――Now, what exactly am I seeing?

『――――』

　Emilia is screaming, calling out Natsuki Subaru’s name in sheer terror.

　Subaru’s limp body is propped up on the bed, his strength long gone, and his wide-open eyes have long since lost their vitality.

　Of course. There’s no way he could still be alive after having his throat slashed by a dagger, bleeding profusely like that.

　This rare experience of looking down at one’s own corpse, witnessing one’s own death, feels like a distorted sensation—as if the ghost has escaped from the lifeless body to gaze upon the afterlife.

　And while much of this feeling is wrong, the crucial parts are undeniably right.

　――What Subaru is witnessing is undeniably the scene of his own death.

『――――』

　The room’s decor, the people present, and the grotesque sight of his own lifeless body.

　Combined, Subaru realizes just what scene he is being shown.

　This is the result of his impulsive actions after defeating the Archbishop of Sin, Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti, and saving Emilia, only to first learn of Rem’s loss.

　Ecstatic over having defeated the White Whale and thwarted Sloth, saving Emilia and Araham Village, Subaru was instantly thrown into despair upon learning of Rem’s disappearance.

　After flying to the Royal Capital, in Crusch Karsten’s mansion, he confronted the sleeping Rem and confirmed her consciousness was absent, that her memories were lost to everyone. It was right after that that Subaru stabbed his own throat with a knife in a fit of impulsive madness.

　It wasn’t the result of deep consideration or thought.

　It was merely an impulsive act to deny the scene before him. To reclaim what was lost, he clung to ‘Return by Death’ in a bid to redo the past.

　――However, that thoughtless action bore no fruit; the Subaru who had taken his life returned to witness the moment just before he pierced his throat—a reunion with the sleeping Rem.

　An update of the ‘Return by Death’ save point.

　Cruelly arriving, it robbed Subaru of the means to retrieve Rem, once again plunging him into despair and disappointment.

　Though he resolved to retrieve Rem, vowing to stand again, he now managed to stay upright—but—

『I don’t know… I don’t know this scene! There’s no way I could know it!』

　This is a scene he has never seen before.

　Naturally. For in this world, Subaru has already died.

　Even though he has the means to return to life and come back to this world, he has no grasp of what has transpired after his death. No, he cannot grasp it.

　Yet, until now, he had never consciously thought about it.

　For Subaru, dying and returning to the world allowed him to sidestep the dead world. The only piece of information he carries over is ‘what led to his death,’ making the dead world merely a transit point.

　He regarded it merely as a checkpoint to reach the future he ultimately seeks, deciding to utilize ‘Return by Death.’ Therefore, even this moment’s world merely felt like a path to him.

　But that perspective—crumbles.

『Stop it. Just stop! Please, stop!』

　Unable to accept the scene before him, Subaru screams soundlessly.

　But from a body without a throat, no voice escapes; a face devoid of eyes cannot look away, nor can a head without ears block it out. The world etches a result into Subaru, who exists only in consciousness.

　――The punishment for Subaru’s impulsive actions.

“Emilia! This is—!”

　Hearing Emilia’s cries, a new figure steps into the scene of despair.

　An elderly gentleman, clad in a fresh butler outfit, immaculately toned and showing no signs of his injuries—it’s Wilhelm.

　The sword demon, Wilhelm, enters the room with fluid steps, but upon confronting this scene, he is momentarily at a loss for words.

　――Even the sword demon Wilhelm wears an expression of shock.

　Looking straight at Wilhelm’s face, Subaru can’t help but feel that this feeling is misplaced.

　So shocking is the sight before Wilhelm, gazing down at Subaru’s corpse, that he cannot hide his agitation.

“What in the world… Wait, right now… Subaru!”

　However, Wilhelm’s confusion lasts only a brief second.

　He shakes his head, quickly calming his chaotic mind, and rushes toward the collapsed Subaru. Emilia, clinging to Subaru’s powerless body, does not notice Wilhelm rushing in.

“Subaru… Subaru… You’re lying… You told me we’d be together…”

“Emilia, I’m sorry—!”

　Wilhelm pushes aside Emilia, who slanders Subaru’s betrayal like a curse, pulling her from the grim sight. With no strength left to support her body, Emilia falls to the floor, but Wilhelm shifts his attention back to Subaru, focusing on the gruesome task of reviving Subaru, drenched in abundant blood.

“――――”

　With a grim expression, Wilhelm removes his outer garment, covering Subaru’s throat with the cloth, and without hesitation pulls out the knife embedded in Subaru. For a moment, blood sprays, staining Wilhelm’s expression with crimson, yet he does not even blink as he attempts to seal the wound.

　Staunching the blood, he then brings his palms down onto Subaru’s chest to revive him.

“Felix! Felix! Hurry up! It’s urgent!!”

　He shouts as he holds Subaru’s wound, continuing the revival efforts. However, the amount of blood flowing out is far too great. Subaru’s limbs and face lose their color, and it’s painfully clear to everyone that the soul of Natsuki Subaru no longer resides there.

　Even so, Wilhelm does not cease in his efforts to revive him.

“Wilhelm, what are you shouting about…?”

“Felix, hurry! He’s stabbed himself in the throat! We’re racing against time!”

“――――!”

　Summoned, Felix dashes in, immediately nodding to Wilhelm’s orders while wrapping a blue aura in his hands, pouring healing magic into the collapsed Subaru.

　Watching Felix’s side profile, which never wavers from its casual demeanor, Subaru sees an unprecedented seriousness reflected in his expression as he looks down at his soulless shell.

『Just stop… It’s no use. It’s pointless. He can’t be saved anymore…』

　No matter what they do, it’s pointless.

　Subaru has no memories of being saved after attempting to take his own life.

　Natsuki Subaru impulsively stabbed himself in an attempt to deny reality, leaving an indelible mark on many hearts, vanishing without the slightest guilt.

　That is the reality. That is the unreachable conclusion of the devotion of these two.

“ I’m not letting you go! I will never lose you like this! If I lose my benefactor in such a manner, I can’t bear to live in shame…!”

“Why do something so stupid at a time like this…?!”

　Wilhelm shouts with unwavering determination, holding Subaru’s wound, while Felix, clearly irritated, casts the gentlest magic in the world.

　In the midst of this scene, within the waves of their emotions, Subaru’s heart continues to tremble from the shock.

　However, even their desperate efforts—

“――――”

“Felix! Why stop the treatment! If this goes on…”

“It’s already over, Wilhelm.――There’s no soul left, anywhere.”

　Pushing back Wilhelm, Felix brushed aside the jacket that Wilhelm was holding, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the wound. The scar closed neatly; Subaru, who had suffered fatal wounds, looked as if he had just been well moments before.

　But all the blood that had drained away, and the soul that had fallen away, were nowhere to be found.

　As Wilhelm looked down at Subaru’s pale corpse, he shook his head.

“Why… Why… Subaru, you—!”

　The floor shook as Wilhelm’s fist slammed down upon it, and the sound echoed sharply.

　Blood mingled with the shattered floor fragments—this was because his own fist had broken as well. Blood dripped from Wilhelm’s fist, biting down in frustration.

　Facing the furious Wilhelm, Felix gazes down at Subaru with a face painted with despair. His beast ears droop as he stares at Subaru’s lifeless form, unpeaceful.

“…You coward. You left everyone behind. …All the pain, all the struggle, you just pushed on everyone… and this is the satisfaction you get?”

　This biting sarcasm was too harsh, yet too compassionate to be a condemnation.

　The complexity of emotions hidden in Felix’s voice eludes Subaru’s frozen thoughts.

　Yet, it becomes abundantly clear from Wilhelm’s and Felix’s attitudes.

　――Subaru has thrust an irreversible act upon them.

“――――”

　His thoughts have completely ceased.

　What exactly am I being shown?

　I know exactly what is being shown to me.

　Sin, I am being shown.

“――Emilia?”

Suddenly, looking down, Wilhelm called out her name.

The mixed tone in his voice arose as Emilia’s sobs faltered, and her fallen body quivered as if frozen.

Noticing this change, anguish runs across Wilhelm’s expression. He has just tasted the bitterness of loss, and his consideration of how deeply shocked Emilia must be reflects in his eyes.

The old man firmly shuts his eyes once before standing up.

Then, he approaches the still-prostrate Emilia to lift her up.

“I apologize for my earlier behavior, Emilia. However, you mustn’t remain like this. Please, take care of yourself…”

“—But you said that…”

“Emilia?”

“You told me you loved me…”

　Crouched down and hugging her knees, Emilia curls up as she cries out.

　No one present could scold her for acting like a child. Wilhelm furrows his brow as if bearing pain, and even Felix turns away, unable to bear seeing Emilia’s heartbreak.

　And then—

“Huh?”

　In bewilderment, Felix’s eyes widen as he lets out a dumbfounded sound.

　As if drawn by that voice, Wilhelm follows Felix’s gaze, astonished.

“――――”

　Before both of their eyes, the completely decayed Subaru was rising up.

『――――！？』

　Confronted with this phenomenon, even the conscious Subaru himself is taken aback.

　The revived body moves awkwardly, like a clockwork doll, stretching its limbs and standing, its head tilted at a ninety-degree angle, slowly opening its eyes.

　Those unfocused eyes, eyes devoid of light, scanned the room.

“Fe… ri…”

“Impossible! That body was undoubtedly dead! The revival has failed!”

　Wilhelm, clinging to faint hope, attempts to call out to Felix, but midway Felix understands the intention and screams his assessment.

　Hearing this, Wilhelm makes an immediate decision regarding his actions.

Namely—

“Subaru! I’m sorry—!”

　Even without a sword at his side, his sword techniques remain sharp as ever.

　Wilhelm picks up the jacket carelessly tossed on the floor, drenched in Subaru’s blood, twisting it as he prepares to hurl it like a spear.

　Accelerating, weighed down by blood, twisting the tip, he pierces the air with the cloth spear, targeting Subaru as he rises.

　True to his aim, the jacket’s tip effortlessly pierces Subaru’s face—

“――Ugh”

　A shadowy cascade erupted from beneath, swallowing the cloth, negating Wilhelm’s strike.

　Seeing the sudden motion, Wilhelm instinctively pulls back his arm, but—he could not evade the damage. Three of his fingers on his right hand are completely taken off at the first joint, along with the cloth.

　As he jumps back, blood dripping, Wilhelm clicks his tongue, taking distance from the standing Subaru.

“Felix! Take Emilia and get out of here immediately! I’ll hold him here!”

“I don’t have a sword! Just a dagger!”

　Falling back into the corner of the room, Felix tosses the dagger he had been carrying to Wilhelm. Receiving it with his left hand, Wilhelm draws it from the sheath while muttering, “A short weapon feels different.”

“The time to leave the mansion and report to Crusch… No, that’s not it. Felix, follow your instincts. Bring the knight brigade.”

“Is it too much for just you, Wilhelm?”

“This is on the same scale as the White Whale, or perhaps—What is it that Subaru is harboring inside?”

　Estimating the opponent’s strength, Wilhelm gasps, perspiring under his watchful gaze.

　Before the visibly agitated sword demon, Subaru remains slack, his arms hanging limply. His gaze wanders aimlessly, swaying back and forth.

　There is no reason. Perhaps even consciousness is sparse.

　Yet, even in such a state, the instinct for self-defense remains.

　Staring down this creature that has morphed into an unknown presence, Wilhelm remains locked in with Subaru.

　Meanwhile, Subaru’s consciousness, looking down on that scene, is enveloped by a storm of questions.

　Clearly, the atmosphere has shifted.

　Confronted with his sins and shattered by despair, Subaru is now confronted with an even more unfathomable afterworld.

　What is this scene?

　Is it truly something that happened? If not, what meaning does this scene hold? Why is his consciousness present in such a place now?

　He knows nothing. He understands nothing—

“Felix! Emilia—!”

“I know that! Emilia, over here…!?”

　Responding to Wilhelm’s urgency, Felix crosses the room and roughly pulls up Emilia, who had collapsed. But right afterward, Felix’s expression is overcome with shock.

　The reason is—

“—You dare make her cry!”

　A small shadow descends into the center of the room, generating a white atmosphere.

　Gray fur, a tail as long as its body, and despite being small enough to sit in a palm, the pressure it exudes feels akin to an encounter with a fearsome beast that instills awe.

　It is the small Great Spirit, long forgotten, floating at the center of the room, looking down over Subaru. Its expression bears a subtle, hard edge, and the words it whispers are dripping with hatred.

　“Your owner’s heinous acts alone are deserving of death—Witch.”

　Cold malice spreads through the cramped room as Wilhelm, breathing heavily, steels himself when he glances at Pack.

　“The Spirit… Emilia is—”

“Emilia is unconscious. Based on our contract, I’ll act according to my own judgment. I will not forgive the Witch. I will protect Emilia. —I will not forgive the man who made Emilia cry.”

“If we fight now, the damage—”

“The oath has been broken, and my Emilia’s heart has turned to ice. —This will end now.”

　Ignoring Wilhelm’s plea, the cold malice of Pack amplifies in intensity.

　A white atmosphere fills the room, beginning to freeze, and everything around starts to die. Even breath risks freezing in this realm as Subaru feels the chilling intent flowing toward him.

　At that moment, Subaru raises his head, for the first time seeing Pack.

　His eyes, devoid of light, fix upon Pack as his eyelids suddenly flicker.

　And then—

“――――”

　He smirked.

　Subaru’s corpse twisted his face in a sneer at Pack, a sneer filled with malice and distortion—sarcastically mocking.

『――――Stop.』

　As Subaru’s consciousness observes this, he urgently calls for a halt before a definitive catastrophe.

　Yet, his plea never reaches them.

　With small hands raised, Pack brings down a small glacier in the room, as absolute zero attempts to engulf Subaru’s lifeless form. From below, a shadow bursts forth to counter, and a maelstrom of mana surges through the cramped room, catching Wilhelm and Felix in its explosion—screams, shrieks, freezing, and the sound of shattering echo in a succession, concealing Subaru in the mix of white closure and black despair.

『――――！！』

　Suddenly, as if a switch was flipped, the colors of the world disappeared.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

“――――Ugh!”

　The pain of his face slamming against the ground jolted Subaru awake.

　His chin thudded against the damp floor, tears welling up from the sharp pain as he shook his head.

　Immediately, he raised his face, quickly glancing around. —No anomalies.

“I’m… in the graveyard…”

　The cold air, dark space, the moisture of the floor—the foul scent unmistakably confirmed it was within a graveyard.

　Confirming this, Subaru then opened and closed his hands, ensuring there was no discomfort in his limbs. His ragged breaths started to ease as he forcefully emptied his lungs, regaining a steadiness.

　However, he could not shake the feeling that his insides quake from the core.

“Daydream… there’s no way it could be that convenient. Still, what was that…?”

　What on earth was that? Subaru reflected on the situation he found himself in, having been unwillingly shown such scenes.

　The previous scene was undoubtedly the “scene after Subaru’s death.”

　Emilia’s scream upon witnessing Subaru’s death, Wilhelm and Felix’s futile devotion—then, the final clash of ominous powers.

　The first half etched scars into Subaru’s heart, while the latter instilled uncertainties—ungraspable and uncontrollable, it thrashed his soul.

“Ugh—”

The moment he recalled it, a wave of pain curled his body in agony, and he emptied his stomach onto the floor.

　Fortunately, his stomach hadn’t taken in much, the only remnants being the water he drank an hour before and a bit of yellow gastric fluid.

　By repeatedly acting as if he was throwing up, he tricked his body into answering its demands.

　As he continued to retch, he suddenly noticed the mutations within his situation and the cause behind it.

　Within the graveyard, if he hadn’t been invited into Echidna’s dream castle, there was only one place his consciousness could have been lost to.

“Could it be… the ‘Trial’? Not the past, but the second one…!?”

The second ‘Trial’ had begun, separate from the first ‘Trial’ he faced.

Realizing this possibility left Subaru in shock.

Indeed, it had already been days since he overcame the first ‘Trial.’ However, that only pertains to his soul, with his body still at merely hours before in this world. Thus, he should not have met the conditions to move to the next phase of the actual ‘Trial.’

And yet, if the ‘Trial’ is starting, it must be an anomaly. Above all, as Echidna mentioned—

“Not a ‘Trial’ as painful as facing the past…”

—Assuming the images Subaru witnessed moments ago are part of the ‘Trial,’ even just skimming the surface hints at the worst possible outcome.

That scene seems to be hell beyond hell for Subaru.

He had faced hell multiple times, and he was well aware of it.

And he was prepared to face that hell again to seize the best future.

―However, to know a world beneath hell, to know a reality that is unspeakable.

『Behold the unparalleled now.』

“――――What!?”

As he grappled between retreating or standing firm before the terrifying experience, someone’s whisper suddenly grazed his ear.

Startled, he tensed his body, only to lose consciousness as it enveloped him.

His arms buckle, collapsing to the floor once more.

Struggling with all his might to keep his head up, both his eyelids and neck succumb to an unseen force, tumbling him into the abyss once more.

―The ‘Trial’ welcomes Subaru back into the depths of hell.

『――――』

When Subaru opened his eyelids, he found himself in a grassy field, facing the moment he was killed by Julius’s blade, forced to revisit the weight of his sins once more.