When Subaru opened his eyes again, Emilia's worried voice reached him.
"Subaru? Hey! Subaruuu, are you okay?"
Her tone trembled slightly, and her hand hovered uncertainly near his shoulder, unsure whether to shake him or let him come back to himself naturally. She leaned closer, eyes wide with concern.
Subaru looked down at his hands. His fingers shook faintly, as though the cold grip of another world still lingered on his skin. The trembling wasn't just from fear—it was from something deeper, like his soul hadn't returned fully intact.
Blinking back into reality, he thought:
"Shouldn't I have reset completely? In past deaths… everything restarted from zero. The same lines. The same emotions. This time… it feels like something's carried over. Is it different now?"
A chill ran down his spine. He could still hear the echo of Flugel's voice in the back of his mind, as if the void had followed him here.
He lifted his head and met the half-elf's gaze. Forcing a small smile, he replied:
"Ah, sorry, Tella-tan. Got lost in thought."
Emilia blinked in surprise at the nickname. "'Tella-tan'? What's that supposed to mean?"
Subaru shrugged, his grin laced with hidden tension.
"Just like giving cute nicknames. If it bothers you… I can stick with Satella."
Let's see how she reacts to that...
A faint blush dusted Emilia's cheeks as she smiled shyly. "N-No, it's just… unexpected. I'm not used to things like this."
He chuckled softly, but inside, his mind raced. Each second felt like a glass pane ready to shatter.
Subaru scanned their surroundings. Puck was nowhere in sight—likely asleep in Emilia's crystal, unaware of the dread that clouded Subaru's chest.
Then, realization struck him like a slap to the face.
"We're back just before entering Rom's tavern… only a few minutes earlier.
Flugel… doesn't want me wasting time. He wants me to act. No trial run this time."
After a short walk, they reached the tavern. Subaru inhaled deeply, steeling himself. He paused at the door, letting his breath slow to a calm, controlled rhythm.
Then he leaned close to Emilia and whispered:
"Tella-tan, I need you to stay sharp in here. Keep your guard up. Unless someone comes at us with bloodlust, don't attack. Got it?"
Emilia nodded silently.
Subaru saw that familiar, pure worry in her eyes—the kind that wrapped around his chest and made him want to protect her all over again.
The weight of what he had to do pressed down on him once more. This world was a fragile illusion, and it was already beginning to crack.
He knocked three times.
Rom's gruff voice called from inside: "What's the password?"
Subaru jingled his coin pouch and shouted: "I've got money!!"
The sound of locks disengaging followed before Rom swung the door open, his massive frame filling the doorway like a wall of stone. "That ain't the password," he grumbled.
Subaru smirked and stepped inside, pulling Emilia along.
The tavern smelled of old wood, spilled beer, and secrets. Shadows flickered against the walls like silent witnesses.
He headed straight for the bar and ordered two ales, pretending to relax, but every move was deliberate.
When the drinks arrived, Subaru turned to Rom. "Looking for a short, blonde girl. Heard she's here."
Rom's expression darkened. "Ain't nobody like that here. Drink up and get out."
Subaru rubbed his temples, exhaling slowly.
This dialogue… this tension… it's all the same.
But this time, he had to stay in control. He had seen this moment fall apart before. He wouldn't let that happen again. "Rom… I know she's here. My boss sent me to make a trade."
Rom studied Subaru in silence for a long moment. The room fell quiet, tense as a drawn bow.
Then, he turned toward the back door and called out: "Felt! Someone's askin' for you."
A small, blonde figure emerged from behind the door.
Her sharp eyes flicked between Subaru and Emilia. She crossed her arms.
"Alright." A sly grin curled her lips.
"If you're lookin' for me, your boss must've known what I'd be up to today. But I've already got a buyer for this jewel. Now that you're here with an offer… guess we're holdin' an auction."
Subaru's heart tightened.
"Felt's still fixated on the money… But the game's about to change. Elsa could already be here… or watching us right now."
Every second counted. The events were lining up too perfectly. He felt like he was walking into a trap of his own design.
Subaru knew the fight with Elsa was inevitable.
But his first move had to be—
Get Emilia out of danger. This wasn't just about survival anymore. It was about choices.
He leaned closer to her.
"Satella… things might get messy during the auction. I need you to leave. Now." His voice was a whisper.
Emilia's brow furrowed.
"No. I won't abandon you, Subaru. You're doing all this for me—why should you carry the burden alone? I can help."
Her hand clasped his. It was warm and trembling.
For a second, Subaru hesitated. He wanted to argue, to push her away for her own safety. But seeing her like this—so determined, so earnest—he realized something.
Maybe protecting someone wasn't always about keeping them out of harm's way.
Maybe it was about standing beside them, no matter how terrifying the path ahead became.
And Subaru… still had a long way to go.
Subaru met her resolve with silence. His gaze weighed the sincerity in her eyes. No fear. No hesitation. Just raw, unwavering loyalty. The kind that doesn't ask for anything in return—just stands firm, like a wall between him and the chaos closing in.
"Even now… you keep surprising me. And every time… it breaks me a little more."
A sharp pang stabbed Subaru's chest. It wasn't physical—it was a spike of guilt, dread, and something far colder. The air grew thick, saturated with an invisible dread that clung to every breath. A stillness spread, unnatural and oppressive.
His eyes darted to the corner of the bar. The shadows whispered secrets. A flicker of movement—there and gone in an instant—slithered behind a chair like smoke retreating from a flame.
"...Elsa might already be here. Or worse, she's been watching the whole time."
Subaru's fingers twitched, instinct flaring like a spark catching oil. His pulse hammered against his throat. There was no denying it—the storm wasn't coming. It was here.
"I have to play this carefully. This time… I strike first."
Under the tavern's dim amber light, Subaru's expression didn't flinch. His face remained a mask—cool, still, unreadable. But within him, chaos surged like a stormy sea against the fragile dam of control.
This time… I won't lose. This time… I move before she does. Those dark blades—I'll swing them first. Even if it costs me everything.
He turned slowly to Felt, his voice a low hum of steel and warning.
"Listen, Felt." Every syllable landed like the drop of a blade. "I might not be the first to come for that jewel… but at least I'm not here to kill you."
Felt's smirk faltered, then faded. Her cocky confidence deflated in a breath. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"
Subaru leaned closer. His voice dropped to a whisper so thin it barely reached her ears.
"Ever heard of the 'Bowel Hunter'?"
Felt froze, the bravado in her eyes shattering. Her skin paled as the words sank in like claws. That name—a myth used to scare children—suddenly became too real.
"The gut-carvin' human from stories? You're sayin' she's—?"
"Real." Subaru's stare was cold as frostbite. Focused. Steady. "And in this building. Right now."
Felt's shoulders tensed. Her eyes flicked toward the shadows. Her hand hovered near her belt, fingers curling around the hilt of her dagger. Behind her, Emilia's violet eyes narrowed like blades. She didn't speak—but her stance shifted, ready. She sensed it too. The danger. The wrongness in the room.
Still, she waited for Subaru to lead.
"You're… still too kind for your own good," Felt muttered.
Subaru didn't answer. Instead, he pulled a pouch from inside his coat and dropped it on the table with a heavy thud. "Fifteen gold coins. My boss gave me all of it."
Felt's eyes lingered on the pouch. Gold gleamed from within—but her eyes weren't on the coins. They were on the door. Because it creaked.
A chill swept in.
A figure appeared in the doorway. Tall. Slender. Elegance coiled like a serpent. Her black cloak flowed like liquid ink, whispering threats with every movement. Her smile was graceful, gentle— —and completely wrong.
Elsa Granhiert.
"Ah… What a lovely conversation." Her voice poured into the room like poisoned honey. "I believe there's an auction?"
Subaru's jaw clenched. His mind screamed. She hadn't just arrived—she was making her presence known. She'd been here. Listening. Feeding.
Rom's scowl deepened behind the counter. "Who the hell're you?"
"Just a customer," Elsa replied, stepping forward with unhurried ease. Her tone was calm. Smooth. Murderous. "And I have a… particular interest in that jewel."
She paused. Her smile deepened. "Though I'm flexible with payment…"
Her gaze slid from Subaru to Emilia, resting there just a heartbeat too long. "…especially for other valuables."
Emilia's hand tightened around Subaru's arm. Her voice, soft but fierce, burned with unease.
"Subaru, this woman… she's wrong."
Subaru nodded once. Just once. "Yeah… but this time, I'm ready."
Elsa glided to a nearby chair and settled into it with the poise of a queen and the patience of a hunter. She crossed her legs and rested her hands, one over the other, like a portrait of calm.
"Shall we begin the auction, then? This promises to be entertaining."
Subaru leaned back, one arm casually draped across the seat—but tension radiated from him like heat. His eyes flicked between Emilia, Felt, and Elsa. Every angle. Every breath. Every possible escape.
His voice rang clear: "Fifteen gold," he declared, slamming the pouch onto the table. The coins jangled, heavy with meaning. "Real gold. Earned with blood. You know its worth, Felt."
Felt's arms crossed tightly, her lips pressed thin. "Gold's gold. But there's somethin' else here. I've seen that look on your face before—" She narrowed her eyes. "Not fear. That kind of serious that comes from not wantin' to die."
Her words lingered like smoke over embers. And across the table, Elsa's smile widened— as if she'd just caught the scent of blood in the water.
Elsa laughed—a sound like velvet dragged over a knife's edge, dark and oddly musical, like a lullaby composed for dying breaths.
"How adorable, little thief. That's the face of someone who wants to live… or at least thinks she should."
Her eyes pinned Felt in place—unblinking, dissecting, amused. It wasn't just intimidation. It was anatomical fascination, as though she were already tracing scalpel lines across the girl's trembling form. Felt's usual fire guttered into a flicker, her limbs locked like a cornered animal.
Emilia stepped forward, her boots echoing softly on the wooden floor. Her voice was calm, but every syllable shimmered with frost.
"You didn't come for the jewel. You came to kill."
Elsa's pupils dilated—not with light, but with hunger. It wasn't lust, nor hatred. It was the unfiltered appetite of a predator finally stepping into its chosen cage.
"Sharp intuition," she purred. "Half-elf and observant? A rare combination. But rest assured… this is strictly business."
Rom's hands clenched around his axe, veins rising like tree roots under his skin. The room darkened not from light, but from the thick perfume of death hanging around Elsa like smoke.
"If you're here for a fight," Rom growled, stepping forward, "you'll have to go through me first."
Elsa licked her lips with slow deliberation. Her tongue dragged like a brush across her teeth, savoring unspoken promises.
"Ah, dear Rom… I'd truly hate to dismantle you. But the abdominal structure of giants is fascinating. So many organs… so neatly packed. One slice, and it all just… pours out."
Subaru's stomach turned to lead. The air in the tavern had thickened—no longer breathable, only survivable. Each breath scraped his lungs like a file.
Rom raised his axe, the metal singing with finality.
Subaru swallowed. He knew what came next.
"Elsa," he said, trying to bury his shaking beneath iron, "take the gold. Leave Felt. The jewel's yours. Just walk away."
Elsa tilted her head, catlike and cruel.
"No surprise in your voice, Subaru. No desperation. That's no fun at all. I thrive on surprise."
The lanterns shuddered.
A shadow in the corner twitched like a dying spider.
Subaru shoved himself in front of Emilia. His heartbeat drowned the room, but his stance remained steady.
"Felt—give it to me. If Elsa walks out with that crest, none of us walk out at all."
Felt's eyes flitted between Subaru and Elsa, between survival and doom. Time bent, reality stretched.
Her fingers brushed the jewel— Elsa vanished.
A breath before death— Shadows ruptured like ink poured into water. Subaru acted, flinging Emilia aside and flipping the table.
A blade tore through the wood.
Slash!
It embedded in the splinters where his neck had been a second ago.
"ROM!!"
His cry shattered the moment as Rom moved—a mountain in motion. His axe fell like divine retribution.
Elsa smiled. Her body rotated, twin blades flashing.
One met Rom's axe with a clang that cracked the air. The second whispered into his leg.
Precise. Silent. Ruinous.
Rom's face twisted, and his bulk wavered. He staggered. His knees folded. The giant collapsed like a felled tree.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Felt screamed. Her voice cracked, veins alight with fear. "IF IT'S THE JEWEL, TAKE IT AND GO!"
Elsa turned, her steps as soft as petals, her gaze like daggers.
"No. What I want… are your Bowels." Her words weren't shouted—they were offered. Like an artist revealing the title of her piece.
Then she turned to Emilia. The air shifted.
Emilia raised her hands, fingers splayed. Cold gathered like breath on steel. Her eyes sharpened into frost.
"Stay away from me."
Elsa paused. Her pupils dilated again, this time with reverence. "Magic… beautiful. You're becoming even sweeter, little Satella copy."
Subaru's body tensed like a drawn bow. This was it. The moment everything hinged on.
He tightened his grip around his twin daggers. His pulse thundered, but his eyes never wavered.
[Mana Blade – Active]
One dagger shimmered in response—blue light pulsing from the hilt to the edge like a living flame.
The mana had answered.
He stepped forward. The fear in his bones didn't vanish, but it found purpose.
Elsa drifted away from Emilia. Her gaze locked on Subaru. "You again?" she whispered, voice low and venomous.
It wasn't a question. It was recognition. Subaru leapt. Blades clashed.
Sparks burst into the air like shattered fireflies. The rhythm was savage, like music with too many notes. Each strike was a gamble. Every dodge, a miracle.
Elsa moved with elegance—the art of death in motion. Her grin grew wider each time she deflected his strikes with ease.
Even infused with mana, Subaru's blades were too slow. Too unrefined.
She was faster. More experienced. She wasn't even trying. "She's toying with me… She's not even using mana."
The truth hollowed him.
His arms trembled. Shame burned through his skin. Fury tried to rise, but helplessness choked it back.
And yet—he didn't fall. Not yet.
Because somewhere behind him, Emilia was still standing. Felt was still breathing. Rom, even wounded, was still alive.
He could still fight. He had to fight.
Elsa wasn't just fast— she was death adorned in elegance, violence veiled behind beauty.
Rom's strength. Emilia's magic. Subaru's desperation. None of it was enough. Not this time.
Subaru stumbled backward, adrenaline spiking. He drew in a ragged breath, forcing his body to listen. Let the fire in his chest spread—wild and painful. He channeled mana not just into his twin daggers, but through his entire being—muscle, sinew, bone. He would become a weapon.
[DING!]
[Mana Blade: 15%]
[Advanced Dagger Technique: 10%]
A faint, translucent screen hovered before his vision. The System still worked. Subaru grinned, teeth bared.
"So this is how it works… I get stronger the harder I struggle."
At that instant, Rom roared—a desperate bear protecting his cubs. He hurled his massive axe straight at Elsa. The sound of it slicing through the tavern air was sharp, decisive— the promise of death.
Elsa didn't dodge. She flowed. Her body twisted like ribbon caught in wind. The axe whistled past her cheek by a breath. Not missed—evaded. With intent. With rhythm. And her eyes— They sparkled with amusement.
Subaru tensed, ready to strike—
But Emilia's voice cracked the tension. She reached for the blue crystal around her neck. Her hands trembled. Her lips barely moved.
"Wake up, Puck… please…" A whisper. A prayer. Too slow.
Elsa appeared beside her like a whisper of death. No warning. No footfall. Just presence.
"No, little witch. I can't allow that." Her voice was a tombstone—flat, inevitable.
Before Subaru could scream— Before he could take a single step— The daggers were already inside Emilia.
Time halted.
The crystal slipped from her fingers. It struck the floor— A delicate chime. Then, shatter.
With it, something inside Subaru cracked. Emilia's eyes widened. Once filled with stars, now fading.
Then dimmed.
Puck emerged from the ruined crystal. His small form flickered, dazed. His eyes scanned the blood-soaked floor— And found her.
Subaru fell to his knees. Same room. Same death. Same crushing failure.
No matter what he did— He couldn't save her. "I was… too late… again…"
Her blood was on his hands. Her warmth was still on his skin.
And then—
"ELSA GRANHIERT!! I WILL KILL YOU NO MATTER WHAT!!!"
Subaru's voice ruptured the silence. It was no longer human— It was grief made sound.
Elsa laughed, soft and lazy, like a cat too full to bother hunting.
"Watching you try will be delightful, little prey."
He charged— Eyes red. Mind blank. Daggers slashed in wild arcs. Every movement was rage, but no clarity.
Elsa parried each strike with cruel ease, her fingers dancing around his blades. No effort. No concern.
This wasn't a battle. It was execution.
Puck stared at Emilia's lifeless body. "My precious daughter… I couldn't protect you…"
His voice, for the first time, sounded fragile. Human. Then he began to change. Not just in size— but in gravity. In presence.
Magic burst from his form like a scream. "By the pact I made with Lia… I will end this world."
The air changed. Frozen. Not cold from weather, but from a depth beyond seasons. No wind. No movement. Only stillness.
The catastrophe began.
Elsa was first. She turned her head— Too late.
Her entire body froze. Not from ice, but from Puck's will. She became a statue of winter. A monument to cruelty.
Next was Subaru—
He didn't freeze. But he couldn't move. His limbs refused him. His thoughts turned inward.
All he could do was look at Emilia. "I'm sorry… Emilia…" And then— Oblivion.
[Return by Death: Active]
But even in death, the world remembered the magic.
The explosion of mana from Puck's release rippled across the continent. Not a single sacred being failed to feel it.
Far across the land, a comet of red light streaked toward the tavern.
Reinhard van Astrea. He arrived like judgment. Sword on his back, boots silent. Eyes steady.
The tavern— A tomb of ice.
Five frozen corpses. One floating god.
"Great spirit," Reinhard spoke, voice respectful yet unshaking, hand resting on the Dragon Sword's hilt.
"Why did you freeze these people?"
Puck's eyes closed. His small form shimmered with unbearable weight. His voice— a father breaking.
"My daughter is no longer alive. This world no longer holds meaning."
Reinhard exhaled. Only one thought passed through his mind: "I can't allow the world to freeze."
He unsheathed the Dragon Sword. The steel sang. He pointed it at Puck— And charged.
But Puck did not raise a hand. Did not fight. The spell was already complete.
In his final moments, Puck thought only of Lia's smile. Of a world where she was safe.
And then— the world froze. Time stopped. Screams, caught forever in silence.