In the sprawling landscape of Japan, there lived two boys.
Both were born under the shadow of the word Prodigy.
One was gifted with a natural aptitude for everything he touched, yet he slowly withered under the suffocating weight of expectation. He withdrew into himself, driven by a desperate, frantic need to become the greatest version of himself—only to find that "greatness" was a cage.
The other was cursed with a perfection so absolute that the world became unbearably boring. Everything was too easy, too transparent. He never asked for the crown placed upon his head, but no matter how far he ran or how much he ignored the calls of the world, the expectations of his bloodline never faded.
They were shaped by a pressure they never requested—one crushed by the climb, the other alienated by the summit.
One believed himself to be The Strongest. That strength became a wall, placing him on a plane above humanity. Because he was infallible, he could not rely on others; because he was perfect, he could not be understood. He ended up carrying the sky alone, a titan with no one to share the burden for most of his life.
The other wished with every fiber of his being that he were the strongest. Yet, ironically, it was his Weakness that became his greatest bridge. His fragility allowed him to form bonds, to scream for help, and to be understood—even as he rotted from the inside, suffering in a silence that no one was permitted to hear.
Both wear a smile like a mask, designed to hide the staggering distance between themselves and the rest of the world.
Both play the role of the fool, a loud and colorful distraction to ensure no one ever looks closely enough to see how hollow and lonely they truly are.
One stands at the peak, a god looking down at a world he can touch but never join, with no one capable of standing by his side without being burned by his radiance.
The other walks in the trenches, a ghost among the living, dying a thousand deaths in the dark so that those he loves never have to know the crushing weight of the world he saves.
One represents the Loneliness of Absolute Power: the untouchable, the unreachable, the one isolated by his own perfection.
The other represents the Loneliness of Absolute Responsibility: the one who endlessly returns, endlessly endures, driven by a hunger to save everyone that can never be satiated.
And in the ultimate, cruelest irony—when the world finally offers them a hand—they both hesitate.
For the one at the top, help is an insult to his identity.
For the one in the abyss, help is a danger to those he loves.
Two boys, two worlds, one shared, silent scream.
——————————————————————
"Can you just tell me already? What the hell is going on with you lately?"
Jamal sat on the opposite side of the table, while Todd remained standing. The two were secluded in the main tent, the heavy canvas muffling the sounds of the camp to ensure their privacy.
Jamal's voice carried a weight that Todd wasn't used to.
Usually, Jamal was a whirlwind of loud, impulsive aggression, but now he was suppressing his temper, trying to dig for the root of a problem he clearly didn't understand.
Todd had long ago surmised his companion's character: Jamal didn't lack intelligence, he simply lacked the temperament to use it.
"What do you mean?" Todd asked, his brow arching with feigned innocence.
It was a poor choice of words. Jamal scoffed, his palm slamming onto the wooden table as his fingers curled into a white-knuckled fist.
"Don't fuck with me. You know exactly what I mean. Stop playing dumb."
Todd remained silent, his expression a calm, unreadable mask.
"———"
Jamal snarled, leaning back until the chair groaned under his weight.
"Fine. I'll spell it out. You're being a total bootlicker to that Subaru bastard. It's sickening. The guy has no rank, no standing—unless he's hiding something from us. So why are you crawling on your belly for him?"
Jamal's accusation was blunt and impossible to sidestep. Todd let out a slow breath, finally letting a sliver of his true thoughts show.
"You're not seeing it, Jamal. That guy... no, forget that. That thing currently sitting in our camp is the thing I fear most in this world. And if you had any survival instinct at all, you'd be terrified too."
"What?" Jamal clicked his tongue. "Just because he's strong? I can respect a powerhouse, but you're acting like he's the only one who can drop an Elgina."
Todd's lips thinned into a hard line. "Yeah, you can kill an Elgina. But not like that. Not with that... effortless indifference. He could have ended those Witchbeasts in half the time if he wanted to. But that's not what I'm talking about."
"Then what?"
"His eyes."
Todd spoke the words blankly. He raised an index finger, tapping the skin just beneath his own pupil in a slow, deliberate gesture.
As a response, Jamal just scoffed and ruffled his wild-hair with one hand.
"Fuck, Todd... stop with the riddles and nonsensical stuff and just say it."
Todd sighed, opting for a language Jamal could grasp.
"It was a look I've seen before. He hid it quickly, but for a second, the mask slipped. He's playing us, Jamal. He's manipulating every move we make."
"...Manipulating us? Seriously?"
"Yes. I don't know if it's a game to him, or if he just enjoys watching those he considers 'lesser' move like pieces on a chessboard. I hate it. I loathe it. I fear it more than anything. And that fear is only intensified by the fact that he could kill every man in this camp before we could even draw a breath... to that, what even are we?"
Jamal's frown deepened. He wanted to argue, but he remembered the way his own sword had shattered like glass. He remained silent, allowing Todd to continue.
"You still don't get the point, do you?" Todd pressed, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper. "Why do you think Garius suddenly vanished into the night, right after that whole thing went down? There isn't a soul in this camp—other than that monster—who would do such a thing."
Jamal's eyes narrowed as he thought about his words.
His mind flashed back to the scene earlier that day. Specifically, the weapon Subaru had used.
That dagger wasn't a common blade. It wasn't even a noble's trinket. A weapon of that craftsmanship, with those specific engravings... it was a localized heirloom. Something handed down by the Emperor himself to his most trusted retainers.
"...Then what do you want to do?" Jamal asked, his voice tight. "You know the current state of the Empire just as well as I do. Adding more political kindling to this bonfire isn't going to do us any favors."
He didn't dislike Jamal in the slightest, in fact, the reason why he was telling the man this was likely for the most selfless reason a cautious person like himself ever could.
Jamal is fairly powerful, his strength compliments his own brains in a way that makes the many missions they have been through together far easier than they would've been normally.
Rather, Jamal is someone he can rely on on a battlefield, someone who's support is useful for his own survival.
Not to mention, the possible death of Jamal would make a certain important someone rather emotional.
"That's where you're wrong," Todd said, a sharp, predatory glint appearing in his eyes. "This isn't just kindling. This is perfect."
Todd leaned over the table, his shadow stretching across Jamal.
"Black hair. That dagger. A monster's strength. I don't need to spell it out for you, do I?"
Jamal's eyes flared. He surged forward in his chair, the realization hitting him like a physical blow.
"You don't mean—!"
"Let it be known, and let it be known fast..."
Todd Fang whispered, a devious, jagged grin splitting his face.
"That the Emperor's bastard son has finally made his move in revolting against the Empire and His Excellency the Emperor."
——————————————————————
It was immediately clear to Natsuki Subaru that the atmosphere had shifted overnight.
As he walked through the camp the following morning, the soldiers' gazes returned, but the flavor of their hostility had changed.
The raw, paralyzed fear from the previous day had curdled into a volatile mixture of anger and resentment.
Subaru wasn't surprised that none of them acted on those looks.
His display of ruthlessness had served its purpose.
While he usually hesitated to be "cruel," he felt no remorse for the way he'd handled Garius. The man was scum, plain and simple.
Still, he felt no particular malice toward the rest of the rank-and-file, or even Jamal. They were just men doing a job, and he couldn't blame them for being nervous around a walking anomaly.
If I were them, I'd probably be just as twitchy...
He thought with a soft, self-deprecating chuckle.
Or maybe I wouldn't. Maybe I'd be the idiot who goes headlong into a fight he has no chance of winning.
His mind briefly conjured the image of Elsa Granhiert in the loot house—the way she had toyed with him, a predator playing with her food.
"Uuuaaa..."
Louis's grip on his hand tightened, snapping him out of his reverie. He looked down at the blonde girl, who was staring up at him with a look of profound unease.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just being nostalgic. Though, I guess 'nostalgic' is a weird word for memories of being disemboweled."
Louis tilted her head, her confusion evident. Subaru just laughed it off.
"Anyway, I wonder how Abel is faring. He didn't strike me as a fighter, but he seemed like the type who could talk his way out of literally anything."
As they moved deeper into the camp, Subaru began to focus on the whispers. By amplifying his hearing with Cursed Energy, the low-frequency mumbles became as clear as shouting. Most of the names they called him were the standard insults—freak, monster, noble-trash—but one word kept repeating, spoken with a specific, venomous edge.
Traitor.
Curiosity got the better of him. He veered toward a small group of soldiers, who immediately recoiled as he approached.
"Hey. What was that you just called me?"
"Eh... ah... urh..."
The soldier at the front paled, his eyes darting to his comrades as if pleading for a miracle.
Subaru sighed, trying to look as non-threatening as a man with his reputation could.
"Come on, man. I'm not going to beat you to death. I'm just asking a question."
The soldier seized up, his jaw tightening.
"You... you won't? That's rich, coming from a 'traitor' like you."
"Traitor? What are you talking about?"
"Isn't that what you told Todd? That you'd let Garius live?" The soldier's voice shook with suppressed rage. "That's fucking hilarious, seeing as he up and vanished in the middle of the night!"
Subaru's lips pursed. He was at a total loss.
That guy died? How?
It didn't make sense. Subaru had spared him—reluctantly—at Louis's request. He had no reason to go back and finish the job. Had the man simply deserted? Or had he somehow ran into one of those Witchbeasts—an Elgina as they were named—in the dark?
But then that didn't make sense, why wouldn't they attack the camp as well, it's not as if they were beasts that had intelligence.
"So, at a loss for words, eh?" the soldier spat, emboldened by Subaru's silence. "You gonna kill me now too, since you've been outed? Well, I won't go down easy. Just because you caught Garius off guard doesn't mean—"
Subaru tuned him out. He felt Louis tugging violently on his arm.
"What? What is it, Louis?"
"U-Uaa!" She pointed a trembling finger toward the dense treeline surrounding the camp.
Subaru's instincts screamed. He searched the foliage, his gaze whipping across the jungle. He ignored the soldier's protests, focusing entirely on the shadows between the jungle trees.
And then, he saw it.
Deep within the darkness of the forest, a pair of red glimmers rose to the surface.
A rather unfortunate soldier walking the outermost perimeter heard the snap of a branch and quickly turned toward the treeline close by.
"Eh—?"
He never finished the thought. A hulking, scaled maw erupted from the brush, snapping shut over the upper half of his body. With a violent thrash, the Mabeast tore through his armor like parchment, severing the man in two. His legs were tossed aside like refuse, hurtling limply through the air.
"Fuck! It's a Witchbeast!"
The alarm was raised instantly, but the carnage had already begun.
Another one?!I didn't think they'd be so quick to track this scent!
The soldiers' reaction was immediate and disciplined, despite the horror unfolding before them. They alerted their comrades, unsheathed their swords, and wasted no time rushing the ten-meter monstrosity in coordinated groups.
One of the first Imperial Soldiers charged from the front, screaming a war cry to drown out his own terror. The emotional turmoil of seeing a comrade bisected fueled a suicidal bravery.
But it was clear the beast's attention was elsewhere.
Its slit-pupiled eyes were locked onto Natsuki Subaru—and the thick, cloying stench of the Witch that radiated from him.
"Tch. Damn it! I should've just left instead of waiting around!" Subaru cursed, reprimanding himself for his naivety. He was the bait, and the camp was the trap.
He turned to Louis, his voice sharp.
"Go and hide. This won't take long."
"Uaa..."
Hearing her soft, trembling noise made him exhale. He looked back, seeing her paralyzed by the carnage.
"I'll be fine, Louis. You saw how easily I dealt with two of them, right? Now go!"
That seemed to break her trance. She nodded frantically and scrambled away.
Subaru turned back just in time to see the slaughter.
The soldiers' strikes bounced harmlessly off the Elgina's iron-like scales. The serpentine tail arced from the side with the speed of a cracking whip, shattering the bones of three men at once and sending their broken bodies ragdolling into the tents.
One soldier managed a lucky thrust, carving a thin gash along its flank. The red glint in the beast's eyes flared savagely.
It bellowed—a sound so loud it vibrated in the marrow of their bones, causing the squad to freeze for a fatal fraction of a second.
Usually, a Mabeast would prioritize the Witch's scent above all else. But Mabeasts were vengeful creatures. If harmed, they would destroy the attacker before returning to the prize.
The soldier who had drawn blood met the full force of the Elgina's bite. There was a wet crunch, and he was split down the middle before being tossed aside.
"——Damn it all!!"
Another soldier yelled, raising his shield, only to be smashed into the mud by the thrashing tail.
The Elgina roared in triumph and wrath, preparing to lunge again—until its attention snapped to the side. A blur of motion was approaching its flank.
It lashed out with its tail, aiming to bisect the attacker in mid-air.
"———!!!"
Pain and confusion flooded the beast's primitive mind. Its tail, which had shattered steel moments ago, was severed cleanly from its body.
Subaru landed in a crouch, his hand wreathed in darkness and cursed energy that smoked under the sun.
The Elgina snapped sideways, ignoring the soldiers pecking at its hide and targeting the biggest threat.
It opened its jaws wide, rushing at Subaru like a derailled freight train.
Unfortunately for it, it missed by a wide margin.
Subaru leapt, soaring above the snapping maw. The Elgina tried to track him, rearing its head back, but found itself blinded. The firelight from the burning tents caught in its sensitive eyes, disorienting it for the split second Subaru needed.
"So, you really are just a big snake after all." Subaru murmured, gravity taking hold.
He fell like a meteor.
With the momentum of his fall and the insane physical strength granted by his reinforcement, he drove his heel straight down.
The sound was quite literally explosive, holding enough potency to the point where the Elgina's skull collapsed instantly, its brain crushed into paste as its head was rammed into the hard earth. The shockwave blew out the nearby torches.
"———!"
Subaru had to physically yank his foot out of the caved-in skull. He wiped the gore on the grass, his expression grim.
But the silence he expected didn't come.
Screams were still echoing from the other side of the camp.
Where are Todd and Jamal? Those two are the only ones competent enough here, so where...?
Then, another sound of movement caught his attention. Subaru snapped his head around just in time to see another Elgina slithering out of the darkness, snarling.
Why are there so many of them?
That was the only thought Natsuki Subaru could ponder before diving back into the fray.
——————————————————————
Her blonde hair trailed behind her like a banner as she ran.
Louis Arneb fled through the burning camp, her mind a haze of confusion and terror. She barely managed to dodge a collapsing tent, the heat of the flames singing her skin.
The ground shook behind her. She stumbled, her inexperienced legs tangling in the uneven terrain.
She hit the dirt hard. Rolling onto her back, she looked up—and froze.
Another Snake Mabeast loomed over her. It ignored the soldiers hacking at its flanks, its red eyes fixated solely on the small, trembling girl.
It screeched, a sound of pure hunger, and charged.
"———Aah!"
It was so close she could see the rows of serrated teeth, the massive fangs, and the saliva dripping from its gums. This was it. She was going to be reduced to a mess of gore in a single bite.
Truly, is this the end of an already impossibly short life?
"——Hrk!!"
"———?!"
Suddenly, the world spun. She saw the sky, then the ground, then a blur of orange.
Someone had tackled her.
The impact knocked the wind out of her, but it was no doubt far less painful than being eaten alive. She watched in wide-eyed shock as the Mabeast's jaws snapped shut on empty air, occupying the space where she had been a millisecond prior.
She looked up at her savior.
Todd Fang lay close to her small frame, shielding her body with his own. He looked down at her, not with kindness, but with a look of sheer, unadulterated annoyance.
He turned his head, shouting over the roar of the inferno.
"Fuck... Natsuki Subaru! Stop messing around and kill them all already!"
——————————————————————
Todd gritted his teeth, his shout swallowed by the crackling flames. His mind raced, calculating the odds of his survival in real-time.
He hadn't saved the child out of altruism. Todd Fang didn't do altruism.
He had saved her for two reasons: Insurance and Survival.
He had calculated the probability that the monster, Natsuki Subaru, would simply slaughter everyone in the camp if this girl died.
Although that thing did look at her with cold eyes, he protected her fiercely.
The most likely conclusion was that just as he himself was, she too was a pawn in whatever game that thing was playing.
Of course, if the piece breaks, the player simply flips the board.
If Louis died, Todd's chance of survival dropped to zero.
Fucking hell. The last thing I want to do is risk my own life for some child, but I'm held hostage by that monster's whims.
Todd scrambled to his feet, snatching the blonde child around the waist. He launched himself backward with every ounce of strength in his legs just as the Elgina's massive maw crashed down, obliterating the earth where they had been lying a fraction of a second before.
He turned on a dime, sprinting through the devastated camp.
This is a complete disaster! That bastard must enjoy watching me panic like this—but why? Why is this Witchbeast ignoring everyone else to chase me?!
He recalled the scene just moments prior. The Elgina had ignored dozens of soldiers hacking at its scales. It hadn't cared about the pain. It had singled him out.
No. Not me.
Todd glanced down at the girl tucked under his arm like a sack of flour.
It's this damn child! She's the bait!
He glared over his shoulder. The Witchbeast was gaining rapidly, a wall of green scales and muscle moving with terrifying speed.
Todd juked sideways at the last moment, diving around a collapsing tent. The snake couldn't arrest its momentum; it shot past him, crashing into the burning structure. Timber and canvas collapsed onto its body, burying it in fire.
For a heartbeat, Todd considered it.
Drop the girl. Let the beast eat her. Escape while it feeds.
But the image of Subaru's cold, dead eyes flashed in his mind.
He's watching. I know he is. There is absolutely no chance that monster is struggling. He's testing me. If I drop her, he kills me.
Of course, he believed the chances of him beating this Witchbeast to be far higher than surviving if he were to simply let the child die.
So he had no choice realistically in the matter, something that angered him greatly.
"Tch—I don't want to die here. No, no, I can't die here!"
Todd shifted his grip on the child. He reached into his inner pocket, his fingers closing around the cold steel of a throwing knife. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the blade flying.
It dug into the snake's scales, not deep enough to kill or even be remotely close to fatal, but enough to annoy it.
The beast jolted, pulling its head from the fire and shaking it violently as embers of flame wilted and fell from it's snout onto the surrounding wood and fallen tent.
So it has a dislike for fire, very clearly.
Todd retreated into the thick, black smoke, practically vanishing from sight.
The Witchbeast was confused. The fire surrounding them was practically blinding its heat sensors, turning the world into a wall of crimson where living things couldn't even be made out any more than the dead.
Todd moved like a phantom. He wasn't a powerhouse like Natsuki Subaru. He couldn't crush skulls with his bare hands. He was a soldier that cared for nothing more than his own health and survival. He'd fight in the dirtiest way possible if it meant surviving.
He used the smoke as a shroud, becoming practically invisible.
"———!!"
The Elgina screeched as another knife buried itself in its flank. Then another.
It wasn't the pain that drove it mad; it was the inability to find its prey. It had lost the girl's scent in the smoke and burning wood.
Driven by instinct, it rammed forward in the direction of the last attack, only to find its head buried under another collapsing beam coated in flame.
It couldn't move effectively in the cramped, burning camp.
It couldn't see through the thermal chaos, nothing could be perceived beyond red and orange blots to it's faltering senses.
Then, a genuine screech of agony ripped through the air.
Todd emerged from the smoke as if he had suddenly manifested from nothing, his battle axe glowing faintly from the embers of the fires.
With a swift and sudden swing, he'd carve a deep gash along the snake's side, through it's thick defense. The hot metal cauterized the wound instantly, sending the smell of burning snake flesh into the air.
The beast snapped at where he was, biting a mouthful of wood and dirt before the beast recoiled and let out a screech.
Feeling that it had missed it's target, it had instantly snapped blindly with its tail, sending a spray of stones flying like shrapnel in the opposite direction.
Met with the bombardment of stone, Todd surprisingly didn't stop, he lunged into a roll and grasped a rock from the ground, swiftly throwing it to his left and watching as the beast snapped toward the noise.
"———"
Then, with a silent sprint towards it's flank, the super-heated battle axe was already poised by his side before he'd suddenly swung it forth.
The axe sliced into the soft tissue through it's scales in an almost perfect horizontal slash that bit through just under half a meter of it's thick hide.
The subtle, almost silent sizzling of flesh and blood being silenced by it's agonizing screech.
The Witchbeast erupted into a frenzy, thrashing wildly. It snapped sideways, desperate to kill the invisible gnat tormenting it—but its skull smashed dead into the trunk of a massive tree it hadn't seen in the smoke.
Recoiling, the serpent found itself dazed and confused from the immense impact.
Thus, Todd didn't hesitate, of course he didn't.
He'd instantly leapt from the debris of a nearby wagon, using gravity to amplify his strike as he clenched the hilt of his battle axe and raised it overhead.
With a grunt of effort, he drove the heated blade of his axe straight down onto the creature's skull. He didn't rely on brute strength alone; he aimed for the fracture point, driving the metal through bone and practically melting into the brain matter beneath.
The snake went rigid after a short moment, then slumped entirely.
"Huff... huff..."
Todd yanked his axe free, stepping back from the twitching corpse.
Blood trickled down his forehead, blinding one eye—a cut from the stone shrapnel he hadn't managed to dodge. His lungs burned from the smoke, and his muscles screamed in a way that he hated.
But he was alive.
He wiped the blood from his face, looking up into the dark, smoke-filled sky.
Did you have fun... watching that, Natsuki Subaru?
——————————————————————
"It's too durable!"
An Imperial Soldier screamed, putting his entire weight behind a desperate swing. His sword struck the Elgina's green scales, unleashing a torrent of sparks but failing to draw blood. Before he could recover, the beast's tail whipped around with the speed of a cracking whip.
The impact shattered his ribs despite the armor, sending him flying across the clearing like a ragdoll.
The Elgina didn't pause. It twisted its massive body, snapping its jaws down on another soldier. There was a sickening crunch as armor and bone gave way, and the man was tossed aside, broken and lifeless.
"Hrk——!!"
Another soldier watched with wide, terrified eyes. His psyche screamed at him to run, his fight-or-flight response hammering the "flight" button repeatedly.
But he ignored it. For honor. For pride.
His comrades—his friends—lay dead in the mud. To run now would be to spit on their graves. Even if he survived, the shame would be more than enough to kill him.
The Elgina twisted, its red eyes locking onto him.
He didn't run. With shaking hands, he raised his blade and let out a guttural roar, pouring all his fear and rage into the sound.
The beast responded in kind, screeching as it lunged. The soldier was too slow to dodge. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the end.
The impact came, but not from teeth.
The snake was blasted off course with a powerful blow that sent the imperial soldier stumbling backwards, its head snapping to the side as a heavy boot connected with its jaw.
"———!! Sir?!"
Jamal lowered his smoking foot, a feral growl rumbling in his chest. He already had his twin swords drawn, the steel gleaming in the firelight.
"Stand back," Jamal ordered, not looking at the soldier. "I'll deal with this beast just like I did the other one."
He spoke in a low, dangerous tone. The Elgina recovered quickly, coiling its body in confusion before shifting its focus to the new threat.
Jamal frowned. His kick, while powerful enough to dent plate armor, had only bruised the beast's scales.
What a pain. This makes two now. I wasn't expecting us to run into Witchbeasts at all. They're supposed to be rare after all, not to mention, we haven't even breached the deep jungle yet.
Jamal had already killed one Elgina during the initial chaos. This was his second.
He had also guessed that a majority of the Imperial Soldiers had died, only a handful at this point were still in fighting condition.
Compared to the anomaly that was Natsuki Subaru, Jamal might seem unimpressive. But in the hierarchy of normal men, he was a monster in his own right. He could dismantle a dozen regular soldiers without breaking a sweat.
But an Elgina was different. It was a predator designed by nature to kill.
Jamal was winded from already slaying the first. His armor sported fresh dents, and bruises bloomed across his ribs. His twin blades were slick with the black blood of the first beast.
"Haaah... nobody told me we'd be facin' Witchbeasts tonight!" Jamal spat, wiping sweat from his brow. "Either way, I ain't got any intention of losin' to overgrown worms like you. I've got way too much to live for."
He eyed the beast with his single good eye, swinging one of his swords through the air to test the weight. He shifted his feet, dropping into a stance that was surprisingly disciplined for a man of his wild temperament.
"——Private First-Class of the Imperial Army, Jamal Aurélie..." he announced, pointing his blade at the creature's snout. "And I'll be the one to tear you apart, motherfucker."
He made the declaration solely for the thrill of it, fully aware that a mindless beast wouldn't understand a word.
But the Elgina seemed to accept the challenge. It unleashed a roar that shook the trees, uncoiling like a wound spring as it lunged straight for the soldier's throat.
Jamal swung one of his twin swords back, his grip on the off-hand blade tightening until the leather wrap creaked. At the last possible second, his stance snapped low. Strength surged from his core into his legs, coiling like a spring.
"——Hmph!"
With an explosive burst of speed, he launched himself sideways.
The Elgina crashed down, its massive body flattening the earth where he had stood a heartbeat before. It hadn't tried to bite him; it had tried to crush him like an insect.
Smart for a beast like this. But too slow.
Even in his exhausted state, Jamal found the beast's movements predictable. It relied on brute force and size, lacking the nuance of a trained fighter. He had already dissected its attack patterns during the first fight.
He sprinted forward. The Elgina's tail whipped around in a horizontal arc, aiming to sweep his legs, so he leapt, clearing the attack with little room to spare.
Then, with a twist through the air, he landed squarely upon the beast's upper back.
Without hesitation, he flipped the blade in his off-hand into a reverse grip. With a roar of effort, he plunged the steel down, punching through the iron-hard scales and sinking deep into the muscle tissue beneath.
The beast shrieked, twisting and thrashing violently. But the blade—and Jamal's vice-like grip—held fast. He rode the monster like a ground dragon, his boots digging into its hide to get into a better position.
Swiftly as possible, he raised his primary blade and preparing to sever the spine.
But the Witchbeast denied such a thing.
It suddenly straightened out, throwing its weight backward. It slammed its body against a massive tree trunk to Jamal's left.
The impact sent a shower of wood splinters flying like shrapnel. Several jagged pieces embedded themselves in Jamal's armor and exposed skin.
"Grh——!!"
He gritted his teeth against the pain. Yanking his sword free, he straightened his legs and kicked off the Elgina's spine just before it could roll over and crush him against the ground.
He hit the ground hard, rolling with the momentum to disperse the impact. He came up on one knee, snarling low in his throat.
"——Tch!!"
He barely had time to raise his blades in a cross-guard before the Elgina rammed him.
The force was immense. It nearly broke his guard, lifting him off his feet. He found himself pinned against the beast's snout, his boots digging into its upper jaw as it pushed him backward like a plow. The jaws snapped and gnashed inches from his body, desperate to close around him and tear him apart.
Jamal prepared to strike, but the Elgina whipped its head upward in the understanding that it could not reach the human.
With nothing to hold onto, Jamal was launched.
He soared several meters into the air, a victim of gravity. The fall wouldn't kill him. But falling directly into the waiting, gaping maw of the Witchbeast certainly would.
Below him, the Elgina opened its mouth wide, a pit of teeth and darkness waiting to swallow him whole.
Most men would despair. Most men would close their eyes and pray.
——Jamal Aurélie grinned.
"As if... it would be that easy, you bastard!!"
He roared, twisting his body in mid-air. With a violent throw, he hurled his off-hand sword straight down.
The blade flew true. It pierced the roof of the beast's mouth, lodging itself deep in the soft palate.
The Elgina convulsed, its jaws hitching in agony. It thrashed, its focus shattered by the unexpected pain.
It wouldn't have to suffer for very long, fortunately for it.
Jamal landed. Not in its mouth, but toward its neck.
As he fell past the beast, he had gripped his remaining sword with both hands. Gravity and momentum combined into a single, devastating line of crimson.
A deep gash opened along the Elgina's entire side, severing arteries and muscle. A tidal wave of blood burst free, painting the jungle floor red.
The beast collapsed, its massive body twitching once before going still.
Jamal landed in a crouch, breathing hard. He stood up slowly, sheathing his remaining sword. He looked at the carnage, wiping blood and sweat from his single eye.
"...Just what the... fuck is happening?"
——————————————————————
Natsuki Subaru grimaced as he picked his way through the ruins of the camp.
It was a graveyard. Dozens of soldiers lay dead—some crushed, some torn apart, others burned beyond recognition. The flames, fed by fallen torches and dry canvas, had turned the encampment into an inferno.
"———"
Was this what I wanted? Is this my fault?
Surely, the Mabeasts had attacked because of the Witch's Scent clinging to him. Perhaps the scent had intensified, or maybe Louis was acting as a beacon.
"No, no... thinking like that gets me nowhere. I shouldn't..."
He shook his head, forcing himself to think rationally.
There was something strange about the attack. The Elginas had struck in a coordinated wave. For solitary predators of that size, pack tactics were unheard of. They were some of the largest Mabeasts he had ever seen, rivaled only by the White Whale or the Centaurs of the Watchtower.
Am I just looking for excuses? Trying to absolve myself of the blame?
But he couldn't shake the feeling that something more was at play here.
"———!"
His thoughts were cut short as he spotted a familiar figure emerging from the smoke.
Todd Fang walked toward him, carrying an unconscious Louis Arneb in one arm. The orange-haired man looked battered—soot-stained, bruised, with a nasty cut above his eye—but alive.
Subaru let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He rushed over.
Todd looked at Subaru and offered a soft, weary smile.
"I'm... glad you're alright, Subaru-san."
"———"
Subaru blinked, caught off guard. He shook his head violently.
"I should be saying that to you, man! Why the hell are you being so nice? God, I was expecting some stereotypical soldier attitude—like Jamal! You really are something else, huh, Todd?"
Todd's brow furrowed slightly, as if trying to decipher the strange idioms Subaru used.
"...What?"
"Oh, nothing... nothing. But seriously, I'm grateful you saved her. Most people here would've left her to save their own skin. You're a good guy, Todd."
Internally, Todd frowned. Externally, he let out a sigh.
"Well, they are dead now, unfortunately. Though, I suppose... I really couldn't just let an innocent-looking kid be eaten like that, you know?"
The first half of Todd's statement made Subaru's lips purse. The guilt settled in his stomach like a stone.
"An attack like that though... it wasn't something even I was ready for," Subaru admitted. "I guess I'm just glad you could hold your own against all that chaos..."
He shrugged, looking away.
What would my past self have done?
Would he have taken the blame? Would he have killed himself right here, right now, to redo it all? To save these men who hated him?
Is there even a 'correct choice' here?
"———?!"
A snap of a twig cut through the crackling of the fire.
Subaru's head snapped to the side. Emerging from the darkness of the jungle, illuminated by the dying flames, was a familiar figure. He wore a mask, but his posture radiated an arrogance that no disguise could hide.
"——Abel?"
The man—Abel—had suddenly made himself known.
And he wasn't alone.
"Yes. You would be correct in that incredibly simple observation, Natsuki Subaru. It appears I was correct about you, after all."
Flanking him were two women Subaru recognized, though not with fondness. Taritta and Mizelda. The Shudraq warriors.
Subaru tensed. He kept his eyes on the Amazonian women, ready for an attack.
"...What do you mean? That doesn't make any sense," Subaru sighed, his hand drifting toward his pocket.
"I suppose I cannot fault your confusion, given your lack of context. Therefore, I shall explain. Listen well, for I will not repeat myself."
Abel crossed his arms, his voice calm amidst the carnage.
"Originally, I was hesitant on whether or not to include you in my plans. Although one would have to be blind not to see your strength, your temperament was... questionable. But... you performed sufficiently. Although you clearly lack experience fighting alongside those weaker than yourself, it appears my eyes were not wrong in their judgment."
"———?"
Subaru's brows furrowed deeper with every word.
Plans? Judgment?
And then, the realization hit him like a physical blow.
"You...? This attack is because of you?"
Abel remained silent. He offered no denial.
Rage, hot and blinding, surged through Subaru's veins.
"How do you have the self-confidence to come up to me... after what you've done here... and not expect to die? I just can't understand——"
Shadows coalesced in Subaru's hand, forming a jagged, ebony blade. In a blur of motion, he was there. The tip of the blade pressed against the thin skin of Abel's neck, drawing a single bead of blood.
Two bowstrings twanged as Taritta and Mizelda notched arrows, aiming straight at Subaru's skull.
Subaru didn't even look at them.
"Do you really think those arrows would do anything to me right now?" he hissed.
"——Exactly, nothing is stopping you, Natsuki Subaru. And yet, you still chose to halt your attack in the end."
Abel spoke without a tremor in his voice. He didn't flinch. He didn't look at the blade. He looked straight into Subaru's eyes.
"But that's just...." Subaru's hand trembled.
"The Empire of Vollachia is the land of the wolves. This is a truth no one can refute. You used that dagger well, despite what I told you, did you not?"
Subaru froze.
"How did you——"
"What I am saying... Natsuki Subaru, is why do you care?"
Abel's voice was cold, logical, and utterly devoid of empathy.
"Yes, such things are human emotion. But why care? You know more than anyone how these soldiers looked at you. In a heartbeat, they would have traded your life to save their own a hundredfold. They died here honorably enough. In a way that even I cannot help but respect. They did not flee. They fought until the bitter end."
"——But none of it was even fucking real!!" Subaru roared, the shadows around him flaring. "How is there any 'honor' in a massacre you orchestrated?! They didn't die fighting an enemy! They died as pawns in whatever the fuck this is whole scenario was supposed to be!"
Then, there was silence. A stunned, suffocating silence that spread through the clearing like a heavy mist.
"I have no use for half-hearted resolve, Natsuki Subaru. Indecision is a disease that rots the soul."
Abel's voice remained steady, despite the jagged blade of cursed energy pressing against his jugular. His eyes, visible beneath the mask, hardened into cold obsidian.
"Either claim my head here and now, and accept the consequences of your foolishness..."
He leaned forward slightly, pressing his own neck against the blade rather than pulling away.
"——Or lower your weapon this instant."
Subaru didn't move.
He couldn't comprehend it. How could a person so lacking in physical power possess such crushing confidence? Abel stood before a being who could slaughter Witchbeasts with a single blow, yet he looked at Subaru not with fear, but with the disappointment of a teacher correcting a slow student.
It wasn't bravery. It was the absolute, unshakable belief that he was right.
"———"
Eventually, through a storm of internal turmoil, Subaru relented.
The ebony blade dissipated into flecks of darkness, carried away by the wind. He lowered his arm to his side, the tension leaving his shoulders.
Immediately, Mizelda and Taritta lowered their bows, though their gazes remained sharp, tracking his every breath.
"How do you expect to save that friend of yours—that 'Gojo-sensei' you speak of—if you cannot even make a simple decision?"
Hearing Abel speak of Gojo-sensei made anger flare within Subaru's chest, but he forced it down. Getting angry at this man was like shouting at a wall.
"...Are you just going to keep mocking me, or are you actually going to say something important?" Subaru retorted, his voice dry.
Abel narrowed his eyes, assessing the boy before him.
"——Will you join me, Natsuki Subaru? That is the question."
"...I don't even know what I'm joining, though." Subaru crossed his arms. "You orchestrated an attack on an Imperial camp just to test me. You used me as bait. You got people that didn't deserve it killed. And now you want to team up? You're going to have to do better than that."
Abel let out a short, dismissive breath.
"Very well. Since you are ignorant of the state of the Empire, I shall enlighten you. But only because your strength is a resource I currently require."
Abel stepped forward, removing his mask. He revealed a face that was handsome, sharp, and undeniably regal.
"The seventy-seventh Emperor of the Sacred Vollachian Empire, Vincent Vollachia. That is me. The Empire is currently in the grip of a usurper. A coup d'état has occurred."
Subaru blinked.
"A coup?"
"Correct. The Nine Divine Generals—the pillars of this nation's military might—have turned their backs on the true ruler. Led by Prime Minister Berstetz and General Chisha Gold, they have placed a puppet upon the throne. A False Emperor who wears my face."
Abel gestured to the burning camp behind them.
"These soldiers you pity? They serve that False Emperor. They are the limbs of a diseased body. The Empire is fracturing. The 'Strong Rule the Weak' is the law of this land, yet those currently in power are cowards hiding behind deception."
He looked at Subaru with an intensity that made the air feel heavy.
"I intend to reclaim what is mine. I will tear down the False Emperor, crush the traitorous Generals, and restore order to Vollachia. That is the path of the Shudraq. And that is the path I offer you."
Subaru stared at him. The scale of it was ridiculous. This wasn't just a skirmish in the jungle; this was a war for the soul of a nation.
"You want to retake the entire Empire... with just two Amazonians and a guy you found in the woods?"
"I do not require an army to start a fire; I require a spark," Abel corrected smoothly. "You seek your friends. You seek a way out of this jungle. You seek information. I possess the means to grant all of these things. But I cannot do so while hiding in the underbrush."
Abel extended a hand—not in friendship, but in a transactional agreement.
"Lend me your strength, Natsuki Subaru! Help me reclaim my throne, and I shall grant you the resources of an Emperor to find those you have lost. Refuse, and you may rot in this jungle, ignorant and alone."
Subaru looked at the hand. He looked at the burning camp, the corpses of those that might've not truly deserved such a fate.
He hated Abel's methods. He hated his arrogance.
But he needed him.
"Fine..." Subaru muttered, not taking the hand but meeting Abel's gaze. "But if you treat people who might not deserve it like pawns again... I might not stop the blade next time."
"Hmph." Abel turned away, refixing his mask. "I expect nothing less. Now, come. We have a war to win."
——————————————————————
The branches of the Buddheim Jungle whipped against Todd Fang's face like angry lashes, but he didn't blink. He didn't slow down. He didn't dare look back.
His lungs burned, the smoke from the burning camp still clinging to the inside of his throat, tasting of ash and failure.
"Huff... huff... Todd! Hey, Todd! Slow the hell down!"
Behind him, the heavier than usual footsteps of Jamal thudded against the root-strewn earth.
The one-eyed soldier was tough—tougher than almost anyone Todd knew—but even he was winded from the back-to-back fights with the Elginas.
Todd skidded to a halt near a cluster of dense ferns, dropping to one knee to minimize his silhouette. He immediately scanned the darkness behind them, his axe gripped so tightly his knuckles were white.
Nothing. No glowing eyes. No black brambles. No sound of that thing pursuing them.
"We're clear..." Todd whispered, the tension in his shoulders dropping by a fraction. "For now."
Jamal crashed through the foliage a second later, leaning against a tree and wheezing. He looked at Todd with a mix of confusion and irritation.
"Why the fuck... did we run?" Jamal spat, wiping blood from his face. "We could've taken 'em! That masked guy showed up, sure, but we had the numbers if we rallied the—"
"There were no numbers, Jamal, you're just lying to yourself..." Todd cut him off, his voice cold and sharp. "Everyone else is dead. Or dying. We are the only ones left."
"Even so!" Jamal slammed his fist against the tree. "Running away like rats? That ain't our style! And leaving that Subaru bastard alive? After you said he was a threat?"
Todd looked at his friend. He saw the bravado, the simple, violent logic that governed Jamal's world. Jamal thought in terms of sword swings and shield blocks.
He didn't understand that they had just been standing in a cage with a natural disaster, even after explaining it. How annoying that was.
"Jamal, listen to me," Todd said, stepping forward and grabbing the soldier's shoulder. "We didn't run away from a fight. We retreated from an execution."
Todd's mind replayed the scene. The arrival of the masked man—Abel. The Shudraq warriors. And Subaru, standing amidst the carnage of the Elginas like he owned the place.
When Subaru's attention had shifted to the masked intruder, Todd had felt it. A tiny, microscopic window of opportunity. The monster's gaze had turned away. The pressure had lifted just enough to breathe.
Todd hadn't hesitated. He had grabbed Jamal and vanished into the treeline before the conversation in the clearing had even finished.
"That thing back there..." Todd murmured, staring back into the darkness. "That isn't human. Did you see his face when the Elgina attacked? There was no fear, despite that Witchbeasts might, there was only annoyance."
"So? He's strong. We get it."
"No. It's not just strength. It's his nature. It's because for once, something didn't go his fucking way! I know that glare, I know it, I know it.... all too well, it's like a damn mirror, one that needs to be shattered, or we will all die."
Todd paced a tight circle, his mind working furiously.
"He plays the fool. He acts weak. He pretends to be lost. But then he pulls out a dagger fit for an Emperor and slaughters Witchbeasts with his bare hands. He spares Garius, only for Garius to die. He saves that little girl, but looks at her like she's a tool."
Todd shivered at his own words.
"He is a chaotic element. A variable I cannot calculate. If we stayed, we would have been pawns in whatever game he and that masked man are playing. And pawns get sacrificed."
Jamal grunted, finally sheathing his one remaining sword.
"Fine. You're the brains, Todd. I just chop stuff. So, what's the plan? We just gonna wander the jungle until we starve?"
"No."
Todd's eyes hardened. The fear was still there, coiled in his gut like a snake, but he shoved it down. He replaced it with cold, hard pragmatism.
He couldn't kill Natsuki Subaru here. Not with just Jamal. Not in the jungle where the monster had the advantage.
He needed walls. He needed iron. He needed an army.
"——We go to Guaral." Todd stated firmly.
"The Fortified City?" Jamal raised an eyebrow. "That's... quite a trek."
"It's the nearest stronghold. General Chisha has forces there. We need to report this."
Todd's lips curled into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. It was the smile of a man who had just found a way to turn a retreat into a weapon.
"We have valuable intelligence, Jamal. We know where the 'Bastard Son' is."
"The Bastard... oh, right. That story you spun."
"It's not a story anymore," Todd corrected. "It's our reality. A black-haired youth, wielding a royal dagger, accompanied by Shudraq rebels and a man in a mask? It smells of insurrection. It smells of a coup."
Todd looked back toward the direction of the burning camp one last time.
He imagined Subaru's face. That casual, disarming grin that hid the abyss beneath.
You let me go, Natsuki Subaru. That was your mistake. You think you're the hunter because you have fangs? I am a soldier. I have the Empire.
"Let's move," Todd ordered, turning his back on the smoke. "We need to reach Guaral before they do. I need to prepare a welcome party."
I will kill you, I don't care if I have to burn down an entire city to do it. I will not rest until your head is separated from your body.
"Right behind ya, partner." Jamal grunted, falling into step.
The two survivors vanished into the shadows of the Buddheim Jungle, leaving the dead behind, marching in preparation for something that Natsuki Subaru didn't even know had begun.