――The “Giant Eye” Izmail was a warrior of the Single-Eyed Clan, and the hope of his kin.

　At the center of that brave face, his large blue eye shone clearly, looking to the future without hesitation. —No, it had looked.

　Now, Izmail’s single eye was a manifestation of ominous signs, as the golden moon floated in the dark night.

「――――」

　To elevate his clan’s name, Izmail had boldly joined the battle for the Imperial Capital, targeting the head of Emperor Vincent Volakia as a rebel. He broke through the regular army’s defenses with a performance befitting his reputation and quickly clung to the castle walls.

　However, that was as far as Izmail’s success would go.

　The unleashed hellfire scorched everything, incinerating “Giant Eye” Izmail and all the warriors of the Single-Eyed Clan who followed him. The half-dead Izmail also lost his life to a ruthless pursuit of death.

　Yes, he had lost his life. —Or so it should have been.

「――――」

　Tossed by artillery, his body should have been shredded into pieces and certainly dead.

　Yet, Izmail stood up with limbs sprouting from his burned and blown-apart body, shouldering his battle axe as he walked through the war-torn Imperial Capital.

　What moved that cold, lifeless body was only a swirling emotion of profound hatred —.

「――Where are you, hideous beast」

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　△▼△▼△▼△

「So far, we’ve only encountered mere foot soldiers and have avoided anyone resembling a “General” from when we were alive, but the one ahead is sufficient to rival that. This is troublesome.」

「Speaking of “General”…」

「While there are exceptions evaluated for their strategies and tactical insight, typically, it’s the individual’s skill that stands out. This one falls into that category — not comparable to a Great General, but certainly capable of rising to a Second General.」

「――――」

「If we compare simple combat strength, he could wipe out all of us by himself.」

　Todd concluded with a calm attitude, despite the dire report of their potential annihilation.

　The powerful enemy Zombie waiting ahead — it was a revelation that the stroke of bad luck that had thus far protected Subaru and the others had finally run out.

「B-but you have a cunning mind and can figure something out, right? You’ve managed to come this far using the strength of these little ones, haven’t you?」

　Kachua pleaded with a trembling voice, looking towards Todd.

　The “little ones” she referred to were Subaru and the others, who were crystallizing zombies with magic, and Tanzah, who was exterminating any enemies that might slip through.

　Fortunately, it was still not time for Lui to step in to protect the rear group led by Rem, and up until now, they had carved their path forward with the combination of those two and Todd’s judgment.

　However —

「Forcing our way only works to a certain degree. Beyond a certain disparity in strength, it doesn’t mean a thing. Just like no matter how hard you blow, you can’t topple a castle with wind.」

「Ugh…」

「In other words, our soldier is deciding that going this way is difficult, huh?」

「That’s right. —I would like to say that, but changing paths so easily isn’t an option either.」

　Nodding halfway at Flopp’s words, Todd shook his head. He then turned toward the path they had come from and the Crystal Palace.

「It seems the situation over there has settled. The water will soon come.」

　As Todd coldly pointed out, a thunderous sound dominated the far-off sky.

　If one looked in the same direction as him, a giant humanoid figure that had been clashing with a “Dragon” beside the Crystal Palace had its knees destroyed, crashing down while demolishing the surroundings of the castle.

　Beyond the billowing clouds of dust, a white dragon that had brought down the giant god let out a roar.

　Certainly, only those who comprehended the scene, along with that echoing war cry, were the zombies and none other.

「If our earlier assumptions are correct…」

「Even if we wanted to return and seek another path, we don’t know if we’ll make it in time.」

「Is that so…」

　An increasingly desperate conclusion, but it was the only reality they could verbalize as Beatrice, holding hands with Subaru, nodded in affirmation of his thoughts.

　Prompted by that, Todd lowered his chin, and, hesitantly, Tanza raised her hand.

「If that’s the case, doesn’t it mean we’re stuck? There’s a powerful enemy ahead, but we cannot return because time doesn’t allow it.」

「Hahaha, Lady Tanza, that’s a very frightening conclusion. It might feel like a deadlock when just picking up the information given, but surely there must be moves left to play!」

「For example, what kind?」

「I don’t know! But surely, someone might know, right?」

　Tanza, who struggled to express her emotions, frowned as she fixed her gaze back to Flopp’s statement.

　It was pleasing and appreciated that they now found themselves considering Subaru when a reliable figure was mentioned in such situations. While it also brought pressure, it stimulated a resolve to respond.

　Moreover—

「—Could you perhaps make it work?」

　It wasn’t just Tanza directing hopeful eyes at Subaru.

「――――」

　Rem, tightly gripping the handle behind Kachua’s wheelchair, looked back at Subaru with fluttering light blue eyes, mirroring a different kind of fragile trust like ice on thin ground that Kachua bestowed fully onto Todd.

　Even so, Subaru’s heart began to swell.

　The heightened vigilance directed toward Todd could now be refocused enough to use his brain again thoroughly.

「We must decide soon whether to go or return or we may be out of time.」

　In response to Subaru’s mental shift, Todd added conditions as if to reinforce his point.

　If they pressed forward, what they needed was combat power. If they turned back, what they needed was luck and time. —Assuming “Return by Death,” the latter option might offer a higher chance.

「No, we can’t quite say that.」

　By repeating “Return by Death,” and eliminating wrong routes, they might eventually reach another exit via the shortest route; however, that depends on having a goal.

　If their chosen path led to failure irrespective of their route, they could not opt for the latter choice.

　On the other hand, if deciding to fight —

「The only ones who can contend against formidable foes are…」

　Amidst Subaru’s group, those genuinely countable as combat power were Subaru and Beatrice, Lui and Tanza, with Todd as additional strength and Idra as a reserve.

　Out of these, Subaru practically acted as an accessory to Beatrice’s true power, and he also wished to assign Idra to protect non-combatants like Rem and Kachua, and Flopp, along with the fake crown prince.

　In effect, the only fighters capable were Beatrice, Lui, Tanza, and Todd. It was bleakly amusing to realize that his only reliable allies were indeed just little girls.

　That’s where Subaru’s thoughts had gone.

「――――」

　After resting his chin on his hand and pondering, Subaru looked up, and just as he did, he locked eyes with Todd, who was also looking in Subaru’s direction.

　In that instant, a flash almost like lightning shot through Subaru’s mind, feeling it with both overwhelming relief and bitterness.

　Because —

「「—Let’s defeat the zombies!」」

　—Simultaneously, they intensely felt in their very souls that the conclusion they had both reached was that combining force and wisdom was necessary to achieve their goal.

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　—The moment he heard a great sound with a distinctly different quality, Izmail turned on his heel.

「――――」

　Izmail, who should have been burned, exchanged his charred body for a brand new one with cracks running through it. The hero of the Single-Eyed Clan lowered his stance as he expanded his legs, capturing the approach of a large shadow with his single eye.

　Standing in the street, Izmail saw that something was flying toward him in an arc: a house from the Imperial Capital, uprooted entirely as some kind of joke.

　Stripped from the ground, it was hurled, floors and walls crumbling as it scattered debris like a half-eaten piece of bread, but in reality, it was anything but cute. Most people would be crushed and die.

　Nevertheless —

「—How dull!」

　The “Giant Eye” Izmail was no ordinary man.

　The house flying toward him was on a trajectory to strike the center of the street, leaving no escape route in front or back now that the sides were filled.

　However, to create an escape route would be to fall into the trap of the opponent.

　Thus, Izmail did not flee forward or back but swung up his battle axe.

　The massive axe, capable of being lifted by two sturdy warriors, was handled with ease by Izmail with one hand, cleaving through any obstacle.

　So too did the house cascading toward him meet its fate.

　At the moment of contact, the axe blade cut up from beneath, sliding into the top of the structure and cleaving the house like gutting a massive man from below.

　The cleaved house spilled the furniture, utensils, and clothing left by its inhabitants into the street while finishing its role as a house without harming Izmail’s body.

　However —

「—Ugh!」

　Right after unleashing his grand technique, rocks came flying toward Izmail’s face.

　Naturally, it wouldn’t work against the Single-Eyed Clan, who possessed overwhelming eyesight compared to other races. He tilted his head, evading the rocks while sifting through the dust kicked up by the fallen house and focused his gaze on where both the house and rocks had been thrown from — an “enemy” was located there.

　—Through Izmail’s eye magic, the world he perceived shifted.

　His eye, capable of detecting the emotions of the target in colors, showed him multiple flashes of red in the direction the attacks had been launched — the color of combat intent.

　That was welcome news, infusing Izmail’s entire being with strength.

　In the battle over the Imperial Capital or against bandits and other races, there was no greater deflation than fighting those devoid of the spirit of a warrior.

　Only in combat between warriors could their skills be tested against each other.

　The source of hatred that drove the seemingly dead Izmail’s body was predominantly rooted in the universal honor associated with martial prowess and the defilement of that honor.

「Now—」

　Stepping onto the packed earth street, Izmail advanced toward the enemy.

　Just as before, stone projectiles were thrown to intercept him, and the next mass projectile — a house, arced through the air, but he neither thought it cowardly nor as a strategy of the weak.

　That was a proper tactic. He would only strike them down with respectful intent.

「The death of a warrior must come by the hands of another warrior.」

　As he advanced, the speed and precision of the stones coming at him were considerable, requiring minimal dodging and deflecting with the raised battle axe, lest he suffer broken bones upon receiving the hit.

　And naturally, the house thrown was instantly incapacitating.

　However —

「Don’t presume only you can throw things!」

　Roaring, Izmail cleaved through the second house projectile that came flying toward him with his battle axe. With that momentum, he thrust his blade into the street, ripping it apart.

　With the earth turned up, Izmail swung his long leg and sent the rubble flying forward like buckshot. Naturally, he did not expect this to land an effective blow against the enemy across the street.

「It’s merely a distraction, but…」

　Unlike the single-eyed clan, other races without special eyes couldn’t see through the cloud of flying dust.

　Hiding amidst the dirt and the fragments of the smashed street, Izmail discerned that the accuracy of the incoming projectiles dropped significantly, granting him further leeway to advance.

「A grown man and a little girl—」

　Peering through the curtain of dust, Izmail glimpsed the two figures, now clearer due to their proximity: a man and a girl.

　The man took on the role of distracting Izmail with rocks, while the small girl beside him pulled houses from the ground and threw them as projectiles.

　With a well-coordinated pair, there was a dissonant impression, as their maneuvers revealed a certain immaturity.

　As someone who had honed his skills on the battlefield, Izmail recognized it.

　Both of them, having turned aggressive, were not pure warriors. Yet despite that, the growth of their warrior spirit was commendable, truly impressive even to Izmail, who had become the target of their attention.

　Sometimes, the battlefield could awaken the warrior spirit in those who weren’t warriors.

　The same transformation was happening to the man and the girl.

「Impressive.」

　He thought it deserving of praise, respect, and a necessity to eliminate them completely.

　Without hesitation, absolutely without compulsion, and without a hint of error, they must be exterminated. To sever all their lives, to stop their breaths.

　Tearing off limbs, decapitating heads, and draining the blood from their hearts —.

「――――」

　He felt an intense desire for death, blood, and life burning within his mind.

　Simultaneously, Izmail saw his reflection in the shattered glass from the third house he had demolished, the sound of glass breaking ringing with a high pitch.

　Izmail was laughing.

　The heat of ferocity spilled over his cold, lifeless body, twisting the corners of his mouth into a cheer. It was a ghastly smile he had never once shown while alive, a smile that tasted only of blood.

「Haha, hahaha, hahahahaha!」

　With that smile, rather than disgust, an overwhelming rush of exhilaration surged up, and his laughter echoed back at him.

　While laughing, dancing as he intercepted the random strikes of incoming stones, he leapt towards the next projected house and pierced through it with his battle axe, launching himself into an assault.

　The two warriors were poised to escape backward — no, they leapt at their prey.

　To the fifth house, he struck down on what appeared to be a last-ditch resistance, intending to celebrate the boiling passion for blood with real blood — when suddenly, he thought—

「—You really can’t see well with just one eyeball, huh?」

「――――」

　The house flying toward him described an arc, and Izmail swung his axe to smash through the door directly in front, propagating the force of destruction, making the entire material groan as it exploded like bubbles.

　Just prior to that event, a mocking voice invaded Izmail’s eardrums.

　—No, no, no, no, no. Absolutely no.

　It was not a voice of “someone’s” ridicule.

　It was a voice he viewed with the utmost scorn, the symbol of wickedness, the target of his hatred.

「You bastard—!!」

　The exhilaration from but a moment ago vanished, replaced by a cold killing intent enveloping Izmail’s entire being.

　The golden eyes of Izmail, open wide and darkening, captured the sight of an imperial soldier sprawled on the floor within the demolished house — orange hair.

　—That was indeed the foe that summoned Izmail’s “death.”

「—Ooooooooooh!」

　In a flash, rage surged through him, causing Izmail’s battle axe to shift direction.

　The axe strike that should have cleaved through the house diverted from vertical impact, suddenly adjusting its angle as it aimed to strike down on the prone imperial soldier —

「—Huh?」

　Just as Izmail bore down with the full force of his wrath, the imperial soldier he sought to strike abruptly vanished from his sight.

　He didn’t merely move at an incredible speed; it was as if he had literally disappeared.

「――――」

　In that fleeting moment, Izmail’s mind was engulfed in black and white.

　His unbridled hatred for the enemy found no outlet, its essence consumed by the abnormality that unfolded, overriding his thoughts. Yet just before that instance, Izmail’s “Giant Eye” detected a disturbance.

　The vexing shape of the prone enemy soldier, and the long golden-haired girl gripping the leather strap at his waist.

「――――」

　The intent and reason were unknown, but Izmail couldn’t dismiss it as irrelevant information.

　Though their time was short, he believed there was no way that imperial soldier would indiscriminately introduce unnecessary elements.

　At that moment —

「—Gah!？」

　A piercing collision struck through Izmail’s left shoulder, followed by a groan.

　Inside the disrupted house, a stone fired through a wall struck Izmail — whether by chance or direct aim, it was a projectile that came flying at high speed.

　As anticipated, it exploded with such force on the left shoulder that it should have shattered bone, yet, Izmail’s body was not about to scream.

　Lost of blood, cracked here and there, Izmail’s body met the impact with an unexpectedly hollow sound, sending him shattering into pieces.

　Just like the glass windows of the houses he had previously destroyed.

「――――」

　For an instant, Izmail’s thoughts halted before his fractured left arm.

　However, alongside the element of surprise, the absence of the expected pain kept him from being torn apart. Thus, he remained aware enough not to miss the next change.

「My arm is—」

　That arm, broken at the shoulder joint and on the verge of falling onto the slanted floor of the house, moved in a perplexing manner as if time reversed, regenerating; cracks filled in, shattered fragments returned, restored.

　As if the act of being broken was not to exist at all — it took less than two seconds.

「Ha—!」

　In an instant, he switched the battle axe to his recently healed left hand, testing its feel before swinging it down to once more obliterate the half-demolished house projectile.

　As he burst through the chaotic debris of stone and wood, he reached out toward the approaching presence of hostility.

　He faced a fist-sized stone while extending his right hand toward it, ready to confront it head-on.

　Should he take the blow without dispersing the shock, naturally, it would severely shatter the bones of his right hand. However, Izmail’s body defied how a human should break, practicing the destruction of an inorganic object.

　And above that, with a recovery power exceeding the natural healing of a human, it returned to its original state.

「This is the true capability of this body…!」

　Turning away subconsciously from the improbable situation, Izmail, seething with hatred, moved with intent.

　This abominable body bestowed by his inexplicable revival had distanced itself from blood, pain, and even the “death” that came with being alive.

　Then —

「—is」

　Izmail exhaled as his gaze fell below, upon a sight he had desired to see.

　The man and girl who had bravely attacked him moments earlier now stood just behind the treacherous foe who had previously vanished right before his eyes.

　The method was unclear, but the moment that enemy disappeared before Izmail, he had manifested behind the duo, and now the warriors joined the traitorous schemer.

　In that instance, the admiration he once held for their skill inverted, morphing into a viscous hatred.

「All of you shall pay for mocking war with your lives —!!」

　Izmail soared like an arrow, kicking aside the projectiles of the demolishing houses.

　Recognizing the urgency, the girl beside the mustachioed man began throwing rocks, realizing that another house would not reach its intended target in time.

　However —

「—It won’t work, it won’t work, it won’t work, it won’t work!」

　Without needing to swing his battle axe, fast-moving stones targeting Izmail couldn’t obstruct his actions or pierce his heart.

　Even as his body shattered upon contact with fragments, they regenerated in the blink of an eye, meeting no damage.

　With his newfound body, devoid of the feeling of life, Izmail yearned to receive that sensation of life through the spilling blood of his enemies, reaching for the tense expressions of his foes.

「――――」

　As Izmail extended his hand, he noticed.

　The mustached man, the girl in kimono, and the detestable great enemy, the imperial soldier were all alive and their expressions weren’t dead.

　It was merely a red-hued mustachioed man and girl, and the enemy stood tall with a blue tint. The reality of that moment clearly registered.

　—Izmail sensed a presence appearing behind him as he lunged toward his enemies.

「――!」

　The instincts of a warrior sounded the alarm, prompting him to twist in mid-air to catch the scent of danger.

　The “Giant Eye” opened wide. In its golden pupils, he beheld a figure that had miraculously circled behind him in that brief moment — no, not alone; there were three shadows.

　A black-haired boy, a girl in a dress cradled in his arms.

　And the girl who had been by the enemy’s side, now clinging desperately to the boy’s back.

　Each small but burning bright with red combat intent, the trio extended their hands toward him.

「El—」

　The incantation whispered, at once, Izmail’s instinct as a warrior urged him to kick through the shards.

　However, that instinct held him back, and he reached out to swing his battle axe. He decided not to dodge or interrupt the incoming attack, nor to dwell upon it, instead opting to counter.

　An attack previously unimaginable for his old body was now possible; he prepared to cleave down upon his foes with lethal fury —

「Minya—!!」

　Amethyst radiance burst forth, heading straight toward him, and Izmail chose to receive it.

　He did not notice the consequences of that retaliation that was to follow.

　—The Single-Eyed Clan hero, the “Giant Eye,” Izmail would never, under any circumstance, have made such a foolish choice.