――The bloody vomit and tears flowing from within her body had yet to stop.

　How many times did he need to cry for it to be alright?

　How many times did he need to suffer for it to be alright?

　He did not let himself think such things. He couldn’t stomach his own actions. Why had he been so relaxed?

　He had been injured, his mind had been trampled, an important person was stolen from him, he had not been able to save those he needed to protect, and in the end the life of the person who mattered most to him had been scattered in such a cruel way.

　――It was like he had been fucking cursed.

Subaru: “I…”

　He had messed up. He had been mistaken. He had gotten carried away.

　He had thought that he had found a way to use the «Witch’s Curse» stuck to his soul to his advantage. “Even if I die, I’ll go back,” was the kind of rash thinking that ended up revealing just how detestable of an existence the «Witch» was.

　Because that kind of thinking had piled up, the terrible scene before his eyes had happened.

　Subaru had placed Emilia onto his knees after she collapsed, and now his empty eyes wandered around.

　He did not know how much time had passed since Emilia had lost her life. Before he had realized it her body had grown completely cold, and the blood pouring from her mouth onto Subaru had lost its heat and had become completely chilled.

　Her soft limbs had begun to become hard. Upon seeing that Subaru realized that he could no longer continue denying what had happened.

　But even though he had reached that understanding, the truth was that his emotions did not start moving.

　He was too tired. He had already suffered this much, so he was done. Was there anyone anywhere in the world that had suffered as much as Subaru had? 

　If he compared his current self to his past self, it was unthinkable that he would have persevered for so long, that he would have continued to pile up efforts like this. And yet he had not managed to avoid the worst things, and this disaster continued to laugh at him.

　If everything was futile, if it was the same as doing nothing, if it had no meaning, then, he would stop here――

???: “――You look like you’re the unhappiest person in the world, but your face seems like it wants to say something, in fact.”

　Looking down at the dumbfounded Subaru, a voice that did not hide its contempt reverberated.

　In the room devoid of people, Subaru raised his head and turned it towards the door where the voice that seemed like a hallucination had come from.

　His neck moved slow enough to be annoying. He moved his eyes to focus on the same point, and there Subaru found a sole girl looking at him.

　The beautiful girl had long cream-colored hair tied up into two big drills, and she clothed herself with a luxurious western-style dress.

　She lived in the mansion, and so far throughout these repeated days she was the only resident of the mansion that he had not yet seen.

Subaru: “beatrice…”

Beatrice: “It has been a while since I last saw your cowardly face, and since then it has only become even more weak-looking, I suppose.”

　The girl――Beatrice said those bitter words as she crossed her thin arms, and she slightly raised her chin and looked over the disaster within the room. She looked at the blood that covered both the floor and Subaru, and at Emilia who was submerged in that sea of blood. And,

Beatrice: “You made a very terrible blunder, in fact.”

　She commented on the scene with a terribly flat sigh.

　Seeing Emilia, unmoving, with empty eyes in Subaru’s arms, did not make any emotion emerge within her.

　Not even the smallest bit of antipathy welled up in Subaru.

　Even though he was the one who brought forth this disaster, he was not driven by a feeling of righteous indignation, rather the violent fury he had once surrendered himself to was being replaced by a growing feeling of only exhaustion.

　Contrary to his expectations, his face did not change color and he did not press her with a question. Right now, he felt grateful for Beatrice’s attitude. While he was feeling grateful, he was hit with the realization that he was glad for her attitude.

Beatrice: “Bubby has not appeared yet, I suppose.”

　While speaking, she walked closer and bent her knees. While bending her knees, with her small build, she was about the same height as Subaru was as he sat.

　As she looked into Subaru’s unmoving, empty eyes, her gaze became filled with contempt while her face remained unchanged,

Beatrice: “Although I don't want to search, it seems I need to, in fact… I truly hate getting my hands dirty, I suppose.”

　With a small reluctant murmur, Beatrice extended her hand towards the upwards-facing Emilia. She seemed to intend to do something to the still-dead Emilia, that was the dim thought Subaru had as she reached towards Emilia’s breast pocket.

　With a rummaging sound, she moved her hand around inside the pocket, but there did not seem to be any magical things involved. Indeed, she was merely hunting for something on Emilia’s body.

　Wanting to say something about her uncomfortable behavior, Subaru began to open his mouth to complain. However, his desire was cut off when only a hoarse sigh left his lips, one that he did not fully understand the meaning behind. And so, ignoring Subaru’s struggle,

Beatrice: “Found it, I suppose.”

　Shoddily removing her hand from the pocket, Beatrice turned her palm face to show a brilliantly green crystal. He remembered it as the sole green crystal that Emilia always kept with her.

　It was the crystal that Emilia carried around that her contract spirit――the Great Spirit Puck――used.

　Right now, that crystal――

Subaru: “It's in pieces…”

Beatrice: “What a shameless thing for the perpetrator to say… you’ve let go of your self awareness, in fact.”

　Her gaze seemed lonely as she looked down at the pieces of the crystal in her hand. Then, she let the pieces fall to the ground. With a light sound, the crystal pieces landed atop the blood and sunk into it. The sparkling green light was dyed the color of fresh blood, and before he knew it the light had vanished.

　――Where had the spirit that inhabited the now-broken crystal gone?

　Right now, the one who called the girl sleeping in Subaru’s arms his «Daughter», what was the spirit whom she loved more than anyone else doing?

Beatrice: “Don’t worry, Bubby hasn’t died or anything, I suppose. That lost Great Spirit is just taking a little bit of time to show up, in fact. ――Consider it an extension, I suppose.”

　While answering Subaru’s silent doubt Beatrice’s long hair ran down her back. Seeing her long curls bounce as she directed a sidelong glance at him let Subaru feel relieved.

　If that Great Spirit was still alive, then he would surely come to this place.

Beatrice: “――What do you want to say, I suppose?”

　Subaru took a terribly out-of-place relieved breath. Still at an elevation where she could meet his gaze, Beatrice asked Subaru a calm question.

　Hearing how calm her voice was, Subaru doubted that she truly did not hold any strong emotions towards the situation. However, he could not help but try to speak.

　Chewing over his words, Subaru began to spin his mouth in order to answer Beatrice’s mysterious question, and in another bout of selfishness,

Subaru: “Kill me.”

　Taking advantage of her tenderness, clinging to it, and freeing his words from kindness, he spoke.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

　He wanted to be killed at once.

　He was already fed up with everything. He was exhausted from everything. He had run out of patience for everything. He had already lost hope in this world.

　He wanted to die sooner than later. When he died, he wanted everything to completely end. Even if he were to die and restart again, then he would undeniably just be met with the same fate. Even if he were to die and restart again, even if he were to do it over again, he at least did not want for it to be in this world.

　Emilia was dead, Rem’s existence had been erased, and Subaru had not been rewarded with anything.

　But,

Beatrice: “Kill…”

　Only by stopping would Subaru be saved.

　He hated that he was the target for such hatred, he hated that he had been protected, and he hated that he could not help but make excuses for why he was still alive.

　If she heard his request, then she would end this life that was just being pecked away at.

　His life’s dignity had been trampled on, his thoughts had grown still, he had been abandoned by anything and everything and now burned with all sorts of pity and foolishness; he wanted to be destroyed.

　The girl before his eyes held supernatural power so she could do it.

　She probably hated him, if Subaru were to hear her requests, they would surely be cruel, it would surely be a foolish act appropriate for his last moments.

　Subaru was a stupid person, that fact had remained constant throughout his nine deaths.

　This was the tenth time. It was convenient. God and Buddah and Goddesses and Witches, it was high time for them all to run out of their amiability. And so,

Subaru: “Right here, kill me.”

　Still clutching Emilia’s corpse, Subaru pleaded with Beatrice.

　If this was to be the end, he wanted it to finish with him holding her corpse. It was as selfish a thing as always, the one who brought about such a horrible result would be absolutely selfish until the end.

　Hugging her as tightly as he could, Subaru shut his eyes and waited for his death.

　And so, for a short time silence fell.

　At such a proper time, the selfish person suddenly heard a sound reverberate.

Beatrice: “...in fact.”

Subaru: “――Eh?”

　It was a small, weak, hoarse voice.

　Reflexively letting out a noise, Subaru opened his shut eyelids and looked up at the girl. Next to Subaru, the crouching girl stood up, and looked down at him.

　While she hugged her small body with both her arms, an entirely cold feeling filled her body,

Beatrice: “You want Betty to kill you… that’s too cruel, in fact…”

　Her face and voice seemed like they were crying, and Subaru found it entirely incomprehensible.

　He blinked his eyes over and over, waiting for the nearby girl’s facial expression to change back. However, no matter how many times he did it, her grim facial expression remained constant. 

　That facial expression differed from the one Subaru knew.

　After all, she hated him, she had always been so curt with him, and she would never let him see her good-natured side. He had always considered her character to be fundamentally cruel.

　She was supposed to easily accept it, he hadn’t considered that she would refuse, he had expected her to throw only scorn and mockery at him.

Beatrice: “I don’t get it… I don’t understand anything about you, I suppose…”

　Subaru had not even considered that the one who was supposed to kill him would show such sadness and refuse.

Subaru: “B, Beatrice…?”

Beatrice: “If that’s your wish, then I don’t want to hear it, in fact. If you want to die, then do it yourself, I suppose… Betty refuses, in fact.”

　Shaking her head, Beatrice shut both her eyes and suppressed her facial expression. She hid the tears that had threatened to spill from her eyes and rose her arm,

Subaru: “The room…!?”

　It had begun to distort.

　The space surrounding Subaru bent and he saw cracks run through it. It seemed like an omen of the coming end of the world, and feeling helpless, he reflexively hugged the cold body in his arms closer.

　Overlooking all of that, Beatrice murmured, “You’re the worst,” with all warmth gone from her voice,

Beatrice: “Everything is already hopeless, but at the very least you staying here would be troubling, I suppose. At the very least, I will protect this mansion, in fact.”

Subaru: “What’s… no, Beatrice, you…”

Beatrice: “――Betty is different from Roswaal, I suppose. Even if it’s for the sake of acquiring that future, painful things, difficult things, stressful things, sad things, dreadful things, all of them, I hate them all, in fact.”

　A question that cannot help but regard a question, an answer that cannot help but return an answer.

　However, Subaru spoke without loading any specific emotion in his words. The distorting world twisted, rolling up his body. ――Pain, did not come.

Beatrice: “At least die in a place where Betty cannot see you, in fact.”

　Her final murmur was adorned with coldheartedness, and it was accompanied by a lonely smile.

　He could not possibly say anything, he could not understand anything. Only one thing became known to him.

　――Subaru’s decision, his action, Beatrice was mourning it.

　The distortion reached the extremity of its utmost limit, and the crushed space popped, and scattered.

　A field of inconsistent noise swept over the world for just a moment, and immediately after the distorted air was gone.

　The bloodstained floor was all that remained of Subaru and Emilia.

　Nearby the place where the two had vanished, Beatrice was the very picture of worn out. She moved her arm to cover her eyes and hide herself from the world.

Beatrice: “――Mother, how much longer must Betty…”

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

　――Having been torn from that space and thrown away, Subaru tried to react but ended up lying atop a grass covered in moss.

Subaru: “Bwah.”

　It dug into his face without warning, and the taste of grass spread throughout his mouth as he raised his head. Still confused from the dirt and grass, he felt a bug crawl across his front tooth and spat it all out,

Subaru: “Ugeh, oh, haa… this place…?”

　He felt a bug crawl across the side of his face and shook it off with disgust. Then he looked around and wrinkled his brow.

　What entered his dim field of vision was many trees, turning his neck farther, he did not see anywhere where the trees ended. And so he concluded,

Subaru: “A forest… a forest at night…”

　Luckily he was able to just barely see because the moonlight was not interrupted.

　The wind softly brushed against the leaves, and the cry of the bugs that ruled the world proved that he was not mistaken. Thinking that, Subaru realized that about half a day had been used up since he had awoken in the mansion.

　At the same time,

Subaru: “Door Crossing… It seemed like something similar.”

　The atmosphere had contorted, producing cracks which he had been thrown into, which led to him being thrown towards this forest.

　This place was not a hidden stage set up in the mansion’s back garden, instead it was undeniable that he had been made to move to someplace far away. It was likely Beatrice who did it, considering that she has the power to connect her library to any other room as she pleases.

　However, even having reached that understanding, he still did not understand her motive. 

　Subaru had begged her to kill him and she had refused his wish, then she had forcibly removed him from the room by sending him flying out of the estate. ――Even now, he couldn’t get that teary face to leave his mind.

　Even if she refused him, he figured that she wouldn’t hate him and would only leave him alone. However, she had looked at Subaru with nothing but despair――

Subaru: “It was entirely…”

　It was entirely contrary to his expectations.

　He had been much too selfish, and Subaru shook his head at how self-centered his way of thinking had been.

　There was nothing he could do to understand the god of death, that much he understood. If he tried to rescue everyone from the world’s helpless cruelness his only accomplishment would be cruelly bringing about their death.

　While he did understand that, Subaru couldn’t help but hope.

　Even if he alone put his hope in himself, there was no way that anyone else would put their hope in him.

　That was to say nothing of the hate he held for his opponent’s excessive «Pride.» 

Subaru: “I can’t be helped, huh. I’ll just have to…”

　With a wild smile growing on his face, Subaru slowly put his strength into one of his knees. But, that thought did not pass onto the next stage, as it had taken him far too long to realize his current situation.

　――The fact that Emilia’s corpse was resting on his knees had not changed when he had been flung from the mansion.

Subaru: “em, ilia.”

　Within the dark world, a dim beam of moonlight shone onto her pale face.

　Her face held neither the anguish of the shadow of death nor peace, rather, it was absolutely full of bewilderment at what had happened. She had been living, until all of a sudden her heart had been crushed when the world’s time stopped. She hadn’t had the time to feel pain, to understand what was happening, or even to doubt what was happening.

　Only, the fact that she had not felt any pain did not seem likely.

　Subaru had very few experiences with instant deaths, and he had piled up nine more deaths than the ordinary person would ever experience. He had not considered an instant death to be peaceful, and so he couldn’t imagine saving her from that kind of death. ――Unless he removed himself, of course.

Subaru: “I’m so sorry. Sorry, I’m sorry. I’m really… sorry.”

　A drop of water fell onto her pale cheek as he looked down at her face.

　He had thought that he had run out of tears, but yet again they arose. Once again, the never-ending torture began to weigh on Subaru.

　He heard their voices. Their voices blamed him. All those he had happened to meet, they were cold heartedly and furiously throwing abuse at him.

　Within that, the silver-haired girl and the blue haired girl also――

Subaru: “Someone… anyone, is okay…”

　――Kill me.

　While continuing to bask in the abusive voices, Subaru carried Emilia in both his arms and stood up.

　Stepping on the neverending grass, snapping branches, he slowly began to walk through the night forest.

　Far away, he heard the resounding sound of a beast howl.

　If he happened across another of those black demonic dogs with a horn growing on its head, he had a feeling that he would accept it with a smiling face. He hoped it would tear off and scatter his flesh and mana while eating and killing him.

　A clean death like Emilia’s, was not a good fit for him.

　He wanted his form to be atrociously, to the point where he would lose any sense of dignity, trampled upon and killed.

　Otherwise, if it did not happen, Natsuki Subaru would be beyond redemption.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

　As he walked through the forest, Subaru recognized where he was.

Subaru: “Here… if I cross over this trench, then…”

　He cautiously made his way downhill, making use of a plant’s roots like stairs. Being handicapped with not being able to use his arms made him use more stamina than expected, and yet somehow he did not feel tired.

　He had passed the bounds of his body’s stamina but he continued to push aside its screams, instead opting to hone his battered mind’s concentration. His lower body was nigh unusable due to how far he had walked through the dead of night. He couldn’t even begin to count how many meters he had walked under the dimly shining light.

　Subaru was making one last push before his body entirely gave out――that was not the case. To put it simply, he was retracing his steps.

　That is to say――,

Subaru: “Aah, found it.”

　Feeling something like relief, an off base smile floated onto his lips.

　With blood sticking to him and with his worn-down mind, he felt manic laughter rise within him. Shrugging off the disgust he felt towards his body, he had already made an estranged choice, and now he smiled.

　Then, he turned towards them, to those who were well familiar with manic laughter.

　――Subaru was completely surrounded by people who covered their entire body with robes that blended into the darkness.

　They had emerged from within the forest and had encircled Subaru, and now, without speaking, absolutely silently, they erased their presence and stared at Subaru.

　Basking in their gazes, he could do anything resembling a purpose, whether it be hostility or kindness or spite or good will; Subaru thought back to the first world, back when he had encountered them for the first time.

　Yes, at that time――,

Subaru: “It was the same way, huh…”

　Recalling that time as if watching TV, Subaru remembered that the black-robed figures had all simultaneously bowed their heads.

　The only thing resembling a purpose that Subaru had ever seen from them, was «Respect». 

　Why they had directed such an emotion towards him was something that Subaru barely understood. Only, it was clear that the fact that they were members of the Witch Cult and the fact that Subaru wore the darkness of the Witch were related to each other.

Subaru: “――Get out of my way.”

　To hear that kind of thing from himself, that was something that he had thought about lots.

　If he had not resigned himself to his fate, he would have asked lots of questions. But right now, that kind of sentiment was nothing more than something useless.

　At Subaru’s command none of the black robed people raised any objections, and they moved as if gliding while sinking back down into the darkness.

　They vanished from his field of view, and it felt as if the world once again was still. 

　He noticed that the cries of the bugs and the sound of the wind did not reach his ears.

　Perhaps every living thing hated those robed figures. In the previous world, at the scene when the Witch Cult appeared, he did not remember hearing any bugs crying.

　Perhaps, Subaru’s presence here was actually an abhorrent situation. ――If that was the case, then his current self was a good match for that evaluation.

　The obstacle that wasn’t really an obstacle was gone, but thanks to them Subaru was confident.

　His gait was originally clouded with hesitation, and yet as he walked over roots and stepped through grass did not stop walking.

　All that walking had led him to a clearing in the forest, and he had arrived at a rocky area near the bottom of a sheer cliff.

　――And there, where a large boulder plugged the entrance to a cave,

???: “I HAVE been waiting. Follower of Love.”

　――he met a skinny man, from whom manic laughter floated up just as it had from Subaru.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

Petelgeuse: “Whaat’s this what’s this? Could it be could it be could it be could it be it be it be it be, that thing you’re embracing in your arms, IS it by any chance… the half-devil girl?”

　Stepping onto the grass, Petelgeuse looked at Emilia in Subaru’s arms and inclined his head. With his head tilted such that it was level with the ground, he pleasantly laughed with saliva spilling from his mouth,

Petelgeuse: “How, she lost her life before we received our Ordeal… What a sad fate. What an untimely death! Aah! And and and… how diligent of you! Before we even moved! The half-devil’s body! Her life! You took them!”

　Waving his arms, Petelgeuse overreactedly shouted about Emilia’s death.

　Then he noticed that at some point a stream of cultists had creeped out of the cave and surrounded them, and every one of them strained their ears to listen to Petelgeuse.

　It was maddening.

Subaru: “I’m… diligent…?”

Petelgeuse: “Yes! It IS so! Diligent! Aah, how magnificent it IS! You realized our slow judgement, our low intelligence, and so you took charge and decisively fixed our error! You truly ARE the embodiment of the Witch’s wishes!”

　Subaru listened to Petelgeuse’s hoarse murmurs. The man let out a delighted laugh, before running over to Subaru, he then glided into a kneel on the dirt and slammed both his hands down, shouting, “In comparison!”

Petelgeuse: “My fingers and I WERE slow, stupid, and lacking! Ah! Forgive us! With your love! Punish us for our bad job! For this slothful body’s faithlessness! Bestow this lacking body with your gift of love! Please, please, I beg of you, please…!”

　Crying, Petelgeuse slammed both his arms against the rock hard enough to injure them.

　Blood scattered as a result of his violent self-harm, but even though his bones could be seen through his torn wrists he did not stop. The surrounding cultists did not stop Petelgeuse, rather, they all kneeled in the same way he had, and each one began performing their own action meant to show gratitude.

　Seeing those manmen’s disgraceful behavior, Subaru felt nothing.

　Previously, if he was the Subaru from just a day prior, he would have ran at Petelgeuse without any worries in an attempt to take his life.

　However, now, seeing the man he hated in front of him like this, he felt no notable emotion, thus confirming that his wish had changed.

Petelgeuse: “Aah, if you do not wish to reward this me who did a poor job, then what IS it that you, who accomplished the ordeal for us, want? Tell me what it IS. If you do not want to be slothful for the sake of showing us your love, then what IS it you could possibly want?“

Subaru: “Kill me.”

　Subaru calmly spoke to Petelgeuse, who had drawn near and was shedding tears while pleading.

　Being abruptly hit with those words, even Petelgeuse’s facial expression was shocked――

Petelgeuse: “That IS what you want?”

　Without letting it show on his face, he immediately pushed Subaru away.

　Stumbling, Subaru backed off while Petelgeuse stared at him, his facial expression taking on a look of ecstasy,

Petelgeuse: “Aah, how wonderful it is, how wonderful it is it is it is it is it isss! You accomplished the ordeal, you immediately helped the cultists, and you WERE diligent enough to introduce me to your love! You have my gratitude! My diligence, with love!”

　Subaru did not brood over an answer, he did not blame everything on his actions, he did not blame anything on the world; witnessing that mindset, Petelgeuse unleashed his killing intent.

　Seeing the form of that madman, Subaru’s inner thoughts buzzed with peace as he closed his eyes.

　――Here, at least, at this moment, Subaru’s wish would be granted. So,

Petelgeuse: “Even so,”

　As Subaru felt the intent to kill draw near on his skin, Petelgeuse muttered something.

Petelgeuse: “Without overcoming an ordeal, without confronting your grave sin, to give up on your aspirations after tripping on the first stone…”

　That was,

Petelgeuse: “――Aah, you, ARE «Slothful»!”

　That statement was an insult to Emilia’s death.

Subaru: “――――”

　He opened his eyes for a moment, and there he saw the shape of a palm made out of black mist drawing near.

　Instantly, the memory of that agony flashed across his mind and his heart cowered in fear. However, that time was different from this. He could move his body. He could move his feet. He could move his arms. And so, he could dodge.

　Slipping past the leisurely approaching black palm, Subaru continued to hold Emilia as he jumped to the side. The hand went past where he just was and seemed to be bewildered as to where he had vanished to, watching that with his eyes, Subaru let out a rough breath. And,

Petelgeuse: “Just now, could it BE it that you saw the unseen hand?”

　With a shaking voice, with a blazing shine in his wide open eyes, Petelgeuse watched Subaru.

　He inserted his fingers that were thin like dead branches into his mouth, and one-by-one chewed each of them. While one finger’s flesh popped, made the disgusting sound of bone breaking, and dribbled blood,

Petelgeuse: “It IS no good, it IS no good! It is a joke, a mistake, an error, I just missed. My authority, the authority of «Sloth», the love that granted me the «Unseen Hand»! You ARE not allowed to look at another man’s property!!”

　Spitting out blood, chewing up the remaining nail and bone fragments, Petelgeuse turned his bloodshot eyes towards Subaru. His eyes shone with the intent to kill, and it was clearly different from his earlier fanaticism. What he was now filled with was genuine, and the killing intent directed towards Subaru was born out of hatred.

　――Just then, a black arm sprung out of Petelgeuse’s back.

　Splitting Petelgeuse’s shadow, seven palms reached forth. The arms were similar to the curse’s arm that delivered its punishment when Subaru tried to reveal his «Return by Death», and catching sight of them in his field of vision made a panicked fear run up Subaru’s spine.

　Still,

Petelgeuse: “If you can see it…”

　That he was unable to dodge, was not the case.

　The black arms were not fast. The length of their reach and their power to tear apart a body was astonishing, but the absolute worst part was that they «could not be seen by the eye».

　And so, for Subaru who did not have any abnormal powers, who had burned his life up until only cinders remained, he was unable to touch any eccentric physical activity.

Petelgeuse: “Why why why whywhywhywhywhywhyhyhyhy… Why ARE you able to avoid them!? Why CAN you see them!? This is, only I… Only I…!!”

Subaru: “I got sick of you and decided that I want to kill you.”

　Turning his body to avoid a hand, and he stood on his tiptoes to jump over another finger. He immediately crouched down to avoid two hands approaching from the left and right, and then he rolled close to Petelgeuse.

　Suprised at his disgraceful behavior, he felt comfortable with his warped thoughts. He felt cheer rising within him along with a dark pleasure.

　――He remembered. He wanted to kill this man.

Petelgeuse: “――Bgwah!”

　Springing up with a great deal of force, he rammed his head into Petelgeuse’s face. Petelgeuse defenselessly received the blow, and blood scattered. Subaru also felt a sharp pain in his forehead, before he suddenly flew backwards.

　During his rampage, the hand had precisely left his field of view, which was being dyed red from the blood trickling from his forehead. He guessed that Petelgeuse’s front tooth had hit his forehead and cut his head. The gaudy crimson blood had dripped into his eye, and for just a moment his right eye could not see.

　――Exploiting that gap, Subaru’s body was seized by the leg and thrown using a fulcrum.

　In the moment that he slammed against a large tree, he did not curl up his body, rather, he embraced Emilia’s body, whom he still held in his arms, even tighter.

　He clinged to her, in order to protect her.

Subaru: “――Gah!”

　Resolutely taking the blow with his back, pain entered his spine.

　Multiple ribs broke at once; several of his healed wounds simultaneously reopened, causing a chorus of intense pain to begin; and then Subaru fell onto the ground like a bug and convulsed.

Petelgeuse: “Disgraceful! IS it not disgraceful! Aah, how nice. Truly, how nice. As it IS, if I use my «Sloth» my actions can be slothful. Aah, sure enough, in my diligence, in my endeavors for love…”

Subaru: “Shut up, you. Idiot…”

　Subaru threw a jeer at the loud madman who was trying to laugh about his own superiority.

　The sound of his breathing was strange, and he could feel that he had sustained serious damage to his lungs. All of the pains within him were trying to compete for first place, causing his consciousness to flicker white.

　Yet still, while spitting blood from the corner of his mouth, Subaru laughed.

Subaru: “What love, idiooot. That love or whatever that you want… I’ve already seen it, you know… I’ve even had sex with it behind your back, serves you right!”

Petelgeuse: “What? What are you saying… saying, saying, saaaaayaaaaayaying… My brain, my brain, it treeeeeeembles!”

　With foam seeping from his lips, Petelgeuse fell into a fury.

　He walked halfway to Subaru, and then he began kicking at Emilia, whom Subaru held in his arms, and Subaru tried his hardest to keep him away from her corpse.

　Without any power circulating through his fingers, Subaru was not able to hold onto Emilia, and she was kicked away.

　Rolling, Emilia bumped into many tree roots before stopping. Casting a sidelong glance at Emilia’s body, Petelgeuse cruelly laughed,

Petelgeuse: “I WILL not, allow you to insult my love! Aah, I’ve decided, I HAVE decided! We ought to carry out the ordeal upon this half-devil even if she has died, we shall not stop until only the wretched sins that we HAVE lifted up from this half-devil remain.”

　Yelling, solely venting his anger, Petelguse trampled on Subaru. He stomped his foot on his palm, and Subaru tried to scream as the black hand squeezed his neck.

　With his breathing stopped, his neck alone felt as if it was going to be torn off as he was pulled up, and the sharp pain of his body’s core and his bones made him want to scream in a voice that would not come out.

　Petelgeuse seemed to find a little relief in watching Subaru’s figure, 

Petelgeuse: “First, we will eradicate the mansion’s staff, then we’ll HAVE the surrounding townsfolk all give their lives to us. We will not leave a single one behind, any mistake will be proof of our «Sloth». My supremely diligent fingers and I will take everything, we will decide everything. ――The high blockade has already been completed too. Anyone who crosses over the fog will only BE a hindrance.”

　Spitting saliva as he excitedly spoke, Petelgeuse drew near to Subaru.

　From there, he said, “Before that,” to Subaru in a breath that smelled of fish,

Petelgeuse: “That very important thing you WERE carrying… that half-devil’s body, if we were to destroy it, HOW good of a voice would you let us hear, I wonder?”

　Tilting his head, bending his lips, Petelgeuse curiously watched him. Subaru, whose neck was still being strangled, saw five distinct arms come from his back; each arm independently moved towards Emilia’s corpse.

　Of those five arms, one took her neck in its palm,

Petelgeuse: “ARE you watching? Do you understand what IS going to happen?”

Subaru: “...er…gh…”

　It was precisely because he had seen that horror previously that he had attacked Petelguse.

　He could scrupuously remember what the man’s black arms, which he could not see at the time, did to Rem’s body. And now, they had turned towards Emilia’s body.

　Subaru craved both life and death. However, if he were to lose his life and have his body turned into a lump of meat, if such a thing happened, where would his soul go? Rather than heaven or hell, it was clear that darkness awaited him.

　Because of that, he held onto both life and death and continued to live. Were he to leave this world, there would be no change to his thoughts. 

　Right now, he regretted that.

　That body where her soul no longer dwelled was still undeniably Emilia’s body. Even though it was going to be disgraced, her soul was unable to shout out in sadness.

　And right now Subaru lacked the power to stop it, and Petelgeuse’s insanity only continued to deepen.

«――What are you doing?»

　As if falling from the heavens, a voice was poured down into the eardrums of everyone present.

Petelgeuse: “――Hk.”

　Petelgeuse’s facial expression changed as he moved his line of sight in search of the voice’s owner.

　His body froze at the oppressive power that voice loaded with sharp anger held.

　As expected, when Petelgeuse rotated his line of sight, he found it.

　Belatedly, Subaru, who was still bearing the pressure on his neck, saw it in his dim field of vision too.

«I will say it again.»

　――Accompanied by a terribly large number of icicles that seemed to cover the sky, there was a cat with gray colored fur.

　His rough breathing was white as a freezing cold had swept over the forest.

　The madman Petelgeuse was just as speechless as those clothed in black and kneeling usually were.

«What are you doing, to my daughter――both of you?»

　――Dyeing the world white, the Beast of the End had caused the end of the world to come for a tenth time.