The one who suddenly intruded upon the tempestuous battlefield of ice and flame was a mysterious white-haired young man.
Neither long nor short white hair, a face that was refined but without any notable features. His build was neither muscular nor slender—a medium frame that was hard to categorize one way or the other—and his overall impression was so faint that he seemed as though he might be swallowed up by a crowd at any moment.
However— "Sin Archbishop… 'Greedy'…!?"
The name proclaimed by this utterly unremarkable, lumpen young man sent shockwaves through Subaru. Unless Subaru's ears had made a fatal mishearing, the young man had indeed identified himself as a Sin Archbishop of the
And more likely than not, there was absolutely no falsehood in that declaration.
Otherwise, how could one explain the anomaly of someone standing completely unscathed after taking Sirius's unleashed hellfire head-on?
"Still, I'm glad I made it in time. My bride was almost turned to ashes, you know. I pride myself on not asking much of others, but even I have the modest wish of keeping my bride in human form. I suppose that's less a wish and more just a given, really. I don't possess such an inverted set of preferences that I'd whisper words of love to a lump of ash."
Standing before the trembling Subaru, who was still frozen in unrelenting fear, the young man—Regulus, who had called himself a Sin Archbishop—looked down at
His tongue ran on fluently, glibly, but his words were little more than hollow nonsense.
Emilia, on the receiving end of this drivel, didn't stir a muscle in Regulus's arms. She appeared to have completely lost consciousness, her slender body remaining held just as she was.
Regulus toyed with the white hair falling over his brow with one finger.
"I'm glad she's safe, but unfortunately, it seems my bride didn't witness my valiant efforts just now. Saving someone from certain death—that should have been a crucial moment for bringing two hearts closer together. Well, in the end, we're destined to be bound together regardless, so it's simply a matter of whether the path is shorter or longer. Not a big deal, really."
"You—what are you even talking about…?"
"Hmm?"
Regulus, who had been spouting his self-serving logic, noticed Subaru and furrowed his brow. Then he let out an exasperated sigh and said: "You know, I don't think you understand manners. I introduced myself at the very beginning, didn't I? The reason I did that is because it's the most important thing when starting a human relationship. No matter what kind of relationship it is, you first need to get to know each other, right? And I'm actually a considerate person—I've always thought it best to get along with everyone as much as possible. There's always a chance the other person is shy. Even if they want to get along, they might hesitate to introduce themselves. Taking that into account, I make it a point to introduce myself first, to put the other person at ease. Of course, I don't go around bluntly announcing myself to everyone from the get-go with some self-important air. But if you've lived to a reasonable age, you should be able to pick up on the meaning behind me introducing myself first. Actually, you should be able to pick up on it. Or what—did you grow up in an environment where it's normal to talk to someone you've never met without exchanging names? If so, that's quite different from my sense of common sense and culture. In that case, we'd need to reconcile our sensibilities, but if that's the case, wouldn't it be better to clarify things beforehand to avoid misunderstandings? Not making a single one of those considerations and then casually taking advantage of someone else's kindness—that's a bit off, isn't it? No, that goes beyond off. That's straight-up rude. Failing to observe basic courtesy means you value the other person only to that degree. And underestimating someone's value—that's an invasion of their life, of their way of living. An invasion of another person's rights. An invasion of my rights—mine, a man of selfless rationality."
"O-oh…? S-sorry. …My name is
As Regulus's rambling continued, Subaru could see a creeping madness gradually entering his eyes. His heart sounded a violent alarm, and obeying that terror, Subaru managed to introduce himself despite his trembling.
Upon hearing Subaru's name, Regulus narrowed his previously wide eyes.
"…There, that's all it takes. By respecting others, you yourself earn respect. Basic consideration creates a world where everyone can live comfortably. Don't ask for too much—accept happiness that matches your own measure, and be satisfied with your daily sustenance. That is the peaceful way to live."
Regulus spoke as though reciting platitudes that sounded like they belonged in a joke—but the earnestness in his gaze, speaking of ideals, proved that this was neither joke nor pretense.
If you isolated the words alone, they would sound perfectly reasonable—the same was true of Sirius.
And yet, from Regulus's behavior and speech, one could not help but sense the same shallowness and twistedness that defined Sirius.
"When someone talks to you, shouldn't you at least offer a single nod to show you're listening? What's so hard about being a normal human being? How can you go through life, day after day, unconsciously and thoughtlessly, continuing to wound other people's hearts in small ways? Even a small wound is still a wound, isn't it? Something bad can get in from there—you could catch a disease that threatens your life. That applies to body and mind alike. I really can't stand people who don't realize they're unconsciously threatening other people's lives. Is there something wrong with your head?"
"…………"
"When you have a fundamental deficiency as a human being but can't recognize it, that's no good. And it's wrong for the burden to fall on the people who do possess the common sense they should have. The world runs smoothly precisely because the majority of people uphold common sense without even thinking about it. Before trampling on the kindness of people who can do it without thinking, shouldn't you first become aware of your own twisted, flawed way of being and change it? Otherwise you'll just keep trampling through people's hearts with your boots on, won't you?"
Subaru's silence clearly displeased Regulus, who pressed on all the more.
Gradually, his speech quickened and his intensity climbed. Even so, Subaru could not respond.
To do so, his heart was too clenched with fear.
"After all this, you're still ignoring me—"
"Much obliged for the sermon. Now why don't you go burn, char, and disappear already!!"
A cascade of flames surged from behind the rigid Regulus, crashing down like a waterfall. It was Sirius who had unleashed the inferno, pouring the hellfire without mercy upon the one who also claimed to be a Sin Archbishop. Subaru had witnessed this atrocity firsthand—that was why he couldn't muster a voice in time.
"Subaru…"
"I-I know. But it'll be fine."
Behind him,
Subaru, too, had felt the fear of Emilia being caught up in that act of violence. But even so, he held a conviction. And that was— "Hey, doing something like this in the middle of a conversation—how completely tone-deaf can you be? If you have something to say, speak up first. If you want to make a point, raise your hand. Do you really think I lack the courtesy to wait for someone to finish speaking?"
Regulus flicked his arm in irritation and dispensed with the swirling inferno of hellfire.
The wall of heat vanished like a magic trick, and Regulus, standing at its epicenter, was completely unchanged. Naturally, that applied to Emilia in his arms as well.
Having been engulfed by flames of that magnitude, he didn't have so much as a single bead of sweat on his body, let alone a burn.
"And on top of everything, I'm the same Sin Archbishop as you. I know your head isn't screwed on right, and I'm kind enough to overlook minor infractions. Fortunately, there's been no harm done. But…"
Regulus turned around and lowered his voice, glaring at Sirius. Sirius, receiving that gaze, clutched her coat's front closed to conceal the girl from view once more, and let both arms hang limply as she ground her teeth with a harsh grinding sound.
"Just now, you were planning to burn this child to death along with the rest. To forgive that—no matter how you slice it, that's just a bit much, isn't it? Actually, it's impossible. Since ancient times, in any story, anyone who harms the person you love will ignite your righteous fury. That's a right that everyone possesses—and therefore, it's a right to revenge that I possess as well."
"Anger! Ha! Did you say anger! Don't make me laugh! A shallow, insignificant man like you, casually tossing around words like anger and fury! That is mine! It's the most precious thing I received from that person. That…"
"Oh? Is that so? You're still hung up on that impulsive dead fool? How distasteful. It's neither productive nor rational. When you die, it's over. That's simply how it is, isn't it? And you can't even accept that, clinging to memories…"
"You, who dared to sneer at that person's death, have the nerve to act superior!!"
Blasted by his contemptuous words, Sirius spat and flew into a rage.
The freak's fury was so great that she stomped forward, shattering the flagstones, and hurled the flame-wreathed chains on both arms at Regulus at tremendous speed. The white-hot iron tore through the air, and upon striking its target, it seared through wounds as it gouged flesh—the worst kind of murder weapon—as it beat Regulus down.
A dull, meaty thud sounded as the chains struck flesh, and Regulus's rigid face was knocked to the side. But neither Sirius's fury nor the chain's impact could be quelled in a single blow.
Right, left, up, down, forward, backward, diagonal—Sirius's copper-colored chains flayed Regulus's entire body in a relentless barrage. The chains flew at high speed, tracing arcs of heat, and only when Subaru realized they had formed a cage of flame did— "Die, die, die, die, die! You cursed half-breed—turn to ash!!"
The cage of flame collapsed inward, engulfing Regulus, and a violent pillar of fire erupted.
The heat was intense enough to melt the flagstones. The spot where Regulus had been standing—the flagstones, the earth beneath them—had been completely vaporized, leaving a collapsed crater.
Breathing hard, Sirius surveyed the result of her scorching attack.
Surrounding the freak, the crowd who shared her emotions had gathered, screaming incoherently, blood streaming from their eyes and noses as they raved in frenzy. However— "Hey—how many times do I have to say the same thing before you get it?"
Regulus emerged as though nothing had happened, stepping over the red-hot, melted flagstones.
Without a single scratch on his white hair, his clothes, or Emilia in his arms.
Only on his expression did he bear the look of a child's petulant displeasure.
"I think it goes like this. No matter how many times you tell someone the same thing, if they don't understand, it means they haven't put in the effort to understand. And not putting in that effort means they lack consideration for the person who told them. They're being dismissive. That's why they don't engrave it in their hearts, don't take it as a lesson, don't reflect on it, don't make it fuel for tomorrow—they completely forget and make you say it all over again. That's dismissive of the other person, and it's dismissive of the negative influence you yourself bring. It's a wholesale dismissal of both your own value and theirs. And that… well, even without words or actions accompanying it, that's violence. And I think…"
"You little shit…!"
"The early Witch Cult doctrine had something like this: 'If someone strikes your cheek, offer the other cheek and then question their reasons.' A doctrine that illustrates the value of mutual understanding. But here's what I think. Sometimes, you have to strike back at the person who hit you. Especially—when they have no interest in knowing what pain is."
If you only heard the words, they were perfectly reasonable.
But Regulus's way of being was twisted in some fundamental way.
"—!?"
Regulus stepped out from the crater, fixing Sirius with a ghastly smile.
That smile was far from friendly. It was closer to the tongue-licking expression a predator makes when it spots prey.
How Regulus was defending himself against Sirius's flames and chains was unknown. He was seemingly a defense-specialized ability user; it was entirely possible that his Greedy authority had no offensive means whatsoever.
Therefore, one would think it impossible to conclude that Regulus's actions would bring about a fatal outcome.
—And yet, one could. If things continued as they were, Sirius would die.
The possibility that Regulus possessed only defensive power was virtually nil.
If that young man took any action, Sirius would undoubtedly die. In itself, that was no problem at all. Rather, if an infighting among Sin Architects reduced their numbers, that would be cause for celebration.
A cause for celebration, yes—but Sirius's death would drag in the vast majority of those standing nearby. That included Subaru, of course, but also the crowd caught in Sirius's madness, and surely Rushubel and Tina, who had offered their own bodies to shield one another while praying for each other's safety.
"————"
Even now, an undiminished terror coursed through every inch of Subaru's body.
His fallen knees trembled still, and even his breathing was unsteady.
But even in circumstances like these.
"Subaru."
At his ear, a small voice called out to him.
Though she herself could not hide her trembling fear, she was desperately trying to convey her trust—and the heat of that feeling传导 from behind him, through his back.
Biting down on his dread, Subaru rose to his feet with a sway.
He couldn't leave everything to the light weight on his back. But neither did he have the strength to pull this off without borrowing that power.
And so Subaru refused both—to fight alone, and to leave it to someone else alone.
If Subaru were by himself, he would surely have trembled with fear, unable to stand.
The reason he stood now was that he wasn't alone. Unlike the others consumed by madness, only Subaru was pressed against someone—not alone.
That sense of connection was what forced Natsuki Subaru to defy his fear.
"Beatrice."
"I know."
At a single call, Beatrice nodded, signaling she understood everything.
There was no need to confirm whether their communication was truly in sync. Simply giving their all to fulfill their respective roles—that was what should draw the result closer.
Neither Sirius nor Regulus had noticed Subaru's presence. Each was fixated on the other alone. If they wanted to tear each other apart, fine by him. If Sirius burned only Regulus to death, that would be the best possible outcome—but that possibility was almost certainly not going to arise.
So what Subaru aimed for was to stop Regulus's rampage.
To draw his attention here, and preempt the catastrophic damage that would follow.
And above all— "Don't you dare lay another hand on Emilia…!"
Undying devotion shoved fear aside and lit a fire in Subaru. He cursed under his breath—he'd have to deceive his own heart first to even begin this. Otherwise, there was no way he could move forward.
Ahead of him, Regulus's back was turned, his movements languid. Opposite him, Sirius's motions were equally lacking in sharpness. For Subaru, that was as favorable as it could possibly be.
"—Shamac!"
The instant he urged his trembling legs forward and broke into a run, Beatrice behind him began chanting a spell.
The black mist of Shamac—the most powerful of their spells—enveloped Regulus's body and veiled it from the world, beautifully hindering his footing. Into that, Subaru swung his whip with all his might at the position he'd confirmed right before the target disappeared.
He was aiming for the neck.
Hooking the whip around that thin neck, he intended to yank him down in one pull. Even a distracted Regulus would surely be forced to focus on Subaru if treated so roughly. Or perhaps at the point of Beatrice's Shamac, Regulus had already fallen into complete disorientation— "There's no resistance!"
"Look out!!"
The whip connected, but the response was disappointingly weak, and as Subaru cried out in frustrated urgency, Beatrice issued her warning.
The next instant, the white-haired young man burst through the black mist and launched himself at Subaru.
"You've been scurrying around front and back this whole time, haven't you? A rapist of my humble peace—why don't you scatter, vanish, and disappear?"
"M-… no, Murak!"
Regulus extended his left hand casually toward Subaru while keeping Emilia cradled in his right. Beatrice, on instinct, abandoned the attack and imbued Subaru's body with gravity-manipulation magic.
Subaru affirmed Beatrice's judgment instantly, leaping to evade Regulus's outstretched fingertips.
Murak was a type of阴 magic—a spell that alleviated the gravitational force acting on a body.
Subaru's body now soared skyward with a lightness like a feather, leaving Regulus behind on the ground.
"Why dodge, I wonder?"
"Because dodging is the obvious thing to do, you freak!"
Looking up at Subaru fleeing overhead, Regulus received a whip crack straight down from above. This time, Subaru didn't miss—his whip struck Regulus's crown dead-on. White hair flew upward from the impact, and upon that skull should have appeared a gruesome gash from the whip— Nothing. Completely unscathed. It was as though a gentle breeze had ruffled his hair.
"What would you do if your bride got hurt? Being kind to girls—that's not something anyone has to teach you. It's just natural, don't you think? Can't you even do that?"
"Don't be ridiculous! The person I want to be most kind to in this whole world is that girl. Besides—bride, bride—what exactly do you mean by that…?"
"It's obvious. Destiny. —Because I promised her in a dream."
Regulus answered with a smile, and Subaru—clinging to the wall with one hand supporting his weight—was struck speechless. The composition was somewhat comical, but neither party seemed to care.
"She and I are destined to be together. It's destiny. I'm generally satisfied with myself, so I don't really desire anything. But I'm not so narrow-minded as to refuse what's offered to me—especially when it's destiny that brings it. I don't ask for much, but I will protect what's within my reach in my world. Myself, and the person precious to me. Therefore—"
"————"
"I will protect her. I will welcome her as my wife, love and be loved, and enjoy the peace that should exist. If that requires wielding the power I've been given, I won't hesitate."
"Where—where does that girl's own will fit into any of this? You haven't even confirmed the intentions of the two parties, and yet you're running this far ahead…"
Regulus's powerful declaration, and the bearing of a strong man that backed it up.
His thinking was straight, correct, modest, and without ambition—and yet fatally wrong.
What made it fatally wrong was impossible to articulate. If forced to say, something was wrong from the very starting point. From the very beginning, something was off-kilter, and so everything was inverted.
It was not fear alone that made Subaru's voice tremble.
To that question, Regulus laughed as though he'd heard the most trivial thing.
"Are you worried about me? If so, thank you. But don't worry. Destiny is inevitable—especially love and friendship, which cannot exist alone. If destiny decrees that I have a destined bride, then it's only natural that she's received the message that I am her destined groom, right?"
"…You're completely out of your mind."
Beatrice let slip a murmur laced with revulsion at Regulus's broken logic.
Subaru was of the same opinion. Regulus's reasoning was the kind of thing dressed up in the garments of righteous logic and beautiful sentiments—the argument of a stalker. And as was typical of stalkers, he hadn't the slightest doubt that anything was wrong.
"That's enough. In the first place, there's no way I could see eye to eye with a rival in love. Just acknowledging you as a rival in love is enough to make my skin crawl."
Subaru released the wall and landed back on the ground of the plaza.
Regulus watched him stand in silence and nodded as though he understood.
"I see, so that's how it is. Look, I hate to say this, but… you can't cut in on destined lovers. Unrequited pursuit is rather unsightly, you know."
"Shut up! Emilia-tan is my bride! Like hell I'm giving her to the likes of you!"
"Oh? So her name is Emilia? What a lovely name. 'Emilia'—the kind of name you'd whisper softly, the way you'd coo at a little bird. It suits her beautifully."
"You don't even know her name… What could you possibly have seen in her to call her your bride…!"
"Her face."
Stricken silent. So furious his throat seized.
Taking Subaru's silence for something else entirely, Regulus tilted his head.
"She's cute. Isn't love all about that?"
"Drop dead."
"Perhaps you should."
Subaru's fury was joined by Beatrice's, and together they denied Regulus's laughably superficial notion of love.
Stepping forward, Subaru's body was still under the effects of Murak. Riding the wind, he closed the distance in an instant, and Regulus's eyes widened in surprise.
Even after all this, he apparently couldn't fathom why Subaru would engage him in close combat.
Subaru understood it himself. The sheer foolishness of approaching Regulus. Unlike Sirius, Regulus didn't wield any obvious weapon. That wasn't because he was unprepared—it was because he didn't need one. That was the correct conclusion.
Therefore, closing the distance with Regulus was truly a death sentence. And yet, Subaru had only one reason to do so.
—Because Subaru's trump card could only be used in close combat.
"I can't fathom why you'd throw yourself in like this. I don't need to understand, mind you—but if there's a meaning beyond desperation, I'd like to hear it. You see, I'm the kind of existence that never neglects the courtesy of trying to understand even an opponent I'm about to put down."
"Much obliged for the sermon—Betty!"
"Ready any time!"
As Subaru closed in, Regulus casually extended his left hand.
That open five-fingered hand was, presumably, a lethal weapon in its own right—each finger capable of reaping a life. Facing that, Subaru drew a breath and screamed.
One of the fruits that Subaru and Beatrice had cultivated over this past year.
"E.M.M.!"
"…What?"
The soaring incantation resonated from the interior of Subaru's broken gate to Beatrice, who translated that mana into a spell that had never before existed in this world—a spell born of this world's only partnership.
One of only three original spells created by the Natsuki Subaru and Beatrice combination—the absolute defensive magic "E.M.M."
An invisible magic field enveloped Subaru's body, and by "shifting" his very existence half a step away from this world, it rendered all attacks against him completely null—physical or magical alike.
Regulus's fingertips reached Subaru but caused absolutely no harm. For the first time, Regulus's face registered surprise and stiffened.
Into the side of that frozen expression, Subaru swung his left fist with everything he had.
"There!"
"—!"
Regulus's cheek bounced from the impact.
Subaru grimaced at the solid sensation of the blow, but where Regulus's head had recoiled, not even a trace of redness remained. Completely—no damage. It was as though something was perpetually protecting Regulus's body in the same way Subaru's E.M.M. had just protected him.
"Is the charge not done yet?!"
Before Regulus could counterattack, Beatrice shouted that the conditions for the next action had not yet been met.
In this close proximity, Subaru had to dodge Regulus's attacks. Weaving aside, blocking—both options were equally difficult. That left only one thing: to chip away at his soul— "Don't get cocky…"
"Invisible Providence!!"
A fist no one could see struck Regulus's irritated face from directly below, launching it upward.
Regulus was sent flying, his shout of surprise cut short. Watching him go, Subaru spat out the bloody phlegm that had risen in his throat and roughly wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
To anyone besides Subaru, that Invisible Divine Providence should have been invisible.
But Subaru saw it clearly—the black arm protruding from his chest, the third arm, as it were—a torrent of accursed power.
His entire body creaked, his soul was shaved away, and he coughed up blood that had turned black, as though poisoned.
Only by paying that much of a price could he deliver a single, all-out strike. And even that "all-out" was merely all-out by Subaru's standards—it wasn't even close to the blow that would crack a boulder, let alone what Garfiel could manage.
Even so, an invisible blow should have had some effect.
"Subaru, are you alright?!"
"Geh—somehow. Besides, his power seems insane, but his offense is weak. Among everyone I've fought, he's on par with that Rathinss guy."
Spitting blood from his throat, Subaru pointed out Regulus's poor combat ability.
Regulus's fighting technique was amateurish and unskilled—barely above a layperson's level. Even his lethal fingertips, if one could maintain concentration, might be avoidable indefinitely.
"————"
His shoulder was tapped.
It was Beatrice's silent report that the charge was complete.
Original spells, given their power and effectiveness, could not be cast in rapid succession. Furthermore, the three types of spells were each limited to once per day in principle—any more and the caster would lose their physical body.
"I cut E.M.M., but without it, I can still get close. If I can land that…"
"Is there a chance? I think I'm starting to see light."
"There's no light anywhere. Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I don't much like being made a fool of, either. Well, 'like' isn't even the right word. Not having my will respected—that's simply not acceptable. It's a violation of my rights. I've already let you land two attacks on me, so isn't it about time my attacks started connecting? That seems only fair."
Landing from mid-air, Regulus glared at Subaru and Beatrice, who had renewed their resolve.
The composure he'd shown at the start was gone—he had progressed past irritation into full-blown indignation.
Perhaps, at last, he had recognized Subaru as an enemy. And just as Subaru reached that thought— "Whoa!?"
"…What are you doing?"
Between Subaru and Regulus, who glared at each other, the ground suddenly ignited.
The blast of heat struck Subaru in the face, forcing him back, while Regulus received the scorching gust with a grimace.
Both pairs of eyes turned, naturally, to the culprit—Sirius.
Until this point, for reasons unknown, the freak had been completely content to watch Subaru and Regulus fight. What intention had kept her silent was unclear, but had she remained so, that would have been the best outcome. Instead, she had joined the fray without warning.
In truth, Subaru was more reluctant to face Sirius than Regulus—because he had no defense against her flames, and because he still hadn't discerned the conditions for defeating her.
At this turn for the worse, Subaru held his breath.
But the situation deteriorated far beyond even his imagination.
"Found you."
"—?"
The standing Sirius stared at the pair facing off—no, her eyes were locked exclusively on Subaru.
The freak had no remaining awareness directed toward Regulus, whom she'd been glaring at with killing intent. She was entirely, obsessively focused on Subaru. And the gaze she fixed him with bore a madness that made Subaru's throat go utterly dry.
The freak slowly raised both hands—hands that had been hanging limp—and pressed them to her own cheeks.
"Found you. Found you. Found you. Found you. Ah, ah, ah! Aaah! Yes—yes, it was you after all! I'm sorry—I'm sorry I didn't notice? I'm sorry? Ah, thank goodness. That's right, isn't it? You've come back to me after all!"
"Come back…?"
"You were there all along, weren't you?! I searched everywhere and couldn't find you—I tore apart every spare copy of you, and you weren't anywhere, and I kept searching and searching and searching… but no—you noticed me searching, and that's how I know you've come back!"
Her voice, pitched high and breaking, burned with unmistakable fever.
Hands pressed to her cheeks, writhing and swaying from side to side, Sirius's voice was buoyant with elation. What state she was in was difficult to put into words—though the spectacle of the freak before him spoke volumes.
If Subaru had to name something close to what he was witnessing, it would be this: the behavior of a woman blinded by love, having caught the faintest glimpse of the lover she'd been searching for.
"Because my feelings reached you! I've been wishing for so long to become one with you, and you finally realized! My 'love' reached you!"
"————"
"I've been waiting for you all this time… My darling, my darling Petelgeuse!"
With those words,