“—Donaah!!”

The only one who was able to react instantly to the impending threat in front of us was Otto among the three of us.

With both hands raised, he interfered with the world through chanting—mana surged and shattered the floor of the mansion, causing dirt walls to rise up, blocking the wide corridor with a black shadow.

However,

“Get lost!”

“Was that one hit!?”

A short voice and two scythe-like blades were swung.

The arc of the slash easily sliced through the dirt wall as if it were paper, and the severed section was kicked away with a long leg, collapsing in an instant.

The scattered particles of mana and the fragile debris of the dirt wall. A sadistic smile formed, and silver blades shone dully.

“First, I’ll slit your throat to keep you quiet.”

“W-what a scary thing to say!?”

Taking advantage of the brief second created by Otto, Subaru quickly grabbed Petra and rolled into the room beside them. Just a moment later, Otto leaped into the same room, closed the door, and immediately ducked behind the bed to evade.

The slash cut diagonally through the door, and half of it was kicked into the room.

“Now, eat this—!”

Subaru swung a wooden coat rack aimed at Elsa as she slipped through the gap in the door. Elsa leaned back to dodge, the blade slicing cleanly through the middle of the coat rack. The returning strike aimed for Subaru’s throat but was barely avoided thanks to Petra jumping onto Subaru.

“Oh, bad girl.”

“She’s my pride and joy, you idiot!”

Subaru held his lightly cut neck where the blood pulsed, pulling Petra closer as he retreated.

Elsa wore a terrifying smile and attempted to pursue the retreating Subaru.

However,

“How about this—!”

Otto, winding up, threw a magical ore aimed at Elsa’s profile.

It glowed slightly red, akin to a detonating explosive infused with ‘fire’ mana. This was a trump card much purer than what was helpful during the showdown with Garfiel.

The hidden jewel Otto possessed exploded from the side, targeting an unguarded Elsa.

At the midpoint between Otto and Elsa, the shattered magical ore burst into a bright red explosion.

Sound and light swept through the room, and as the heated wind blew around, Subaru watched.

Time felt as if it slowed in focus; the magical ore thrown by Otto was intercepted by a knife thrown by Elsa, who had not even turned to look.

An explosion occurred at an unexpected point, and a blinded Otto stumbled backward with a groan.

Elsa’s long-toe claw pierced into Otto’s abdomen, sending him flying against the wall in a twisted arc. Without a glance at the collapsing Otto, Elsa turned her attention to Subaru, who was catching his breath, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh? You… you were the one I saw in the Royal Capital, right?”

“I-it’s an honor you remember me! Because of that connection, could you let me off just this once?”

“The withered guts I’ve seen will definitely be seen again, no matter the time it takes.”

“Whoa, what a collector’s spirit!”

Subaru felt Petra gripping the hem of his clothes tightly as his thoughts heated up.

He felt the gate inside him die. Even praying or burning his soul, neither mana nor the gate responded. It was impossible to deploy Shamak here, and before that, he could hardly move like a fool.

Then, there was only one reliable means—only Invisible Providence.

“——”

The moment he decided to use it, something unknown and black crawled inside Subaru’s body.

Having stopped moving, as it realized it had been summoned by Subaru, it began asserting its presence, eagerly awaiting a moment to exert its power.

It felt like he was feeding a monstrous creature, an unsettling sensation pierced through him.

Deliberately ignoring that, Subaru commanded the emerging dark power, solidifying his resolve to carve a path from within to the outside world.

At the end of the anguish that felt like blood tears, there lay a deep-seated wariness about handling this power.

Even so, he clung to what he could, using whatever means necessary to live for the sake of saving all he wanted to be saved about himself.

“Ohhh… that face, it’s thrilling.”

“I’ll show you something even better.”

“Indeed, looking forward to it—”

Aiming for the center of the swirling blades, Subaru pulled the trigger.

All that remained was to unleash it, and it should tear through her fragile body.

“—Oooooooh!”

The viscous, writhing substance flowed into his veins, coursing through his whole body.

He felt as if color had been added to his exhaled breath, a sense of high heat coursing through him, dark claws extending, capable of predicting a future of cleaving Elsa in two.

By doing this, he would devote everything to it, and then—

“Subaru!”

A heart-wrenching voice and a numbing pain, as if his side got pinched.

Startled, Subaru grimaced, and the horrid emotions inside him dissipated in an instant.

What remained held only hints of black taint and the ever-present black killing intent.

As Elsa lunged forward, Subaru hastily tried to adjust his aim again but was too late—then,

“—That’s dangerous!”

“—Will you dodge!?”

With a momentary glimpse, Elsa evaded the fierce wind behind her.

She halted her slashing move towards Subaru, twisting her body to dodge a deadly claw aimed at her back with a fluid motion.

As she retaliated, her body kicked Frederica in the ribs, propelling her momentum into Subaru, who was struck, and they both flew back, narrowly escaping into a backflip, landing lightly on the bed at the far end of the room.

Using her hand to brace herself, Elsa’s palm was drenched in blood as she wore a delighted expression.

Then, she tilted her head curiously at Frederica, who was kneeling.

“Another one… no, two invited guests. This is quite a lovely mansion.”

“Despite the surprise attack, I couldn’t manage the hits… that’s not human reflexes!”

Frederica groaned in frustration, unable to hide her tremors.

Subaru, having been hit hard in the chest, coughed as he approached Frederica, crawling.

“Frederica, I’m sorry, thanks for saving me. And you too, Petra.”

He addressed the reunited Frederica, then expressed gratitude to Petra, who shook her head with teary eyes.

“N-No, I’m sorry too. But Subaru… you looked like you were in danger just now…”

“To be honest, it felt like I was about to get swallowed up. I might have been done for if I hadn’t been pulled back. Maybe relying on Invisible Providence carelessly isn’t the best…”

“What exactly is—?”

Subaru realized that for him, the trump card being double-edged like this wasn’t surprising at all.

The problem was the increasing limitations on when to use it—he could only hope that the current flaw stemmed from repeated usage.

At the very least, he felt a large resistance to using Invisible Providence in this fight, as the cost of what he’d lose seemed too significant.

“Lady Frederica…”

“Petra, you must have been scared. But you’ve done well to not cry.”

While holding onto Subaru’s hem, Petra called Frederica’s name. Frederica faced Subaru, evaluating her dear underling’s efforts with a stern expression.

“Lord Subaru, I apologize. My duty was to take Lady Rem and escape the mansion… and I wasn’t able to fulfill that responsibility.”

“No, given the situation, it’s understandable. It sounds worse outside… where’s Rem?”

“Right here.”

Frederica, without carrying anything in both hands and equipped with claw-like gauntlets, turned her back to Subaru.

There, tied securely was Rem, who was being carried on Frederica’s back.

Though tightly bound, this was a surreal sight.

“I get that it’s an emergency, but if you move too much like that, it might snap Rem’s neck!?”

“I hesitate to say fortunately, but Lady Rem’s body has been separated from the normal flow of time. Thus, treating her a little roughly won’t show effects…”

“E-even so, please handle her as gently as you can…?”

Frederica had only intended to do her best.

He didn’t want to complain about that without suggesting an alternative. Rem would just have to endure a bit of discomfort.

After all, here, there’s—

“There’s no one else who can fight besides Frederica. Petra and I are out of commission. Otto fought valiantly, but despite his efforts…”

“I’m not dead yet!? Can you not talk about scary things while I’m dizzy from bumping my head?!”

Otto, who had been lying in the corner of the room, chimed back at Subaru, now lowered in posture.

Shaking his head, Otto crawled back into the fray, shivering at the severed door and coat rack.

“I can’t believe I was shot down by the magical ore in that way… it had an effect on Garfiel, but…”

“Their combat experience is different, and probably their intelligence levels too. Don’t compare them, it’s pitiful.”

“Garf… as expected, he grew up exactly how he looked. I didn’t see it happening…”

Subaru stopped Otto from making a cruel comparison. Frederica seemed to have thoughts about seeing Garfiel again after ten years. Perhaps guilt lingered from not keeping an eye on her younger brother’s thug-like growth.

While they’ll sort that out for a solid mentor-student relationship moving forward—

“We need to unite and solve the immediate problem.”

“Should I consider it okay to assume the lighthearted discussions are enough now?”

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting. Are you ready to be beaten five-on-one?”

“There seem to be three or four kids who look like they aren’t really combatants…”

To Subaru’s bold provocation, Elsa smiled while accurately counting the non-combatants.

Elsa relaxed her two scythes, lightly descending from the bed. As Subaru watched this, he realized—

“The blood isn’t dripping anymore.”

“About the wounds? Don’t worry, I’m fine. Look!”

As she turned around, contrary to Subaru’s glare, the back wound that Frederica had inflicted appeared completely healed. There were claw marks on the back of her outfit, so she hadn’t imagined it.

Frederica and everyone except Subaru held tense faces, taking in the situation.

In contrast, Subaru let out a deep sigh, cursing his bad premonitions.

“I knew that once killed, you wouldn’t die… but can you even heal wounds? It’s practically monstrous!”

“I never abandoned my humanity, and isn’t it a bit much to say that to a woman? Besides, how did you know about my condition?”

“The fact that you weren’t chopped in two by Reinhardt was a giveaway that something was up.”

“That experience is quite rare. I was almost chopped in two—what would happen to a hero’s organs? That sure piques my interest.”

Having witnessed a combat prowess like that, Elsa showed no signs of remorse whatsoever.

She should really follow the seemingly undying Reinhardt instead of continuously pestering Subaru and the others; what kind of fate was that?

Even her grievances toward Roswaal would be insufficient to express her feelings.

“Lord Subaru… if that woman is here, what about Garf?”

Frederica cautiously inquired, her expression tense.

Witnessing the abnormal state of Elsa, it made her anxious regarding her missing brother.

However, Subaru had no answer to dispel Frederica‘s worries.

If anything, he could only say that—

“Unfortunately, I can’t explain why that guy is here. But it’s just hard to believe Garfiel could be taken down in this short time.”

“As far as I’ve seen, their strengths were nearly equal… Garf seemed a little in the lead, actually.”

“I thought so too, but in the end…”

There were no answers to be found as Subaru’s gaze shifted toward Elsa, and he instinctively held his breath.

Frederica and the others also found themselves breathless as they turned in the same direction as Subaru did.

Elsa raised an eyebrow at their response and followed their gaze above her head.

The ceiling of the guest room began to lower as if it were sinking down.

“Sharaak, seeeeee—!!”

“Kyah!?”

“Damn you!!”

In that instant, as the ceiling broke with a loud noise, Subaru and the others rushed toward the door of the room.

Cursing at the voice they heard, they vaulted over the severed door, and right after the five of them exited, the guest room ceiling collapsed all around, a sorrowful sound echoed as furniture and wooden structures broke.

A sound akin to an explosion and a ferocious wind surged, and shock waves swept into the corridor outside the room.

White smoke billowed up, and while gritting his teeth against gravelly dust in his mouth, Subaru rolled along the hallway to escape the scene. Luckily, it seemed none of his allies were caught in the collapse.

And from behind the smoke—

“Don’t pull off something so boring! Come on, spin around!”

A familiar rowdy voice shouted excitedly.

Accompanying the voice were the sounds of impacts and the clashing of steel, and soon a shadow flew through the smoke, rolling into the hallway.

“Oh, what!?”

Subaru instinctively gasped at the sight of that rolling shadow.

It was unsurprising, for the figure was nothing like any expected form; it was a four-legged beast sporting a thick coat and sharp claws—an animal resembling a hyena.

However, its body was far larger than any hyena. It was twice Subaru’s size or more.

For a moment, Subaru braced himself at the sudden appearance of the massive beast, but he quickly realized there was no light in the hyena’s eyes and that it was already dead. Upon closer inspection, the neck bone was grotesquely crushed, facing the wrong direction.

There was no doubt that some tremendous power had twisted the bones.

And now, if there existed something in this mansion to oppose the beast, it would be—

“Yo, boss. Are you still in there?”

Kicking away the smoke, Garfiel nonchalantly made his appearance in the hallway.

Noticing Subaru and the others staring dumbfounded at the hyena’s corpse, he opened his mouth in laughter.

“You didn’t need to be scared, it’s all good. That one, I smashed myself.”

“Oh, that’s a relief… wait, no! Why were you keeping your eye off it!? Thanks to that, I thought I was going to die! I was scared! I really thought I was going to die!”

“Sorry, sorry. It wasn’t my intention to let you go. I got caught up with something annoying and lost track of old it.”

“Something annoying, you…”

Garfiel’s face twisted in annoyance, snapping his teeth shut.

That something annoying he spoke about must have been this hyena-like beast. Considering the previous events, there’s no doubt it was of the magical beast kind—

“More! I can’t believe it! Elsa! Elsa! Do something!”

“While I really want to, didn’t you say ‘leave it to me’ back there? I wouldn’t mind having more guts to slice if you provide them.”

A ringing feminine voice resonated, two distinct tones of high and calm.

Then, the wall of the room that Garfiel had crushed crumbled inward, and a shadow emerged from the smoke in the hallway once again.

Heavy footsteps echoed alongside light footsteps. It was a sight so mismatched that one might hesitate to call it two entities.

“…what’s that?”

Otto, who had been silent up to this point, couldn’t hold back any longer and pointed, asking.

Feeling cold sweat dousing his entire body, Subaru replied,

“From what I can see, it looks like a slightly oversized hippo.”

“Just slightly, huh?”

“Yeah, you know hippos are big animals, so…”

A hippo that was already large would become the size of the creature before them if it grew three times its original size.

Its pitch-black skin was thick and rock-like. Its bulging eyes gleamed with fierce malice, with such a large mouth that Old Man Rom could likely fit inside, alongside flat, stone-like teeth.

At first glance, it resembled a hippopotamus, but its ferocity and ferociousness might triple as well.

Yet the intense pressure emanating from this massive presence was phenomenal.

“Your royal beast was killed! It was defeated! How sad! Oh no! Oh no!”

A high-pitched wailing echoed from above the huge hippo, lamenting the death of the hyena-like beast.

Kicking her legs, the small girl on the hippo’s back wailed. With brown hair tied into pigtails, her innocent features displayed unabashed emotions.

Subaru recognized that girl’s face.

“…From the Forest of Magical Beasts.”

It was during the time Subaru got caught up in his looping realm that he encountered this.

The reason he went deep into the Forest of Magical Beasts to save the children of Araham village who had strayed there, and moreover, the biggest factor that lured the children into that forest.

After the commotion had settled down, he had learned from Roswaal that the girl’s figure had disappeared.

“That child… is the one from back then!”

Petra seemed to have caught up with the train of thought subscribers had arrived at.

If only Subaru noticed it alone, it could have been dismissed as a misunderstanding. But if Petra’s memory was involved, there was no denying it.

The girl was someone involved in the magical beast fiasco.

And considering the current circumstances, it meant that even the magical beast turmoil surrounding that mansion—

“Roswaal’s scheme…!”

If she was cooperating with Elsa, that meant Roswaal was responsible for the magical beast incident too.

Then, everything from the Royal Capital to the events at the mansion was all in Roswaal’s hands! All of Subaru’s struggles were presented as futures akin to the black prophetic book!

“There’s no way I can accept such a ridiculous story…!”

He had no desire to believe that destiny was predetermined.

At the very least, it wouldn’t be the same from here on out. As for the magical beast trouble, he intended to confront Roswaal about it, and now there was an increasingly strong reason to punch that clown-faced figure!

Burning with anger and rebellious spirit, Subaru’s burning glare finally caught the attention of the girl on the beast.

The girl blinked with round eyes, waving at Subaru.

“Ah, you’re that big brother from back then! And Petra-chan is here too. It’s been a while!”

“W-why the hell are you talking to me so casually? Do you understand the situation!?”

Caught off guard by the carefree shout of the girl, Subaru couldn’t conceal his agitation.

The girl cocked her head at his wariness.

“I understand! I’m at work! I have to fulfill my responsibilities or else Mommy will get mad at me! Yet, here’s Elsa acting on her own!”

“Commanding me to do boring back-up, for that’s a mistake! I enjoy life in a vivid way so much more than being a beast’s fodder. I’d rather be the one to die, wouldn’t you?”

In the child’s sulky tone, Elsa caused a splash of water toward them as she stepped toward the beast.

Subaru sighed, hearing the absurd words and then raised a finger.

“Alright, I have a really cool suggestion for you. You’re going to flip your knife upside down, then stab yourself in the belly. Move it sideways and let your guts spill out, I’m happy, you’re happy. It’s a seppuku challenge! Cool, right?”

“Pfft! Ahahaha! Amazing, amazing! Hey, Elsa, why don’t you try it? You love guts, right? It’ll be so fun! So exciting!”

“Sorry, but ever since I became like this, I’ve already grown tired of that scenario.”

Hearing that the cool suggestion had already been executed gave an icy chill down his spine.

In any case, it was evident that two dire situations loomed ahead.

“Are we to consider that we can assume that girl commands that magical beast?”

“That’d be a solid bet. The magical beasts surrounding us and that big puppy from earlier seem submissive to her.”

“What’s the plan, boss?”

To confirm with Subaru, Garfiel questioned the continuation of their strategy.

To be honest, the original plan had dramatically changed. Not only was there Elsa, but now there was another enemy—specifically, a magical beast tamer controlling an immense magical beast.

As long as the magical beasts were outside, safely escaping the mansion would be difficult. Above all, Subaru and the others hadn’t yet managed to reach every single rescuer.

He could take Frederica, Petra, and Rem outside, but that still wasn’t enough.

“Garfiel… can I ask you for something really unreasonable?”

“Go ahead.”

“I’d like you to hold off both Elsa and that child at the same time.”

“—”

Realizing how unreasonable his request was, Subaru felt a heavy conscience.

Even just facing off against Elsa was an incredibly challenging enemy, so he had to simultaneously worry about that huge magical beast as well.

Since coming to this world, Subaru had painfully grasped the threat of magical beasts.

So,

“Sure thing. Leave it to me! I’m pumped!”

“—! A-Are you sure? Really? Can you do it?”

“I’m the guy for the job! I talk a big game, so whether the enemy increases or their strength rises, there’s no way I’ll back down. It’s like ‘No escape for a man backed against a wall!’”

Garfield proclaimed his resolve loudly, clashing his shield together.

Despite the bravado, Subaru clearly saw it wasn’t driven entirely by overwhelming confidence.

Still, now, Garfiel was the only one he could call upon.

“Garfiel. I’ve said this multiple times in the dragon cart…”

“I know! I don’t intend to die here either!”

Blocking Subaru’s attempt to reiterate, Garfiel pressed against him.

There was no need for any further discussion, as Garfiel made that clear with his attitude.

Swallowing his words would only imply an ineptitude in their bond of trust.

“Get going already. If there are obstacles, I can’t go all out!”

Without sparing any modicum of politeness, Garfiel bared his fangs at the remaining members.

Receiving this, Otto and Frederica exchanged glances.

“Garfiel, don’t die out there. I don’t want to be left running around cleaning up after Natsuki-san all by myself!”

“There’s still so much we haven’t talked about. Let’s ensure we have fun together with Grandma.”

“C’mon, scary-faced big bro, do your best!”

Garfiel smiled wryly, nodding to their words.

Subaru felt as if they were stacking death flags, but instead, if he stacked them high enough, it might emerge into a solid survival flag. He’d decide to cling to hope.

“So, I’ll be facing off against you lot. This time I won’t let interesting distractions flit around! With my claws, fangs, and shield, I’ll crush you and make you cry!”

Sounding his call as he turned around and charged, Garfiel growled.

Being assaulted by his fierce fighting spirit right before them, Elsa smiled faintly, and the beast the girl straddled rumbled a low growl.

“Meily, don’t interfere this time, alright?”

“You’re the one who needs to mind your business! I’m only doing what Mommy says!”

As they bickered, Elsa and the girl directed their attacks toward Garfiel.

As Garfiel braced himself, he absorbed the heavy strike along with the sharp one with his shields, and as the sparks flew, Subaru started running at full speed behind him.

“Otto! Frederica! The situation has changed! With no way to get out through the usual exit, we need to avoid being eaten by the magical beasts and escape through a different path!”

“But even if we exit from the back door, we’ll face the same outcome as before. If we can’t push through Garfiel’s might, what’s the plan?”

“Why don’t you try desperately negotiating with the magical beasts using ‘Word Spirit Blessing,’ convincing them to let us pass? It’s a main character moment!”

“But the problem is they usually just say, ‘Me, you, chomp!’ so it won’t even be a conversation…!”

Otto responded with a pitiful expression regarding that hopeless suggestion.

Even if they could converse, some beings remained utterly devoid of communication. That held true for both humans and animals. Elsa was a fine example.

Given that, the only escape route Subaru could think of lay in one direction—

“Lord Subaru! I have a thought about an escape route!”

“I know, Frederica. The place I’d suggest might be the same, but…”

There was an issue with that route.

As he intended to point that out, Subaru sucked in a breath while running down the hallway.

“No matter where we flee, I have a bad feeling it won’t be straightforward, crap!”

—Directly ahead, two hyenas leapt toward them, realizing their presence.

The battle at Roswaal’s Mansion endured, changing its cast, yet presented a fierce scene.