——First, he had to fully absorb the fact that he had experienced "Return by Death."
"————"
While stroking
Having "returned by death" meant he had failed to avoid a situation that threatened his life.
He had left a calamity he knew was coming unchecked, putting his comrades’ lives in danger—no, his understanding was too naive. That wasn’t it.
He hadn’t just put their lives in danger. Subaru had let
He had known it would come to that, yet he had still looked away.
Five undeniable obstacles loomed over the tower. Knowing they existed, Subaru had failed to avoid the problem due to his own shallow judgment and naive understanding.
In the final moment, the thing that likely dealt the decisive blow to Subaru’s life, mercilessly destroying even this colossal, resilient tower, was the black shadow—that was the greatest and final obstacle.
Including that, he reorganized the five obstacles.
First, the massive horde of magical beasts swarming the tower.
Second, the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, who came seeking Subaru’s "memories" or "name."
Third, the giant scorpion that had infiltrated the tower’s interior, lurking in blind spots to ambush.
Fourth,
And the fifth and final obstacle: the black shadow that consumed and ruined everything.
These situations were progressing simultaneously, and missing even one could easily collapse his plan.
The terrifying flood of the pitch-black shadow—perhaps it could be seen as a twisted, irrational kindness from this unfair world, informing Subaru of his time limit. It was a truly ungrateful sort of help.
"First, the horde of magical beasts... I’ll leave that to Meili and
He could say with certainty that this choice wasn’t wrong.
Last time—no, it was already two loops ago, but the five obstacles should have been occurring in parallel up until that point. Among them, Subaru had also seen the scenario where the magical beasts stormed inside the tower.
If things had gone that way, Emilia or Julius—one of them, at any rate—valued combat power, would have had to be deployed to suppress the magical beasts. Being able to avoid that was thanks to Meili being alive in this loop.
Thanks to Meili’s presence, it was fair to say they had taken one step forward.
But it still wasn’t enough.
Even if they could suppress the massive horde of magical beasts, they had been powerless against the subsequent obstacles.
Emilia had her "name" stolen by the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony who appeared. Subaru had barely managed to bring Julius to fight Batenkaitos, but then Reid had joined the fray.
As a result, Emilia and Julius were forced into a two-front war against both Gluttony and Reid, losing precious time, only to be hit by the giant scorpion’s intrusion and the shadow’s time-up declaration.
In other words, that was the balance they couldn’t afford. They didn’t have enough moves.
Furthermore, Subaru was concerned that if the words of the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, Louis Arneb, were true, then Gluttony had to be a pair.
He had encountered Rai Batenkaitos. But there was no sign of the other one.
——This is bad. Bad, bad, bad. It’s just bad, no matter what.
The situation was changing by the second, yet only Subaru understood the full scope of the problem. Despite having died so many times, he still hadn’t uncovered the entire picture.
He had been standing still for too long. Why had he wasted so much time doing nothing?
"——Calm down, won’t you!"
"Hic!"
Just as Subaru’s heating thoughts were about to steam, Beatrice’s small hands firmly squeezed his cheeks, the pain pulling his consciousness back to reality.
With her hands still squishing his cheeks, Beatrice continued from a distance close enough to feel each other’s breath.
"Subaru, you need to tell us what happened inside that book. It’s useless to keep it all to yourself. Tell us properly, and let’s think about it together... That is the strength of us, Betty."
"What happened inside the book..."
Listening to Beatrice’s earnest appeal, Subaru took in his situation from a broader perspective.
He had accepted the fact of his "Return by Death." Now, he also had to acknowledge and carve into his mind the place he had returned to.
This was the library of the third floor, "Taygeta."
Surrounded by bookshelves holding countless "Book of the Dead," the room Subaru had returned to was the moment just after his consciousness returned from challenging Reid’s "Book of the Dead."
And as for what had happened to Subaru inside the book— "——It told me to stand up, huh."
"Eh?"
"Yeah, I got kicked in the back and chased out of my resignation. God, that’s pathetic. No matter how much I improve, I just... don’t, do I?"
With his eyes wide, Beatrice watched as Subaru scratched his head vigorously.
Then, still holding Beatrice, he stood up and slowly looked around—towards
He knew what the missing Emilia,
The events were already in motion, and there was no time to stand still.
So— "I’ll keep it short. Trying to see Reid’s memories in the 'Book of the Dead' failed. I got interrupted. The 'Book of the Dead' is connected to the feet of a being called Od Laguna, and I ran into a troublesome character there."
At Subaru’s rapid-fire explanation, the three of them widened their eyes in surprise.
Apologizing inwardly that he couldn’t wait for their minds to catch up, Subaru delivered the crucial final line.
It was— "——The Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, Louis Arneb, has declared war on us."
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ "Even so, coming all the way to this eastern edge and meeting another Sin Archbishop... It’s clear there’s an unbreakable fate between you and them, Natsuki-kun."
Having finished listening to the explanation, Echidna commented, poking fun at Subaru’s misfortune.
While listening to her comment, Subaru and the others were rushing down the library stairs, moving to regroup with their companions who had left "Taygeta."
"Sorry, but I’m the one with amnesia here. I don’t know anything about these fated encounters with the Sin Archbishops. ...Do I really have that much of a connection with those guys?"
"At the very least, they’re likely the reason Betty and the others ended up coming to this tower. We’ve been on a long journey through the desert seeking a solution to what they did."
"I thought I heard a bit about the purpose for coming to the tower, but so they were the cause of it all. They really don’t do anything decent, huh?"
Scowling in disgust, Subaru grew weary at the thought of being tied by fate to such undesirable opponents.
He hadn’t dug deeply, but both Beatrice and Echidna hadn’t specifically limited the object of their fate to "Gluttony." If Subaru’s guess was correct, there were probably seven Sin Archbishops in total, so the connection might not be with Gluttony alone.
"That’s depressing, so I don’t want to talk about it now, but oh—"
"Echidna! And Subaru, too?!"
Just then, as they returned to the fourth floor and burst into the corridor, a person running towards them—Julius—cried out in surprise.
Last time, Julius had also confirmed the abnormal situation surrounding the tower before returning to "Taygeta" to inform Subaru and Echidna. It seemed they had caught up to him slightly earlier.
Seeing that Subaru, who had returned from the "Book of the Dead," was safe, Julius said: "You’re safe, Subaru. Did you manage to get the crucial information from the 'Book of the Dead'?"
"It’ll be the same explanation I gave Beatrice, but that part was a failure. I’ll fill in the details through my questions while we deal with this abnormal situation in parallel."
"So, what does that mean?"
"I mean, you’ve probably already guessed the general situation. —Right now, magical beasts are gathering around the tower, aren’t they?"
The moment Subaru threw out that question, a particularly loud tremor shook the tower.
The faint, constant rumbling reached everyone inside the tower. Julius was visibly startled, having been hit right with the truth of why everyone had started moving based on that cause.
However, he quickly nodded in agreement and continued: "That’s correct. Currently, this
"With this tremor, it’s clear those bad animal friends are behind it. Even with a strong naked lady like that, they’ll eventually be overwhelmed, won’t they?"
"Which is why I want to borrow your strength. What do you think, Meili?"
Meili had cut into the conversation. Turning to her, Julius made a sincere request. Accepting his stance, Meili cast a meaningful glance towards Subaru.
It felt like a gaze questioning the wisdom of his actions, so Subaru took a light breath and nodded.
"I’m asking too. Meili, you’re the only one who can handle this. Sorry to jump right into it, but help us take one step forward together as a team."
"...Hmph? Big brother, you talk so big, but you’re actually pretty helpless, aren’t you? Well, since you asked so nicely, I’ll handle it this time. Be grateful, okay?"
"Yeah, huge thanks! I love you!"
"That’s cheap..."
Pouting her lips at Subaru’s thanks, Meili agreed to deal with the magical beasts. With that, one of the five obstacles was cleared. So far, it was the same as last time.
Therefore— "Then, send her down to Miss Shaula—"
"No, we’ll be taking separate action from that. Meili, do you know where the balcony is? Work with Shaula there to stop the magical beasts."
"The end of the corridor, right? You really do overwork people."
Just hearing that, Meili let out a sigh and started running. She looked listless and unenthusiastic, but that was her kind of pose; Subaru could tell by the way she ran to follow his orders. That was her full sprint.
And then— "Subaru, you seem to have some kind of conviction regarding the magical beasts. What do you know?"
"Yeah. I’ll explain as we go. Just come with me now. —We have to hurry, or Emilia and the others will be in danger!"
"——!"
Julius’s eyes widened in surprise. Subaru clapped him on the shoulder and burst into a run. He held Beatrice in one arm and pulled Echidna along in a frantic rush.
For a moment, Julius was stunned, but he quickly snapped out of it and lightly caught up to them.
"Just now, I said diving into the 'Book of the Dead' was a failure. I couldn’t see Reid’s memories. Instead, I encountered someone else there... the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony."
"——Nonsense. Why would Gluttony be in the 'Book of the Dead'?"
Hearing the name of their fated enemy, Julius’s expression froze. Echidna called out to "Julius" from the side.
She was struggling slightly to keep up with her own slow pace, looking vexed as she raised a finger.
"From what Natsuki-kun says, the 'Book of the Dead' seems to be part of a mechanism for storing the memories and life trajectories of the dead, a cradle for Od Laguna. And the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony devours the 'memories' and 'names' of others. In other words..."
"You’re saying their authority utilizes a part of Od Laguna’s power? ...But you said you met Gluttony inside the book. If that’s the case, Subaru, the cause of your amnesia is—"
"Yeah, it’s not some trap or mechanism of the tower. It was a pure random encounter, a FOE-induced accident. You’re in the same victim boat as me, partner."
He never imagined that by delving into the "Book of the Dead," he would encounter Gluttony.
And if their guess from last time was right, the only "Book of the Dead" in this tower where an encounter with Gluttony was possible was the single volume containing Reid’s.
How incredibly unlucky did you have to be for that to happen? Subaru wanted to complain about his own past actions up until yesterday. It was almost believable, that talk about being fated to encounter Sin Archbishops.
"To think we’d match, that’s in terribly poor taste. ...However, if you had contact with Gluttony as of last night, does that also mean this attack by the magical beasts?"
"He gave the opponent over half a day to prepare, didn’t he? If only Subaru had remembered, things would have... Ah! I’m not blaming you, Subaru!"
"I know. But I deserve the blame. I wish yesterday’s me hadn’t messed up, and I wish today’s me was smarter."
If he had done that, he could have faced the enemy in a much more complete state.
But dwelling on it now was pointless. The key was to play the hand he was dealt.
What he needed was resolve and decisiveness, and the will to trust—not just himself, but his comrades.
"As you’ve guessed, the horde of magical beasts is the work of Gluttony. On top of that, the Gluttony Archbishop himself is crashing the party... and he’s probably aiming for Emilia and the others."
And before Subaru, who had been slow to realize, could reach them, Emilia would be forced into a desperate solo fight, letting Ram and the others escape, only to end up having her "name" devoured.
This time, he would prevent that before it happened. —To that end, he had shortcutted various scenarios.
"If Emilia’s 'name' isn’t stolen..."
—He could probably prevent Ram from being forced to leave the battle.
"————"
Last time, the reason Ram had been unable to act was because Emilia’s "name" was stolen by Batenkaitos, causing Ram to be unable to bear the memory gap where Emilia no longer existed.
If that danger was removed, Ram could be relied upon as a combat force. The
And if the tag team of Emilia and Ram could suppress Batenkaitos— "Julius! You have a job too! I’ll handle Gluttony on my end. I know you want to smash him bad since he’s your fated enemy too, but..."
"But what? Right now, is there any opponent more important than Gluttony to—"
"——Reid is coming down. If that guy interferes, everything’s finished. Someone needs to stop him."
"————"
Hearing that explanation, Julius’s brow furrowed again with renewed astonishment.
But this time, it was less pure surprise and more confusion, coupled with doubt.
Naturally.
The assault by the horde of magical beasts and the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony. These two could be explained as things Subaru had heard directly from Gluttony inside the "Book of the Dead."
But if Reid’s involvement was thrown into the mix, that was different. There was no apparent connection between Reid and Gluttony. At the very least, the tower’s mechanisms and a Sin Archbishop shouldn’t be related.
Therefore, while there was no logical basis for that explanation— "...Even if that’s true, and Reid Astrea has come down to the lower floors, would he really act in disregard of the situation?"
"Can you really not imagine it? Is he really the type to be swayed by surrounding circumstances?"
"...Sorry, but Betty doesn’t think so. He’s the type to prioritize whatever he wants to do most at that moment, no matter the situation."
Held in Subaru’s arms, Beatrice nodded with a certainty born of unpleasant experience. At her words, Julius was left speechless, finally looking to Echidna for her opinion.
Meeting Julius’s gaze, Echidna shrugged her slender shoulders.
"I agree. That said, the idea of him roaming freely inside the tower is hard to believe. No, I’d say I don’t want to believe it... Natsuki-kun, that information too?"
"——Yeah. I heard it from Gluttony."
After a moment’s hesitation, Subaru boldly lied and nodded at Echidna’s question.
In truth, the possibility of Gluttony having been involved in Reid breaking free was low. At the very least, Batenkaitos had been surprised by Reid’s presence, and seeing how easily he was handled, it was unlikely he had summoned him as an ally.
So, this was entirely due to Subaru’s inability to properly convey the credibility of the information he possessed—a measure, one might say, that transcended normal procedure.
"————"
Hearing Subaru’s somewhat strained answer, Julius fell into deep thought with a troubled expression.
But even as he pondered, time was passing second by second. Moreover, the current situation with the magical beasts and the Sin Archbishop meant the tower’s condition was deteriorating in real-time.
Unable to watch any longer, Echidna called out, "Julius."
"I feel the same resistance you do about sending you away from a visible threat towards a potential danger. But, Natsuki-kun’s words..."
"I should trust them... Yes, I understand, Echidna. Honestly, it pains me to distance myself from the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, who is also my own enemy. But..."
"——Reid Astrea is a job only you can handle. I said it before."
"…You said I have to win, or the calculations will be thrown off. Truly, an incredibly deadly line."
If the calculations were thrown off, if the gears meshed incorrectly, a likely immense tragedy would follow.
Perhaps sensing the seriousness in Subaru’s dark eyes, Julius sighed deeply.
"I promise. I’ll take on Reid. —But, should he not move beyond the second floor, I will rejoin you. Any objections?"
"None. If Reid stays put and you’re free, that’s better than I could hope for. You can make the call as needed, but remember, beating Reid is also your job."
"Understood. I’ll keep that in mind. Echidna, Beatrice-san, I leave the rest to you."
"Leave it to me..."
Julius’s comment about leaving it to the other two, not him, made Subaru wince. Julius then slicked back his bangs with a flamboyant gesture and spun on his heel.
The hem of his white uniform rustling as he moved, Julius kicked off the floor with his long stride and headed for the stairs to the second floor.
"——I won’t press you on how you came by your conviction."
"————"
"What’s important is that we trust you. I’d be happy if you didn’t betray that trust—mine, and his."
"I don’t know what you mean exactly, but I’m in your debt."
Seeing Julius off, Echidna spoke in a lowered voice. Her words pointed out the weakness in the connection between Reid and Gluttony.
Swallowing that sense of doubt, Echidna and Julius had believed Subaru’s account. He had to live up to that trust, that expectation.
"——Ugh"
Suddenly, as he thought this, Subaru felt a tingling sensation deep in his chest.
For an instant, Beatrice frowned at his reaction, but Subaru ignored her and looked back, narrowing his eyes.
—He recognized this heat.
It was the strange heat he had felt at the end of the last loop, just before being swallowed by the shadow. His heart rate quickened, and Subaru gritted his teeth against the tingling heat, closing his eyes.
Behind those closed lids rose a faint, wobbling particle of light.
It appeared right beside him in his arms, and also in the direction he was facing— "Let’s hurry! We’ll regroup with Emilia and the others!"
"That’s fine, but can we be of any use? To be blunt, you, Beatrice, and I are practically non-combatants at this point."
"Betty can still fight if she puts her mind to it. Besides, I imagine Subaru’s aim isn’t for us to provide direct combat support."
Running on, Subaru listened as Echidna and Beatrice exchanged opinions.
Echidna’s concern was valid, and Beatrice’s guess was correct.
Sadly, they couldn’t serve as combat reinforcements for Emilia. Instead— "——Barusu! You’re awake!"
"Ram!"
Rounding the corner of the corridor, they were met with the same sight as before—Ram, riding on
She leaped nimbly from Patrasche’s back, tossed the reins to Subaru, and said: "You were slow to wake! I’m leaving Rem to you! If you hurt her or touch her strangely, I’ll never forgive you, so guard her with your life. Ram will—"
"Wait, wait, wait—slow down, all of you! I get it, but calm down! You..."
"The Sin Archbishop of Gluttony is here! Lady Emilia is fighting him, but she’s at a disadvantage! If Ram doesn’t get back right now, it’ll be too late!"
"————"
In that instant, the emotions that surged in Subaru’s chest were complex.
He was worried about Ram rushing back to the battlefield, relieved that Emilia’s name had come from her lips, and angry upon confirming the existence of the detestable Batenkaitos.
Suppressing all of that, Subaru handed the reins to Echidna and said: "Echidna! Take Rem and Patrasche to a safe zone! Not the balcony, not the second floor! And the green room is off-limits for now too. The safest place is probably 'Taygeta'!"
"Natsuki-kun, what about you!?"
"Beatrice and I are going with Ram to face the Sin Archbishop!"
Forced to take the reins, Echidna’s teal eyes widened. As she held her breath slightly, Subaru patted Patrasche’s neck, gestured to Rem on the dinosaur’s back with his chin, and said: "Earlier, you told me not to betray your trust. I’m asking the same of you. I’m leaving Rem in your care. This girl is indispensable to ‘
"...You’re putting it strangely. You’re Natsuki Subaru, aren’t you?"
"…Well, there’s also the small chance you might understand a bit of how I feel."
Echidna’s existence was originally formed by borrowing the body of a girl named Anastasia. In a sense, that was similar to Subaru’s own current situation, where he had overwritten his existence as "Natsuki Subaru."
Hearing Subaru’s words, Echidna’s expression turned sharp.
"Natsuki-kun, could you possibly—"
"——I’m counting on you."
Without letting Echidna finish her sentence, Subaru left her and the others behind and ran off.
Ram was already heading down the corridor. Glancing once at the sleeping Rem on Patrasche’s back as he left, he steeled his own courage.
"Why, did you come, Barusu? Rem is..."
"Rem says to stop worrying about me and do what I have to do! She lectured me inside the book!"
"——! Rem said that? What does that mean?"
At Subaru’s words, Ram’s rose-colored eyes wavered. But there was no time to meticulously explain the events of the "Memory Corridor."
So, Subaru conveyed only the most important part briefly.
"Rem said to fight and win her back! That’s why I’m coming too!"
"Of course, Betty’s here too, so don’t forget that."
"…… For now, that will suffice. I’ll interrogate you a hundred times over later."
"Hundred times?! That’s terrifying!"
In Ram’s case, he couldn’t even tell if that was a joke, and it sent a shiver down Subaru’s spine. But for her to leave it at that without him having explained anything was a kindness on her part.
And the situation requiring that urgency was fast approaching— "——Ice Brand Arts!"
The next instant, in the center of the freezing corridor, they saw Emilia’s back as she danced with ice-wielded weapons in hand.
Facing her was the filthy-clad Sin Archbishop, Rai Batenkaitos.
Seeing that, Ram cried out.
"Lady Emilia!"
The fact that it was Emilia’s name that she called confirmed to Subaru that they had arrived in time.
At the same time, hearing her name, Emilia turned towards them from behind, "Eh, Ram!?" and exclaimed: "Why did you come back!? And Subaru and Beatrice too—I’m glad you’re safe… but! It’s super dangerous right now! Fall back! Stay away!"
"Rem has been evacuated to a safe place. Now, Ram will join the fight as well."
"But, Ram, you..."
"You want me to stand down? As if I’d listen!"
Responding to Emilia, Ram reached down to her leg and drew the slender staff secured there.
It was the short staff typically seen in a wizard’s hand. An unremarkable item, yet it radiated a strange, oppressive aura.
Seeing Ram holding it, Gluttony, keeping his distance from Emilia, sneered: "Whaaaat? Big sis is back? Oh, how manly! Why, why, why is big sis always so cool? Seriously, big sis, you’re amazing!"
"——How tiresome. I’ll kill you, Sin Archbishop."
Clapping his hands together, the Archbishop’s cackling was pierced by Ram’s quiet killing intent.
Beside him, Subaru felt a chill run down his spine at the sheer fury directed not at him, but beside him. However, receiving that direct glare, Batenkaitos’s composure didn’t break.
"Nice, nice, good, great, good job, isn’t it good? It’s good, right? I think it’s good! Binge Drinking! Binge Eating! I’m sorry for remaining stuck in a one-sided, overwhelming fate. Normally, this should’ve been a much more moving reunion."
"What are you..."
"Taking the ‘name’ and ‘memories’ of someone important… thinking of it as revenge, that makes it the ultimate grudge, right? But most of the people we devour end up not remembering any of it. Even though we love and understand big sis this much, she has absolutely no clue about those feelings! It’s like the most wasteful use of premium ingredients, sprinkling salt on them until they’re dripping."
The Sin Archbishop of Gluttony began explaining a completely unhelpful situation.
In truth, the power Gluttony possessed—taking others’ memories—was an act equivalent to trampling on a life. If family, lovers, or benefactors were attacked by them, the worst outcome would be the memory vanishing into oblivion, and the hatred that should have existed would be lost.
In a way, that would work as a safety mechanism, preventing them from seeking revenge.
But— "——But isn’t that, like, the most boring thing ever?"
However, Batenkaitos went so far as to call it boring.
"————"
"All the rich hatred, the murky, thick anger—the fresh, pungent emotions that should have been obtained… they’re completely denied. That’s a huge loss for us, you know? ...Until that big brother showed up."
"Me...?"
"Big brother, for some reason, even when we eat someone’s ‘name,’ you still remember them, right? We’ve more or less figured out why! Maybe it’s because you were born somewhere a little different from here, but what’s important is the result. Big brother, you’re our savior."
Saying that, Batenkaitos spread his arms and looked at Subaru with a rapturous expression.
It was as if he genuinely yearned for Subaru, with a passionately adoring gaze.
"I’ll say it outright! Big brother is our hero! Adorable, hardworking, you get anxious if we’re not nearby, mean, and the more you think about it, the more your heart stings with pain… and a hero who understands those feelings!"
"Stop with the creepy talk! What are you trying to—"
"Of course, it’s from the bottom of my heart. How cruel, how pitiful. Even though we, the girls, and we, the boys, have been thinking of big brother so devotedly, so single-mindedly..."
Just how much of those mixed emotions was genuine, Subaru couldn’t tell. He couldn’t imagine it, and didn’t want to.
However, considering Batenkaitos’s words up to this point, one thing became clear.
The person he had consumed held feelings for Subaru—no, no need to hide it.
It was the feelings of Rem, whom he had consumed— "What do you say? Want to relive that touching moment again? Let’s start over here, big brother! From the beginning, no… from z—"
"——Haaah!"
"Bwagah!?"
In that instant, Emilia, who had snuck up behind Batenkaitos, mercilessly smashed the massive ice hammer she wielded in both arms into the Archbishop’s skull.
With a blow as merciless as something out of a manga, Batenkaitos’s words cut off, his eyes rolled back completely for an instant, and he fell face-forward.
"————"
"…Did we win?"
"We did it!"
Gluttony lay silent, and Emilia pumped her fists in a victory pose. Comparing the two, Subaru’s eyes widened at the anticlimactic end.
"…What an underwhelming curtain call."
"…Indeed. Where am I supposed to put the rage I was feeling towards tearing that thing limb from limb just now, Lady Emilia?"
"Eh, what? Was it not good?"
"…No, it was magnificent. Yes, truly, it was magnificent."
Held in Subaru’s arms, Beatrice and Ram both expressed their disappointment toward the fallen Gluttony.
Ram, who had been denied her chance for vengeance against her enemy by a surprise attack, looked complexly at Emilia’s achievement.
However— "No, I definitely have a lot I want to say, but the very first words out of my mouth are: Emilia, good job! Now, we’ve got Gluttony right where we—"
"——Too bad, but it can’t be helped, big brother."
"————"
Just as Subaru was thinking the second of his five obstacles had been unexpectedly handled, Batenkaitos, who should have been slumped on the ground, swayed to his feet.
At that unnatural movement, Subaru’s eyes widened, and Beatrice tensed.
Naturally, Emilia and Ram also fixed their gazes with caution— "Did you get hit in the head and lose your mind? Including those lovey-dovey comments towards Barusu, if you don’t grasp the situation—"
"Yeah, yeah, that stuff’s fine now. We’ve already conveyed our feelings, and we don’t plan on holding back anymore…"
Cutting off Ram’s words, the now-standing Batenkaitos kept his head bowed, his long dark-brown hair hiding his face as he muttered in staccato bursts.
Overlapping with those mutterings, a distorted, hideous sound echoed through the corridor.
"Fake..."
At the bizarre event accompanying that grotesque sound, Emilia blinked her violet eyes.
Reflected in her beautiful eyes was Batenkaitos’s body, changing from the skeletal structure outward with distorted noises—the body of a small boy transforming into that of a brawny, muscle-bound man.
It was a nightmarish sight, but for Subaru, the true nightmare was what came next.
"Aah, big brother, surprised? This is an ‘Eclipse’... well, you could say it’s one of our trump cards? Unlike before, this time I’m going to take you by force."
"You’re saying some pretty creepy stuff, you freak. Who are you..."
Feeling a sense of dread despite himself, Subaru broke out in a cold sweat as he demanded an answer.
Receiving that, the massive man smiled charmingly, making no effort to hide his strange aura, and bowed.
"——Sin Archbishop of the
"————"
"I won’t be able to stay long. I’ve got to tidy up everything, everything, while big bro is napping, you know?"