Explosions. Screams. Cries of agony. The sounds spread from the distant battlefield, eventually crashing into this dim cell. Subaru huddled in the corner, arms wrapped tightly around her head, nails digging deep into her hair.
Don't listen... Don't think... What's happening outside... Rem... Ram... Emilia... Are they still alive... Suddenly
"Bang!!"
A deafening crash nearby shook the very walls. It sounded like something had been violently slammed to the ground.
Deep within her soul, the Flame Sword suddenly trembled violently. Holy flames tried to break free, but something inside her seemed to be suppressing it. In the end, only a wisp of fire escaped its bonds, slipped through the door crack, and vanished down the bloody corridor.
Subaru stared blankly at the fleeting flame.
What was that...?
New sounds of battle came from afar, the sharp clang of metal, the dull thud of flesh being torn, and... that sound... was it Rem's Morningstar...?
She used all her strength to push herself up, crawling towards the door. But as soon as her Fingers touched the door panel, she recoiled as if burned.
Go out... What can I do...?
Last time... The figure swallowed by the mist echoed in her mind again.
It's all because I'm useless... It's all because... they have to protect me...
How long has it been...?
The outside world fell silent, even the wind had disappeared. The sunlight filtering through the cracks in the wooden door had long since changed from the dazzling midday sun to a blood-red sunset.
"Is it... over?"
Subaru shakily stood up, her legs numb from prolonged crouching. She stumbled towards the door, her Fingers hovering over the doorknob, trembling slightly.
She twisted it hard
The door opened.
It turns out... it could be opened from the inside.
That's right... They locked the door to protect me. If no one survived... would I be locked in here... until I starved to death?
A heavy smell of blood permeated the corridor. Subaru's gaze slowly dropped.
The floor around the corner ahead was stained dark red. The viscous blood had not yet completely dried. And around the corner of the corridor... something was lying there.
Her heart pounded wildly, almost bursting from her chest. Her legs felt heavy as lead, yet they still moved forward uncontrollably.
One step. Two steps. Finally
The scene around the corner was fully revealed before her eyes.
"Rem...?"
Her voice caught in her throat, turning into a broken sob.
Rem lay quietly on the ground. Her blue hair was matted to her cheek with blood, and her once lively eyes had lost their focus. Her Morningstar had rolled to her side, its head covered in bits of flesh.
Around her, Witch Cultist bodies lay scattered, and the most conspicuous, was the body with green hair.
The Sloth Archbishop of Sin.
His heart was pierced by an ice spear, and a maniacal smile was still frozen on his face... Did they win? Rem... did they win?
She finally understood. That wisp of flame that slipped through the door crack... The Flame Sword wanted to save her. Wanted to protect her. Just like... Carlisle would have done.
Rem... died protecting me just now.
Subaru collapsed to the ground, tears silently streaming down her face.
Her fingers trembled as she reached for Rem's cold cheek, but she pulled back just before touching it.
Why... why is it always me... who survives... Subaru didn't know how she got out of the Mansion. Every step felt like treading on a bottomless abyss, and everywhere she looked, bodies, Bodies were everywhere.
Twisted remains of Witch Cultists, shattered corpses of villagers, children, adults, men, women... and Ram.
She lay quietly in a pool of blood, her pink hair stained dark red, her once sharp tongue now silent.
In the center of the courtyard, a mountain of charred bodies still smoldered.
Is this... hell?
Her steps faltered, finally stopping before a blood-stained scimitar, the weapon of a deceased Witch Cultist.
Her trembling fingers grasped the hilt, the cold touch sending a shiver down her spine.
If I just go back... if I just die... they will all revive... The blade pressed against her neck, a faint prickling sensation on her skin.
"Please... just cut it..."
But her hand betrayed her will, trembling violently, unable to exert any force.
Why... why can't I even kill myself... Her tears had long since dried, her eye sockets burning with pain.
"Don't move."
A crazed voice suddenly came from behind her.
"This wonderful fragrance... are you Pride?"
Subaru slowly turned her head, green messy hair, a twisted smile, frantically rolling eyeballs.
Sure enough... this guy... revived again... "Oh dear, oh dear, it's just me~" Sloth nervously scratched his cheek, "I should introduce myself first, "I am the Witch Cult Archbishop of Sin, in charge of [Sloth], Petelgeuse Romanee-..."
"El Minya!"
Subaru's roar interrupted him, and a amethyst arrow shot through the air!
Boom!
An earth wall suddenly rose, the arrow shattered on impact, and dust flew.
"How diligent!" Sloth excitedly danced, "Attacking for revenge for a loved one! What a wonderful obsession!"
"You killed Rem!"
Another arrow shot out, but was crushed in mid-air by a suddenly appearing gigantic black hand.
"What... is that?"
Subaru stared blankly at the black hands writhing in the air.
"How wonderful! This aroma!" Sloth's body twisted into an impossible angle, "Ah ah ah! The scent of favor! And you! What an excellent vessel! Truly a once-in-a-decade find! This is the reward for my diligence! My brain is trembling!"
Suddenly, he noticed Subaru's gaze, and his whole body stiffened.
"You... saw it?"
The giant hand lunged at Subaru!
Dodge! Her body reacted before her thoughts, and she awkwardly rolled to the side.
"Why! Why can you see it!" Sloth suddenly erupted in rage, frantically scratching his face, blood dripping from his fingernails, "This is not pleasant! This is my favor alone!"
Just as the black hand lunged to tear Subaru apart, countless snowflakes suddenly froze in the air. Sloth's fingers stiffened mid-way, and Subaru's breath condensed into ice crystals.
"Found it."
A clear, childlike voice descended from the clouds, each syllable carrying the chill of absolute zero.
"Die."
Thousands of ice spears pierced the heavens and earth, and Sloth's body was instantly pinned like a broken doll. Before flesh and blood could splatter, it froze into crimson ice crystals, reflecting an eerie glow in the sunset.
"Puck..." Subaru's lips cracked and bled.
The small cat spirit floating in the air lowered its ears. "Don't speak, Subaru." Its glass-like pupils reflected the end of the world. "It seems you learned about the contract from somewhere."
Its grey fur began to swell, and its small body twisted and deformed. But the next second
"Diligence! Diligence! Diligence!"
A frenzied roar erupted from the ground. A Witch Cultist "corpse" suddenly twitched and stood up, dozens of invisible hands tightly gripping Puck, who was transforming into the Beast of the End.
The new Sloth roared with an unfamiliar face. "Underestimating! Negligence! That is Sloth! Possessing such powerful strength, yet only acting now, you are the most Slothful one!"
"Boring." The dull thud of beast claws tearing through restraints interrupted the raving. In the ice crystal storm, the Beast of the End stretched its sky-obscuring body, every hair flowing with a galaxy-like cold light.
The snow had already frozen the clouds. "If you truly want to kill me, at least show me half of Satella's, a thousand shadows."
The blizzard suddenly raged. Sloth's gnawing of his fingers was exceptionally clear in the wind and snow, and blood froze into red coral as soon as it seeped out.
"This is impossible! It shouldn't happen! It's just a spirit!" Blood constantly dripped from his gnawed fingers. "My faith! Everything I gained from devoted love! To be defeated by a mere spirit!"
"Humans who have only lived for a few decades are not qualified to discuss time with spirits."
Sloth's body was frozen solid.
"The depth of faith has nothing to do with time! You are just a foolish creature who wastes most of your time by merely living through the years! Don't confuse me with yourself!"
"The Trial is complete! Even if my body perishes! My thoughts will be guided back to the esteemed Witch! To be granted favor! I truly look forward to seeing you all again!"
"Die." The beast's paw crushed down, and ice crystal dust drifted with the wind. When the Beast of the End turned to Subaru, her eyes held deep sorrow.
"Are you going to start again...?"
Subaru's voice trembled in the blizzard, her exhaled white breath instantly condensing into ice crystals. Her legs had lost all sensation, her eyelashes were covered in frost and snow, yet she still stared fixedly at the mountain-like Beast of the End before her.
"Again... turning the whole world into frozen earth..."
Puck's pupils contracted slightly, and the swirling snowstorm circled around him. It appeared again, the monster who, after losing everything, resolved to destroy the world.
"Subaru."
His voice carried a heartbreaking calmness.
"You're right. I am a murderer. Lia is forever asleep..." The blizzard suddenly intensified, as if echoing the despair in his words.
"A world without her..." Ice crystals condensed around him into a brilliant crown. "I don't want to stay for even a second."
"So, I will freeze the entire world."
The blizzard fully descended.
Subaru heard the crisp sound of her bones freezing, and saw the frost spreading on her skin.
So cold... My body... is melting... Here it comes again... Death...?
— — — — — — — — — — — —
"Here, Miss, your appas."
...
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