So hot. Ringing ears. Can't catch my breath...
"Cough cough cough..."
The scorching air, thick with ash from countless combustibles, made it impossible not to cough. Blood bubbled at the corner of his mouth. His face pressed against the hard ground. His entire body ached. The numb sensation of heavy debris weighing on him told Subaru Natsuki one thing—he hadn't died in the missile strike.
"I survived..."
"Of course you did. Who do you think Betty is?"
Through his hazy vision, all he could see was charred earth, flames, and ruins. Standing before the black-haired boy—utterly out of place amid the devastation—was a girl with the body of a young child, dressed in an extravagant frilled gown like a carefully adorned doll. She looked almost like a fairy as she spoke in her unmistakable voice.
"...Also, Subaru, why is it that every time you call for Betty, you're in such a pathetic state? Either being chased or about to be attacked."
Her pale cream-colored hair was styled into twin vertical ringlet ponytails. In the center of her blue eyes was a butterfly pattern. A small crown adorned the back right side of her head, and a butterfly-shaped ribbon fastened her cape at her chest.
Like a meticulously dressed porcelain doll, she pouted slightly and glanced back.
"Cough!"
Propping himself up and brushing rubble and dust off his body, Subaru coughed as if he had consumption. "Even if it's true, Beatrice-chan, that still hurts. Forget that for now—Rem..."
"Don't worry, Subaru. I've already transferred that oni girl to a safe location."
Knowing exactly what he was about to ask, Beatrice answered calmly.
"...That's a relief. Thank you, Beatrice-chan..."
Subaru finally exhaled in relief. But just as he staggered to his feet and tore off his now ragged black butler coat—
Bang!
With a sudden push of the girl's small hand through the air, Subaru cried out as he was flung back into the rubble.
Whizz! Almost at the same instant, something tore through the air with a crackling zzzt of electricity, grazing past where his head had just been and taking a tuft of hair with it. It slammed straight into a stone pillar behind him, blasting a bowl-sized hole through it as fragments exploded outward.
"Hhk... hh—"
Flat on his back, Subaru felt as if someone had grabbed his throat. His pupils dilated.
The burning sting on his forehead and the faint pain reminded him just how close that had been.
If that shot had landed, his head would have burst like a watermelon.
He hadn't forgotten the dream-warning from the Witch of Envy, Satella. His ability, [Return by Death], was highly likely to have failed.
He could not die again.
"El Minya!"
With Beatrice's silver-bell-like cry, one of the rare offensive spells of Yin magic activated. Magic power converged in a radiant glow—
Bzzzz—
In the blink of an eye, purple light gathered above her head, forming crystalline arrows that gleamed with violet brilliance. Like a torrential rain of arrows, they poured forth in endless succession. Each crystal arrow seemed to possess its own will, slicing through smoke and storming toward the encroaching malice.
A cascade of sharp crackling impacts and unsettling hums rang out in rapid succession.
Flames and smoke churned together chaotically. Subaru had no idea what was happening within the haze.
Crunch... crunch...
Within the dark gray smoke tinged with orange firelight, arcs of blue-white light suddenly flashed to life—along with pairs of crimson lenses.
Under Subaru's held breath and fixed gaze, a black combat boot with a metallic sheen stepped out from the smoke first.
The countless crystal arrows shattered one after another as they were intercepted by the sweeping arcs of blue-white dual energy blades.
Others struck something Subaru had once only dreamed about—full-coverage exoskeleton sci-fi armor, the kind boys fantasized about.
The crystal arrows collided with faint, rippling energy shields, dissolving in fragile, dreamlike bursts. Some struck their armored shells and the half-deployed diamond-shaped tactical shields mounted on their forearms.
Exoskeleton armor. Energy blades. Energy shields. Composite heavy armor paired with energy barrier tactical shields.
Though he had learned bits and pieces through various channels and had mentally prepared himself, seeing it with his own eyes still left Subaru momentarily dazed.
Otto Suwen's letters and sketches could never compare to this reality.
Of course, it would have been even better if they weren't here to kill him.
Thud thud. Thud thud thud!
A group of two-meter-tall armored soldiers stepped into Subaru's field of vision. Behind them lay the Roswaal mansion estate—reduced to blazing ruins, flames reaching skyward and smoke billowing thick.
The next instant—
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—
Without a word, cone-shaped electromagnetic pulse rounds rained down like hail, saturating a twenty-meter radius centered on Subaru. Miniature explosive missiles and waves of plasma made his scalp prickle in terror.
Within seconds—
Boom!Boom boom!Crash—
Walls collapsed. Several stone pillars that had been barely holding on finally gave way after losing structural support. With drawn-out groans, they snapped at their weakened points, unable to bear the weight above, bringing half a tower down with them in a thunderous collapse that sent up clouds of dust.
"El Minya! Full output!"
"Ul Minya!"
"Shamak!"
Still shielding Subaru behind her, Beatrice chanted rapidly. The crystal arrows grew sharper and larger, their numbers increasing and firing frequency accelerating. Seven or eight purple magic circles formed around her, responding to threats from every direction. Endless darkness spilled outward, engulfing a hundred-meter radius and expanding rapidly—an all-encompassing field that distorted perception and muddled cognition.
In response, the Imperial Auxiliary Army's drop Marines remained silent. With efficient hand signals, task assignments were completed in mere seconds. One group maintained suppressive fire. Another lowered their stance—energy blades snapping free.
Shing!
Combat boots struck debris with dull thuds. Thruster vents on their armored backpacks flared open—second-stage acceleration. Like arrows released from a bow, they charged headlong through the storm of crystal arrows, mercilessly slashing toward the small girl standing with arms outstretched.
"Ugh... Shamak isn't affecting them?" Beatrice cried out in strained disbelief.
[Shamak], a Yin magic spell with the property of "separation," released black smoke that plunged targets into total darkness, robbing them of direction and distance perception—separating consciousness from body to a certain extent.
"Beatrice! Your magic can disrupt a person's bodily senses—but it won't affect machines!"
Subaru, spotting the blind spot, shouted urgently.
They were in full-coverage armor. There was no way their helmets were limited to bulletproofing and gas filtration. Night vision, infrared thermal imaging, electromagnetic imaging—of course they'd have those.
"Negative sensory magic is useless against them... Then I have no choice! Gravity Magic—Beta! El Beta!"
Facing the black-armored soldiers who had ignored the effects of Shamak and closed to within ten meters, Beatrice slammed her small hand downward at the sight of energy blades and roaring chainswords that seemed to hum with electricity.
Crack!
Shattered glass, broken furniture, and chunks of stone screeched as they were crushed in an instant. The ground within a thirty-meter radius suddenly sank and fractured. Several sprinting auxiliary soldiers faltered mid-stride—
—but only for a heartbeat. It was as though the sudden increase of hundreds of kilograms, even several tons of weight, meant nothing to them.
"You're kidding... They're just ignoring the gravity from El Beta?"
Sweat beaded on Beatrice's delicate face. She clenched her teeth. "Their physical strength... or is it that armor?"
Ever since forming an eternal contract with Subaru, she had broken free from the defective imitation [Tome of Wisdom], leaving the Forbidden Library and sustaining herself by drawing mana from him.
But even she was exhausted, simultaneously protecting Subaru while unleashing multiple spells at once.
"There's no choice!"
Time magic and spatial transfer were too slow to activate. The mana she could draw from Subaru wasn't enough to accumulate more.
There was only that move left.
As the gunfire and explosions intensified near her ears—along with the blazing, comet-like figure charging through the battlefield—Beatrice made her decision.
"EMM!"
An absolute defense spell. Usable once per day, and once activated it could persist until the mana in the atmosphere was depleted.
With her mastery of Yin magic, Beatrice interfered with the time and space surrounding her contractor, Subaru Natsuki. During activation, she could not move—but nothing outside the barrier could affect them.
Clang—!!
A resounding metallic roar like a tolling bell. Sparks erupted as a crystalline dual energy blade slammed against an invisible barrier less than ten centimeters from Beatrice's slender neck—unable to advance a single inch.
"What?" (Imperial Common Tongue)
Though Subaru couldn't understand the language, at least the armored soldiers were finally speaking. Not caring about the dust on himself, he hurried forward to catch Beatrice as she sagged from exhaustion.
"Sorry, Beatrice. I dragged you into this again."
Before he could say more—
Boom!
A violent shockwave exploded outward. The concrete beneath the auxiliary soldier wielding the energy blade cracked instantly.
"Hah!"
Pouring on more force, additional thrust vents flared from the joints of his arm armor, spewing violet-red flames over a decimeter long.
Crack crack crack...
Boom.
Dust surged as the soldier gouged a half-meter-deep trench into the ground beneath his feet. Fractures spiderwebbed outward from the unleashed force.
Yet even as the energy blade emitted structural warning alarms, it still could not break through the barrier.
Gunfire. Explosives. Slashes and axe blows.
None of it worked.
The auxiliary Marines before the barrier exchanged glances, awkward silence settling between them.
"Damn it! Someone drop my newly acquired Necro Gauss Disintegration Cannon down here!" the furious auxiliary officer barked.
"Subaru, where did you provoke these people from?"
Watching the red lenses of their visors glare at Subaru through the EMM barrier, their intent so savage it seemed they wanted to mince him into paste, Beatrice panted, sweat dampening her temples.
"How should I know?!"
Subaru looked utterly baffled.
After liberating Sanctuary, he'd been staying home, keeping a low profile. Who had he offended?
Clutching his head in despair, he asked, "What do we do now?"
"Betty has done all she can. If even the Royal Selection guardians here can't defeat your enemies, then once EMM expires, we'll both be killed. Ah—Subaru, your good friend has arrived."
"Huh?"
It happened in the blink of an eye.
"You! What are you doing to my friend?! People of the Sacred Selene Empire!"
Flames roared forward with explosive force, and even the armored soldiers halted their assault.
Like burning fire whipped by a storm, red hair blazed wildly. Blue eyes reflected pure fury.
"Reinhard!" Subaru shouted in delight. With that pillar here, he felt infinitely reassured.
On the other side—
"Captain, Squads Two and Three couldn't hold them."
"Troublesome. That Sin Archbishop with the dense Witch miasma was within reach... Hmph. Is his ability some kind of enhancement control? Weak body, strong followers?"
"Engage. Request air-to-ground fire support. Confirm IFF. All heavy weapon restrictions lifted." Internal comms.
In the next instant—
Rat-tat-tat—boom boom—bang bang—
Just their footsteps cracked the floor. Every clash generated shockwaves, blasting apart tattered carpets and shattered oil paintings scattered through the ruins.
The air wailed. Weapons roared. Blunt impacts tore through space. Figures were sent flying, smashing through already crumbling pillars and walls.
"Subaru..."
In a relatively intact corner of the mansion, Emilia covered her mouth in a voiceless cry. Gunfire thundered without end. The muffled detonations of powerful collisions pierced the sky. Above, the circling steel birds began diving once more, scattering torrents of fire.
All the Royal Selection guardians and followers had joined the battle. Some were wounded. Some lay in pools of blood.
She wanted to fight too.
But she couldn't.
She had to protect the sleeping blue-haired girl Subaru had entrusted to her.
"Subaru... please be safe."
...
"Reinhard! Don't kill them!"
Worthy of the title of strongest [Sword Saint], once Reinhard entered the fray, the tide turned.
With the strength of a single man, the red-haired youth became a blazing meteor, charging through the auxiliary drop Marines. Though not without resistance, none could truly stop him.
One after another, they were blasted away. Reinhard even drew the Dragon Sword, murderous intent flashing—if not for Subaru's shout...
"Reinhard, trust me! If you kill them, there will be no room left for negotiation between us and the Sacred Selene Empire! You might defeat one squad—but can you kill them all? If the Empire's higher-ups are enraged, we'll all die!"
It was tragic—but Subaru had to stay rational.
Under his repeated insistence, Reinhard began using the Dragon Sword to strike soldiers flying with the flat of the blade rather than cutting them down.
"Let's talk! There must be some misunderstanding!"
Subaru repeatedly called out to the soldiers stationed before the EMM barrier.
"...Order. All units—cease fire!"
At last, after the battle had engulfed the entire estate, an auxiliary lieutenant descended directly from a hovering gunship a hundred meters above, landing in powered exoskeleton armor polished to a gleam.
The battlefield fell into a brief silence.
The lieutenant pulled out a tactical tablet, cross-checking data.
"Royal Guard uniform. Burning red hair and blue eyes... and a knight's sword with a dragon-claw engraved on the scabbard..."
He looked up sharply.
"[Sword Saint] Reinhard van Astrea. Should I interpret your actions as the Kingdom of Lugunica—under your representation—intending to tear up its agreement with the Empire and declare war?"
"When have I ever torn up any agreement?" Reinhard retorted immediately. "It is you who attacked the mansion of Count Roswaal, a border lord of our Kingdom—and assaulted Lady Emilia, one of our Royal Selection candidates!"
"Our unit is conducting a Witch Cult extermination. We neither know nor care about your Royal Selection. And even if she is a candidate—so what? By order of the Legion Commander, anything connected to the Witch Cult must be annihilated."
"Witch Cult? Absurd! Lady Emilia is the hero who eliminated the Sin Archbishop of Sloth!"
"Your words lack credibility. I trust only my detectors. This mansion harbors Witch miasma comparable to the Sin Archbishop we eliminated in Priestella..."
"Um... I think I know why."
As the exchange teetered on the edge of renewed conflict, the black-haired boy stepped forward decisively, interrupting them.
"The Sin Archbishop you suspect... is probably me. I'm willing to explain everything to you face to face."
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