his hand to his mouth, unable to endure it any longer as he let out a cruel laugh. The muffled snort grew and grew into full-throated laughter.

Judging by his oversize reaction, Subaru knew instinctively that Emilia's guess had to be correct.

"What's so funny, you asshole?!"

"Isn't it obvious?! Because you are now well and truly at a dead end. What else is there to do but laugh after watching you reach the end of your rope? You understand what this means, right? You should recognize this means the noose is tightening around your necks!"

"Gh…"

Subaru was at a loss when Regulus said something that actually made sense for once.

In that moment, he didn't have the composure to reflexively argue with the Archbishop. Just like with the brides before, as long as Lion Heart had a place to run away to, he was invincible.

And this time, his heart was in the absolutely worst possible place.

"Emilia-tan, is it really…?"

"Mm-hmm. I had the spirits all check, and I can feel it, too. Something that isn't me inside of me. It makes me sick."

Emilia rubbed her stomach, confirming their terrible predicament.

In order to neutralize the effects of Lion Heart, they had to do something about the people who were members of his little kingdom. In other words, this time…

"But how can I?! And why Emilia's heart…?! Was I wrong about how Little King worked? Can he just put his heart in whoever he wants?"

—No, if it was that convenient a power, it would be equivalent to not having any limit at all.

It had to be that he couldn't shift his heart to anyone who was not a member of his kingdom. If it didn't even have that limitation, then the entire battle would have been a waste of time from the start.

Going at it from that direction, then—that would mean he had inducted

Emilia into his kingdom—

"You're shameless."

"The words of an unfaithful woman are nothing more than the griping of a sore loser. Ah, of course as the defeated, griping is your right. And listening to those complaints with a feeling of superiority is my right as the victor…

Ha-ha, not bad. Not bad at all!"

Subaru agreed wholeheartedly with Emilia, who was glaring scornfully at Regulus as he cackled.

It was a simple story. An easy-to-understand and sleazy thought.

For all that Regulus had derided Emilia, he still considered her one of his wives, making her a citizen in his little kingdom and an escape valve for his heart, just in case something happened.

What made it even more disgusting was how he was able to do it without anything that could even remotely be interpreted as consent from Emilia.

"Even though you were so insistent about me being unfit to be your wife."

"How tiresome. Do not think yourself worthy to lecture me, you lecherous wench. More importantly, how are you planning to take responsibility for all my wives you murdered in cold blood? They were my ideal wives. How much time do you think I spent gathering all of them? Not a single wife or lover of an appropriate age to be seen. Are you going to leave me a worthless widower? You have a responsibility to fill the gap until I find a fitting new wife!"

Emilia directed a visceral hatred at the man the likes of which she had rarely displayed, but Regulus batted her furious words away with hopelessly warped logic.

He was happy to believe any twisted line of argument that affirmed his right to take up residence in Emilia's heart. But if that was how it worked in practice, then that meant it was possible that Lion Heart could also reside in someone besides Emilia—

"Want to test it? It's simple enough to find out if my heart can go anywhere else, right?"

"You…"

"Just kill the girl right here and now. If you snuff out her life, you will naturally learn my limits. It's simple and logical…other than the fact that it's impossible for you! Ha-ha-ha! Can you do it? Of course not. Because if you did that, then you would lose that which drove you to so selfishly challenge me in the first place!"

It was bitterly frustrating, but Regulus's boastful pronouncement was absolutely right. Subaru couldn't willingly choose to sacrifice Emilia. He could convince himself that sacrificing all of Regulus's wives was necessary, but he couldn't do the same for Emilia. Even if it was selfish, that was just the truth.

Subaru Natsuki didn't value all lives equally. There was an order of precedence, and those closest to him were more precious.

Because Subaru's decisions were always self-centered.

"There, look at that. He can't do it. So why don't you try doing it yourself? It's simple. Just do the same thing you did to my wives. Or what? You can't do it? You can selfishly steal away other people's lives, but your own is too precious to lay down for the cause? The hypocrisy is so ripe. It almost makes me sick."

"—Subaru."

"Wait! Don't do it. You absolutely can't."

He immediately reacted when Emilia seemed like she steeled herself in response to Regulus's provocation. When she said nothing but his name, her voice was filled with unshakable resolve, and that frightened him.

Of course it wasn't just because she was rising to provocation or giving in to desperation. But Emilia had the resolve to make the ultimate sacrifice in the worst-case scenario if no other solution presented itself.

And Subaru had nothing if not the determination to keep her from making that choice—which left them with only defeat. Without some other plan, there was no changing the fact that Regulus was in total control of the situation.

"If you two are done here, then do you mind if I finally bring these proceedings to an end? Carrying around a filthy woman like you isn't really my thing, but I can compromise for the time being. You can fill in until I find my next wife. I will be killing him, though. After infringing on my rights this much… Ah, that's right—that's right. It's funny, isn't it?"

As Subaru gritted his teeth, Regulus's lips curled in the utmost pleasure.

"You're the one who made that noisy broadcast before the ceremony, right? What was it you said? That you defeated an Archbishop before? That was a good laugh. How pitiful, thinking that just because you killed that good-for-nothing meant you could somehow defeat me. He was a worthless dullard before he was an Archbishop, and he never achieved anything of note after becoming one, either."

Regulus scoffed, making a fool of Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, who was the most detestable and bitter enemy Subaru had.

There was no excusing Petelgeuse. He was the lowest of the low. Subaru couldn't feel even the slightest bit of goodwill toward that evil spirit. He hated him to the bone and thought he was a monster who deserved to die.

But he felt a deep and visceral displeasure at hearing Regulus mock and ridicule him like that.

The world was a better place if the Archbishops didn't get along, but seeing Regulus's open hatred for someone in the same cult as him revealed just how horribly twisted his bloated sense of self-worth was.

To begin with, Petelgeuse was—

"—Ah."

Subaru looked up when that loathsome man crossed his mind, when he heard that blood-drenched evil laugh echo in the back of his head. And he gulped as he clutched his own chest.

Wait, is something like that possible?

"Can I…do that…?"

The only answer he had was a firm I don't know.

There was no evidence at all to support the theory that had just crossed Subaru's mind. It was nothing more than an armchair hypothesis—no, it was worse than that. It was just a wild idea. A thought experiment.

But even so, the only one who could test it out was Subaru.

It was just an idea backed by a hunch with astronomically bad odds. God only knew if it would work.

But even so— "Emilia."

" "

Emilia turned toward him as she quietly channeled mana.

If Subaru had not acted just then, she would have made the choice to act first. Pushed into the same position as the other women, she would have ended herself and entrusted Subaru with defeating Regulus.

There was a fatal resolve and determination in her violet eyes as she looked at him—and behind it, overflowing hope and trust.

"Emilia?"

"Yes?"

Subaru mustered every bit of his determination to get the question past his lips.

"—Can you trust me and leave everything to me?"

"Yes."

Her reply had been immediate. It was simple and direct. Emilia put her hand to her chest, and for the first time since leaving the chapel, there was a gentle smile on her face.

"I always believed you would be able to do something." Argh, how unfair.

Having that much faith placed in him by the girl he loved, there was no way he could afford to screw up now. He had no choice but to make it work, no matter how desperate and frantic he needed to become.

" "

He took a deep, deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

And he looked over at Regulus, who had been watching them in silence. Regulus didn't attempt to interrupt them at all. He simply stood there, smirking with all the calm in the world.

"Nice and composed, huh?"

"And what of it?"

There was no way he could possibly lose.

Regulus had revealed all the cards in his hand and had completely cut off every path of retreat. Regulus's Lion Heart was truly a powerful ability. Subaru had not imagined that it would be able to push victory so far out of reach even after they had discovered the secret.

Because of its absolute nature, Regulus didn't doubt his victory in the slightest. He could enjoy the sweet nectar of victory at his leisure. That was why he seemed so composed.

Because he believed that Subaru's vain struggle couldn't possibly reach him.

" "

If Beatrice had been there, maybe she would have had a spark of inspiration. Maybe that wise girl could have found another way, a better plan, or something with greater odds of success.

He could feel the connection with his partner in his heart. She would surely chew him out long and hard once everything was settled, and he would have to scold her, too. In order to be able to look back and laugh at just how rash all the things they had done in Pristella really were.

"Subaru."

" "

"Do it."

Emilia's final push gave him the courage he needed to take the leap.

Subaru clenched his chest tightly, focusing on the power deep in his heart so dark it didn't feel like his own, summoning again the memories of pain and terror as he set it free.

For just that one time, he decided to revert to the old name.

Just this once, so that villain with zero sense of comradery would understand. So he would know that this power was something he had inherited from his hated enemy.

"Come forth, Unseen Hands!"

3

Unseen Hands, also known as Invisible Providence.

Those were names for the power that resided inside Subaru, the power of the Witch that manifested because of the Witch Factor.

According to what he heard from the Witch Echidna inside the tomb in the Sanctuary, he had inherited his Witch Factor by killing Petelgeuse. And truth be told, he couldn't tell what sort of downsides might have been caused by absorbing it. But there was no mistaking that Subaru inheriting those Invisible Hands had been due to the Witch Factor.

Honestly, Subaru would rather not imagine the possibility that Petelgeuse was still somehow living inside of him. He hated Petelgeuse. Despised him.

Believed the world was better off with him dead.

And yet… What is this feeling welling up in my chest?

Stirring, swirling, a voice without sound cheered as the black hands poured out from him.

It was an incomprehensible mixture of emotions blending cheer at being awakened, joy at gaining power again, and a deep desire to be wanted, to be called to service again.

It couldn't be explained away as just Subaru's own emotions. It was as if the Witch Factor itself were rejoicing.

The swell of emotion and euphoria at being set free and an unending storm of gratitude—

"Haaah?!"

Regulus's expression stiffened in shock when he heard Subaru's shout. He frantically looked around, searching for the Unseen Hands.

But there was no way he could see them. They were invisible after all.

The inferior version to the invisible and lethal ability of the man Regulus had scorned and belittled just moments ago.

There was only a single hand, and it had hardly any range. Moreover, its capabilities were entirely unexplored and unknown. It was laughably inadequate for breaking out of this deadlock.

" "

The first step—activating the ability—had been a success. Subaru set off into unexplored territory with step two.

Obeying Subaru's will, the black hand that seemed to be stitched out of shadows slowly moved. The target was Emilia, so it stretched its inky black fingers toward her beating heart.

" "

Emilia couldn't see the black fingers. But her eyes widened slightly. As if suddenly meeting someone she had not expected to see. And then Emilia smiled faintly—for Subaru and for someone other than Subaru as well.

"Oh, so that's where you were, Geuse."

Emilia spread her arms slightly, her voice soft with understanding and affection.

Seemingly recognizing what Subaru was intending and what was about to happen, she willingly offered up the shortest route to her heart. Subaru reached out without hesitation.

" "

The pitch-black fingers slipped inside her breast. As the fingers passed through her pale skin, her bare shoulders twitched ever so slightly.

But the hand didn't stop. Going past her sternum and between her lungs, it reached the source of her pulse.

The magic hand arrived at Emilia's heart. Stage two was a success.

There was a cold sweat on Subaru's brow because of his unease at touching her heart using that hand. Subaru knew from painful experience that fingers just like the ones he was currently controlling could easily crush a heart.

Whenever he brushed up against the taboo of revealing his looping ability,

the hand of the Witch would punish him. And there was no saying that what he was trying to do wouldn't lead to the exact same sort of tragedy.

He had won his gambles so far. Unfortunately, there was no precedent whatsoever for the third and final stage of his long shot.

There was only a vague feeling that it just might be possible, and that had pushed Subaru to try this extreme gambit. All that was left was the courage to put the last bit of strength needed into those dark fingers.

" "

Were the invisible hands a power that could save lives?

Subaru couldn't know how many lives they had taken in service to Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti.

The classic answer was that it all came down to how the power was used, but there were plenty of powers that could only be used in very limited ways. Was it possible that the unseen hands were a power that could only be used for destruction?

Was it even possible for them to be used in order to save someone—?

"Subaru."

In his moment of hesitation and indecision, even though he shouldn't have been able to hear Emilia's voice, it was somehow loud and clear. As he struggled to take the last step, she just said one thing.

"It's okay—I trust both of you."

" "

Who and who?

Emilia trusted Subaru and some other person who was not him.

But it was distressing how willing she was to believe.

As if she was sure that the hand would never harm her.

"Ohhhhhhhh! Howl my third handdddd!!!"

The suspicions he harbored toward the shady power inside him were cleared.

It didn't matter anymore what the source of the power was. In that moment, it was inside Subaru, and he wanted desperately to save Emilia, so if it could do that…

The shadow-stitched fingers closed inside Emilia's chest.

Emilia moaned softly at the feeling of the fingers passing gently through the surface of her heart. Her expression looked more like she was being tickled than in pain.

Her cheeks and neck reddened as the clenched fingers of the hand grabbed onto something. Onto the pulse that was separate from the one maintaining Emilia's life. Onto an all-too-small lion's heart—

"Gotcha."

He didn't have the composure to gently pull it out.

Subaru's magic hand clenched tightly around the heart beating so boldly inside of Emilia.

Without hurting Emilia's heart at all, he crushed the parasitic organ of the fraud who dared speak of love.

All it took was one squeeze of his invisible, nonexistent hand.

"Bghah!"

But he had to pay the price for a level of concentration he had never before managed and for using a power that was not originally his own. Subaru was assailed by a pain that felt like his internal organs were being twisted tight, and a crushing sense of emptiness welled up inside him as he dropped to his knee. He was hacking uncontrollably, the metallic taste of blood mixing with saliva.

"Subaru!"

Emilia reached out to Subaru as he knelt in the flooded street, a bit of blood trailing out of the corner of his mouth. Taking her pale-white hand, Subaru put it to his forehead.

"Ah…"

"You're alive, right?"

"…Mm-hmm. I'm fine. My heart is still working just fine."

As he confirmed that blood was still carrying warmth throughout her body, Emilia checked her own pulse with her free hand. It was a heartbeat filled with a sense of relief.

And Regulus watched the two of them with a look of utter confusion.

"…Huh? What? What is it? Just ignoring everyone around you while retreating into your own little world? Explain the point of that stupid farce just now!"

Glaring at the two of them so close together, Regulus's eyes gleamed in rage.

Looking over at him, Subaru let out a little sigh.

"…Have you not noticed yet?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? Are you expecting people to just understand and notice things without you having to say anything? That's an act of aggression trying to control other people's thoughts…"

"Your feet are wet."

"Huh?"

Regulus was on the verge of exploding in renewed irritation when Subaru pointed to his feet. He was visibly indignant as his gaze followed Subaru's finger, but when he saw his shoes, there was a puzzled look on his face.

The white shoes matching his white suit were getting soaked from the pool of water he was standing in and had gotten fairly dirty already.

Regulus's eyes widened as he finally realized what that meant.

"You…gah?!"

Finally realizing the situation, Regulus swung his arm upward in a fit of anger. But before he could do anything, a long, pale leg elegantly extended, kicking him right in the face.

Unable to raise any kind of defense, Regulus slammed painfully into the wet ground with a groan. His suit was splattered with mud, and there was a mark on his face where the shoe had landed.

"Gah, bgh…? Th-that's…"

Regulus put his hand to his face in shock, as if he couldn't believe what had happened. Peering down at him after landing that splendid kick, Emilia clenched her fists.

"We did it—we can finally hit him!"

"Y-y-y-youuuuuu!"

Hearing Emilia's brief shout, Regulus's face turned crimson as he erupted in fresh anger.

He scooped up a handful of water as he stood up, aiming to hit Emilia with a shotgun blast of water droplets. But he was still off balance from the impact of the kick, and the splash he unleashed flew wide.

And because his torso was now unguarded— "Icebrand Arts!"

"Gbghhhh!"

An ice war hammer formed in the palm of Emilia's hand, and she let loose with a smash that almost looked like a golf swing. It struck home, driving into Regulus.

That hit contained enough force to crush organs and easily sent the villain flying backward into a nearby wall. Instead of passing through the wall, his back took the full brunt of the impact, and Regulus collapsed while coughing terribly, unable to catch his breath.

Hacking up blood and vomit, Regulus glared at the two of them with a face like wrath incarnate.

"Why?! Why—why—why—why—why?! You! How did the likes of you do this?! What did you do to Greed's Authority?! To my rights?!"

"If you can't figure it out after having seen all that, then it would be a waste of time bothering to explain it. But fine, it's simple enough."

Enjoying the pathetic show as Regulus ranted and raved, Subaru sneered as he hid his own pain. It was a grin no less evil than Petelgeuse's.

"After never taking shit seriously and coasting through life on easy mode, you got your just deserts."

"—!"

Even if he didn't understand all the words, the fact that Subaru was belittling him came through loud and clear.

Regulus loosed a guttural growl, ignoring Emilia in order to take aim at Subaru. But Emilia was not going to just sit back and watch that happen. "First is all the wives' shares—I'll be sure to get every last one."

"Don't screw with—mgh!"

Emilia took a step forward, unleashing a rising kick that hit Regulus right in the chin, sending him into the air. And once he was suspended, she hit him in the torso with an open palm thrust, slamming Regulus violently into the wall again by smashing the same spot where the ice hammer had mashed his internal organs. And once he slammed into the wall, Emilia unleashed a beautiful series of punches all over his body. "Uyayayayaya! Urya!!!"

Despite the cute shouts, each of Emilia's punches was powerful enough to shatter bone. Not even offering minor resistance, Regulus's face was covered in blood in an instant. Pinned against the wall, he couldn't fall down and was stuck being a punching bag.

His face, solar plexus, sides, his neck—Emilia mercilessly crushed every part of the human body that could be considered a vital point. It was a furious storm of attacks that was like nothing she had done before, and after landing one final straight punch—

"That's the last! Fifty-three!!!"

Taking the last punch in the chest—ironically right where his own heart was—the wall behind Regulus collapsed from the sustained force of the barrage, and his body slumped to the ground with a painful groan.

If Subaru had been caught in such a crazy storm of attacks, he would probably have died at least three times.

And just when it seemed like Emilia might have been satisfied after all that—

"That takes care of their share. Now to finish this right."

Emilia leaped backward, holding her hands out as countless icicles filled the night sky, surrounding the building Regulus had fallen into. After that nonlethal pummeling, destruction came in a concentrated barrage of much more lethal icicles. Regulus angered the wrong person.

His mistake and his sin were enraging Emilia, who was normally kind to a fault.

" "

She didn't even have anything to say as she unleashed the icicles into the building that Regulus had disappeared into.

The stone building was utterly demolished, and the sound of ice cracking filled the air. The icicles were as sharp as swords, and naturally anyone caught in that hail of missiles wouldn't survive. The shattering fragments of ice created a heavy white fog, freezing over the layer of water on the streets. The flooded streets were coated in a shell of ice all the way up to where Subaru was kneeling.

Even with consideration paid to Subaru, she had still unleashed so much devastation. There was no way Regulus was still alive after that. Not after being beaten that badly. Not when it was not even clear whether he was still conscious before the fusillade began.

But—

"…You really…went wild…"

A white shadow slowly emerged from the white mist that settled after the storm of ice was over.

His suit stained with blood, Regulus stood there while rubbing his misshapen face. He was breathing raggedly and bleeding from the forehead, but he had not been frozen or skewered by ice.

Almost as if he had regained the effect of his Lion Heart for just a second.

"Wheeze, haaah, ahhh…"

"—! So that's how it is."

Seeing Regulus grabbing his chest as he struggled to breathe, Subaru realized what was going on. He could invoke the effect of his Lion Heart while his heart was inside him. Of course…

"If you stop your own time in order to be invincible, that means stopping your heart while it's inside you, too. It's invincibility with a time limit, isn't it?"

"Grrrrrrrrr!"

Apparently right on the mark, Regulus's face twisted in raw fury as he endured the pain in his chest. If there was a time limit, then Emilia could keep up the attack with sheer volume, and eventually her attacks would get through.

At this point, Regulus was just a standard mob enemy who also happened to boast the greatest attack power in the world.

"Y-you know…! Do you not think this is a little unfair?!"

"Huh?"

While Subaru was trying to analyze their respective combat strength, Regulus suddenly pointed at him and then at Emilia, glaring at the two of them.

"Are you proud of yourself, two people ganging up to harass one lone person? Do you not feel any shame at all? The natural hesitation or doubt any reasonable person might feel doing that?!"

"You're really amazing."

With the exact same mouth he had used to say everything during the fight when he was standing on top of everything, thanks to the effects of his Lion Heart, he was earnestly appealing to their sense of propriety the moment he was at a disadvantage.

The brazenness of it blew right past disbelief for Subaru, earning him a sort of stunned respect. There was no way he would ever meet someone so utterly devoid of any redeemable features again in his lifetime.

"So you're one of those? Only a coward fights two on one, so let's fight fair and square and all? You think that's how a duel is supposed to be?"

"That's right! It's the natural thing to do and only reasonable, right? Who…who do you think I am?! I am Regulus Corneas, the Witch Cult's Archbishop of Greed! The most content…most immovable being in this world…!"

His voice was quivering as Regulus looked at his hands, as if clinging to something inside of them. Subaru just wanted to look away in secondhand embarrassment.

And having no words left for Regulus, Emilia responded in his stead.

"Everything you say constantly changes, and every word out of your mouth is empty and meaningless. I think you are the most pathetic person in the world."

"—Ngh! Enough! You'll regret making a fool out of me!"

Even his reaction to being scorned was pathetically shallow, and all he could do was keep repeating the same old tired lines.

Watching that helpless flailing, Subaru sighed. Regulus really didn't have any idea of how to win other than by starting in an overwhelmingly superior position.

If he could still use his Lion Heart for short periods, then it should be possible to come up with a few different ways to win, even if the odds were incredibly poor. But once the situation got even the least bit difficult, Regulus gave up without even exploring the edges of the board.

"Spend your whole life skating by without trying, and you end up stumbling in the most unexpected ways."

Being reminded of his own life somewhat when he looked at Regulus, Subaru peered up in the sky.

"Hey, Regulus. You wanted a nice and fair one-on-one, right?"

"—! Yes, of course. There's no way a knight like you would just hide behind your lady's skirt and cheer her on, right?"

Taking the initiative the moment it was convenient for him, Regulus resorted to his artless negotiation skills to try to secure a superior position for himself once again.

Between Subaru and Emilia, whose fighting strength was higher? It was not even a question worth asking. And if he killed Subaru first, he might be able to create a momentary opening while Emilia was preoccupied by his death.

Putting what little brains he had to work was at least better than nothing. But he had no chance of beating Subaru with how weak his resolve was.

Finding a winning line out of what should have been checkmate was the very foundation of Subaru Natsuki's battles.

In that sense, Regulus had lost from the moment he chose to go after Subaru.

"I suppose it's only natural for a knight to fight after all."

"Of course. So—"

"So sorry to do this to you again, but I'll leave the finale to you." Subaru responded not to Regulus, nor to Emilia, but while looking up.

Regulus's eyes widened. The next instant, a fiery red knight descended from the heavens.

"Understood—as a knight, allow me to accept this challenge."

" "

Dropping right out of the sky, the Sword Saint had landed directly in front of Subaru and Emilia. The water on the ground where he landed sizzled and evaporated, and the wave of heat emanating from him melted the frozen world and returned the ground to its natural colors.

As the ice melted all around them, Reinhard van Astrea rejoined the battle.

Unlike Regulus's false mystique, he was clad in the strength of a divine blessing that was only granted to those beloved by heaven— "Im…possible… I threw you into the sky… H-how…?"

"That was rather problematic. Even I am helpless if I'm thrown into the sky. However, you made a single mistake. You should not have thrown me toward the moon."

"Huh?"

Regulus's mouth opened in shock. But it was only natural that Regulus would react like that. There was no other way to take what Reinhard had just said.

It could only be interpreted as him being thrown all the way to the moon and then launching himself off a literal celestial body and coming all the way back.

"Reinhard van Astrea of the Sword Saints, member of the Lugunica

Kingdom Royal Guard, and knight to Lady Felt."

Reinhard straightened up, putting his hand on the sword at his waist as he formally introduced himself. He stood at the ready, requesting an upright and honorable fight.

It was the universal form of a duel. The etiquette that even the bowel hunter Elsa had observed—

Regulus, however, held out both his hands and cried out.

"W-wait! Wait! This is—! This is crazy, right?!"

The Sword Saint had no mercy for one who rejected the warrior way and defiled the sacred etiquette of a duel.

Ignoring the villain's whimpered shouts as he tried to talk his way out in the most unsightly way, the glimmering flame disappeared in the blink of an eye. And the next instant, he unleashed a single slash of his sword.

The blinding strike landed in Regulus's crotch before continuing upward in a single flowing motion—sending Regulus flying into the sky far above without even the chance to cry out.

Regulus was sent high enough to be able to see the entire city that he had so badly devastated in his destructive rampage.

His cry, not quite a shriek and not quite a curse, echoed across the night sky over the city.

CHAPTER 6

REGULUS CORNEAS

1

Impossible, impossible, impossible. What's happening. It doesn't make any sense. Why am I being persecuted like this? Who do they think I am? I'm the Witch Cult's Archbishop of Greed, Regulus Corneas. The most fulfilled! The most complete individual! A being unwavering in body and spirit! So why must I suffer like this?! This isn't some joke, you bastards. How the hell do all of you just accept this insanity as if it's completely normal? What's going on? All three of you. I show just a little bit of mercy and you start getting ahead of yourselves. There should be a limit to misjudging your own strength. If I had just been serious from the start, you would have been annihilated in the blink of an eye. This is why I hate dealing with other people! How can they not be ashamed of themselves for such a ridiculous misunderstanding?! Bothersome, annoying, provocative, disagreeable, despicable, detestable, disgusting, loathsome dullards, the lot of them. I've gotten along just fine all these many, many years. Unlike those other fools, I've carried out my role as an Archbishop for over a century now. My father who drowned himself in alcohol despite never earning a proper income, my mother whose only talent was griping day in and day out, and my vulgar brothers who were always after what was mine—when I was first chosen by the Witch Factor and gained my powers, I killed them all, and then I killed everyone else in the village who had ever looked at me with contempt, and then I killed everyone in the town who had forced me to live in such a pathetic home in such a worthless village, and then I destroyed the country whose incompetent stewardship had left towns and villages like that unaddressed, and once they were all gone, I was finally able to discover a way of life befitting one such as me! I do not need anything. Everything else is just an annoyance. I am content. It is not that I am lacking anything. I do not need anything. I don't need anything from you pushy scum. And yet you insist on forcing things upon me, as if I were some poor, pitiful creature who looked lacking, somehow incomplete. If I could live in a world devoid of all those fools trying to foist useless things upon me, in a world where everyone was just silent, that would be enough for me. Each and every one of those useless louts, always running their mouths about whatever they want. Who gave you walking piles of garbage the right to pity me? You think I'm content to just let you do that? I don't need and never asked for anything. Curse my father who could never earn a proper living and drowned himself in booze but every once in a while bought me a present. Curse my mother whose only talent was grumbling about things day in and day out and who had the nerve to apologize for troubling me every day as if that somehow made it acceptable. Curse my damned brothers who were always after what was mine, but when they heard my stomach growling would try to share some of their own food. Enough with the bullshit! Treating me kindly only when it suits you. Anyone who looks down on someone else is trash, and any subhuman who has the gall to look down on their own family deserves to be held in contempt. They deserve to die. I'm not wrong. I didn't do anything wrong. You're wrong. You're the ones who pitied me and made me feel all alone. Enjoy a taste of the miserable feeling that comes with someone thinking you are the most pathetic and miserable person in the world. I can hear you laughing. You're looking at me, aren't you? You're looking at me with a sneer, aren't you? What's so funny? What about me do you find so ridiculous? Don't laugh at me, you trash. My wife didn't laugh. My first wife didn't smile no matter what. She just had a beautiful face. She just looked at me with that lovely face that she had since we were young. When I killed my family and her family and everyone who dared approach my wife and the whole time we were alone together, she never once smiled. And that was fine. I don't need my wives to smile. I never did anything to make her laugh. It's fine not to laugh. Her face was beautiful without smiling, so she didn't have to smile. Wait, why are you smiling? Stop—why did you sneer at the very last moment? Don't. Don't smirk. Don't you dare smirk at me. I'm not going to end up alone. You're my wife, so why are you sneering so pleasantly at me being alone again? Stop that! Don't pity me! Don't look down on me! I'm not the pathetic one! All of you are powerless, ignorant, and greedy! You're the pathetic ones! That pitiful greed that sends all of you scurrying and slithering here and there, frittering away your lives trying to fill the hole in your hearts! I'm different. I'm not like that. I don't want anything. In my satisfaction and fulfillment, I am far superior to all of you mired in your dissatisfaction and discontent. Even though you are all actually hopelessly jealous and envious and aspire and yearn to be like me, you're just too ashamed to admit that you can't hope to be like me. Obviously. Of course you all are. Wait, wait, wait. Stop. Don't look at me. Don't say my name. Don't talk about me. I don't care what you're saying—just stop it. Don't focus on me. Just leave me alone. I'm complete and self-contained, meaning I can live without allowing others to trample on my heart, so why do you insist on connecting with me? We can't possibly understand each other. You and I are different people. It's illogical and impossible. What's wrong with your head? It should be obvious if you think about it at all calmly. It's just that everyone other than me has some odd fever. It should be obvious enough that wanting someone else is the ultimate exercise in futility, idleness, and pointlessness. All of you constantly spouting absurdities like love and romance and friendship and trust are just ruining the mood. And reproduction is the most disgusting idea imaginable. It doesn't make any sense. What exactly is the point? A baby or a child or family or whatever word you want to use to pretty it up—they're still just one more filthy creature to deal with. What is that supposed to mean to me? Nothing. There can't be any meaning. Love can't save anyone. People are alone from the day they're born until the day they die. The idea of understanding one another is just an illusion. Life is just a stupid game of balancing the scales in an obtuse dance of consideration and compromise. It would be stupid to just let other people look down on me, so I gathered only beautiful women at my side, and I'm not fool enough to take any who would betray me, so I chose only virgins. What else does there need to be? Don't spout any of that selfish crap at me. Not after infringing on my rights this much. I didn't do anything wrong. I'm not wrong I'm not wrong I'm not wrong I'm not wrong I'm not wrong I'm not wrong I'm not wrong I'm not wrong I'm not wrong I'm not wrong I'm not wrong I'm not wrong I'm not wrong I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not!

2

"Ghyaaaaaagh!"

Up and up. Cloaked in a terrible, buffeting wind, Regulus's body ascended into the night sky.

He had activated his Lion Heart the moment the attack struck his crotch, stopping time for his body and becoming invincible. As a result, the damage from the sword had been nullified— "Gaaagh…"

Regulus's world turned a dark red as a pained croak escaped his throat.

Without Little King active, he could maintain Lion Heart for only five seconds at most. If he stopped time for his body any longer than that, there was a possibility that his heart would never beat again.

And on top of that, when he released Lion Heart, there was no avoiding the intense pain that shot through him when his heart suddenly started beating again.

It had been hundreds of years since he had experienced any pain or suffering. He couldn't help but wonder what the hell was wrong with everyone else who went through life while enduring such deprivations.

"Un…believable…"

Seething with venomous hatred, Regulus continued to fly straight up into the night sky so fast that a trail formed behind him. His body was defenseless as he reached an altitude where he could look out across the whole city.

The Water Gate City Pristella. The city of water renowned for its picturesque views—when his Gospel noted that a bride's empty seat would be filled there, he had felt blessed…

"How can something this absurd happeeeeen?!"

Losing all the brides he had put so much effort into gathering, even having his very status as Archbishop of Greed threatened, getting berated by an uppity brat who was nothing but talk, being pitied by the disgraceful wench he had chosen at first sight.

There was no greater disgrace. He had never experienced such humiliation before. The whole reason he had been an Archbishop was because he didn't want to deal with such frustrations.

So why had he been forced to endure such persecution?

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrgh…"

All thoughts of holding back had gone out the window. This was the limit of his mercy. It didn't matter that that boy had figured out Lion Heart or that some Sword Saint had showed up again.

Even with only five seconds, if he was invincible, there were any number of ways he could kill them all. The only thing that had stopped him was that he didn't enjoy seeing scenes of despair and the echoes of death cries, so he had chosen to abstain. That was all.

With Lion Heart active, Regulus could ignore all the rules of the world if he wanted to. If he used that method, then any being chained down by such concepts couldn't begin to match him.

Using his ability for a brief second was enough to cast whatever he could get his hands on, raining destruction on the entire city. There were other Archbishops in the city, but whether they lived or died meant nothing to him. There could be nothing more important and pressing than escaping the humiliation he was currently experiencing in that exact moment. Nothing more important than transforming those idiots' joyous celebrations of victory into fear and terror.

The moment his absurd ascent finally stopped, he would be able to use the dirt he had picked up on the ground and end them all. Until then, they could enjoy their false victory—

"—Agh?!"

As Regulus continued his resentful intonations, he suddenly croaked as something struck his back.

Regulus's ascent was suddenly stopped in midair, pinning him in the sky. It almost felt like someone above him had pressed a foot into his back.

"Ordinarily in a duel, I would have sheathed my blade once my opponent had lost the will to fight."

A calm and composed male voice rang in Regulus's ears.

" "

He immediately realized who it was standing over him in the sky. He understood, and he was dumbfounded at the same time.

Where did this man think they were? How had he even climbed to such great heights, so high up among the clouds, somehow moving faster than Regulus, who he had sent flying upward?

"Not to boast, but I have quite the confidence in my legs. I have even leaped from the ground onto the back of a dragon flying above the clouds before."

"M-monster…!"

"That's right. I am a monster who hunts monsters—and it is high time you accepted your fate."

Reinhard removed his foot from Regulus's back.

The next moment, Regulus's survival instincts screamed out for the very first time. It was a feeling he had never once experienced in a hundred some odd years of serving as an Archbishop.

Sensing impending death, he activated Lion Heart at the same moment the attack came.

Reinhard unleashed a lightning-like knife hand strike right into the middle of Regulus's back. It was a strike that could cut cleaner than most famous blades, but it had no effect against Lion Heart. But the force of the blow still sent Regulus hurtling toward the ground at breakneck speed.

"Ooohhaaaaaaahh!"

Regulus smashed face-first into the ground that sprang into view. But the effects of Lion Heart were still active, so his body slipped into the ground like it was being swallowed up by water.

He passed straight through the stone pavement, and breaking through that hard stone layer, he descended into the earth itself. As he continued underground, receiving no resistance from the ground, Regulus had a sudden realization.

He had no way of stopping the speed of his descent.

Ordinarily, Regulus would stop the time of the things that he touched, controlling his power naturally so as not to destroy them with his own body. But now that he didn't have Little King active and had to consciously control Lion Heart's effects, it was extraordinarily difficult to manipulate things beyond his own body.

If he didn't stop his momentum, his body would keep falling forever, eventually reaching the bottom of the earth itself. What would happen after that?

He had honestly never thought about whether there even was a bottom to the ground before, but there was the great waterfall at the edge of the world. So if there was a limit to the land horizontally, then it stood to reason that there was a vertical limit as well.

If so, would he end up going flying into the unknown beyond where the great waterfall emptied out?

"There's no way…I would allow…?!"

As Regulus choked from the literally bottomless fear, his heart reached its limit.

Five seconds had passed since it stopped. Alarms rang in his mind as Regulus struggled with how to react.

He had never stopped his time for more than five seconds while his heart was inside him before. What was the longest he could go? Ten would be impossible. And the longer he waited, the farther his deep dive would continue.

But what would happen if he released his power while passing through the ground at high speed?

This is not the time to worry about it. There is nothing more foolish than just allowing myself to die because my heart stopped.

"Ughhhh, ugghhhhhhhh, ugghhhhhh!"

Gritting his chattering teeth, Regulus made his decision.

Pressing his hand to his chest as his heart pleaded to beat again, Regulus released Lion Heart, undoing his invincibility, returning his body and the laws of physics to their natural states—

"Bghhhhh?!"

Every bone in his body shattered.

Or at least the merciless force that crashed into his body was so powerful that it felt that way.

It made perfect sense. He had crashed into the ground at a speed far beyond what could be achieved by simply falling, and he had gone into the earth without losing any of that momentum. The only reason he avoided his body instantaneously turning into a puddle was because his limbs had been splayed out while passing through the ground before he released his power. "Ahhh, aghhh…"

Letting out a hollow groan, blood and tears flowed from his crushed eyes. The shock of impact had shot through Regulus's entire body, mashing everything.

Quite literally, every single bone in his body had shattered, and his organs were all badly damaged. His previously unblemished white hair was marred by blood and mud, while his crushed lower body was stained by urine and feces.

All that remained was a mass of meat that was vaguely human in shape.

But amazingly, this misshapen lump was still breathing.

"Ooo…ahhh…"

It was a terrifying level of attachment to life—no, it would be better to call it a grudge.

He did not hold on because he wished to live. All that remained within him was a resentment toward the living who stood above his head. Even at this point, what drove him was hollow vanity.

It was the simple thought of, If I had been serious, you wouldn't have stood a chance.

"Eegh…uuugh…"

But that obsession was not something to make light of.

He had spent his entire life on the singular goal of never allowing anyone to pity him. The resolve that he had honed and readied for over a hundred years didn't fail or falter as he made the best possible choice for his own survival.

"Ugh, ergh."

He used Lion Heart in short bursts—five seconds at a time, Regulus dug barehanded through the ground, beginning the long, arduous process of returning to the surface.

During the five seconds it was active, all pain left his body. Once it was over, the living hell would return. He continued to experience the miserable suffering and heavenly release from pain in five-second intervals, over and over and over again.

And as he experienced them, what dominated Regulus's mind was his crazed obsession with the scum above him. He was certain those maggots on the surface were patting themselves on the back for defeating him.

He couldn't forgive that. He couldn't allow it.

To be made light of…to be looked down on…to be pitied…was the most unbearable suffering. Slandering his person while he was still alive was unforgivable, but slandering him after death was even worse. He should have just ended it quickly. The people he had seen and the ones he had not seen, too. If he just killed everyone, no one would be able to say anything about him. He should have just done that from the start. He wouldn't make that mistake again. Once he got up there, he would kill those three, and then he would kill every last person. Kill them all.

"Gh."

He took pleasure imagining them pleading for their lives once he got back to the surface and they realized what he was capable of when he got serious. Particularly that woman who had insisted on making a fool of him at every turn. He had to humiliate her on every level before he would be satisfied.

The woman who was to be his seventy-ninth wife. In the first place, that elf woman in that desolate forest who had been originally intended to take that number and that detestable Petelgeuse—

 .

 .

Ahhhhhhh. Ahhhhhhhh. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

I remember.

I remember now.

Her! It was her. That brat there!

That brat who had been bawling her eyes out nearby when I went to take #79! That brat turned into her!

I understood why I thought she was perfect for filling that empty seat now. It's simple. She's replacing her mother, so it's only natural that she atones.

She's the brat that impudent #79 and that dullard Petelgeuse had cared so much for. Why did I not notice it sooner? No, I did well to notice it now.

If I killed her without realizing it, the wound in my heart would never have been healed. Now that I fully comprehend their sins, they are worthy of killing. There will be a sense of accomplishment in claiming vengeance for this humiliation.

For the first time in a long time, he felt it. There was meaning in fulfilling this desire.

I'll defile her, #79. I'll steal her, Petelgeuse. That girl you loved so much who dared pity me.

"Ah-hee-hee."

Regulus's throat warbled in joy.

He sneered, twisting his ragged lips, revealing a mouth almost devoid of teeth. He felt a reason to live. A joy at crushing the thing that those who had dared slight him had so desperately left behind.

He crawled, and crawled, and crawled upward, and—

"—?"

As Regulus dug his way upward, he suddenly felt something off about his fingers. Pulling his deformed right hand back, he held the bloody, muddy, fleshy pulp in front of his crushed eyes. The surface of his black fingers was wet with the faint trace of something that was not blood.

Licking it, he tasted the bitter flavor of mud and what seemed to be water.

Water. It was water. The moment he realized it was water, Regulus noticed just how dry his throat was. A single drop was not enough. He wanted enough water to soothe his throat, to fill his stomach. Without the effect of Lion Heart, time continued passing for his body, and for the first time in over a hundred years, he wanted to eat something in order to fill his empty stomach.

Even just water would be enough. That would be the most immaculate thing right now.

Immediately after thinking that, just as he wished, water began trickling down from overhead.

"Ha-ha-ha."

He licked at the water that tasted of dirt. Even with his teeth gone, his tongue shredded, and blood flowing from cuts that covered the inside of his mouth, Regulus could appreciate just how delicious the water was. It almost felt like he was being fulfilled.

—The moment after he felt that satisfaction was the moment that the flow of water increased all at once, sending his body back down to the bottom of the tunnel he had excavated.

"Aah, ugh. Oooh?!"

It flowed in. It didn't stop. With nowhere to go, water poured endlessly into the tunnel.

The bottom of the ground, surrounded by hard rock with no room to spare. In no time, Regulus's body sunk into the muddy water, and he could no longer move.

—Regulus didn't understand at all what had happened.

This water was coming from the great canal of Pristella far above his head.

Because of Reinhard's attack, Regulus had passed through the stone pavement and into the ground. The path his body had carved into the ground was being filled with water pouring out from the waterway he himself had destroyed earlier. That water was now pouring without pause into the hole his body had made, sinking him back down.

Almost as if the water was a manifestation of the city's rage at having its beautiful cityscape so devastated.

"Glug."

Of course, Regulus would never know that fact as he drowned.

As the water assaulted him, and terrified by the pressure of the liquid flooding his lungs, he desperately tried to escape. But there was no room to flail in the small passage underground, so all he could do was curl up in the dirty mud and try to preserve his life using Lion Heart.

While it was active, he wouldn't have to experience the pain of struggling to breathe. And it was only during those moments that he could be free of the pain of his shattered body.

But the effect wouldn't continue for more than five seconds.

Feeling the limits of his heart, Regulus was drawn back into the watery torment by fear of death.

And so he alternated between the embraces of two kinds of death.

He couldn't choose either. He had to escape both somehow. But Regulus didn't have a way to do that. All he had were complaints and grudges.

He could activate Lion Heart as many times as he wanted, but he didn't have something that would help him keep breathing. And it was necessary to wait a few seconds before activating Lion Heart again.

Death was drawing near. As he continued to alternate between momentary invincibility and impending mortality, death gradually grew closer and closer.

Time stop. Dying. Time stop. Dying. Time stop… Dying…

Unending pain and suffering that felt like it would last forever.

Regulus opened his mouth. Water and mud flowed in. It filled his lungs and body as he shouted. He raised a voiceless scream.

It was not a name. He didn't have anyone's name to scream with his dying breath.

There was no response. No one was at his side. He was alone in his final moment.

But even so, he shouted. It was filled with a grudge that would see everyone else in the world die if only he could see it to fruition.

He didn't want anyone around to ridicule him after he was gone.

He didn't want that girl to merrily celebrate getting revenge for her mother or Petelgeuse.

He was sick just imagining her joyous dance at his death.

She would surely act like she had just achieved some great life goal.

As if her life would be set into motion by Regulus's death. As if she could shine now.

Regulus couldn't bear the thought of her grossly illogical, misplaced, and misdirected joy, of her saying some nonsense about how she could continue with her life, that she could be content now that he was dead.

He couldn't bear the thought that his death would have so great an influence on her—

3

Regulus Corneas broke through the stone pavement and sank into the ground.

The city of water provided the filler that flowed endlessly into the grave his body had made for him.

It was unclear whether he was still alive or dead, but the effect of Lion Heart couldn't last for long. It would give out at some point, and his body would be squashed. Moreover, the only way out he had left was rapidly filling with water.

The villain who had drowned himself in his powerful ability would meet his end drowning in the counterattack mounted by the city he had ruined so much of.

"…Emilia-tan, you don't look too relieved."

Standing in front of Regulus's grave, Emilia was looking down the hole with a long face. Subaru was a bit concerned by the faint anguish he could make out in her expression.

There was not a single part of that madman worthy of even the slightest bit of sympathy. Emilia surely agreed on that point, so there should have been no reason for her to be troubled over his end deep underground.

"Your kindness is one of your virtues, but I think it would be a mistake to feel any sympathy for him. There are people in the world who just aren't worth feeling bad for."

"…Thank you for worrying about me. But it's not that."

Emilia shook her head slowly. She was silent for a few moments as she closed her eyes.

"About Regulus… The first time I saw him, I felt like I had met him somewhere before."

"You did? When was that?" "That's the thing—I can't remember." Emilia cocked her head.

—Ironically, that happened at the same moment as Regulus screamed out far belowground.

His final cry praying that Emilia does not feel joy at his death. Hoping that she would simply forget him, the being who had been so involved with her mother's death and her benefactor's transformation. His absolute desire to not have her feel some sense of fulfillment with her life because of his death.

His final wish that couldn't reach the people standing aboveground—

"Where did I meet Regulus before?"

Regulus Corneas didn't leave a single mark on Emilia. Ironically, his final wish came true.

4

A bright white light.

A warm, gentle, and reassuring light.

How long has it been since I felt so tranquil greeting the morning?

I was always so melancholic when I awoke. Trapped on all sides by the gloom of a waking nightmare that never ended and with no hope of relief.

I was so sure that darkness would persist for all eternity.

Is that why the light feels so dear, so heartwarming? "—ake up." A voice.

Someone calling me from beyond the white light.

Guided by that voice, feeling almost like a child being led along by my parents, I left the darkness.

The white light in the distance grew until it was all I could see—

" "

"Good morning, sleepyhead. It's time to wake up."

Opening my eyes, I was greeted by a silver-haired girl smiling bashfully at me.

5

The pale-blue light frayed and melted away as the barrier of ice lost its shape.

The ice that encapsulated the half-destroyed chapel dissolved into particles of light, the mana scattering only to be embraced by the dancing lesser spirits before disappearing like fleeting raindrops.

It wouldn't be odd for anyone to be moved to tears by the beauty of the scene, but that was probably not the only reason why all the women were hugging one another and weeping.

They had finally been freed from the nightmare that had tied them down, consuming some of the most important years of their lives.

"My Emilia-tan really is amazing."

Subaru's lips broke into a smile as he murmured in admiration.

He was looking at Emilia and the wives—former wives who were hugging her in tears. There were exactly fifty-three of them, all in dresses fit for a wedding. Not a single one had been lost.

Despite Subaru's worst fears, Emilia had miraculously managed to pull off the impossible.

"…I never would have been able to figure out something like this on my own. When I heard he was merging his heart with theirs, I was sure there was no way to get around it without their deaths."

Killing them and dragging the little king naked and screaming from his throne. Subaru had been determined to do it, believing that Regulus couldn't be stopped without that sacrifice.

He had stopped looking for alternative answers. Even if he had been trying so desperately to stall for time against Regulus. But in his stead, Emilia had kept poring over the cards she had to play, looking for a better solution.

And that was how she had come to this.

"You really stole the whole show this time."

"Hee-hee, that's not true at all."

Hearing that comment, Emilia came over to where Subaru was slumped over in the corner of the chapel. Her white dress was ripped and torn, and her silver hair was a mess after their life-and-death struggle. But even so, she was absolutely radiant, with a look of accomplishment on her face after making it through a hard fight.

"So cute…"

"Really? I'm such a mess right now, though…"

"There's a charm to this, too. You're the kind of heroine who fights and gets her hands dirty, so it's only natural that you would look good after battle. But you are also the sort of heroine who is a symbol of daily life and needs to be protected, so when you smile at me, you're cute then, too. Basically, you are always cute."

"Sorry, I don't really understand what you're saying at all."

Emilia grimaced wryly as Subaru cracked jokes easily now that the fighting was over. Subaru looked over at the freed ex-wives assembling behind Emilia.

"Is this okay? They look like they haven't finished giving you their thanks yet."

"Don't tease me… I can't act high-and-mighty with them. I'm grateful it worked out in the moment, but I still forced them to make such a dangerous choice."

"But no one died. They're all still alive. And that's what matters." That was truly what was most important.

"When it comes to that, I wasn't any help at all. All I was doing was running for dear life the whole time."

"There you go again. That's a really bad habit of yours."

Emilia put her hands on her hips, glaring reproachfully at Subaru for his self-deprecation. She looked at the wounds covering his body, particularly his right leg now wrapped in bandages.

"You're battered and bruised and pushed yourself beyond all reason… If you hadn't done all you did, everyone would be in a very bad place right now. You're the one who figured out Regulus's weak point, aren't you?"

"The last piece of the puzzle was you, though. You were really amazing, figuring out that this would work. To think you could put them all in a deep freeze to temporarily stop their hearts."

"That's because I've spent a long time frozen myself." Emilia stuck out her tongue bashfully.

So cute.

It was definitely not the sort of thing that could just be papered over with an adorable gesture, but Emilia's quick wit had guided them to total victory over Regulus. There were a lot of things that had not gone to waste. Both Emilia's past encased in ice and Subaru's memories of all the times he had been punished by the Witch's penalty for breaking the taboo.

—Almost like it was all foreshadowing that taught us how to defeat Regulus.

" "

Emilia was silent as she pressed a hand to her chest, checking her heartbeat. Confirming that her pulse was her own and no one else's, she smiled gently.

"I'm glad you were able to take care of Regulus's heart so well. If it weren't for that, I would have had to freeze myself, too… I might have slept another hundred years."

"You don't have to exaggerate to make me feel better."

" "

"Wait, you mean it?! Whoa, good job, me, then! That was way too close!"

Seeing Emilia smile without saying anything, Subaru breathed a huge sigh of relief, realizing how close he had been to a serious farewell in this lifetime.

If that had happened, it would have been the start of a new story as he searched the world for a way to free Emilia from the ice instead of trying to get her onto the throne.

"I can do without a second Sleeping Beauty. I've caused enough problems as is and don't need to add another casualty to my act."

Either way, Emilia had been saved and so had the other women Regulus had kidnapped.

The battle this time had caused such a massive swathe of destruction through the city that it was hard to believe they had been contending with just a single person, but in terms of casualties, there had been hardly any. Subaru had gotten a few more wounds and—

"I just realized that Reinhard left without getting his wounds healed. Is he going to be okay?"

Emilia furrowed her brow, worrying about Reinhard, who had in some senses suffered far worse injuries than even Subaru.

It had been Subaru and Reinhard who had sustained the majority of wounds in the fight with Regulus. Reinhard in particular had quite literally been killed once. In the end, he had come back to life and apparently being killed had been a calculated part of his negotiations, so it ended up being more proof of how superhuman he was.

And as if further proof was needed, once Reinhard had confirmed that there was no more danger on this front, he ran off to support one of the other fronts on the very same leg that Regulus had turned to bloody red mist.

Him asking Subaru to ensure the safety of Emilia and the former wives before leaving had been consideration for the fact that Subaru didn't have the strength left to go with him.

So all in all, Subaru wasn't particularly concerned about Reinhard.

"You don't have to worry about him. Apparently, even if he leaves things be, the lesser spirits just heal his wounds for him without him even asking, or at least that's what he said."

"Right. All the lesser spirits around us who weren't contracted with me all followed him… Reinhard might have the aptitude to be a spirit master."

"Let's drop it there! I'm going to lose what few unique traits I have left at this rate."

"Really? I think it would be nice to match, like friends…"

That was a cute way of thinking about it, but that would also mean being friendly with Julius, and Subaru would rather not have to deal with that scenario. And in Reinhard's case, he was already easily the strongest in the world without even borrowing the strength of spirits.

Crashing the unstoppable force Reinhard into the immovable object Regulus had been the crux of Subaru's plan, but even he couldn't help but reel in slack-jawed awe at Reinhard's one-man superhuman highlight reel, including what sounded suspiciously like kicking off the moon to come flying back to earth.

Honestly, he seemed like he belonged to some entirely different plane of existence, but as knights for two different royal candidates, he and Reinhard were supposedly in the same position.

"Emilia-tan, I know I'm super weak, but please don't abandon me."

"—? I really count on you a lot, though?"

"Right?! Right! I'll pour my whole heart and soul into supporting you from now on, too!"

"Wh-what was that all of a sudden? I never really doubted you, but I guess let's keep doing our best together…?"

Subaru was grateful for Emilia, who kindly accepted him even as she was confused by his sudden mood swings, bringing him from the depths of depression to merry excitement.

Still, though, no need to compare myself to other people. Relying on what other people think like that is just a path to becoming the same as Regulus. And he was the sort of guy who couldn't be sure of where he stood without looking down at the ground below him.

He was the absolute worst sort of person with exactly zero redeeming qualities, but he was at least a good example of what not to be. That still doesn't mean there's anything worth learning from him, though.

"…I wonder if everyone else is all right," Emilia said with a worried expression.

"That's what Reinhard is for. And honestly, they're all stronger than I am anyway."

Subaru's response could be interpreted uncharitably as a just leave that stuff to everyone else kind of fatalism, but the best way to describe it was that he trusted them.

They were all different factions, and they would end up clashing with one another later when it came down to determining who would be the next ruler, but Subaru believed in them fully.

Whether it was because of their character, their abilities, or their convictions, the ultimate reason was something far simpler than all of that. It was because he liked the people he was fighting alongside. That was why he wanted to believe that they wouldn't lose to a menace like the Witch Cult.

" "

And because of that, if someone did lose, if someone was going to die— Subaru wouldn't hesitate to use his reset.

His deal with Roswaal notwithstanding, if there was a chance of saving anyone, he would do it without a second thought.

He didn't like the idea of pain and suffering. But he liked the idea of grieving even less.

"—Subaru."

As if sensing something when Subaru considered the possibility of killing himself, Emilia sat down next to him.

She leaned herself against his left shoulder, gently patting his head as he was on the verge of looking down. He twisted his neck a little at the ticklish feeling, but it was difficult to bring himself to pull away from the warmth.

"Emilia-tan?"

"Right now, I feel the same as you. I'm worried about everyone, but I'm out of energy. I can't even go to help. So let me pray with you. For everyone else."

" "

"I'm sure it will be okay. After all, everyone is way stronger, way smarter, and are always doing so much more than I can."

Emilia was choosing her words carefully, as if trying to put Subaru at ease. Her choice of words was exactly what he expected from this kind girl at a moment like this, and it made Subaru's heart feel just a bit lighter.

Have faith in them. Have faith in the comrades I trusted to deal with the other Archbishops. And have faith in Reinhard, who went to help them.

He wanted to make it to morning without anyone going missing.

If they could do that, then it would be one less thing for Subaru to worry about—

" "

Subaru turned his head up toward the broken ceiling of the chapel, looking out at the starry sky.

Next to him, Emilia was looking up at the same sky, and time passed as they leaned against each other.

Subaru quietly clenched his chest as he sat next to her.

Along with a sense of confirmation of Regulus's death, some mysterious thing slipped into the depths of his heart.

It was just like how something had slithered into him when Petelgeuse died, too.

" "

He remained quiet to keep Emilia from realizing anything had happened.

Subaru Natsuki carried that burden alone in silence.

He quietly prayed to the sky, watching the stars above and affirming his own resolve.

6

Going back in time just a little bit before Subaru and Emilia prayed for their companions' safety.

To the moment when Otto, Felt, and company faced off against their foe, when Garfiel was swallowed by a mass of blood together with Eight-Arms, when Wilhelm locked blades with his young late wife after knocking away her hood, when Julius and Ricardo were feeling annoyance at an enemy they couldn't remember addressing them so familiarly, when two uninvited guests interrupted a wedding going forward without the bride's consent, when the canals of the Water Gate City were enveloped by a white blaze—

—and also when an invader broke into city hall filled with noncombatants.

"Bump-bada-bum! Time for me to take the stage!" A loud, shrill laugh filled the room.

The earsplitting trill came from an adorable young girl with bright, shoulder-length blond hair and gleaming red eyes. She looked charming, but she was wearing torn rags that barely covered anything in order to flaunt her body, leading any sane person to react in revulsion.

And most likely, that was the exact goal of Capella Emerada Lugunica, Archbishop of Lust and a monster who spat on everyone else's thoughts.

And Capella's sadistic gaze was turned to—

"You're the Archbishop of Lust…!"

A slender figure with flaxen-colored cat ears stood across from Capella, voice quivering with rage. Gripping a short sword in both hands, this brave person pointed the tip of the blade at Capella in the doorway.

It was Ferris, his body covered in blood and his yellow eyes filled with a tense emotion.

"What's this?" Capella cocked her head. "What, were you left behind in a place like this? Isn't this the moment where everyone is supposed to join forces? 'Deliver a righteous blow to those evil cultists controlling the city!' and all that? And yet, they left you here? That can't be good, can it? Isn't that right, everyone?!"

"—Yeah! That's right! We'll all join forces and protect this city!"

"We'll reclaim our city, reclaim our beautiful home with our own two hands!"

"There's no way we can lose with justice on our side!"

"Justice shall triumph, and evil shall get what it deserves! Victory shall be ours!"

In response to Capella's screechy question, a gallant young man's voice answered. And then the brave voice of a young girl, followed by a rugged, booming voice of a man who sounded like he had experienced countless battles, and then the voice of what sounded like a learned woman in the prime of her life urging people to take up arms.

Each and every voice was imbued with a strength of will and resolve befitting their words. However, they all came from the same mouth.

"Isn't this supposed to be that cool kind of story development?"

And from the same lips that had spoken those impassioned words came a sneering, scornful voice dripping with a malice that betrayed all those emotions.

Having transformed herself freely to match all the different voices, Capella returned to her former girlish figure, shuddering detestably as she hugged her slender shoulders.

"That's…Lust's power…"

"Kya-ha-ha-ha! Could I ask you not to look at me with such excitement in your eyes? You don't have to be greedy! My love is indiscriminate, even for a bitch like you! Whatever form of love you…oh?"

Capella cut herself off, her crimson eyes narrowing with a deep interest. Her gaze went past Ferris, to the person he was desperate to protect and the reason why he had picked up the sword.

The long-haired woman lying down on the bed was worth as much as life itself to Ferris.

The room that Capella had broken into was where Crusch was recuperating, still enduring the pain of terrible wounds that resisted all attempts to heal after an earlier battle.

Looking at the bed behind Ferris, Capella sighed half-heartedly.

"I see—so she lost against the blood. Well, I figured it was probably hopeless, but still it's disappointing to have the failure confirmed. She should have had pretty noble blood, too, it looked like."

"Silence! Why did you do such a thing to Lady Crusch?! How can she be healed?!"

Ferris exploded in fury when Capella sighed more out of boredom than disappointment this time. Ferris held his short sword in front of him, his lovely face warped by uncontrolled rage.

Beautifully adorned and engraved with a lion's crest, the blade was more ceremonial than fit for combat. Combined with Ferris's own lack of skill at fighting, it unfortunately looked like little more than a toy in his hands.

"Screaming and shouting while flailing that little plaything around is a waste of such a cute face…huh?"

Capella grinned with her tongue sticking out, but she suddenly furrowed her brow.

"Ugh, nasty. Huh? What's with that unnatural body of yours? A man with a body like that… How much have you tinkered with your body? I'm genuinely speechless."

"—!"

"Is it to get men to let their guard down? If so, then you have quite the understanding of just how worthless the animals called people really are. That's right—men are stupid, women are scum, and everyone's a lowlife…

That's certainly a theory I could happily endorse."

"Quiet! Just answer my question! What did you do to Lady Crusch?!"

"Agh, this is such a pain."

Enduring his shame, Ferris shouted again. But Capella just shrugged, and an instant later, her face melted away.

Ferris gasped as Capella's form folded in on itself and twisted this way and that. In the blink of an eye, what emerged was—

"Agh…"

"Did something surprise you?"

The face of the person Ferris most loved appeared, running her hand through her long green hair.

Capella had taken on the appearance of Ferris's beloved master. The blood drained from his face, and the sword in his hands quivered slightly.

"See, someone you hate is suddenly identical to someone you love, and now look at you. I have this face, this body, this voice, but inside it's still little ole me."

Capella slowly stepped forward, smiling with Crusch's face.

She walked close enough that Ferris could feel her breath, lining up her chest right with the edge of the trembling blade that Ferris held out— Crusch's figure was pressing up against the sword point.

"Your hated enemy is before your eyes. Please take vengeance for me. It hurts—it hurts, please… See, your master is telling you to do it."

She was so close that Ferris could pierce her heart with a simple thrust. The posture and that voice… It was so achingly familiar, but it was taunting Ferris, tearing at his heart.

"Haaah, haaah."

He started breathing faster. His gaze grew unfocused. It was a priceless opportunity. If he could only push forward with the sword, he could cut out her heart. He could get vengeance for his master.

The only problem was that the enemy looked exactly like his beloved master now.

"Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it."

" "

"Do it!"

Ordered forward, almost as if being cursed, Ferris opened his eyes and tightly gripped the sword.

" "

Its sharp blade easily passed through flesh, slipping between ribs, and tore into the organs within. Pulling it out with a twist, he severed multiple vital blood vessels, extracting the blade from Capella with a spurt of blood.

"Hah, haaaah."

Stepping back to avoid the splatters of blood, Ferris was sucking in air, trying to catch his breath. The sword dropped from his hands, clattering against the ground as blood slowly dripped down to the floor.

"It hurts, it hurts… Why…why did you…?"

Capella knelt on the ground, groaning as blood seeped out of the corner of her mouth.

Still holding Crusch's appearance, her face twisted in pain and suffering,

her amber eyes wet as they stared at Ferris in disbelief.

And Ferris gnashed his teeth when he saw that the expression on that face was identical to the person he considered most important in the whole world, even though he knew it wasn't actually her.

"You said to do it! You told me to stab Lady Crusch!"

"It hurts, it hurts… You're awful, unforgivable. Even though you love me so…"

"—! Our bond is nothing so callow as that!"

"Oh, is that so? Guess I botched my role, then."

Standing up as if nothing had happened, Capella wiped her chest with her sleeve.

In the blink of an eye, the wound that should have been so deeply carved into her breast vanished without a trace, and her expression immediately returned to normal as she shrugged casually.

"Yep, if I'm going to do this, I really have to do it with the proper preparation for it to mean anything. A master and retainer who love each other being forced to kill each other… There's such a great profanity of love in that story, but…my mistake, I guess."

"What were you trying to accomplish with this farce?! What did you want to happen?!"

"Nothing in particular, really. There wasn't some grand plan or anything. Just a way to kill some time, like convincing a husband to murder his own wife. And I just thought a master making her knight cross-dress is a pretty perverted sort of hobby is all."

"Don't mistake our shared promise for something so superficial!"

"Calling sexual love and proclivities superficial sounds pretty thoughtless if you ask me."

Capella cocked her head at Ferris's ragged shouts. And then she held up her right hand. It changed shape dramatically. Her palm became almost like a giant flower with her fingers growing into long tentacles. She knocked Ferris aside with them, slamming him into the wall.

"Gah…"

"A weak-ass little body. True to appearance, huh? If you really want to be a woman that badly, then shall I make you one? I can make whatever additions or subtractions you might want."

"My…body doesn't matter… Heal Lady Crusch…"

"Booooring. Could you spare me the whole there are people more important than me lip service? And of all things, you want me to heal the body of someone who lost to the blood? If anything, that's what I wanted to know, too."

"Gyaaaah!"

The twisting tentacles bound Ferris's arms and legs, tightening sharply around his slender body. Capella watched with pleasure as Ferris groaned in pain as his bones creaked from the intense pressure.

"Now then, parting is such sweet sorrow, but I'm afraid I can't be hanging around too long. I have to go looking for some important little collectibles.

They should be…"

"—less."

Suddenly something other than a cry passed Ferris's lips. Hearing that, Capella cocked an eyebrow and brought her ear close to his lips, suddenly deeply interested.

"What—what? Begging for your life? What final words did you have for me?"

"You useless…"

Hatred glowed in his yellow eyes as he spat those words at Capella.

The next moment, the tentacle binding Ferris's body exploded, and the flower's color faded as it rotted away. Watching her right arm rot away, Capella looked at the ruined appendage in genuine confusion.

"What's this? What did you do to my hand…?"

"The short version is that you don't have a monopoly on being nasty."

Ferris's body was freed as the tentacle withered away. Capella continued to look in confusion when another voice interrupted her—and then there was a flash of light that hit Capella right in the face.

"Gah…"

A stream of energy erupted, and the temperature in the room seemed to rocket upward. Taking the brunt of the blast right in the face, the right half of her head was scorched.