6
A fixed reset point for his Return by Death had its upsides and downsides.
For one thing, it was incredibly simple to test things by messing with the matchmaking. But even if Subaru activated Cor Leonis immediately upon waking to pinpoint where his comrades were, there was nothing he could do to stop a fight that had already begun.
Shaula was dealing with the stampede, and Emilia was fighting Lye Batenkaitos.
It went without saying that Shaula was on a timer, but he couldn’t just abandon Emilia’s group or Rem in the green room, so there was little he could do.
But that didn’t mean he had zero options.
“…Agh, you’re something. It’s impressive for anyone to push me this far.”
Standing on a frozen floor, Lye Batenkaitos rubbed his bloody forehead.
He was bleeding from a shallow cut on his face, and his left arm hung limply due to a broken shoulder. He looked worse than any run Subaru had seen so far.
And that made perfect sense.
“Much like your brother, you possess an impressive level of skill. However, you are outnumbered… You have no chance of victory.”
Flourishing his knight’s sword, Julius faced off against the bloodied Lye.
This wasn’t the first time Subaru brought Julius to reinforce Emilia. However, there was a key difference from his last defeat.
“Are you well, Lady Emilia? That was dangerous. I am glad we were able to make it in time.”
“Subaru, Julius. Thanks for coming. That really helped.”
This time, they reached Emilia before Gluttony stole her name away. Thanks to that, Julius was able to coordinate precisely with Emilia, and they managed to successfully corner Lye. With Emilia, Julius, and Ram all in play, even Gluttony could see the writing on the wall. It wouldn’t be long before he’d be ready to throw in the towel.
Lye was already on the verge of death, but Subaru knew that wouldn’t be enough to get back the names and memories he had consumed. He wanted to capture the Archbishop alive, if possible. Ideally, they’d force him to surrender.
“If you spill the secret behind your power and immediately return everything you’ve devoured, we’ll spare your life. Not a bad deal, right?”
“Heh. That’s surprisingly lenient. You’re right, it isn’t bad. As far as we’re concerned, it isn’t a terrible proposal, but…”
“…But?”
“Do you really think we would go along so easily when you talk like you can see right through us?”
“—Ngh, wait!”
Lye stuck out his long tongue with a sneer. Subaru frowned and immediately deduced what Gluttony intended to do and cursed his own shallowness.
The others reacted to his shout, but it was too late.
“Buh-bye.”
Waving casually, Lye used Leaping Dorkel’s Teleportation ability and vanished.
“Watch out! He could still come at us from anywhere!”
“There’s no point. Once they’ve decided to escape, he and his ilk simply flee as fast as they can. That’s why he has never been caught before.”
Julius was on guard for a surprise attack, but Ram’s assessment was more coolheaded.
Subaru agreed with Ram. There was no reason at all for Lye to continue fighting in this situation. He was an Archbishop, not a warrior.
“…Just a little more, and we would’ve had him.”
A murmur trickled out in the hall now devoid of enemies.
“One more step, and the one who hurt Rem would’ve been…ngh.”
Ram was kneeling, her voice ragged. She pressed her fist against the floor, trembling with rage because they’d let Lye escape.
“Ram…”
Emilia leaned close to Ram, touching her slender shoulder. As he watched her console Ram, Subaru bit his lip.
“…Does that mean we managed to drive off Lye?”
They had forced Lye to retreat by fighting him three-on-one, but it was unclear whether he had completely fled the tower.
Of course, given his title of Gluttony, it was safe to assume he was more fixated on his prey than the average person. Wasn’t it more dangerous to leave him loose in the tower?
“The problem is, devoting people to chase him down puts us right back where we started. But if we leave him alone, then—”
“You shouldn’t bother worryin’ about your opponents. You just gotta move without overthinkin’ it.”
“ ”
Every hair on Subaru’s body stood on end. Everyone in the passage turned around, seeing the red-haired man approach with the shuffle of sandals.
He had a ferocious, sharklike grin as he shamelessly appeared before them.
“Why should I have to care about other people when I’m takin’ a stroll in my own damn backyard?”
Reid Astrea had descended to the fourth floor. Subaru knew that his appearance was a bad development. He had put Reid on the back burner to focus on dealing with Lye as fast as possible, but now Reid was moving about freely, and they had let Lye escape.
“Since when has this been your backyard?” asked Emilia.
“Oy, don’t get the wrong idea, babe. When I say that, I don’t mean this gloomy tower. The whole world’s my backyard.”
“…When I hear that coming from a person who became a legend with a single swing of his sword, I cannot bring myself to laugh even if it is a joke,” Julius said.
Reid wasn’t supposed to be able to leave the second floor, so Emilia and Julius were obviously on guard when they saw him appear without warning. And behind them, Ram slowly looked up, despite her current state.
“I thought you couldn’t leave that floor. Why have you come down here, Examiner?”
“I ain’t interested in talkin’ to a girl so winded, she has to take a knee. If you want an answer, try askin’ nicely. I don’t hate strong-willed women. Don’t hate weak-willed ones, either, though.”
“I see. Churl.”
Ram stood, scornfully replying to Reid’s comment.
The three of them prepared to fight against an unavoidable enemy. Subaru had some hope that they might be able to challenge Reid if it was the three of them, just like they had overwhelmed Lye, but…
“Why did you come straight here…?”
“—Those eyes are the reason, obviously.”
“ ”
“Also, partly to spend time with that hottie, but your eyes are disgusting. I’m going to erase them.”
Reid’s blue eyes looked past the three standing around him, piercing Subaru.
The hostility he directed at Subaru now was identical to how he’d acted moments after fusing with Roy in other loops. The cause had to be the knowledge he’d gained from merging with Gluttony.
And his will was far more unyielding than the Archbishop of Gluttony’s. There would be no changing his mind.
“I won’t let you.”
“Oh?”
Beatrice stood in front of Subaru, lips pursed.
“Hey, brat.” Reid shrugged. “You don’t have to go rushing to your death.”
“Sorry, but I suppose I’m not interested in living like I’m dead anymore.”
“Heh, you don’t say. Guess that’s how it’s gotta be.”
No great and worthy hero would raise a hand against a little girl. But the light in Reid’s eye was unwavering, putting to rest any naive thoughts like that. It didn’t matter who stood before him, child or not.
Emilia, Julius, Ram, and Beatrice. If they included Subaru and his cunning, then they had five people. Five against Reid.
Despite those odds, the terror filling Subaru refused to go away. Cloying sweat trickled down his back.
The others surely felt it, too. Their faces were tense as they steeled themselves for the impending fight.
Then—
“Ul Minya.”
Countless purple missiles filled the passage, completely blocking Reid’s escape.
Beatrice clearly had no intention of holding back. This spell was fatal if it so much as grazed its target, and even though Reid undoubtedly realized that in an instant, he simply grinned fearlessly.
“Beatrice, Natsuki Subaru’s great spirit.”
“Not bad. I’m Reid Astrea, the Stick Swinger.”
The tension in the air was palpable as they announced themselves.
For a brief moment, all was still. Then purple bolts flew, signaling the start of a battle of utter devastation. Emilia and the others boldly leaped into the fray without hesitation.
“ ”
Opening his eyes, Subaru gripped his whip and got ready to do everything he could.
I don’t know what I can do. But I won’t look away.
He refused to avert his eyes from the results of his choices.
He would face it head-on and—
Round 15
•Gluttony will run when obviously outmatched.
•If left alone, Reid will always come to kill Subaru in the end.
•Never let anyone else die before you again.
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