“Well? It’s about time you explained what happened.”

As they left the park while still holding hands, Beatrice said this, slowing her walking pace just as Emilia and the others were no longer in sight.

Subaru, wanting to avoid stopping for a discussion, pulled on their connected arms and replied,

“Sorry. I want to find a quiet place to talk slowly too, but we don’t have the luxury of time— we’ve got less than fifteen minutes.”

“…I suppose I understand. Let’s talk while walking then.”

Seeing the urgency in Subaru’s profile, Beatrice decided not to argue and followed along.

Relieved by her agreeable attitude, Subaru quickened his pace while carefully sharing the clutter of disorganized thoughts in his head with Beatrice.

“There’s going to be a Witch Cult appearing in the square ahead. We need to stop their mischief.”

“The Witch Cult…?”

Beatrice gasped, and Subaru chose his words carefully as he continued.

The difficult part was the rules and penalties regarding information transfer in “Return by Death.” Sharing the same details he revealed to Lachins was risky; he couldn’t confidently say that sharing them with Beatrice would pose no problems—that’s the creepy hand of dark magic binding him.

That hand, which obstructed Subaru from revealing info about “Return by Death,” seemed capable of judging not only what he said but also who he spoke to.

If it weren’t so, then how could Emilia, whose heart had been exposed to secrets, end up looking like her heart had been crushed? It didn’t make any sense.

So Subaru had to tread carefully about what he shared with Beatrice.

If he were to take the brunt of the punishment, that would be one thing—scary, but bearable. However, if that dark hand reached out to Emilia or Beatrice, Subaru would be crushed by guilt.

While it might have spared him, it surely wouldn’t do the same for anyone else.

“Still, are you really unable to say where you got this information?”

“…Sorry, that’s impossible.”

“It’s fine. I’d believe you even without proof. Subaru saying it would be enough for Betty to trust it.”

Seeing Subaru wrestle with his own incompetence, Beatrice responded by gripping his hand back.

With the warmth from her palm giving him strength, Subaru searched for the right words to forge a plan.

Sirius, “Wrath,” shared senses, purifying souls—he took careful inventory of the information and possibilities he could convey, slowly merging their understandings of the risks.

“First, the Witch Cult that’s going to appear is the Archbishop of Sin, ‘Wrath,’ and uh… they’re a pervert.”

“If that’s the kind of critical information you feel compelled to share, then Subaru is really hopeless.”

“How far can I push the limits of what’s safe? Anyway, let’s say the pervero penalty doesn’t apply for now. Next is that clown’s ability… it’s something like sharing emotions or senses?”

“Sharing emotions and senses?”

Beatrice tilted her head, perhaps struggling to visualize it.

That was understandable; Subaru himself didn’t fully comprehend the effects of that power either.

“It’s hard to explain… but when the Archbishop is super happy, anybody around him, no matter how angry, ends up sharing in that joy.”

“…I don’t really get how that becomes a threat.”

“The big danger is not recognizing danger as danger. No matter how reckless the behavior, you can’t feel the onset of risk. You end up joyfully accepting it. If you say it ruins one’s situational awareness, that probably makes sense, right?”

The boy who sobs and pleads not to die while being hailed with open arms by the crowd.

To only feel joy in everything happening right before you is terrifying. Certainly, in that state, without a doubt, Subaru and the others would look forward to having their heads cut off, smiling all the while until the blade came down.

“I get the emotion-sharing part. What about the sense-sharing effect?”

“It’s straightforward. If someone feels pain, we feel it too. If you behead the Archbishop, the heads of those watching will fly off too… It’s just way too overkill.”

Reiterating, he found a sense of dread rising within him.

If he beheaded someone, his own head would fly off—plainly speaking, there are few powers that would dissuade one from killing like that. With “Return by Death” as a backup, he could come up with plans in advance, but if he managed to take down the opponent only to find himself wiped out, there would be no consolation at all.

“But if we try to take him alive, there’s a chance merely coming into contact with that guy could make me go insane. Whether keeping him alive or killing him, he’s the worst kind of enemy that could endanger others.”

The second time he died, Subaru went mad from fear.

Most likely, the fear shared with the boy, Rusbel, was the reason for his breakdown.

However, in that case, Rusbel must have been feeling the fear for quite a while to end up in a state of mania. It might make Subaru’s mental resilience seem weaker than that boy’s as well.

He couldn’t confidently state “I’m definitely stronger” regarding that point, but it seemed hard to imagine Rusbel, who was conversing normally just moments before, struggling against that overwhelming fear.

That second death must have brought something else down on Subaru besides mere fear-sharing.

Something other than just that—without knowing what, creating a sound strategy to tackle Sirius proved virtually impossible.

“—”

Subaru silently squeezed Beatrice’s hand.

Having brought Beatrice out like this, he saw no breakthroughs looming in sight. All he had done was drag Beatrice into a battle that seemed unwinnable.

What should he do? With the possibility of insanity, should he get Reinhardt to capture Sirius for now? But would he really be able to explain it well enough to Reinhardt to avoid a situation like last time?

Would Reinhardt truly buy the notion of an urgent summoning without asking questions? If he explained there was an emergency that warranted a summons, at least he’d gain a few minutes before Sirius showed up.

“Am I an idiot? As soon as Lachins promotes Reinhardt, surely Sirius would react. I’d just be hastening the timeline with no time left to explain it to Reinhardt.”

He would send a message to capture him just before the confrontation began with Sirius.

Could he pull it off? Once the engagement with Sirius began, Subaru lost faith in his own thought processes. No doubt, he’d find himself screaming “Kill him!” instead, having a history of such moments—there is no negation.

“Subaru. Actually, I have some bad news we need to discuss.”

“…Really? I don’t want to hear any more bad news!”

“I know. But it’s something that needs to be said. …If you’re relying on Reinhardt as a combat factor, Betty will be reduced to nothing more than a pretty girl on the battlefield.”

“Huh?”

Subaru was taken aback, staring wide-eyed at Beatrice at her sudden comment.

Beatrice, looking a bit reluctant, averted her gaze and said,

“It’s a matter of Reinhardt’s constitution. He is the pinnacle of this world’s aberration. Just by existing, the mana around him becomes submissively bound to him. It distorts normalcy, which in turn becomes a hindrance to him. The moment he uses magic, all the mages and spirit users around become ineffective.”

“What… the hell? There’s no way that can happen in reality…”

At that point, Subaru realized he wasn’t completely oblivious to what she meant.

It was on the first day Subaru was summoned, during the incident surrounding the badge of Emilia’s qualifications for the Royal Selection when Reinhardt clashed with Elsa that he figured it out.

At that time, Emilia, treating Old Man Rom, had commented that if Reinhardt went all-out, magic would cease to be effective.

He hadn’t grasped it then, but that’s what it meant.

“If Reinhardt can handle things on his own, then Betty doesn’t need to be useful. But if he needs help—”

“That means Beatrice not being able to do anything is off the table.”

What a fantastical level of nonsense! To cause everything magical around him to lose function just by being there—it’s a classic Reinhardt story, but now it worked against them.

—This is bad. This is really, really bad.

There was no sign of hope in the current situation.

Was summoning Reinhardt the right move, or was it the wrong one? He brought Beatrice, but what should he have her do? What is the right move for Subaru?

Should he ignore Sirius’s actions and prioritize the safety of the people at the square? If he did so, it would just turn into a situation where Sirius would change spots and do the exact same thing; it would be meaningless.

As Subaru fell deeper into thought, a fire of urgency burned in his mind.

With bloodshot eyes, Subaru struggled to find an answer amidst desperation. However, the answer continued to elude him.

Even so, time marched on mercilessly, leaving Subaru behind and ticking away——

“…Have we reached the square, Subaru?”

“—!”

Just as Beatrice said, Subaru jerked his head up and saw the square.

They had arrived at the square where the anticipated tragedy would unfold.

They hadn’t found anything yet. They had lost precious time just to be here.

A white Chronicle Tower. A crowd filling the square.

Subaru figured there was probably less than ten minutes before the tragedy began to unfold.

What could he do? What’s the right action to take? What should he do——?

“Subaru, I might have thought of an idea.”

With quivering lips and a tensed face, Beatrice spoke to Subaru.

With his head going blank from everything, Subaru found himself captivated by her sweet-sounding voice.

“You thought of a solution!? What is it?!”

“It’s a matter of possibility, but if the ability of the Archbishop you told me about is indeed one of sharing… we could consider a high-level magic called ‘Nekuto’ that has similar effects.”

“Nekuto…!”

At Beatrice raising a finger, Subaru gulped.

Nekuto—it was a type of magic Subaru himself had previously experienced. It shares the user’s will and senses with others, and indeed, it bears resemblance to Sirius’s power.

Subaru furrowed his brow, questioning why he hadn’t come to that conclusion sooner, and asked,

“If it’s identical to Nekuto, how would we handle it?”

“…Well, originally, Nekuto isn’t really a magic that requires countermeasures, you know? The intended effect of Nekuto is to unify intentions among allies, allowing for non-verbal communication. The very idea of using Nekuto aggressively against an opponent is flawed.”

Beatrice answered that while looking displeased, as Subaru urged her to continue.

Indeed, when Subaru had utilized Nekuto, it had been for the reluctant purpose of sharing sight with Julius. It was vital for connecting him, who could see, with Julius, who could fight, when countering Petelgeuse’s “Invisible Hand.”

Nekuto’s true domain was for collaboration among allies.

It is certainly not magic designed to link enemies while making their bodies hostage.

“There are conditions for linking with Nekuto. You’ve got to have a degree of trust that can connect a mana pathway between you. The authority of the Archbishop clearly disregards that boundary.”

“If that’s what that ability forces them to do, it’s just the nature of the power, right? More importantly—”

“The countermeasure, I’d say… no doubt it’s Shamak’s time to shine.”

“Shamak’s on call! Way too versatile as usual!”

Subaru couldn’t help but raise his voice at Beatrice’s suggestion.

Shamak was that dear to Subaru, always with him during his toughest times, dangerous situations, and dilemmas.

Before he contracted with Beatrice, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it was Rem, Patrasche, and Shamak who lent power to powerless Subaru.

Although he had thought that connection was severed due to the destruction of his own gate, through the contract and via Beatrice, Shamak would still come to Subaru’s aid.

“So Shamak, huh… with Shamak, everything will work out…!”

“I get that Subaru has enormous confidence in Shamak. Truth is, Shamak is just a basic dark magic spell with hardly any practical use.”

“Even from Beatrice, that’s unacceptable talk about Shamak…!”

“What could possibly make Subaru say that with such conviction?”

Beatrice sighed at Subaru’s insistent expression. Then, diligently looking around, she held up a finger and said,

“Shamak is a magic that forcibly disconnects consciousness—the connection with the surroundings. While the effectiveness may be iffy with Subaru as the caster, it will certainly work without issue for Betty. Regardless of who is around, it will seamlessly sever consciousness.”

“So, that means…?”

“With the crowd likely to become entrapped in chaos, we could throw their consciousness into darkness with Shamak, allowing for escape from the authority of the Archbishop. Subaru’s concern about not involving the people around him should be preserved.”

Beatrice picked up on everything Subaru desired, puffing her chest with confidence.

With a reliable answer like that, Subaru clenched his fists. He now felt a slight glimmer of hope.

“Alright, sounds good. Once their abilities cease to reach us, we’ve got this. Now… what’s next?”

“A fighting force to take down that Archbishop without Reinhardt.”

“……”

With Reinhardt present, Beatrice’s Shamak strategy wouldn’t hold. Hence, it inevitably meant kicking Reinhardt out of the equation in planning their forces.

But in doing so, they would still have to defeat Sirius without Reinhardt tagging along.

“Just so you know, Betty will be tied to Shamak, and while fighting, she’ll have to cover whoever’s duking it out at that moment. So we won’t be able to fight effectively.”

“Yeah. …Crap, we’re right back to square one!”

Subaru figured he didn’t stand a chance against Sirius without Beatrice backing him up. Even if he unleashed his previously hidden trump card, would it hold up? Gaining hurtful experience from his whips failing him was also weighing heavily on his mind.

“In that case, the only other fighters present when we were in the square were…”

He recalled the initial square from the first encounter.

Faced with the emergence of Sirius atop the Chronicle Tower, he thought about what to do immediately. There was the beastman man, the girl with an eye patch, and a burly man along with Lachins.

Even if Lachins was deemed unfit as backup, what about the other three? If Subaru were added to the mix, the four of them might have a slight chance to win.

“Don’t be ridiculous. How could you trust an opponent whose skills are unknown? We haven’t even spoken yet…”

“—If that’s the case, then isn’t it time for me, who already knows their strength and can communicate, to step in?”

“—!?”

At their hopeful conjecture, a voice suddenly broke in from behind.

Turning back in surprise at a voice they were too familiar with, Subaru and Beatrice gasped as they saw someone standing with her hands on her hips.

“Eh, Emilia-tan? What are you doing here…?”

“I came after you because it seemed odd and it turns out you’re involved in something big. You trying to leave me out really is one of Subaru’s worst traits.”

With the scolding tone of a child caught being naughty, Subaru was left speechless.

Emilia, who ideally shouldn’t even be there, had unexpectedly shown up. As he struggled to form words, Beatrice looked up at Emilia and said,

“I told you to wait in the park. Why did you follow us?”

“…Honestly, I was going to wait. But Subaru seemed like he didn’t want me following— then Priscilla said…”

“That red-haired girl?”

“She said I’d regret it if I didn’t catch up with Subaru now. I thought I could return quietly if everything was fine, but you two have been talking seriously this whole time. I can’t just turn back.”

Subaru recalled the face of the instigator who drove Emilia to this point, feeling his jaw clench as he imagined Priscilla’s gleeful laughter.

What a mischievous girl, stirring the pot like that—her malice and the awful timing that just seemed calculated created a scenario Subaru hadn’t wanted at all.

“Emilia-tan, I’m happy to see you. Really! But um, right now…”

“They’re going to send the Witch Cult, aren’t they? I heard all of that loud and clear. …Even if you say go back, I can’t just leave it as someone else’s problem.”

“Emilia!”

Subaru wasn’t trying to push her away without any good reason.

Raising his voice, he tried to convince Emilia to turn back.

She must not meet the Witch Cult.

He could not name the reason. There was no solid logic behind it. But some truths exist beyond logic and reason.

Emilia and the Witch Cult must never cross paths. For Emilia, those guys were the ultimate deadly substance she should avoid.

Though that rang true for many living in this world, it felt particularly so for Emilia. Thus,

“We’ll figure something out. You don’t have to get involved. Please stay out of this.”

“Are you going to ignore that while trying to protect me, everyone else is going to get hurt? Absolutely not. When you fight, I fight too. When you want to protect someone, I want to help with that. Just like Subaru protects me…”

“——”

“I want to protect you too, because you look like you might cry any second now.”

The resolve in Subaru’s heart quivered, threatening to falter at Emilia’s appeal.

To keep her out of danger, he must summon his courage. He needed a heart of steel to face every adversity.

But right now, Subaru found himself full of fear.

Fear, he was afraid. Afraid of the fight.

For the third time.

Subaru has already experienced death at the hands of Sirius three times.

In just a single hour, he had died three times, an experience so condensed that it was unprecedented in Natsuki Subaru’s history of dying.

Death is always terrifying. You could never get used to it, nor should you.

To have one’s life taken is to have one’s path wiped out. It denies one’s way of living, tramples existence, and violates the soul. That is what it means to have one’s life taken.

Even if he tried to mask it with frivolity, something he couldn’t resist haunted Subaru.

He desperately tried to maintain a brave heart, but a weak desire not to die clawed its way up to the surface.

Natsuki Subaru could never seem to conquer that weakness.

“…Subaru. You should probably give up.”

“Beatrice…”

“Emilia is quite stubborn. Since she already knows, it’s probably impossible to turn things around. Betty understands how Emilia feels too. I share the same feeling of wanting to protect Subaru… denying that is beyond me.”

Beatrice, the core of their strategy and the engine of Subaru’s decision-making, surrendering would make it tough for Subaru to keep resisting.

With Emilia looking sincere and Beatrice looking motherly, both gazes were locked onto Subaru.

Under such scrutiny, Subaru’s resolve finally crumbled.

“…The Witch Cult will surely come after you. If anything happens, think of your own safety first.”

“Okay, I understand. Even if I’m caught, Subaru will come to save me. So I’ll believe that and try my best!”

“Don’t say anything so unlucky… so what did you hear up until now?”

As Subaru accepted this, Emilia blossomed into a relieved smile.

Her attitude seemed carefree as if she had forgotten about the dangerous foes looming ahead, causing Subaru to feel a bit drained. Meanwhile, Emilia pressed a finger to her lips and said,

“I think I heard most of it. A scary guy from the Witch Cult is coming, and that person will use magic like Nekuto. So while Beatrice counters that effect with Shamak, we have to defeat the bad guy in the mean time.”

“That’s a simple breakdown even a kid could understand, but it’s correct. Emilia-tan, can I rely on you?”

“Leave it to me! I’ve gotten pretty strong!”

With both arms in front of her chest striking a victory pose, Emilia looked adorable yet lacked a bit of tension.

However, her comprehension of the situation was smooth.

The worries about relying on Emilia, the self-doubt, and the difficulty in timing Beatrice’s magic—many of those elements are failures. Yet,

“With Emilia-tan and Beako here, I can’t afford to fail…!”

A guy probably thinks of overcoming obstacles like that as motivation.

“Plus, it’s already almost time.”

Accepting Beatrice’s suggestion and regrouping with Emilia, they had mostly spent their time. The only remaining question was how to deal with Sirius’s imminent appearance.

If possible, while Rusbel was still unattended within the tower, it would be optimal to plummet Sirius from the tower.

“Emilia-tan. Before too long, a suspicious-looking person is going to show up at the tower. As soon as that happens, hit them hard as a pre-emptive strike. If you can throw them from the tower, that would be amazing. After that, Beako will handle it all and signal to commence the battle.”

“Okay, got it! I’m not sure if I can pull it off, but I’ll give it my best.”

With Subaru’s orders, Emilia tightened her expression, nodding to Beatrice.

Immediately after solidifying their plans—

“—Here they come!”

A strange figure leaned out of the window of the Chronicle Tower.

It was a slender figure, cloaked and wrapped in bandages, with chains scraping across the floor, creating a jarring sound while looking down at those below.

None in the crowd had noticed the horror that was about to arrive.

As he stood upon a grand stage, Sirius trembled his body, relishing the defenseless crowd that was about to face a nearby threat and then spread his arms wide.

When that moment arrived, a sound like an explosion echoed with applause—at that very moment, the crowd’s attention honed in on the figure, and that speech commenced.

“——”

Holding his breath, Subaru witnessed the instant arrive.

The increasing motions of Sirius’s arms thundered together before his chest——

“Uru-Huma!!”

A massive ice pillar appeared just above the tower and struck Sirius hard.

The icy mass, thick enough to encompass five Subarus, thundered against the pristine white walls of the Chronicle Tower with a resounding crash. It was a wall that wouldn’t simply crumble away, and yet it shattered as the tip of the ice pillar pierced the tower inside. Subaru almost dropped his jaw at the sight.

“Eh, Emilia-tan?”

“I thought I’d lead with a pre-emptive strike since you said that, but… did it not work?”

“No, great job! But I was surprised you’d actually fire before even introducing yourself.”

Subaru bore part of the blame for not clarifying when to strike, but the biggest issue lay with Sirius’s actions, which had been so quickly identified by Emilia as a suspicious figure.

Making a show of ‘deciding to wait,’ Emilia’s magic strike had likely crushed poor defenseless Sirius. Even if so, a crushed body wouldn’t be found among the frenzied crowd, meaning they might have bypassed the whole sensory-sharing danger entirely.

If that were the case, Emilia would be celebrated as quite the hero.

“Beako, what do you think?”

“I think we should probably start by clearing up the misunderstandings among the crowd.”

With Subaru’s question regarding whether Sirius could have been taken down from the start, Beatrice responded with a look of disbelief.

Looking directly, he could see the crowd, including Emilia and himself, encircling them with heightened tension. Among them were the beastman and the girl with the eye patch, reminding Subaru of the despair they visited upon him after considering a temporary alliance.

“That’s not the time to say that! Uh, what should we do? We should probably explain we weren’t up to any ill will when that happened.”

“—No, Subaru, you should back away right now.”

As Beatrice lay a hand on Subaru, who scratched his head in confusion over how to explain, Emilia pulled back on Subaru’s shoulder. Instantly, Subaru shifted back as Emilia swept her hand down.

At that moment, a sharp sound reverberated, and a blue ice sword formed in the palm of Emilia. With the slender blade aimed at the surrounding crowd, she declared,

“Emilia-tan? There’s no need to go all villainess mode like that…”

“Not at all. Look closely, Subaru. The look in everyone’s eyes isn’t sane.”

“—Eh?”

Startled by Emilia’s serious tone, Subaru turned to look at the people around them. In an instant, his breath caught.

Just as Emilia said, the faces of those surrounding them were not of sane individuals.

The crowd encircling them were all flushed red like ripe tomatoes, with all their veins bulging, glaring at Subaru and the others with bloodshot eyes.

It did not just raise doubts about their sanity; there was undeniably a frenzy of madness.

“Beako! Where’s Shamak?!”

“…Did I mess up?”

“What do you mean?”

“This is a magic fundamentally different from Nekuto… rather, it’s a curse… a sorcery!”

Beatrice shouted in discomfort and fury, causing Subaru’s brow to crease.

While he didn’t understand what the distinction was, Beatrice was convinced that the Shamak plan wouldn’t work. This was an even greater calamity given that.

With the crowd wholly engulfed in madness, it indicated——

“——The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench. The stench.”

It was a thick, noxious sound, a curse that echoed across all existence.

“———”

With a crack, the outer wall of the Chronicle Tower splintered.

The enormous ice pillar that had been embedded into the tower shattered—cracking, it splintered into countless pieces within a breath. Among the shimmering, sunlight-drenched ice crystals, footsteps echoed.

It was a monster.

Not unscathed, the monster stained its face bandage halfway red. Blood streamed from its limp left arm as it walked slowly, dragging chains behind.

Emilia’s preemptive strike had undoubtedly made its mark.

Yet, it was equally true they had pulled the trigger that could not be undone.

“I smell it, I feel it… the woman’s stench. That filthy, loathsome stench from a half-demon who stole my darling from me. No matter how many times I kill them, it’s like maggots sprouting from this stench—ridiculous. How vile. Even after all that burning, is it not enough?”

“…What the hell are you talking about?”

“There’s another scent. One that’s not my darling but resembles him. A filthy, disgraceful one that’s rotten, changed in color, swarming with insects. Ah, ahhhhhhh! AHHHHHHHH! It’s infuriating! Distasteful! Detestable!”

On the last remnant of the outer edge, the monster clawed its bloodied head, screaming at the top of its lungs. Spitting saliva, stomping its feet, its demeanor seemed utterly transformed from the demeanor Subaru once recognized.

It was mad like the others, but the vector was evidently different.

“Are you testing my love for my darling, spirit?! Was it not enough for you to take my darling from me, half-demon whore?!”

With bared teeth, Sirius let out a roar as she jumped.

As Sirius descended from the tower, both arms clasped overhead, a crimson flame erupted forth. Crimson surged from both her arms as she landed on the square, flames swirling around her.

On all fours, the monstrous figure lifted its head, revealing eyes turbid with rage to the two awaiting Emilia, poised with ice swords, and Beatrice stepping forward to protect Subaru.

With a voice steeped in anger, Sirius yelled,

“I am! The Archbishop of the Witch Cult! In charge of ‘Wrath’!!”

As flames rose, the thrumming heat washed over the crowd, who lifted their arms to the sky, shrieking.

The form of frenzy that Subaru recognized was altogether different, and the monster declared its name.

“——Sirius Romanee-Conti!! I’ll scorch both the filthy half-demon and the accursed spirit, and scatter you at my husband’s grave!!”