——The final words were swept away by the wind, and
"————"
Ironically enough, this particular "death" had been one he'd accounted for.
Perhaps that was why the moment of death felt strangely calm — no, that wasn't quite right. Of course, there was anxiety and tension at throwing himself into a fatal act, just as there always had been.
But unlike every time before, because this death had been anticipated, he felt he could face the death that followed with more sincerity than ever.
He didn't, of course, truly believe that choosing to die had genuinely saved
"Don't want me to die? Then command me to die."
The Shaula who had been so worried about Subaru — she had watched that very Subaru leap to his death right in front of her. The shock must have been immeasurable, and it surely shattered the heart she had held onto for four hundred years.
So, what he had done was nothing more than self-satisfaction. And the worst kind at that — the kind where you never even get to see the result with your own eyes.
But — — "So what?"
So what if it was self-satisfaction? So what if it was hypocrisy? What of it?
In this world, in the end, the only scale you have for measuring your own deeds is your own. An unperformed good deed is meaningless, and hypocrisy, ultimately, does not exist.
——All, survive.
After his conversation with Shaula, that was settled as the final goal Subaru would uphold.
——No, to be precise, the goal had always been the survival of everyone. It was only the verdict on whether to include Shaula in that — and with that decided, Subaru had resolved to love all of them.
Without losing a single one, he would bring this crisis engulfing the Tower of Sand to its resolution.
He would do whatever it took.
That was — — "That's what it means for me to be me. Right, 'Natsuki Subaru'?"
And with that one instant of resolve, the long, long awakening from the abyss of "death" came — — ※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ "——Subaru, is what you said earlier really true?"
"Yeah, don't start doubting me now when we've come this far. I went through hell to recover that intel. If we can't use it, my death won't have been in vain!"
Running alongside the handsome profile of his companion, Subaru shot back with a grumble, pulling along the small hand beside him as he ran.
Racing through the corridors of the fourth floor, bound for the second floor, "Electra" — Subaru ran with
"Subaru, you don't look well. The events inside that book really were…"
"I'm not hiding how rough it was. You're not going to tell me to go lie down quietly in the Green Room, are you?"
"If not for the current situation, I'd advise rest. But unfortunately, we're up to our ears in trouble. Right now, we have to use every grain of sand we can."
"A grain of sand — that's a bit much…"
"A grain of sand that could be blown away by the slightest breeze. I'd prefer you stay where I can see you."
Subaru narrowed his eyes at the elegant phrasing, thinking that being blown away by the wind was rather ironic. In fact, Subaru's death just minutes ago — subjectively speaking — had literally been carried away by the wind. Julius's comparison of Subaru to a grain of sand wasn't entirely wrong.
"But even a grain of sand has its pride."
"And that grain of sand has Betty with it, I suppose. Which makes it a grain of sand with the cutest companion possible."
"That sounds a bit like sand in your shoe, honestly."
"That's not what I meant at all!"
Subaru smiled at Beatrice as she puffed out her cheeks, and tightened his arm to pull her closer. Beatrice let out a small "Hyah!" as her light body settled against his chest.
Holding hands while running had its charm, but speed mattered more right now. Fortunately, Beatrice was as light as an angel's feather, so carrying her while running was a breeze.
"Well, not that I've ever held an angel's feather."
"Time to cut the chatter. —Subaru, I know I'm being repetitive, but…"
"Yeah, I know, repetitive. I can't exactly tell you to relax, but… Reid and 'Gluttony' will definitely make contact. And we're going to stop it."
Julius halted and fixed his gaze on the grand staircase leading to the second floor ahead. Cutting through that question, Subaru stated with certainty that he was sure of this.
There was absolutely no way this was a lie. After all, he'd heard it directly from Julius himself. And if they could prevent it — — "At least one safety measure could be placed on Reid's insane behavior."
"…Either way, I want to avoid him barging in during this chaos. Just confirming his movements is worth the trip."
Julius placed a foot on the grand staircase and gave Subaru a nod. Returning the nod, Subaru — still carrying Beatrice — stepped onto the first stair.
And then — — "Guh…"
"Subaru, you really do look unwell. Is it the effect of the book?"
Beatrice touched his cheek with concern when she saw Subaru's head wobble for an instant. Drawing comfort from the warmth of her small palm, Subaru shook his head, saying he was fine.
"Just reading fatigue, nothing like a fever. Besides, like I told Julius — now's not the time to be lying in bed. This is when everyone needs to pool their strength."
"…If you're really at your limit, promise Betty before it gets to that point."
"…Yeah, I know."
Answering Beatrice's reminder, Subaru let out a long, deep breath.
His body felt heavy. His head felt sluggish. Waves of nausea surged without cease, and there was a stagnant sensation in every blood vessel, as though tar had been pumped in instead of blood.
All of this was the result of Subaru shouldering
"————"
The fruit of his labor was that "Cor Leonis" had persisted even after crossing through "Return by Death." — Just as memories of death carried over, so too did the authority.
Thanks to that, he could keep track of his companions' locations at this moment. They were all following his instructions, each beginning to engage in their respective battles.
Among those companions' responses was Shaula's presence, fighting alongside Meili on the balcony. She was undeniably there, fighting for their sake — no, for Subaru's sake.
"I'll save you. No matter what."
Muttering it short, Subaru followed Julius's back as he ran ahead.
The grand staircase spanning from the first floor to the tiers above was long. But there was no time to whine about that or grumble about being tired.
Even if his entire body rotted and his bones cracked and shattered, this was the price needed to break through this situation.
And then — — "——Subaru, we're here!"
Julius's clear voice rang out, and Subaru raised his head between ragged breaths. At the top of the staircase, Julius had turned halfway and was beckoning him over.
Subaru bounded up the stairs, and the moment he reached the top, a wide-open space greeted them.
"————"
The polar opposite of the fourth floor's layout, with its multiple rooms piercing through the entire circular floor. This was the second floor, "Electra," a space that had been carved out entirely for the sake of "trials."
And in "Electra," where Subaru, Beatrice, and Julius had arrived — the first "Sword Saint" Reid and the Sin Archbishop of "Gluttony" were — "——Hey, you, this is all you've got? You're kidding me. I came here to be entertained, you know? Not enough. Not enough! Don't make me laugh! No — at least make me laugh, will you? This is boring as hell, you know that?"
They found a scene where
※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ "————"
"This is…"
Julius stared at the sight before him and murmured in a daze. But Subaru's feelings upon seeing the same thing were no different from that murmur.
If asked what kind of scene he had expected, that would be harder to answer — but at the very least, this sight blew his expectations to pieces.
"I heard Reid and 'Gluttony' were in some kind of negotiation…"
"Negotiation… this? To Betty, even 'combat' seems like a gentle word for this."
"Yeah, agreed. It's hard to call this a conversation."
Both Beatrice and Julius concurred with Subaru's muttered words. But to Subaru, their reactions didn't quite sit right.
It was Julius — who had supposedly witnessed a similar situation before — who had described Reid and Gluttony's contact as a "negotiation" in the first place.
Either way — — "So this is 'Gluttony' getting the living daylights beaten out of him? That about right?"
Not directing the question at anyone in particular, Subaru put what he saw into words.
In the broad space of the second floor, "Electra," there were indeed traces scattered everywhere of what must have been a battle between Gluttony and Reid.
Cracked floors from heavy impacts, fissures in the walls from slash marks, scorch marks from fires that had ignited, clumps of earth where none should have been — it was as if Gluttony's full arsenal of ultimate techniques had been put on extravagant display.
And that entire exhibition had been reduced to splinters by the natural disaster known as Reid.
"Earthquake, lightning, fire — all Reid, huh…"
"So, what're you gonna do? You gonna take the 'trial'?" Reid said, scratching his own chest with his left hand while still gripping the boy's foot with his right — the "Sin Archbishop of Gluttony" — and flipping him upside down with a contemptuous look. "That one over there with the decent face — you can have a go. But you, little minnow — you're out. Yeah, you're no good."
"Why is he the exception?"
"Use your eyes. Even at full strength, he's not even a sparring partner. And right now he's falling apart, full of holes. Don't stand in front of me like that — I'd end up killing you with a single finger, and I don't wanna do that."
"Ggyaaaaah!!"
As he spoke, Reid drove the fingers of his left hand into the abdomen of the "Gluttony" Sin Archbishop he was gripping. His gut mercilessly gouged, the Archbishop let out an ugly scream.
How reliable Gluttony's apparent age was remained unclear, but nonetheless, watching what appeared to be a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy getting brutalized by an adult was hard to bear.
It seemed Julius shared the same sentiment — — "Reid Astrea, you must possess pride as a swordsman. If so, then there is no reason to cause that boy more pain than necessary—"
"Hey, you. Don't talk rubbish."
"————"
Before Julius could offer to restart their conversation on different terms, Reid's voice didn't change pitch — but the killing intent that laced it was cold enough to freeze to the bone.
Reid shook the "Gluttony" Sin Archbishop's body left and right by the leg he'd seized.
"Pride as a swordsman? If you're gonna wave that flag around so grandly, then there's something called a swordsman's resolve, isn't there? You gonna fight without the resolve to die? If you've got that kind of half-assed attitude, then getting hurt is the only way you'll learn. Yeah?"
"————"
If the discussion was to be carried on the terms of a swordsman's resolve and pride, then Julius was at a disadvantage. Having been the one to bring up pride in the first place, Reid's argument about resolve carried a certain weight.
And besides, as painful as it looked — — "If 'Gluttony' goes down, then the ends justify the means…"
Naturally, the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony was not included in the goal of "all survive" that Subaru had set.
The people Subaru wanted to save were, and only were:
Gluttony and Reid were outside that scope. If the two of them destroyed each other — though "destroyed each other" was far too generous a description for what was clearly one-sided — then that only benefited Subaru and the others.
But — — "Besides, you — is this guy your friend or something? If so, I get why you're so riled up, but…"
"No. Absolutely not. That 'Gluttony' Sin Archbishop is my enemy — in the worst case, someone I'd have to fight to the death."
"Oh? Then why are you so angry? Because someone swiped your prey?"
"——Because you're trampling on the pride of a swordsman."
Julius declared it straight to Reid Astrea — the first man to bear the title of "Sword Saint," the pinnacle of the blade.
Reid narrowed his uncovered blue eye — the one not hidden behind his eyepatch — and listened in silence to this declaration that bordered on insult.
In the face of the "Sword Saint's" calm observation, Julius continued as though cutting through the air.
"Swordsman, warrior, knight — anyone who places themselves in battle must understand that they may lose their life at its conclusion. However, that death should come only at the end of battle, after every last ounce of strength has been spent. It must never be that the victor toys with the life of the defeated."
"…You sure love flapping your gums. Who's gonna listen to that kind of talk?"
"You can call it naive idealism, or pretty words — I don't care! But embodying that ideal and those pretty words is what I believe a knight should be!"
"————"
Declaring it boldly, Julius drew his knight's sword.
From what he'd heard, this was the knight's sword that had been broken once before — not his beloved blade, and perhaps not one that fit his hand well either.
But the one thing that was most essential to his core — that was unshakable.
It was surely the thing that had been shining, deep within him, all along.
That shining something was what would not allow Julius to turn a blind eye to Reid's cruelty.
Even if the victim of that cruelty was the villainous Sin Archbishop.
"——A knight's being, huh."
Suddenly, that murmur rippled through the air of "Electra."
It was a quiet voice.
It didn't sound as though it carried any particular emotion.
It seemed to blend into the idle, bored tone of someone making small talk.
——But it was the signal for the eruption of Reid Astrea, the first "Sword Saint."
"Hey, you — how long you gonna sleep for? Wake up already."
"Gu-gih!"
Creaking — the grip on the seized foot tightened like a crushing vise, and the "Gluttony" Sin Archbishop screamed in pain. Looking down at the upside-down Archbishop, Reid spoke: "You were talking big, weren't you? Saying you'd devour me, savor me, lick me clean. —Well, I'll let you do just that."
"…Guhi, kahah, ahahahah! What's that! What's that, what's that — why the sudden change of heart, Red? That's exactly what I didn't want — which is why I was dangling you around like this in the first place!"
"I changed my mind. —Yeah, that's right."
Glaring at "Gluttony" as the Archbishop tried to regain composure through the pain, Reid suddenly turned his head as if noticing something.
"Either way, you lot are gonna get in the way soon, aren't you."
With that, Reid lunged diagonally.
In the instant he moved, a glowing purple crystal projectile slammed into the spot where he'd been standing. With a high, shattering sound like glass breaking, both the purple arrow and the floor fragmented.
But the shot had missed. And having dodged, Reid closed the distance to Subaru and the others in a single leap.
"——! Subaru, it's dan—"
"Out of my way."
Beatrice's warning came too late — the "Gluttony" Sin Archbishop was hurled sideways into Subaru's torso.
Treating a human body like a blunt instrument with casual ease, the unstoppable force sent Subaru — Beatrice in his arms — flying.
"Gahh!"
"No hesitation from you lot — I like that. In terms of fighting spirit, you're way better than the pretty boy over there. Well, you've got the strength of a wet tissue, but still."
Too busy tumbling with Beatrice clutched tight to respond to Reid's appraisal, Subaru's insides felt like they'd been turned inside out. Between that blow and the burden from Ram, he felt as though a massive chunk of his stamina — maybe even his very life force — had been carved away.
"Subaru! Beatrice-sama! Guh—"
Worried about the flying Subaru and Beatrice, Julius thrust at Reid, who had closed the distance in an instant. But Reid stomped down on the strike with his boot, swapped his stance, and drove a kick into Julius's torso.
Julius caught it with the hilt of his knight's sword, which he'd pulled back instinctively, but he couldn't prevent the shockwave from tearing through him. The concussive blow raked his abdomen and sent him stumbling far back.
And in that interval — — "Go on, try it. Either you eat me alive, or you let me play with you till you die — either way, if you want it, the only move you've got is to act. That's what life is, kid."
"——Ah, ah, ahh! I get it, I get it, I get it! I understand, I understand, I understand, I want to understand, and because I understand! Binge! Gluttony! I'll give you exactly what you want! I can't help but devour!"
Still held upside down, with the "Gluttony" Sin Archbishop's face pulled right up close, the Archbishop howled at Reid. Then, reaching out, Gluttony grabbed at the left side of Reid's face — the area covered by his eyepatch.
Then, opening its mouth wide — — "——Reid Astrea."
With a flick of the tongue, Gluttony released Reid, as though peeling something away. Then, gazing lovingly at its now-empty palm, it pressed its tongue to it.
The sound of chewing on something invisible, then greedily slurping it down, echoed through the chamber.
And then — — "——Ah."
In a flash, the change came.
As though an illusion had vanished, Reid's figure disappeared in the blink of an eye. The tall frame that had undeniably been there was gone, and the "Gluttony" Sin Archbishop — whose leg Reid had been holding — dropped to the floor. Gracefully catching itself with both hands and flipping upright, the Archbishop landed lightly and stared at its own palm.
What surfaced in those eyes was something close to the void, the loneliness, the disappointment of a lavish feast vanishing from the plate — — "Ah, that's incredible! All those flavors I'd imagined — sweet, savory, every taste under the sun — they were all exceeded! Way, way beyond expectation!"
"You… ate Reid?"
"Of course you saw it! I ate him! I devoured him! Ahh, this is the best! This is an unparalleled flavor! Even we, who are called 'Bad Eaters' — we can't deny how rich this was! Now I understand Rhein's point of—"
Leaning back and touching his own sharp canines, the "Gluttony" Sin Archbishop praised Reid's flavor. It was, by any measure, the worst food review in human history — and it stopped mid-sentence.
Not because something interrupted it. The cause lay with "Gluttony" itself.
"——Hn-ah? Ah, ah, ahh, ahhhhh?"
"What… what is it doing now…"
"No, that's…"
"Gluttony" pressed its hands to its own throat and stomach, making motions like vocal exercises. Beatrice was disturbed by the sight, but Subaru had a hunch about what was happening.
If the exchange between Reid and "Gluttony" just now had been what Julius described as a "negotiation" — — "W-w-w-wait! Something's wrong, something's wrong, something's wrong! This — this is weird, isn't it? You — something's wrong with you!"
"————"
"There's nothing wrong with me. Eat or be eaten — that's what it means to live."
Pressing its hands against its own neck, "Gluttony" spoke as though in a dialogue with itself. Its tone underwent a clear shift, and following that shift, changes began to ripple through "Gluttony's" body itself.
It was the kind of change so gradual it was like the waxing of the moon — you only noticed it when it had already happened.
Subaru swore he hadn't looked away.
Beatrice, nestled against his chest, and Julius, sword at the ready, were the same. And yet, right in front of all three of them, "Gluttony's" form vanished in a single instant.
And standing in its place was — — "——Ah, a living body really hits different. Can feel the blood flowing through the flesh. Even got an appetite now. Should've warmed up before showing up, you brats."
The one who had executed that instantaneous player swap was Reid — the very same being who had exited the stage of the
Reid Astrea had seized the body of the "Gluttony" Sin Archbishop and made his return to the world of the living.
"This is…"
The result of what Julius had called the "negotiation" between Reid and Gluttony.
Of course, the specifics of their conversation might have shifted somewhat with Subaru and the others intervening, but the broad strokes should have remained unchanged.
In other words — — "What negotiation — what a pretentious way to put it…"
"Subaru, now isn't the time for that. 'Gluttony' is gone, and Reid…"
Subaru grumbled in a tone imitating the Julius who had explained things to him earlier, while Beatrice — still in his arms — urged further vigilance. Subaru gently patted her head, then looked toward Reid.
"Strictly speaking, he turned Gluttony's authority — the power to reproduce whoever is devoured — against its host and smothered his ego. That about right?"
"What're you babbling about? Who cares about that stuff? And don't try acting all smart on me, little minnow. Minnow? Ah — hmm? You… yeah, you. It's you, isn't it — you're the one."
"——?"
Despite the fact being a spiritual takeover of a physical body, Reid wrinkled his face as though bothered by something entirely different. Hm-ing to himself — an unusual habit for him — he gingerly lifted a finger to his eyepatch. Then, flipping it up, he fixed Subaru with both eyes — his healthy, uncovered blue twin orbs.
Looking at him, staring him down, scrutinizing him — "——You're creepy, you know that."
"————"
"How your head hasn't snapped from something like that, I've no idea. Or has it? Has it gone nuts, and that's why you're like this? Can't tell. Never thought about it."
Subaru was genuinely baffled by Reid's attitude.
Alongside that bewilderment, the chills and nausea that had been swirling around his whole body were reaching critical mass. Naturally, the greater Ram's strain on her own body became, the more the backlash that should have bounced back was hammered into Subaru.
This time, Subaru hadn't met Ram face to face, so she had no way of knowing the cause of her unusually good condition.
Come to think of it, Ram had apparently been quite considerate of Subaru last time as well.
He realized this — after dying twice — only now, thinking of Ram's consideration when she wasn't even present — — "Makes sense, makes sense, makes sense. Can't say I follow it, but looks like their target isn't you. In that case, the conversation's simple."
"Reid! Your opponent is me!"
Julius lunged and unleashed a slash. Reid caught it — or tried to — with a pair of chopsticks drawn from inside his robe. But — "Hm?"
The slash grazed the tip of Reid's chopsticks, slipping past. Blood sprayed from Reid's right arm. Seeing that, Reid looked puzzled, and even Julius raised his eyebrows with a trace of surprise.
And then — — "————"
Having witnessed that with his own eyes — that, for Subaru, was the harvest.
"Tch."
Clicking his tongue, Reid twirled the chopsticks between his fingers like a pen, neatly deflecting Julia's knight's sword. Then, closing the distance in a single step, he pressed his palm against Julius's torso as the knight instinctively tried to pull back.
"Your opponent is me, you said?"
"Guh—"
"How are you gonna fight me with a princess in your arms behind you?!"
With a twist, the palm strike exploded against Julius's torso. Blood spraying from his mouth, the slender knight was blasted backward. He dragged his long legs across the floor to kill his momentum, but it wasn't enough — his body bounced and rolled across the ground.
Having bought distance from Julius for the moment, Reid turned — "Ssht!"
Subaru swung the whip from his hip at the side of Reid's face. But miracles of muscle memory didn't happen — the tip of the whip flew off in completely the wrong direction.
The lost memories affected not just his spirit, but his body's ingrained movements as well. Hitting that realization, Subaru let out a heavy breath.
At the same time — — "You — doing something this pathetic…"
"——That pathetic little trick is going to be the last push that buries you."
Past exasperation, Reid's face had turned to open fury — and behind him, a sharp crack rang out. It was Beatrice, who had separated from Subaru and freed both hands.
But separation didn't mean the connection was broken. Through that link with Subaru, Beatrice drew upon what little MP-like reserves she had — and unleashed a grand-scale spell.
"——Ur Shamac."
The moment Beatrice's incantation completed, a massive black hole tore open in space.
Manifesting suddenly in midair, it exuded a primal terror — as though connected to something unfathomably deep and leading to the unknown — and lunged to swallow Reid whole.
"That is…"
One glance told him it was a spatial grand magic.
It was less knowledge and more instinct — an image. He'd heard that Beatrice was connected to spirits on a level too grand for someone like him, but the overwhelming presence of the actual grand magic was beyond anything he'd imagined.
This, too, he hadn't known about. This was a harvest.
If that black hole swallowed Reid and launched the "Sword Saint" to who-knows-where — — "What is this, hot air? Like air is gonna stop me — there's air everywhere, pal."
"————"
With a single sweep of his chopsticks, Reid sliced through that immense magic as though it were nothing.
In the most literal sense, as casually as cutting through air — no, for him, it probably was exactly that. He wasn't the type to boast about what he could do in roundabout ways.
He cut through air. That's what happened. That was the full extent of it.
"A dimensional slash — that's supposed to be a pretty high-tier ability, isn't it…"
"Hey, hey — don't use cool names for it, you'll get me pumped up. And even if you pump me up, it just means I flatten you even harder, which isn't really fun, is it?"
With a whoosh, the chopsticks swung at the same angle that had cut Beatrice's spell. The next instant, Subaru's body erupted diagonally from chest to waist.
"Gaaah!"
"Subaru!!"
"Subaru—!"
Searing agony ripped through him as he collapsed on the spot. Beatrice and Julius cried out. Gritting his back teeth, Subaru glared at Reid with bloodshot eyes.
Then, holding a palm toward the two who were about to rush over, he stopped them in their tracks.
"I'm… fine…"
Shaking his head, he told them not to worry about him. Of course, even saying that wouldn't be enough to convince either of them.
The wound on his chest was shallow. —No, it wasn't shallow. It wasn't shallow, but it wasn't painful. Or rather — not painful enough to be unbearable. In any case, it hurt, but he was fine. They didn't need to suffer, didn't need to strain on his behalf. Gritting his teeth, he swallowed back the rising blood — the nausea? Either way, hold it in. Face forward. Stare down Reid. Observe every detail of the bastard.
"You think that's enough to reach me, kid?"
Reid watched with a look of pure contempt as Subaru bled from the corner of his lips.
In response, Subaru thrust out his hand, raising a single finger.
"——Ah. Yeah. It'll reach."
Here and now, in this place — it would reach.
He would save Emilia. Beatrice. Ram. Rem. Meili. Echidna. Julius. Shaula. Patrasche. Jaian.
Every last one, without exception.
Gluttony and Reid were exceptions. — Natsuki Subaru was also an exception, because he was not "Natsuki Subaru."
So, in this very moment — — "——This is Count One."
Accumulating the "deaths" needed for a counterattack, to bring "Natsuki Subaru" to completion.
As Subaru made that declaration, Reid's blue eyes glinted with a dull light.
※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ■Count One ·The battle between Reid and Gluttony cannot be stopped. Their fusion is also difficult to prevent.
·Against Julius, there is a chance of victory.
·——Natsuki Subaru has no chance of winning.