Subaru lay on an enormous, soft bed in a large pavilion. The ceiling was alive with lesser spirits like an enormous swarm of fireflies, glowing with all the colors of the rainbow.
And Subaru 's mouth was full of blood.
Subaru coughed in surprise as the dream absorbed his consciousness. My tongue! It 's been cut into pieces! What the hell happened?! How?!
Subaru quickly got control of himself even as the blood poured down his chest. Subaru invoked his power, mending his shredded tongue with a thought. Another thought and the blood pouring across his naked body and the silk sheets had also vanished without even a stain to mark that it had ever existed.
Subaru quickly calmed down. What the devil caused that? Subaru thought without much concern. Were we just a bit too playful last night?
"Mmm," Came a soft murmur from beside him. "Master's up early today?" She whispered playfully, wrapping her slender body around him. "Is something wrong?"
Subaru chuckled. "Oh, just a bad dream, Capella," He said with amusement.
"A bad dream?" Capella's red eyes opened wide. "Oh, no! How can I make Master feel better?" She pleaded earnestly.
"Hmph," A voice from his other side muttered petulantly. "If the Master wants our help, he'll tell us." The speaker was a slender girl with blue eyes and blond hair so long that it must have trailed behind her when she walked. The girl saw that Subaru was watching her, and she flashed him a grin that showed off a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth.
Capella looked aggrieved. "I'm trying to serve the Master! " She shot back. " That 's our only purpose! Unlike you , Louise, who does nothing but stuff herself all day! "
"At least I can talk about something besides how wonderful the Master is!" Louise snarled. "Even the Master gets bored of all your endless groveling!"
"That's enough, you two," Subaru said calmly at which point the girls instantly fell silent, looking up at Subaru and waiting for instruction. Usually, he enjoyed the pair's constant squabbling over who was his 'favorite,' but today, other tasks required his attention.
"Capella, I have a special task for you," Subaru said.
Capella 's face broke into a delighted smile. " Anything for you! " She promised, her red eyes shining with adoration.
Subaru smiled at her. "I want you to scout the area," Subaru said. "Find out where our foes are. Then, gather the others. I wish to meet with them at the bonfire in ten minutes."
"Yes, Master!" Capella chirped. She scrambled out of the pavilion without even bothering to clothe herself. As soon as she got out into the open, Subaru heard wet and squelchy sounds as her body shifted into the massive black dragon. Then came a shattering roar as she launched herself into the sky.
Louise rolled her eyes. "I don't know what you see in her," She muttered. "She's so… boring . "
Subaru chuckled. He pulled Louise toward him and gave the delighted girl a deep kiss.
"I love Capella not for who she is but for what I did to her," Subaru said fondly. "Now, dress me," He instructed.
Louise quickly sprang to work, wrapping Subaru 's elaborate purple robe around him. "I… don't think I understood that, Master," Louise admitted.
Subaru chuckled as he inspected himself in the mirror. His robe was far more elaborate than a normal Witch Cultist 's garb, threaded here and there with gold and silver, but it maintained the basic design. Subaru had insisted on it in an effort to establish that he was simply 'first among equals.' Even if all the Archbishops knew the dire consequences of ignoring his orders.
Subaru scratched his chin. "Capella is a reminder to me that there is nothing in heaven or on earth that is beyond my power. When I first met Capella, I found her to be a sadistic, selfish, narcissistic little monster. I found her to be lacking. And so, I broke her. I reached deep into her mind, and I tore asunder her thoughts, her memories, her very sense of self. Then I rebuilt her into what I desired her to be: a submissive, obedient, worshipful girl who has nothing on her mind except how best to please her benevolent master. "
Louise digested that as Subaru walked over to a corner where Light 's Wrath waited, humming softly. The golden staff stood perfectly erect, although nothing supported it.
Louise quickly dressed herself, throwing on a simple white sun dress. "I… suppose that makes sense, " Louise muttered as she followed Subaru out of the tent. "And I know that the thought of what you did to Capella makes the other Archbishops more obedient. They don't want you to do the same thing to them."
Or to you , Subaru thought with amusement. Louise never realized that at least half of her presence as my consort is simply to ensure that her brothers never even think about slacking off on their labors.
Yes, I could do horrible things to Roy and Lye. I could break them and unmake them in any number of excruciating ways. But it 's their knowledge that I could do all those things to their precious little sister which ensures their obedience. It guarantees that they will never fail to exhaust themselves trying to please me.
Although, on the other hand, I must admit that I do have a soft spot for Lye. He 's a good boy, and I still feel some gratitude to him for rescuing me from those robbers in the alley. Not to mention for bringing me into the Order in the first place.
Besides, Louise is rather pleasant to have around. She 's playful and obedient, and should I ever wish to eliminate someone, I can always just feed them to Louise and tell her that it's a reward for being a good girl.
When I first broke Capella to my will, I did it just for a lark. And to set an example for the other Archbishops of how I expected to be treated and how unpleasant I could be if they really made me unhappy. But it proved to be a shrewd plan. Of all the Archbishops, Capella is the second most powerful, and she 's now undoubtedly the most loyal to me. And I can't pretend that her completely unfeigned adoration isn't gratifying.
At first, I took Louise as a consort just to humble Capella. She was becoming just a little too arrogant because of being my only consort. But it worked out better than I could have dreamed. Once Capella realized that she had real competition for my favor, she threw herself into trying to be the best consort at every turn. Obviously, Louise wasn 't going to take that lying down. Now, the two of them are constantly at each other's throats, trying to prove which one loves me more, and I'm always the beneficiary of their efforts. They're a pair of vicious, bloodthirsty little monsters, but they do work well together. Especially when it comes to torture. The pair argue endlessly over whether torture to the body or the mind is more effective, but working together, they can break anyone in hours.
Subaru emerged from his tent and into an enormous camp. The lesser spirits followed Subaru, surging out of the tent and straining to escape through the narrow opening like water being forced through a funnel. Once outside, they exploded into a great colorful web that covered whole acres and silently drifted above Subaru like the crown of some great tree. Men and women in purple robes stood everywhere in the camp, looking in awe as Subaru walked by, the golden staff chiming with each step.
Subaru had a warm smile and a kind word for each cultist. Many looked frankly overwhelmed by Subaru 's attention as he called each of them by name.
He marched purposefully through the camp, Louise walking silently behind him until he came to the edge of a cliff where a group of Archbishops were arguing with each other. A few men in military uniforms of various styles stood around them, doing their best to be unobtrusive and to earn none of the Archbishops ' attention.
"Waiting. Always waiting. Sloth, sloth, sloth," Petelguese rasped.
"Why do I have to be here?" Regulus protested. "I have no interest in these matters! All I ask is that my own rights be respected and-"
Roy snorted. "Why not try telling that to the Master? I'm sure he'll be just fascinated to hear that you think he 's wasting your time."
"I loathe you, Roy," Regulus spat.
Lye stepped protectively in front of his little brother and scowled up at Regulus. "I'll see your 'loathe' and raise you two 'despises!' Tell the Master that you're sick of being out here if think that you're so tough!"
"Or better yet," Capella said in a breathy whisper, looking at Regulus with dark eyes. "Let me tell him."
Regulus glared at Capella, rolling fury in his eyes, but he said nothing.
Subaru hid a smile as he approached. Even the mere thought of me tames the Archbishop of Greed, He thought with great satisfaction.
Regulus never forgave me for my little trick. When I first took Louise and Capella as my consorts, Regulus thought he 'd found a kindred spirit. He assumed that I planned to build a harem around myself. He invited me to his mansion to show off all the beautiful women in his collection. He taunted me about how it would take me many decades to come anywhere close to the luxury he had assembled for himself.
I had no interest in building a harem. Quality over quantity is always a better strategy. But I couldn 't let Regulus talk down to me that way either. So, I ordered him to surrender one of his wives to me. He blustered, but it didn't take much to remind him why he feared me.
He didn 't dare argue with me about it, but he knew that I'd made him look weak in front of his wives. I doubt that any of the wives present lived to tell the others about Regulus's little humiliation.
So, I brought Sylvie into my service. I initially did so simply to rub his nose in my supremacy. And possibly because she was an elf. I suppose I had an elf fetish even before I came to this world.
It was a shrewd selection, anyway. Sylvie may actually be a savant when it comes to managing a mansion. And Regulus, fool that he is, never realized how little effort it would take to earn Sylvie 's genuine loyalty.
I invited her to dinner. However, I discovered that I did need to clarify that I wished her to eat with me, not simply sit there and feed me. That right there was a good hint of how poorly Regulus had treated her.
It took only a little prodding to unlock her recollections of the purposeless horrors in Regulus 's home. A quick reassurance that I only punish my servants for good cause and an admission that I wished to reestablish the dwindling elven race to healthy numbers was enough to earn Sylvie's genuine devotion.
Regulus might very well be the most powerful of the Archbishops, but he uses his power like an angry toddler. He has no idea how easy it can be to convince someone to revere you willingly.
It takes amazingly little to earn someone 's genuine loyalty. A kind word every few days, a small gift now and then, taking the time to remember what the two of you last spoke of and recalling what matters most to them. Do these things, and your servants will rapidly come to adore you.
And, of course, a harsh but fair punishment whenever the rules are broken.
Sylvie, who thought she was utterly managing the stress of being Regulus 's plaything, was actually on the verge of a nervous breakdown when we met. She was willingly and gratefully mine by the end of the first night. Periodically, I arrange for Regulus to encounter Sylvie again. He knows it would be worth more than his life to harm one of my servants, so he has no choice but to behave himself. And even as big a fool as Regulus can see the genuine devotion on Sylvie's face when she sees me compared to the pathetic showing of loyalty he always received from her.
Now, she manages my household for me and spares me from being concerned with it. She devotes her free time to searching for the few remaining elves on the continent. Many of them have been enslaved for their beauty, or else they live in hiding.
Each time Sylvie pleases me, I ensure that she is able to buy another elf and free them from bondage, letting them live happily in the little village I created for them. They are all exceedingly grateful for my kindness.
And I certainly have no objection to the fact that most of the elves she locates are female. Perhaps I should consider starting a harem after all. I 've already introduced the elves to the concept of polyamory. I gave them a quick course in genetics to explain why it's so important to the health of their faltering race to encourage genetic diversity by having children with many different partners. It took surprisingly little effort to convince them that it was necessary.
I now have my very own race of beautiful, grateful, and servile pets. With a little more effort, I 'm sure that they'll all be willing to worship me.
What a lovely idea. I 've always wanted to be a God…
"Good morning, children," Subaru said in a friendly voice to the Archbishops.
The Archbishops instantly silenced themselves and stepped back to study him.
Regulus and Petelguese glowered at Subaru with raw hatred, while Roy and Lye eyed him apprehensively. Capella looked at Subaru with stars in her eyes.
"Good morning, Pontiff," They murmured with varying degrees of sincerity. Louise quietly went to stand beside her brothers.
"Capella, what's the word?" Subaru asked in a jovial tone as he moved to the edge of the camp and peered down a steep hill into the valley below.
"The army is coming," Capella said eagerly. "It's made up of the ragtag fragments of various armies that refused to surrender to us after their kingdoms fell. They're coming this way now. I was able to eavesdrop on some of the officers talking. None of them believe that this is a fight they can win. They're preparing to make their last stand."
"Hm," Subaru murmured. He could see the army gathering at the foot of the hill, preparing to advance.
Attacking a superior force uphill? They really have given up.
"Anything else?" Subaru asked.
"Oh! The commanding general is really pretty! Green hair and yellow eyes," Capella continued eagerly. "She'll make a lovely trophy for you once the army is destroyed."
Subaru looked at Capella in surprise. "Capella, are you suggesting that I take a worthy adversary who fought me with everything she had until the very limits of her strength and then disrespect her by breaking her and reducing her to nothing more than a toy? "
"Yes," Capella said at once.
Subaru smiled. "That's why you're such a comfort to me, Capella, dear," He said proudly. He stroked her cheek, which made the red-eyed girl nearly swoon. "You understand my thinking."
"You gave me every thought that I have!" Capella cried out in rapture.
Subaru smiled at the other archbishops. "Yes. I do good work, don't I?" He asked, beaming.
The other archbishops, even Louise, just muttered something noncommittal about Capella 's brutal brainwashing.
Capella nodded so vigorously at the memory of her own psychic mutilation that it was a wonder that her head didn 't fly off.
"Um, Pontiff," Lye muttered awkwardly. "Not to question your wisdom or anything like that-"
"Oh, question away, Lye!" Subaru laughed. "It takes a very bold question indeed to make me angry."
"Uh… right. Anyway, shouldn't we be moving? There's not much point in waiting until the army is ready to fight us, is there? If we attack them now, we can probably scatter them. And I doubt they have anyone left who can actually stand up to us."
"Hm," Subaru thought for a moment. "Let's check on that, shall we? Sir Vilhelm?"
One of the uniformed men standing nearby jumped. He swallowed hard. "Sir?" He squeaked.
"'Master,' if you please," Subaru chided gently, walking over to the terrified man and putting a companionable arm around his shoulders. "Let's try to observe the formalities, shall we?"
"Master!" Vilhelm yelped.
"Much better. Now, you're the most recent traitor of all those gathered here, right?" Subaru asked in a friendly tone.
The man flushed. "I… I just realized that Lady Crusch was fighting against the natural order, so I came here to-"
"Yes, yes," Subaru waved it all aside. "Welcome to the winning team and all that. But more to the point, what resources does this general have left?"
"Sir Reinhard is still believed to be alive," Vilhelm answered at once. "He was lost at Heim, but we don't think that he died."
"Reinhard," Subaru said thoughtfully. "This is the so-called 'Sword Saint,' correct?"
Vilhelm nodded.
"The man called 'the Knight Implacable,'" Subaru mused, pacing around, deep in thought. He glanced at Regulus. "You fought him at Heim, I believe? What were your experiences?"
"He was annoying," Regulus said shortly.
Subaru raised an eyebrow and waited, but Regulus just fumed at the memory of the fight, seeming to think his report was complete.
Subaru rolled his eyes. "Would you care to elaborate ? " He sighed.
"The man… just would not die!" Regulus remembered with frustration. "All I asked was that he simply cease to exist, but the man defied me in flagrant contempt of my rights and privileges! All I wanted was to complete my task so I could return home to my perfect way of life, but he refused to allow me to do this. No matter how much I explained the situation to him, he continually showed flagrant disregard for my rights and my station by continuing to survive! Finally, I simply blew up everything in the region and sent us both flying so that I could stop fighting and go home."
Subaru gave Regulus a chill look that the greedy archbishop completely missed in his agitation, but all the other Archbishops noted.
I always make it a point not to kill or torture my subjects except for good cause. It 's a small enough rule, but you'd be amazed at how far it goes in helping earn and cement loyalty. When my minions report failure, I don't immediately kill them. I just sit there and listen to them, consider their excuses and justification carefully, and only punish them for failures caused by serious errors in judgment.
It sounds simple but the rule was an enormous boost in productivity for the Order. Now, when my minions screw up, they come and tell me about it and apologize instead of wasting valuable time and resources trying to cover it up so that the mistakes take us all by surprise later. Treating my servants fairly also ensures that everyone in the Order wants to serve me directly, and that grants me access to the cream of the crop. I get the best people and they all work very hard to stay in my good graces. And all I had to do was promise not to kill them purely for making me unhappy.
All that being the case, Regulus is beginning to make me tired. He not only failed in his task, but he never even bothered to inform me of this failure nor that he encountered a foe powerful enough to give us trouble.
Perhaps I should eliminate Regulus. I can easily give his Authority to somebody more deserving. Hell, most of the Archbishops would probably cheer me on if I obliterated him.
On the other hand, it 's quite likely that no matter what powers the new Archbishop acquires from the Authority, they won't be as useful as Regulus's, who, if nothing else, makes an excellent dumb-fire missile.
Also, once they 're done celebrating his death, the other Archbishops might start debating if Regulus's error was really a capital crime and what his execution means for their own positions. It would be a serious pain if Regulus 's death destabilized the Order that I've worked so hard to bring into harmony.
No. Regulus lives. For now.
But I 'll start building a metaphorical paper trail of all his mistakes. Once it's long enough, Regulus will be no more than a bad memory.
"Well," Subaru said in the usual pleasant tone. "I suppose we may as well get down to business then."
"I assume that I'm the one attacking?" Regulus grumbled. "I am by far the most powerful weapon the Order possesses, and my skill and strength-"
"No," Subaru cut him off calmly. "For this battle, I think that we need… something very special."
Most of the Archbishops looked at one another in confusion, clearly having no idea what he was talking about.
Louise, who thought that she did know what he was talking about, just looked sick to her stomach. Capella looked as eager as she always did when her Master proposed a plan.
Subaru reached into his robe and pulled out a small, sealed vial full of some strange white liquid covered in tiny black spots. The liquid seemed to be constantly in motion, continuing to slowly churn and flow even when the vial was held still.
"My dear, Vilhelm," Subaru began, holding out the vial for his inspection. "Do you know what this is?"
Vilhelm swallowed hard and shook his head. "I have no idea, Master."
"Souls," Subaru said pleasantly. "Ever since the Order revealed itself and openly declared its intention to become the master of all that it surveyed, I have made it a point to gather and store the souls of everyone our forces have killed in battle."
Vilhelm looked closer at the vial, and his blood suddenly ran cold. The vial wasn 't full of liquid. The vial was filled with faces . The black spots were staring eyes and gaping mouths that stared out of ghostly white faces. Tiny faces smaller than a ball-bearing that constantly churned in Subaru 's unnatural cage, their expressions were all of despair and misery.
"How… impressive," Vilhelm choked out.
"What are you going to do with them?" Capella asked curiously.
Subaru chuckled. "Capella, have you ever wondered why I've been storing all these souls?" He asked, patient as a school teacher instructing a student.
"No," Capella answered at once, her expression never flickering. "I never question your actions."
Subaru closed his eyes and sighed. I have to admit that, on occasion, there are a few downsides to rewriting a personality so thoroughly that they 're unable to do anything but adore you, He admitted ruefully.
Subaru made a face and pressed ahead. "I captured them so that I can use them as a regent in some very elaborate spell work," Subaru explained, walking to the very edge of the hill, his staff clinking and jingling with every step.
Subaru took a deep breath, staring out into the clear blue sky. Contemplating the warm sunny day and the beautiful green valley around him. The sound of the birds singing and the light shining through the green leaves of the trees. Even the marching soldiers far below couldn 't alter his mood.
I want to savor this beautiful moment. I want to remember all of it. After all, the opportunity for spell work of this magnitude doesn 't come along every day.
With a smile, Subaru slammed his staff into the soft grass. The rings chimed for several seconds before stilling.
Subaru smiled and spread his arms wide as if embracing the open sky. "I cry out to the Great Mother of the Black Forest," He exclaimed in a great voice.
His voice echoed off the nearby peaks and then slowly faded.
The Archbishops glanced at one another, uncertain of what was going on.
A clap of thunder made them all jump. The Archbishops looked around in shock as the blue skies overhead faded like a mirage. Now, the heavens were filled with angry storm clouds and jagged bolts of lightning.
A great wind swept over the camp. Far below, the advancing army stopped in its tracks, staring up in shock and fear, wondering what this dark miracle could portend.
Subaru gave a wild grin as he held out the vial. The souls trapped inside rolled and boiled frantically as if they sensed what was about to happen.
"I make this offering to the Black Goddess of the Bountiful Harvest! An offering for the traditional pact: Death for them, Life for the crops!" He cried out as he squeezed the vial, shattering it.
The spirits that had been trapped inside the vial scattered instantly. They desperately fled in all directions. Their tiny bodies grew larger until they were human-sized, and they developed crude limbs and even facial features now that they were free of Subaru 's vial.
Then, the spirits all froze in place simultaneously, their desperate flight arrested by some overwhelming force that defied their frantic movements. Slowly, the spirits found themselves pulled relentlessly upward, their misty limbs scrambling for hand-holds in the open air. Faster and faster, the spirits were all pulled upward, wailing in despair.
They were dragged high up into the heavens and vanished.
And then it was all over. The storm disappeared as quickly as it came, and the blue sky once again stretched from horizon to horizon.
Subaru stood there with a sunny expression on his face, reveling in the afterglow.
The Archbishops all looked confused. Vilhem looked utterly horrified at what he could only presume was the utter destruction of the innocent souls.
"Uh, Master?" Capella asked uncertainly. "Was that… it?"
"Wasn't that enough?" Vilhelm gasped. Then his eyes widened in horror as he realized he'd spoken out loud.
He desperately turned to Subaru, trying to decide how to word his apology, only to discover that Subaru wasn 't paying any attention to him.
"Oh no," Subaru said cheerfully to Capella. "That was only the overture. A prelude to the madness to come."
"I… don't understand," Capella said honestly.
"Well, when souls are sacrificed to the Great Mother of the Black Forest, she… uses them in her art. Her crafting, her building, her weaving," Subaru went on. "And, like all artists, she permits her patrons to share in the works we so graciously financed. You see, when souls are sacrificed to the Goddess of the Black Wood, she responds by dispatching some of her thousand young. You'll see in a moment."
"What's that?" Vilhelm said in a trembling voice. He pointed halfway down the slopes to where a strange black tree was growing unrealistically fast. They watched as the slender trunk did in seconds what would be the work of many decades. It sprouted from the grass, and it grew and grew until it towered over all of its surroundings, a tall, knobby tree as black as pitch and covered in equally black, slender vines. As it grew, the trunk forked, growing many additional shoots.
The tree grew until the slender thing could tower over most castles. Then it stopped.
And then its eyes opened.
What had appeared to be knots in the wood opened, revealing staring eyes and dripping orifices full of sharp teeth. The creature had dozens of eyes dotting its body in seemingly random places. The creature rose to its feet, all five of them, and it stood up on enormous blocky hooves. A dozen huge mouths let out a cry of pain and agony, a wail that sounded equal parts that of a tortured human and the anguished bleat of a goat being skinned alive.
Subaru clapped his hands in delight as the monster rose to its feet, its 'vines' now acting as strange tongues or tentacles, flicking out and snapping at the land around it, looking for something to eat. "Fantastic! Doesn't the goddess make cute kids?" He asked fondly.
Vilhelm had to clap a hand over his mouth to keep from throwing up at the sight of the monster. Its alien nature was horrifying enough, but worse was the certainty that the creature was in unspeakable agony, its creator having fused the mortal souls to something beyond mortal understanding and creating an indescribable freak that knew only pain and misery from the moment of its birth.
Even the Archbishops were left speechless.
"Um, congratulations, Master," Capella said awkwardly.
"You're very kind, Capella," Subaru said, patting her head.
Capella beamed up at him. Any qualms that she may have felt about the unnatural abomination were instantly forgotten.
Capella grunted as Louise elbowed her aside. "Yes! It's amazing!" Louise proclaimed. " You 're amazing, Master. "
Subaru wrapped his arms around both consorts, unaware or indifferent to the looks of pure hatred that they traded with one another.
"You know, it's not easy to set up moments of great art like these," Subaru said reflectively. "It takes great patience, planning, and perseverance. At times, you even consider giving up! But then the moment comes, and you realize it was all completely worth it," Subaru said, looking down at the monster fondly.
"Um. So, do we attack now?" Lye asked uncertainly. "That… thing looks too… I mean, I'm not sure that it can hunt them all down if they scatter."
"No matter," Subaru waved it off. "I want survivors. I want them to tell stories of this day. This will be the last rebellion on the continent for ten generations."
Subaru peered down at the horrified soldiers gathered in the valley, who were clearly terrified and uncertain of what to do. "Well. I suppose we might as well get this started." He raised his voice to a shattering cry, "Hunt them down, little one! Show them your Mother's love!"
As if this order was an irresistible command, the monster began to stagger down the slope. Its five legs moved with a bizarre gait that was neither a gallop nor a run but an endless stumble that often resulted in one or more legs being dragged along behind it. For all of the abomination 's clumsiness and seeming inability to use its many limbs in concert, the colossal creature ate up the distance quickly, and the soldiers turned in desperation to flee.
"Hm," Subaru said thoughtfully. "This valley is a narrow run, at least until they get across the river. You know, the Mother's Child might actually be able to kill them all unless they get across quickly… Huh. I do hope that at least a few escape to tell the tale…"
Subaru thought about it and then dismissed the idea with a shrug. "No matter. I'm sure that one way or another, things will all work out for the best," He said cheerfully. "Capella?" He called.
Capella instantly broke off from exchanging scowls of hatred with Louise. "Yes, Master?" She asked eagerly.
"The General," He said shortly. "Go find her. Bring her back here. Alive. I think I'll enjoy watching the look on her face when the Mother's Child runs her men through a meat grinder."
"I'll be right back!" Capella promised, darting off a short distance until she could safely transform into the massive black dragon. With a shattering roar, she launched herself into the sky and flew toward the fleeing soldiers, looking for her target.
Subaru glanced at the Archbishops. "Why don't you fellows go and follow the Child? I doubt any mortal power could injure the little darling, but you may as well stay close just in case."
Roy looked revolted by the concept of getting any closer to the monster, but he didn 't dare object. "How long will this… creature last, Master? " He asked awkwardly.
"Until sundown," Subaru explained. "It will die then. You can eat what's left over if you have a mind to."
Subaru carefully hid a smile as Roy, a man famous in the Order for his willingness to eat anything, no matter how vile, retched in disgust.
The Archbishops hurried down the hill and after the monster. Regulus, Lye, and Roy went leaping after it while Petelguese grew long shadowy limbs from his back and crawled down the hillside head-first like a giant spider. Vilhelm and the other soldiers scurried away as well and Subaru and Louise were left alone.
Subaru watched the monster 's pursuit of the fleeing army with a feeling of great satisfaction.
"Another consort, Master?" Louise asked, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
Subaru chuckled. "Oh, I don't think so. She's just a bit of light entertainment until we get tired of her. Then you can eat her."
Louise 's face lit up. " Really ?! "
Subaru shrugged. "You've been a very good girl lately. You deserve a treat."
Subaru sensed a great surge of power nearby, a massive locus of the World Soul 's power, a mass of hundreds of Divine Blessing, a nexus of energy that shone like a star.
Huh. So, the Od Laguna has finally sent her champion to challenge me.
With a thought, he commanded the spirits surrounding him to take action, and they flew to work. Half a heartbeat later, an eight-foot spire of purest crystal thrust itself up out of the grassy earth next to Subaru, standing erect like a pole.
No sooner had the crystal shard emerged than it blocked a sword stroke aimed at Subaru 's unprotected neck. The blade rang like a bell against the crystal. "Monster!" The red-haired knight roared.
With a gesture, Subaru caused the spirits to make the water in a nearby barrel erupt and fly to his side, forming several long strands of frozen water that surrounded him with writhing limbs. The gnashing tendrils of water took shape like a monstrous spider standing guard over her eggs.
Subaru glanced at the stranger without alarm. "May I presume that you are the 'Sir Reinhard' whom I've heard so much about?" He asked politely.
"You fiend!" Reinhard roared. His blade moved too fast for human sight as he delivered another sword stroke, but Subaru's spirits beat him back. Reinhard unleashed a frenzied flurry of blows that blurred in the air, but each one was countered by the strands of unbreakable ice that now surrounded Subaru, blocking each of Reinhard's sword strokes with the speed and accuracy of a striking snake.
Louise buried her face in Subaru 's chest, trembling.
"You are a rather impressive specimen," Subaru complimented him, paying no heed to Reinhard's dazzling swordsmanship and trusting in the spirits to counter all of his efforts. "Perhaps you'd care to join the Order?"
"I would sooner pledge loyalty to the Black Snake! You are a monster! A corrupter, a deceiver, and I will never rest until I have destroyed you, just as you have destroyed so many other lives! You shall pay for all of the innocents that you murdered!"
Subaru calmly mulled that over as Reinhard continued his attack. The enraged knight delivered blow after blow that would shatter mountains, his sword moving so fast that Reinhard was little more than a blur, but each strike was precisely blocked by a tendril of frozen water that was no thicker than a creeper vine.
"Well, I don't know if I can pay for all of them, Sir Reinhard," Subaru apologized. "There were so many of them, you understand. And you can only kill me once."
"That is my only regret!" Reinhard snarled.
Subaru studied Reinhard closely as the knight fought like a man possessed, but all of his attacks were instantly nullified by the spirits that guarded Subaru. "You know, I might be mistaken, but … I don't think you're making much headway there, old boy," He remarked.
Louise, who had been cowering under Subaru 's arm, slowly lifted her head. "Master, do you… want a hand?" She asked uncertainly.
"Hm? Oh no. I think the matter is under control. You can relax, Louise," He remarked.
Subaru studied Reinhard 's frantic attacks. "You know, Sir Reinhard, this is beginning to become tedious. Perhaps you should regroup and attempt another strategy."
Reinhard cried out in sheer rage as he redoubled his efforts.
Subaru watched the onslaught patiently, giving the furious knight ample time to recognize the futility of his actions. "Tell me, Sir Reinhard, are you familiar with the definition of insanity?"
"You!" Reinhard said, virtually foaming at the mouth in his rage and hatred. "You are the definition of insanity! What madness drove you to murder millions of people? Women and helpless children! What cruelty drives you to never say 'enough' and to always find new reasons to shed innocent blood?! You are a fiend! And I will never rest until I have ended you and all your kind! I may not be able to pierce your defenses yet, but I can still move too fast for you to strike me! Eventually, your spellwork will err, and you will give me an opening to strike! My victory is inevitable! I am a knight of the kingdom, and the world itself gives me the strength to oppose demons such as you!"
For the first time, Subaru frowned in genuine irritation. "I find your argument to be filled with unqualified assumptions, faulty logic, and outright fantasies," He said flatly.
"I will defeat you!" Reinhard's proclamation was tinged with desperation. "I will annihilate this entire misbegotten cult, and then I will bring to justice that cannibalistic monster under your arm! I already have you contained by my blade work! My victory is inevitable! I-Gah!"
Reinhard cried out as one of Subaru 's icy tendrils pierced his stomach. Its tip swelled into an enormous bubble of ice before being ripped violently away, leaving a hole in Reinhard's body the size of a bowling ball.
Reinhard fell backward in shock. The pain and the freezing cold were both paralyzing. He 'd never received a wound like this before, and even though his blessings were already working at mending the damage, the sheer pain of Subaru's attack almost made him black out.
"This is the end of the world, you know," Subaru said conversationally. "I'm sure you came out here to try and save everyone, hoping to play the big hero. Did you really think that your silly blessings could beat me? You must have hoped that your blessings would do the job. You couldn't have expected that it would be you who defeated me. We both know that you're naught but a puppet. A hollowed-out vessel for the Od Laguna's power. You're like the king's carriage, an empty shell made important solely by what you carry," Subaru said in the voice of one chiding a friend's folly.
Reinhard was on his knees, panting for breath. He dug the Dragon Sword into the soft, spongy grass, using it as a crutch. "I am Sir Reinhard van Astrea," He said between clenched teeth as he fought to pull himself up. "A knight of the kingdom! Everyone is depending on me. My friends…" He choked.
Subaru chuckled. "Yes, yes. I know who you are," He reminded him. "And when you finally get back up, I will end this child's play. "Whatever happened to your friends to make you so desperate for revenge? I expect that I killed them, yes? If so, then you've already lost, and in the unimaginable scenario where you actually were victorious against me, vengeance would avail you nothing. Your kingdom would still be a memory. Your friends would still be dead. Even you can 't bring them back, and even you can't save the day," He mocked.
Reinhard finally regained his feet. His wound was already gone. "Subaru Natsuki," He whispered, his voice chill with ice-cold hate. "For the sake of all people in this world, I will destroy you."
Subaru 's jaunty smile vanished, twisting into a snarl, only to reappear a moment later. "You don't sound very confident of that, Reinhard, old boy," Subaru said knowingly. "Don't get me wrong, you make a fine puppet for the Od Laguna. But even you can feel the World Soul tremble in my presence. It won 't aid you in this fight. The only one facing me right now is you , little puppet. And all alone, we both know you 're a weakling. You have nothing of your own: no skills, no talents, nothing but a prerecorded set of stock phrases and a list of Divine Blessings suitable to any situation. You're nothing but a living conduit for the World Souls's power," He said dismissively. "Honestly, it's a very cruel thing for the Od Laguna to do, forcing a boy to grow up to be nothing more than destiny's puppet. It would have been more merciful for the Od Laguna to simply create a mindless golem for its champion. At least that way, the poor creature wouldn't be afflicted with delusions that it was in any way human."
Reinhard flinched violently at these words as if Subaru had stung a very tender spot. His face twisted in rage, and the knight launched himself at Subaru, his blade flashing like lightning and striking like thunder, but each blow was effortlessly parried by the tendrils of water that surrounded him. Reinhard began to dash around Subaru with blinding speed, trying to attack him from all sides at once, but the spirits saw his every action, even if Subaru could not, and they defended him with obsessive focus.
"I fight for many, Subaru Natsuki!" Reinhard thundered. "What do you fight for?! I've heard how you shatter the minds of anyone foolish enough to question you! Even if you conquer the world, you'll still have nothing! No one serves you willingly! They're all terrified of you! They don't follow you out of love. They hate you! And you live every moment of your life waiting for them to stab you in the back! That poor girl that clings so tightly to you and professes her love, but you know that it's nothing but a lie! If she saw even the faintest possibility of being free from you, she'd be the first to slip the knife into your back! Your slaves will tear you apart from all sides as soon as I can show them the slightest possibility of your defeat!"
Louise looked terrified at these words. She stared up at Subaru, shaking her head, silently begging him to believe it wasn 't true.
Subaru didn 't even glance at her. At Reinhard's taunt, Subaru's face twisted in raw hate until he looked like an enraged animal.
Louis blanched at the expression and buried her face in his chest, paradoxically seeking protection from the very man who frightened her.
With a single thought, Subaru ordered the strands of ice surrounding him to leap out and seize Reinhard in their grasp. The strands grabbed Reinhard like a striking spider, securing his every limb and taking him entirely by surprise.
At the same time, Subaru 's fist clenched around Reinhard's throat.
"Defeat me?" Subaru hissed in an inhuman voice as deep as the abyss. "You. Defeat. Me? Oh, dear. You've let your pride cloud your judgment, little puppet…. You could never defeat me!"
Subaru commanded the spirits to drive their power deep inside Reinhard, reaching through flesh and bone to the very soul, to the part that connected him to the World Soul and all of its myriad blessings.
With a thought, Subaru negated them. He seized the strands that bound Reinhard to the Od Laguna, and he tied them in knots, removing his power and sealing away all of his Blessings.
It happened in the space between two heartbeats, and when Subaru contemptuously dropped Reinhard to the ground, all the knight could do was tremble in horror.
"What… have you done to me?" Reinhard gasped.
"Just helping you to understand your true position in this life," Subaru said in a kindly voice that was at odds with his cruel smirk. "We both know that without all your Blessings, you're nothing. You were never anything more than a little toy, wound up by the Od Laguna and sent to putter around, slaying those it feared. I was going to destroy you, but I think that making the world's former champion as helpless as an infant will illustrate my point far better. Do try and remember this, old boy: I'm infinite. And you're just a human."
Reinhard staggered back to his feet, his entire body trembling. "I will… not yield!" He shouted. He grabbed his sword and started to swing.
But the sword slipped out of his hands.
Reinhard 's eyes widened in shock.
Subaru tutted. "All those blessings," He remarked. "I bet that they made life much easier for you. Well … they're all gone now. Time for you to experience how the 'other half' lives. If you want to fight me now, I'm afraid that you'll have to learn how to fight the old-fashioned way."
Reinhard 's face was a mask of horrified disbelief.
"By the way, sound strategy in attacking me directly like that," Subaru continued conversationally. "I was almost certain that you'd go after the Mother's Child in a misguided effort to protect your brethren. Instead, you were willing to sacrifice them to pursue a strategic target. Very nicely done. If you'd had any chance of defeating me whatsoever, this fight might have ended very differently."
Louise slowly peeked up at Subaru, waiting until she was certain he 'd regained his temper. "Want me to eat him?" She asked hopefully.
"No. Let him live," Subaru said, turning away from Reinhard as if he was nothing. "Let's head back to my tent. After all, Capella will be bringing that new girl soon. You can help me train her."
Subaru felt himself jerked violently backward. He landed on the hard stone floor with a bruising thud. He looked up and saw that Garfiel had yanked him out of the bubble.
Subaru lay there choking and sputtering, his lungs fighting to cough up something that wasn 't-quite-there. Not far away, he saw that Felt had managed to haul Reinhard out of the bubble as well. She laid him gently on the ground, keeping him away from the flying bubbles while she rubbed his back and helped him cough up whatever was filling his lungs.
"What the hell were you guys doing in there?" Garfiel demanded.
Subaru hesitated. "It would take way too long to explain, " He said, gingerly getting to his feet.
Reinhard painfully got to his feet as well, gently pushing aside Felt even as she tried to restrain him. "I must…" Reinhard coughed. "Stop the witch."
Emilia wandered through a large, empty space. She 'd long ago left the mist behind. Now, the world was nothing but light. From horizon to horizon, the world was empty, but the very air around her seemed to be glowing.
Emilia had no evidence to support this, but she sensed she was coming closer to the Heart.
Now, if she only knew what to do when she got there.
"You," A woman's voice hissed.
Emilia started and spun around to find a young woman glaring at her. The woman was wearing a long black dress and long white hair. Her eyes were so dark that they almost looked black, and her face was twisted in fury.
"You," The woman said again, putting more hate and disgust into her voice than Emilia had ever heard. "What are you doing here?"
Emilia fumbled for an answer. "My name is Emilia-"
"I know who you are," The woman spat. "What are you doing here?"
Emilia hesitated, unable to fathom why this stranger felt such a powerful antipathy for her, but she pushed on. "My name has been eaten, and I'm here to try-"
"He sent you into the Heart?" The woman said in disbelief.
The woman stared at Emilia as if further scrutiny would reveal this was nothing but a mistake. "…He… sent you into the Heart, " She said in growing despair. The woman looked away in horror as if all her hopes were collapsing around her.
"'He?' Are you talking about Subaru?" Emilia asked.
The woman suddenly remembered Emilia 's presence and turned to glower at her. "Yes. He was supposed to come in here. Instead, he leaves me stuck with you . "
Emilia bit back a sharp retort, staying focused on what was important. "Subaru stayed outside to face Reinhard! He needed to protect us! I have to finish my task here and get back out there to help him!"
"The Sword Saint?" The woman asked sharply. "He's here?! Why is he…." The woman seemed to be rapidly updating her calculations of the situation.
The white-haired woman stared off into the distance with a forlorn expression as she thought hard. Finally, she slumped helplessly and shook her head. "She's outsmarted me. All of this effort was for naught. And now I'm stuck here with you, of all people! "
Emilia bristled. "Excuse me! I don't even know you! And I don't know what gives you the right to speak to me that way!" She said, surprising herself at her willingness to stand up to this abuse instead of accepting it as her due, "I've never done anything to you-"
The woman 's eyes blazed with such rage that Emilia recoiled. "You can't even imagine what you cost me! " The woman whispered in a deadly voice.
Emilia hesitated a moment and then pressed on. "Listen, I need to restore my name. Subaru is in danger, and the longer I stay here, the more danger he's in. Can you help me-"
"You have my Book," The woman said in shocked realization.
Emilia 's jaw dropped. " Your Book?! I thought- "
"Give me that!" The woman demanded, wrenching the Book out of Emilia's hands before she could react.
"Hang on! You can't just-" Emilia shouted in outrage.
The woman gave her an icy glare, and Emilia stiffened in fear. A moment later, she realized that it wasn 't just fear. Her entire body was paralyzed. She couldn't move or speak.
The woman flipped slowly through the book, reading the pages closely.
She lowered the book with a sigh. "Outplayed again," She said in a dead voice. "So be it. I begin again here. And I did recover this, at least, " She added, caressing the Book's cover. "So it wasn't a total loss. But now my time here is running out…"
The woman began to walk off through the formless void. There was nothing else to measure distance against here, but the woman 's body shrank as she approached the nonexistent horizon.
Emilia couldn 't move, but she fought to at least scream. No! She 's stealing the Book! Without that, there's no way to restore my name! And that means that Reinhard will never believe Subaru! They'll fight until they kill each other! I have to stop her!
Just before she would have disappeared altogether, the woman paused. She stood there, facing out into the void for a long moment as if wrestling with herself.
Finally, the woman slumped and seemed to sigh.
The woman turned back toward Emilia and gave the helpless elf another glare of barely contained hate and rage. She flipped through her book, searching for a page, and then she seemed to read something out loud.
The entire world flickered around Emilia. The void crackled with suppressed energy as something surged out from the witch and then vanished into the distance. Emilia realized she could move her body again, but now she was falling, falling into nothingness.
As she plummeted into the empty abyss, Emilia barely caught a last glimpse of the witch, walking away into the void without a single backward glance.
Reinhard started to move toward the central bubble, but Subaru leaped in front of him. "Oh no, you don't!"
Reinhard was panting for breath. "Subaru… what have you… done to me?" He whispered.
Subaru blinked. "Huh?"
"My powers, my blessings," Reinhard said, his face twisted in horror. "They're all gone. I… dreamed that you took them away from me, and now I…" He trailed off.
Subaru 's jaw dropped. "Wait! Your powers are sealed out here ?! " He asked incredulously.
"You did what?" Felt gasped, staring up at Subaru in shock.
Subaru winced, unsure of what to say.
Reinhard reached down and seized the hilt of his grandmother 's sword. The knight lifted the sword in a trembling hand. "I will stop this! As a knight of the kingdom, I will prevent the witch's reign of destruction," his voice faltered as he reeled in shock from having all of his powers sealed away.
Subaru looked worried. "Don't try it, Red!" Subaru warned him nervously. "If your powers are really sealed, you're no match for me now! Just give up!"
Reinhard struggled to stand, but he nodded at Subaru to make it clear he understood the situation. He then raised his grandmother 's sword and charged forward.
Subaru winced. Reinhard won 't give up. He never does. Even if he knows he can't win, he won't stop , Subaru thought with a strange mix of admiration and exasperation.
Subaru studied Reinhard 's charge. He 's not trying to stab me. He's just trying to get past me. Can't let that happen.
Reinhard charged forward like an ungainly quarterback. As Reinhard closed the distance, Subaru resolved not to use Indomitable.
If I use Indomitable, I 'll splatter Reinhard. He doesn't deserve that. He's not trying to kill me, and I'm not going to kill him.
Subaru made a fist. Ignoring Reinhard 's sword as he tried to rush past him, Subaru simply punched Reinhard in the forehead as hard as he could.
To Subaru 's shock, Reinhard screamed in pain. He dropped his sword and clutched at his head with both hands. Then he collapsed onto the ground, groaning.
"Red? Red!" Subaru shouted, dashing forward to kneel beside Reinhard's limp body. He shook him gently. "Come on! Wake up, buddy! I didn't even hit you that hard!" He said desperately. "Felt! Give me a hand over here!"
His only answer was a groan.
Subaru looked around and realized in shock that everybody else had cried out and fallen at the same time Reinhard had. They now all lay whimpering on the ground, rubbing their heads.
What the hell just happened? Was it something else that I did while I was in the dream?
Reinhard groaned and slowly opened his eyes. "…Subaru?" He whispered.
Subaru started to grin. "Hey, buddy," He whispered a little uncertainly.
Subaru heard a strange popping sound behind him. He turned to see Emilia emerging from the central bubble, battered and disheveled but otherwise fine.
Subaru leaped up. "Mili! Thank God-"
A blur shot over Subaru 's shoulder toward Emilia with a terrible scream.
Oh shit! What just happened?!
Subaru spun around to see that Puck had dove straight at Emilia like a guided missile.
Subaru 's heart stopped, but he heard: " Lia ! " Puck wailed in despair, throwing his tiny arms around her neck. "Lia, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry! " The little cat spirit wept.
Emilia instinctively reached up to hold the tiny cat, and her face broke into a tender smile. "Daddy," she whispered, holding the little spirit close.
Subaru broke into a huge smile as he looked around at the others. Felt and Garfiel slowly got to their feet, looking like they had just woken up from a dream. They stared at one another as if uncertain who they were looking at.
Felt turned toward Emilia. "…Mili?" She whispered as if she didn't quite believe it.
Beatrice gave Puck and Emilia a quick glance, but then she seemed to dismiss them. The little spirit ran straight to Subaru, who immediately lifted her up and put her on his tired shoulder.
"It's good, in fact!" Beatrice pronounced, "Now Bubby is back where he belongs, and Betty is back where she belongs," She said matter-of-factly, but Subaru saw the exhaustion in her eyes, and he made sure to give her a big hug.
Reinhard slowly climbed to his feet. "…Lady Emilia …" He whispered in horrified realization. He stared at his hands as if unable to believe what he had tried to do.
Reinhard looked back and forth between Subaru and Emilia as the full weight of the situation hit him like a hammer.
He tried to speak to Subaru but couldn 't find the words.
He looked at Emilia, who regarded him without rancor. He tried to say something, but his tongue failed him there as well.
Finally, Reinhard looked back at Subaru, and with a cry of despair, he fell to his knees, looking like he was a second away from collapsing. Felt bolted to his side to support him.
"Hail, Subaru Natsuki, my lord and king," Reinhard whispered in a broken voice, his eyes full of tears. "My lord… truly has no equal within the circles of this world."