"Alright, no time to waste. Prepare to leave this place."
After arriving at the clock tower, Shendu summoned several wind blades and sliced apart the chains binding Lusbel Kallard.
"Can you stand? We have to get out of here immediately."
Natsuki Subaru stepped forward, helping Lusbel up as he asked in a serious tone.
"Barely. Let's go."
"Hiss... It hurts!"
Having finally regained his freedom, the boy took a step forward. Just as he was about to say something, a look of pain flashed across his face. Natsuki Subaru, however, felt almost nothing—his sense of pain had already been dulled.
Shendu lowered her gaze and noticed that both Lusbel and Natsuki Subaru's arms had suddenly been slashed, as though by an invisible blade. A vicious wound appeared across each of their arms.
"What is this? Why did a cut suddenly appear on our arms?"
Staring at the wound that looked as if it had been raked by a hook, Natsuki Subaru was filled with confusion—and an inexplicable fear.
Yes, he was truly afraid. The sudden synchronized injury unsettled him, and the unease in his heart deepened further.
"I understand now. Sirius' Authority most likely causes synchronized damage. Based on my guess, whether she injures others or injures herself, the damage is shared. In short—damage sharing."
Shendu frowned slightly, calmly analyzing the nature of the Authority.
"That's bad. There must be a distance limit. Let's get out of here quickly."
Realizing this, Natsuki Subaru immediately grasped the solution.
Shendu and the others hurried away. Just as they exited the clock tower, a red-haired man wearing a knight's cloak walked across the water and appeared before them.
"My apologies for the wait. I encountered a member of the Witch Cult earlier and was delayed while dealing with him."
As soon as Shendu stepped out, Reinhard spoke apologetically.
"Save the apologies for later. That Witch Cult member has a special ability. If you kill her, everyone here will die."
Shendu narrowed her eyes and revealed the limited information she had about the Archbishop of Wrath, laying it all out before Reinhard.
To overcome the crisis, the Archbishop had to remain alive. With Akane and Reinhard working together, achieving that outcome was entirely possible.
"What a troublesome ability."
Reinhard sighed softly, then turned and strode toward Sirius.
I wonder if this loop will finally succeed...
Watching Reinhard leave, Natsuki Subaru felt uneasy. The Archbishop of Wrath's Authority was simply too unfair.
"It's fine. With you here, we have countless opportunities."
Shendu patted Natsuki Subaru on the shoulder, offering him a measure of reassurance.
After comforting him, Shendu remained where she was, quietly observing the battle between Akane, Reinhard, and Sirius.
Call it a group assault if you like.
This was simply justice in a fair fight.
If this loop failed again, there would still be a chance to correct it. Until then, she might as well see what other trump cards Sirius possessed.
Once Reinhard joined the battle, Akane seized an opening and punched Sirius off the top of the tower.
As soon as Sirius climbed back up, she manipulated her hooked chains once more in an attempt to attack Reinhard, but he shattered them effortlessly with a single chop, scattering them into countless fragments of metal.
Taking advantage of the moment, Akane delivered another kick, sending Sirius flying again and pushing the destructive Archbishop of Wrath into a desperate corner.
The nearby citizens raised their right fists and cheered loudly. Witnessing heroes defeating a villain filled them with passionate excitement.
Shouts of triumph echoed endlessly through the air.
Reinhard, however, remained calm. Knowing Sirius possessed the ability of mutual destruction, he refrained from delivering a killing blow.
"Surrender. You no longer have any chance of victory. We are the ones who will win in the end."
Akane spoke coldly. Having learned about the Authority from Reinhard, she was especially cautious.
"If you surrender, you'll at most be imprisoned in the royal capital. You won't die."
Reinhard also attempted to persuade her, hoping the Witch Cultist would abandon any reckless thoughts.
"Hahaha... You really are gentle people. Let me give you a piece of advice—I am one of the few gentle members within the Witch Cult."
"All along, I have believed that mutual concession, mutual understanding, mutual forgiveness—when our emotions merge into one—that is the true love I seek."
Sirius' personality was utterly insane. She might appear somewhat coherent at times, but her madness rivaled even Geuse before his so-called redemption.
"Spare us your nonsense. Don't force your twisted ideology onto others. If it weren't for Master's orders not to kill you, you'd already be dead."
Akane clenched her fists several times but ultimately restrained herself. She understood clearly what must and must not be done.
"You have no opportunity left. Don't try anything foolish."
Reinhard watched Sirius warily, afraid she might attempt to escape.
"Kill her! Kill her!"
The surrounding citizens shouted like mindless spectators, egging them on.
I wonder if this can end perfectly... Reinhard mentioned encountering another Witch Cultist earlier. Could it have been the Archbishop of Greed?
Shendu stood silently, her crimson eyes deep in thought as she analyzed the situation.
Just as she observed, a sudden change occurred.
Sirius struggled to her feet once more and lashed out with the chain in her left hand, attempting to ensnare nearby citizens.
"Stubborn fool!"
Reinhard leapt forward and kicked with tremendous force, shattering the chain instantly.
Without pause, he followed with another kick, sending Sirius flying six or seven meters away. She plowed into the ground, carving out a deep trench and coughing violently.
"Hahaha! Mutual understanding is love!"
Realizing she had no hope left, Sirius raised her remaining left hand. A blade formed from condensed flames materialized in her grasp.
"Not good—she's going for mutual destruction! Stop her!"
Reinhard cried out in alarm.
Akane rushed forward at once, attempting to prevent her action.
But the outcome was obvious.
Sirius was one step faster.
She plunged the flaming blade straight through her own heart, black blood spurting from her mouth.
Puchi!
"Farewell... gentle world."
As death closed in, Sirius activated her Authority once more.
The surrounding citizens widened their eyes and instantly fell lifeless.
Even Natsuki Subaru, who had run far away, felt his heartbeat cease. The boy he had been supporting had long since lost all signs of life.
"What... did she really choose mutual destruction?"
Natsuki Subaru frowned, his mind overwhelmed with exhaustion. His strength drained away rapidly.
"Do you want to live? If you do, everyone around you will die. What will you choose?"
Shendu felt no concern for the fallen. They were unrelated to her—if they died, they died.
Only Natsuki Subaru must not die. He still possessed value yet to be fully used. If he refused to give up on living, she would naturally ensure he survived.
"I want to save them... Anyway, I can't feel pain anymore. I just feel sleepy..."
One of Natsuki Subaru's eyes had already closed as he spoke with his final strength.
"Then farewell. We'll meet again in the next loop."
Shendu waved her hand.
Natsuki Subaru closed his eyes completely, and the world sank into darkness.
When the scenery shifted once more, they found themselves back in the park.
This time, after returning, Natsuki Subaru felt slightly better physically.
With his pain dulled, death no longer brought suffering. Compared to the first loop, this experience was far easier to endure.
After experiencing two battles against the Archbishop of Wrath, Shendu had gathered a great deal of useful intelligence. When time rewound to fifteen minutes earlier, Natsuki Subaru approached her once again.
This time, he had no mood to listen to any so-called songs. With a helpless expression, he walked straight to Shendu, his face far from pleasant.
"Lady Shendu, what should we do next?"
Natsuki Subaru asked in frustration. Sirius' ability was simply too unfair. If she couldn't win, she would drag everyone down with her. It was utterly outrageous.
"Hmm... Let me think. We need a reasonable battle plan."
Shendu fell into thought. For the moment, she had no direct counter to Sirius' ability. Unless they captured her alive, the moment she activated mutual destruction, every citizen in the plaza would die.
There were so many people gathered there. Shendu might not particularly care, but that did not mean Natsuki Subaru would stand by and allow it. That was simply the kind of person he was.
"Hey, Natsuki Subaru, what's going on with you? Why does the Witch's scent on you feel so strong?"
After Liliana finished dancing, Garfiel walked over, staring at Natsuki Subaru in surprise, his brows knitting together.
"That... I can't say for now."
Having already experienced death twice, Natsuki Subaru kept his mouth tightly shut and revealed nothing.
"Tch. Always acting mysterious."
Seeing the refusal, Garfiel was not particularly surprised and chose not to press further.
As before, Priscilla attempted to recruit Liliana as her attendant and personal singer. While the two of them bickered back and forth, Emilia walked over, worry filling her eyes.
She placed a hand on Shendu's shoulder.
"Sister Shendu, what happened? You don't look quite right."
Emilia asked directly, her expression thoughtful.
"Yes, Big Sister. If there's something wrong, Betty can help too, I suppose."
Beatrice stepped forward as well, asking earnestly.
"Wait, Lady Shendu, there's no need to involve them—"
Before Natsuki Subaru could finish speaking, Garfiel kicked him away without hesitation, glaring at him in displeasure.
"Stop deciding things on your own. We're all companions. If there's trouble, we handle it together. That's only natural."
Garfiel clearly disliked being excluded and found Natsuki Subaru's attempt to stop them irritating.
"Very well. If you truly want to know, follow me."
Shendu glanced at Priscilla and Liliana, who were still arguing, then gestured toward a monument ahead.
"Alright."
With Shendu's agreement, Emilia seemed visibly relieved.
Once they arrived before the monument, Shendu turned around and spoke bluntly.
"It's simple. My familiar, the Shadowkhan, has discovered the whereabouts of the Archbishop of Wrath, Sirius. She will soon launch a large-scale attack from the clock tower."
Shendu spread her hands calmly as she explained.
"If we don't stop her, how many people will die?"
Beatrice gazed at Shendu thoughtfully.
"All of them. Everyone in the plaza."
Shendu made a throat-slitting gesture. Emilia, Beatrice, and Garfiel all grew solemn.
"What kind of abilities does that Witch Cultist possess?"
Seeing the faint helplessness in Shendu's expression, Emilia asked.
"She can brainwash those around her through her voice, share damage, freely manipulate chains, and she is highly proficient in both close combat and fire manipulation."
With each ability Shendu listed, the expressions of the girls around her grew heavier. When they heard about damage sharing, they finally understood the root of the problem.
"Then we can only capture her alive."
Beatrice said after a moment of thought, having already formed a solution.
"Yes. Otherwise, this will become extremely dangerous."
Emilia looked uneasy. She did not want such a tragedy to unfold.
"There's one more issue. The Archbishop of Greed is also in Watergate City. I suspect his target is you, Emilia."
Shendu looked at Emilia and frowned.
"I see... So we'll be facing two Archbishops at once."
Emilia frowned briefly but quickly steadied herself, though the gravity of the situation was clear.
"Exactly. That's why we must prepare in advance."
Shendu's crimson eyes flashed with determination.
"Sister Shendu, I'll cooperate however you need. As long as we can save those people."
Emilia spoke firmly, without hesitation.
In response to her resolve, Shendu snapped her fingers. A mass of dense shadow appeared before them.
After shifting forms several times, it transformed into a duplicate of Emilia herself.
Everyone present looked confused.
Only Beatrice seemed to grasp the idea. After a brief moment of contemplation, she spoke.
"Big Sister, you're planning to link Emilia to this duplicate and have her fight through it, I suppose?"
Beatrice's extensive knowledge allowed her to quickly deduce the plan.
"Correct. The duplicate can replicate Emilia's combat strength perfectly."
"It feels no pain and possesses a physique beyond ordinary humans. Even if you encounter danger, Emilia, I can rest a little easier."
After Shendu's explanation, Emilia's eyes lit up in surprise.
"Then let's begin, Sister Shendu. We should start right away."
"Very well."
With Emilia's consent, Shendu chanted a spell, transferring Emilia's consciousness into the duplicate while placing her real body inside the Shadow Realm.
With her consciousness removed, Emilia's original body fell into a deep sleep. Once she fully controlled the duplicate, she felt her condition was excellent.
"Let's begin, Sister Shendu. Over these past few months, I've grown as well. I'll show you my strength."
Emilia clenched her small fists and smiled brightly.
"Mm. Everyone, move out."
Having completed her preparations, Shendu pointed forward.
Before long, they arrived at the crowded plaza. As they approached the clock tower, everyone halted.
This time, Shendu had brought everyone with her—herself, Akane, Beatrice, Garfiel, Emilia, and Natsuki Subaru.
Aside from Rem, who remained behind to guard the residence, everyone else was present.
Watching the surging crowd nearby, Emilia felt another wave of unease.
"That spire is where the Archbishop of Wrath, Sirius, is located. A kidnapped boy is inside the tower."
"Now, here's the plan. Garfiel and I will rescue the hostage. Emilia and Akane will engage Sirius. Beatrice and Natsuki Subaru, you two will evacuate the surrounding citizens."
After detailing the arrangements, Shendu smiled faintly at her companions.
"Understood. Leave it to us."
Emilia responded solemnly, her eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
Although she was using a duplicate body, her consciousness was entirely her own. She could summon minor spirits with ease.
With teams of two taking their positions, a dark silhouette slowly appeared atop the spire.
"She's here."
Shendu glanced at Garfiel beside her.
The strange figure reached the highest level, pushed open the door to the central tower, and spread her arms, preparing to speak.
But Emilia had long since prepared herself. Gathering vast amounts of mana, she silently chanted her spell.
"Ul Shamak!"
Whether due to tension or something else, the moment the Archbishop of Wrath appeared, Emilia unleashed an enormous surge of magic.
Four massive pillars of ice formed instantly.
Like four missiles, they slammed violently into the top of the spire.
Crack!
With a deafening shatter, the very peak of the spire exploded apart.
Shendu's expression turned slightly strange at the sight.