The city of
Walking across the stone-paved road, I glanced over at the flowing waterway.
The water ran clear without a trace of stagnation, still following its predetermined course to generate current. Even the peculiar mechanism within a single waterway where currents flowed in opposite directions left and right was still operational. If the crowds of people returned, you might even believe the city's current predicament had been nothing but a bad dream.
"Oi, Boss. Yer lookin' all distracted and shit."
"Yeah, I know. For every second we delay the assault on City Hall, the danger ramps up by like ten percent."
"Then by that count, we'll blow past the limit in eleven seconds! But hey, can't really talk, can I!"
Garfiel, leading the way, narrowed his eyes at Ricardo's booming complaint. But the beastman's profile showed he couldn't care less about the usual words of caution.
Ricardo, carrying his cleaver and planting his feet firmly on the ground, paid no heed whatsoever to the tension or guilt swirling inside Garfiel.
Ricardo seemed his usual self, while Garfiel was clearly anything but.
That said, Ricardo too had three subordinates — people he considered family — injured. The turmoil in his heart was plain to see from the exchange back at the shelter.
On the other hand, Garfiel's usual baseless confidence and recklessness had gone quiet, replaced by a wariness that bordered on timidity as he kept his guard up in every direction.
"...Guess I'm not one to talk, huh."
Neither of them were the only ones failing to hold their composure.
Between his injured right leg,
Rushing to force a change in the situation, and remaining on the back foot the entire time — he knew from experience that both would only invite the worst outcome.
Three men, each carrying their own burdens, made up the City Hall assault team.
Without encountering a single
"Thank goodness. You're safe."
Wilhelm and Crusch brightened at the sight of Subaru and the others arriving. Naturally, Julius was there as well. He ran a hand lightly through his hair and said: "I imagine you're worried about Emilia, but are you sure it's alright for you to join us here?"
"I'm not so stupid I've lost sight of what takes priority for the greater good. Besides, as infuriating as it is, the guy who snatched her has his own agenda. Part of me figures Emilia won't be harmed — at least for now."
"I understand. If Lady Anastasia were placed in a similar situation, I doubt I'd be able to keep my composure either."
Subaru nodded at the kind words, then turned back to Wilhelm.
The old swordsman stood with his arms crossed and eyes closed, a quiet sword pressure emanating from his entire body.
What images swirled in his mind, what thoughts churned behind those eyelids — Subaru couldn't tell.
But when Wilhelm noticed Subaru's gaze, he opened his eyes, reached into his breast, and produced a communicating mirror, holding it out.
"Subaru, as we discussed — a communicating mirror. During battle, I may not have the luxury of keeping my attention on it, so I leave it in your capable hands."
"Got it. With this, all three should be distributed as planned."
Subaru pocketed the communicating mirror and nodded back.
The communicating mirrors were to be carried by designated联络人员 at each of the three shelters.
Subaru — the least combat-useful member of the assault team — would carry one.
Ideally, the three shelters would operate with tight coordination.
"Then let me confirm once more. At the time Lord Garfiel scouted it, City Hall was guarded by two Witch Cultists — a man wielding a greatsword and a woman with a longsword. Is that correct?"
"Yeah, that's right. Both of 'em are no joke. If even I can't handle 'em, I'd be split in two before I could blink."
Crusch took the lead in consolidating the information for everyone to share.
At Garfiel's answer, she drew her chin back and alternated glances between Wilhelm and Julius.
"In addition to those two, we should expect the Sin Archbishop of Lust — who has reportedly seized City Hall — along with other Witch Cultists. Has anyone heard anything about the Sin Archbishop of Lust?"
"I'm sorry. To my knowledge — at least within the range of what even I, as a Royal Guard knight, could learn — I've never once heard anything about Lust. The well-known ones are Sloth and Greed, but as for Greed, Subaru here knows more this time—"
Mid-sentence, Julius directed the conversation toward Subaru. Subaru nodded.
"Greed's here too, and the stories I heard before don't seem to be lies. But... was it the Empire? I have my doubts about the claim that he could defeat the strongest knight over there. His movements, honestly, were amateurish enough that even I could've handled him. But... my attacks didn't work."
"So it ain't that I'm just weak?"
"That's not what this is about. The Sin Archbishops had a falling-out among themselves — Wrath set fire to Greed — but Greed didn't even dodge. Not only did he not get burned, there wasn't even a scorch mark on his clothes. I can't figure out how."
Regulus's Authority — for convenience's sake, let's just call it "Invincible."
If it couldn't be simplified away like that, it would truly be a power with no angle of attack whatsoever. He wanted to believe it couldn't be something so completely unreasonable.
"If only our own 'strongest' were here, we wouldn't have to worry so much..."
"It's inconceivable that Reinhard wouldn't appear in a situation where innocent people could be harmed. We should assume something is preventing him from acting — perhaps even involving a confrontation with another Witch Cultist."
Only Julius sent Subaru a knowing look.
"There's something else I want to check. That name Capella called herself —
"Ain't she just takin' the piss? Everyone knows the royal family's dead."
"Or perhaps it's some kind of message? Dismissing it as mere mockery might be premature."
Ricardo and Crusch offered different takes on Subaru's question.
Both perspectives were worth considering, insofar as anything was possible with the
But it was Wilhelm who raised his hand with an entirely different perspective.
"There is something that comes to mind."
"Something that comes to mind?"
"I can't speak to Capella, but the name
"——!"
Everyone's eyes went wide at the unexpected information. Wilhelm touched his own chin.
"This takes us back to before the Demi-Human War — before I took up arms, so more than fifty years ago. In those days, the Lugunica royal family included a woman of extraordinary beauty and intelligence called Lady Emerada."
"Emerada — the same one that Sin Archbishop is claiming to be? What's the point?"
"I can't say what her intent is. However... Lady Emerada fell ill at a young age and passed away. Yet... no state funeral was ever held."
It was strange that a member of the royal family should die without a funeral.
When Subaru tilted his head in confusion, Wilhelm furrowed his brow, weighing how to put it.
"The official reason was the political situation at the time. But in truth, it was because the people did not want one."
"The people didn't want one?"
"Lady Emerada was beautiful and brilliant beyond measure... but her nature was utterly cruel, and she harbored darkness beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. For this reason, she was considered an aberration even within the Lugunica royal family, and the fact of her death was concealed for some time."
It must have been painful for Wilhelm to speak on a matter touching the dignity of the kingdom he had once entrusted his sword to, without any certainty to back his words. The latter half of his account was notably hesitant.
But in its place, the sheer viciousness of the Sin Archbishop who had taken Emerada's name was laid bare.
"She's probably not the real thing, though... The Sin Archbishop calling herself Emerada."
"An affront to the Lugunica royal family, and a twisted form of harassment toward anyone who knows Lady Emerada's name. An indirect way of sowing suspicion and mistrust."
At Wilhelm's conclusion, everyone present let out an exasperated sigh.
Unlike Subaru, Garfiel, and Ricardo — whose loyalty to the kingdom was thin — the inner turmoil of Crusch, Wilhelm, and Julius was immeasurable.
It was a venomous act — kicking dirt at the royal family's memory while laughing in their faces.
"Still... Capella, Capella."
"Got some kind of connection to that name?"
Julius noticed Subaru, hand pressed to his forehead, muttering the Sin Archbishop's name under his breath. Subaru pulled a face at Julius's gaze, prefaced it with "No," and said: "It's not just Capella. Regulus and Sirius too. Petelgeuse... now that I think about it... It's hard to believe there's any intention behind it, but..."
"What is it, Boss? Their names got some kinda meaning or somethin'?"
"It's nothing major. It's just... their names might happen to be the same as stars from my hometown. I was always into star names and the stories behind them, so I kinda know a lot."
"What a surprisingly unusual hobby. Stars, you say?"
"Just so you know — my own name, Subaru, comes from a star too. Anyway, that doesn't matter right now. That's all there is to it. Sorry for the boring story."
Subaru brushed off everyone's curious gazes, feeling awkward.
But just as he was trying to end the topic, Crusch pressed further.
"Wait, Subaru. Those star names — are you sure it ends there? What if, by pure coincidence, their names and the star names align, but it's more than coincidence?"
"What do you mean, 'more than coincidence'?"
"For example — what if the star names from your homeland are the root of their names? The Witch Cult is shrouded in mystery from its origins to its activities. You shouldn't close the door yourself on even the slightest possibility of a connection."
"——"
At Crusch's unexpected persistence, Subaru was taken aback but began to think.
Honestly, he'd written off the matching star names as mere coincidence. This was another world — there was no reason the names of stars he knew from Earth would carry any significance here.
But could he really say that for certain?
Here in Priestella, he had witnessed Japanese architectural styles transmitted through Wahoo-style construction. In
Maybe the founding of the Witch Cult also involved modern knowledge from Earth — such as the tasteless experiment of naming Sin Archbishops after stars.
"Petelgeuse. Regulus. Sirius. Capella..."
"Yes. You said those star names have stories behind them. What kind of stories? They might be relevant."
"The stories..."
As the connection to his original world grew more distant, the memories of stars began to fade.
He had loved — been obsessed with — star atlases. Once he learned his name originated from a star, Subaru devoured those atlases, searing countless stars into his mind.
Among them were stars sharing the same names as those detestable Sin Archbishops— "The Giant's armpit, and the Hand of Jowzer."
"Huh?"
At the unexpected word "armpit," Crusch tilted her head.
But Subaru didn't notice her reaction. He grabbed her slender shoulders, shook her, and leaned in close.
"The Hand of Jowzer! That's it — the Hand of Jowzer!"
"S-Subaru? What are you — the Hand of Jowzer?"
"Petelgeuse... no, Betelgeuse! That's the etymology! His power is the 'Invisible Hand,' and Betelgeuse's name comes from 'the Hand of Jowzer'!"
If you want to call it a stretch, go ahead and laugh.
But could this really be a coincidence? Could such a connection really be laughed off as a mere stretch?
For Subaru, who knew his stars, it wasn't Petelgeuse — it was Betelgeuse, and he wanted to make that crystal clear. That was why he'd been so slow to notice.
"Sirius means 'the scorcher' or 'the shining one' — that one's a bit iffy. He did breathe fire, but the connection isn't that strong. ...Regulus means 'little king' — perfect for that self-centered bastard! And Capella—!"
"What about Capella?"
"She's a she-goat! A she-goat! Capella means a female goat!"
His memory roared to life, and within Subaru, the connection between the stars' stories and the Sin Archbishops took on meaning.
Beaming with a triumphant grin, he puffed out his chest as if to say "How about that?"
Hearing his answer, Crusch — still with her shoulders gripped — frowned. She turned her gaze to the remaining four, and they too wore troubled expressions.
"The armpit, you say..."
"And the shining one..."
"A tiny king, huh..."
"A she-goat..."
"—Huh?"
At the four's bewildered reactions, Subaru realized his discovery hadn't landed nearly as well as he'd hoped.
"Subaru, I'm sorry. It's my fault for not thinking it through more."
Even Crusch was being polite about it.
* * * The attempt to use star names and the Sin Archbishops' titles to unravel their origins had been a spectacular failure.
But he couldn't afford to dwell on that failure. Before launching the blitz operation where speed was everything, they had to stop wasting time.
So Subaru's group shared everyone's abilities and combat styles, then set out.
Along the way, members of the
"I wish, just once, things would go different from last time."
Snorting, Garfiel clicked his tongue as he confirmed there were no enemies in sight.
According to his account, they'd been ambushed last time as they charged down this straight toward City Hall. Neither Garfiel's nose nor Subaru's eyes could detect any sign of those shadowy figures.
If they weren't there, all that remained was to take City Hall. Fewer enemies was welcome from a combat standpoint, but— "——"
Garfiel equipped a shield in each hand. Ricardo readjusted his cleaver on his shoulder. And Wilhelm cast his gaze — calm as a still sea — across the plaza.
For these three, what did the absence of those shadowy figures mean?
For Wilhelm especially, when there were so many things he wanted to verify?
"It's an open area. I had my quasi-spirits scout around, but I couldn't find any hidden paths to sneak through. Looks like our only option is a frontal approach."
Julius reported to the group after having several of his six quasi-spirits survey the surroundings. A terrible position — hard to attack, easy to defend.
"Can't you have the spirits check inside? Even just knowing how many enemies there are and their formation would make things a lot easier."
"Unfortunately, my buds aren't capable of handling that level of complex reporting. And we can't be sure the enemy hasn't prepared countermeasures against spirits. I'm afraid it's not feasible."
"Can't ask for the impossible, huh? Damn — frontal assault really is the only way, isn't it?"
If the commotion spread, who knew what kind of punishment might be carried out inside City Hall.
But at the same time, the passage of time would only make things worse. The Witch Cult had claimed they'd issue demands in the next broadcast, but there was no negotiating with them.
"We go with the plan. Depending on the enemy's combat strength, we basically gang up on one at a time. Take them out fast, then flush whoever's holed up inside all at once."
"Optimistic, but let's hope it works out that way."
Julius replied with dry irony. All of them stood simultaneously.
Without a signal, they sprinted down the straight all at once, surging into the plaza before City Hall.
No sign of enemies from any direction.
Garfiel took the lead, with Wilhelm and Julius close behind. Ricardo followed them, and Crusch and Subaru ran side by side at the rear.
His right leg felt like nothing at all — no pain, no sensation, a bizarre state. But it didn't impede his running in the slightest. And then— "—Here they come!"
Two figures dove from directly overhead, straight toward Garfiel at the front.
A massive blade and a slender longsword twisted through the air. Seeing the ambush from the rear, Crusch let out a fierce cry and drew her sword.
—Hundred Man One Blade was unleashed.
A diagonal slash that tore through the sky — Crusch's signature strike, a devastating application of her divine protection of Wind Reading.
A wind blade that could extend its reach to dozens of meters within her line of sight — a super-long-range slash of compressed air.
The same strike that had wounded even the
The sound of steel meeting steel rang out as the giant and the slender shadow were sent spinning through the air.
"Did we get them?!"
"No — they blocked it! It didn't connect!"
The ambush, and the counter-ambush, ended in a stalemate.
The two black-clad figures landed on the stone pavement, spinning as they touched down. Both had completely deflected the wind blade with their weapons.
Two greatswords and a single-edged longsword. Head to toe swathed in black — the absolute worst fashion sense that only a Witch Cult fanatic could produce.
Showing no sign of the slash's impact, the two shadows lunged forward to counterattack.
But just before they could— "Crusch's strike was blocked, but what about this?"
Three different-colored lights circled above the shadows' heads, and the light they released rained down upon the Witch Cultists.
Three of Julius's six quasi-spirits, grouped into a trio, unleashed magic upon the giant and the woman. The unfamiliar magical radiance drove both enemies to their knees with crushing pressure.
As the two struggled under the pressure, Garfiel and Wilhelm went after the woman, while Ricardo hefted his cleaver and leaped at the giant.
"Take thiiis!"
"—Hmph!"
"Finish herrr!"
The devastating impact that would crush flesh on contact. The silver flash of a sword saint's full power. The brute strength of a beastman — abnormal even among his kind — driving a massive cleaver in a sweeping arc aimed at cracking the skull wide open.
The decisive range, the perfect timing — and then— "——"
The kneeling woman spun her longsword in a horizontal arc, sweeping at Garfiel and Wilhelm's feet. Both leaped back to dodge, but the woman followed through with a spinning kick, her extended leg wrapping around Garfiel's neck and dragging him into the magic's effective range.
"What the—?!"
By pulling Garfiel into close quarters, the woman excluded herself from the magic's area of effect. While Garfiel was pinned by the pressure, her knee shattered his snout. Her free arm grabbed Garfiel's left arm and used the shield strapped to it to effortlessly deflect Wilhelm's slash.
At the feat, Garfiel groaned and Wilhelm grunted.
The price for their hesitation was a spinning kick delivered into the old swordsman's torso.
It pierced through his trained abdominal muscles, folding Wilhelm's body in half. He barely managed to stay on his feet, but the woman added another half-turn and brought her opposite leg crashing down in a spinning heel slam, driving him into the ground.
"——"
Meanwhile, Ricardo's overhead strike failed to crush the giant's skull.
Facing the cleaver blow aimed at his crouched head, the giant simply dropped both greatswords. He then raised his now-empty arms and slipped them between the cleaver and his skull.
"You idiot — they'll snap!"
The price of misjudgment was, predictably, both arms being severed.
Even the cleaver's blunt cutting edge carried overwhelming force behind the swing. The giant's thick arms were cut clean off around the elbow, spraying dark blood as both limbs went flying.
"——"
Without pausing, Ricardo stepped in further and swung his cleaver horizontally — a slash that could topple a great tree — aimed at taking the giant's head clean off.
But the giant scooped up one of the greatswords from the pavement with his remaining limb and knocked the cleaver aside with an upward swing.
"What the hell?!"
Despite Julius's magic, the giant moved with agility befitting nothing like his massive frame, launching slash after slash at Ricardo. The giant had negated the magic's effect by using the curtain of blood spraying from his severed arm stumps.
A split-second decision to sacrifice his arms while identifying the magic's effect and its weakness — the decisive action of a seasoned combatant.
The giant's greatsword skill, backed by immense experience, was steadily overwhelming Ricardo. After barely deflecting both greatswords and staggering back, Ricardo's torso was pierced by yet another of the giant's arms.
The impact made Ricardo grunt, and another fist smashed into the beastman's face, sending his massive body hurtling backward.
"——"
"——"
With all three defenders off-balance, the woman and the giant raised their weapons for the kill.
That was when the remaining three caught up and threw themselves into the fray.
"Composite Magic — Fail Gaol!"
"Hit it!"
"Please!"
Julius's chant whipped up a gust of wind, into which scarlet flames mixed.
The resulting fire tornado surged in a straight line toward the woman. She, who had been about to press her attack on Garfiel, was forced into a massive backward leap.
And with a prayer-like voice, Crusch's wind blade struck — followed by Subaru's whip — slamming into the giant's torso.
The diagonal slash sent the massive body wavering, and a sound like tearing silk opened a painful wound across the giant's chest plate.
But neither blow dealt significant damage to the giant. The only reason his pursuit stopped was that Ricardo, from the ground, kicked upward into the giant's jaw.
"Enjoy that, why don't ya!"
"No time for talk — fall back, Ricardo!"
Riding the momentum of the kick, Ricardo rolled backward, retrieved his cleaver, wiped his nosebleed, and retreated. Subaru and Crusch regrouped with him, and the three faced the giant.
From the corner of his eye, Subaru watched the fire tornado slam directly into the woman and nearly lost his composure.
"What the hell is that?! You can do magic like that?!"
"It's nothing impressive, really. As offensive magic, it lacks precision. After all—"
Julius answered bitterly to Subaru's praise, and his gaze provided the proof.
The woman, faced with the fire tornado engulfing her whole body, flashed her longsword once — and that single stroke severed the wind at its core. The destabilized tornado collapsed and dissipated.
The terrifying swordsmanship of the woman. And the giant was equally remarkable.
"You've gotta be kidding me..."
The giant parted the front of his black garb to reveal — beyond the two arms severed at the elbow — yet more arms. He picked up his severed limbs, pressed the stumps together, and with a sickening squelch of interlocking flesh and blood— The next instant, the severed arms had reattached, leaving only a scar. Testing the sensation, he gripped a greatsword with the reattached arm and brandished it for all to see.
Both fighters, completely unharmed.
"Meanwhile, our opening attack got totally shut down."
A glance to the side revealed that Garfiel and Wilhelm — spared further damage thanks to Julius's support — were having Garfiel tend to their injuries with healing magic.
But the reality remained: Garfiel and Wilhelm had been taken on simultaneously. That sense of despair wouldn't wash away so easily.
However, it was wrong to say they had no way of fighting back.
"Close combat — they're insanely strong. But ranged attacks land."
Julius's magic, Crusch's wind blade, even Subaru's whip — they all hit.
The last one might not do much on its own, but the other two could absolutely turn the tide.
"——"
When Subaru looked at the two with that intent, Julius and Crusch nodded.
Garfiel and Wilhelm had also grasped the enemy's superiority in close quarters. Ricardo, naturally, never had any illusions about fighting one-on-one.
Pin them in melee, then hammer them with powerful magic from the opening.
That was probably the best path to victory with minimal casualties.
Everyone's will aligned, and they synchronized their breathing for the next assault.
And just as they were about to charge— "Reckless, impossible, and suicidal — all three at once! How the hell do you trash-meat losers live being so unfathomably, incomprehensibly stupid, ugly, and dense?! If it were me, I absolutely couldn't stand it! Kyahahahaha!"
A shrill, battlefield-inappropriate cackle cut in without warning.
Everyone understood that the arrival of that voice's owner meant a further deterioration of the situation. Subaru and the others were seized with dread as their eyes darted around, searching for the source.
Where? Where was it? As if mocking their searching gazes— "Where the hell are you looking, you dimwitted halfwits?! This is exactly why you trash-meat losers are beyond saving! Open your tiny sesame-seed eyes nice and wide, wrack that hollow little skull of yours and think real hard, and carve who I am into your filthy little souls, got it?!"
"——That voice..."
Beside Subaru, who was scanning in every direction, Crusch let out a hoarse breath.
Her amber eyes were wide, her face tilted upward, fixed on something above. Following her gaze, Subaru understood instinctively and looked up as well.
The direction she was staring was the rooftop of City Hall — close yet impossibly far.
The mockery rained down on them from above, the voice's owner looking down at the ants below.
She was, in truth, right to do so. Because— "Kyahahaha! What's with those faces?! Those dumbass faces! Did you make them just for me?! Because if so, that's a performance worthy of a reward — what magnificent monkey impressions! Want my spit? You'd be thrilled with just that, wouldn't you?! For you trash-meat losers, my spit would be the most coveted treasure there is!"
The cackling laughter echoed across the plaza as Subaru and the others stared up in stunned silence.
The two swordsmen — the giant and the woman — showed no reaction to what was presumably an ally above.
And looking down upon them all was— "So then, let me re-introduce myself! I am the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop of Lust!"
—The one who called herself Lust. A black dragon, gazing down with a sneer.
"Capella Emerada Lugunica! Now die, you rotten trash-meat filth!"