The battle inevitably began with Rozwal’s impatient strike.

“—Die.”

With those cold words, the blaze of hellfire erupted as if to scorch the sky.

A fervent flame spread rapidly across the night sky, and even the warriors who were fighting with their lives against the undead had their eyes captivated by the burning sky.

Although the aim was merely to incinerate a single enemy, this was excessive.

“Is it really necessary to burn the mansion just to kill the houseflies?”

Burning down a mansion for the sake of a goal was an act that only Petra and Otto would dare to perform.

Beatrice secretly felt grateful that without such boldness, she might not have had the courage to leave the “Forbidden Library,” but even so, she thought it was too much.

Rozwal initiated an outrageous preemptive strike that could rival those two.

However—

“Threat level recognition requires correction.”

The enemy who escaped the burning night sky—Sphinx was still alive.

Even after burning down the mansion, it was meaningless if the crucial houseflies got away. All Rozwal accomplished was to ignite the sky and astonish everyone around him.

If it had been just Rozwal here alone—

“El Minya.”

With her pink hair flowing freely, Sphinx soared through the sky, and the shimmering purple gem emerging in her path was the pinnacle of magic that shatters the time of its target.

This was a confirmed lethal blow that exhibited maximum effectiveness against the undead.

“It’s not good that everyone except Subaru and Betty isn’t equipped with dark magic.”

Against an army of undead, having a line-up of dark magic users would be less frightening.

However, even with Beatrice’s long lifespan, she had never witnessed a scene with more than ten dark magic users gathered together, so she understood it was an impossible request.

With such unproductive thoughts, Beatrice decided to first eliminate any hesitation within herself.

—to shoot down the loathsome “enemy” who bore the same face as Ryuzu Meier.

“Ryuzu…”

A fleeting smile of Ryuzu Meier crossed Beatrice’s mind.

Unlike Garfiel and Frederica, who adored their grandmother, the ancestral Ryuzu Meier had been Beatrice’s very first friend in her life.

At the time, she hadn’t recognized it. It was acknowledged far too late.

But now it was different. Now, Beatrice could properly appreciate the significance of her existence. For that reason, the image of this “enemy” was for Beatrice—

“Did it come to my crest?”

In Beatrice’s view, Sphinx charged directly at the released purple arrow.

The enemy, slightly squinting, raised both hands in front of her face, releasing white light from her five fingers on both sides, cutting down every single Minya waiting in ambush.

With no sound of crunching, the purple crystals were blown apart haphazardly—but Beatrice’s frustration could not be shattered by that alone.

“—!”

The Sphinx, who should have repelled the threat, had a slight distortion in her expression.

The reason was simple: the purple crystals she had cut down scattered as debris, accelerating toward the flying Sphinx at high speed.

“Magic is about imagery. Once you think you’ve been blocked, it’s all over.”

However, the crystalline arrows that Minya symbolized weren’t merely about their shape. The main effect was to freeze the time of the target and then shatter it.

As long as they could pierce the target, size and shape were of little matter.

Thus, Beatrice’s debris stoked by her fighting spirit would not let the Sphinx escape.

And—

“Threat level recognition requires correction once more—”

“—Reconsidering this is a hundred years too late.”

Sphinx, trying desperately to evade the debris, found herself alongside Garfiel, who had leaped off the ground.

With sharp eyes and bared fangs, Garfiel growled like a wild beast, wildly swinging his supple arms, ready to deliver a crushing blow to Sphinx.

In that instant, the gazes of Garfiel and Sphinx interlocked.

The hesitation to strike an opponent who bore the same face as his grandmother caused turmoil in Garfiel’s heart—

“Your grandma’s scent in her heart is different—!”

Such concerns from outsiders were unnecessary for the reliable warriors of Emilia’s faction.

With a ferocious punch, Garfiel struck Sphinx across the face, slamming her body from the air down into the ground with his fist.

With the deafening crash akin to a boulder crashing down and a cloud of dust rising, Beatrice witnessed Sphinx’s body flying like a leaf beyond the force of his swing.

An unyielding and hesitation-free punch charged with pure anger from Garfiel.

If hit directly, Beatrice might be returned to mana in an instant—Sphinx was blown away into the smoke and found herself rolling on the ground.

“It’s a tackle from three of us. Wasn’t that excellent teamwork?”

“The one who first threw a tantrum sure says a lot.”

“Collaborating with you makes my skin crawl!”

As Rozwal shrugged, his demeanor seemingly calm, Beatrice and Garfiel returned insults.

Being cast aside like that, Rozwal shrugged again.

Then—

“—Again, threat level recognition requires correction.”

Amidst the settling dust, Sphinx murmured as she slowly moved her body.

Covered in dirt, Sphinx showed no signs of pain on her face, but her voice clearly carried the weight of accumulated damage.

“—”

Nevertheless, she glared at Beatrice and the others with her golden eyes.

What lay therein was not hostility or anger, but a monstrous gaze laden with cold, rational interest toward them.

“Tch, I don’t like this.”

Garfield clicked his tongue, feeling a chill from Sphinx’s gaze, just as Rozwal narrowed his eyes silently, beginning to gather mana within himself in clear displeasure.

Glancing sideways at Rozwal, who might not wait, Beatrice glared at Sphinx, who was attempting to rise again and stepped forward.

Representing the unreliable duo, she tried to ascertain what lay within her.

“I will deliberately call you out, Sphinx. What are you thinking—”

Just as Beatrice was about to say it—

“—”

The standing Sphinx trembled, her gaze drifting to her chest.

From her thin chest, the blade’s tip protruded. It had been stabbed through her back and exited through her chest—a fatal blade.

And the one holding that blade was—

“I have no need to let a girl with an ominous presence live.”

With that callous declaration, Mizelda withdrew the dagger then plunged it back in.

After mercilessly digging into Sphinx’s back and chest three times, she gripped Sphinx’s hair, tilting her head back and unceremoniously slashed her throat with the dagger.

As an undead, no blood flowed, but it was undeniable that all of it was a fatal injury.

Sphinx’s body fell to the ground, collapsing forward.

“Y-you… you…”

Beside the fallen Sphinx, Beatrice found herself at a loss for words, her eyes wide as she watched Mizelda check the dagger to ensure no blood clung to it.

Rozwal and Garfiel had no words for Mizelda’s actions either.

Noticing the expressions of the three, Mizelda tilted her head, her strikingly beautiful features shining with intensity.

“I understand that she was someone with whom you all had an enmity. But this is a grave matter. It’s the way of the battlefield.”

“Well, that’s that…”

Though the opinion was blunt, Garfiel surrendered, realizing there was no room for argument.

Having often been surprised by the values of the people from Volakia, Beatrice revised her perception of their harshness.

“Sphinx.”

While Beatrice and Garfiel were thrown off by their unease, Rozwal stepped forward. He looked down at the collapsed Sphinx with a vacant expression.

Mizelda’s strike had left fatal damage not just from where she was wounded, but it was evident from Sphinx’s body crumbling down.

Her lower body had already turned to dust, and the girl’s face, which had been cracking from the start, began disintegration as well—it was only a matter of time before she shattered entirely.

However, the undead’s life force had not yet extinguished.

While she lacked the strength for counterattacks or any futile efforts, she still managed to move her golden eyes, gazing back at Rozwal, who towered over her.

“—”

Although he knew it was not really Ryuzu, seeing her form crumble pained him.

What Rozwal felt differed from the sentiment of Beatrice, but perhaps his sentimentality to heal was obstructed by Mizelda’s absolute realism.

In any case, the root cause of the suffering for Beatrice and the others was—

“…I should have thoroughly considered this.”

In the midst of crumbling to pieces, Sphinx, without showing a hint of pain, murmured those words.

Initially, Beatrice thought that was an expression of regret over her lack of strength.

“—You lot are…”

But, the subsequent words revealed that it was not the case.

As she added those words, Beatrice gasped, and Garfiel muttered, “Huh?”

While Beatrice understood it was not entirely clear what she meant, she felt that it was a remark that should not be ignored, not a throwaway line.

Suddenly—

“—Cursed it!”

Rozwal, as if jolted, raised his face.

His expression was painted with frustration and self-reproach as he turned around. —Behind him, where the Dragon Carriage had leaped into the air with Beatrice.

In response to Rozwal’s burgeoning anxiety, Beatrice also turned that way.

As she found herself struck down by a storm within her small heart, she instinctively called out—

“—Subaru!”

△▼△▼△▼△

In an instant—yes, everything unfolded in the blink of an eye.

The moment she noticed the discomfort and voiced her question, everything was engulfed by a white light.

Emilia, Rem, and even Julius beside her weren’t allowed a reaction, naturally, nor was Subaru able to do anything as the white light devoured everything and vanished.

What it meant became instinctively clear to Natsuki Subaru.

—His life had ended, and “Return by Death” had begun.

As evidence—

“—I love you.”

He heard the whispering voice of the one who had once discovered him, as if she would never let him go again.

“Um, could you please deal with my confusion first?”

Just as that voice, mixed with exasperation, fatigue, and a hint of irritation rang out, Subaru felt the switch of “Ready, Set, Go!” activated within him.

“—”

He quickly assessed his footing and the surrounding situation, processing the faces gathered around him in an instant.

In the corridor of the Dragon Carriage, he had been conversing with Emilia and Julius when Rem had joined them. In the flow of the conversation, Subaru’s last comments had been, “Is it possible that in Gwaralu, Priscilla may have fed you misinformation…?”—reflecting concern for Rem. Up front, Abel and Otto had dedicated themselves to understanding the details of their combat power, and far behind, Beatrice, sent off with Rozwal, was probing for magical methods to counter the undead. In the direction Beatrice and the others had headed, Garfiel and the “People of Shudrak” were fighting bravely, and the members of the “Pleiades Battalion” were likely there too, urging a silent wish for no serious injuries, trusting that they would be alright.

—With the switch now activated, Subaru instantly captured that entire moment.

“Subaru?”

Emilia called out his name in surprise, and for a moment, Subaru’s racing eyes were reflected in hers.

Once, Tanza had pointed out, seeing Subaru in such a state.

“Schwarz-sama’s eyes were rolling around vividly, which was a bit eerie.”

Following his odd behavior right after “Return by Death,” Subaru’s extraordinary state as he strove to understand the situation had led to Tanza stumbling over words.

Emilia’s reaction mirrored that earlier form of hers, but it was more subtle.

At any rate—

“Emilia, wait a moment.”

He raised his hands, avoiding immediate scrutiny as his consciousness sharpened sharply.

In an environment where dying and retrying was the norm, the senses that were crucial for everyone’s survival on Gladiator Island enveloped Subaru, allowing him to focus intensely on unraveling the cause that had led him to “death.”

Had he died? It was too slow a thought to reflect on.

If he was dead, he needed to catch up with the reality of that before he could find a solution.

Not being able to switch gears quickly would mean that both he and those around him would lose their lives twice as easily.

“—? Um…”

“Rem, please.”

On the side of concentrated Subaru, Rem furrowed her brows in question. However, Emilia halted Rem’s inquiry with a hand.

In the same flow as before, but now he needed to lead them into a different development. One by one, he began to organize what he had done in his mind, changing the necessary branch points to avoid arriving at the conclusion of “death.”

For that—

“—Julius! Outside!”

“Understood!”

“Yes! I get it!”

The moment the girl’s figure, presaging the incoming “death,” sliced through the window, Subaru leaped toward it, calling out to Emilia and Julius behind him.

Without hesitation, Julius’s sword slashed through the wall of the Dragon Carriage, and aligned with the wall that was broken down, they sprang outside together, just before escaping the “Wind Barrier’s” range.

“—Rem! I have a favor to ask!” he called out.

△▼△▼△▼△

A long leg flashed, kicking down the faux Ryuzu to the ground, where the ground morphed to receive the undead’s body, restraining it once more in a bed of earth.

“Resisting is not advised. If you cannot heed this warning, I shall treat you as an ‘enemy,’ whether you are alive or dead.”

“—”

The faux Ryuzu stared at Julius, who held his sword pointed at her, lying flat on the ground. Perhaps she was marveling at Julius’s refined technique, but there was no advantage from Subaru’s “Return by Death” that he could capitalize on in this fight.

With Julius displaying pure power to restrain his opponent, Subaru clenched his fists tightly.

“It’s not Ryuzu, right?”

Julius neutralized his opponent with the briefest of encounters, causing Emilia to frown at the striking figure of the faux Ryuzu, who had jumped down together with them from the Dragon Carriage.

Subaru didn’t know the true identity of faux Ryuzu either. All he knew was that she was an undead and had hostility and the ability to act against them.

“Although her appearance is identical, she’s neither Ryuzu nor any of the Piko. More importantly, put me down and stay alert! Prepare, Emilia!”

“Aware? That girl has already been dealt with by Julius, hasn’t she?”

“There’s something much bigger coming. If we’re not prepared, we’ll definitely find ourselves in trouble.”

As he said this, Subaru leapt from Emilia’s grasp.

This time, he had entrusted her with landing assistance, while he was relying on Julius to immediately restrain faux Ryuzu. Without delay, Subaru approached Julius, who was securing the faux Ryuzu, and exclaimed—

“Nice job! But there’s more to come! A massive strike is going to come from the sky! We have to stop it, or everyone’s in danger!”

“From the sky?”

“Emilia is already taking deep breaths too!”

He glossed over the details, pointing back at Emilia.

Up ahead, Emilia, with arms outstretched, was taking long, deep breaths. She was raising her concentration in preparation for what was to come.

Understanding this, Julius nodded, and six-colored spirits began swirling around him.

“—You are…”

While urging Emilia and Julius to prepare quickly, the faux Ryuzu’s gaze fell on the ground, mixing with doubt.

Through now, she had realized that Subaru was the cause of her movement being constrained. However, the faux Ryuzu’s surprise didn’t end there.

“Balga Cromwell.”

“—”

Unexpectedly, the girl lying down uttered a name unfamiliar to Subaru.

—No, it might sound vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t instantly recall when it was or what it concerned.

At that moment, Emilia and Julius reacted differently beside Subaru, both showing signs of recognition regarding the name.

However, before they could pursue the matter, faux Ryuzu continued speaking first.

“This is a scheme of his which was not executed at the time.”

And without a pause, the subsequent developments seamlessly connected, as if to ignore the lagging questions.

“Subaru!!”

In an instant, Emilia’s voice changed as she drew Subaru close with force. At that moment, she gritted her teeth, and ice walls were erected around Subaru and the others.

Within that icy barrier, Julius readied his knight’s sword toward the restrained faux Ryuzu, gathering the power of the six spirits into a prism of rainbow light.

Having completed preparations for the imminent threat, Emilia and Julius stood ready.

Then—

“—What?”

A white light descended from the far sky, as if mocking them, obliterating everything in its path.

△▼△▼△▼△

“Um, could you please deal with my confusion first?”

“—!”

A voice laden with exasperation and fatigue echoed out as Subaru drew a short breath.

Unlike the last time, he couldn’t evade the arrival of “death” that he knew was imminent, and the self-reproach of not being able to measure the shock he’d foreseen struck his heart.

—He had completely miscalculated the reason for “death.”

Clinging to visible changes and believing he could prevent them, he had become overconfident.

Initially, the gap between sensing the faux Ryuzu’s presence and realizing he was about to “die” was far too short, resulting in him losing track of the real events happening.

The blinding white light that engulfed them didn’t originate from the faux Ryuzu, but rather from another place entirely.

“Subaru?”

“—Emilia, just wait!”

Sensing Subaru’s introspection, Emilia tilted her head in confusion. He responded by raising a hand.

Interrupting his reflections, he threw away his regrets. There was still potential for insights, but wallowing in regret was merely a self-indulgent embrace.

This way, neither he nor everyone around him would be saved.

He absolutely couldn’t allow that. No way, absolutely not.

In that moment, the faux Ryuzu had mentioned a name—“Balga Cromwell.” Although Subaru hadn’t grasped the significance, it seemed Emilia and Julius had some awareness. Should he inquire about the details? —No, better to wait. Even if he discovered who Balga was, it wouldn’t change the upcoming white light’s ferocity.

That attack stood before them as a tangible, immense threat. They must prevent it, but more importantly, was it possible to stop it from being unleashed in the first place? The faux Ryuzu was undoubtedly involved, but was she an undead capable of negotiations? If a talking undead, it would be dangerous to shut down avenues for negotiation. Yet, if she could communicate, she wouldn’t simply come after them blindly.

Regardless if she was amenable to discussion or not, for negotiations to happen, he first needed to set the table—

“—? Um…”

“Rem, please.”

As Subaru’s thoughts exploded, Emilia suppressed Rem’s inquiry.

Following the same path as before, he still needed to turn it into a different development this time. Methodically organizing what actions they took in his mind allowed him to deviate from the rail that led to “death.”

For that—

“—Julius! Outside! Emilia, come too!”

“Understood!”

“Yes! I get it!”

The instant the young girl’s figure premonitioned the forthcoming “death,” Subaru sprang to the window, calling out to the two behind him.

Without hesitation, Julius’s sword cleaved through the wall of the Dragon Carriage, and alongside the rubble, they went outside just before escaping the influence of the “wind shield.”

“—Rem! I have a favor to ask!” he called.

△▼△▼△▼△

With a fierce kick, the faux Ryuzu was slammed back down to the ground, where the nature of the earth shifted to receive her undead body, consequently restricting her once again in an earthen cover.

“Resisting is not advised. If you cannot heed this warning, I shall treat you as an ‘enemy,’ whether you are alive or dead.”

“—”

The faux Ryuzu fixed her gaze on Julius, who held his sword at the ready as he stood over her. Perhaps she was impressed by Julius’s impeccable technique, but neither Subaru’s “Return by Death” nor anything he had learned could apply in this battle.

Julius had subdued her purely through strength, causing Subaru to clench his fist tightly.

“It’s not Ryuzu.”

Within that split-second confrontation, having neutralized his opponent, Julius caused Emilia to frown at the elegant figure of the faux Ryuzu lying on the ground.

Subaru too was unaware of the faux Ryuzu’s true identity. All he knew was that she was undead and possessed ill intent and the ability to act against them.

“She looks just like Ryuzu, but she isn’t her or any Piko. More importantly, let me down and stay cautious! Prepare yourself, Emilia!”

“Cautious? Isn’t she down for the count after Julius dealt with her?”

“Something much more potent is coming. If we aren’t prepared, we could be done for.”

He declared, flinging himself out of Emilia’s arms.

This time, he had entrusted her with how to assist with the landing, while he anticipated that Julius would directly restrain the faux Ryuzu. Without a moment of hesitation, Subaru raced toward Julius, who had her secured.

“Thanks for holding it down! But there’s still more! A huge blast is going to come crashing down from the sky! We have to stop it, or everyone’s in real trouble!”

“From up in the sky?”

“Emilia is already taking deep breaths too!”

He glossed over the details, gesturing backwards towards Emilia.

At that moment, Emilia was breathing deeply, arms wide open as she concentrated, preparing herself for what might come next.

Catching this, Julius nodded as the six spirits swirled around him.

“—You are…”

Pressuring Emilia and Julius together to hasten their preparations, the faux Ryuzu’s gaze fell back door, filled with suspicion.

Following their previous exchanges, she suddenly understood that it was Subaru who had constrained her movements. However, her surprise didn’t end there.

“Balga Cromwell.”

“—”

Unpredictably, the girl on the ground uttered words unfamiliar to Subaru.

—No, he might have heard matching sounds before, but he couldn’t quite remember when or what it meant.

In that instant, both Emilia and Julius expressed recognition toward one another at the mention.

However, before either had the chance to follow that thread or inquire—

“This is a plan that he had back then which never took flight.”

Faux Ryuzu continued without skipping a beat.

Following that, the progression of events seamlessly continued, ignoring the delayed inquiry of the moment.

“Subaru!!”

In an instant, Emilia’s voice shifted, yanking Subaru close alongside her. As she clenched her teeth, an ice barrier erupted around Subaru and the others.

Within that icy barrier, Julius aimed his knight’s sword toward the bound faux Ryuzu, channeling the power of six spirits into a radiant spectrum.

In anticipation of the imminent threat, Emilia and Julius had prepared thoroughly.

Then—

“—What?”

A pure beam of white light descended from above as if mocking them, obliterating everything in its path.

△▼△▼△▼△

“Um, could you please deal with my confusion first?”

“—!”

A voice laden with exasperation and fatigue echoed out as Subaru drew a short breath.

Unlike the last time, he couldn’t evade the arrival of “death” that he knew was imminent, and the self-reproach of not being able to measure the shock he’d foreseen struck his heart.

—He had completely miscalculated the reason for “death.”

Clinging to visible changes and believing he could prevent them, he had become overconfident.

Initially, the gap between sensing the faux Ryuzu’s presence and realizing he was about to “die” was far too short, resulting in him losing track of the real events happening.

The blinding white light that engulfed them didn’t originate from the faux Ryuzu, but rather from another place entirely.

“Subaru?”

“—Emilia, just wait!”

Sensing Subaru’s introspection, Emilia tilted her head in confusion. He responded by raising a hand.

Interrupting his reflections, he threw away his regrets. There was still potential for insights, but wallowing in regret was merely a self-indulgent embrace.

This way, neither he nor everyone around him would be saved.

He absolutely couldn’t allow that. No way, absolutely not.

In that moment, the faux Ryuzu had mentioned a name—“Balga Cromwell.” Although Subaru hadn’t grasped the significance, it seemed Emilia and Julius had some awareness. Should he inquire about the details? —No, better to wait. Even if he discovered who Balga was, it wouldn’t change the upcoming white light’s ferocity.

That attack stood before them as a tangible, immense threat. They must prevent it, but more importantly, was it possible to stop it from being unleashed in the first place? The faux Ryuzu was undoubtedly involved, but was she an undead capable of negotiations? If a talking undead, it would be dangerous to shut down avenues for negotiation. Yet, if she could communicate, she wouldn’t simply come after them blindly.

Regardless if she was amenable to discussion or not, for negotiations to happen, he first needed to set the table—

“—? Um…”

“Rem, please.”

As Subaru’s thoughts exploded, Emilia suppressed Rem’s inquiry.

Following the same path as before, he still needed to turn it into a different development this time. Methodically organizing what actions they took in his mind allowed him to deviate from the rail that led to “death.”

For that—

“—Julius! Outside!”

“Understood!”

“Yes! I get it!”

The instant the young girl’s figure premonitioned the forthcoming “death,” Subaru sprang to the window, calling out to the two behind him.

Without hesitation, Julius’s sword slashed through the wall of the Dragon Carriage, and alongside the rubble, they sprang outside just before escaping the influence of the “wind shield.”

“—Rem! I have a favor to ask!” he called.

 

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