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{3rd Pov}
The entire Royal Capital of Lugunica was engulfed in flames.
Fire raged across streets, devouring buildings, markets, and homes alike, turning the once-proud heart of the nation into a smoldering graveyard of ash and screams. The sky had turned red—not from the setting sun, but from the fire and smoke that rose high into the heavens, choking the air with the stench of burning wood, cloth, and flesh.
And at the very center of this chaos, a battle unlike any other was unfolding.
Reinhardt van Astrea—the Sword Saint, bearer of the Divine Blessings, and protector of the Kingdom—stood face to face with a monster. The infamous Assassin Elsa, known as the Bowel Hunter, stood before him, drenched in blood, laughing maniacally amidst the carnage.
Reinhardt's sword was drawn. His expression was tight, his eyes unblinking, and his lips pressed into a thin, grim line.
He was angry—very angry.
And that was unusual.
Reinhardt, despite his strength, was known far and wide for his kindness, his compassion. Even in battle, even when he faced his enemies, he never gave in to hatred. He didn't kill out of malice. He didn't judge with bias. His blade had always been tempered by a heart that sought peace before violence.
But now... for the first time in his life, Reinhardt felt the sensation known as hatred—raw, unfiltered, and burning hotter than the flames surrounding him.
He hated the man named Natsuki Subaru. No—he despised him.
He hated him for taking the life of the woman Reinhardt had sworn to protect with his very soul.
He hated him for slaughtering the only people he had ever called friends, for corrupting them, twisting them, leading them astray down paths they could never return from.
He hated him for desecrating everything Reinhardt stood for—everything he believed in.
While the Sword Saint clashed with the grotesque Bowel hunter somewhere else in the inferno, another confrontation was taking place—quieter, but no less devastating.
In the center of the smoldering plaza, Emilia stood frozen, trembling, as she faced a man she not recognized.
She had heard his voice before she saw him. And even as he approached, her mind refused to comprehend what she was seeing—
The words he spoke tore at her sanity.
"That… isn't… What on earth are you saying!?" Emilia screamed, her voice laced with disbelief and agony. She shook her head violently, tears beginning to well in her violet eyes. "Stop it! I don't understand! I don't understand anything you're saying!!"
Her hands rose to her head, clutching at her silver hair. She blocked her ears in a futile attempt to drown out the voice that had once been her anchor—the voice of the man who now stood before her, speaking words she could never have imagined him saying.
And yet, even as the tears spilled down her cheeks, Subaru only watched her with an expression that combined pain, relief, and something darker—a twisted satisfaction.
A single tear trailed down her pale cheek, and that alone struck him like a dagger to the chest.
Part of the sensation was guilt—for making her cry, for becoming the cause of that pain.
But another part of it… was satisfaction.
A dark, almost cruel satisfaction, born from the knowledge that his actions had reached her—that his devotion, however monstrous, had pierced her heart.
'You don't have to understand,' he thought, watching her with heavy eyes.
'It's fine that you don't. Everything from here on out will be decided by how others lift you up. And when that happens… you just have to grant your wish. That's the only reason I did this. The only reason I burned the entire capital.'
"All of it was for you."
"Liar... liar... liar!" Emilia's voice cracked. She staggered back, eyes wide in disbelief, hands trembling. "I mean… I… you… how come… you…"
She wailed—not just from horror, but from the weight of a devotion she never asked for, never wanted. His loyalty was suffocating, his love twisted into something unrecognizable. These were offerings she never desired.
'It's inevitable she's sad,' Subaru thought, closing his eyes briefly. 'It's inevitable she can't understand. And it's inevitable that I'm wrong.'
He knew it.
Subaru knew he was erring.
He knew—on every rational and emotional level—that what he had done, what he was still doing, was wrong.
He knew his actions would not bring joy to Emilia. He understood his methods were warped, desperate, and rooted in obsession rather than clarity.
But even so… this was all he had.
The only path available to him.
If he could grant Emilia's wish—even if she hated him for it—if he could help her become the ruler she dreamed of being, and if he could use that as the ultimate declaration of his love… then every sin would be worth it.
Every sacrifice.
Every scream.
Every death.
With that conviction burning in his chest, Natsuki Subaru laughed.
A low, bitter laugh that grew into a twisted chuckle.
Then into a snicker.
And then, into a full, deranged smirk.
"—Watch me, Emilia," he said, spreading his arms wide, standing tall amidst the ruin. "See me. Detest me. Remember me."
Emilia stumbled back again, fear and sorrow blending in her expression.
Her voice trembled as she asked, "Who… are you? Who in the world… are you…?"
Subaru closed his eyes.
For a moment, he was still.
It felt like he had been waiting an eternity for that question—an eternity to answer it. Not with hollow words, but with his very existence.
'This is it. This is the moment. This is the truth I've always carried. The truth I've always wanted her to know.'
He took a step forward, eyes still closed.
Then another.
He opened his arms wider, as if to embrace her or the whole world.
"My name… is Natsuki Subaru."
"Su…baru…"
Just hearing her whisper his name again, that fragile and disbelieving utterance, was enough to send a flood of emotion surging through him.
It hit him like a tidal wave—overwhelming, raw, and bittersweet.
The emotions swelled so powerfully in his chest that, for a second, he feared he wouldn't be able to speak his next words without his voice cracking.
But he forced it out.
With all the strength in his lungs, with all the madness and devotion and despair compressed into a single breath—
"—Witch Cult Cardinal of Sin… Archbishop of PRIDE, Natsuki Subaru!"
"C-Cardinal…!" Emilia gasped, horrified.
And with that declaration echoing across the burning city, Subaru slammed his foot into the ground, pouring every ounce of strength into his legs.
He launched himself forward.
Into fire.
Into madness.
Into destiny.
Natsuki Subaru concentrated every last fragment of his broken, scattered strength into a single point—into one desperate, final burst of movement.
This was it.
The final sprint of his life.
He had sacrificed so many… cast them aside like pawns on a board. He had used people who could have become allies, abused their trust, and left them in ruins.
He had found fleeting solace in the rare bonds that did not shatter under the weight of his sins. And now—after all that—he had finally arrived at the girl he cherished above all else.
At the center of it all… Emilia.
"I'm the man who burned the world... who shook the foundations of a nation... who killed its hero... and—"
"—"
"—you will kill."
The moment he spoke those words, a spear of ice tore through his chest with a sickening crack.
A jolt of pain surged through him—but still, Subaru smiled.
His knees buckled beneath the weight of pain and acceptance. He collapsed forward, tumbling gracelessly. His body pitched across the cracked stone of the plaza like a discarded doll, unable to maintain even a shred of dignity in death.
He never reached Emilia.
He fell short—both in distance, and in everything else.
His body came to rest awkwardly, limbs sprawled. Blood pooled beneath him. The coldness seeped into his skin even as his consciousness began to fade.
"Why…?"
That single word echoed through the haze, drawing him back for just a moment.
Subaru had been ready to let go—to let the silence swallow him forever—but something made him open his eyes.
And there she was.
Emilia stood over him, her pale face contorted with confusion and sorrow. Her violet eyes, brimming with tears, stared down at him in disbelief.
One teardrop broke free from her lashes and landed on his cheek, mingling with his blood.
That single, warm droplet was enough to stir something inside him.
"Why…?"
The question repeated, whispered, murmured again and again. It echoed in the chambers of his fractured mind.
'What does that "why" mean…?' Subaru wondered, his gaze locked on her trembling form.
'Why did I do all of this? Why did it have to end like this? Why did I come here… just to die by your hand?'
There were so many possible meanings. So many layers to her question.
And in truth… he wanted to answer every single one. He wanted to explain everything—to tell her every step, every motive, every sacrifice.
But time… was slipping away.
His heartbeat was slowing. His lungs were heavy. He only had one breath left.
So he used it.
He used it for the only answer that truly mattered.
"—I love you."
The words spilled from his lips, soft but resolute, before darkness began to claim him.
Emilia stared at him, stunned.
She couldn't comprehend what she had just heard.
She didn't want to comprehend it.
"He… he said he loved me…" she muttered, her voice barely audible as her entire body trembled.
Behind her, Puck floated silently for a moment before gently responding, "Lia, it's over. You've done what needed to be done. You've killed him—the madman who nearly destroyed the entire kingdom."
But his words brought her no peace.
Guilt wrapped its cold hands around her heart, suffocating her. She looked down at Subaru's body—the boy who had upended the world, who had set it ablaze… all for her.
"He said… he loved me…"
"Lia, listen to me," Puck interrupted sharply. "He was a Sin Archbishop. A Witch Cultist. They all worship the Witch of Envy—Satella. You know this. That wasn't love… it was madness. He said that to you because you look like her. You're a silver-haired half-elf, just like Satella."
He hovered closer, his voice growing firmer.
"Don't let his words poison your heart. Don't take them seriously."
But even as Puck spoke, doubt had already taken root in Emilia's heart.
She didn't know what to believe.
She didn't know what was true anymore.
What she did know… was that his words didn't feel like a lie.
What Puck didn't reveal—what he kept tightly locked away—was whatever Natsuki Subaru said was true.
While he hadn't directly helped Subaru, he had learned from Roswaal that the clownish madman had, indeed, made some kind of pact with Natsuki Subaru.
That Sin Archbishop had slain the Witch Cultists, other Sin Archbishops and passed all the glory to the Emilia.
Roswaal shamelessly took it, declaring Emilia to be the reason behind their death, and Puck had helped him in it.
But Roswaal was dead now, and with him had gone the details of that secret arrangement.
So Puck chose silence.
Emilia, hearing Puck's words, slowly steadied herself. Her breathing calmed. She tried to believe him. Tried to bury the doubt.
But the shadow of uncertainty loomed large over her.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the burning capital, Reinhardt van Astrea finally stood victorious.
The Bowel Hunter had been reduced to nothing but scorched ash.
Using his newly acquired Divine Protection of Flame Steel, Reinhardt had burned her away completely. Without being able to use Reid Battle dragged longer than it was supposed to be, however OD Laguna granted him a new Divine Protection to kill Elsa.
He quickly chased after Subaru.
The moment he arrived at the scene where Emilia stood—beside the corpse of Natsuki Subaru—Reinhardt's eyes widened in disbelief.
He stood frozen, staring.
At Subaru's body.
At the ice spear embedded deep in his chest.
At Emilia, standing silent beside him.
At Puck, hovering near her like a silent sentry.
The wind shifted, carrying the bitter stench of burning rubble.
And then—breaking the silence—Reinhardt's voice boomed through the plaza.
"My daughter… has slain the Sin Archbishop of Pride… Natsuki Subaru!"
His voice was loud, proud, exalting her actions to the heavens.
But Reinhardt? Inside he... was unraveling.
His heart refused to accept what his eyes were seeing.
'How could it end like this?' Reinhardt thought, clenching his fists tightly.
'This is the man who nearly destroyed Lugunica… the one who killed Julius, who slaughtered the knights, who twisted everything. How could he die… this easily?'
It didn't make sense.
He didn't want to believe it.
'Did I fail… again?'
Another failure.
Another villain he could not judge. Another monster he could not deliver divine justice to.
He was supposed to be the sword of the kingdom. The arbiter of righteousness. The one to strike down evil.
But once again, he had arrived too late.
The chance to deliver justice had been stolen from him.
And he hated it.
More than anything… he hated him.
He hated Natsuki Subaru.
Every fiber of his being screamed for retribution, for judgment, for blood.
But all he could do… was stare at the broken body on the ground.
And then… almost out of habit, Reinhardt activated one of his newly acquired Divine Protections—granted just days ago.
A Divine Protection that allowed him to commune, briefly, with the Od Laguna itself.
He asked it a single question:
'Is Natsuki Subaru… alive?'
The response came instantly.
Yes.
Reinhardt's entire body went rigid.
His breath caught in his throat.
His fists trembled violently.
"W-What happened?" Emilia asked, watching his face twist into something she had never seen before.
It wasn't just shock.
It wasn't confusion.
It was pure, unfiltered hatred.
And then Reinhardt smiled—a grin he knew he shouldn't wear. One that felt wrong even to himself.
But it was there.
And when he spoke, it was with burning certainty.
"Lady Emilia," he began, voice low and dark, "Natsuki Subaru—"
"—The Cardinal of the Witch Cult… Sin Archbishop of Pride—"
"—is alive."
To be continued...
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