Chapter 23: Sense of Familiarity
Everyone was rejoicing, and in that instant, Subaru suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.
The events of the second loop resurfaced in his mind, and he remembered—he had forgotten to mention Elsa's "Blessing of Immortality" because he was too shocked.
The Sword Saint's blow had literally torn the sky apart.
Anyone witnessing that would be certain no one could survive.
But Subaru, in that moment, knew Elsa was still alive—not because of any specific evidence, but simply because he didn't fully understand how powerful that immortality blessing really was.
—I must protect Emilia.
Subaru quickly organized his thoughts.
Based on the previous loops, it was clear Elsa's target was Emilia.
Emilia herself was currently mysteriously weak.
Most importantly, based on Reinhild's earlier behavior, Subaru felt that if Emilia were to die now, Reinhild would, without hesitation, commit suicide to atone.
Running toward Emilia, Subaru grabbed a huge shield that had fallen on the ground.
At the same moment, the pile of items near Emilia suddenly exploded outward.
Elsa, blood dripping from her, charged toward Emilia.
She no longer held her signature curved blades.
Instead, she wielded an iron sword.
But the murderous aura radiating from her was even more terrifying than before.
It felt like stepping into an ice cave while wearing summer clothes.
Normally, Subaru would've been frozen in place.
But Reinhild was watching him.
That alone filled Subaru with boundless courage.
He stepped into Elsa's path. With only seconds before impact, Subaru's mind raced.
Elsa clearly didn't have time to avoid him.
She accelerated again, and Subaru could feel she was betting everything on this strike.
Reinhild wouldn't make it in time.
If Subaru could block this, Reinhild could handle the rest.
Where would Elsa aim? He had experienced this twice before—twice he'd fought her.
"The target's the stomach—!!"
He raised the shield to guard his midsection—then came the unimaginable impact.
Though Elsa was heavily wounded, her strike had force like a heavy blunt weapon more than a sword slash.
The massive shock lifted Subaru off the ground. Blood flew from his mouth as the world spun upside down.
His vision swirled—because he himself was spinning from the blow.
"It ends here, Elsa!"
Elsa clicked her tongue in frustration, but upon seeing Reinhild approaching at full speed, she immediately retreated.
She had realized continuing to fight Reinhild was utterly pointless.
As she hurled a short sword at the airborne Subaru, Reinhild chose without hesitation to pursue Subaru instead.
"Someday, I'll slit open all your bellies. Until then, take good care of your intestines."
Spitting out her threat, Elsa used the scattered debris as footholds and fled out of the room through the roof.
Reinhild knocked the thrown dagger aside, then caught Subaru midair, cradling him princess-style to prevent a hard landing.
Seeing the bleeding Subaru and the weakened Emilia nearby, Reinhild sighed and abandoned pursuit.
"Sorry, Subaru…"
"Wait, can you put me down first? This is just too embarrassing."
Subaru muttered, covering his face.
Once back on his feet, he looked at Reinhild's expressionless face and let out a sigh, then spoke first:
"Let me confirm something. Did I help you?"
"Of course. Without you, I'd have had no choice but to take my own life in apology."
While helping Subaru to stand, Reinhild gave a grateful smile.
Subaru suddenly felt like all the suffering he'd endured had been worth it.
After all, it took three deaths to get to this favorable outcome.
—If it ends like this, it's not a bad result.
"Just for the record, I'm not the kind of knight who'd execute someone for being injured, alright?"
Emilia pouted as she walked over.
"That said, I'm surprised you managed to block such a terrifying attack without dying."
"Seriously, I thought you'd be cut in two."
Felt added from nearby.
Reinhild also nodded in agreement.
Apparently, even from Reinhild's expert perspective, Elsa's final blow had been formidable—a classic final desperate strike.
Subaru gently pressed his aching stomach and pointed to the shield nearby.
"So you grabbed this right away, huh? But don't try something so reckless next time. Without it, your body really would've been sliced in two."
"Hahaha, I was totally confident I wouldn't die, so I went all out."
"But… that shield is made to defend against magic attacks. Physically, it's about as tough as a wooden shield."
The room went completely silent after Old Man Rom, the junk store owner, said that.
Reinhild hurriedly picked up the now broken-in-half shield, split cleanly down the middle, and turned to Subaru with a grave look.
Subaru followed his gaze, suddenly having a very bad feeling.
He lifted his shirt—there was a tear in it.
And as if his body were only now registering the hit, a change began.
A red horizontal line appeared across his stomach.
"Ah, crap. Even I know what happens next."
As he said this half-jokingly, a sharp pain arrived, heralding what came next.
And the next second—Subaru's abdomen split open horizontally, gushing blood.
"——Wait, Subaru!? Lady Emilia!"
"I know! You go get help!"
Reinhild's panicked voice rang out right next to him.
Emilia's voice was equally frantic.
A whooshing wind followed—the feeling of being cradled by Reinhild again, and his surroundings speeding past like being in a moving carriage.
Then, everything vanished from view. Subaru felt himself being gently laid down.
—Am I dying again? Next time, I'll be sure to tell Reinhild everything. Or maybe I'll grab Old Man Rom's sturdy club to defend against the slash...
With the last of his strength, Subaru opened his eyes.
He saw Reinhild's anxious face, and Emilia's beautiful features, inches away, filled with worry.
—Ahh, even when worried, she's so cute. Long live this fantasy world.
That thought—perhaps shared with one of his previous deaths—was his final one, as a tidal wave of pain and shock consumed Subaru's consciousness.