Otto stood in front of Subaru.
There was silence.
The only sound in the war room was Beatrice's quiet sobbing.
She didn't say anything. She couldn't.
And Subaru?
Subaru just stared at the ground. His hands trembled. His throat burned.
Otto's voice finally broke the silence.
"I always saw you as a hero, Subaru."
Subaru's fingers curled into fists.
"Even when you acted like an asshole to me," Otto continued, "even when you pushed me away—I was willing to forgive you for that. Because you saved my life once."
Subaru couldn't look at him.
"But this... this needs to end." Otto's voice hardened. "And I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."
Subaru snapped.
"Then what do you want me to do?!" he shouted.
His voice echoed through the war room.
"We're already in this shit! The war is already happening! What the hell do you want me to do about it?! Do you think I can just—just—wish it all away?!"
Otto didn't flinch.
He just stared at Subaru.
"We can at least try to negotiate."
Subaru laughed—a bitter, broken laugh.
"Negotiate?!" He shook his head. "Otto, this isn't some merchant dispute. You think we can just talk it out?!"
"Why not?" Otto shot back. "If you really just wanted revenge, then why not make it clear? Ask for Julius's life."
Subaru froze.
"Julius acts like an honorable guy, doesn't he?" Otto continued. "Then maybe he'll accept it. Maybe he'll offer his life if it means stopping this war."
A horrible silence filled the room.
Beatrice sniffled.
Subaru felt sick.
Would that... would that work?
Would Julius accept that?
Could he really just end everything with that one demand?
Could he let go of all his hatred—all the blood spilled—just for that?
Otto exhaled deeply, his hands clenched into fists.
"Don't act like this isn't what you wanted from the start, Subaru."
Subaru glared at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm saying," Otto continued, "that yes—if Julius offers himself, he'll be seen as a hero. He'll be remembered as the man who sacrificed himself for peace. But what does that matter?"
Subaru felt his stomach twist.
"It doesn't matter, Subaru. Because you—to the people of Lugunica—you're not a hero anymore. You're a monster to them."
Subaru's nails dug into his palms.
"I get it." Otto's voice softened, but only slightly. "I know you feel betrayed. I know how much it must have hurt to get that letter. But you've gone too far."
Subaru's breath caught in his throat.
"You were right about Julius. I won't deny that." Otto's voice was calm, but firm. "I know what he did to Rem. And if you wanted to threaten Julius? Fine. That would've been understandable."
Otto's eyes narrowed.
"But you didn't stop there."
Subaru froze.
"You threatened an unborn child, Subaru." Otto's voice was sharp now, cutting through the air. "A baby that did nothing wrong. And you didn't just threaten it—you wrote that you'd boil it alive and feed it to Julius."
Beatrice let out a soft, choked sob.
"That was too much, Subaru. That's on you."
Subaru opened his mouth, but Otto held up a hand, stopping him.
"Tell me something, Subaru." Otto's eyes burned into him. "You remember Garfiel, right?"
Subaru blinked, thrown off by the sudden mention.
"Think about it." Otto pressed on. "If the man your mother chose to be with—if he had done something like that to Garfiel—would that have been okay?"
Subaru's breathing hitched.
His mind raced.
Garfiel.
The furious, hurting boy who carried the weight of his mother's abandonment.
"Would that have been okay, Subaru?" Otto asked again, his voice quiet now.
Subaru couldn't answer.
"And Rem?" Otto's voice softened. "She's an adult, Subaru. Sometimes... people break up. That's how life is."
Subaru staggered back, feeling like the ground had vanished beneath him.
"You should be grateful that Rem didn't lie to you." Otto's eyes locked onto Subaru's. "You should be grateful that she didn't tell you the baby was yours—because that would have been a true betrayal."
Subaru's vision blurred.
"Let them live, Subaru." Otto's voice was gentle now, almost pleading. "Let Rem and that child live their lives."
"You've done so much for her, Subaru." Otto took a small step forward. "But she was never obligated to love you back."
Subaru felt like he couldn't breathe.
He wanted to argue. He wanted to scream.
But he couldn't.
Because deep down—
Somewhere in the pit of his rotting heart—
He knew Otto was right.
Subaru's breath hitched as the dam finally broke inside him. His fists trembled, his nails dug into his palms until they almost drew blood, and his voice shattered the silence.
"She told me she loved me!" he screamed, his voice cracking. "She said she would be my Rem forever! She said we would have a home together—a loving family! She said she wanted to have a child with me—to be with me until death!"
Tears poured down his face, and he hated it. Hated himself. Hated how weak he looked.
Otto stared at him, his expression unreadable, before he let out a slow breath.
"Feelings change, Subaru."
Subaru shook his head violently.
"No! Not hers!" His voice cracked again.
Otto took a step closer. "Subaru... if you truly wanted that future, you would have pursued it. But you didn't."
Subaru's world spun.
"And yes, you can hate her," Otto continued, his voice steady. "You can hate that she broke your heart. But Rem doesn't deserve to die for that. And her child doesn't either."
Subaru's breath came out ragged.
Otto's next words cut like a blade to the gut.
"But you? You deserve it a thousand times more than she ever would."
Subaru stiffened, his body locking up.
"Because you were the one who started this war." Otto's voice was firm, unwavering. "You could have settled this privately, but you let your emotions consume you."
Subaru's mind reeled.
"You threw your own soldiers into a meaningless death."
Subaru's vision blurred, his knees almost buckling.
"Because of you, women were raped."
His stomach twisted violently.
"Because of you, their husbands were killed."
He felt like he was going to vomit.
"Because of you, their children were tortured."
Subaru's breath hitched painfully.
"And if luck was against them—" Otto's eyes hardened, "they were killed."
Subaru couldn't move. Couldn't think. Couldn't breathe.
"You unleashed the Great Rabbit on an innocent city full of civilians."
His stomach lurched.
"There is no excuse for that, Subaru."
Silence.
Heavy. Suffocating.
And then—
"But you can still stop it."
Subaru's eyes widened slightly.
Otto stepped forward.
"Rem doesn't deserve to die, and neither does her child. It's her choice. It's her life."
Otto's expression softened, just barely.
"You may hate her, Subaru."
Subaru shook, his vision swimming.
"But if she truly wanted Julius, she had every right to make that decision."
Subaru's breath was shallow, his hands limp at his sides.
He had nothing to say.
Because deep down—
Somewhere in the pit of his shattered soul—
Subaru's breath came out in shallow gasps. His mind was reeling, drowning in the weight of Otto's words.
Otto took a step forward, his expression serious, but not unkind.
"If you stop this now, Subaru, you can still have a future."
Subaru's fingers twitched.
"You're still a Divine General," Otto continued. "You still have power. You can fix your relationship with Emilia, or... if that's not possible, you can find someone else. You can still have a family."
Subaru's chest tightened painfully.
"You have the power to change the world for the better."
Subaru let out a shaky breath.
"You don't have to be remembered as a traitor. Or a monster."
Subaru winced.
"You can be remembered as the man who improved the lives of common people."
Otto stepped closer, his voice gentle but firm.
"We can negotiate with Lagunica. We can demand that commoners have rights and protection from knights. Both in the Empire and Lagunica."
Subaru stared at him, his vision blurring.
"But in the end—" Otto's voice softened. "It's up to you how this story ends."
Subaru swallowed thickly.
"You still have years ahead of you, Subaru."
Subaru trembled, his body heavy with exhaustion.
"And yeah, you'll probably spend the rest of your life trying to fix this mess." Otto gave him a small, tired smile. "But you won't be alone."
Subaru's breath hitched.
"You can still start from zero."
The words hit him like a hammer to the chest.
Otto extended a hand.
"All you have to do... is stand up."
Subaru stared at it, his body frozen.
The weight of everything pressed down on him.
The throne room was heavy with tension.
Julius stood with his back straight, boots still stained with blood from the aftermath of the White Rabbit attack. The capital had suffered a blow—not just in lives, but in morale.
Anastasia sat upon the throne, face twisted with fury. "Why did you disobey my orders?" she snapped. "You were to stay in the castle. Halibel, this is your fault too!"
Halibel, ever calm and smiling, shrugged lazily. "I was told to tell him to return, not to drag him back. I followed your words exactly, Princess."
"You knew what I meant!" Anastasia barked.
From the side, Echidna sipped her tea with an amused smirk. "Ah, the famed strongest of Kararagi. I expected more." Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "But maybe you're just too shy to show us your full strength."
Halibel tilted his head with a grin, then in a mockingly high voice said, "Aw, Miss Witch, you looking at me like that is making this innocent girl feel uncomfortable. You're being perverted again."
Anastasia's hands tightened on the throne. "Enough. The capital is damaged. People died. This could have been worse."
Julius' patience snapped. He stepped forward, his voice low and cold. "A third of the city was consumed. And you're treating it like a minor inconvenience." He turned his gaze to Echidna. "You could've stopped it sooner. Why didn't you?"
Echidna's smirk deepened. "Because I was curious. I wanted to see how you'd react." She stood up, her presence filling the room like a stormcloud. "And you didn't disappoint."
She took a few steps closer to him, raising her cup. "Thank you, Julius. If it wasn't for you, this war wouldn't have even started."
Julius's eyes narrowed.
"You stole the heart of Subaru's most devoted woman," Echidna said with a wicked smile. "That must mean you're very skilled in certain areas. I wonder how entertaining you are in bed."
Julius flinched, face red with rage.
Echidna giggled. "Oh don't pout. You've brought me such delight. A war! Betrayals! Heartbreak! I haven't had this much fun in centuries. Keep going, and maybe I'll even reward you."
Halibel cut in with a half-laugh, "Hey Julius, don't go sticking it in crazy. Especially not some dead, greedy, used-up old witch." He tilted his head, looking at Echidna. "Any other little details you forgot to mention, or is that the whole twisted fantasy?"
Echidna bared her teeth in a grin. "I'm not so easy, Halibel. Julius here created a war I couldn't even dream of causing. Pure entertainment! A masterpiece of tragedy! And just imagine Roswaal's face if he saw me curled up next to his precious knight."
Julius stood in silence, fists clenched.
"That's enough." Anastasia's voice rang sharply through the throne room, cutting the tension like a blade. "Stop bullying Julius. We're not children."
But Echidna only raised a brow, amusement dancing in her eyes. She turned toward Julius with that same smile that chilled bone.
"Tell me, Julius... how did it feel when you did it with Rem?" she asked, tone deceptively sweet. "Did she cry? Did she beg you to stop? Or did you force her to like the idea of carrying your child?"
Julius clenched his fists, jaw trembling with fury and shame.
Halibel chuckled darkly. "Don't even think about attacking her, Julius. You know it wouldn't end well."
"Enough, Echidna!" Anastasia snapped again, her voice rising. "This isn't the time for your twisted games."
Just then, a knight entered, kneeling before the throne. "Your Highness, a message has arrived from the Empire... they're requesting peace negotiations."
Julius straightened. "That's good news." His voice cracked slightly with hope.
But Echidna laughed. "Good news? No, no, darling. Anastasia would be stupid to consider peace right now."
Before anyone could respond, she strode over and wrapped one arm around Julius's neck, pulling him in close. His head was pressed firmly into the curve of her chest as she leaned into him with mocking affection.
"Trying to speak of peace while you're this weak? How adorable." she purred. Julius struggled, but her grip held firm—more magically reinforced than it appeared.
Halibel leaned back, grinning. "Well, this is something. Are we calling it diplomacy now?"
Echidna giggled, running her fingers through Julius's hair mockingly. "There's still so much war left to enjoy. So many pieces on the board. Why would I let you end the game now?"
Anastasia's expression darkened. She stood up slowly. "This is my throne room. I decide what games are played here."
Echidna turned to her, smiling coyly. "Of course, dear. I'm just offering... perspective."
After Echidna finally released Julius, he stumbled back, breath catching in his throat. The room was quiet for a moment—until Julius fell to his knees.
"Please," he said, his voice hoarse. "At least read the message. Give peace a chance."
Anastasia didn't even glance his way. She remained seated on her throne, legs crossed, eyes fixed forward with a cold calm. "Halibel," she said. "Read it. I don't feel like standing."
With a flick of his wrist and a grin, Halibel snatched the letter and unfolded it.
"Let's see... the Empire proposes peace talks to be held on the Kararagi border," Halibel read aloud. "Diplomats from Lagunica, Kararagi, and Gusteko will attend. The proposal includes a permanent ceasefire, the Empire's agreement never to use the Great Rabbit again... in exchange for Lagunica halting its advance into Imperial territory—"
He paused, eyes scanning further.
"—and the life of Julius Juukulius, who they claim was the root cause of the war."
The room went silent again.
"Additionally," Halibel added, voice dipping into something more serious, "the Empire is willing to enter a disarmament pact, if the other nations follow suit."
Echidna chuckled and stepped toward Julius. "Don't worry, darling. I was only teasing. I'll protect you." She smiled, warm and venomous.
But Julius rose to his feet and shouted, "No! If my life can bring peace, if it can protect the child Rem carries, if it can end this—then so be it. Let me do it!" He turned to Anastasia. "Please. Let me sacrifice myself. It's the least I can do."
Anastasia's eyes were like ice.
"There won't be peace." Her voice was steady. "Not now. The Empire has suffered more than Lagunica. We've lost more soldiers. We have the advantage. Why would we surrender that?"
"Because more will die!" Julius cried. "Because it won't stop otherwise! This war will only end with a mountain of corpses!"
Anastasia stood slowly, her voice turning sharp.
"If you say one more word, Julius," she said, "I'll assign you permanently as Echidna's personal guard. See how long you last then."
Echidna clapped her hands, delighted. "Oh, I like that idea."
Julius froze, trembling. But he said nothing else.
Julius gripped the reins of his ground dragon, determination burning in his chest. He had made his decision—there was no point in staying any longer. If Anastasia wouldn't read the message, he'd take it himself. He would go to the negotiation table. He knew the true leaders wouldn't be present, but the emissaries would. There was still a chance.
But his path didn't stay clear for long.
As he approached the forest pass, a lone figure stepped out onto the road. Halibel. Standing relaxed, arms crossed, with that ever-present smile of someone who always knew more than he let on.
"Going somewhere, Julius?" Halibel asked casually.
Julius pulled the reins, the ground dragon snorting as it stopped. "Please, Halibel," he said. "Let me pass. I won't involve you in this. But I need to go."
Halibel sighed, glancing up at the trees like he was talking to the wind. "Anastasia won't be pleased, you know. You're disobeying her orders."
"I know," Julius said. "But if I don't at least try, more people will die. I've already done enough."
Halibel looked at him for a long moment, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, Julius. I can't just let you pass."
Julius gritted his teeth. "Then I'll give you something. Something you want."
Halibel's brow raised with interest.
"I know how to disable the divine powers. I overheard Echidna and Anastasia talking. If I tell you, Reinhard could be stopped." Julius hesitated, then added, "I know that's why you stay loyal to Anastasia—to keep Reinhard in check so he doesn't burn the world down."
That caught Halibel's attention.
He whistled low. "Damn. You're smarter than I gave you credit for."
He took a step closer, his voice dropping. "I'll let you go. Not because of your bargain, though."
"Then why?" Julius asked.
Halibel gave him a sly, almost pitying smile. "Because if I bring you back, Echidna's planning to break you. And not just mentally. So consider this mercy."
Julius's hands trembled on the reins.
"Before I go... I have two requests," he said quietly.
"Go on."
"Deliver this letter to Rem. Please." He handed Halibel a sealed envelope. "And the second... make sure Subaru talks to her and Emilia. And make sure he doesn't hurt them. Promise me that."
Halibel took the letter and tucked it into his coat. "I can't promise much, but... I'll do what I can."
Julius's hands trembled on the reins as he prepared to ride off.
But Halibelt raised his hand lazily, palm open.
"Not so fast, Julius."
Julius halted the ground dragon, looking back.
"Before you go playing hero, I want that information," Halibelt said, voice low now, eyes sharp. "How do you disable the divine protections?"
There was a pause.
Julius glanced to the side, jaw clenched. Then, in a hushed voice, he began to speak—too soft, too buried in the wind to be fully heard. Words fell like broken pieces, vague and fragmented. A name. A ritual. A number. Something about blood. A binding.
Halibelt nodded slowly, not needing it repeated. He understood enough.
Then he stepped back, slipping the letter into his coat.
"Alright. Go."
Julius gave one last, uncertain look, then kicked the reins. The ground dragon galloped into the trees, toward the unknown.
Halibelt stood alone, wind tugging at his coat.
"Poor bastard," he muttered."Too noble for his own good."
In the heart of the capital, Anastasia fumed in her throne room, her expression darkened by rage. Julius had defied her command to remain under her protection. He was supposed to be her knight, bound by loyalty, yet here he was, slipping away to a meeting without her permission. How dare he?
Echidna, seated gracefully with a cup of tea in hand, watched the scene unfold with amusement. She wasn't bothered by Julius's disobedience; in fact, she found it quite entertaining. She expected him to go, expected this war to reach its inevitable climax—and to be a part of the grand performance.
Her eyes gleamed as she reflected on the upcoming negotiations, the one that would take place on the border between the Empire, Lagunia, and Kararagi. She had already positioned her forces, and with the Empire's army moving in, it seemed the right time for the final act in this long, drawn-out war. She'd let the negotiations occur—only to see it all fall apart in the end, as she had planned.
As she sipped her tea, a thought lingered in her mind. Perhaps it was time to end this game. The story needed its final chapter, and she could orchestrate it with a single command.
Echidna turned her attention to the magic mirror, using her spell to overhear the conversation between Julius and Halibelt. She could hear the tension in Julius's voice, the weight of his decisions echoing through the words he exchanged with the loyal warrior. Halibelt, standing like a clone of himself, relayed to Anastasia that things had changed. The divine dragon heart, the very key to Lagunia's protections, would be destroyed—an act that would cripple the magic safeguarding the land.
Echidna smiled. Julius, in his defiance, had unknowingly brought her a wealth of information. She couldn't help but admire him for it. His decisions had made this moment all the more entertaining, even if Subaru and Rosswald couldn't provide the same level of excitement.
Her smile grew wider. She had been entertained, yes. But all entertainment must end eventually, and perhaps Julius deserved a reward. Perhaps she should give him something before the world fell apart.
Without warning, Echidna lifted one slender finger, her magic surging through the air with deadly precision.
Anastasia, standing at her throne, had no chance to react as the spell pierced her heart, ending her reign in a flash of light.
Echidna turned her eyes toward the clone of Halibelt, who had remained perfectly still as Anastasia fell. Not a twitch, not a movement to protect her—not that she had expected anything different. The clone looked at Echidna with cold, expressionless eyes, and then, with eerie calm, he spoke.
"It seems the end is near," the clone said, standing up slowly. "I will destroy the divine dragon's heart... and then I'll go fight Reinhard. After that—" his gaze met Echidna's, "—I'll come for you."
Echidna didn't flinch. She only gave a soft, almost wistful laugh. "Don't worry," she said, her voice light, dreamy. "I'll be gone soon enough... but not before I see how the curtain falls."
She turned her gaze back to the magic mirror, watching the events unfolding at the negotiation site. The pieces were in place. The final act was beginning.
And with it... the world would burn beautifully.
Julius finally reached the edge of the camp, his boots sinking slightly into the dirt, worn from travel and grief. The negotiation tent stood tall before him, banners of each nation fluttering in the wind. Diplomats and soldiers moved inside, unaware—or perhaps willfully ignorant—of the storm building just outside.
To his surprise, Subaru stepped out.
Their eyes met across the clearing, and everything else faded. Months of war, bloodshed, betrayal, and silence collapsed into that single moment. Julius froze, instinctively reaching for the hilt at his side—not in aggression, but as if anchoring himself.
Beatrice clutched Subaru's hand tightly, sensing the crackling tension. She glanced up, worried he might explode—might draw his blade, might charge forward and start it all over again. But Subaru didn't move.
He just stood there, exhausted. The fire that once burned in his eyes had dulled into something else. Not peace. Not forgiveness. But a hollow, worn-out hate—tired of consuming him.
Julius, in contrast, looked fragile—his usual proud stance marred by shame. He looked at Subaru not like a rival or a monster... but like someone who knew he'd shattered something sacred and didn't know how to fix it.
Neither spoke.
The wind rustled the canvas of the tent. Somewhere inside, Otto's voice echoed—talking of peace, of the future, of rebuilding.
But outside, it was just the two of them, standing still at the edge of a war they both had started in different ways.
Julius stepped forward, unsheathing his sword and planting it into the ground between them. He knelt.
"I surrender," he said quietly. "Please, Subaru... end this madness. I'll accept any punishment. Just... please don't harm Rem or the baby."
Subaru's eyes widened—then narrowed in rage.
"My life is in pieces because of you!" he snapped. "You took her from me! You raped her! And now you want to make bargains?! You kidnapped her to raise your bastard! And you think that's something I'll forgive?!"
Julius didn't flinch. "You're right. I deserve your hate. But I need you to know the truth, even if it changes nothing."
Subaru's hand twitched toward his whip. Beatrice gripped his sleeve, silently begging him to listen.
Julius looked him in the eyes. "It was on your birthday. Reinhard had agreed to drink... too much. He got drunk—dangerously so. You passed out early, and we helped carry you to bed. After that... Reinhard wanted company. I—I didn't stop him. We took Rem and Emilia back to his room."
Subaru went pale.
"Rem was drunk," Julius continued, voice trembling. "She doesn't remember everything. Emilia was more sober. She tried to fight him, but Reinhard was... too strong."
Subaru's breath hitched. He shook his head, stepping back. "No..."
"That's why Emilia's been distant," Julius said, pain in every word. "She was assaulted. I failed to protect them both. I participated. There's no excuse."
"You're a fucking rapist," Subaru growled, his voice breaking. He drew his whip. "You destroyed them—everything!"
Julius didn't move.
"I wanted to confess," Julius continued, "but Emilia and Rem didn't want you to know. They feared your reaction. Rem... got pregnant. She was terrified. But she loved you. She didn't want to lose you."
Subaru's eyes filled with tears. "She wanted to come back...? She loved me?"
"She did. She does. At first, the plan was to return to you after the child was born. To protect you from the pain. But then..."
He looked away.
"Rem changed. She started to want this child. To be a mother. Ram and I tried to plan for someone to 'abandon' the baby at Roswaal's mansion, but one day Rem told me... she didn't want her child to grow up thinking its parents never loved it. She made her choice."
Subaru dropped to his knees, clutching his chest.
"I told her," Julius said softly, "that if you didn't want her after learning the truth... I would be her husband. I would protect her. I fell in love with her too, Subaru. Not just because of the child. But because she still smiled. Even after everything."
Subaru didn't speak. His face was buried in his hands.
"I deserve to die for what I did to Rem. But the child... and Rem... they're innocent. She doesn't owe you her love, Subaru. Just like you don't owe her forgiveness."
Julius knelt again, his voice breaking. "I only wanted to be a good father. To give the child what I never had. But it looks like... I might never even get to meet him."
Subaru snapped.
With a cry that tore from his throat like a wounded beast, he cracked his whip across Julius's face.
A harsh snap echoed across the open field. Blood splattered across the dirt.
"You're lying!" Subaru screamed. "They could've told me! I would've accepted it! I would've taken that child in—loved it like my own—for Rem! I would've done anything for her!"
Julius stayed kneeling, blood running down his cheek, lips trembling.
"You're telling me she agreed to let her rapist be her husband? That's not love—that's manipulation!"
"No!" Julius shouted back, pain erupting in his voice. "I fell in love with her, Subaru! I wanted to give her a home! I wanted to be the one who—who fixed things. She... she wanted to write to you. She was going to explain everything."
Subaru froze.
A chill stabbed into his chest.
"The letter..." he whispered, breath catching. "That letter... that was what started all of this..."
His hands shook. He remembered the moment—the unopened envelope. The assumptions. The rage. That one damned letter.
Subaru lifted the whip again, but his fingers trembled too much to hold it. It slipped from his hand and fell.
He dropped to his knees in front of Julius, tears carving down his face.
"I could've forgiven her..." he sobbed. "If she loved me... I would've forgiven everything..."
From the shadows beyond the tent, a slow, delighted clap echoed in the air.
"Oh, how truly beautiful..." came a voice as smooth as silk and sharp as poison.
Beatrice turned. Her breath caught in her throat. Her knees almost gave in.
"...you..." she whispered, voice hoarse. "After four hundred years..."
Echidna stepped forward, dressed in black, eyes glinting with perverse joy.
The Witch of Greed had returned in the flesh.
"And to think," she said, smirking, "all this chaos, all this exquisite suffering... started with a letter. What a tale! What a tragedy!"
She spread her arms wide like a conductor before an orchestra.
"Shall we see how this symphony ends?"
Subaru didn't even have time to scream.
A black mist erupted around him—thick, suffocating, freezing. He couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Couldn't even think clearly. His body floated in a space between moments, suspended like a puppet on cut strings.
Beatrice stood frozen, mouth agape, fingers inches from her spellbook. Julius, still on his knees, was locked in place—eyes wide, face streaked with blood and sorrow.
Then Echidna appeared—graceful, slow, almost reverent. She reached into the folds of her black dress and pulled out a small box, pitch black and pulsing like a beating heart.
"You've done so well, Subaru," she said, voice like honey and knives. "Truly. Without you, none of this would've happened. The war, the betrayals, the heartbreak... All thanks to you. Delicious."
She stepped closer.
"But don't worry. I'm not here to hurt you. I just need to take back something that was never yours to keep."
She smiled as she lifted the black box to his chest.
"The Witch Factor of Envy. It's been aching to return to me."
Her hand passed through his ribs like mist. Subaru's soul screamed—he screamed—but no sound came. He felt something tear loose, something primal and core to his very being. And then—cold. A kind of hollowness that no pain could reach.
"And a fragment of your soul as well. You'll still live... technically."
Echidna's eyes gleamed as she cradled the box now full, pulsing with shadow.
"You really should've accepted my contract back in Sanctuary. But it's fine. Julius made sure we'd meet again. He's been such a surprise."
She turned, walked back to the knight frozen mid-tears, and bent over him.
"Rare is the man who earns a Witch's love," she whispered.
Then she kissed him gently on the lips.
A glowing sigil appeared over Julius's heart. Her palm pressed over it, igniting a slow-burning purple light. The same hue that had vaporized the White Rabbit—but this time, it lingered. A death curse with no escape.
"This spell begins now, and when time resumes—he'll be gone," Echidna said softly, almost tender. "But don't feel too jealous, Subaru. You'll be joining him soon."
She pressed the box against Subaru's chest once more, as if savoring the moment of his ruin—
Slice.
A flash of silver.
Echidna's hand dropped to the ground.
She gasped—stared at the stump where her wrist used to be.
Julius was standing.
No breath in his lungs. No beat in his heart. Dead, and yet defying death.
He moved without strength, without time—just will.
Even the Witches of old had not moved under this spell. Only those who destroyed worlds could resist.
But Julius moved.
He gripped her wrist. Her eyes widened.
"No... Impossible..."
The box dropped from her hand, rolling across the earth.
Julius's body fell with a heavy thud, finally succumbing—motionless, breathless.
But it was enough.
The spell shattered.
Time resumed.
Subaru collapsed to the ground with a gasp, air flooding back into his lungs. He screamed, a hoarse wail torn between agony and rage.
Beatrice was already moving—tears in her eyes, fury in her soul. A storm of purple crystal shards spiraled around her as she launched herself at Echidna.
"You bitch!" she screamed. "You touched him again!"
Echidna blocked with a flick of her bleeding arm, sneering.
"Oh, little Beatrice... you're still so adorable."
The battle had begun.
And somewhere, far beneath the cracking earth, Julius's body lay hidden—his last act defying even fate.
The earth cracked like brittle glass.
A burst of flame from Volcanica's breath slammed into the negotiation tent, shattering everything. Echidna and Subaru turned just in time to see it: the Black Box—the vessel of the Witch Factor and part of Subaru's soul—slipping through a jagged fissure in the ground.
"No!" Echidna hissed.
Subaru didn't hesitate. He grabbed Beatrice's arm and leapt, plunging into the void after the falling box.
But behind them, Echidna turned back to Julius's corpse.
"You really did exceed expectations," she whispered, brushing a bloody strand of hair from her face. "So I'll reward you... with eternity."
She raised a hand. A black, swirling spell appeared beneath Julius's body.
Gravity collapsed.
A silent, inverted void—a miniaturized black hole—swallowed him whole. No chance for resistance. No glory in death. Just endless devouring.
"I hope you'll enjoy your new home," Echidna whispered as his body vanished.
Julius awoke.
The air was still. The sky was cloudless and painted in a washed-out lavender hue. Grass stretched in all directions, soft beneath him like velvet. There was nothing but a red table with an umbrella, too vivid, too wrong.
Julius staggered to his feet.
His body felt wrong. Too light. Too heavy. Too real and too dreamlike. He stumbled forward and screamed—
"Is anyone there?! Hello?!"
No answer.
Then—voices.
He turned.
And froze.
It hit him all at once—the aura. A wave of corrupted scent, thick as sludge, choking and rotting his lungs. His knees buckled.
"G-gods—what—what is—?!"
He vomited.
He screamed.
He convulsed, writhing in the grass like a man set on fire from the inside. Tears flooded his eyes. His vision blurred. His soul twisted.
Then the voices became clearer—like knives in his ears.
"He's sensitive," one woman said lightly. "Poor guy. Echidna really was rude."
"She's got a new toy," another said with a giggle. "Maybe she got tired of Subaru."
"Can I eat him?" one voice rasped, giddy and hollow. "It would be a kindness."
"No. That's the coward's way out," another snapped.
Julius screamed again.
He tried to look at them—but their faces blurred. Eyes, mouths, shapes—all wrong. His mind refused to process them.
And then—they stopped.
Even the five Witches fell silent.
A new presence appeared.
The air warped.
The grass withered.
A pressure, a miasma thicker than death itself swept across the field.
A voice, soft and cold as the void:
"...You make him suffer."
Even the other witches recoiled.
"Looks like Satella's pissed," one of them muttered, trying to smile.
Another leaned down toward Julius, her expression unreadable. "Don't worry. You can't die here. Ever."
"Welcome to your new home," said the last, her tone both mocking and sympathetic.
And then—
Pain.
Something slammed into Julius—not physically, but spiritually. His soul felt like it was being twisted, crushed, and torn in half.
He screamed—but no one listened.
His body shattered into infinite pieces.
His mind shattered again and again.
But he remained conscious.
He wanted death.
He begged for it.
But here, in the realm of the Witches, in the space beyond sanity and reason—death was denied.