All things considered...
There was only one realistic way I was walking out of this alive.
Surrender.
Best-case scenario?
I ended up working for Amanda Waller.
Worst-case scenario?
A reinforced cell somewhere deep inside Belle Reve.
Neither option sounded appealing.
Unfortunately...
They also happened to be the only ones with a remotely decent survival rate.
The real problem wasn't surrendering.
It was earning the right to surrender.
Amanda Waller didn't negotiate with people who had nothing to offer.
Leverage.
Results.
Utility.
Those were the only languages she respected.
If I wanted to survive...
I couldn't look like prey.
I had to prove I was an asset.
Which, unfortunately...
Meant surviving the man she'd sent after me.
I glanced toward the frozen window as another bullet ricocheted off the growing wall of ice.
"...Seriously?"
Of all the people she could've hired...
It had to be Deathstroke.
I let out another tired sigh.
"Why is my life so damn difficult?"
"I survive the worst ten years imaginable."
"I finally catch a break."
"And then the single most dangerous woman I could've possibly attracted the attention of decides to send the world's greatest assassin after me."
I stared at the ceiling for a brief second.
"...Who exactly did I offend?"
The universe, apparently.
Because there was no other explanation.
I looked over at Lois.
She was trying her best to stay calm.
Trying to trust me.
That only made this harder.
Without saying another word, I stepped forward and gently cupped her cheek before pulling her into a passionate kiss.
For just a brief moment...
The bullets.
Deathstroke.
Amanda Waller.
None of it mattered.
When we finally parted, I brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled.
"I promise..."
"I'll make it up to you."
Her eyes searched mine.
"...Sleep."
The tomoe of my Sharingan spun.
Her tense expression softened almost immediately.
Before she could even question what I'd done, her body went limp as I caught her in my arms.
Carefully, I lowered her onto the frozen floor.
One final pulse of chakra.
The memories of me...
Our conversations.
Our time together.
Even the kiss we had just shared.
They all faded into darkness.
"...Sorry."
The word barely escaped my lips as I looked at Lois one last time.
Return by Death...
It was an incredible ability.
A miracle, really.
If anyone else from my old world had obtained it, they'd probably celebrate.
I couldn't.
Sure, I knew about the ability from Re:Zero.
I knew how Subaru's version supposedly worked.
But that was Subaru's Return by Death.
Not mine.
For all I knew, the rules could be completely different.
Maybe I really did rewind time.
Maybe my consciousness simply jumped into another version of the past.
Maybe every world I died in continued moving forward without me.
I didn't know.
And until I had undeniable proof...
I refused to gamble other people's lives on an assumption.
That's why...
From the very beginning...
I made a promise to myself.
If I ever believed death was unavoidable...
I'd leave as little behind as possible.
No memories.
No attachments.
No regrets for the people forced to keep living after I was gone.
If this really was my first death...
Then Lois deserved the chance to wake up without carrying the burden of losing someone she had barely begun to know.
...
"I really hope..."
"...I'm just overthinking this."
Because if I wasn't...
Then somewhere out there...
There would always be a world where Alex died.
I was done contemplating and immediately started using my eyes to search for Deathstroke. My senses expanded as far as they could, trying to catch the slightest disturbance around the neighborhood, but nothing came. It was as if the man had vanished off the face of the earth.
"Puff!"
A cloud of smoke appeared beside me before splitting into two Shadow Clones. Without exchanging a single word, the three of us shot off in different directions. If I couldn't find him, then I'd force him to reveal himself.
First, I needed to know how Deathstroke had found me in the first place. There was no way Amanda Waller had simply guessed my location. I had covered every loose end, erased every witness, and destroyed every piece of evidence linking me here. Unless she had someone capable of tracking me through means I didn't understand...
Bang!
The crack of a rifle echoed through the streets.
One of my clones barely managed to turn before a round punched straight through its forehead.
Poof!
The clone disappeared into smoke.
The memories flooded back instantly.
"...Six o'clock."
Without hesitation, I twisted my body as another bullet whizzed past my ear, close enough that I could feel the heat coming off the round. My Sharingan tracked its trajectory for a split second before I launched myself behind a concrete wall.
"So that's how you want to play."
A faint smile crept onto my face.
"Fine then..."
"Let's see who learns faster."
I created another clone and sent it sprinting across the street while I slipped into a nearby building, crouching behind a broken wall with my combat knife resting in a reverse grip. If Deathstroke wanted to hunt me, I'd make him work for it.
Oddly enough...
The gunfire stopped.
The sudden silence sent a chill down my spine.
No...
That wasn't good.
A sniper doesn't stop shooting unless he has a better option.
I steadied my breathing, listening carefully.
...
Footsteps.
Calm.
Measured.
Confident.
He wasn't searching.
He already knew where I was.
A small metal canister suddenly rolled across the floor, coming to a stop a few feet away.
Tink...
Tink...
Smoke.
The room disappeared beneath a thick grey cloud.
Almost simultaneously—
Poof!
My clone vanished.
The memories rushed back.
Too fast.
A blur.
A flash of steel.
Then darkness.
"...He's here."
Deathstroke
Thirty Minutes Earlier
Through the scope of my rifle, I studied the target Amanda Waller wanted brought in. A kid. Younger than I expected. Whatever he'd done, it had been enough for Waller to interrupt one of my contracts and reroute me here. Then again, I was already operating in the area, so using me was simply the most efficient option.
"...I really need a life outside this."
Click.
A fresh round slid into the chamber as I settled the rifle against my shoulder, adjusting the scope before locking onto the apartment. Distance... acceptable. Wind speed... negligible. Elevation... accounted for.
Steady breath.
Steady trigger.
Then...
"Hm."
The boy suddenly sprang into action, grabbing supplies and moving with a sense of urgency that hadn't been there moments before.
I lowered the rifle ever so slightly.
"...Interesting."
There hadn't been any visible cue.
No sound.
No movement.
No mistake on my part.
Yet somehow...
He knew.
The corner of my mouth curled into the faintest grin.
"So your instincts are that sharp..."
Good.
That made this worth my time.
Rather than taking the shot, I shifted the crosshair away from the boy and onto the woman beside him.
Squeeze.
The rifle barked.
The round tore through the apartment exactly where her head had been less than a heartbeat earlier.
Just as expected...
The boy reacted instantly, throwing her to the floor before the bullet arrived.
The grin on my face widened.
"There you are."
Not luck.
Not coincidence.
He'd seen it coming.