—Time rewinds to before
"That's why someone more motivated than me is already flying over there. As long as the opponent isn't stronger than me, it shouldn't be a problem."
"If we're talking someone stronger than
"The only one definitely stronger than me in the Kingdom is the 'Sword Saint.' Everything else comes down to compatibility and circumstances."
From Halibel's mild-mannered answer, Subaru felt both a sense of reliability and a chill.
Like Cecilus, when the strong proudly proclaim their strength, it's nothing but reassuring to have them as an ally. That went doubly so for someone of world-class caliber.
Which was precisely why he couldn't help but gulp at the fact that Reinhard's extraordinary power was guaranteed to be "absolute" by that very same world-class fighter.
"You lot sure are awfully relaxed, chatting away like that?"
Abel's irritable voice cut into the exchange between Subaru and Halibel.
Clad in the Yang Sword and leading the group at the front, he used the crimson holy sword to trace lines of flame, cutting down the corpse people that charged onto the road and igniting them—playing the role of the vanguard.
The power of the Yang Sword, which could make Abel—normally only capable of tussling with child Subaru—move like a first-rate martial artist, was truly extraordinary.
Honestly, his brain was starting to glitch from the sight of Abel nimbly kicking off the ground and dancing with his sword—utterly out of character.
"Insolent wretches, making the Emperor fight alone."
"Shut up. Consider this punishment for hiding your trump card. Besides, I'm not making you do all the work—"
Before Subaru could finish saying "I'm not," a tremor in the ground cut him off.
"————"
The cause of the tremor: two corpse people descending from the sky.
A giant and a tall figure landed, blocking the road, and raising their weapons behind Abel—whose expression soured—and Subaru, who glared at them—intent on making them pay for the folly of bickering on the battlefield— "『Strange Arm』Rondand."
Abel drove the Yang Sword through the corpse that had appeared directly behind him, setting it ablaze, and while the flames consumed it, he called out the name of the corpse behind Subaru with his dark, still eyes.
Accepting the name that was offered, Subaru turned to look at the bizarrely overdeveloped right arm of the man standing behind him—and saw Halibel catching the surprise punch with a single raised finger.
He hadn't bested the giant in a contest of brute strength.
"No need to look so worried—you're plenty strong, friend. I just channeled the impact into the ground, that's all."
Standing with his heel slightly raised, Halibel's feet had caused the street to ripple like the surface of water, dispersing the shockwave. It was a testament to both the fearsome power of the "Strange Arm" and the sheer difference in class between it and Halibel.
Whether that was comforting or not, either way, he would deliver the finishing blow.
"Rondand!"
"Nnh!"
From fingertips to dust, Rondand was released from the mission forced upon him. Whether the look on their faces as they vanished was one of relief... or whether that was just what Subaru wanted to think...
"Rather than having their soul burned, I'd imagine that's a far more peaceful end."
Grasping his partner's gentle consideration in return, Subaru murmured, "Yeah," and then looked up at the wolf-man beside him.
"Halibel-san, you saved us! Thank you!"
"Oh, it's nothing, it's nothing. Just like the Emperor said—if I'd stop gawking the whole time, I ought to at least work hard enough to cover for the sleeping kid."
Halibel smiled at the gratitude, bobbing the pipe clenched between his teeth.
In his arms, he carried the unconscious Jamal—but for all his proud show of strength, he was being far too modest about his contribution.
As much as it might sting for Jamal, Halibel was reinforcement more than enough to fill the gap.
"It'd be a problem if you were satisfied with just covering for Jamal's share. Someone extraordinary like you needs to be working properly hard, I think."
"That's more than I ever said out loud...!"
"The wolf-tamer's a lively one, isn't she. But having people expect that much from me does get the blood pumping. If I push myself too hard and keel over, the wolf-men might just go extinct before you know it."
"Speaking of which, if it were a situation where Halibel-san could actually die, it's safe to say the whole world would be in trouble, not just the wolf-men..."
He said it without exaggeration—that was the scale of the battle they were facing.
As always, Subaru was desperately fighting against the problem standing before him, struggling to deal with it, trying his best to unite with his allies and overcome it.
"I don't like dragging a commoner into a world-ending fight... What's with that look, Spica?"
"Mmm-uh...?"
"Since the moment she became Betty's partner and
Though Subaru protested at the interpretation, Spica's reaction seemed broadly on the mark. She tried to look at her hand, but since she was holding hands with two little girls, she couldn't. Frustrating.
Halibel watched this scene with his thread-thin eyes, in high spirits—but— "——Enough fooling around."
Once again, Abel's cold, sharp voice cut through the air.
However, this time, no one—not even Subaru—had any complaints to raise, because they had finally arrived at their destination, right before their eyes.
"The Crystal Palace."
A castle imposing enough to be overwhelming even from afar, but when looking up at it up close, the impression didn't diminish—it only grew stronger.
Being called the most beautiful castle in the world was no empty flattery.
"...What an incredible castle."
Beatrice squeezed Subaru's hand tightly and murmured. What was behind that murmur wasn't admiration for the castle's beauty—it was a quiet fear.
When Subaru asked the meaning with a sidelong glance, she wavered her eyes with their distinctive patterned irises and said: "To amass this much rare, high-purity magic crystal is no ordinary feat. Even if you overturned the entire Empire, you couldn't create something like this."
"Even so, it's right here, isn't it?"
"That's precisely it. The magic crystal they were short on had to be manufactured. No wonder there are so few spirits willing to lend a hand in the Empire."
"That means..."
Beatrice wore an irked expression, and Subaru felt a chill at her words.
In short, magic stones were condensed clumps of mana, and those of high purity were called magic crystals. The fact that Beatrice, upon seeing the Crystal Palace—built with such lavish abundance of them—had spoken in such a displeased manner meant— "Colorless mana can be prepared in bulk and condensed to artificially produce magic crystal. I won't deny that such a process was involved in completing this Crystal Palace."
"Not just Subaru—even Betty is telling you. I absolutely despise the Empire."
From Abel's manner and Beatrice's reaction, Subaru could sense the truth: a great number of spirits had been sacrificed to build this castle. Even as someone on the fringe of being a spirit user, Subaru had his own feelings about that— "Beako, I get how you feel. But that and this fight are separate—"
"Now, now, don't you fret—this child understands perfectly well. Vollachia's history is soaked in blood, but
"Don't make me compare which of two ugly things is less ugly."
Beatrice puffed out her cheeks and gave Subaru and Halibel that answer.
Then she noticed Spica peeking at her through Subaru and said: "Are you all right, Spica? It's the same conclusion Subaru reached. I hate the Empire, but there are humans living there who've helped me, people I don't dislike. So I'll fight for them properly."
"Mmm-aoh..."
"...I'm fairly certain you just called Betty 'Beako.' That nickname is something only Subaru is allowed to use, so no, you may not."
With even more dissatisfaction than when she'd first seen the Crystal Palace, Beatrice then broke into a small smile. Spica let out a relieved "Mmm," and Subaru exhaled deeply.
Meanwhile, Abel—the one who actually lived in this castle, the root of all this evil—was indifferent to all of Subaru and the others' emotional reconciliation, staring intently at the fortress.
"Even if it wasn't you personally, your ancestors did this. Show at least a little remorse."
"The Emperor does not bow his head lightly. If you truly wish to pursue accountability for that era's deeds, you're welcome to go investigating. Or perhaps there are those who were involved in the castle's construction still around."
"You're impossible..."
Subaru glared at the incorrigible Abel, but their argument within sight of the castle had reached its limit. —In front of the Crystal Palace, shadowy figures were beginning to materialize in droves.
"Doesn't look like the elites they sent to keep us out. Whole lineup of tough-looking fighters... this is gonna be rough..."
"A strong defense only proves there's something important hidden behind it. Abel! Where do we need to head inside?"
"If the 'Stone Block' is being used for that forbidden technique, then either the treasury where the Crystal Palace's core—
"————"
Facing the obstacles piling up before them, the group steeled themselves for the assault. In the midst of this, Subaru shut one eye at Abel, who had bitten back the end of his sentence.
Abel had briefly touched on the Crystal Palace's dungeon—and the person who might be chained up there. Subaru sighed.
Priscilla—the one who had remained in the Imperial Capital, her whereabouts since then unknown.
Her survival was confirmed thanks to Shult, who could sense the connection, but even through Subaru's repeated challenges, she had not been spotted in the capital.
And if Subaru were to meet Priscilla here, it would mean that
"I already know about your relationship with Priscilla. Even if you're worried about your sister, I'm not going to stand here dithering over it."
"So you've grasped the Empire's weakness already, have you?"
"Shut up, you sis-con! Your sister's got the worst personality, but she's on my 'don't let her die' list, so I'm saying we might as well save her while we're at it!"
From their first meeting onward, Priscilla had done nothing but drag Subaru around—no fond memories there. But her attendant, Al, hailed from the same homeland as Subaru, and Subaru himself had been saved by Priscilla on more than one occasion.
And then there was the fact that he secretly wanted to rescue Priscilla when she was completely cornered and see what kind of face she made when she actually said the words "thank you."
"That girl would probably say something like 'You're late' or 'What a hassle.'"
"I can picture it, but that's all the more reason to check. Abel, that's my policy."
"——Do as you please."
It sounded suspiciously like a curt rehearsal of Priscilla's usual reply before she even said thank you, but Subaru exchanged glances with the others besides Abel, and they nodded in agreement.
For a moment, he was tempted to wait for Emilia's group to catch up—Halibel had once seen off the Vollachia Emperor who was now joining them—but: "Can't let lovesick feelings cost me the fight! Let's go!"
"I think so!" / "Sure!" / "Let's!" / "Don't fall behind!"
"Scatter!!"
△▼△▼△▼△ —For
Those who were revived as corpse people obeyed the caster's will for various reasons.
Most harbored reluctance about fighting to destroy their homelands, and had their sense of self almost entirely stripped away, receiving suggestions that directed their instinctive violent impulses toward the living.
On the other hand, there were a certain number who received little to no mental manipulation.
For instance, those for whom mental manipulation could cause an extreme drop in ability were given only the lightest suggestions—just enough that they wouldn't go against the caster's intentions, nothing more.
Viva was one of those who received minimal mental influence.
But it wasn't because the caster had wanted to avoid reducing Viva's abilities. —Viva simply had not a shred of reason to defy the caster's wishes.
The "Great Calamity" bearer who wanted to destroy the
Unfortunately, the answer to that inquiry had to be no.
Viva's objectives aligned with those of the "Great Calamity" bearer not on matters of the Empire's survival or destruction, but on the pursuit of the soul—its very nature.
Viva had earned the name "Dissection" because, as a warrior of the Vollachia Empire, she had fought countless enemies and dissected thousands upon thousands of their bodies.
But the reason she had dismembered so many bodies, regardless of the opponent's state of life or death, wasn't because she harbored perverted inclinations. It was her sense of inquiry.
At the end of each dissection, what Viva truly wanted to confirm was not flesh and blood, but the soul.
Individual differences in life, the divide between the strong and the weak, the distinction between male and female—what made an individual an individual? Viva wanted to know, and she dissected many lives in pursuit of that answer.
And yet, even after doing all that, Viva had never managed to sense a soul, let alone touch it even to the slightest degree. She died with her regrets unfulfilled. That was Viva's life.
But having died and been resurrected, Viva could see beyond what should have been a dead end.
Through being revived by the
For this reason, this era was nothing short of a miracle for Viva.
"There's still so much more, more, more, more, more, more that I want to try, y'know!"
The Witch who had resurrected Viva affirmed her tireless curiosity.
Granted the right to examine souls to her heart's content within the castle, provided with ever-increasing experimental subjects and an environment where the more she worked, the more she was praised—Viva was living in an age of true splendor.
For the sake of this curiosity, no matter how many lives were lost, it didn't matter.
Rather, the more they died, the more types of material she could reuse again and again—the more she killed, the more Viva's wishes were fulfilled.
For that purpose, she still needed to take even more lives— "——Viva of the 'Dissection.'"
"————"
"Your deeds, both in life and death, are unbearable to behold. Therefore, whether or not you know my name, I will grant you no option other than being burned."
A crimson flash of the sword swept out, and before she knew it, her vision was spinning through the air.
It was when Viva spotted her own headless body in her tumbling field of view—and watched it ignite—that she realized her head had been severed.
What burned wasn't just her body; the severed head was engulfed in the same flames.
It reminded her of the overwhelming power of the young boy who had once killed her, but what was decisively different was that the fire brought by the crimson holy sword reached beyond even death itself.
Experiencing the sensation of having her soul burned, Viva received her greatest joy since resurrection.
"Oh, I can see it, y'know—the soul's location—"
With her body, her life, and her soul all being burned, Viva was satisfied with the result.
Despite having killed so many, dismembered their bodies, and toyed with life time and again, she laughed at herself for taking the longest route—because doing it herself had turned out to be the quickest way after all.
△▼△▼△▼△ —For the group storming the Crystal Palace, the battle was fierce beyond measure.
The dead stood in their way as if refusing the living entry, and the grotesque appearance of the corpse people endlessly pouring forth was a horror that would make most lose their nerve.
They had already encountered "Big Eye" Izmael, a corpse whose form had been twisted far from its original shape as it roamed the capital, and these were cut from much the same cloth.
The difference—if any—was that while Izmael had altered its shape in a disordered manner, driven purely by destructive impulses, these dead bore a certain concept behind their aberrant forms.
More aggressive, more acute, more avant-garde—shaping clay wherever curiosity led.
But what they had shaped wasn't clay. It was lives. And what was more, they possessed the knowledge and sensibility to determine how best to display that curiosity.
Thus— "——Viva of the 'Dissection.'"
When Abel called a name aloud, it was a signal that Spica's "Star Eater" was ready.
And so, those who could be defeated by "Star Eater" were to be defeated by "Star Eater"—that was the tacit understanding Subaru had recognized.
"————"
And yet, Abel cleanly beheaded the one he'd named with the Yang Sword.
Naturally, the Yang Sword's mercilessly deployed power set the target's soul ablaze. —How much pain that entailed, Subaru—who had never experienced having his soul burned—couldn't say.
But the fact that he had cut down an opponent that could have been defeated without suffering, and used the Yang Sword to do it, was a clear expression of Abel's anger toward that particular enemy.
"Terrifying, terrifying. But I understand the Emperor's feelings too."
Halibel commented on what could only be called an execution, then slightly opened his thread-thin eyes, slid his golden pupils across the air, and carved through the enemy ranks.
The ones that blocked Halibel's fluid movement were grotesque corpse people modeled after creatures with elongated arms and legs, but even the strongest opponent in
Their long arms and legs were mercilessly snapped and broken—over a dozen of them softened into the ground up to their waists like melting wax, rendered completely immobile.
It was something like an earth-escape art, though he couldn't tell what made it different from magic.
More to the point— "Don't push yourself too hard."
"At this level of distortion from their original shapes, you probably can't even figure out their names."
"And besides, he's not the type to make kids fight anyway."
The fact that Halibel, who could do the same thing, had also multiplied into three copies made him a monster beyond the norm.
Subaru knew he could create duplicates, but seeing it up close was simply unfair. The clone technique was already powerful enough on its own—having someone of world-class strength use it was truly terrifying.
"I'm genuinely glad you're on our side."
Beatrice shared Subaru's sentiment toward Halibel as she launched purple arrows from her outstretched hands, halting the corpses that tried to close in.
As Halibel had said, the corpse people whose forms had been warped too far from their originals were ones Spica couldn't land a decisive hit on.
"Mmm!"
"I know, I know—it's frustrating. But don't rush, don't get hasty, don't panic. I'd rather thin their numbers out here than get surrounded inside that narrow castle."
Subaru consoled the growling Spica while straining his eyes at the deformed corpse people.
Beatrice and Halibel were holding them in place, Abel called out names for "Star Eater" to take down, and the rest were dispatched by the Yang Sword—that was how they were cutting down the numbers.
Fortunately—or perhaps not—the warped ones didn't seem to be endlessly reproduced in some systematic, factory-line fashion.
On the other hand, that meant that after being revived as corpse people, they had somehow been hand-crafted into those forms, which didn't exactly ease the queasiness in his chest.
"Even so, the fact that once we defeat them, we can free them from that state..."
Subaru was about to call it salvation when— "——Subaru!!"
"——!"
At Beatrice's voice, colored sharp with alarm, Subaru tensed.
Her wide-open eyes—he could tell what she was reacting to. Something obvious enough that even he could sense the drastic change.
"Mmm-aoh!"
Spica, who had witnessed the same phenomenon, pointed and screamed at the cause of her shock: the Crystal Palace, slowly beginning to glow with a pale white light across its entirety.
The castle was becoming radiant, but there was no time to admire its beauty.
If the Crystal Palace was glowing, that meant— "They've activated the Magic Crystal Cannon!"
Swiftly spinning around, cutting down two corpse people before and behind him, Abel raised his voice as he confirmed the palace's radiance.
The Magic Crystal Cannon—the weapon that had been discussed moments ago, which used the magic crystals strewn across the entire Crystal Palace and the power they had stored to unleash an army-level barrage.
At the ominous prelude of its firing, Subaru held his breath.
"Are they targeting us?!"
"No! Even for them, sweeping the castle grounds with the Magic Crystal Cannon regardless of consequences would be too shortsighted—they can resurrect endlessly, yes, but even they must consider the aftermath! The target is elsewhere!"
"————"
Hearing Abel's shout, Subaru's thoughts began to heat up and accelerate.
Abel's guess that the target wasn't them was, if anything, worse than bad news. If the cannon were aimed at Subaru's group, even if they were obliterated, the response would be simple.
What Subaru couldn't afford was for allies to die somewhere beyond his reach.
He had never once experienced a case where the Magic Crystal Cannon had been fired.
With Sphinx defeated, he couldn't let them fire it before they linked up with their allies.
Stop the Magic Crystal Cannon. But there wasn't enough time.
This light was unmistakably a pre-firing charge, but not a single prerequisite for stopping it had been met. No good. No good, no good, no good, no good.
He couldn't let that fire— "——Stopping the discharge is impossible, I think."
"————"
Furiously spinning his thoughts, Subaru was met with Beatrice's words.
He blinked and looked at her. And Beatrice—despite saying it was impossible—gazed back at him with eyes that hadn't lost a single ounce of their power.
From that most lovable and reliable partner in the world, Subaru forced a grin: "Beako, care to pull off something crazy with me?"
"My goodness, Subaru really can't do anything without Betty."
"Yeah, honestly that's true."
Saying that, he re-gripped their hands—hands that were now almost exactly the same size—as if to confirm the hold.
△▼△▼△▼△ The crimson holy sword swept across the ground, and the plaza before the Crystal Palace erupted in flames.
The raging, blood-red fire raged like a beast, blocking the path of those who had crossed between life and death, refusing to let a single one pass, tolerating no interference.
"To leave only the Emperor at the front line, of all things. —Insulting wretches."
With that grumbling trailing behind him, a shadow surged away from the ever-brightening Crystal Palace at tremendous speed.
Seen from afar, it was nothing more than a black shadow streaking past—but it was the genuine, full-speed dash of the wolf-man with raven-black fur, one of the most powerful beings in the world.
And once the wolf-man had gained sufficient momentum from his sprint— "Then I'm going all out, all right—!"
Halibel kicked off the ground with all his might, and another Halibel waiting ahead caught his sole with clasped hands, launching his body powerfully into the air.
Halibel shot upward like an arrow, like a bullet—but it still wasn't over.
Then two more Halibels, leaping from buildings on either side, caught up and pressed a single foot each against the soles of the first Halibel's feet— "Not yet!"
"Gotta keep at it, or Ana-chan's gonna get mad at me."
The kicks of the second and third Halibels sent the first one hurtling even higher into the sky.
Up, up, up, up—blasting diagonally upward, Halibel arrested his posture at the apex: "That's as far as I can get you. Think you can make it?"
"Yeah, you were a huge help!"
At those words, Halibel—who had been carrying Subaru and the other two—swallowed hard. Then he arched his back and launched Subaru's group even further.
Through a coordinated four-way play using the clone technique, gaining distance and altitude in a single burst, Subaru held Beatrice and Spica in his arms as he soared through the air.
Having gained sufficient altitude, battered by ferocious winds, Subaru still forced open his eyelids and looked back at the now-distant Crystal Palace.
The Crystal Palace was pushing its white light to the absolute limit. Subaru locked eyes on the direction the Magic Crystal Cannon was pointing— "——Spica!"
"Mm-aoh!!"
Spica tilted her head toward the cannon's direction, and in the next instant, her "Teleportation" activated.
Without hesitation, Spica enveloped Subaru and Beatrice in her "Teleportation"—repeating it again and again, closing the distance to the cannon's line of fire in a single burst— "Mmm-aoh!"
"I already told you it's no good! —Murak!"
In response to Spica's desperate voice, Beatrice activated her shadow magic, lightening Subaru and herself to an extreme degree.
Spica, twisting in midair, delivered a final, powerful kick to the ultralightened Subaru and Beatrice.
Watching Spica's figure recede and spin away at the edge of his vision, Subaru gripped firmly the hand connected to Beatrice and— "Abel, Halibel-san, Spica...!"
He called out the names of his comrades who had cooperated to bring him this far, clenched his back teeth, and opened his eyes wide.
In the next instant, the Crystal Palace's light flared with blinding intensity— "Beako, I love you!"
"You didn't have to say it, I know."
Embracing each other tightly, Subaru and Beatrice faced the light.
And then— "——Al Shamak."
The light of the Magic Crystal Cannon was swallowed by the enormous, enormous rift that had opened in the sky.