――When it comes to asking Old Man Nur for “medicine,” the most important factor was certainty.

　Originally, Old Man Nur wasn’t someone who was particularly enthusiastic about studying medicine.

　He just happened to be allowed to come and go in the healing room while treating his fellow gladiators, and he ended up sticking around by chance as a complete amateur.

　Even the management side of the island wouldn’t give a potentially lethal strong medicine to Old Man Nur, who was just one of the gladiators.

　So, it was impossible for Old Man Nur to concoct a fast-acting “poison” medicine.

　What he could create were toxic substances that could disrupt the blood flow of the body to ensure a painful death.

　If ingested, it would definitely lead to a painful death after a horrible struggle—yet, if I thought about it, this existence was actually convenient for Subaru.

“After all, I’m fundamentally a lazy idiot.”

Considering Subaru’s inherently slack nature, a poison that allows for a painless death was the last thing he wanted.

He would likely immediately think of starting over with trivial things and undertake actions depending on the poison’s effectiveness. In doing so, Natsuki Subaru would turn into a monster.

A monster that understands neither human pain nor suffering.

“Not happening, absolutely not!”

The memory and feeling of having my limbs fully extended were gradually fading. Still, Subaru’s experiences and thoughts must not twist significantly.

Such a change in nature would be a betrayal to everyone who accepted this Subaru.

Even if I could betray myself, I could never betray everyone, my family.

While I could put Natsuki Subaru aside, I couldn’t do that to the bonds of Natsuki Subaru.

So—

“…I feel bad for Old Man Nur for lying about using this against the enemies of ‘Spalca,’ but…”

Even if it meant enduring the depths of hell’s suffering, Natsuki Subaru would not withdraw his outstretched hand.

Because that was the unyielding core, even in this desolate Gladiator Island.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　△▼△▼△▼△

Trying to act tough, but—

“G-guh, giii…”

With teeth clenched tightly, Subaru endured the heart-wrenching pain. –No, I wasn’t enduring. I had already left behind the pain I could bear.

Dying, returning; thus, the pain that had caused my death was nowhere to be found.

Yet, my soul was dragging its load. That had caused tears and snot to flow down uncontrollably.

“Hey, Schwarz…! What’s wrong, all of a sudden…?!”

“I-I’m fine…”

“There’s no way you can be fine… looking like such a mess…!”

Crouched down, Subaru’s face a mess with various fluids, Vaits trembled as he called out.

He rushed over, lifted Subaru, and wiped his snot away without hesitation. Every time he did that, Subaru felt a mix of admiration.

It was remarkable that he could act without thinking something dirty was dirty.

“Ah, ugh…”

Roughly having his snot and tears wiped away, Subaru placed a hand onto his fuzzy head.

Bit by bit, the shocking past of his death slipped away, allowing him to accept the languid present. This leisurely consciousness switch typically occurred whenever Subaru “died” due to “medicine.”

The poison lodged behind his molars was meant as a trump card for certain death, but surprisingly, it wasn’t often used as a reason for Subaru’s death on Gladiator Island.

Death during “Spalca” was overwhelmingly caused by the claws and fangs of Gladiator Beasts.

However, this “medicine” was the only option when he couldn’t completely die or when somehow managing to avoid causing any casualties.

It was the agony that Natsuki Subaru had to endure.

After all—

“It’s because I messed up.”

What if the one person who could do something failed, what should the others do?

Subaru had a responsibility. The possibility of being able to do something was the responsibility that rested highest.

It wasn’t power that he desired and acquired, but he could manage to wield it, being Natsuki Subaru.

He was the son of Kenichi Natsuki.

“–Huh, what…?!”

“The drawbridge…!”

As I pressed my fists against the dirty floor and tried to get up, the entire island trembled as if in creaking protest.

Before my eyes, Vaits, and the dim and chilly air reminded me that I was back in the lower levels of Gladiator Island—just before the drawbridge was raised.

The only connection between the outside world and the island was being constructed.

In other words—

“—It’s coming!”

That hellish scene and the worst of enemies that created it were.

The last person I prayed never to see again—my rematch with Todd.

“—――”

Chilled, wrapped in fear, Subaru hugged his shoulders.

The moment he closed his eyes, his eyelids were flooded with the horrifying memory of bloodied corpses. Familiar faces lay trembling in a pool of their own blood, shaking, and rolling.

Even Vaits, who wiped away Subaru’s snot, was no exception.

“Never again…”

The sense of duty burned in his chest, compelling him to not wake them.

However, regardless of how fired up I was, my thoughts halted at the point of what I should do. How was that hopeless situation created?

Dressed as a messenger from the Imperial Capital, Todd, along with Arakia, invaded Gladiator Island.

Just the presence of the previously antagonistic Nine Divine Generals was already enough of a headache, but with Todd, a devilish human, joining the fray, it was a worst-case nightmare.

Why, after all, were Todd and Arakia together?

“…You fool, remember, me. It was that guy who let Arakia go after capturing her.”

It must have been shocking; Todd-related memories were surprisingly clear.

Subaru’s history with Todd culminated in the town of Gwararu with high walls—during an operation to occupy the City Hall. That was the last time Subaru had contact with Todd in disguise as a girl.

Afterward, red Priscilla defeated the rampaging Arakia, and it should have been that Arakia was captured, only to be freed by someone, which Subaru suspected was Todd.

If they were together now, that thought wasn’t unfounded.

“Damn it, after saying I wanted to go back to my fiancée, why the hell am I here? If only you’d stayed in your hometown… that damn liar!”

Even as he groaned about broken promises, it didn’t magically make Todd disappear. Acknowledging that, Subaru had to release the rage that had began to boil up.

After doing so, he took a deep breath, exhaled, inhaled, and exhaled again.

Then—

“Next, the sacrifice for ‘Spalca’…”

“Not necessarily. Vaits, can you help me for a bit?”

“—Did you forget what I just said…?”

While feeling the tremors beneath his feet, Subaru asked, and Vaits’ tattooed face twisted.

Upon this confirmation from Vaits, who had previously made a point of saying, ‘I will lend my strength,’ Subaru understood the gravity of the moment.

Of course, he proposed to go see the next gladiator candidate crossing the drawbridge.

It was likely that Vaits had mentally prepared for that suggestion, but his swift transition was commendable. His diligent nature and the way he rigidly adhered to the rules he had set for himself were truly helpful.

Grateful for Vaits’ character, Subaru pressed on.

“Just a little bit. I need you to stall those who just arrived on the island.”

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　△▼△▼△▼△

――Natsuki Subaru’s only weapon, the power of “return by death.”

It had become apparent that this power had been functioning poorly ever since he arrived in the Volakia Empire, overcoming various obstacles along the way.

The main reason coming to mind was the ongoing “infantilization” that was currently assaulting Subaru.

Since his body had shrunk, “return by death” had completely malfunctioned.

The most notable experience was the worst ten seconds at Crimson Lapis Castle.

Those were ten seconds that felt like they had been given not to save Subaru but to drive him into despair, and immediately afterward, the situation at Gladiator Island remained dire.

While not as severe as the ten seconds in the castle, the granted grace period was astonishingly brief.

Once again, he returned approximately thirty minutes later—considering the timing would be when members of the island started dying, the available time was even shorter.

This meant that Subaru had to rewrite the situation in less than thirty minutes.

To achieve that—

“First, I need thinking time. –Remember, remember, remember, what happened…”

Leaning on Vaits, who had spoken strongly in support, Subaru asked him to delay the visitors that had come to the island.

Was he prepared for the fact that Vaits himself wouldn’t be rampaging?

The reason was simple: if Vaits were to throw a fit, Arakia could stop him instantly. If Todd was present, he would likely kill Vaits without mercy.

Both were occurrences that Subaru wanted to avoid.

“Everyone, blood oozing from their faces and dead… gas? Some kind of magic?”

In the midst of confiding his intentions to escape Gladiator Island, Hiaine, Vaits, Idra, and even Tanzas were being taken down one by one. They all had the same dying fate, and likely, there wasn’t much of a difference.

If all of them shared the same cause of death, the other fallen gladiators too—no, not just them.

“Those who died included the guards as well.”

If he recalled the incident properly, there were truly no exceptions to that hell.

At the time, he hadn’t had his wits about him and hadn’t checked whether the gladiators in the cages were alive. But at least all the humans had died indisputably—no, that was wrong. There were exceptions.

“Me and Todd.”

Indeed, only Subaru and Todd faced each other without dying on the island.

However, even if he had not died, he still suffered from the same agonizing symptoms, pouring blood from his face just like everyone else. It seemed that Todd didn’t share such a fate.

It would be hard to consider that was merely a matter of putting on a brave face; Todd had likely been exempted from that manner of dying.

“If it was poison gas, could it be that Todd had taken an antidote before arriving? If it was some magic… was it Arakia who used it? Speaking of which, where was Arakia?”

While that wasn’t what he meant to do, he had been forced to confirm the identities of the corpses he had encountered.

Of course, the ones who had fallen before his eyes, including Tanzas, as well as those he had saved in the second “Spalca” like Orson, Old Man Nur who was in the healing room, and the familiar guard who had a hardened demeanor.

Everyone, everyone lay still, blood flowing from their faces, lost to motion.

“But there were three unfamiliar faces I hadn’t seen.”

—Those being Arakia, Gustav, and Fake Cecilis.

“——”

Of course, Subaru couldn’t say with certainty that he recognized every gladiator on the island. However, he could confidently state that those three were indeed absent.

Arakia was on Todd’s side. It was only natural that she wouldn’t die among those victims, after all, she was the mastermind of that massacre.

But what about the other two?

Gustav, the administrator of the island, and the suspicious child, Fake Cecilis.

Those two held special positions even within Gladiator Island—.

“—Ah.”

Just as he recalled the two special individuals, a jolt of lightning struck through Subaru’s mind.

He had suspected that the massacre on the island stemmed from poison gases and magic. Yet, there was one more weak possibility that fluttered in his mind.

It was the rule of “curses” that held significant power solely within this Gladiator Island.

A bondage that ensnared the gladiators of Gladiator Island Gnunhaive in an unseen and involuntary grip.

By defying it, their lives would be put in jeopardy, making such a curse a possibility.

“But curses are just threats; they shouldn’t exist,”

He had gained the conviction regarding that after a life-or-death negotiation with Gustav.

Subaru had openly declared that he intended to escape Gladiator Island, and that had utterly shattered Gustav’s reputation while stating unequivocally that he would go against the will of the Volakia Emperor to whom Gustav had pledged loyalty.

If a curse truly existed, Gustav would have surely employed it there. If he didn’t want to use Subaru as a warning, the order on Gladiator Island would become chaotic.

If it spread that there was no curse, the gladiators might go wild, which would be a disaster.

“No matter how much Gustav doesn’t want any of us to die, bending that principle wouldn’t make sense. Therefore, curses shouldn’t exist… No, I’m overthinking it.”

No matter how much Gustav sought to keep gladiators from dying, there were clearer reasons questioning the existence of curses within the sea of bodies lying around.

It was not just gladiators who had died; the guards were among them.

“There’s no reason for Gustav-san to wipe out the guards… If that’s true, there’s no reason for him to suddenly execute all the gladiators either.”

The more he thought about it, the more it appeared that the mass murder and Gustav’s intent were unrelated.

Then, the deduction would revert to the very beginning, suggesting that the mastermind Todd had either released poison gas or executed a terrible magic in collusion with Arakia.

However, both options shared the same problem.

“Why was I the only one affected so mildly?”

Except for Todd, who might’ve prepared in advance, Subaru was the only one who’d suffered lighter symptoms than anyone else.

What could possibly differentiate him from all the others who had died?

Was it because he was a child? —No, Tanzas had died.

Was it the difference in previous actions? —No, Vaits had died.

Was it the variance in species? —No, Hiaine and Idra had died together.

Could it be the fact that he was from another world? That he had spent time in the kingdom? That he had a contract with an adorably cute spirit? Or could it possibly be the fact that he had continuously suffered the harassment of a “Witch”? Or was it because of his “childification”, having shrunk smaller than his original body? What else… what else… what else…?

—What made Subaru different from everybody else?

“What is—”

“—Oh, are you troubled, Bussu?”

“Whoa!?”

As Subaru scrambled to think, exploring possibilities, a voice came from behind him.

It was sudden, and he had dismissed the potential presence of that voice from his mind, which caused him to scream and turn around, eyes wide.

Behind Subaru, entering the sleeve of a kimono perkily was Fake Cecilis.

As always, he appeared with a lighthearted attitude, making Subaru blink several times in surprise.

“Y-you… Cessy…?”

“Yes, that’s right. But what’s with your reaction? You look like you’ve just seen a monstrous spectacle with me being here. I get it; I’m indeed the star actor of this world, so I can understand your sense of intimidation, but I thought we’d been close enough to talked and touched each other?”

As he stepped closer, Fake Cecilis leaned in to gaze up at Subaru’s face from below.

Each little move of his was so unabashedly reminiscent of his carefree nature that Subaru instinctively took a step back.

That was when Fake Cecilis quietly looked down over the edge with him—gazing out over the already-raised drawbridge beside where Subaru had stepped up to the high ground.

“It seems that this time the dragon carriage isn’t carrying the next participants in ‘Spalca’, but rather some other guest. The island is abuzz with that discussion.”

“…Ah, it seems it’s an envoy from the Imperial Capital. I don’t know why they’ve come.”

“If they’re envoys from the Imperial Capital, they might be there to convey news from outside or perhaps arrange the upcoming performance. For Bussu, who wants to get out, that’s valuable info, right?”

“—I won’t deny that.”

As he shielded his eyes and peered at the lake’s surface, Subaru replied with few words.

To be honest, he was ambivalent about this unexpected encounter with Fake Cecilis.

While he didn’t think Fake Cecilis was one of those who participated in the massacre with Todd, the reality remained that he had vanished during that massacre, leaving them all behind.

“Even if I’m not sure my ears were working properly… ”

In such a remarkable situation, he couldn’t confidently say he had been mentally stable.

However, if a conflict or struggle had erupted on the island, he was certain that he wouldn’t have been able to ignore the sounds of it.

Thus, when considering Fake Cecilis’ condition at that moment—

“Did he end up dying somewhere I didn’t see, or was he not even on the island?”

But if he hadn’t been on the island, where had he gone, and how?

Even now, with Fake Cecilis, time ticks away toward the deadline. Even he didn’t have any leeway when faced with that outrageous situation.

“I won’t deny it. But you seem to have another concern etched on your face.”

Subaru, riddled with doubt, watched as Fake Cecilis picked up on his muddled tone by instinct.

His discerning observations weren’t based on reading Subaru’s facial expressions or actions; it was instinct-driven. Those like Fake Cecilis always pulled the right answers with this keen sense.

In a world where a handful of monsters thrived, that would test Subaru’s resolve.

A resolve to not lose, to not be defeated.

“Cessy, something outrageous is about to happen on the island. I think it’s likely that those from the Imperial Capital will spark it. I can’t say precisely what, but…”

“That sounds rather serious, horrifying even. It sounds like a dire situation for that deer-girl and for your acquaintances of ‘Unison.’ No, it feels more like a death trap.”

“—!”

“Ah, Bussu, your response is heavenly! But if there are indeed signs, that is a good thing. I might die from waiting around!”

Throwing his head back and laughing, Fake Cecilis stomped his feet energetically.

In disbelief of such an enthusiastic reaction to trouble, Subaru leaned closer, baring his teeth.

“Cessy! I’m not kidding! Everyone’s in a bad spot!”

“That’s just splendid! If it isn’t a story meant to be made up, even better. I’d prefer to be told it’s all been overplayed rather than to discover this has been a tall tale! Trouble, crisis, and hardships—bring it all on!”

“—!”

“Or do you think I’d unconditionally take the side of Bussu?”

As Subaru beseeched him to grasp the gravity of the situation, Fake Cecilis’ tone turned serious. It suggested that the one misunderstanding was Subaru himself.

The long, sharp blue eyes held an iciness like a blade, making Subaru catch his breath.

And just as he fell silent, Fake Cecilis grinned at him cheerfully and said,

“—This is the place, right here.”

He threw those words straight at Subaru, spinning around to gesture with arms open wide.

On the middle slopes of Gladiator Island, elevated enough to oversee half the island and the lake where they stood. Fake Cecilis gazed up at the sky, opening his mouth wide—

“Right here is the watershed! I asked you whether you could unconditionally consider me an ally. I shall convey how to fulfill that condition in this very moment!”

“In this moment…?”

“Yes, yes, exactly! Bussu, exhibit that premonition! Connect with expectation! Amuse with the charm! And demonstrate at the climax!”

“—”

“Come on, the wolf pierced by a sword! Let all the spectators who look down on this harsh and brutal land observe! Who shall be the one to display to this Cecilus Segmunt!?”

From far away up in the sky, that kind of loud exclamation couldn’t have happened without a belief in an audience that wasn’t there.

Unquestionably, the sanity of Fake Cecilis was suspect, as the island’s residents surely averted their eyes and withdrew their ears from him, yet somehow, Subaru felt a strange conviction hesitating in his heart.

Fake Cecilis—no, Cecilus Segmunt—was genuine.

This real monster truly believed he could converse with the world, and if the world had a will, it would in fact be fixated on him.

For such a personality and charisma overflowed from this little monster.

“You…?”

“What?”

“I’m making you my ally. I’ve decided to put you to work.”

Though overtaken by the moment, it wasn’t the time, yet Subaru placed a hand over his misshapen chest and declared it.

Gazing firmly into the other’s eyes, he made a proclamation.

“—That reckless bravado? I don’t dislike it; in fact, I quite like it.”

With a tone holding a hint of a smile, Cecilus responded not with the usual carefree grin, but rather with a mere lift of his lips in a slight smile.

That interchange might’ve been proof that Cecilus had acknowledged Subaru as a challenger.

Then, in the next moment—

“—Hmm.”

Tightening the smile on his lips, Cecilus gently stroked his chin with his fingers.

Blood was trickling from his beautifully shaped nose down to his chin.

“What…?”

Seeing the fresh blood overflow from Cecilus’s nose, Subaru hurriedly glanced over the railing.

Though it wasn’t as if he could clearly see into the buildings or underground around the island, he could still make out the many figures sprawled lifelessly in the limited range he could see.

It had begun, the massacre.

While Subaru had been preoccupied sorting through the situation and mulling over possibilities.

“Death” unleashed its terror on everyone on the island, cutting down lives without exception.

Indeed, without exception—

“Yup.”

“Cessy!?”

He pulled back from the railing and felt a sting in his nose while still focusing on the now-seated Cecilus beside him.

Cecilus leaned back against the railing, sitting there nonchalantly.

He was taking it easy, yet blood continued to flow from his nose, unabated.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, it looks severe. I’m up against quite a formidable opponent, Bussu. The kind that’s more than I bargained for.”

“Is this really the time for that!? You have blood oozing from your face!”

“Hmm… I personally prided myself on not shedding a single drop of blood here.”

Even while they spoke, blood spilled from the eyes of Cecilus as he sat.

Watching that scene, Subaru struggled to process how terrible it was becoming for Cecilus, who seemed so unfazed despite the flooding blood.

However, the most frightening aspect of Cecilus wasn’t that.

“Are you… not afraid of dying?”

“People die, after all.”

“—”

Though he understood that what lay before them was “death”, Cecilus’s response lacked hesitation.

No waver, no confusion, no fear, no anxiety, no tension, no regret—nothing.

Subaru, who had the advantage of a second life, wasn’t supposed to hold that position.

And yet, Cecilus showed no fear of “death,” the one thing beings feared most.

Thus, without displaying an ounce of fear toward “death”—

“—”

He lowered the hand grasping his nose, wrapping the bloodstained sleeve over his arm, and leaned back against the railing, rendering himself immobile.

With his head bowed and eyelids closed, he stopped moving.

The implication of that was entirely clear to Subaru.

And then—

“Guh.”

The hand over his mouth, stained with blood, indicated that “death” was near for Subaru as well.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　△▼△▼△▼△

The same, the same atrocious situation governed Gladiator Island as a whole.

“—”

Slowly dragging his feet, Subaru wandered the island searching for survivors.

However, with even Cecilus ruling out of the candidates, there were no individuals who could meet his shattered expectations.

“Tanza, as well as Old Man Nur…”

Everyone lay in a heap, having lost their lives.

Dumbfounded, he closed the eyelids of those wearing expressions of disbelief and confusion at staggeringly surreal occurrences, lightly wiping their faces—this was all Subaru could manage.

“I’m sorry, Tanza…”

He had failed. He mixed up the order of his actions.

He should have warned Tanza and the others of the impending danger and allowed them to take some sort of countermeasures.

Had he gathered with Tanza before ascending the high ground, he could have at least been there with her. That girl would have been spared from an uncertain death in this place of distrust, despite knowing nothing.

Not until he encountered their remains did the gravity of those mundane thoughts occur to him.

“—”

He surveyed the island, ultimately confirming the guards were among the dead.

Their causes of death matched the gladiators, everyone spilled blood from their faces as they lay lifeless. When he went to see the cages where the Gladiator Beasts were held, they too lay dead.

Lying in those cages, bleeding from their eyes and noses, they shared the same fate as the humans.

“…I guess that means I’m sturdier.”

While on the brink of death, he caught himself making dark jokes at the expense of the Gladiator Beasts that had actually died.

It was difficult to breathe, being all blocked up from the nose bleed. His vision blurred, and when he wiped his eyes, it felt as if a red curtain descended over them.

The reaper slowly approached only Subaru.

Taking a trembling middle finger, Subaru pointed at that loathsome reaper.

And then—

“What are you doing here in this place?”

In the inner courtyard—what they referred to as the middle section of the island—the reaper cracked his neck as he muttered.

Donning a black bandana with a handsome, youthful expression, the reaper—Todd. He approached Subaru, who still held up his middle finger, his strides slow yet purposeful.

“I thought everyone on this island had been wiped out, but…”

Drawing a huge knife in a smooth motion, Todd eyed Subaru with a perplexed expression.

He seemed to have caught himself in an inconceivable situation, meeting a human alive here was surely outside his expectations.

For Todd, the sense of having fallen into an ambush would’ve added an unsettling feeling.

But Subaru had known that Todd would show up if he just waited here.

He hadn’t wanted to meet him if he could avoid it, but it was a confrontation he absolutely could not evade.

With no one else left alive, and as he approached the point of death, this reaper was the only one with any chance of providing him with information.

“—”

That gaze was caution, yet the hesitant footsteps approaching him suggested it wasn’t borne from contempt but rather from overlooking Subaru.

He wasn’t underestimating him for being just a kid.

Joking or metaphor aside, Subaru was on the verge of death. If he had exaggerated caution over a mere dying child, that wasn’t reasonable; it was cowardice.

Todd was sly and cautious but not cowardly.

—In contrast, Subaru, as a fool, let the deaths of the girls escape his notice.

While Todd’s sudden appearance had been the meeting he had wished for, it was unclear if the developments that followed would play in his favor.

Even if it was a chance, Todd wouldn’t willingly offer any leads. Even in the face of a dying child, he wouldn’t show kindness by giving words of advice as gifts to the grave.

So what could he do to take back some piece of information from this cold-blooded reaper?

He probably had only one shot.

Even under the best of circumstances, he could only acquire one piece of information.

He had to make that one count.

“—”

With each step, the distance between Subaru and Todd shrank.

Once that distance became zero, Subaru wouldn’t be surprised if Todd plunged the knife into him without a word. He had to grasp the best possible answer with his blood-starved mind.

The one who carried out the massacre on this island was Todd. There was no point in asking about that.

Who was left alive? It was of no use to ask that. It had no meaning.

Where was Arakia? He wanted to know but could assume he wouldn’t answer. That would be a waste.

What about Gustav? The same was true for Arakia: it would be fruitless.

So then, all that remained was to find out the methods of this massacre.

“—”

There was no poison gas. Subaru extinguished that possibility from his mind.

He had encountered Cecilus high up the hillside because he’d decided that position would serve as a solid stronghold—if the answer to the massacre was poison gas, a high place would offer safety due to the wind.

In the end, both Subaru and Cecilus had failed to escape the massacre’s repercussions. The moment the living collapsed outside the island confirmed that the chances of poison gas plummeted.

In that case, the remaining possibility was—

“—Ah.”

Arakia’s magic. The combination of Todd and Arakia arriving at once must have involved some kind of massacre magic, wiping out all the gladiators, guards, and Gladiator Beasts.

If he could confirm that, he would finally be able to proceed to the next level of understanding.

If he could confirm it—

“—Here it is, right here.”

In that moment, a voice echoed in Subaru’s mind, replaying in his head.

The voice of an absent star actor caused a surge of warmth in Subaru’s faltering cogitation.

And like being spurred on by that warmth, he opened his mouth—

“—It was the curse!!”

Reversing his previous dismissal, he shouted the possibility he thought he had erased.

That sharp cry surged forth like an unavoidable attack, ensnaring the reaper. In that instant, Todd, the reaper, moved.

“Die.”

Any trace of suspicion or annoyance vaporized, replaced only by a singular intent to kill.

If seen through a sober lens, the level of deadly intent could have made one faint. With malice residing in his gaze and weapon, Todd lunged towards Subaru in one motion.

“Wha—”

The cold blade pierced deeply into Subaru’s chest.

Without a hint of mercy, the knife twisted and pulled, slicing through everything precious inside.

The fountain of blood spurted forth, staining Todd’s impassive face with crimson.

“—Guh.”

The stab to his chest sent Subaru crashing to the hard ground, blood surged from his throat, and in his cough, the wrap of “medicine” got mixed in.

He failed to bite down and break open the wrap. But this wound was one that didn’t require “medicine.”

“Is that blood flowing from your mouth, are you sane?”

Picking up the blood-stained wrapping with two fingers, Todd murmured disdainfully. Just the scent alone warned him that it was dangerous, or perhaps he grasped the implications from its emergence.

Either way, it didn’t matter. It would no longer reach Subaru.

He could only say—

“…I.”

“What was that?”

“I—”

He held on tight.

With his complexion shifting, prioritizing the moment, he took hold of Subaru’s life.

So, he grasped it.

“—Obtained one.”

He took hold, held on, and in doing so—he died.

He died, yet instead, he grasped.

It was as if what killed Gladiator Island Gnunhaive was the inexistent “curse.”