...
{3rd Pov}
"M'Lady!" Julius exclaimed as he immediately rushed to Anastasia's side, his voice filled with worry and urgency.
"Anastasia-sama, what are you doing here?! This place is extremely dangerous!" His tone carried clear frustration, unable to mask his concern as he scolded her for recklessly entering the battlefield.
The situation had already spiraled far beyond their control the moment Zero had effortlessly defeated them.
In truth, the only reason they were still breathing was because Zero—who was, unbelievably, Subaru from the future—had chosen not to kill them.
"Julius, you might be an excellent Knight, one of the best even," Anastasia said with a teasing smile, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as if completely unfazed by the tension in the air.
"But when it comes to negotiations, that's where you fail. And that, my dear, is exactly where I come in."
Her playful tone carried an undercurrent of confidence as she took a step forward, placing herself between her subordinates and the powerful figure before them.
Zero's amused smirk widened as he observed her calm demeanor.
"Ah, here comes the clever fox herself," he said with a low chuckle.
"The shrewd merchant who clawed her way up from the slums to build a business empire that even nobles envy. Tell me, Anastasia, what sort of negotiation are you here for this time? Are you planning to strike a deal for your safe retreat, perhaps?" His mocking tone hung in the air, sharp and deliberate, earning cold, protective glares from everyone in Anastasia's camp.
"I still find it hard to believe," Anastasia replied evenly, her eyes flicking toward Subaru, who stood a few steps away, his head lowered in silent despair, "that you're actually the future version of that boy over there."
Her words carried a mix of curiosity and disbelief, though her composure never wavered.
(A/N: Nothing new, I suppose.)
"Indeed," Zero said coldly, his expression twisting into one of disgust as he began to walk forward, his footsteps echoing through the tense silence.
"I can hardly believe that pathetic fool over there is supposed to be my other self. That weak, useless idiot—so pathetically obsessed with a half-elf who doesn't give a damn about him, and foolish enough to think foxes like you are his friends."
His words dripped with venom, each one landing heavily on the stunned group, his mocking smile only deepening their anger and confusion.
"Ah, I can already tell how much every single one of you must hate me," Zero continued, spreading his arms in mock openness, his tone turning almost playful.
"But you know what? I couldn't care less. I'm not afraid of any of you. If any of you actually have the guts, if you really think you can do it—then come on, kill me! I'm standing right here!"
Without hesitation, Zero walked straight into the center of their formation, his presence radiating intimidation.
The others, though furious, instinctively stepped aside, creating a wide space around him.
The sheer confidence in his movements made it clear that he wasn't bluffing—he truly didn't fear them in the slightest.
"Right here, in the middle of your flimsy little alliance of so-called justice," Zero sneered, his golden eyes scanning the faces surrounding him.
"Tell me, does any of you actually have the courage to strike me down? Huh? Does any of you dare?" His words sliced through the air like blades, pushing the group's anger to its limit.
Emilia, tears streaming down her face, clenched her fists tightly.
The temperature around her dropped as she summoned an ice projectile, her magic flaring with raw emotion.
Yet the moment her eyes met his—the same face as Subaru's, the same eyes that once looked at her with kindness—her hands trembled.
Her magic dissipated into harmless frost.
She couldn't bring herself to attack him, not when she knew he was Subaru, no matter how twisted he had become.
"Fuck you! Do you think I'm scared of you?!" a voice roared suddenly, breaking the heavy silence.
Predictably, it belonged to the only man reckless enough to provoke Zero in such a situation—the ever-suicidal Heinkel Van Astrea.
(A/N: Bro stop courting death, you aren't CN Mc)
His face twisted in rage, he unsheathed his sword, gripping it tightly as he prepared to charge forward.
However, before he could even take a proper step, Reinhardt appeared beside him in a blur of motion.
With a single, precise jab to the back of Heinkel's neck, Reinhardt rendered him unconscious in an instant.
He caught Heinkel before his body hit the ground, carried him to the side, and gently leaned him against the wall of a nearby house.
After ensuring his father wouldn't get himself killed doing something stupid, Reinhardt calmly turned back toward Zero, his expression unreadable but his aura tense, prepared for whatever might come next.
"I apologize for that," Reinhardt said quietly, his voice steady but laced with restrained tension.
He didn't get the chance to say anything more before a sharp smack landed on his back.
He turned his head slightly, meeting the furious glare of Felt, who was standing right behind him with her arms crossed and her expression filled with irritation.
"Don't apologize to our enemy, dumbass!" she snapped, her voice sharp and disappointed.
"What the hell are you doing saying sorry to someone who's standing there mocking all of us?" Her tone carried a mix of anger and frustration, though deep down, even she knew that the man they were facing wasn't just any ordinary opponent.
Felt's defiance wavered slightly as her eyes flicked toward Zero, the so-called future Subaru.
She didn't want to admit it out loud, but she could feel the weight of his presence.
The pressure that came from him wasn't just from raw strength—it was something else entirely.
It was psychological.
Suffocating.
As if he had already planned every word, every move, every reaction they would make before they even realized it themselves.
He wasn't just stronger than them—he was in control of the entire situation.
It wasn't brute force keeping them on edge; it was how easily he manipulated the battlefield with nothing but words.
His cruel, calculated sentences cut deeper than any sword could.
One by one, he had broken their composure—twisting their emotions, exposing their insecurities, and making them question their own loyalty to each other.
Even the proud and composed ones were beginning to falter under his psychological grip.
Anastasia had already noticed this from the start.
She observed in silence, her sharp merchant's mind piecing together his tactics.
To an outsider, it might look like Zero was simply trying to make Subaru realize how terrible his so-called "friends" truly were, but she could see through the act.
It was a deliberate, methodical deconstruction of their entire alliance.
And the worst part?
Anastasia couldn't deny that there might be some truth in what he was saying.
As much as she wanted to dismiss his words as manipulative lies, the way everyone reacted—especially Emilia and her companions—made her suspect otherwise.
If everything Zero had claimed was true, then the Emilia camp really was as dysfunctional and hypocritical as he made them out to be.
And that realization unsettled Anastasia more than she wanted to admit.
To Anastasia, Subaru had never been anything more than a useful commodity—an asset to be evaluated, measured, and exploited if he proved to have any real worth.
If he possessed value, then he was worth associating with.
If befriending him could strengthen ties with the Emilia camp and create potential alliances, then so be it.
It wasn't sentiment; it was business, pure and simple.
That was how Anastasia Hoshin operated.
But deep down, she had already categorized the Emilia camp as the most unstable, unreliable, and ultimately worthless faction among the candidates for the throne.
Their unity was paper-thin, held together by emotion rather than logic, and their reliance on Subaru—a single unstable element—made their entire structure fragile.
In her sharp, calculating mind, they were a sinking ship just waiting for the final hole to tear open and send them under.
If, by some miracle, the current chaotic situation with the Sin Archbishop representing Pride were to be resolved, Anastasia had no illusions about what would follow.
Subaru would not be hailed as a hero or a savior.
No—he would be branded as a threat and immediately imprisoned, his connection to the Archbishop far too suspicious to ignore.
And as for Emilia, her already precarious claim to the royal throne would crumble completely.
Once the truth spread, her right to rule would be stripped away without hesitation.
The Emilia camp, in Anastasia's eyes, was already doomed.
"Oh, Miss Fox…" Zero's voice broke through her train of thought, smooth yet sharp like the edge of a blade.
His piercing gaze fixed on her, and a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"It seems that you… have some opinions about me."
The air grew heavy the moment his eyes met hers.
Julius immediately stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Anastasia with his sword slightly raised, while Ricardo took a firm stance at her side, his expression hard and his muscles tensed.
Both of them were fully aware of how meaningless their gestures truly were.
They knew—without a shred of doubt—that if the Sin Archbishop truly wished it, all three of them would be dead before they could even blink.
Their movements were not born of hope for survival but rather instinct, a desperate effort to reassure themselves that they could still do something, anything, to protect their master.
Anastasia, however, did not flinch.
Her sharp blue eyes locked onto Zero's, and though she could feel the suffocating pressure emanating from him, she refused to let it show.
The fox never showed fear, even when the hunter had already set his sights on her.
"Indeed…" Anastasia began, her voice calm yet edged with sharp intent as her eyes fixed firmly on Zero.
"You've just delivered quite the striking speech to Subaru, haven't you? About how you intend to reshape this kingdom into something better, to rebuild it under your vision of so-called justice."
She paused, her tone tightening slightly as she tilted her head.
"You speak of justice as if you understand its meaning… as if you are the very embodiment of it. However—"
Anastasia stopped mid-sentence, her gaze shifting from Zero to another figure standing silently behind him.
She slowly lifted her hand and pointed directly at Theresia van Astrea, the once-legendary Sword Saint who now stood motionless, her face devoid of expression, her eyes lifeless and hollow.
Everyone present knew who she was—or rather, who she had been.
Theresia was Reinhardt and Reina's grandmother, Heinkel's mother, and Wilhelm's beloved wife.
Once a proud warrior and a woman of honor, she now existed as nothing more than a puppet—a corpse soldier bound by an unnatural force, her body desecrated and enslaved to another's will.
"You should know exactly whose body that is," Anastasia continued, her words laced with cold accusation.
"You claim that you only became a Sin Archbishop as recently as yesterday, and perhaps that might even be true. But if you still possessed even a single shred of decency or dignity within you, you would have freed her from this curse the moment you had the chance. Instead, you're using her—using her body—as nothing more than a pawn in your twisted game."
"Worst part? With her you didn't even need her strength for any purpose."
Her words hung in the air, heavy and unrelenting.
The atmosphere tensed further as Anastasia took a deliberate step forward, her sharp eyes shifting once again—this time toward the woman standing beside Theresia.
The woman had long, striking crimson-red hair that shimmered in the light, and her mesmerizing blue eyes carried the same unshakable clarity that Reinhardt himself possessed.
For a brief moment, it was as if time froze; the resemblance between her and Reinhardt was uncanny—no, it was unsettling.
If one were to look closely, to really observe her, they would notice it immediately: her height, her posture, even the faint expression on her face—all identical to Reinhardt's.
It was almost unnatural, as though she were not the future Heinkel's second child and daughter, as history claimed, but rather a perfect female copy of Reinhardt himself.
However, the woman standing beside Theresia was the single biggest reason none of them dared to make a move against Zero, despite his constant taunting and deliberate provocation.
Every one of them had witnessed firsthand just what she was capable of, and the memory of that sight still sent a chill down their spines.
Her sheer combat prowess was beyond reason, beyond comprehension.
She had already proven herself by facing the strongest warrior among them—the one person everyone believed to be invincible—and defeating him as if he were nothing more than an untrained child.
The "strongest" man in the world had been completely outclassed, humiliated, and ultimately killed.
Yes, that man was none other than Reinhardt van Astrea.
The Sword Saint.
The man whose strength was said to rival miracles themselves.
Yet even with the divine blade—the Dragon Sword Reid, a weapon capable of cutting through concepts themselves—he had been utterly crushed.
His opponent, the woman with the crimson hair and calm eyes, had fought him not with a sacred weapon or ancient artifact, but with a random stick she had picked up from the ground moments before the fight began.
It had been absurd.
Impossible.
And yet, it had happened.
If not for the fact that Reinhardt possessed the unique, almost divine ability to resurrect—an ability that defied the laws of life and death—he would have been permanently slain that day.
In truth, this wasn't even the first time he had died at enemy's hands.
Zero had already killed him once before, casually, with nothing more than a snap of his fingers.
The memory of that instant death still lingered like a haunting echo in everyone's minds.
Anastasia could see the cracks running deep through what little remained of their so-called alliance.
The unity they had once boasted about had completely disintegrated under the relentless psychological assault of Zero's words.
It wasn't just physical domination anymore—it was total mental collapse.
Every argument, every accusation, every manipulation had chipped away at their morale, leaving nothing but mistrust and despair.
Even though Anastasia herself had long been planning to sever ties with this unstable coalition once the current crisis ended, she understood very well that she needed the alliance to hold together for now.
If it shattered completely at this stage, they wouldn't just lose the city of Priestella—they'd lose their lives as well.
Zero's attacks might have come in the form of mocking words and cruel truths, but words were weapons too, and Anastasia knew how to use them.
If this battle had turned into a war of dialogue and intellect, she would fight him on that same ground.
And thankfully for her, Zero had already revealed several glaring weaknesses in his supposed superiority.
One of those flaws, and perhaps the most unforgivable one, was right in front of everyone's eyes—the fact that he was using Wilhelm's beloved wife's corpse as a mindless puppet soldier.
To Anastasia, that was not power.
That was arrogance and moral decay disguised as strength. And she intended to use that against him, no matter the cost.
"Oh? You accuse me of using her corpse to harm the innocent," Zero replied calmly, as if stating an obvious fact.
"But since the moment I assumed command, not a single innocent person has been harmed."
His tone was flat, clinical—deliberate.
"But you are using her—" Anastasia began, unable to keep the disgust from her voice.
She wanted to cut him off, to demand how he could justify such a thing.
"So what if I am using her corpse?" Zero interrupted, unbothered.
"At least in this state she can deliver the punishment to her own family—the very family that betrayed her and shattered every ounce of trust she had."
His words landed like stones; the claim itself, cold and uncompromising, stunned not only Anastasia but many of those around her.
No one had expected him to frame the situation that way.
Anastasia watched him carefully, her merchant's mind racing as she tried to parse his reasoning.
After a long moment she said, cool and measured, "You truly are a twisted man."
"Nah! No! Nein!" Zero shot back with a smirk, stepping forward as if enjoying the confrontation.
"I would much prefer to be called a practical man rather than 'twisted.' Frankly, you don't even deserve to call me twisted."
His amusement was obvious, and it only heightened the tension in the air.
At his advance, Julius and Ricardo immediately assumed protective stances.
Their hands tightened on their weapons and their eyes narrowed—but their postures were more for show than true deterrence, for all of them understood how dangerous Zero was.
Julius moved first; he stepped forward with the resolve of a man who would sacrifice himself without a second thought.
His blade pointed straight at Zero as he declared, fierce and unwavering, "Even if I were to die, I will not allow you to lay a hand on a single strand of Anastasia-sama's hair while I still draw breath."
The very next moment, Zero vanished from sight.
It wasn't teleportation that any of them could track, nor a speed they could react to—it was simply as if he had ceased to exist in one place and reappeared in another.
Before anyone could even process what had happened, Anastasia let out a startled yelp.
She felt a sudden tug at her scalp as fingers slipped through her silky lavender hair.
She froze.
The sensation was unmistakable—someone was touching her hair, running it between their fingers almost lazily, as though inspecting its texture.
And when she turned her head slightly, her worst suspicion was confirmed.
It was Zero.
He stood behind her, unnervingly close, his hand entangled in her hair.
With an almost mocking leisure, he brought a lock to his face and took a slow, deliberate whiff.
The smirk that followed made her blood boil.
Ricardo reacted instantly, his instincts screaming at him to attack.
He lunged forward, his massive frame moving with the power and speed of a beast ready to tear its prey apart.
But before his weapon could even come close, his entire body locked up.
His muscles stiffened mid-motion, his breath hitched, and the strike never came.
It wasn't magic—it was pure, primal terror.
His instincts had turned against him, screaming at him not to move, not to provoke what stood before them.
A suffocating wave of bloodlust had flooded the area, thick and suffocating like a living entity.
It crushed down on everyone present, as if the very air itself had turned to lead.
Ricardo's eyes darted to the source of that dreadful pressure—and froze again.
Reina was staring at him.
Her eyes were wide open, but they were not the eyes of a living person.
They were empty—hollow voids that reflected nothing but death.
Those vacant eyes alone radiated enough killing intent to break even a seasoned warrior's composure.
The others felt it too.
The invisible weight of her murderous aura slammed into them like a physical force.
Their bodies refused to move, their skin drenched in cold sweat.
Every heartbeat sounded deafening in their ears, every breath came shallow and strained.
Their pupils dilated as panic clawed at their minds.
It was just bloodlust—simple, unspoken hostility—yet it felt as if it was distorting the very reality around them.
The ground seemed to tremble, the air warped under the sheer pressure.
In that moment, they all understood that what they were feeling wasn't normal rage or intimidation.
It was something else—something that transcended human comprehension.
(A/N: Basically an Yandere XD)
Zero smiled, completely unaffected by the overwhelming bloodlust radiating from her.
In fact, everyone around him—even Beatrice and Gloria, along with the other spirits dwelling within his soul space—felt the raw, violent surge of aggression emanating from her.
Yet, somehow, that same bloodlust seemed to entirely bypass him, as if some invisible shield or forcefield existed solely to protect him from it.
'Damn, that is exactly why she is the GOAT!' Subaru thought, cheering silently for his wife inside his mind.
If he weren't trapped in the constraints of his current role, if he weren't forced to remain within the character he was inhabiting, he would have already erupted into applause.
He would have clapped for her, praised her openly, and perhaps even clapped her to give her a reward and a satisfied sleep.
AHEM.
Forcing himself to push away the inappropriate and distracting thoughts swirling in his head, he cleared his throat and spoke instead, his voice calm but carrying a subtle weight: "Lavender, your hair smells exactly like the color it has."
"You really have no manners at all," Anastasia said sharply, though she struggled to keep her composure.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
Her hands shook slightly, barely restrained, as she tried to hold back the tremors caused by the sheer, almost tangible bloodlust that Reina was emitting.
Even though it wasn't aimed directly at her, the force of it was enough to make anyone in the vicinity uneasy and tense.
"No, I'm not being rude," Zero replied smoothly, a confident smirk tugging at his lips.
"I'm simply making a point—proving just how meaningless and hollow his promises really are. He surrounds himself with flowery words, with polished and elaborate language, and yet he is lauded as the 'Finest of Knights,' despite being unable to uphold even the simplest of his own commitments."
Zero's gaze shifted toward Julius, sharp and calculating, filled with a quiet yet dangerous mockery.
"Hey, Julius," he said, his tone cutting and deliberate, "what was it again? That you weren't allowed to touch her hair under my watch, until the day I die? Seems like you've completely failed to live up to that promise. So, tell me—how about you just end it yourself, since apparently you are incapable of keeping the words you swore to uphold?"
Julius summoned every ounce of his willpower to glare at Subaru, despite his body being paralyzed, frozen in place by the overwhelming tension and threat in the air.
His eyes burned with determination, yet he could do nothing physically.
Anastasia, sensing the turmoil within him, stepped closer and spoke calmly, her voice steady and commanding.
"Julius… As my Knight, I expect more from you than to fall so easily for his manipulations. You should know better than to let him play with your mind like this."
Hearing her words, Julius forced himself to take a steadying breath.
Slowly, he managed to calm the storm raging within him.
He understood perfectly well that Zero was toying with them, playing a psychological game designed to provoke and manipulate.
Yet, despite his awareness, he couldn't fully resist; the way Zero exerted control over the situation, the subtle menace behind his words, was terrifying.
Even someone as disciplined and strong-willed as Julius found himself slipping into Zero's hands, a testament to just how frighteningly skilled Zero truly was.
Shifting the focus, Subaru continued, his voice sharp and unyielding.
"Back to the topic—if you're going to call me twisted, at least consider your own hypocrisy. You carry that creation of a Witch around your neck at all times, yet you dare call me anything?"
Anastasia responded with calm precision, almost as if she had been waiting for this moment.
"Eridna, come out," she commanded softly.
Immediately, her scarf began to shimmer and twist, transforming into a fox-like spirit that blinked into existence, startling everyone present.
"She is my most closely guarded secret," Anastasia explained, her tone measured, revealing the truth with deliberate clarity.
"She is an artificial spirit, created by the Witch of Greed, Echidna, and is named Eridna. For years, she has been assisting me in managing the damage to my Gate. To provide some context, even the Great Spirit of Knowledge, Beatrice, is also a creation of the Witch of Greed."
Her words sent ripples of surprise through the group.
Every eye widened slightly, astonished at the revelation.
Beatrice herself, however, seemed entirely unfazed.
She didn't appear concerned that her origins had been exposed.
Instead, she simply grasped Subaru's hand, providing him silent reassurance as he sank deeper into thought, struggling to process everything swirling within his mind.
"I've told them everything now," Anastasia stated matter-of-factly, her gaze sweeping across the plaza.
"They know all my secrets… so what?"
She turned her attention to Zero, noting his expression.
It was clear he was analyzing everyone's reactions carefully.
Yet, to his observation, the group seemed unusually restrained.
After all the shocks, betrayals, and revelations they had endured recently, their capacity to withstand surprises had grown significantly.
They were no longer the easily shaken individuals Zero have just toyed with; their reactions were measured, controlled, and far more difficult to manipulate.
"I suppose if you experience something repeatedly, it eventually loses its impact," Zero said with a faint sigh, his tone carrying a mix of weariness and subtle amusement.
Without another word, he vanished in an instant and reappeared directly in front of Subaru, the sudden movement causing the air to ripple slightly around him.
Zero's sharp gaze flicked toward Anastasia for a moment, assessing her silently before speaking again.
"I could go into a full explanation of just how massive a hypocrite you are," he said, his voice calm but cutting, "but Subaru already understands that perfectly well."
His eyes shifted back to Subaru, and he extended his hand toward him in a gesture that was both inviting and commanding.
"So, I ask you, Subaru," Zero continued, his tone deliberate and unflinching, "what is your decision?"
Subaru slowly lifted his head, his black eyes locking onto Zero's golden gaze.
The intensity in that single glance was nearly suffocating, and the emotions reflected there were impossible to disentangle.
Horror, disbelief, sadness, and shock all collided in his expression at once, a storm of conflicting feelings that left everyone around them tense and uneasy.
"I—I…" Subaru's lips quivered as the words caught in his throat.
The weight of the moment pressed down on everyone in the room.
Each breath seemed to hang suspended, and every eye was fixed on him, silently aware of the magnitude of his forthcoming choice.
Anastasia and the others understood, in that instant, just how pivotal his decision would be.
One wrong word, one hesitant step, and it could completely alter the balance of power in this plaza.
They all knew Zero's focus was singular—on Subaru.
If Subaru were to betray them or falter in his choice, there was little doubt that Zero's wrath would be swift, merciless, and all-encompassing.
None of them could expect any leniency, and the thought alone sent a tense shiver through the group.
Subaru's gaze first fell on Beako, who had remained completely silent throughout the tense exchange, her presence alone offering him quiet, unwavering mental support.
Her calm, steady demeanor seemed to anchor him, a reminder that he was not facing this decision alone.
Then, his eyes drifted to Emilia.
Her eyes were still glistening with the remnants of tears she had shed earlier, and faint streaks still marked her cheeks.
Despite the visible signs of her own pain, she looked at him with a mixture of guilt, hope, and longing, silently conveying all the emotions she couldn't put into words.
After taking in their expressions, Subaru slowly turned to face the rest of them.
Garfiel stood rigid, fists clenched tightly, his entire body vibrating with a mix of anticipation, anxiety, and silent encouragement.
He was clearly waiting, almost holding his breath, desperate for Subaru's answer.
Around them, the others also watched, their eyes focused, some tense, some curious, all silently urging him to speak.
"I—" Subaru's lips quivered, and his eyes widened as they fell upon a figure that felt both familiar and grounding.
A flicker of recognition and relief crossed his mind despite the gravity of the moment.
"Well, I suppose this isn't exactly the most heroic of entrances…" the figure said with a soft chuckle, though his eyes burned with determination.
"But Subaru, I am here as well," Otto continued, stepping forward.
He smiled gently, a mix of reassurance and resolve in his expression.
"No matter what choice you make… I will understand."
Subaru's pupils dilated at the words, a surge of conflicting emotions washing over him.
Then, after a brief but loaded pause, his gaze returned to Zero, who was watching him with that confident, almost smug smile that seemed to radiate an unshakable assurance.
The tension in the room reached its peak as all eyes fixed on him, waiting for his decision.
Finally, Subaru's voice broke the silence, low and steady, carrying the weight of his resolve.
"I refuse."
(A/N: Bro played UNO card on Zero... Oof)
To be continued...
(A/N: We are in top 10, and at 9th position so I am uploading this bonus chap. If we make it even higher, I may upload more bonus chaps depending on the new ranking. Anyways, continue giving powerstones to meet criteria for daily uploads.)