――Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill.

Only distilled hatred, only murderous intent, grows deeper and deeper in the murky darkness.

――Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill.

No matter how many times I mumble, how many times I spit it out, how many times I wring it dry, the spiral of hatred never runs out.

I had never hated someone, another person, a human, this much in my entire life.

Since arriving in this world, I have experienced hating some for their shapeless fate many times. It is an unforgiving world that sends Subaru crashing to the bottom, pushes back reality mercilessly no matter how many times I try to rise, and makes me pay with my life for every wrong choice I make—those countless moments of hatred I can count.

However, I have never hated an individual this deeply in my entire life.

“Petelgeuse… Romanee-Conti…”

The instant I utter that name, envision his figure behind my eyelids, hear his shrill voice reverberating in my eardrums, and acknowledge his existence in my mind, my body erupts with raging fury.

What was that man, that madman?

I know nothing of his background. All that Subaru understands is that he is an utterly deranged individual, a flawed human who cannot communicate rationally, a scoundrel who thinks nothing of oppressing others according to his values, and the evil spirit who mercilessly hurt Rem, who threw herself to rescue Subaru, and utterly desecrated her life and soul. All of that screams that it is intolerable to allow that man to live.

So I must kill him; I have to kill him. With my own hands, I can’t leave it to anyone else. With Subaru’s hands, Petelgeuse must be killed.

Otherwise, how can I repay the debt for Rem’s death?

“Kill, kill, I will definitely… kill…!”

Affirming my killing intent aloud, Subaru twists his body and rattles the shackles.

I swing my arms and legs with brute force, trying again and again to escape from the shackles. Originally, they were shackles tightened so much that they gripped my flesh. After so much reckless movement, my body cannot endure it, and the skin on my arms tears, exposing the flesh beneath, blood flowing.

A scorching pain runs from the wound, boiling my mind. Yet, every time that pain assaults my nerves, I grit my teeth, thinking of the suffering Rem endured.

If my hands are to tear off, then so be it. If I can escape the shackles, even moving just one finger or one toe will be enough to end Petelgeuse’s life.

Desperately writhing, every twist brings fresh pain and blood dribbling from my lips, as I seek the moment to unleash my hatred, looking for the means to express my desire to kill.

――It’s already been over four hours since Petelgeuse had abandoned Subaru and left the cave.

The light sources scattered around the cave walls—the Ragmite ore—had lost their glow, now only casting a faint and weak light to reveal their location.

Once capable of radiating light through shock, they had lost their purpose, and only a pale blue dimness continued to unfurl throughout the cave.

Even Subaru, who desperately struggled to free himself from the shackles, could hardly see his own hands in the dark. In a way, it was perhaps because he couldn’t plainly see the extent of his own injuries that he could act without hesitation and hurt himself.

“Petelgeuse…!”

I grit my teeth and spit out the name of that hated man, keeping my will high.

In this darkness, where nothing else is perceived apart from my own presence, the breaths are ragged, the heartbeat loud, the sound of shackles scraping, and the thud of blood dripping—there’s no shifting in the outside world, this solitude rapidly weakens the human heart.

For a moment, I imagine removing all sounds.

“—Ah! I will kill, kill, I will definitely kill!!”

But soon after, I couldn’t bear that vision and foam began to bubble on my lips as I raised a furious scream of wrath.

In a world separated from all outside sounds, being alone in that space easily destroys, rots, and ends the human spirit.

If I don’t move, nothing can begin. Escaping from the fear of being left behind in that reality, I scream to look away from that truth.

As long as I yell hatred, I can remain sane.

By continuing to harbor murderous intent like a madman, I can keep from going insane.

To stay sane, Subaru needs hate.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

I have lost track of how many hours have passed since then.

“Hyuu, hyuu… ko, hyuu…”

My consciousness drifts hazily in between wakefulness and unconsciousness.

Fatigue, weakness, and deterioration slowly squeeze Subaru’s mind and body.

The throat that has gone on spitting pure hatred long ago has grown hoarse, and the endless lamentations no longer form coherent words but come out as rasping breaths.

The physical body that continued challenging the shackles maxed out, the flesh tore, revealing bloodless wounds. My ankles are exposed with red-black flesh up to the area of my ankles, causing jarring pain with every slight movement.

――Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill.

Yet still, from the abyss of my heart, murderous intent continues to bubble.

Now, with my body and head no longer obeying me, only my heart holds Subaru up.

Since being left behind in the world of solitude, a full day has nearly passed. My mind and body are at their limits, but Subaru hasn’t closed his eyes.

If this consciousness were to snap, I might never wake again. And if I forgot this hatred, I would cease to acknowledge reality.

Only hatred, only murderous intent affirms Subaru’s sanity.

If I forget this, Subaru would once again confine himself in the shattered world of his mind, becoming a sloth-like creature, crying and laughing madly.

Sloth, sloth, sloth, sloth, sloth, sloth, sloth, sloth, sloth.

The trio of letters repeats over and over again in my mind.

Petelgeuse’s annoying laugh, his crazed gestures, his very actions, all connect to those three letters.

If I were to succumb to weakness and plunge into sloth, I will display the wretchedness he spoke of. I can never accept that.

“Sloth” Petelgeuse. Witch Cult. Archbishop of Sin. Finger. Right hand. Left hand. Invisible hand. Index finger. Ring finger. Pinky. Diligence. Sloth. Sloth. Sloth.

The list comprises the typical words of delusions loudly proclaimed by Petelgeuse.

While recalling their meanings in my deadened mind, I clung even a little, just a bit, to stitch together my fading consciousness by digging up memories related to Petelgeuse.

I must remember more vividly, more clearly, and more brightly; I must dredge up that man’s face, voice, figure, way of walking, speech, thought, touch—be as specific as remembering a beloved person, searing it into my soul alongside hatred, and burning it continuously as fuel for awakening.

My physical strength to free myself is depleted, my hoarse throat is lacerated, I pour every last bit of my willpower just to postpone the loss of consciousness.

From the outside, Subaru’s mind had surely reached the dimension of madness.

Only he could fail to see that maintaining consciousness and fueling his hatred bore no meaning. In a world with only himself, what he couldn’t realize was like having an unanswerable question echo forever.

Which would break first, the mind gradually eroding or the heart fading into nothingness?

Or would the body weaken first before the mind could wake up?

Simply put, which of the determined endpoints would I choose?

In maintaining consciousness, there was originally nothing left but that meaning.

It was neither Subaru’s stubbornness nor his refusal to give up that gave those futile flailing about any significance.

“—?”

Suddenly, amidst the pitch-black darkness, Subaru sensed the presence of someone or something else, and held his breath.

Lazily lifting his head, Subaru tried to ascertain the sensed presence. However, the depth of the cave’s darkness was not something to yield under mere straining of his eyes. Without a nearby Ragmite ore as a means to dispel it, Subaru could only freeze and shrink away from the suddenly manifesting presence.

Whether the presence is friendly, or antagonistic, was unknowable.

If a third party was keen on offering assistance, they would surely call out, but if someone appeared without uttering a word, it was too suspicious.

Holding his breath, even consciously calming his heart’s rhythm, Subaru stifled the presence.

And yet, that presence drew closer, slowly, truly slowly, creeping towards Subaru with a steady pace.

In complete darkness, the presence came closer to Subaru as if it knew.

A sense of danger, impatience, and shivers coursed through him.

But those sensations were immediately countered by an entirely opposite sensation surfacing in Subaru’s mind.

――Where did this presence even come from?

Subaru had no experience of training to sense someone’s presence. That’s why the feeling of sensing the presence of someone other than himself in the darkness was due to the biological sounds that were suddenly manifesting, a sign of life.

And those sounds were incredibly near, not at all being transmitted from some distant place like the entrance. More importantly, they hadn’t come from behind him.

The sound had appeared out of nowhere near the cave’s center.

Realizing this, Subaru trembled his lips in disbelief,

“Rem…?”

I called out the name of the girl likely responsible for the sound and presence.

It can’t be, reason protested within me.

The last time Subaru saw Rem while there was still light in the cave, her appearance was in a state that could not bear scrutiny.

Her limbs had been torn off, her ears had been removed, and she’d been pierced through her body countless times by blades.

In that condition, unable to receive treatment and abandoned on the cold ground that ruthlessly robbed her of warmth for dozens of hours, how could she still be alive?

It was only natural that she would be dead.

If that was the case, then what could this presence be? What could lurk behind the sound, crawling towards Subaru at such a speed?

“Rem, Rem…?”

“――――”

In response to my clingy call, only silence returned.

Even so, the sensed presence seemed to gain certainty in its direction from Subaru’s voice, now appearing to crawl just a little quicker. Perhaps it was a slight change, but still…

Slowly, slowly, there was the sound of something dragging against the cold ground.

There’s no way she could be standing and walking. If it is her, then she must be crawling towards me desperately with the two remaining limbs, moving likeworm-like.

I pushed myself up, pulling at the shackles and clanking the chains, trying to move myself. But the wall restraints were sturdy, and after several hours of struggle, the shackles would not simply loosen up. Frustrated, filled with sympathy, my chest swelled with warmth as I cried, continuing to wait for the presence crawling toward me to arrive.

And then――

“Re…”

Finally, the crawling presence reached Subaru’s body.

As he braced to receive it with joy and shout, Subaru froze.

The sensation was too light, too cold, it felt as if it couldn’t possibly belong to a living being.

“Re, Rem…?”

Subaru saw the figure of Rem sprawled on the ground at his feet, lying face down. Her body trembled in shivers, already void of the warmth of blood, cold as ice.

Even in that state of demise, she still clawed at Subaru, desperately trying to cling on. There was no sensation from her left hand. Only her right hand climbed up Subaru’s leg, waist, and chest, wrapping around him from the front.

Without words, Subaru received that embrace from the dead.

He thought he was certain it was Rem who clung to him right then, yet the body he touched felt undeniably lifeless and surreal, as if it moved with nothing but the embers of a fading fire of life.

For a while, the embrace continued.

Suddenly, Rem released their icy embrace.

Her body, which had wrapped around Subaru with just one arm, slackened and fell to the knees. Subaru hurriedly reached out to support her, but his hands couldn’t hold her.

Because,

“――Uu!?”

His outstretched hand was seized by Rem’s body and forced down to the ground.

Subaru was thrown forward and stumbled from Rem’s sudden action, stunned by her unexpected strength, only to be further astonished by her next action.

A heavy liquid poured down from directly above Subaru’s outstretched arms.

Thick, smelling of iron rust; cold water—its true identity was the blood Rem had expelled, and the realization dawned on Subaru as it splattered into his mouth, delivering taste sensations.

The revulsion at being doused in someone else’s blood sent shivers down Subaru’s spine, but the continuous subsequent changes promptly eradicated that negative emotion.

“――Ma”

That whisper barely trembled the air, interacting with mana to manifest effect.

“――Daz!”

Pain pierced Subaru as if a sharp blade had gouged into his wrist.

It was such an excruciating sensation that he instinctively tilted his head back, the pain starting from his wrist and spreading further up to his forearm and shoulder.

In the onset of pain, confusion reigned. Blood splattered on him, the suddenness of the agony ran rampant, threatening to render both arms useless—just after that flash of terror,

――With a loud snap, the restraints crumbled, overcome by internal pressure.

The sound of metal shattering resounded loudly in the cave, pieces falling to the ground.

With the rapidly alleviating pain, Subaru exhaled heavily, recognizing the sense of freedom spreading through his arms alongside the burning sensation that coated his skin.

Then he understood.

“Rem, you…!”

Rem had frozen the blood she expelled with magic, using that pressure to shatter the shackles.

Naturally, Subaru’s arms that were fully affected by the magic were not left intact either. However, his wrists could move, and his fingers obeyed Subaru’s will. So long as he disregarded the pain, he could force himself to move as he normally would.

In other words, Rem’s intentions had succeeded.

As he attempted to praise her, Subaru felt a slight weight against his body.

That weight was far too light. Blood had drained from within, and her life was waning.

“Rem… Wait, Rem. Don’t leave me…”

Was he trying to say not to leave him behind?

Did he want to ask if she hated him?

Whichever was true, Subaru despaired at his own self-centeredness.

Even at this point, he lamented for the pitifulness of wanting to protect his own weak existence.

Rem had literally turned death upside down to save Subaru.

Yet now, that flicker of her life was about to completely extinguish.

“――Nn”

“Rem?”

Rem’s cold lips were about to weave together some words for the first time.

Sparing a word was so precious that she crawled across the ground with her frozen body, reciting magic power while in a dazed state, trying to leave something behind at the end.

And that was,

“C-come…”

“――――!”

“I… love…”

She died.

Right now, Rem died.

Against Subaru’s arms, her light body grew heavy. That body, still light, lifeless, entirely devoid of a soul, exerted its weight across all of Subaru.

At the end of her life, she told Subaru to “Live.”

――A wailing echoed hauntingly through the dark cave.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

It was several hours later that Subaru finally escaped the fetters of the shackles.

Having shed the shackles, inside the bounds of his leg restraints, he continued stretching out his hands until he finally succeeded in grasping one of the crosses that had fallen from a dead black robed hand during the battle with Rem.

Though the blade was broken, that turned out to be for the best. Had it been intact, Subaru might have made some desperate act of severing his own ankle.

“…It’s light.”

Subaru rotated his ankle to find most of the flesh crudely torn away, bone visible, testing his limitations amid pain. Ignoring the agonizing pain that seemed almost blinding with each step, he determined it seemed he could still walk.

As he stood up, he held Rem’s remains in his arms.

Being half of her limbs lost, her body appeared far too small and light in the embrace of his freed arms. He could fully hide her in his chest, and feeling the weight of such a small form saved his life, filled him with pure pity and gratitude.

He carefully struck the broken blade of the cross against the metal joints of the shackles. In a battle of endurance between the annihilation of the cross and destruction of the shackles, just barely the cross took the victory.

After violently throwing the severed shackles against the wall, the Ragmite ore shone brightly on impact, illuminating the cave in a faint blue hue.

The cold light illuminated the shadowy cave. Even such weak light felt dazzling to Subaru after dozens of hours, piercing his eyelids.

Feeling tears welling from the pain in his eyes, Subaru commented to himself with strange admiration that there were still tears left within him.

He thought he had already cried and screamed to the point of drying out his throat and exhausting every last tear.

“Let’s go, Rem.”

While the Ragmite glowed from the impact, Subaru stepped outside.

With each step, a jolt of pain surged up from his legs. That rising pain transmitted into his shoulders, imposing further suffering on the arms lifting Rem.

Not a single part of his body was without pain. Not a single spot remained unbloodied.

Yet the part where the pain struck hardest felt entirely numb.

Slowly, like the sluggish steps of a turtle, Subaru and Rem advanced over the cold ground of the cave. The cold earth seeped into the raw soles of his bare feet, yet the body of Rem in his arms felt cold beyond comparison. The coldness paled in significance when measured against hers.

Once they passed through the long, narrow passage of the cave, they reached a boulder blocking the opening.

For a moment, upon nearing it, Subaru felt hopeless. The rock that sealed off the entry loomed large, roughly matching his height, wide enough to fit three of him side by side. When weighed against ten of his own mass, this rock was certainly beyond what he could move.

There was no way he could budge it. He pondered how he entered in the first place, but those memories from when he had shut himself away were vague and adrift, with no blueprint for displacing the rock presenting itself anywhere in his mind.

“It was a straight path, right…?”

It might have been that another exit existed, but he had no recollection of there being one along the journey so far. Perhaps like the stone, there was a cleverly disguised hidden passage, but if such existed, how long might it take and what luck would be required to unearth it?

Sparks of inspiration and strokes of fortune had never really been part of Subaru’s life.

“Having come this far, no way… Please don’t let this be…”

Disheartened, Subaru leaned against the boulder, giving voice to his displeasure, and as he touched the rock before him――in that instant, something shifted.

The rock, the mass intended to support Subaru, suddenly vanished.

Instead of leaning against it, Subaru stumbled ahead and nearly toppled over, just managing to push his feet forward to regain his balance, becoming scorched by the evening sunset’s fiery hues spilling over the world.

“――!”

The vivid orange rays of sunlight splashed radiantly upon Subaru, almost forcing a pained groan from his lips.

Beyond the forest, beyond the hills, the sunset sank, filling the horizon with its crimson glow, draping the world in colors akin to fire as it bade farewell to the day.

Having been submerged in darkness for so long, Subaru momentarily squatted down, prepared for the light to embrace his eyes. After a brief moment, when he stood up, blinking his eyes a few times, he confirmed he was not being affected by the light before glancing around.

As far as his eyes could see, he recognized not a single vestige of the place he once knew.

Scanning the surroundings gave no trace of human habitation. Not a single hint of muddy roads or town routes reared their heads. Given the nature of the crowd that had sheltered themselves in the cave, it made sense; this indeed felt like a completely isolated prison.

“But I have to walk…”

Without a set destination, there was no clear path.

Even so, spurred on by the light weight in his arms, Subaru began walking into the forest. He stepped on leaves, leaped over roots, crossing over the soil, venturing deeper into the gathering night.

He was definitely getting closer to Meisters Territory—or Roswaal’s Mansion.

During the moments his consciousness faded, Rem must have been guiding Subaru toward the mansion. He dredged up memories of riding in the dragon carriage, safely nestled on her lap, of the time spent together.

They had encountered problems when the dragon carriage overturned, troubles brought on by the so-called “Witch Cultists,” who had seized Subaru, while Rem burned her life away to save him, leading to the current situation.

What began as a situation breakdown turned into memories that amassed hatred, burning through Subaru’s insides as if caught in an endless inferno.

Thinking of Rem brought about emotional agony, crushed down by a mix of gratitude and guilt.

Recalling Petelgeuse, the body quaked with overflowing disgust.

Anger, sadness, hatred, affection—they all supported and drove Subaru onward.

No path was laid before him, nor was there anyone to lead the way.

Even so, Subaru’s footfalls would not stop, his consciousness refused to fade any further.

――And perhaps, that was the miracle taking place within him.

With no guideposts, nor anything he could rely on, he simply refused to cease moving forward. There, at the journey’s end, lay what he sought—a place he yearned to reach.

Miracles denote phenomena of mystery that exceed human powers.

If such was the case, then without needing anyone’s help, overcoming the shortest path to arrive at a destination must surely be counted as a miracle.

Since arriving in this world, for the first time, Subaru was granted a miracle.

Should there have been a god governing fate, it was as if for the first time they smiled upon Subaru.

And that smile, that miracle,

“――Ha”

――Only descended upon Subaru once.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

The hell of an occurrence Subaru had witnessed once before invaded the village once more.

Charred homes, villagers soaked in blood. The lifeless bodies, stripped of their lives in futile resistance, were carelessly stacked in the village center, forming a mountain of corpses.

Slashed with blades, pierced through, burnt by magic, crushed without hope of survivors.

The only difference from before lay in the fact that this time, the corpses of children were even more gruesomely mangled,

“Petra. Mirdo. Ruka. Meina. Cain, Dine…”

The sight was a gruesome heap including the poor bodies of children among that vile spectacle.

Subaru’s knees buckled as he cradled Rem.

He crumbled in that spot, clutching that cold body tightly, his sobs weaving through the air.

What had he been doing?

Why had he known this outcome, yet looked away?

Only upon emerging from the forest and spotting the black smoke rising from the direction of the village did Subaru succeed in completely forgetting this scene—the crushing hell’s image—within his mind.

No, he hadn’t just turned away; he bore a facade of emotional devastation at the heart of Rem’s death and used his endless hatred for Petelgeuse as an excuse.

Having tried to escape the events that had occurred, once again, Subaru had chosen his own selfishness.

The result was the scene before him.

The children lying here had perished because Rem, who should have defended them, had been unable to arrive at the village. As a result of his survival, the children suffered the bitter end.

The abhorrent reality consumed Subaru’s heart.

Now, he understood. Everything became clear.

It was Petelgeuse.

He killed the villagers, he killed the children, he killed Rem.

Not once, nor twice, but he committed an unforgivable act.

The course was determined. He realized what must be done.

Petelgeuse must be killed. He must be slaughtered, exterminated, burned down to every last atom, and obliterated from existence.

Unless that occurs, he could not repay the debt of death.

Subar’s thoughts ignited with colors of hatred.

His vision darkened in red, blood pulsating up to his head, spilling out from his nostrils.

Wiping away the blood dripping from his nose, he hugged Rem tighter, lifting himself up with newfound determination. His knees trembled, and his ankles quivered, making standing and walking feel like wonders.

“I will kill, kill, kill, kill, kill him…”

But if he could walk, if he could move, he would gnash upon his throat.

Dragging along consciousness coated with murderous intent, Subaru headed towards the mansion. He had witnessed the history of the village; the island of damnation had undergone a change. What awaited in the mansion? The memories before dying, just prior to setting forth again—remained fragmented.

Upon reaching the mansion, Subaru thought he’d observed something, something definitive that broke his spirit. What exactly that “something” was, he scoured his mind for scrap pieces.

His confrontation with Rem’s dead body…

And this was something he had already endured—Rem had died, her death and devotion delivering an unfathomable shock to Subaru.

“Kuha…”

Naturally, hysterics spilled forth.

Really, truly, nothing had changed.

Only the sequence was jumbled. The events unfolding remained unchanged; had he ever spent so much time in vain?

No matter how it turned out, death should have yielded some benefit to Subaru.

Yet here, shattered in mind, unable to salvage a single thing, he stood at hell’s threshold once more; what worth remained in this dreadful life?

The moment of murderous intent began to shift, heretofore defined.

Petelgeuse, that name was all that supported Subaru. That must be enough. Surely that guy must be the one he wanted to kill. If he killed that fellow, then he—

Would it be good if he died as well afterward?

Beginnings of noise intertwined within his thoughts, as Subaru’s awareness flickered.

Once again, he stood at the edge between sanity and madness, glaring ahead with bloodshot eyes.

No matter what may come, heading toward the mansion remained paramount as he chose to postpone addressing the matters at hand.

And then――,

“――――――――――！！”

The moment he crested the hill, Subaru witnessed Roswaal’s mansion collapsing.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

The roof caved in, and the terrace disintegrated.

Windows shattered, scattering glimmering shards around, while cracked white walls collapsed with agonizing screams.

Arriving at the front gate, Subaru stared up in dazed disbelief at the utter devastation.

Like a demolition job executed with explosives, the mansion lost its outline in an instant.

The familiar structure lost its form, leaving its ruins strewn chaotically across the once impeccably maintained gardens, wiping all traces of what had been a mansion.

With desperate thoughts, he sought experiences from his memories to match this sight, but he found no recollections. Perhaps the shock was too immense; he couldn’t even remember the precise moment he died.

“W-What the…?”

Perplexity danced upon his lips, and amongst it loomed the gaunt visage of a laughing man.

If the murder of the villagers were his doing, then he must have turned his murderous intent toward the mansion as well.

The method behind this destruction must have led to the crumbling of the mansion. Still,

“What could have happened to cause such…?”

Grasping at head-spinning perplexity, Subaru huffed white breath and stared wide-eyed in bewilderment.

Grow anxious, seeking warmth by grasping the sensation from within his arms only served to intensify the cold that crept up his palms, flooding warmth into his chest.

Then, belatedly, Subaru realized.

――His breath was visible; the hasty exhalations bloomed in the chilly air.

Before long, a searing pain encircled his entire body.

The breaths he expelled steam-white transformed immediately into icy droplets upon scattering in the air, while the oxygen he inhaled sent chills through his lungs, robbing him of warmth from within, torturing Subaru like never before.

What on earth was happening?

Losing all his body heat, standing remained a struggle, and he could feel himself sinking.

He squatted down, folding over, leaning into the ground, his back sprawled as he lay sideways, still clutching Rem.

It was no longer a matter of blood loss or exhaustion; it transcended those levels.

Subaru recognized the sense of detaching from his own body, the feeling of drifting out of consciousness. He had already experienced it numerous times, this unnerving loneliness and helplessness, never once getting used to it.

The end was closing in. To resist for even a moment, Subaru sought places in his unresponsive body where willpower could spread, relaying commands to every part of him from his mind. Yet, only his eyes managed to barely shift, leaving him to only gaze upward at the shattered mansion.

“—Ah.”

And within that now-immobile, fixed view, Subaru beheld.

――A creature standing atop the remnants of what once was the mansion.

With scruffy gray fur enveloping its body, golden dazzling eyes glared down upon him.

The beast introduced by its feet, long tail swaying in a majestic manner, evoked a sense of mystery.

But above all, that creature was overwhelmingly stout, so huge that one might mistake it for an extension of the mansion itself.

As Subaru beheld it from a distance, the realization struck his mind; he understood why the mansion had collapsed.

That beast must have erupted from within the mansion. With such a formidable figure bursting forth, the house was at its absolute liminality.

Shifting, the colossal beast surveyed its surroundings, its gray fur suggesting it to be a feline.

It spewed sharp fangs from its mouth, exhaling flurrying breath resembling white powder and coloring the world in a living hell, freezing everything solid.

What is it? His eyes dimmed, uncertainty enveloped Subaru as the tightness in his throat became palpable.

The icy chill he had felt moments prior vanished, replaced instead by a warmth radiating from within.

Invited by that warmth, all temptations to surrender, filled with flames of hatred and sorrow within his soul, slowly dissipated.

Forget, forget; his consciousness slipped into the abyss of oblivion, drawn towards that chilling warmth.

《Sleep—Alongside my daughter》

In that moment just before losing consciousness, Subaru felt as if someone spoke to him.

Amid the pleasures that rendered everything unimportant, Natsuki Subaru floated away, dissolving into nothingness.

He melted, melted, melted, and then—vanished.

 

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