Slowly, one by one, the chains are removed, increasing her body’s heat.

There’s a sensation of blood boiling, and all the muscles in her slender body feel constricted.

Although the girl’s body, seeming soft, fragile, and unreliable upon touch, her blood, meat, and bones are of the most superior race in the world.

And among them, the return of the so-called “Demon God”—

“That’s my sister! Oh, how wonderful! She’s shining! No matter how far I go, I can never match Rem, not even a little! That sister!”

“Don’t spit. It’s unpleasant. And stop comparing me to Ram.”

“Oh? And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s obvious. Ram doesn’t need a title greater than my sister Rem.”

With an exasperated tone, Ram punctures the air with her elbow, which could cut through the skin, break bones, and even pierce internal organs—a devastating physical technique, unleashed without reservation, delivers a flurry of strikes using her arms and legs evenly.

This isn’t a technique solely based on raw physical ability or skill.

If it had been purely tactical, Batenkaitos, who relies on the ‘memories’ of his opponents to replicate any technique throughout history, might have been able to counter it.

But Ram’s combat skill distinctly differs from that.

As she steps in, her elbows and knees unleash blows that can freely accelerate or decelerate mid-action. This is due to her encompassing her wind magic, intertwining virtual and real in the middle of battle.

Accelerating with the wind’s speed or slowing down, she distorts Batenkaitos’s perception as he attempts to react. Ultimately, Ram uses the wind to scatter her presence in all directions, blending into the opponent’s blind spots with swift movements, delivering countless lethal strikes.

“Ah! This is insane!”

Just avoiding Ram’s attacks, Batenkaitos cheers happily.

Bleeding from his split right cheek, with his long, tousled dark brown hair, the ‘Gluttony’ was reveling in the comparison of performance.

“Oh, the spiciness is just the right blend! The bitterness is a charming trick! Happiness exploding, it’s simply dynamic! My sister is a feast that perfectly suits our gourmet needs!”

Batenkaitos spirals around the spiral staircase, swapping positions with Ram, while clashing their shortswords; when the distance opens, drool drips from his open mouth.

“This is good, good, oh so good, absolutely good! Drink it! Feast!”

“—”

“More than anything, I love the scent of that anger. To have someone so deeply hated us… I wonder what kind of gourmet we can savor by tasting that on my tongue?!”

Clapping his hands, Batenkaitos trembles with unexplainable feelings of pleasure.

In front of him, Ram exhales deeply, checking the condition of her body.

“I’m far from my full strength, but…”

Though her expression doesn’t show it, Ram is genuinely astonished.

There’s a saying that one knows oneself best, a common phrase often used by those who lack self-awareness, but unlike such fools, Ram truly knows herself completely.

Having lost her horn and become ‘Hornless’, Ram’s body is daily crushed under immense strain. Thus, she placed restraints on her own consciousness.

Normally, when working as a servant, she keeps all restraints on.

Sometimes, emergencies arise, and she must use magic to break through situations. During those times, she removes one restraint to allow for minimal magical use.

If more extreme situations arise, she can remove the second restraint, allowing her to unleash about 20% of her original capabilities.

About a year and a half ago, during the battle with Garfiel in the “Sanctuary” was around the time she could manage that.

That was the limit of power Ram could exert now that she is ‘Hornless,’ and she was convinced that anything beyond would put her body under too much strain, rendering her useless.

Now, she’s attempting to remove yet another layer of restraint.

“—”

In an instant, an unusual hesitation distorts Ram’s thoughts.

As mentioned before, Ram completely understands herself.

For her to feel such a lack of recoil from her past battles was truly an occurrence not felt since she was merely a child, not even ten years old.

Typically, when the recoil from battles returns, Ram’s head would pulse painfully, her nose would bleed, tears of blood would flow uncontrollably, and she’d have to brace herself for a while, unable to move her body.

But that’s absent this time. —Because it’s flowing into Subaru, as part of their shared fate.

“… If this takes too long, Balus will die.”

Following their discussions, Subaru must surely be busy dealing with the rampaging Shaula and the swarm of beasts by now.

He’s likely with Beatrice and probably Meily. —And Emilia, who stirs her memories, must be heading to the upper levels of the tower, fighting alone there.

Strangely, Ram can’t help but feel concerned about that optimistic silver-haired girl. Surely before losing her ‘name,’ she must have been quite a handful.

Everyone must have felt unsatisfactory without Ram around.

Thus—

“Endure with the resolve to die, Balus. —Rem will cry if you die.”

Speaking these unheard words, Ram removed the third restraint for the first time in ten years.

***

In that moment, the backlash of ‘Cor Leonis’ bared its fangs at Natsuki Subaru.

“—Gah!”

It felt as if his body was being forced to spit blood—nay, the pressure actually forced blood from his body.

For an instant, Subaru felt one of the faint lights within the tower swell, and immediately after, it surged toward him.

“Subaru!”

“—!”

As he coughed mixed with blood and his posture threatened to falter, his cloak’s Beatrice supported him.

Unfortunately, the beast they were riding was not Patrasche, whom they were familiar with, but a magical beast, the Glutton King, not intended for carrying anything.

With no blessing of ‘Wind Barrier’ to aid his ride, and with no saddle to sit on or stirrup to brace himself, he could easily get thrown off if he slipped.

The fact that he hadn’t been thrown off until now was thanks to Beatrice skillfully controlling her weight through elaborate magic, using the Guilty Whip wrapped around the beast’s upper body like a rein.

Subaru couldn’t let that constant effort be wasted.

“Did Ram’s backlash hit?”

“As you have guessed… Sorry, I’m doing my best to endure it…”

Tightening his grip on the whip, Subaru answered Beatrice, who understood the situation well.

He couldn’t pinpoint the nauseous feeling rising within him—it tasted and smelled like rusted iron, leaving him with no idea of where exactly the burden was coming from.

Perhaps his insides were screaming, or something within his body had torn, whatever the damage may be.

In any case, this was proof that Ram was serious.

“If Ram can take care of ‘Gluttony’…”

That wouldn’t instantly turn the situation around.

First, defeating ‘Gluttony’ didn’t guarantee the return of the ‘name’ and ‘memories’ they had lost; Subaru was still unsure about that. But for certain, it would lighten Subaru’s burden.

—If that happened, Subaru could focus all the burden he carried onto just Meily.

“Hah, hah…!”

Clinging to the upper body of the Glutton King, Meily was desperately directing the beasts.

To maneuver against the giant scorpion wielding massive pincers and stingers, targeting Subaru relentlessly, Meily’s earnest struggle was essential.

They compensated for their insufficient forces with sheer numbers, forcing Subaru and the others to conjure up nonexistent leeway.

To make this effort worthwhile, Subaru had exclaiming that it was essential to pamper Meily like a flower—this declaration of necessity was serious, not a joke.

Now, under the siege of five obstacles targeting the Pleiades Watchtower, the powers of Emilia, Ram, and Julius were indispensable to break through each of those obstacles, but the backbone to maintain that battlefield was none other than Meily Portroot.

Therefore, Subaru had long begun to draw the feedback of the blessings falling upon Meily upon himself.

“Hawkmoth Dragon-chan! Courtesan Bear-chan! Combine your efforts!”

With a high voice, while overseeing the battlefield, Meily pushed the beasts towards the brink of death.

She clapped her hands, snapped her fingers, and issued commands out loud, employing different methods tailored to each beast; whichever she commanded, the power of her blessings was fully unleashed.

Subaru immensely felt that this would impose an extraordinary burden, as he experienced a throbbing in his brain and an unshakable heaviness.

“—”

Otto’s ‘Blessing of the Word Spirits’ and Meily’s ‘Blessing of Magic Control’ provided benefits that felt more like extensions of human capabilities rather than purely magical.

If anything, it felt more like supernatural powers than magic.

With that in mind, it’s understandable to see why the feedback from those blessings was considerably larger than others.

The reason being that the blessings affected oneself rather than the surroundings or others.

“Blessings and authorities are all part of a baffling system…”

The Archbishop of Sin and the ‘Witch’—for some reason, Subaru found himself embroiled in using these powers.

Or, perhaps the blessing was granted by chance to those born into this world.

While Subaru acknowledged that power has its proper use—which is a kind of truth—

“The existence of such powers can lead to tragedies…”

—He couldn’t stop considering this.

The fear that the Sin Archbishops and ‘Witches’ could wield their unruly powers stems from their authority that absolutely prevents others from approaching them.

Countless souls would have been spared the distortion of their destinies without such powers.

For instance, Meily herself is a victim of the negative aspects of her blessing.

Because she possessed the power to control beasts from birth, she was abandoned by her real parents. —Whether that is true remains unclear. But it’s a believable theory. An obvious belief.

At the very least, to Meily, it was true.

That’s why—

“I really am a double standard…”

While he despised relying on powers and blessings, when in need, he had no hesitation in making full use of them. It’s a reality that weak humans are limited in options, but he didn’t want to degrade his spirit before that.

He didn’t want to forget about forcing himself onto a path not meant for him and still laugh it off.

“Hey, big brother! Are you concentrating or what!? If you and Beatrice-chan get taken out, that’s the end of everything, you know!?”

“I get it. —Hey, Meily. When this is all over, how about you become my kid?”

“—! Stop thinking about that and focus!!”

With the weight on his shoulders, Meily yelled back at Subaru when he asked her that question.

Both of them had no room to spare. If either of them lost their concentration, it could all come crashing down in an instant.

Yet—

“If we’re going through all this pain, we might as well believe that a good tomorrow is waiting for us.”

That’s how Natsuki Subaru thought, even while spitting blood.

***

Continuing the battle upon the sand, Meily muttered to herself, “This is all crazy.”

Indeed, there were countless candidates for the title of ‘crazy.’

There was Shaula, now transformed into a giant scorpion before her, the vibrant, energetic silver-haired half-elf, the various enemies fighting within the watchtower, and particularly Subaru and Beatrice, who were battling alongside her.

However, the most ‘crazy’ of them all was—

“What’s wrong with me, I wonder?”

Meily herself couldn’t comprehend how it all had come to this.

In the first place, once she decided to tag along with Subaru and the gang on their journey through the Auguria Sand Dunes, her unusual actions began.

Just going along with things, following what was expected of her without caring whether it was right or wrong, obediently fulfilling commands.

That had been Meily’s survival tactic, so she intended to do the same here.

Yet—

“—It’s because of something like the ‘Book of the Dead.’”

After hearing that she could relive the wishes of the dead, Meily succumbed to her curiosity.

She had no choice but to open up the feelings she had long smoldering toward Elsa Granhiert, resulting in a series of actions that were the most uncharacteristic of Meily in her lifetime.

Not to mention being caught and subsequently receiving a lecture from Subaru.

Strangely enough, she couldn’t find it in herself to dismiss his claims with a laugh.

Somehow, she had somewhat reluctantly promised to cooperate thereafter.

Although Subaru had proclaimed he would reveal his back to her, she couldn’t help but wonder how much responsibility he was truly willing to take. He seemed to be the type to make lighthearted comments and then regret them later.

She could relate to that notion of being easily swayed.

But the difference between Meily and Subaru was that her susceptibility wasn’t just lip service.

If Subaru said he would do something, he would likely try to follow through with it. Perhaps Beatrice, who witnessed their promise, would ensure he did too.

Thus, feeling guilty for taking advantage, she felt the urge to help him in some way, yet she hadn’t heard about that decision until now.

“—”

Even as Meily signaled her hands, the pack of hawkmoth dragons leaped with precision, and in an instant, they were swept away by the enormous pincers of the giant scorpion.

Normally, it would be unthinkable for a timid hawkmoth dragon to attack an adversary stronger than itself, but even Meily, who could give orders to override that instinct, couldn’t empower the beasts.

“Ah! They’re getting knocked out!”

With its massive pincers swinging around wildly, the rampaging giant scorpion slaughtered beast after beast.

Slashed, crushed, and impaled, the blood of the fallen beasts soaked into the parched sand, changing the yellow sea of sand into a crimson-black hue.

“—”

Grinding her teeth at this reality, Meily quickly scanned her surroundings, seeking the presence of beasts in the sky, on the sand, and even buried beneath the sand, taming whatever she could control.

Quality didn’t matter. Right now, quantity was key; she needed a ceaseless supply of pawns.

“I’m going to demand a favor from you later, big brother!”

Without a moment to wipe the sweat from her brow, Meily hurled insults at Subaru, who kept in a back-and-forth with the giant scorpion.

She was under the same conditions as Subaru, riding on the Glutton King without the luxury of comfort. However, Meily had taken the liberty to stab a knife through the mantle wrapped around her body into the beast’s back, forcibly binding herself.

She controlled that magical beast. Pulling off such an outrageous act was no big deal for her.

The real issue was that Meily was in an even more dire situation than the beast.

To begin with, this last-ditch battle wasn’t how Meily usually operated.

Meily’s battle style prioritizes preparation—placing the surrounding magical beasts under her command, positioning them on the battlefield, and observing their full-on attack from a lookout.

That is the true strength of Meily Portroot, the ‘Beast Tamer.’

Of course, she could increase the attacking and defending accuracy of the beasts by issuing orders directly on the battlefield, but it wasn’t something to do while putting herself at risk. It was her mistake in this selection that led to her downfall against Subaru and the others and ultimately her captivity.

“Elsa…!”

Her death was also a result of accumulating mistakes.

Undoubtedly, Elsa wouldn’t want Meily to feel guilt for her death, and it’s possible she even felt indifferent to dying herself. That’s what frustrated her.

Just as much as she couldn’t grasp Elsa’s feelings, she found it hard to understand her own.

Generally, while putting on a delaying tactic against the giant scorpion, she was dedicating herself to stalling for time by bargaining away the lives of beasts—this wasn’t something Meily had ever done before.

Meily Portroot, even as a child, was a killer.

On someone’s orders, instructions, or requests, she had made a living by taking lives.

Thus, this was her first time ever doing this.

—To fight to save someone’s life, to protect.

“This isn’t how I usually do things!”

The earlier remark from Subaru, resembling a mumble, infuriated her.

How could he say something like becoming his kid?

His demeanor, as if he had no responsibility for the hatred directed at him, was incredibly infuriating.

While Garfiel was directly responsible for her circumstances, it was Subaru who orchestrated that situation; it was he who structured the scenario to his liking even in the Pleiades Watchtower.

“—”

Despite her negative sentiments toward Subaru’s actions, Meily found herself following his commands, moving as a piece on the board alongside others.

If the situation was shaped by Subaru’s schemes, that would make more sense.

But he showed no signs of being capable of such foresight. All Subaru had were desperation, overbearing expectations, and a sort of mad faith willing to put his very life on the line—

“I feel like I’m turning into an idiot.”

Saying this, Meily pulled up a beast captured from below, sending it to attack the giant scorpion.

“—”

Shattering the blood-stained sea of sand, emerging from below was a massive sandworm, its enormous body thrashing violently as it collapsed onto the giant scorpion.

If it could be crushed or buried in the sand, that would be a tremendous victory—But it wouldn’t go that smoothly.

A white light exploded as the thick sandworm’s body was instantly obliterated.

Severed in half, the sandworm screamed and spewed bodily fluids as it fell downward, further shredded by successive tail stings.

However, that was merely a distraction crafted from the beast’s life.

—The real ace was the three Glutton Kings that would emerge from the depths where the sandworm had just come from.

“—”

Letting out a roar resembling a baby’s wail, the flaming centaur rushed toward the giant scorpion.

While numerous beasts inhabit the Auguria Sand Dunes, this Glutton King is without a doubt the most superior in raw firepower.

While the hawkmoth dragons were numerous, they were ineffective as decisive blows, and the Courtesan Bears lacked the stamina to withstand attacks. Meily had kept this Glutton King in reserve under the cover of those creatures.

Attracted by the scent of battle, the three Glutton Kings gathered together.

They might have been inferior to the giant scorpion in combat strength, but that beast was most wary of this magical beast. This was proof that it perceived the Glutton Kings as a real threat.

“I feel like I’m in good shape.”

Meily had one Glutton King for herself, another carrying Subaru and Beatrice, and three prepared for this attack being moved simultaneously would have been a heavy strain on her.

Yet, curiously, she didn’t feel that backlash at the moment.

Perhaps it was due to the exhilaration of the fight, but if it was, she’d take advantage of it.

She didn’t aim to defeat the giant scorpion outright.

She only thought that as long as she could inflict some pain, Subaru’s objective would become that much easier.

“—”

—That, in a sense, was the third time that Meily, who had been living her life swept along, sought to act on her own will.

The first time was wandering the night within the watchtower seeking salvation from ‘The Book of the Dead.’

The second time was when she approached Subaru standing on the spiral staircase in a dire situation.

Then the third time was when she sought to exceed expectations towards the objective of stalling for time.

“—Meily!!”

Just as the three Glutton Kings charged toward the giant scorpion, a scream filled with blood roaring called out for Meily.

It was literally Subaru’s voice, bleeding from the corner of his mouth as he screamed.

Meily found it suspicious that the call was neither a cheer, nor a joy, nor a shout of wonder.

Even though she was doing so well, what could be making him so angry?

But—

“—Huh?”

As the three Glutton Kings poised their flaming lances and lunged toward the giant scorpion, Meily sensed a shift happening in its body.

No matter how adept it was at wielding pincers and stingers, it wouldn’t be able to block this incoming attack.

The scorpion’s outer shell, starkly shining black like steel, suddenly began to change color, as if it had burned, or as if it had drunk blood like the sand.

In an instant, its black carapace transformed into a shade as red as blood.

—Certain magical beasts undergo a transformation known as ‘Attack Color.’

They significantly change the nature of their actions to become more ferocious and aggressive.

Often, this manifests as noticeable changes in appearance. This correlates with things like a Glutton King swelling with flames or a White Whale sprouting numerous eyes all over its body.

Likewise, this applied to the giant scorpion—nay, ‘Crimson Scorpion.’

More aggressive, more destructive, more annihilating—

“—Ah!”

A white light erupted in all directions, and the three Glutton Kings that had leapt into the fray were obliterated.

Simultaneously, the shockwaves of the rampant white light tore through the sands as if to sweep everything away.

And then—

“—”

Engulfed in the torrent of exploding light, Meily’s small body was flung through the air alongside a mist of blood.

***

—A sensation of blood boiling and the thrill of excitement, feelings she had disliked since childhood.

It felt as though she could rule over everything in this world with omnipotence.

If the duration of that illusion continued, no matter how robust her mental state might be, time would surely lead her astray.

She was aware of her superiority; however, she didn’t overestimate herself.

She made mistakes. But all she possessed was the intent to avoid erring and the attitude to correct her mistakes.

It was only because she had held on to such a stance that she hadn’t gotten caught up in the intoxication of omnipotence.

Without being misled by the adoration of others, she remained grounded, free from the chains of outdated customs and archaic mysticism that sought to bind her.

And the fact that she had been able to remain undestroyed under such external pressures is something she understood.

Surely, it was thanks to something missing that she couldn’t recall.

Because—

“—Ram is not only cute; she’s also intelligent.”

Leaving behind her own praise, Ram’s advance shattered the steps of the spiral staircase.

In that instant, the peach-haired demon wielded wind and struck, shattering her opponent’s arm head-on. The wrist, the elbow; with a single twist, it broke all the way up to the shoulder.

“—Gah!”

Even a grunt couldn’t be accommodated.

As she prepared to scream, Ram quaked his face with a punch, sending Batenkaitos flying, spewing blood. Chasing after him, Ram soared high into the air, propelled by the wind that formed beneath her feet.

“Hehe!”

As Batenkaitos fell through the air, he swung his legs around to intercept Ram.

A moment later, the distortion in the surrounding space touched Ram’s shoulder, slicing her clothes and skin — a deceptive trap born from the wind magic, an invisible blade left on the air.

“This level—”

“You think you can blow me away with wind? Not a chance! That’s fixed in place! No matter how much of a sister you are, you can’t toss me aside! So sorry!!”

Preempting her intentions, Batenkaitos kicked off the air with a bloody grin.

While a part of him was literally ‘kicking off’ the air, it was a trick that employed the blade that had just carved into Ram’s shoulder; he used that as a foothold to agilely navigate the expansive staircase like a playground.

However, even so—

“—‘Clairvoyance.’”

Even if she couldn’t detect it as awareness, she could determine his location through the shared vision with him in sight.

As the Gluttony attempted to escape into the air above, Ram understood his trap by overlapping her visibility with his, likewise using her footing to pursue him.

“Hah! Ahahahaha! Sister, are you serious? For real!?”

“How rude, Balus. —It’s a relief that my hesitation to slap you has disappeared.”

Ram sprung into the air faster than Batenkaitos could react, gazing down at his loathsome face.

Then, without mercy, she slammed the sole of her foot into his face, opening the mouth lined with sharp teeth.

“Bam!”

“Let’s see how many times you can savor Ram’s shoe before falling down.”

The smashed face of Batenkaitos flipped over in mid-air.

With the momentum of his upward swing cut short, he was slammed downward by the force of Ram’s kick.

Following after him, Ram raised her hands to the heavens, generating wind from her palms, diving down, and delivering a second kick to Batenkaitos’ face—no, a third, then fourth kick continuously struck down.

Unforgiving, each blow crushed his nose, front teeth, jaw, and forehead with Ram’s heel.

His grinning face, and the mouth calling out for Ram so often had become quite unpleasant.

Wrecking both features, she continued her descent.

By the way—

“Even if you get caught in your own traps, that’s not Ram’s fault—it’s self-inflicted.”

“Gah! Gah! Hieeg!!”

On his way down, the invisible blades set in the air sliced into Batenkaitos’ body.

Blood spurted from him, with grave wounds opening, but Ram paid it no mind.

She had no hobby of purposely inflicting pain for the sake of torment.

However, that didn’t apply for a target she felt no sympathy for. If her opponent was a hated enemy, she held no hesitation in making them sound off like a pig.

“How does that feel? Having regrets?”

In mid-air, deftly controlling her momentum, Ram asked the question while standing atop his face and chest.

Covered in blood and filth, Batenkaitos gave no answer while grimacing, making a show of raising his arms towards his short swords.

In that instant, Ram swiftly struck both of his shoulders, forcibly dislocating his shoulder joints.

“—Ahh!”

“How does that feel? Having regrets?”

No matter how brilliant his skills might be, if his shoulders were dislocated, he wouldn’t be able to swing his arms.

While gazing down at his wide-eyed face in astonishment, Ram reiterated the same question.

“—”

Hoping to capture a glimmer of fear in Batenkaitos’ eyes focused on her, she aimed to engrain it.

The intention was to imprint fear, pain, and a crushing sense of failure that wouldn’t allow him to resist. That wasn’t even about revenge—it was for a much simpler reason.

“It’s to retrieve Rem.”

To reclaim Rem, along with all the countless victims who have fallen to ‘Gluttony’ up until now. Those who had their ‘names’ and ‘memories’ stolen, and the grief of having their histories snatched away.

If it were just killing him, Ram had the capability to do that right now.

With the same effort of crushing his face, she could coat her feet with wind blades and decapitate him. It was well-established that even the notorious cultists of the Witch would die once separated from their heads.

In the demon tribe’s blazing village, during the process of revenge against those who had destroyed their home.

Ultimately, considering witches to be an abominable mixture of weakness and stupidity, she understood that even they could be obliterated.

Therefore, she posed the question to break the spirit of her target before ending its life.

“How does that feel? Any regrets?”

“—‘Eclipse!’”

Upon hearing her third question, faint traces of fear mixed with the color of blood.

But before it could fully manifest, it vanished in the blink of an eye.

It wasn’t just a simple disappearing act.

The sensation of their connection to her foot, pressing onto the doorframe of Batenkaitos’ face, suddenly disappeared. However, where Batenkaitos vanished to, she quickly deduced.

“—‘Clairvoyance.’”

As long as she maintained the knowledge of his visual capabilities, no one could escape from her sight.

“—”

Following the visible view, she pinpointed his location on the spiral staircase. As she flew toward that direction surrounded by wind, she found the figure of a bald old man donning what appeared to be a robe.

While the change in appearance might confuse anyone else, Ram remained firm, certain through shared sight that this was Batenkaitos.

“I’ve heard shapeshifting is a trick of ‘Lust,’ but what other little tricks do you have?”

“A-Arrgh! I didn’t intend to use this… I never should have had to use this—!”

“—? What are you saying?”

As Ram reached the spiral staircase, she found the older Batenkaitos kneeling, his face twisted in pain.

Observing the absence of acting within his demeanor, Ram tossed aside her doubts, immediately throwing out her inquisition.

What mattered was that he hadn’t breathed his last, and his heart remained unbroken.

And—

“—I can’t take too long with this.”

That inner murmur was only a whispered thought, yet Ram had already removed a significant restraint while over a minute had passed. Though a subtle burden remained on her, the majority was shifted onto Subaru.

She had informed Subaru to make adjustments as needed and, just as she expected, he was impulsively taking her burdens upon himself. Wondering to what limits he would show off at this rate.

He ought to be focused only on the memory of those he cared for, for Rem’s sake.

“—So. I don’t know the situation, but are you willing to comply with my demands? Return everything you’ve devoured as ‘Gluttony’ until now. If you do so—”

“… If I do, what will happen? Are you saying we can go free?”

“No. Instead, if you comply, I’ll kill you on the spot. It’s a fair deal, don’t you think? I’m granting you a reprieve in exchange for worthiness of a thousand deaths.”

“Hah!”

The Batenkaitos bore a tone of mockery, even as he had aged.

Observing his demeanor, Ram surmised that this change in form was likely a necessary step for him to fully utilize his abilities.

Earlier, he had vanished from her sight due to a form of short-distance spatial leap.

The one who could employ that ability was indeed the bald old man who had now taken on Batenkaitos.

“Nevertheless, how strange. If you were holding such a trump card, you would have used it sooner; why keep it hidden?”

“—”

“Is there a reason you don’t want to use it? Like being constrained by your vessel?”

“Well, well… I’ve never encountered such a terrifying girl before… I haven’t, you know? Truly, sister, you’re frightening.”

As the sarcasm of confounding possibilities swirled, the old man gradually transformed back into his original form.

This was a confirmation of Ram’s deductions, also serving to show the injuries brought on by that transformation weren’t entirely healed. Batenkaitos was covered in blood, his face a dreadful sight.

“How’s your shoulder?”

“I slammed it against the wall and dislocated it. It didn’t go smoothly on the first try… it hurts, ahh, it hurts.”

Checking the feeling of his arms, Batenkaitos dramatically swung his shoulders. Watching this, Ram regretted that instead of dislocating his shoulder, she should have severed his arms entirely.

Alternatively, should she have crushed the tips of his limbs, she could have obliterated his devious tricks completely.

“Everything you do, you anticipate. It’s amazing, sister. Are you using a power like ‘big brother’?”

“How offensive. Ram’s ability is simply a matter of keen insight. Don’t compare it to Balus’ nonsensical intuition. It’s unpleasant. You should die.”

“Ahahaha! Quite the spiteful one! But yes, yes, that’s right!”

Slumped over, the figure with a broken grin allowed his tongue to dangle, grinning through the blood. His unnerving demeanor made Ram increase her tension.

If he made any strange movements—no,

“Before you do something, consume this.”

Before any bizarre movement entered his calculations, Ram chose to sever his limbs with a blade of wind.

There were ways to stop the bleeding. There was no way to stop the pain, but as long as he remained alive, the interrogation could proceed. So she made a decisive blow without holding back.

But—

“—The bet is in our favor!!”

Even while being hit by the blade of wind, the robust bearded man was tossed back. Though it should have been possible to cut through not only his limbs but even his stout torso, the wind blade bounced off, leaving no mark on the man’s surface except for a slight blush.

“Sister, you seem to have a misunderstanding.”

Just as Ram prepared to pursue the fleeing giant, a voice echoed back to her.

Instantly, Ram felt a sharp blade cut shallowly into her neck from the remnants of her own trap; the half-step she hesitated allowed Batenkaitos to crash through that gap.

“From our approach, here’s our shot!!”

In the blink of an eye, the old man’s figure vanished before appearing behind Ram, imposing an overwhelming presence that prevented her from turning around as a fierce fist blasted into her side, sending her flying.

“Kah!”

As she was thrown, Ram glimpsed the strong figure of the rugged man responsible for her flight—the trio instantaneously switched forms and flawlessly executed their combinations—

“Yet just because you showed this trick once does that mean it’ll work—”

“I don’t think so. No way. No way. No way. No way. No way at all. Just not happening!”

The howling laughter of Batenkaitos shifted back to become the old man, as he covered one eye with his hands.

Feeling a shiver roll through her, Ram swiftly extended her long legs, kicking off the wall in a hurry to position herself to leap at her opponent.

But she was too late.

“We know. —Rem’s sister cannot move in such a way without tricks.”

“—”

It wasn’t Ram’s movements, but Rem’s knowledge that prompted the answer.

Observing Ram’s movements transcending the limits of ‘Hornless,’ Batenkaitos inferred his guess, and as she retreated to the next step, he fulfilled his malicious intentions.

That is—

“—Sister, we aren’t merely looking to compare strength with you.”

So, that cunning smile seemed to dissolve into the air.

Through instantaneously warping space for a short-distance escape, it was quite easy to slip away from the battlefield. Subaru hadn’t thought for a moment that they would engage in straightforward combat until their deaths.

“Your decision to retreat is fast. No, more importantly—”

If he knew about Ram’s ‘Clairvoyance’, he wouldn’t think he could escape.

Awareness of the fact that he risked creating distance arose as they pondered the time limit placed on Ram, and it was regrettable yet true: she had lost some measure of time.

The burdens placed on Subaru increased with every passing second.

Once he determined Batenkaitos’s hiding place nestled within the tower.

In that contemplation, it finally clicked.

The Archbishop of Sin, a mound of malice, wouldn’t simply dive into the tower to escape.

He knew all too well the most effective means to torment Ram to her limits.

That was—

“—Rem!”

At last, the remnant evil within Ram’s perception was shared with her vision once more.

There, she could see the black earth dragon’s tail running with ‘Sleeping Princess’ laid upon it.