Smoke rose into the night sky.
People screamed across the capital.
Knights immediately rushed toward the explosion while civilians panicked through the streets.
But none of that mattered.
Because the moment the Witch miasma spread—
The atmosphere changed completely.
Disgusting.
Rotten.
Like madness itself had taken physical form.
Nearby knights visibly paled.
One even gagged slightly.
Roswaal's expression lost all amusement.
And Reinhard—
Reinhard's eyes sharpened dangerously.
"The Witch Cult…" one knight whispered fearfully.
Interesting.
Even hearing the name terrified them.
Honestly?
Fair.
The Witch Cult in Re:Zero was genuinely insane.
Then—
"Hahahahaha—!"
A voice echoed across the rooftops.
Loud.
Unstable.
Broken.
Every instinct in the area immediately screamed.
A man stood atop a distant building.
Thin body.
Green hair.
Purple fingers trembling unnaturally.
And eyes filled with absolute insanity.
"…Sloth."
Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti.
Honestly?
Seeing him in person felt weirder than expected.
Not intimidating.
Just deeply uncomfortable.
The Sin Archbishop spread his arms dramatically toward the sky.
"LOVE!"
Black unseen hands exploded around him violently.
Buildings cracked instantly.
Civilians screamed.
Knights froze.
Meanwhile—
I stared at him blankly.
"…That's the guy?"
Reinhard glanced toward me briefly.
"You know him?"
"Unfortunately."
Petelgeuse suddenly noticed us.
Or more specifically—
He noticed me.
And immediately—
He froze.
Interesting.
The Sin Archbishop's body trembled violently.
Not from excitement.
Fear.
Real fear.
"…Wh-What…"
His Authority flickered erratically around him.
The unseen hands distorted strangely.
Like they couldn't properly manifest near me.
Ah.
Makes sense.
Authorities were concepts tied to the world's rules.
And Anos powers naturally broke rules.
Interesting interaction.
Petelgeuse's eyes widened further.
"…Impossible…"
Then suddenly—
He screamed.
"WITCH!"
The entire capital went silent for a moment.
Petelgeuse pointed directly at me with shaking fingers.
"YOU—!"
Witch miasma exploded around him violently.
"WHAT ARE YOU?!"
Nearby knights stared at me in horror instantly.
Yeah.
Probably bad wording there, Geuse.
Roswaal's eyes narrowed sharply.
Reinhard subtly stepped slightly closer to me.
Not protectively.
Preparedly.
Meanwhile I just sighed.
"You're loud."
Petelgeuse twitched violently.
"LOOOOUD?!"
Black hands surged across the rooftops toward us instantly.
Fast enough to kill entire squads of knights.
Reinhard moved immediately—
But I was faster.
I raised one hand lazily.
Then snapped my fingers.
BOOM.
Every unseen hand exploded instantly.
Not dispersed.
Destroyed.
Completely erased.
Silence.
Petelgeuse froze.
His Authority—
Gone.
"…Huh?"
Honestly?
The confusion on his face was hilarious.
The Archbishop stared at his own hands blankly.
Then at me.
Then back at his hands again.
"My Authority…"
I tilted my head slightly.
"Fragile."
Petelgeuse's breathing became erratic instantly.
"No…"
Fear spread across his face.
Real fear.
The kind only insane people showed when reality itself stopped making sense.
Because to him—
Authorities were absolute.
Sacred.
Untouchable.
Yet I destroyed his effortlessly.
Then—
Reinhard vanished.
BOOM.
The rooftop beneath Petelgeuse exploded instantly.
The Sword Saint moved like red lightning through the night.
Petelgeuse barely reacted before Reinhard's kick shattered half the building.
The Archbishop flew through multiple walls violently.
Knights erupted into action immediately afterward.
"Protect civilians!"
"Evacuate the district!"
"Move!"
Good coordination honestly.
Reinhard stood atop the destroyed rooftop calmly.
Blue eyes scanned the rubble carefully.
"…He survived."
"Obviously," I said.
Then—
Laughter echoed again.
Petelgeuse slowly crawled from the debris.
Bones twisted wrong.
Blood covering his face.
Yet his smile remained.
"…LOVE…"
Honestly?
Disgusting.
The Archbishop's eyes suddenly locked onto me again.
Then something changed.
Terror deepened.
Because now—
He sensed something behind me.
Or rather—
Someone.
Satella's presence wrapped around me faintly once more.
Cold.
Possessive.
Obsessive.
Petelgeuse immediately collapsed to his knees.
"…No…"
His entire body shook violently.
"T-That love…"
Interesting.
So Satella's attachment to me was becoming visible spiritually now.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
Petelgeuse stared at me like he'd seen God.
Or the Devil.
Maybe both.
"…Impossible…"
Tears streamed down his face suddenly.
"She… loves you?"
Honestly?
That sounded creepy out loud.
Reinhard immediately looked toward me sharply.
Roswaal's expression darkened dangerously.
Even the knights nearby became uncomfortable.
Yeah.
No explaining this one.
Petelgeuse suddenly started laughing and crying simultaneously.
"INCREDIBLE!"
The Archbishop slammed his head against the ground repeatedly.
"TRULY INCREDIBLE!"
Blood splattered everywhere.
"This lowly servant understands now!"
He pointed at me while trembling violently.
"YOU ARE LOVED!"
Silence.
Then I answered honestly.
"Unfortunately."
Petelgeuse screamed like he'd witnessed divine revelation.
Honestly?
Re:Zero villains were exhausting.
Then suddenly—
The Archbishop's expression changed again.
His eyes sharpened fanatically.
"…If the Witch loves you…"
The unseen pressure around him intensified.
"…Then your devotion must be tested!"
Ah.
There it was.
The suicide attempt.
Petelgeuse's body suddenly distorted violently.
Mana erupted out of control.
Reinhard immediately noticed.
"He's going to explode."
"Correct."
The knights panicked instantly.
"GET BACK!"
Petelgeuse laughed hysterically.
"LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!"
Honestly?
Annoying.
I raised my hand lazily.
Then—
Grabbed space itself.
CRACK.
The world split apart beside Petelgeuse instantly.
A black dimensional tear opened violently.
The Archbishop froze mid-laughter.
"…Wh—"
I flicked my wrist.
The dimensional crack swallowed him instantly.
Then sealed shut.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
No explosion.
No remains.
Nothing.
Like Petelgeuse never existed.
The entire capital stood frozen.
One knight dropped to his knees completely.
Roswaal stared at the empty air speechlessly.
And Reinhard—
For the first time tonight—
Actually looked shaken.
Meanwhile I lowered my hand casually.
"…That solved itself."
Nobody answered.
Because nobody understood what they had just witnessed.
And honestly?
Neither did Od Lagna anymore.