—Time goes back ever so slightly.
"I will now test whether any of you are fit to become sword-slaves on this island."
Dragged from the healing room and crammed into the room, Gustav crossed his four muscular arms and surveyed the surroundings with those mechanical, cold eyes.
Four people in total, Subaru included, were on the receiving end of that gaze.
A lizard-man with grimy rags draped over his gray scales, a gaunt man with a shaved head covered in tattoos across his bare torso and scalp, and a sharp-featured youth with rust-colored hair.
Those were the ones who'd been stuffed into the same room as Subaru.
From what Gustav had just said, Subaru and the men were apparently of equal standing in the Governor's eyes.
However, from the perspective of those who'd been thrown in, that assessment didn't seem to sit well at all.
"Wait, Governor Gustav! You're going to start the 'Sparca' already? Adding this kid to the numbers? You can't be serious!"
The rust-haired youth who'd shoved Subaru into the room shouted that upon seeing him.
His features were reasonably well-groomed, but his stubble, haggard complexion, and the frustrated irritation in his expression cut into whatever good looks he might have had.
But looks didn't matter in a place like this. Proof of that was how the other two men, seemingly caught up in the same fever, turned on Gustav.
"That's right! What good's a brat gonna do?! People's lives are on the line here!"
"I heard the Governor's policy was to keep gladiatorial combat from being a cruel spectacle...?"
"What they said. Give us a convincing explanation. Besides, even if you add that kid, we're still short. You said five per group, didn't you!"
The lizard-man, Tattoo, and Rust-Hair all raised their voices at once, directing their anger at Gustav.
Subaru, who hadn't fully grasped the nature of the "Sparca" or his relationship with these men, found it hard to interject. Still, he'd picked up on a few things.
It seemed Subaru had let down the expectations of those three, and they were taking their dissatisfaction out on Gustav.
"...Gustav, sir, they all have a point."
"Can hear you, Schwartz. Unlike these arms, I've only got the same number of ears as you lot—two—but I'm fully capable of fulfilling my role. Same goes for this head, of which there's only one."
"Then—"
"Silence. To interrupt me is to interrupt His Majesty the Emperor himself."
With those words, whatever the rust-haired youth had been about to say was crushed.
Gustav hadn't changed his expression or his tone in any particular way. And yet, the weight behind his words was heavier than anything before—not even close.
Not just the rust-haired youth—the other two shut their mouths as well. Seeing that, Gustav nodded.
"Very well, I'll continue. As I've declared, your 'Sparca' begins now. The audience is already the island's resident sword-slaves—there are no outside visitors. This is also a trial to determine whether you have the ability to host important guests."
"An audience..."
An unpleasant premonition stirring in his chest, Subaru murmured under his breath.
Right now, just before being shoved into this room, he'd been with the fake Cecilus, who at their parting had said: "Do your best! I'll be watching from up above!"
He hadn't asked what that meant, but now he could more or less figure it out.
"No way—they're actually going to have us fight...?"
"Hah! You really are a kid who doesn't know a damn thing. If that's the case, we should be thrilled to have someone like you mixed in!"
"Ugh..."
The moment those words left his mouth, Subaru was mocked by the lizard-man's long, lolling tongue.
But the lizard-man had a point. If the "Sparca" meant fighting each other among the members present here, having a child in the mix would be a welcome advantage.
If anything, what they were worried about was that Subaru would be dead weight— "Or maybe we're all going to be made to fight something else?"
"Smart kid, aren't you. I'm short on patience. Keep quiet for a moment..."
Instead of praising him, Tattoo warned him with bloodshot eyes.
Teamwork was already starting from the absolute bottom of the barrel. Not that he was in any position to joke about it.
"What exactly are they going to have us fight?"
"I won't say 'trained sword-slaves'—you lot and they wouldn't be in the same conversation. That's all I can tell you from here. —The enemy doesn't always appear in broad daylight."
"Huh? Riddles? How tasteless."
The rust-haired youth twisted his mouth in response to Gustav's words.
Then he took a small breath and continued: "Even if I'm forced to stay silent, there's one thing I need to ask. If that kid makes four, what about the fifth? Our group is supposed to—"
"Your group's fifth member is still asleep in the healing room. As long as that person doesn't wake, you'll take on the Sparca with this lineup."
"Are you sane, Governor...?"
"If it serves His Majesty's will, I'll use sanity or madness—whichever is needed."
At Gustav's cold response, the rust-haired youth looked away, seeing no use in arguing. Then his gaze shifted to Subaru.
"Hey, you."
Startled by the sudden address, Subaru stiffened.
"Wh-what...?"
"You look like nothing more than a scrawny kid, but what can you do? Special skills? Magic? Any useful strengths at all?"
"Uh, useful skills..."
Hit with rapid-fire questions, Subaru's eyes darted around in a panic.
Unfortunately, having shrunk, he could barely handle a whip properly. As for magic, it was useless without his adorable
Unable to say a word, Subaru fell silent. The rust-haired youth pressed a hand to his forehead.
"You really are just a kid... How pathetic."
He murmured in a deeply disappointed voice.
"Hihih, not only is there a brat, we're short on numbers too. It's over, it's over! D-O-N-E!"
"Keep your voice down, scales. You wanna piss me off and die...?"
"Huh? Can't hear you! Your voice is too small!"
The lizard-man and Tattoo, clearly annoyed by the exchange between Subaru and the rust-haired youth, started going at each other. Glaring at one another, they looked ready to throw punches at any moment. The rust-haired youth frantically jumped in.
"What good does fighting among ourselves do?! I understand the frustration, but listen! Before coming here, I served a noble lord as a warrior! If you follow my lead—"
"Shut up! A warrior, you say?! Then why are you in a place like this?! You lost and got captured, didn't you! Bad luck, that's what you are!"
"There is no one more foolish than one who bows to others and entrusts their life. My fate will not be manipulated by anyone."
"You... people...!"
But the rust-haired youth's words fell completely on deaf ears.
To make matters worse, the two men's retorts left the rust-haired youth beet-red with rage. Whatever lay ahead, this was absolutely not a good situation.
"G-Gustav, sir..."
"Schwartz, I have nothing more to say. As I've already stated, my intentions are clear. Every drop of blood spilled on this gladiator island will be used for the Empire's prosperity. Every last drop."
"...Even if you repeat that, it still doesn't make sense."
While the three bickered, the abandoned Subaru couldn't parse the meaning of Gustav's words.
Looking down on the four of them in this desperate situation, Gustav offered nothing further.
And then— △▼△▼△▼△ —Their relationship remained at rock bottom as the much-discussed "Sparca" began.
"————"
A circular field enclosed by towering walls—that was the arena, the sword-slave's stage.
Beyond the walls rose tiered spectator seats, and scattered figures gradually filled them, creating a quiet, simmering heat throughout the venue.
What was eerie, though, was that these spectators looking down at the arena—the sword-slaves, according to Gustav's explanation—were sitting so peacefully.
In Subaru's mental image, spectators at an event like this would be rowdy and vulgar.
But that misconception was perhaps understandable.
After all, the one managing and dominating this island was Gustav. Subaru couldn't imagine that imposing, inflexible giant tolerating any vulgar behavior from the sword-slaves.
"Just running in the hallway would probably earn you a severe punishment..."
Trying to put on a brave face, Subaru averted his gaze from reality.
If he didn't, his shaking knees would give out and he'd bolt from there right now.
—from the glare of the magical beast emerging slowly behind the iron grate.
"————"
The magical beast with a lion's face that advanced into view—that brutish appearance was familiar.
It was the large magical beast the servant boy had brought to the mansion before, the very same one that became the material for Subaru's whip. Its name was... not coming to him.
"Li... lion...?"
"———!!"
As if answering Subaru's call, the magical beast—or rather, the arena beast—lion roared. The roar echoed across the arena, reverberating all the way through Subaru's body.
That arena beast was even bigger than Gustav—terrifying enough just to look at from a distance.
"We won't survive unless we take that thing down."
Glaring at the lion, the rust-haired youth spoke through gritted teeth.
Yes, exactly. That was the condition for ending this "Sparca"—a feat Subaru and these three men had to accomplish together.
There was no sign of victory anywhere. A terrifyingly impossible task.
"Shit, damn it, why am I stuck in this...!"
"Save the whining! We need to explore every option for survival! Look over there!"
"Huh?"
Clutching his face in both hands, wailing as if the world were ending, the lizard-man. The rust-haired youth tapped his shoulder and pointed toward the far ends of the arena—diagonally across from where Subaru's group stood opposite the lion, at what would be the left and right sides of the venue.
There, something was stuck into the ground— "—Are those swords?"
"That... that's what I see too!"
When Subaru agreed with Tattoo's words, he received a cold glare. But even without an ally's approval, what he'd seen didn't vanish like smoke.
What was stuck there was indeed two swords.
"They wouldn't deny us weapons and simply let us be fed to the arena beast. Securing a weapon is the top priority. However, only the sword on the right can be used."
"...Right."
Tattoo nodded in agreement with the rust-haired youth's words. Subaru hadn't spoken up for fear of being glared at, but he held the same opinion.
Because the sword on the right was small, but the one on the left was absurdly large.
That left sword was so enormous you'd suspect it was made for Gustav himself—the blade was thick and heavy, completely impossible to swing.
Even without being shrunk, Subaru probably couldn't even lift it.
The rust-haired youth and Tattoo probably couldn't use that oversized sword either.
So the only usable weapon was the smaller sword. If only someone on the team could handle that giant one, it would have been reassuring.
"With that thing's size, we have to get the weapon and aim for the beast's head. Crack open its skull and put it down. That's our only winning strategy."
"...Can you actually use a sword?"
"I told you. I was a warrior. Far more skilled than any of you."
The rust-haired youth answered with confidence. Tattoo closed one eye and thought for a moment. Apparently taking that silence as affirmation, the rust-haired youth turned to Subaru and the lizard-man.
"When the signal comes, I'm going for the sword. Until then, don't let the beast get close to me while I'm defenseless."
"D-don't let it get close? How are we supposed to do that?"
"Make noise and draw its attention! Think for yourself for once!"
"O-okay..."
Scolded sharply by the rust-haired youth, Subaru nodded meekly.
It was a scary plan and reckless, but no alternatives came to mind. And if the rust-haired youth was as good with a sword as he claimed, he could take down the lion.
They could end this terrifying "Sparca" and figure out what to do next.
So— "—Now, let the 'Sparca' begin!!"
At Gustav's thick, rough declaration, the lion dropped into a low crouch, unleashed and ready.
Feeling the crushing weight of its intimidation, Subaru drew a breath, hoping to buy time for the rust-haired youth to secure the weapon— "Guhh!?!"
"——!?"
Before he could even shout, he watched the rust-haired youth collapse to the ground right beside him and froze.
The rust-haired youth, who'd been about to bolt the moment Gustav gave the signal, was now sprawled on the ground. That alone was shocking enough, but what stunned Subaru even more was that the youth's face had been kicked.
The one who'd done it was Tattoo—who was supposed to be their ally.
He'd swept the feet of the rust-haired youth as he tried to run, and once the youth had fallen, kicked him for good measure. Then, after watching the rust-haired youth go sprawling in a star shape— "I told you. I have no intention of entrusting my life to anyone else..."
With that, Tattoo sprinted forward at full speed toward the small sword.
Caught completely off guard, Subaru's eyes went wide as he scrambled to figure out what to do— "I-I'm out of here! No way in hell am I dying like this!"
"Hey!?"
The lizard-man shrieked in a cracking voice and fled with his back to the lion. He ran straight to the arena wall and pressed himself against it, then slowly began to change the color of his scales.
His gray scales blended into the wall's color, and his large body became startlingly invisible.
One had stabbed a teammate in the back, one was clinging to the wall, one had been taken down by a comrade, and the last was frozen in bewilderment, eyes wide, panicking.
—About as bad a start as it could possibly get.
"Wh-what should I...?"
Should he do something? Subaru's face had gone pale as he looked toward the lion.
What impression had the arena beast formed watching this completely dysfunctional group? Or perhaps it was the fear that the moment it turned around, those fangs would pierce him.
But— "————"
"Huh?"
The arena beast, which Subaru had expected to toy with these idiots now that the start had been declared, remained perfectly still in the forward-leaning stance it had taken initially.
As if the declaration of the start had never been made.
Then Subaru realized—that was exactly what had happened.
"Sto—stop—!!"
Reaching out, he tried to call out instinctively, but the words wouldn't come.
Because Subaru didn't know his name. He couldn't call out to someone whose name he didn't know, and calling out to a stranger would carry no power anyway.
So Subaru's voice carried no weight, and he couldn't stop what happened next.
"I've got it. With this, I can..."
Tattoo, who'd betrayed his companions and sprinted full speed ahead, reached the sword embedded in the arena floor.
He grinned triumphantly, pulled the sword from the ground, and tested its feel. The cold sensation of metal and its weight—how much courage must that have given a man who'd been empty-handed?
He turned around with a flourish, the very picture of invincibility.
"——!!"
Tattoo's face was mercilessly blasted aside by the lion's forepaw.
The sharp claws decapitated him from the neck up, and blood gushed from the body that was slow to realize it was already dead.
"Hh..."
The horrifying sight froze Subaru's throat.
At the same time, he cursed himself from the bottom of his heart for being too slow to realize.
The lion had risen the instant Tattoo's hand gripped the sword's hilt.
That was the lion's true signal to start. Until that declaration, Subaru and the others had surely still had time to devise a plan.
They'd ruined it—through impatience, anxiety, and stupidity.
"———!!"
The sword clattered to the ground with a high-pitched ring, and Tattoo's headless body toppled backward. Indifferent to its kill, the lion let out a great roar and broke into a sprint on its four powerful legs. —Straight toward the arena wall.
"No no no no no, it's coming it's coming it's coooming!!"
How the lion had located the lizard-man camouflaged against the wall Subaru didn't know. He didn't know, but there was no doubt that the lizard-man's scream and bolt for it as the lion approached had been the killing blow.
"———"
The lion rammed headfirst into the wall, its devastating impact crushing the slower lizard-man's lower half. Like a frog run over by a car, the lizard-man's insides burst out.
"Gueh"
The organs that spilled from his crushed mouth were a proper red and pink color. Even though the scales had changed to match the wall's color, the insides were still the same. Subaru thought of that dimly.
And in front of him, it was clear the crushed lizard-man was dead.
Then— "What a... what a foolish thing to do."
Shaking his head, the rust-haired youth who'd witnessed two deaths muttered weakly.
He must have been desperately trying to work together to get through this in his own way. Yet one companion had betrayed him, another had fled, and that possibility had been completely erased.
The rust-haired youth surely didn't expect Subaru—the child—to be of any use where Tattoo and the lizard-man had failed.
Even if he was expected, Subaru himself couldn't see how he could deliver.
Perhaps those inner feelings were visible in his eyes.
"...Stay behind me."
When you realized the situation was hopeless, how many people could still put on a brave front at the end?
Without a weapon and having lost his companions, the rust-haired youth could at least hope to face his final moment with dignity.
Shielding the child Subaru with his back, he glared at the turning lion.
Meeting that gaze, the lion gave a low growl, kicked off the ground with its powerful four legs, and charged toward them amid a cloud of dust.
"U-uh... nngh..."
Everything happened too fast for his mind to process.
If there had been anyone here to rely on, would he have thought of a way?
Rei, Medium, Flop, Taritta, Ar, Abel, Mizelda, Holly, Kuna, Utakata,
"I won't..."
Subaru tried to squeeze out those words through his trembling voice.
But he couldn't do it. Before he could, the lion reached them—not because he failed to.
It was because his shoulder was grabbed and he was shoved forward.
"I don't want to, I don't want to die, I don't want to die—!!"
Screaming, the rust-haired youth threw Subaru in front of the lion.
Subaru's eyes went wide. There wasn't even time for resentment. He simply took the lion's charging body head-on and was flung into the air like a leaf.
"————"
What a fragile body he had.
A single hit from the arena beast, and Subaru's body came apart effortlessly. His limbs weren't torn off, but everything inside was scattered into fragments.
Bones, organs—everything was smashed and crumpled like a body hit by a truck.
"Help me! It was a mistake! It was all a lie! I'm no warrior—it was all an act! I was just trying to make myself look good! Let me out! Let me ouuut!!"
Directly below Subaru, spinning through the air, the rust-haired youth clung to the wall and screamed, desperately pleading with Gustav atop it.
But Gustav merely watched the snot-nosed, wailing man with an unchanged, expressionless face.
Perhaps he'd known all along about the rust-haired youth's lies.
Or perhaps he simply didn't care whether they were true or false.
Either way, it didn't matter.
"Hel—"
The rust-haired youth, clinging to the wall, was swatted aside by the lion's forepaw from directly behind and splattered against the wall like a tomato being thrown.
Tattoo, the lizard-man, and the rust-haired youth—all of them had fallen before the arena beast.
"——Subaru. Subaru, can you hear me?"
Suddenly, through the deafening ringing in his ears, Subaru heard a voice. He weakly moved his head.
Only then did he realize that, after being sent flying, he'd somehow landed on the ground and was rolling there. Not that realizing it changed anything.
And the voice came from up on the wall—from a figure watching Subaru tumble to the ground below.
A boy with blue hair tied back, wearing an insufferably smug expression.
"I'm sorry, it seems I misjudged. I thought you could do it, but you're just not like Father. I really have no talent for reading people!"
"Ah... uh..."
"Just in case—when your companion wakes up, is there any message you'd like to pass along? It seems only proper to deliver a last word, so if there's anything—"
Still groaning, Subaru stared at the fake Cecilus, whose attitude hadn't changed one bit.
Come to think of it, when Subaru had woken up, when they'd talked in the healing room—even now, on the verge of Subaru's death, his demeanor hadn't shifted in the slightest.
That unshakeable view of life and death felt oddly fitting for the fake Cecilus, who was supposed to be a wolf boy but came across as somewhat authentic.
If that was the case, he must have been the strongest general in the
"—ate..."
"Hm? What was that? Subaru, this is the last chance—please speak up! If I mishear the message, you'll regret it beyond regret!"
"I... hate... you..."
"————"
The fake Cecilus cupped a hand to his ear, trying to catch Subaru's words.
His eyebrows rose slightly at what Subaru said. A little more—just a little more from the back of his throat.
"The Empire... I hate it... so much..."
"Oh my, oh my. I'll be sure to remember that and pass it along faithfully, Subaru."
Cursing the fake Cecilus for accepting his words of resentment with that detached, bystander expression.
But whether that curse would destroy the Empire—Subaru couldn't verify.
Because— "—————"
The arena beast, the last of the four who'd fought Subaru, came to stand over his broken body. It opened its massive jaws and, without mercy, swallowed Subaru whole from the head down.
"——k"
His entire body was already in fragments, yet the lion's fangs cut through him evenly.
The only mercy was that his body had long since gone numb from being destroyed, so being bitten and shredded only registered as a vague "how unpleasant."
He'd tried to brace himself in the throat to make things difficult for the lion, but even that failed.
The final bite had crushed the head that was still scheming— △▼△▼△▼△ "We won't survive unless we take that thing down."
Surrounded by writhing, dark-red flesh, having just been tumbled and crushed.
The voice that seemed to come from nowhere snapped Subaru back to reality. Though it was the kind of reality he wished had been a nightmare.
The quiet, oppressive heat. The arena floor covered in dry sand.
Beside him, his companions—no, just others in the same situation—were already scheming to protect their own lives from the worst moment bearing down on them.
He had to think of it that way, or else he couldn't accept what had just happened.
"Ugh, aah, aahh..."
He shouldn't have thought about it.
Because now his whole body was remembering the arena beast's charge, the horror of being crushed, the spiteful anger at reality.
Remembering it, he couldn't stand.
"Damn it... Are you really just a kid after all?! Fine, enough! You two, look over there!"
"Huh?"
Ignoring Subaru crouched on the ground, the rust-haired youth directed Tattoo and the lizard-man's attention to the large and small swords.
Naturally, their focus gravitated toward the smaller sword. The unusable large one was ignored, and securing it plus defeating the arena beast became the established plan.
"...Can you actually use a sword?"
"I told you. I was a warrior. Far more skilled than any of you."
The same words as before continued flatly, and unease began to bubble up inside Subaru.
But if he stayed trapped in fear and anxiety, he'd miss something he couldn't afford to miss.
"—That's a lie."
"...What?"
Subaru's voice suddenly cut into the men's strategy discussion.
The instant those words were heard, the tone of the rust-haired youth's voice changed. The youth turned and looked down at Subaru, who was still crouching. Subaru, still on his knees, stared up at the youth's face.
And said it once more.
"You're no warrior. It's all a lie!"
"What... what grounds do you have for that?! Are you trying to insult me just because you're a child?!"
"Who's insulting who?! The one lying to make himself look good is the real insult here! What's the point of putting on airs in a situation like this?!"
"You... you...!"
Maybe he thought shouting loudly would shut the kid up, but Subaru's defiance visibly rattled the rust-haired youth.
Tattoo must have noticed the panic in his demeanor.
"...Hey, kid. Is what he's saying true? You're not a warrior—you were trying to use me?"
"W-wait, it's just a kid's nonsense! Our lives are at stake, and you're worried about—"
"That's exactly why our lives are at stake. Convince me."
Tattoo grabbed the rust-haired youth by the collar, his skull-tattooed face twisting with rage. The rust-haired youth swallowed hard, gasping under the suffocating pressure.
He'd only opened his mouth to try to help, and now this fight had broken out. The lizard-man, not involved in the altercation, was inching backward, preparing to flee.
Even though Subaru had started it, the team was falling apart again—in midair, disintegrating.
And whether they were in that state or not— "—Now, let the 'Sparca' begin!!"
—Gustav was not the type to delay the battle's start for their sake.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself—"
"Ugaaahhh—!!"
A thick voice boomingly declared the start of combat, and immediately after, a cracked scream tore through the arena.
It was Tattoo, who'd been confronting the rust-haired youth, who was screaming. Apparently, the rust-haired youth had bitten the hand gripping his collar and torn off two fingers.
Mouth stained with blood, the rust-haired youth shoved Tattoo's chest away and sprinted for the sword.
"I-I'm out of here! No way in hell am I dying like this!"
While the rust-haired youth ran toward the sword, the lizard-man did the same thing as before—pressing against the arena wall and beginning his color-changing camouflage.
Tattoo, missing two fingers, clutched his right hand and crumpled to the ground, while Subaru faced an even worse situation than before, his knees knocking together.
"What have you... done...?! Just listen to what I—tell you!"
The rust-haired youth, eyes wild, ignored Subaru's group and reached the small sword.
Cursing that his lie had been exposed and that Tattoo had grabbed him, he reached out and pulled the sword from the ground, brandishing it with all the warrior's flair he could muster.
"————"
Immediately, the lion—receiving the signal of "start"—lunged.
What happened was nearly identical to when Tattoo had gone for the sword. The rust-haired youth couldn't even swing the sword he was holding before the arena beast's forepaw struck, blowing both his arms clean off.
Clutching the sword tightly, his arms tore away at the elbow and bicep. Eyes wide, the rust-haired youth let out a thin "ah"—and then the lion's devastating charge sent the armless man flying, slamming him headfirst into the wall.
The rust-haired youth became a stain on the wall, and the roaring arena beast ignored Subaru and Tattoo entirely, sprinting toward the back wall.
"No no no no no, it's coming it's coming it's coooming!!"
The charging lion's overwhelming presence sent the lizard-man—who'd managed to blend into the wall—into a shriek.
His scream gave away his position. He scrambled to move, but it was too late. The lion's charge crushed his lower half and forced his organs out—a fatal wound.
In the blink of an eye, having killed two, the lion slowly turned toward Subaru and Tattoo, letting out a blood-soaked growl.
"Hh..."
"Shit... Can this streak of worst-case scenarios get any worse..."
His brain buzzing, his paralyzed thoughts slowly began to stir. That made Subaru's body remember the fear—his teeth chattering, his organs clenching tight.
Just as Tattoo ground his teeth, they'd stacked worst upon worst upon worst until the result was beyond saving.
There had been no point in calling out the rust-haired youth for being a liar.
Exposing his lie back then wouldn't have changed anything, yet Subaru had done it on impulse. And that had turned everything to chaos.
"...Do you still have the will to live, kid?"
"Uh..."
"If you have the will to live, pick up the sword."
Vision blurred and on the verge of tears, Subaru heard Tattoo say this.
Looking over, Tattoo was using his bleeding right hand to push himself off the ground, sweat beading on his face. He jerked his chin toward the sword that had rolled away—lying next to the rust-haired youth's severed arms.
"I'll draw that monster's attention... You pick up the sword and throw it to me."
"B-but..."
"Even missing two fingers, I can handle it better than you can..."
Put that bluntly, Subaru had no rebuttal.
There were two swords, large and small, and while they were calling the smaller one "small," it was still long and heavy enough that a child's body would struggle to wield it. As Tattoo said, if Subaru tried to swing it with both hands, the weight and length would just swing him around.
But could Tattoo, even if he had the sword, actually defeat the lion? After all, Subaru knew how he'd died last time.
Even so— "I... don't want to give up either..."
"...You're better than a con artist and a coward."
Tattoo's lips twisted in pain as he welcomed Subaru's resolve.
Then, glaring at the lion that was watching them with keen interest, Tattoo slowly widened the distance between himself and Subaru.
"Weitz..."
"...Huh?"
"It's my name, Schwartz."
Being called Schwartz, Subaru's eyes widened in surprise.
He wondered where Gustaf had called him that—only Gustaf called Subaru "Schwartz." So Tattoo—Weitz—had remembered the name from their first meeting.
Of course, that didn't help anything, and Subaru knew Weitz had tried to betray the rust-haired youth last time.
He knew—but— "——Go!"
When Weitz shouted that, it gave Subaru just enough reason not to hesitate.
"————"
Clamping down on the urge to scream, Subaru ran across the arena floor at full speed.
Naturally, he was slow. A child's body had short limbs, and the fear and tension made his insides ache. He was already weak and struggling normally—this body was pathetic.
But he ran. Ran, ran, ran—until he reached the sword.
"Ugh...!"
The sword had the rust-haired youth's severed hands still attached to it. The sight nearly made Subaru vomit. But he didn't have time for that.
Prying the stiff fingers off one by one, Subaru forcibly detached the hands from the sword.
Then, breathing hard, he lifted it.
"Got them off!"
Exhaling deeply, Subaru held the sword aloft. He turned to throw it to Weitz— "Schwartz!!"
Weitz's desperate cry raised every hair on Subaru's body.
Turning around, Subaru's entire field of vision was filled with the lion's open maw bearing down on him. In that instant, he felt like a deer being hunted—the lion's movement appearing to slow down.
"————"
Slowly, the lion's terrifying face drew closer.
He should have been able to dodge it, but his own body was moving in slow motion too, so there was no escape. However, the motion of throwing the sword continued.
At the very least, he wanted to complete the throw before the lion's attack connected.
—Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry!!
In the maddening slowness, Subaru's inner voice screamed desperately, pouring his will into his arms and fingers.
Whether that wish reached its mark, the sword finally left his hand. Spinning vertically, it flew past the charging lion and toward Weitz.
Weitz extended his empty hand, shouting something at Subaru, who was about to be attacked by the lion. But Subaru couldn't make out what. Not that it mattered.
As long as Weitz could use that sword— "Uwaaahhh—!!"
The moment he thought his role was done, the slow-motion world snapped back to normal.
The roaring lion lunged, and Subaru—screaming—thought the arena beast's claws or fangs would tear him apart. He fell backward on his rear. Tears and snot burst from his face, and Subaru resigned himself to an utterly pathetic death face.
But then— "...Huh?"
The lion's attack—the one meant to kill Subaru—didn't reach him.
Because the lion had stabbed its forepaws into the ground right in front of Subaru to kill its momentum, then pivoted and brought its hind legs crashing down on Weitz, who'd leaped over from behind.
"Bu—"
Weitz, who'd caught the sword Subaru threw, had slashed at the lion from behind. His tattooed face was smashed to pieces by the lion's hind hoof.
Just like before, decapitated from the neck up, Weitz died again. The sword he'd raised slipped from his lifeless hand and clattered to the distant ground.
"—————"
And slowly, having killed Weitz, the lion turned its attention to Subaru.
There was no mercy there—only raw, ferocious killing intent.
"Subaru! Subaru! I'm sorry, but can you recover from here?"
From behind—from the arena's spectator seats—came the voice of the fake Cecilus, who'd been watching this pathetic battle. Looking down at Subaru on his rear: "Something about a hidden power awakening, or a sealed technique unlocked by a companion's tragic death? Do you think that could work? Doesn't seem like it, does it?"
"...No. Nothing like that."
"Hmm, yeah. I'm sorry—it seems I misjudged. Is there a message for the girl you're with? It seems only proper!"
Delivered in the same casual tone as during his previous death, Subaru let out a weak "ha." The difference was that his bones weren't scattered yet.
Even though they might be soon, even though he was more terrified than he'd ever been—he wasn't dead yet.
"Cecilius, let me ask one thing."
"A question rather than a last message? The kind of final request before death, so to speak? Whether my answer is worthy of Subaru's question—that's where the leading man's brilliance is truly tested—"
"That lion. Why didn't it kill me last time?"
"——Hmm."
Pointing at the arena beast before him, Subaru asked the fake Cecilus atop the wall.
He didn't know if the wolf boy would give him a straight answer. But it was the last grasp of a drowning man—not bad as self-comfort.
To Subaru's question, the fake Cecilus stroked his narrow chin.
"That's simple, Subaru. —Even if fierce, a beast is still a beast. Therefore, a beast hunts solely on instinct. And instinct is nothing other than the will to live."
"...What do you mean?"
"If you were that lion, who would you target first?"
The riddle-like phrasing wouldn't let Subaru settle for a simple answer.
Irritated, Subaru thought about what the fake Cecilus's words meant. If he were that lion—who would he target, and for what reason?
"—Ah."
Suddenly, it clicked. He understood.
And then— "When the girl wakes up, I'll tell her that Subaru was brave. I'm not good at lying, so I appreciate you being brave—truly!"
He heard that insensitive voice, but there was no time to retort.
The lion, standing before Subaru who'd just reached understanding, brought its forepaw crashing down.
The crunching sound of himself being crushed—Subaru heard it clearly for the first time.
△▼△▼△▼△ "We won't survive unless we take that thing down."
Head crushed, shoulders crushed, body crushed, rear crushed, everything crushed.
Slowly, watching from outside himself as a human body was destroyed by attacks of weight and speed it could never withstand—Subaru experienced that as if it were someone else's problem.
Of course, it couldn't truly be someone else's problem.
If it could, there would have been less suffering. The pain and fear would have been minimized. But the fact that Subaru could still think was largely thanks to his experience with the Chaos Flame.
—Those ten seconds in hell.
Because of them, Subaru understood viscerally the value of even a few seconds.
He understood it viscerally—which was why— "Shit, damn it, why am I stuck in this...!"
"Save the whining! We need to explore every option for survival! Look over—"
Right beside him, the lizard-man and the rust-haired youth were struggling to accept the situation before them.
Hearing the conversation he already knew, Subaru screamed.
"Weitz! Hold that thing down!"
"What...?"
The instant Subaru screamed, Tattoo's—Weitz's—face twisted with confusion behind his tattoos.
Of course. Subaru knew his name even though Weitz had never introduced himself. And even hearing his name called, Weitz wouldn't just obey some creepy kid.
But neither the bewildered Weitz, nor the rust-haired youth startled by Subaru's sudden shout, nor the lizard-man had time to stop what happened next.
And then— "—Lion! Who are you targeting?!"
Subaru's small hand reached out and forcibly grabbed the sword embedded in the ground.
In that instant, without waiting for Gustav's signal, the arena beast roared, kicked off the ground, and came charging straight at Subaru— "Subaru, if you were that beast, who would you target?"
The fake Cecilus's riddle-like words burned into Subaru's mind alongside the pain.
Yes, exactly. If he were the lion, he'd target the "dangerous one." In this place, that meant the one with a weapon.
"—————"
Roaring, the lion charged. Subaru gritted his back teeth. There was a visceral, soul-shaking terror, but he would not lose, would not run, would not cry.
Having died twice already, no matter how many more times he had to face this terror— "Don't think I'll just start crying and giving up because I'm a kid!!"
Working together with a coward, a liar, and a con artist, he would fight through this "Sparca" with everything he had—every ounce, every fiber, every last shred of his being.
—And at that moment of resolve, the lion's devastating forepaw blew away