The sound of purple stakes piercing flesh echoed, and the shock shattered purple crystals filled the corridor with chaotic reflections of light.

Countless stakes targeted Elsa’s slender body from all directions, turning it into a hive.

The aura of certainty. While I gasped at Beatrice’s overwhelming magical power, I couldn’t shake off the ominous premonition blooming explosively in my chest as I witnessed the girl before me disregard the killer.

――I feel like I’m forgetting something. Something that must not be overlooked.

What that is, a myriad of emotions interfere before I can pull it from my memory.

Why did Elsa come to the mansion? With Frederica’s dying moments in doubt, I was overwhelmed with feelings of guilt towards her, and my heart was a mess over the cause of her death. I still couldn’t process Petra’s fate, and deep down, I could hear my emotions screaming to check on Rem, who should be on the other side of the door. What to do about Beatrice, and what must I talk to her about?

None of the confusions clouding Subaru’s heart could yield an answer.

“――――”

Thus, Subaru missed the opportunity that should have been avoided and regretted it.

“――Zuh, huh?”

Something pierced deep into Subaru’s right shoulder, breaking through the brilliance.

Looking at the pain, I saw my wound oozing blood, and my thoughts ignited in red heat. A throat-seizing scream burst forth as Subaru, clutching his injury, fell backward onto the corridor floor.

“Why…!? That should’ve been a direct hit!?”

Beatrice shouted, witnessing Subaru’s injury.

While my thoughts were seared by pain, I heard Beatrice’s shout and realized. I realized it. That’s not right. There was a direct hit, that much is certain. But,

“Elsaaaaa!!”

“You don’t have to call me with such fervor; I can hear you perfectly well.”

Stimulated by the agonizing pain, hatred surged from Subaru’s mouth beside his desperate scream. The response came from the corridor where the brilliance danced—her voice calm and gentle, as if not experiencing a deadly exchange at all.

“It’s not possible to remain unscathed, you know.”

“If I had been naked, I would have certainly died from that, though.”

As Beatrice shook her head, Elsa answered, her long braid swaying. There wasn’t a trace of Beatrice’s magic striking her. It was just as it had been a moment ago.

No, there was one difference. She had discarded the black cloak she’d been wearing and now appeared light, dressed only in her black robes beneath.

“The coat that nullifies magic!”

“I’m sure this is the second time you’ve seen it. For some reason, it seems you delayed telling that girl considerably.”

“Damn…!”

Anger boiled as I pushed aside the possibility of forgetfulness; this was an unforgivable blunder.

Elsa’s robe nullified magic once. —Yet, I should have known that when I clashed with Elsa in the Royal Capital.

Considering the unexpected attack and the lack of coordination with Beatrice, this was indeed an unacceptable error.

“When the seed cracks, I won’t be surprised by something so trivial.”

“――Alright. That’s splendid. Strong and lovely. It seems I can enjoy a warmth that’s different from that of a girl who just cries.”

As Beatrice raised her magical power once more, Elsa twirled the kukri dagger in her hand, smiling. The smile laced with blood, her now-ominous words—recognizing who she meant by the ‘girl just crying’ sent Subaru into a boiling rage instantly.

“You have no right to demean Petra!!”

The small dagger stuck in Subaru’s right shoulder—a type that had a hook at the tip, preventing it from being easily removed. Clenching his jaw, Subaru yanked it out in one swift motion.

Bright red pain filled his vision, and he felt a deadly blow to his right arm’s functionality. However, ignoring all that damage, he hurled the extracted dagger at Elsa.

Even though it was a reckless throw without restraint, it was an approach unpracticed and clumsy.

The fact that it flew straight toward Elsa was more of a miracle. The speed felt cumbersome. Yet, before the killer with transcendent skills, it had no effect whatsoever.

“Though I appreciate your determination, this isn’t enough—”

“I’ll drain you dry! Shamak—!!”

“――!?”

Facing Elsa’s ready stance, Subaru quaked his throat and cast the Shamak for the third time.

Gathering the nearly depleted mana from his body due to the first two casts, he unleashed his life force through the untrained gate of magic.

His eyes bloodshot, a nosebleed dripping; the roar of his soul bore fruit.

Darkness spread out across the corridor’s center, engulfing the space between Subaru and Elsa. The small dagger he hurled plunged fiercely into the unknowable abyss, shooting toward Elsa—the trajectory unseen by her.

“Hit――!”

“I was a little surprised. But if it can’t burst, it will only stray from the line of fire.”

Leaving those words behind, Elsa lowered herself and spun gracefully.

Her move to evade the dagger’s path allowed the oversight caused by Subaru’s Shamak not reaching her.

The small dagger bursting forth from the pitch black curtain spared its owner’s body and flew away down the corridor. Subaru’s attack seemed to end futilely—but it seemed too early to conclude that.

“Bea-chan!!”

“Don’t shout my name so suddenly――!”

Had it been just Subaru alone here, his attack would have failed miserably.

However, there were two foes present—the other girl, within the brief moment Subaru had created, had completed her next incantation.

“I’ll show you. –The real, dark magic.”

“What are you—”

What Subaru was about to say was lost either in his throat or Elsa’s.

That was obscured once more by Beatrice’s next action.

Her small hands pressed together before her chest, glaring at Elsa, Beatrice trembled, her lips quivering. Those were only a few words, but they held the potential to reshape the world.

“—Urshamak.”

—The genuine ‘darkness,’ incomparable to Subaru’s imitation of dark magic, enveloped the mansion.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

When he realized it, Subaru found himself in darkness.

“――――?”

No, whether he noticed or not, consciousness was still unclear.

He had no idea where he was, whether standing or sitting, or knowing anything at all.

Up, down, left, right—everything was ambiguous. Was he breathing in or out? Was blood flowing? Was his heart still beating? Was he alive or dead?

Nothing was comprehensible. There were no answers to anything. If it were his Shamak, he would have felt the sensations transmitted from his feet and at least detected changes within his body. External interference would be impossible to understand, but on the other hand, his internal perception had become acutely sensitive.

But within this darkness, there was none of that.

It felt as though he had melted into the shadows, unaware of where he was.

He couldn’t tell if he still retained a human form. He didn’t know how to move his hands, so he couldn’t check by touching his body. He couldn’t ascertain where he was because he didn’t know how to move his feet, so he couldn’t walk. What was walking? What was confirming?

――Who exactly am I, to begin with?

The boundary between oneself and others blurred.

The boundary between oneself and the world faded.

His thinking power dissolved. It vanished. It disappeared.

If it continues like this, if it goes on like this――.

It will end.

End.

End.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

“……Are you finally going to wake up?”

A dry sound struck his cheek, and Subaru’s consciousness was jolted back.

He blinked, releasing a groan as the sudden brightness of his returned vision was painful. As if responding, pain re-struck his cheek, a double hit from both sides.

“Why are you hitting me twice!?”

“I just wanted to clear your mind. The second one was, for some reason, just a reflex.”

Glaring at Beatrice’s teasing face, Subaru belatedly noticed he was sprawled out on the corridor floor.

Rising up, he confirmed that his body was intact. A sharp pain radiated from his right shoulder. When he looked down, a fresh wound was seeping blood, demanding attention.

“Aah, that hurts… Can’t I, like, partially apply Shamak to this?!”

“It’s not that I can’t, but even if I did, it wouldn’t make the wound disappear. If you roam around without treating it, you’ll likely die from blood loss.”

Beatrice’s chilling forecast sent a shiver down Subaru’s spine. While covering the wound with his palm, he narrowed his eyes, remembering, “More importantly…”

“What happened to Elsa? The fact you’re taking your sweet time here means she retreated, right?”

“What are you talking about?”

“There’s no point in sugarcoating it. If she’s still around, this isn’t the time to be doing this. That last Shamak was leagues beyond anything I’ve done, but with that alone…”

“At this point, your ignorance is almost pathetic.”

At Beatrice’s exasperated words, Subaru frowned in irritation.

She seemed to think quite optimistically, yet that was probably because she was still unaware of Elsa’s tenacity and horror. If she knew the killer’s abnormality, she would surely understand Subaru’s wariness.

Seeing the realization play across Subaru’s expression, Beatrice let out a clear, exasperated sigh once more.

Subaru, not understanding her reaction, paced forward to confront Beatrice standing at the entrance.

“If you don’t understand, why don’t you just look properly with your own eyes?”

“—Eh?”

As Beatrice stepped aside, the scene that had been blocked from his view came into Subaru’s line of sight. Upon witnessing it, a groan involuntarily escaped his lips.

“What the hell happened to this terrifying foe?”

In the victorious tone, Beatrice’s voice could not be answered.

Behind her—the corridor wall displayed Elsa’s corpse, impaled with limbs staked to purple stakes, a stake piercing her chest, as if to slay a vampire.

A corpse—yes, without a doubt, it was certainly a corpse.

“She’s dead… right?”

“If she could survive after having a gaping hole in her chest and being this covered in wounds… she would no longer be human, but something entirely different.”

Shaking his head, burdened with weariness, Subaru stood up.

The moment he rose, a severe dizziness struck him, causing his body to sway. He was gently supported by a hand stretched out from the side.

“S-sorry…”

“It’s nothing…”

Beatrice, averted her gaze, not looking at him. Leaning a bit onto her palm for support, Subaru dragged himself towards Elsa.

Dropping his head, observing Elsa, who had one long braid severed mid-length. Her limbs had been staked through the elbows and knees, and the intensity of her suffering was enough to make one want to turn away from her horrific actions. Yet, he still came close enough to see if the cloak-wearing killer was truly breathing.

No breath. Reaching out, he touched the unmoving flesh. It was still warm, but lacked any living responses. Checking her neck, there was no pulse.

What’s more, even given Subaru’s brazen behavior, she didn’t attempt to ambush him.

“Is she really dead…?”

“I’ve told you multiple times already.”

“I thought someone with her abilities would be dead; it wouldn’t be that simple…. I didn’t expect her to actually be taken down like this…”

Before Subaru stood the lifeless body of Elsa, and he stood there, dumbfounded by a victory without any sense of achievement.

He had thought that defeating her would someday have to happen, but it was unexpected to have Beatrice single-handedly eliminate her so easily. He had anticipated not seeing any clear victories without Garfiel by his side.

“When Petra and Emilia working together couldn’t take her down, how did you manage it?”

“…If big bro was really here, this wouldn’t be any challenge. For Beatrice, now in her prime, I can hardly lose to ordinary humans.”

Big bro’s full-on power—probably that state resembling a giant lion. If he merely existed, it would surely freeze the world. Even with the likes of Elsa, it didn’t feel plausible she could keep up. Therefore, Beatrice seemed to hold power comparable to that of that spirit.

Four hundred years of experience—far too much of a difference.

“That’s right. Rem!”

After confirming Elsa’s death, Subaru suddenly turned back to the room. Judith was still leaning against the door, laying in her gruesome state.

He struggled to move her stiff body away from the door, placing his hand on the blood-soaked surface. Taking a breath, he steeled himself, peering inside.

Then,

“—Rem!”

No response came from calling her.

However, as he lay on the bed, Rem continued to sleep soundly, breathing evenly, entirely unaffected by the chaos outside.

Elsa hadn’t stepped into this room.

That was undeniably proof that Frederica’s desperate defense at the door surpassed the killer’s abomination.

“…I truly apologize for doubting you, Frederica.”

Gently running his hand over the forehead of the beloved girl, Subaru apologized again to the woman lying in the corridor.

Now, her soul was nowhere in this world. Thus, Subaru’s words could not reach her.

“And what are we going to do now?”

“We can’t leave Rem here as she is. With Frederica and Petra gone… So I plan to leave her in the care of the people of Araham Village.”

“Do as you wish. That girl might be happier that way.”

“I’d love to take care of Rem if that were possible. But, I can’t. I have to take you to the ‘Sanctuary.'”

Turning back with his hand still on Rem, Subaru faced Beatrice, who was watching him from the entrance. She snorted softly.

“You’re quite the selfish one, aren’t you? To begin with, we only paused our conversation earlier because we were interrupted; the issue is ongoing.”

“I get that. However, my answer is just that. —I will never kill you; I’m taking you out of this mansion to the ‘Sanctuary.’ That’s a done deal.”

“You’re being far too selfish. Ignoring what Beatrice wants and trying to enforce your opinion—what face do you have to say such things?”

“If your viewpoint is genuinely your true feelings, I might consider things further.”

“—What do you mean?”

Beatrice’s low voice came close to a threatening edge. With goosebumps crawling on his skin, Subaru shook his head timidly.

“I don’t have all the answers on the finer details. But I just think there’s something missing that’s needed to truly draw out your core.”

“—Is that a ‘no?’”

“Your relationship with the ‘Sanctuary’ is still too unsure. The experimental grounds made by Echidna and your connection… Honestly, I don’t have a good feeling about it.”

“Don’t pry into matters you don’t belong in.”

“No can do. After all, who else would step into a place like that, other than me? You’ve been holed up there for so long.”

Beatrice seemed to lose her words, stuck in her throat.

Having witnessed that, Subaru turned back towards the bed, lifting Rem into his arms. He would take her to Araham Village and put her in their care before heading to the ‘Sanctuary’ with Beatrice.

It would be swift if they cooperated with crossing through the doors, but he wouldn’t push his luck. Riding Patrasche would take half a day.

“Even if you’re reluctant to go to the ‘Sanctuary,’ I will inquire about you with Roswaal and Grandma Ryuzu. If possible, I want to talk to the greatest influence there, too.”

When Subaru sincerely yearned to ‘know,’ the Witch of Greed usually answered.

Now, more than ever. With an even greater collection of info and accompanying hypotheses, he felt he could once again be invited to that castle of dreams.

And at such a time, perhaps he could uncover the ‘Sanctuary’s’ secrets, mysteries surrounding all related individuals.

“It’s merely a difference between being early or late. I understand you wouldn’t want to expedite that yourself.”

“How far are you going to keep looking down on people…?”

“Looking down? That was never my intention…”

“Walking into places you don’t want stepped into, creating chaos and disruption, yet you say such things. You should really stop this mockery. Ignoring the fact that you’ve easily left behind the two who died.”

“——-!”

At the conclusion of Beatrice’s words, Subaru felt a piercing pain that made him grimace.

Seeing that, Beatrice seemed to realize she had gone too far, her expression briefly revealing her hesitation. But that was quickly buried beneath her cool facade.

“I’ll pay my respects to Petra and Frederica… after I leave Rem in the village. I can’t keep quiet about Petra either.”

Realizing he had unintentionally said something like an excuse, Subaru tried to avoid Beatrice’s gaze as he began walking.

Beatrice’s words stabbed deeply into his chest.

While he was shocked by the deaths of Petra and Frederica, Subaru had already determined to redo this world. Although he had accomplished his goal of driving back Elsa, the sacrifices made were far too great. This world had too many painful experiences to justify continuing.

Having verbally told Beatrice not to die, it certainly dawned on him how inadequate he was. In essence, his logic was deeply selfish.

“Regardless of what we do about going to the ‘Sanctuary,’ first we need to wrap up this estate’s business. Discussing with you comes after that.”

As Subaru passed by Beatrice standing at the entrance, they wandered into the corridor. Though Beatrice lapsed into silence, it appeared she was indeed intending to follow Subaru without a word.

Since she wasn’t allowed to take her own life, Beatrice would require someone else’s hand to reach ‘the end.’ Unable to initiate that plea on her own, regardless of her outward declaration, she had no choice but to remain within Subaru’s reach.

Knowing that, this action brought a deep sense of guilt to Subaru, and he couldn’t help but feel like a truly terrible person.

“——Oh?”

As the repugnance grew for his own thoughts, Subaru suddenly raised his voice.

The cause stemmed from a light jolt. A feeling like he was being pushed from behind made Subaru, still holding Rem, stumble forward.

Turning to confront what had happened, he found Beatrice standing behind him. Thinking it was retaliation for his earlier remarks, Subaru furrowed his brow and opened his mouth to complain—

“—-Aah.”

It was then that he noticed the soft voice of a girl and the dull glow protruding from her chest.

“——Eh?”

The blade from behind pierced through her chest, slowly descending the line of the wound—from the upper chest down to her abdomen.

As the blade moved in accordance, Beatrice’s small body trembled.

Subaru could only watch in shock.

“…With this…”

Beatrice’s lips muttered something.

Before the scene before him, she looked up at Subaru.

The expression in her eyes betrayed deep emotions, and she whispered softly.

“Finally…”

“Wait…!!”

“――――U!!”

What he was about to say vanished in his throat; Subaru didn’t even understand.

Before this unclear emotion could take shape, Beatrice’s gasping breath escaped.

And that sound marked the end, as Beatrice’s body transformed into a faint collection of light, blinking out of existence into specks of yellow light.

Every little part of her—her small body, the cream-colored braids, the mischievous but endearing face, and the lavishly intricate dress—vanished completely and utterly.

“—Ah, how unfortunate. I’ve only just cut open a spirit’s belly, and yet she disappears, huh?”

Standing in the spot Beatrice had been just a half-step back was a woman wielding the deadly weapon that had pierced Beatrice.

The identity of that woman was instantly recognized by Subaru as soon as he heard her voice. However, his brain refused to accept that there could be such a possibility. Yet, as the shock began to wear off and his senses regained clarity within seconds, Subaru clenched his teeth.

With a loud crack, his teeth shattered. Feeling the taste of blood, he glared at what lay before him and shouted.

“—Elzaaaa!!”

“You can’t do anything now, can you?”

His scream was met with a brutal strike to his face delivered by the blade of a kukri knife.

The solid impact splintered his head, and without the power to resist, Subaru was violently thrown against the wall. The one resistance he could muster was to not drop Rem from his arms.

A torrent of blood gushed forth from his splintered head, and a darkness encroached his vision with enough intensity that he couldn’t feel his limbs anymore. Even so, he locked onto Elsa through the flickering view and spewed hatred towards her, who was skillfully juggling the kukri knife with both hands.

“Why…are you still alive? I confirmed you were dead…!”

“Yes, indeed. I was dead. Had I been burned to ash, this wouldn’t be happening.”

Her nonchalant tone sent shivers down Subaru’s spine.

Elsa, who had been crucified, had indeed halted all signs of life. She had died. That was undeniable. So what then was the Elsa before him? Was he encountering another nightmare, akin to Ryuzu’s replicas?

Yet the Elsa who had knocked Subaru aside was still dripping blood from her limbs, and the recently punctured area of her chest was hastily mended by torn rags of fabric made from her own cloak.

There was no doubting that the remnants of the fight still clung strongly to her, proving she was undeniably the same person.

The only question remained whether she was alive or dead.

“You’re not saying… that you’re immortal…?”

“Don’t be silly. I just have a slightly easier time at surviving than the average person. More importantly, that girl gives me trouble, with her body getting pulverized like this; I’ve experienced such destruction only a handful of times.”

“…Funny coincidence. I’ve only had a few experiences of being hurt enough to die, too.”

Subaru’s sincerely intense words held no joke or sarcasm. But it appeared that Elsa took it as humor, as she smiled wider, spinning around gracefully.

Gently fingering her half-cut braid, Elsa gazed down quietly at Subaru.

“That girl must not have been listening.”

“…Then just ignore it and let it go.”

Understanding just how significant that statement was, Subaru proposed to Elsa, not truly believing she would acquiesce. But even beliefs had their limits, and it would take more time for Subaru to recover enough to act. He needed to stall with foolish dialogue.

“Since it’s out of my plans, I have no issue with that—but… the spirit girl and the large maid, the extra small maid girl will be added to the list.”

Three targets—was it Beatrice, Frederica, and Petra who had been added?

Though his senses were ablaze, he paid close attention to what he couldn’t afford to overlook. Not having Rem included as a target showed that Elsa’s employer had forgotten her existence. Perhaps Frederica had as well, but that deduction was now moot following her demise.

“By the way, you lied, didn’t you?”

“Lie?”

“About Frederica. —In the Forbidden Library, you only acted like you killed Petra.”

When he gestured at Frederica, who lay at the hall’s end, Elsa looked over and, as if coming to terms, nodded.

Then her eyes met Subaru’s.

“An ungraceful ending, isn’t it?”

Understanding the twisted perspective of a murderer was exceedingly difficult. After having taken so many lives, what mockery constituted her bland comment? Anger erupted within him. But with Elsa now readied with her kukri knife, his frustration turned to mist.

Wanting to deliver a counterstrike, his body failed to recover sufficiently to retaliate.

As it stood, collapsing before Elsa’s murderous blade felt almost like an inevitable synchronicity.

――This time, would it end here?

As the specter of ‘death’ loomed closer, Subaru’s mind drifted over the vast amounts of information he had gathered during this loop and the new inexplicable mysteries. Not to mention, the exchanges with Beatrice and the final expression he’d observed from her.

Why did the girl who had repeatedly said she wanted to ‘die’ and ‘kill me’ end up pushing him away in that last moment? What significance did her quick recognition of Elsa’s survival bear when she had thrust Subaru aside? He didn’t wish to be so dull that he couldn’t grasp what that meant.

“You’ve got some unflattering eyes, you know.”

“Eh? —Gah!?”

Immediately following her statement, Subaru’s face was struck again, this time brutally by the peak of the knife.

The left side of his cheekbone shattered, and several broken teeth fell to the floor. Just as he teetered, another strike delivered from the other side. A fierce pain radiated throughout his eye socket, and his left ear was diagonally lopped off in a single sweep of the blade.

After that, Elsa continued alternating between stabbing and striking, carving, shattering, and breaking Subaru’s body into pieces. The ‘death’ he had anticipated failed to emerge and instead returned to an endless repetition of pain, forcing him down onto the ground while blood and moans spilled forth.

“You resist until your last breath. Otherwise, what meaning does life have?”

“…I don’t need your philosophical take on life and death.”

A measured blow. Cracking his forehead, he felt the sensation of his skull’s contents spilling out.

His consciousness began to drift into the cold abyss, and Subaru could feel his body being pulled toward the chilling world.

This time, he would die.

Even if he merely lost consciousness, he understood well that losing awareness before the ‘Intestine Hunter’ would surely lead to dire consequences.

This was where it would all finish. This time, it would end here.

Next time, he won’t mess up. Without question.

The last expression he laid eyes upon, he would never forget, so he would make sure of that.

“—Beatrice.”

The girl who had asked him to ‘kill’ her had, in the end, worn a tear-streaked face.

With that image burned into his memory, Subaru’s consciousness slowly succumbed to the darkness, fading away into oblivion.