The moon finally gave way to its opposite.
The single, immense sun of Lugunica now bathed the entire sky in its usual impartial grandeur.
Its first rays gradually covered every patch of earth with its pure brilliance, overflowing with its own neutrality — indifferent, as always, to what had just unfolded beneath it.
Beneath this new dawn, silence reigned. A heavy, absolute silence, troubled only by the shallow breath of the survivors.
At the center of this ravaged landscape lay the corpse of a four-hundred-year-old calamity.
She was nothing more than a mountain of inert flesh.
Around her, beneath this sunrise, stood a group. A coalition.
An army that, despite numerous losses, a grueling battle, and many other horrors, had just vanquished one of the greatest calamities of this world — the White Whale.
No. Not simply that.
They had just defeated something even more terrifying. A white, pure, immeasurable leviathan.
And yet, thanks to everyone's effort, the monster — several hundred meters long — had fallen.
The expedition soldiers fell to their knees, weapons slipping from their trembling hands. They had survived.
A heavy silence still reigned over the clearing.
Some soldiers simply sat where their legs had given out, too exhausted to make the slightest gesture, blank gazes fixed on nothing in particular.
Others looked up at the immense, still-smoking carcass resting on the ground, as if they couldn't quite believe it would never move again.
Not far away, standing facing the colossal carcass, Wilhelm van Astrea remained motionless, his gaze fixed on one of the broken, enormous horns planted in the churned earth.
The old swordsman looked at the monster, heart heavy, eyes shining with an indecipherable emotion.
« Theresia… » he murmured inwardly.
The vengeance that had consumed him for decades had just extinguished, replaced by a peace he thought he would never find again.
He said nothing.
He simply stood there for a long moment, eyes lost in that white and silent mass — thinking, perhaps for the last time, of a red-haired woman he would never see again.
Subaru, for his part, looked up at the golden sky and let out a long sigh of relief. But the time for rest had not yet come.
The group gradually regrouped.
Losses were inventoried, what could be gathered was collected, and the army stayed on site for the most urgent logistical needs.
It was the sound of a carriage that broke the silence first. Then voices, still distant, carried by the morning wind.
Subaru raised his head, his breath still short.
« There's still the rest to do. »
Crusch, standing beside him, turned her gaze toward the horizon.
Crusch : « It is not over yet. The others should be here shortly. »
The sound of wheels and hurried footsteps broke the silence.
And indeed, the cargo of reinforcements soon appeared at the edge of the battlefield path.
Felix was the first visible, on his mount, his usual smile already hooked to his lips despite the journey's fatigue, hand raised in a salute.
Julius followed closely behind, silent, gaze proud yet grave, slowly scanning the expanse of the battlefield.
He rested his gaze on the Whale's carcass, then on Subaru and the others, his eyes testifying to a deep respect for the feat just accomplished.
Finally, a bit further back, Aldebaran dragged his feet, a loud sigh already audible before he even arrived.
He sat on a rock, already fleeing the smell of blood and the ambient exhaustion.
Felix : « Ohh boy, what a carnage, nyah... »
He hissed through his teeth upon catching sight of the extent of the damage, before rushing immediately toward the first wounded within his reach.
He poorly hid his urgency as he stood near the most mortally touched, his hands radiating healing magic.
Julius stopped for an instant, gaze lifted toward the leviathan's gigantic carcass.
Julius : « ...So that is it. »
He said nothing more, but the slight tilt of his head sufficed to express sincere respect for those who had achieved the impossible.
Al, for his part, let himself fall sitting a bit to the side, hand on his nose.
Al : « Seriously, what a smell... can't we go back now ? »
No one answered him.
Felix continued to run from wounded to wounded, distributing care and scoldings in equal parts.
After a quick medical triage, he approached Subaru and Crusch.
Felix : « Ah, by the way, nyah — Priscilla-sama woke up, but she is far too exhausted to continue. She demanded not to be disturbed and will not take another step today. She is leaving with the others. »
Subaru nodded, unsurprised.
Crusch also nodded, her armor covered in nicks but her bearing intact.
Subaru then approached, his gaze resting on Rem, still leaning against Patrasche's flank.
The young demon barely stood upright, visibly totally exhausted from the massive use of magic during her two decisive assaults against the monster.
Subaru gently placed his hands on her shoulders.
Subaru : « You were incredible, Rem… But you should go too. Rest. You have done enough. »
Rem : « But Subaru-Kun, I… ! »
She tried to cry out, but she nearly fell to the ground, her body instantly wavering…
Subaru : « Rem… you can't even stand anymore… please, rest. I'll handle the rest ! »
He exclaimed, catching her before she fell, holding her in his arm.
Rem : « ...Alright, Subaru-Kun… Take care of yourself. »
She replied softly, without protesting, understanding her precarious situation, nevertheless a slight tired smile on her lips.
Crusch : « We are heading back to the capital with the wounded — Priscilla, Rem, and a good part of those who can no longer fight. »
She paused, her gaze resting on Subaru with renewed gravity.
Crusch : « Thank you, Subaru… What we accomplished tonight will go down in history. And without you… none of this would have been possible. »
Subaru : « ...Thank you too, Crusch. Take care of them. »
He asked, deeply worried for the other actors of this battle.
Crusch : « Fear not, I will handle it. Farewell, Subaru. »
Subaru : « Farewell. Take care of yourselves ! »
Once the farewells were over, Rem gave him a final wave before the convoy set in motion, taking the road toward the capital, carrying with it, attached to one of the reinforced wagons, a part of the leviathan's carcass.
A massive horn, roughly trimmed for transport, tangible proof of a victory few people in this world would have thought possible.
Subaru watched the convoy pull away for a few seconds before refocusing.
His gaze hardened. He turned toward the remaining coalition which then reorganized.
Wilhelm van Astrea, Ricardo — back on his feet thanks to Felix's good care — the trio Mimi, Tivey, and Hetaro, as well as Felix himself, Al, Julius, and the unit of mercenaries and able-bodied soldiers.
All now gathered around Subaru to plan the upcoming assault against the Cult.
Subaru clapped his hands.
Subaru : « Well. Let's begin the plan. »
The atmosphere changed radically. Quickly, Subaru explained what he already knew:
The imminent threat of the Witch Cult, the presence of the Archbishop of Sloth, Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti, his powers known as "unseen hands" which Subaru could nevertheless see now.
He explained the planned attack on the Mathers domain in a few hours, which would eradicate everything in its path.
The narration of canonical facts was brief but chilling.
The knights listened, assimilating the stakes.
Subaru : « So, everything is good, right ? »
He asked this in a tone almost smug, as if the upcoming battle were already won in advance.
Julius : « Yes. I believe we are ready. »
He replied calmly, ready this time to demonstrate this new state of mind he had carried lately.
Al sighed, slightly off to the side.
Al : « Well, I don't really like this kind of stuff... but if my lady asks for it, I'll make an effort. »
He said it in a weary tone, visibly unenthusiastic about being mixed up in this again.
Everyone nodded in acceptance. Even Wilhelm let out a slight smile, ready for what came next.
Seeing them all gathered like this, Subaru smiled faintly.
« Yes... This time, we're going to change things. »
He understood, deep inside, that what awaited them would be just as grueling as what they had just gone through.
Subaru : « Very well, everyone ! »
Subaru raised his fist, ready to harangue his troops.
He took a deep breath.
Subaru : « Then I officially declare the beginning of the ba— Uhugh ! »
He was cut short by a hand placed firmly on his face.
A gloved hand, immaculately white.
Kurisu : « No no, buddy. Not just yet. »
The man had appeared right in the middle of the circle, right next to Subaru, closing his mouth with a casual gesture.
A collective shiver ran through the assembly. The soldiers froze.
Julius instinctively brought his hand to his sword, muscles tensed to the extreme before this anomaly he couldn't even sense approaching.
Everyone remained frozen in stupefaction — no one dared make the slightest move.
No one, except him.
Subaru : « Ptui ! What do you want again ?! » spat Subaru, stepping back abruptly and quickly.
He cried out, disengaging himself violently, totally overwhelmed by this unexpected presence, once again.
Kurisu, for his part, looked at him with a purely sadistic expression — enough to draw a few cold chills down the back of Subaru's neck.
Kurisu : « Ohh, well... »
His voice became almost singing.
Kurisu : « As an extremely benevolent professor, I decided to give a few small tips to my apprentice before the start of the next battle. »
He said this while slowly circling Subaru.
Everyone else stared at him, unable to utter a word.
« What is he going to do now... » thought Felix bitterly.
He had retreated far away from this white-clad man, avoiding meeting his gaze or even being near him.
Subaru clenched his teeth. He quickly regained his composure, finding a bit of countenance.
Subaru : « Oh yeah ? Is there anything more we don't already know ? »
He said it with a hint of condescension.
But Kurisu raised a finger to his lips as a sign intimating silence.
Kurisu : « Ohh, is that so ? I see… But it would be a shame if you died, no ? Because without my advice... many of you will die today. Kekeke. »
He laughed softly, with a light but glacial laugh.
A palpable cold fell upon the entire assembly.
Each soldier present swallowed hard — all knew, deep down, that if they had managed to defeat this legendary monster and stay alive, it was largely thanks to the white anomaly now standing before them.
Everyone already knew the extent of his power.
If he said death awaited them, if he affirmed it with that assurance, then it was true, a mathematical certainty.
« Damn... this guy even knows the future... »
Al thought this with fright, realizing once again that the man before him seemed to have no known limits.
Subaru swallowed his pride.
He remembered the terror of the fog, his powerlessness. He had learned his lesson.
He clenched his teeth, understanding the situation.
Subaru : « Very well, I was arrogant… »
He spat this out softly, before resuming a more serious tone, releasing the tension from his shoulders.
Subaru : « So… what are these tips ? »
Kurisu smiled, an almost childish smile.
Kurisu : « Oh ohh, well, since you ask so nicely... then here you go ! »
Kurisu displayed an excruciatingly forced "kawaii" smile and a falsely adorable look that disgusted more than one spectator — Felix, a little further away, nearly vomited literally.
Then Kurisu explained what needed to be. Subaru had already shared with the group what he knew of the Archbishop's powers — but he was still unaware, at this precise stage, of the existence of the "Fingers," the spare bodies hidden in the forest.
More terrifying still, he unveiled Petelgeuse's very specific Possession ability.
A gap that, without intervention, would likely have cost them considerable losses. Everyone, upon listening to the explanation, immediately understood the gravity of what they had just learned.
Hearing this, Julius and Wilhelm exchanged a heavy glance.
Julius, in particular, felt his blood run cold at the mention of possession — a dark magic, of the kind a Lugunica knight only learned to fight in the worst theoretical nightmares.
Wilhelm merely tightened his grip on his sword, face closed.
Then, Kurisu slipped one last detail, this time intended solely for Subaru — regarding a cargo of explosive stones, hidden in the wagon reserved for Emilia and the village children.
He could, he said, do whatever he wanted with it.
Kurisu : « There we go ! I think I am much too kind, huh ? »
He turned his gaze toward the entire assembly, a satisfied smile on his lips.
The faces around him remained grave — all knew that without this precious information, death likely would have struck them without warning.
Subaru first of all.
Subaru : « Yeah, yeah... thanks. »
He replied by looking away, poorly hiding his embarrassment but sincere.
Kurisu : « Ohhh ! My apprentice is blushing ! Must immortalize this ! »
He pulled a smartphone out of nowhere and quickly took a picture of Subaru, all smiles.
Click. Click. Click.
Subaru : « Hey ! Stop that ! »
He cried out, hiding his face with one hand, completely red.
Kurisu put the device away, amused.
Kurisu : « Ahh, anyway, now that I am done... I bid you farewell for now. But… know that I am always watching. Kekeke ! »
And the white-clad man disappeared in a puff of wind, without leaving the slightest trace behind him.
The group remained silent. A long moment, digesting the weight of what had just happened.
Wilhelm finally broke this silence.
Wilhelm : « So, Subaru-Dono... What do we do ? » he asked, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Subaru let out a long sigh to evacuate the pressure, before finally raising his finger toward the sky, a wide smile rediscovered on his face.
He exclaimed at the top of his lungs.
Subaru : « We are going to smash some fanatics ! »
An immense collective war cry rose immediately, weapons clashing against each other in the same momentum.
From then on, everything unfolded with military precision.
The group prepared at length, until everyone was finally ready to leave. They took the road toward the Mathers domain.
The journey to the domain went smoothly. The arrival of Subaru and the army allowed them to quickly manage local logistics.
They naturally encountered the usual few obstacles — notably a Ram thoroughly furious and angry upon their arrival — but thanks to Kurisu's precious advice, everything went off without major hindrance.
They reached Arlam village and immediately began preparing the evacuation.
While the soldiers secured the perimeter, Subaru then went to fetch Emilia to quickly explain the situation to her.
He found her in the mansion, totally caught off guard by the situation.
Emilia listened to every word with attention, fully measuring the scale of what was being prepared.
But when Subaru asked her to leave with the children, she refused flatly.
Emilia : « No, Subaru. I am not leaving. »
Subaru tried to protest.
Subaru : « Emilia, please, it's too dangerous, you — »
Emilia cut him off, voice trembling but resolute.
Emilia : « I said no, Subaru. »
To his great surprise, the half-elf's amethyst eyes shone with no fear.
Emilia : « I no longer want to be the one protected while doing nothing… I refuse to be a princess who must always be saved while others bleed for me ! »
Her ordinarily so soft gaze hardened by a new determination.
Emilia : « This is my domain, this is my people. I want to fight with you. I want to be useful, Subaru… For once. »
Subaru remained silent for an instant, still searching for an argument — but he found none capable of swaying that flame in her gaze.
He saw in her eyes the same determination that inhabited him. He ended up sighing, almost impressed despite himself.
Unable to resolve otherwise, he smiled faintly and accepted.
Subaru : « ...Alright. But you stay close to me, understood ? »
Emilia smiled, a firm smile.
Emilia : « Understood ! »
They returned together toward the village.
Beatrice, for her part, seemed hardly worried about the situation — safe and sound, as always, in her library.
Yet, these past few days, she seemed a bit more withdrawn than usual.
Perhaps it was related to the absence of a certain person.
No one would ever know.
In the village, complications were not long in coming, the serious things began.
The Cult's infiltrated spy among the inhabitants was flushed out and neutralized without bloodshed or too much difficulty.
But the real shock took place near the evacuation carts. Following Kurisu's directions, Subaru slipped under the cart reserved for the children.
He lifted the tarp. His fingers brushed the fabric of a bag hidden in the chassis.
He opened it. The bag of explosive stones was indeed there. Dozens of red stones, unstable and ready to detonate.
Exactly where Kurisu had announced it.
A glacial sweat ran down Subaru's spine. His hands began to tremble. Subaru closed his eyes, breath short.
« Damn... I would have preferred him to lie. »
The thought crossed his mind, bitter, as he stared at the bag a few seconds too long, heart suddenly frozen.
He visualized the explosion. Emilia, the children, reduced to ashes on the road. If he hadn't swallowed his pride before Kurisu, that would have been the end.
He so much wished he had been wrong, that he had simply mocked him once more. But no — it meant that everything, absolutely everything he had said, was true.
And whatever he thought of the white-clad man, he could only thank him inwardly at that precise moment. A catastrophe had just been narrowly avoided — Emilia, the children, all could have perished in this cart without the slightest warning.
The gratitude he felt for the white maniac at that instant surpassed his annoyance. He emerged from under the cart, eyes burning with a cold rage.
They used the metia recovered from the spy to trick the Cult's troops and better prepare their counterattack.
Kurisu's information had certainly saved his life; but now, it was up to him to use it to set the perfect trap.
The final group finalized the organization of the evacuation:
A large part of the villagers would leave with Ram toward the Sanctuary.
A decision enacted without possible discussion, Kurisu himself having demanded, with unusual firmness, that his own wives — sent precisely back to the village at that exact instant — accompany Ram all the way there.
He seemed to have a very precise objective in mind. But neither Subaru, nor Ram, nor anyone else had time to dwell on it — the urgency of the upcoming battle took precedence over everything else.
Ram thus left with the convoy, and the rest of the group was evacuated onto the roads quite quickly.
It was at this moment that Subaru understood, once again, to what extent Kurisu seemed to know everything in advance: he had warned them that the carts would likely be attacked along the way.
The group thus tasked Ricardo, accompanied by the triplets Mimi, Tivey, and Hetaro, as well as a handful of soldiers, with protecting the convoy, while the rest would deal with the adepts on site.
All the pieces were in place. The chessboard was ready.
Finally, the group was ready. Everyone was gathered.
In the heavy silence of the forest bordering the Mathers domain, the strike team stood motionless.
Julius checked his blades one last time, ready to strike down, his aura stabilizing.
Wilhelm breathed calmly, his sword low.
Felix stood back for emergencies, ready to intervene at the slightest wounded.
Al sighed softly again in his corner, slightly aside, visibly in no rush to plunge back into this kind of exhausting ordeal, refusing to admit that tension was getting to him.
And, beside Subaru, Emilia stood straight, ice forming at the tips of her fingers, determined to fight, to protect him, and her own as much as to be protected.
All the remaining soldiers were waiting for only a single signal to launch the plan.
The Zero Adept Plan.
And finally, Subaru was there. Ready. He stepped forward.
His stern and implacable gaze pierced the darkness of the woods.
He was ready for this battle, ready to end this cycle of suffering and death that had lasted far too long.
Subaru : « We will win… All together. »
He said it in a firm voice, imbued with renewed confidence.
And far away, deep in the forest, men were also preparing.
Hooded shadows waited patiently. Adepts.
And at the center of these fanatics, the Archbishop of Sin — that of Sloth, was chewing his nails to the blood, waiting patiently for the start of the clash.
...
Far, very far. In a remote place, impossible to identify — a location that appeared on no map, of which practically no one in the world had the slightest knowledge — the true story was just beginning to be written.
A silhouette stood there, alone, bathed in absolute silence.
Her beauty was unreal. So unreal and perfect that one could have compared it to that of a goddess without the term seeming erroneous or blasphemous.
A woman of modest stature, small in size, crowned with long hair of timeless pure platinum.
Her eyes, of an inmeasurable lapis-lazuli blue, seemed to contain the reflection of an infinite sky.
Dressed in a simple immaculate robe of the same shade as her hair, dotted with fabrics of the same blue as her gaze.
Barefoot, she walked quietly across the room on a floor that wasn't really one.
Yes… Pandora. The Witch of Vanity.
Finally. She was there.
From her sanctuary, she had observed, from the beginning, everything that had unfolded — this entire story, from the first to the last act.
She had scrutinized this loop, this story, from the beginning until the fall of the White Whale.
And she could admit it to herself: she was more than surprised.
Although she hadn't deemed it necessary to intervene immediately, forcing destiny instead through small invisible touches, things had changed. Terribly changed.
She had witnessed events quite different from what she knew, from what she had herself helped write four hundred years earlier.
Starting with Regulus.
This being usually so arrogant and capricious, certainly, but who still made the effort to listen to her orders — complicated to handle, but useful. A tool like any other.
But recently… Something had changed. That "Regulus" there wasn't quite the same anymore.
At first, she hadn't concerned herself with what he was doing in his corner. The Archbishop of Greed's caprices didn't matter to her, as long as it didn't compromise her plans.
But without warning, the white-clad man had begun approaching Natsuki Subaru.
Pandora analyzed the situation with mathematical coldness.
She didn't really understand why.
Besides, he was behaving in a diametrically opposed way now, compared to the capricious baby who screamed at the slightest affront to his rights. He almost seemed like someone else.
« Almost another person. »
Yet, strangely, she couldn't observe him directly.
Whenever she tried to focus her power, to plunge her gaze beyond the world to see him… her attempts were purely and simply blurred.
Every attempt blurred, leaving her disoriented, as if a veil were deliberately closing over her field of vision.
A cosmic interference, a wall of conceptual "static" left her perplexed.
She could only perceive him clearly when he was near Natsuki Subaru — and never otherwise.
And precisely, this Subaru… He too seemed to deviate from the trajectory he should have followed.
It was obvious this white-clad man was acting behind the scenes. But what most intrigued the Witch was the ambiguity of his actions.
He wasn't really helping the boy, but he wasn't actively trying to destroy him either.
She had quickly understood one thing: this entity was not Regulus Corneas.
Besides, from what she could catch in snatches, he went by another name.
But here again — impossible to pin down.
Any conversation with him, anything touching his person, any exchange touching upon his true nature, even when he was alongside Subaru, remained censored.
As if something, a superior force, were deliberately filtering what the Witch of Vanity was allowed to perceive or not.
And the worst part was that this man seemed powerful. Powerful enough to stop time itself — to the point where she had felt the effect, if only for a single instant.
« Disturbing. »
She didn't truly know who this person was.
Had the Witch of Envy attempted something?
She wondered, eyes half-closed.
She didn't know. She didn't understand why events were deviating so much from their planned course.
Nevertheless, her face resumed its usual calm.
Despite everything, things overall seemed to return to normal — the story continued to unfold roughly as it should.
So she would choose to let him be, for a time longer.
Of course, she had to send Regulus and Gluttony to intercept the Whale survivors' convoy. But never mind — so be it, Lye Batenkaitos was already on the way.
She could thus let the course of history follow its path unhindered.
A serene smile stretched her lips.
She smiled, widely, with that quiet confidence peculiar to her.
« After all, what do modifications matter. I shall simply set everything back in order when the time comes. »
Voice : « That is quite what you imagine, isn't it? Huh?»
The voice, smiling, mocking, resonated right near her. Almost at her ear.
Pandora didn't move; she didn't start.
Her smile, however, vanished instantly.
Silence fell. Long. Heavy.
She didn't turn around right away — she took time instead to let the silence stretch, as if to evaluate, analyze, comprehend what she had just heard before even reacting, calculating the impossibility of this intrusion.
Then, slowly, she turned her head toward the source of the sound.
Kurisu : « Ohh, too bad. With you, that doesn't work… Do be a little surprised, come now! »
He laughed softly, right beside her now.
Kozuwa Kurisu.
This white-clad man who took malicious pleasure in derailing her story stood there, before her, in her inviolable sanctuary, wearing that same face of Regulus Corneas.
Pandora fixed him with her unfathomable blue eyes. She didn't really know what to think.
She sighed simply, a light and almost divine breath, concealing beneath this innocuous gesture the genuine astonishment rising within her.
Because in reality, inwardly, she was more than surprised that this anomaly could, even once, reach the precise place where she stood. A place she believed inviolable.
« How... »
But it didn't matter.
True to herself, she decided simply to ignore him. She would just rewrite this moment.
She then plunged her gaze straight into his — which was enough to cut short the man's tirade, forcing him in turn to fixate on her.
Kurisu : « Ohh, milady has something to say? »
He cocked an ear, a mocking smile on his lips.
She uttered only a single phrase.
Pandora : « You have no business here. You should be with your apprentice. »
Kurisu smiled.
Kurisu : « Ahh, so you... »
He vanished instantly, leaving the room to relapse into a calm almost too sincere to be honest.
Pandora remained motionless. A few seconds passed, heavy with silence.
Reflecting on how she would have to handle what came next with this anomaly that was seriously starting to annoy her.
Her power had worked. He was gone.
At least, that was what she believed.
Voice : « Kekekeke… »
A bizarre sound, unbearably familiar, broke the silence behind her, right at her back.
Pandora turned, a tiny gleam of annoyance — a sentiment she hadn't felt in centuries — crossing her pupils, and saw him.
Kurisu was there. Sitting casually in the air, legs crossed, floating as if gravity were merely a polite suggestion, as if nothing were amiss.
Kurisu : « Ahhh, sorry, beauty, but that kind of trick doesn't work on me~~ »
He cooed this with a smile, forming a 'V' victory sign with his fingers.
Yet, beneath this arrogant facade, an entirely different scene was playing out in his mind. Cold sweat beaded on his soul.
« Damn, Author-san?! » He cried out loudly inside his own head.
« Why'd you let me TP like that?! That almost ruined my dramatic entrance, damn it! I looked like an idiot! »
He was visibly not thrilled with the situation.
Somewhere, beyond the fourth dimension, Author-san was bursting with laughter behind his screen.
It was far too funny not to let Pandora win even for a millisecond, just to shatter the charisma of his OC.
Kurisu could literally hear his creator mocking him from afar.
But acting like a good performer, he swallowed his pride, kept his impassurable expression, and resumed a much more serious tone.
He rose gently from the air, approached Pandora, and lowered himself slightly so their gazes crossed to perfection.
The childish smile had vanished, replaced by a predatory gleam.
Kurisu : « Well? Try again, who knows? » he challenged her with an unbearable little smirk.
Pandora never shirked a challenge. She executed it.
She formulated the command for his erasure in her mind.
Once.
Nothing. Reality didn't even tremble.
Twice.
Still nothing. The Authority of Vanity had just crashed against an impassable wall.
Three times.
Nothing. The universe remained deaf.
She tried again, yet again, attempting to banish him, to expel him, to force space to swallow him, to make him simply disappear from this spot.
Still and always nothing.
« ...What? »
For the first time in hundreds of years, a tiny tremor of nervousness crossed the Witch's spine.
She who failed so rarely — almost never, in reality — had just collided with an invisible wall, four times in a row, without the slightest explanation.
She masterfully concealed her shock behind her placid mask, but the fact remained: her absolute power had just failed.
She kept her apparent calm, contenting herself with observing this man with redoubled attention.
Pandora : « Who are you? » she finally asked, her voice devoid of its usual assurance.
She asked this in a steady voice, almost too steady.
Kurisu : « Ohh, finally talking to me? » He performed a theatrical pirouette on himself before looking at her.
Kurisu : « Well, as you might suspect, I'm not Regulus, eh… »
He chuckled a bit to himself, before resuming, changing posture.
Kurisu : « Let me introduce myself properly. I am Kozuwa Kurisu. An Outreversal being, in his base form, supported by the creator of the fiction itself. »
He bowed politely in a royal-grade reverence, keeping an amused eye on her.
Kurisu : « Pleased to meet you, dear Witch of Vanity. »
Then, without even seeing him move, without even catching his displacement, he appeared behind her shoulder.
Kurisu spread his arms, initiating a monologue worthy of a classic anime supervillain.
Kurisu : « You're wondering why your power doesn't work on me, huh? »
Yes, that was precisely what she was wondering.
She didn't understand — she, the Witch capable of annihilating even a being's very existence with a single word, had just failed four times against this stranger.
Kurisu : « Ahh, but it's very simple, dear fake loli… »
He turned toward her.
Kurisu : « You, you can manipulate events a bit. Even rewrite a few lines of your reality… That's fine. It's cute, even. But… »
He locked his gaze into hers, and for the first time in centuries, Pandora felt something waver slightly within her.
She took half a step back, destabilized by the fathomless void she perceived in his pupils.
Kurisu : « Me... ohh, me, I manipulate infinity in its entirety. The multiverse! Fiction! Or at least, this one. Heh. »
He chuckled, before beginning to circle her slowly, like a predator evaluating its prey.
Pandora remained skeptical, silent, her mind already racing at full speed.
« He's lying. He must be lying. No being can claim such a thing — not even Satella in her most complete form. And yet... »
And yet, her power hadn't worked.
Kurisu : « And even worse! I am supported by the Creator himself. The one who writes our thoughts. Who makes us speak. Who gave you your powers, created this world, and allows you to do anything at all! »
He spread his arms, then smiled broadly, with an almost fanatic and mocking grin radiating from his being.
Pandora stepped back another step, taking him for a mere madman for an instant.
« A madman... or something far more dangerous. » she mused, observing this glacial anomaly before her.
« Echidna herself never mentioned any such concept. Nor Satella. None of the sisters ever mentioned the existence of such a hierarchy above us. »
But there was one thing some had to know — not for Pandora, who was suffering the crushing pressure of this revelation, not the fictional characters Kurisu was chatting with at that precise moment, but rather for the readers observing this story from the other side of the screen.
Because there was a detail Kurisu had deliberately omitted, a crucial detail that was nonetheless an integral part of the "omnipotent" persona he was playing in front of the others.
In reality, most of the cosmic and improbable acts accomplished by Kurisu were the doing of Author-san.
As most would likely have guessed, base Kurisu couldn't manipulate reality, nor stop time at will, simply by his own strength.
Granted, he possessed a few privileges as an out-of-script being — awareness of the scenario, immunity to certain laws like Return by Death, acting accordingly, and a few small bonuses like teleporting to specific locations.
But the majority of cosmic and universal manipulations weren't actually his doing.
The improbable repair of Subaru's mana gate? The time-freezing humiliation during the royal selection? Material creation ex-nihilo?
Or even the little show organized for the royal candidates — all of this stemmed primarily from Author-san, acting behind the scenes, off-screen, while Kurisu openly claimed credit for it to the others with boundless arrogance.
It was a masterful confidence game. It reinforced his image as an omnipotent being, and above all — it was much funnier that way.
Base Kurisu was actually just the one who had fought the Whale, during one of the failed loops.
The one who had sliced time and space, past, present, and future, seeing reality itself — which was already considerable — but who did not manipulate, strictly speaking, the very concept of existence.
After all, and he knew it himself better than anyone, he was only there to entertain Author-san, entertain the readers following his story, and amuse himself at the same time by terrorizing entities convinced they were dealing with an invincible God.
The truth was, Kurisu wasn't lying to Pandora; he was simply employing the most perfect bluff in the history of fiction.
Thus, after this long monologue and somewhat tedious explanation of his true powers — a nuance Author-san had slipped in there, and which most would probably never piece together — he turned back toward Pandora.
Kurisu : « You see? That's why you can't do anything to me. Because nothing in this world can affect me. I am Absolute. »
Matching action to word, gently, he slowly extended his index finger and came to lift Pandora's chin.
The Witch tried to step back. Move. React, in one way or another.
She sent the command to her muscles, to her being, to reality itself to repel this affront.
Nothing happened. She was frozen. Totally immobilized, incapable of turning her gaze away.
She could do nothing. She simply remained there.
Not because Kurisu was using a paralyzing magic, but because the script had decided, at that precise instant, that she would submit to this gesture.
Kurisu : « And that's why I can do something like this, without you having a single word to say… Kekeke. »
He laughed softly, looking at her closer while scrutinizing her face with disconcerting proximity.
Kurisu : « Wow, up close, you're not bad at all, you know? I understand why those guys are so horny over you. »
Uttering these words, Kurisu shamelessly averted his gaze toward an empty space, an invisible "camera angle" — the exact spot where certain readers, at that moment, were following the scene.
And everyone perfectly understood the allusion.
He finally released the Witch's chin and took a step back.
Kurisu : « Anyway, moving on… I have a few questions. Would you mind answering them? »
After this long speech, after this frightening and terrifying demonstration of powerlessness he had just inflicted upon her without the slightest apparent effort, Pandora's calculating mind raced at full speed.
Opposing a being holding the Creator's favors was illogical. She had to deal with it.
She could, for the moment at least, only bow to his will.
Pandora : « And what do you wish to know, you, the omnipotent and omniscient being, that you do not already know? »
Kurisu let out a small laugh.
Kurisu : « Ah right, I forgot to mention a minor detail — but you don't need to know that. » He replied with a wink.
This detail naturally concerned the fact that they were all fictional characters, and that Re:Zero's original story wasn't yet finished in the real world— but he would say no more.
He resumed, a teasing smile on his lips.
Kurisu : « So... are you really in love with Subaru? »
He asked the question with a mischievous air, stepping a bit closer.
Pandora coughed slightly, her eyes widening by a fraction of a millimeter, caught off guard by such an incongruous question coming from a being of such apparent power.
Kurisu : « Or else, were you really that jealous that Flügel chose Satella over you, four hundred years ago, to create this fine mess? Pretty hefty heartbreak, no? »
The Witch of Vanity remained dumbfounded.
This destabilized Pandora a bit more, as she truly didn't know how to interpret this precise question — coming from a being who seemed, beneath his buffoonish airs, to know everything about her most intimate history.
She had absolutely no idea how to process this information.
But Kurisu stopped dead, waving a hand.
Kurisu : « Ahh, forget it, it was just to troll. Even I know you have no idea. »
He turned serious almost instantly, his tone becoming much more neutral.
Kurisu : « Anyway, let's move on to the real reason for my visit. »
The atmosphere changed brutally. The laughter vanished.
The chaotic energy receded to make way for a glacial neutrality, proving to Pandora that he perfectly controlled the room's ambiance.
Kurisu : « I'm letting you do whatever you want. »
He began softly.
Kurisu : « You make your plans, your little shady schemes in the shadows, nothing too nasty on my scale, you see? Not bad, right? »
He said this with a small smile.
But Pandora wasn't fooled. If he bothered to specify this, there was necessarily something worse hidden behind it.
An entity of this caliber didn't offer a pass just out of pure goodwill.
Pandora : « And what condition do you demand, for this… Mr... Kurisu? »
She asked this with calculated caution, every word weighed.
Kurisu suddenly held his heart theatrically with one hand, feigning a wound.
Kurisu : « Arghh… I'm not some old geezer, so don't call me 'Mr.'! » he pretended to complain.
He tried to stir her pity — in vain.
Seeing that Pandora cared absolutely nothing about it, staring at him without the slightest ounce of compassion, he cleared his throat and resumed his upright posture.
Kurisu : « Anyway. The counterpart is that I can have fun however I want in this story. Whether it disrupts your plans or not, I couldn't care less. Deal? »
Then his tone became extremely mocking and condescending.
Kurisu : « Anyway… Do you even have a say in it? Kekeke. »
He laughed to himself.
After all, was he wrong?
Pandora knew it pertinently — no.
This being was already, on his own, a considerable anomaly violating all fundamental laws.
But if he was additionally truly supported by an even vaster supreme entity, a being who, by his own words, had literally created everything — this world, the Witch Factors, down to Od Laguna itself — then there was strictly no point in making an enemy of him.
Quite the contrary. She had to survive the storm, not confront it. Intelligence dictated temporary submission.
She sighed anew, fully grasping the position she now found herself in.
Pandora : « Very well. I concede defeat. If your presence amuses the Creator, then I shall turn a blind eye. I am willing to play your little game, my dear Kurisu. »
She said this in a solemn tone, preserving to the end that glacial dignity which characterized her.
Kurisu clapped his hands, satisfied.
Kurisu : « There we go, there we go… At least you're understanding! » he exclaimed, happily tapping his hands together.
Kurisu : « It's much more fun playing with intelligent people. »
Then, the playground closed definitively.
His lips began to stretch into a new smile, growing slow, almost vicious.
He asked:
Kurisu : « Well, now… Take Gluttony out of the way. I'll handle it myself. After all — wasn't it Regulus who was supposed to deal with it? »
He resumed his usual tone in doing so.
Pandora frowned, sincerely skeptical of this request.
She couldn't help asking:
Pandora : « And how do you plan to make that credible? After all, everyone in this place knows you and has already seen you, haven't they? »
She actually asked the question, curious despite herself.
Kurisu let out a laugh. A small dark laugh, almost imperceptible.
His lips stretched so much he had to cover them with his own hand to mask the madness dancing on his face.
Pandora observed him with an expression close to genuine astonishment, finally breaking her porcelain mask, sensing an important response preparing behind that concealed smile.
Kurisu finally murmured softly:
Kurisu : « Yes... as you yourself said… » he murmured, his eyes shining with destructive malice.
Kurisu : « They know "this face"... And only it. Kekekeke. »
He said it almost under his breath.
The implications of this single phrase had just landed in the air.
From now on, they would upend the future of this world forever.
And he alone, at this moment, knew how cruel it would be.