Descent Into Madness - Re:Freedom: Regaining Freedom In Another World [Finalized Version]

Kiyotaka sighed, getting out of his bed, still feeling a sting in his throat from the metal he remembered had pierced his throat. He rewrote the letter from the last loop with a few changes. Then he walked, heading towards the bathroom, opening the door only to see Beatrice sitting on a stool.

Beatrice: [You look absolutely awful, I suppose.]

Kiyotaka: [I do?]

Beatrice: [Like you're trying to hold in your vomit. It's disgusting, in fact.]

Kiyotaka shook off the feeling, trying to regain his composure.

Beatrice: [Your ability to suppress your emotions to such a degree is disturbing, I suppose.]

Kiyotaka sat down.

Kiyotaka: [I know that I keep leaning on you for assistance, but I want to know something. I need to know it.]

Beatrice looked at Kiyotaka for a second, comparing him to someone else for a second before dismissing the thought.

Beatrice: [What is it, I suppose?]

Kiyotaka: [A set of invisible hands...what kind of magic would allow for that type of ability?]

Kiyotaka: (The most likely is Yin Magic or a『Divine Protection』.)

Beatrice: [That would be an authority, I suppose.]

Kiyotaka: [『Authority』?]

Beatrice: [An『Authority』is related to the respective『Witch Factor』from which it was born. For example, the『Witch Factor』of Greed would give the user an『Authority』related to Greed, I suppose.]

Kiyotaka: (『Authority of Sloth』... 『Unseen Hand』... it is slothful.)

Beatrice: [However, those who are incompatible with the『Witch Factor』will lose their minds in fact.]

Kiyotaka: (I see now. He was incompatible... and went insane.)

Kiyotaka: [Also. If a person can possess another without their consent, how is it done?]

Beatrice: [I don't have knowledge about that, I suppose. That ability might be related to their Authority, so it wouldn't be easy to tell, in fact.]

Kiyotaka pondered it.

Kiyotaka: (What about me is different from the others? Wait... I'm a Spirit Arts User. I see now. He transfers based on the affinity of his target to Spiritual arts... It's likely the Witch's Scent is also making me his first choice. As for Emilia, he seemed to intend on using her for something else, so I don't think he'd possess her body.)

Kiyotaka: [Thank you for your assistance, Beatrice. I'll be sure to repay the favours I owe you later.]

Beatrice: [Betty only has one thing she wants, in fact, but... it is not the right time, I suppose.]

Kiyotaka: (That look in her eyes... as if she wants to die. Could it be that Spirits are unable to kill themselves? Yes, likely. Otherwise, given that look in her eyes, she would have done it herself by now.)

Kiyotaka: [I'll see you another time, Beatrice.]

He left the room.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

Kiyotaka had shown the letter to Ram in the same way as last time, as they took the letter to Emilia. Emilia took the letter and read it.

Dear Roswal L. Mathers

I'm repaying that favour I owe to you now. The Witch Cult is going to attack your estate. Evacuate the estate along with Emilia-Sama. They will arrive in a few days. There is an informant in Arlam Village, so be sure to get rid of them before evacuating. I'm leaving my name blank as I don't want to reveal my identity to your staff.

Sincerely, ----------

Emilia: [To think there is an informant...]

Kiyotaka: [You can find them right, Rem?]

Rem: [If the Witch's scent is strong enough. So...]

Kiyotaka: [Most likely not since they're just an informant.]

Kiyotaka: (Now we have to spend time finding him.)

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

They arrived at the village and gathered up a crowd.

Kiyotaka: [We've received notice of the village being in danger, so we're going to evacuate from this route, okay?]

Kiyotaka held up a map tracing the path for all the villagers to see.

Petra: [Are we going to be okay, Kiyotaka?]

Kiyotaka: [It'll be fine.]

A man from the crowd moved away from the group as Rem and Ram caught him informing the Witch Cult via a Metia. Ram knocked him out, and Rem chained him up, capturing him, and Kiyotaka walked over.

Kiyotaka: [Looks like we have our informant. Did anyone else move suspiciously?]

They shook their heads.

Rem: [It was only this person.]

Kiyotaka nodded.

Kiyotaka: [Did you let the message go through?]

Ram: [We did.]

Kiyotaka: [Alright, Emilia should have told everyone the actual route by now. Let's group up with everyone.]

They nodded.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

Everyone started to move through the path out of the estate, holding Emilia's boundary crystals to keep safe from the Mabeasts as they arrived at the edge of the Roswal Estate.

Kiyotaka: [Almost ... out?]

Kiyotaka saw a fog ahead of them.

Kiyotaka: [Let's go around.]

They travelled around looking for a thinner part of the fog, but it seemed to surround the estate. They did make sure to avoid the entrance to the Roswal Estate, though, as With Cult would definitely have some people there waiting for orders, and then a fight would definitely break out.

Kiyotaka: [What is this fog?]

Emilia: [I don't know, but it's reaaally creepy.]

Suddenly, they could see a movement in the fog as Kiyotaka saw a huge eye.

Emilia: [The『White Whale』? Everyone! Get away from the fog!]

The『White Whale』looked at Kiyotaka, targeting him.

Kiyotaka: [Why me?]

It rushed towards him as Kiyotaka ran off.

Kiyotaka: (If I act as bait, maybe we can bring this thing down? No. It's way too huge.)

Kiyotaka aimed his hand at the『White Whale』.

Kiyotaka: [Ul Gona!]

A huge spike of earth on fire fired at the『White Whale』as it hit, drawing a massive amount of blood, but it didn't impede it enough as it rushed at Kiyotaka.

Kiyotaka: (A resistance to Mana? You can't be serious!)

Suddenly, he held his hand to his heart, wincing.

Kiyotaka: [Damn it.]

Kiyotaka struggled through it, seeing Emilia, Ram and Rem firing off spells at the『White Whale』.

Emilia: [If we can buy time for the sun to come up, I can summon Puck, so hold on, everyone.]

Kiyotaka: (Rem might be able to keep fighting, but she'll experience so many injuries. As for Ram, her reserves are way too low. I doubt we'll win this.)

Kiyotaka: [Dona!]

He fired a shard of stone, getting the attention of the 『White Whale』 as it charged at him.

Kiyotaka: (It would require siege weapons and an army of 50 people at least to buy enough time till sunrise. There's too much time and not enough people.)

The『White Whale』then had holes running across its body.

Kiyotaka: [What the?]

It fired off streams of fog as Ram got caught in one of these streams.

Kiyotaka: [Where did she...]

Kiyotaka looked to see Rem fall to her knees, her expression in pure agony as if something important had been forcefully ripped from her mind. Kiyotaka then saw that Emilia hadn't reacted strongly to Ram being in danger.

Kiyotaka: (As if... she was erased from her mind. This thing is dangerous.)

Kiyotaka then saw a stream flow towards Emilia as Kiyotaka rushed in.

Kiyotaka: [Ul Dona!]

A giant boulder hit the area, forming a shield for Emilia.

Kiyotaka: [Damn it how are we going to... agh!]

Kiyotaka felt his gate being stretched to its limit.

Kiyotaka: (It's on the verge of cracking.)

Emilia: [Kiyotaka, watch out!]

Kiyotaka: [What?]

Kiyotaka turned to see the『White Whale』charging at him. Emilia rushed in, pushing him out of the way and forming a shield to then protect herself, but the『White Whale』smashed through it, swallowing her whole.

Kiyotaka: [...Emilia...]

Kiyotaka's heart dropped as he then heard a screeching sound and then a scream as Rem and many villagers began scratching their own faces.

Kiyotaka: [What kind of madness is this?]

Kiyotaka stood up.

Kiyotaka: [If I die, then I might not Re: Birth... even still. I'll kill you.]

Kiyotaka raised his hand, drawing in mana.

Kiyotaka: [Al Gona!]

Kiyotaka's gate shattered as he summoned a huge meteor that hit the『White Whale』killing it. Kiyotaka fell to the floor, a pool of blood surging from his mouth.

Kiyotaka: (And there goes my gate. At least I managed to accomplish this much before I died.)

※　※　※　※　※　※ Re:Birth ※　※　※　※　※　※

Kiyotaka woke up to a familiar ceiling as he felt his gate burning with pain as he tried to soothe the pain slowly with flowing mana.

Kiyotaka: [Ugh!!!... It's already better?]

Kiyotaka: (I see it's just a mental reaction. Whatever was left of the trauma from my death.)

Kiyotaka sighed.

He got up and went to the mail room, repeating his strategy with the letter as ram read it.

Dear Roswal L. Mathers

I'm repaying that favour I owe to you now. The Witch Cult is going to attack your estate. Evacuate the estate along with Emilia-Sama. They will arrive in a few days with the『White Whale』in tow. There is an informant in Arlam Village, so be sure to get rid of them before evacuating. I'm leaving my name blank as I don't want to reveal my identity to your staff.

Sincerely, ----------

They met with Emilia.

Kiyotaka: [Given the fact that the fog is likely surrounding the estate, our only real choice is to break through where they came from.]

Emilia: [Are you sure? That seems reaaally reckless.]

Kiyotaka: [We'll scout ahead and kill them all before moving forward.]

Ram nodded.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

Kiyotaka scouted ahead as he saw that the fog wasn't covering the entrance, but there were too many Cultists.

Kiyotaka: (There are way too many Cultists... There's also no guarantee that the『White Whale』won't just appear all of a sudden. At most, I can secure the escape of two people. Myself and Emilia... but she'd never agree to that... should I... just knock her out and escape with her?)

Kiyotaka sighed, pondering it, shaking his head to dismiss the thought.

Kiyotaka: (Time to test another way to bypass the『Authority of Sloth』by killing all of them at once.)

He saw Petelguese and walked up to him.

Petelguese: [Oh? And who might you be?]

Kiyotaka: [You must be a member of the Witch's Cult. I would like to join you.]

Kiyotaka: (First, I gather them all up.)

Petelguese: [Oh? You are loved. You are diligent! How could I fail to find such a promising person as you?

He started to scratch his face.

Petelguese: [I'm slothful! I'm slothful! So slothful!]

Kiyotaka: [Please friend. Do not harm yourself. Let us gather together and discuss how we will move forward with our plans to do with the Half Elf.]

Petelguese: [You are right. We must practice diligence. I shall summon the『Fingers』right now.]

Petelguse gathered his『Fingers』as Kiyotaka raised his hand.

Kiyotaka: [Ul Dona!]

Petelguse: [Huh?]

Kiyotaka: [You're a slothful fool, Petelguese.]

The giant boulder fell on Petelguese and all his fingers simultaneously, killing them at the exact same time.

Kiyotaka yet again felt a disgusting feeling.

Kiyotaka: (He can still possess me?]

Kiyotaka stabbed himself in the throat.

※　※　※　※　※　※ Re:Birth ※　※　※　※　※　※

Kiyotaka woke up to a similar ceiling as he felt his hand shaking.

Kiyotaka: (I've never died more than once in the same loop, let alone this many times. Is it getting to me? If this progresses, my mental state will deteriorate, and that will be bad for figuring out a way out of this situation.)

Kiyotaka hit his arm using pain to snap himself out of it.

He got up and walked towards the bathroom, washing his face as the water dripped from his face.

Kiyotaka: (I have to be prepared for the worst circumstance. I have to keep calm and just try every way. Even if there are 39, 916, 800 ways, my chances of finding the right one with each incorrect way will increase by 0.000002505%. Not a good statistic, but... It's all I have.)

Kiyotaka steeled himself.

Kiyotaka: (I have to do this. Silence all emotion and treat yourself as a tool. With that, I can win.)

Kiyotaka repeated his loop, attempting a different way to kill Petelguese and his『Fingers』but he ended up getting possessed anyway.

※　※　※　※　※　※ Re:Birth ※　※　※　※　※　※

He woke up immediately, reenacting his plan as he kept trying to find the right method.

...

Re: Birth. Re: Birth. Re: Birth. Re: Birth. Re: Birth. Re: Birth. Re: Birth.

...

※　※　※　※　※　※ Re:Birth ※　※　※　※　※　※

Kiyotaka woke up in the same bed, his face was no longer emotionless. It was filled with a kind of despair that couldn't be replicated or faked.

Kiyotaka: (It has been so many loops since my hands had stopped shaking. I had thought I knew the feeling of not fearing death before, but now I realised that was a lie. I realised this because I had truly stopped fearing death many loops ago. 36,000 loops... 146,000 days... 400 years... You can't be serious. How can it continue like this? Is this never going to end?)

Kiyotaka sighed.

Kiyotaka: (No matter how good my magic gets, it's never enough, and I have to start from scratch each time I die. Eventually, it comes to a point where I can't progress any further. Ul Spells are my limit with the time I have. I... I feel like I'm slipping into madness. The White Room was a children's playground compared to this. I... I don't want to die anymore. I'm not afraid of it. I just don't want to die anymore.)

Kiyotaka got up.

Kiyotaka: (My only choice is to move forward.)

He worked with the plan, killing them in a different way when he was possessed again.

※　※　※　※　※　※ Re:Birth ※　※　※　※　※　※

Kiyotaka woke up, but he didn't want to get out of his bed as he just lay there trying to think. His face showed such hopelessness, you'd think he was going to drop dead in a few seconds, and he knew.

—————————————————————————————————————

To Be Continued

—————————————————————————————————————

Rating Out Of 10 For This Part:

—————————————————————————————————————

Chapter 17 - Descent Into Madness