Satoru let out a slow, measured breath, his shoulders rolling back as his sunglasses caught the chandelier light. He scanned the royal candidates—Emilia, Crusch, Anastasia, Priscilla—his expression unreadable. Then, his head tilted, eyes snapping toward the seated nobles.
The atmosphere shifted. The lazy smirk was gone, replaced by a stillness that felt like the eye of a hurricane.
"Every time one of you opens your mouth," Satoru began, his voice carrying to every corner of the hall, "I get more confident that this place needs to be flipped inside out."
Nobles shifted uncomfortably, silk robes rustling. Others reddened with indignation.
"You're so focused on appearance and bloodlines," he waved a hand as if brushing away gnats, "that you forgot what it means to lead. You're not rulers; you're caretakers of a cemetery."
Priscilla Barielle's fan snapped shut like a guillotine blade.
"Such crude speech. Do you intend to lead a kingdom, outsider, or just tear one down for your ego?"
Satoru's gaze didn't flinch. His smirk sharpened. "Depends on what's standing when I'm done cleaning the rot. If the foundation is solid, it stays. If it's termites all the way down? I've always liked a clean slate."
Gasps rippled through the room. Beside him, Reinhard stayed silent, though a faint smile touched his lips. He looked like a man ready to follow Satoru into the fire.
"And for the record," Satoru added, tilting his head, "I don't need your votes. The Dragon already gave me his."
He held up the royal insignia, the amber light pulsing.
"The shiny rock says I'm legit. Anyone want to argue with the divine lizard?"
Anastasia Hoshin chuckled.
"Ballsy. I like him. That's leverage gold can't buy."
Crusch gave a deliberate nod.
"He speaks without fear. There is merit in a voice that refuses to tremble."
A heavy silence followed. It was the hush that falls when a predator enters a locked room. Below them, Subaru whispered to himself,
"He's definitely lost it. We're getting executed before lunch."
Emilia watched Satoru with growing curiosity—and a dawning respect for the man standing alone against a room that hated him.
"I'm not here to give you sweet lies," Satoru said, his eyes fixing on each Sage. "This nation is broken. I'll rebuild it from the ashes and fix what you never had the guts to look at."
He tapped the stem of his sunglasses, his grin turning lethal.
"Oh—almost forgot. Did I mention I plan on killing the White Whale?"
The reaction was a physical blow. Crusch's eyes flew wide. Nobles recoiled, turning ghostly pale. The Great Calamity had devoured souls for four centuries.
"You speak of the Demon Beast?" Crusch stepped forward, her composure cracking. "The nightmare that has gone unchallenged since the time of the Witch?"
Satoru shrugged.
"Yup. Big, floaty, screams a lot. Real pain, from what Rein tells me. Think of it as a public service. I'm taking out the trash."
"You can't be serious!" a noble hissed. "Our best knights vanish in its mist!"
Reinhard's voice cut through the panic, steady and absolute.
"If anyone can defeat the Whale, it is him. My faith in Satoru-sama is absolute."
"See? Great hype-man," Satoru joked, before his expression hardened. He looked at Crusch. "If you're a soldier, you know the truth. This kingdom is rotting. Corruption, starving kids, and monsters at the borders while you argue over chairs. I'm burning the rot out."
Crusch took a deep breath and gave a respectful nod.
"Then I hope your actions match your words. If you kill the Whale, you have my favor."
"Guaranteed," Satoru said. Then came the kicker. He leaned toward the assembly. "And to make it interesting... I'll do it without Reinhard."
The hall erupted. "He's insane!" a noble screamed. "Without the Sword Saint, you're just a lunatic!"
Satoru laughed.
"Bingo! I'm insane. But insane people change the world. Normal people are just too scared to try."
He spread his arms.
"No Sword Saint. No Divine Protections. Just me. When I drop that head on your doorstep, you'll have to admit I'm the real deal."
Crusch studied him, her mind racing. She saw the fools in the room, but she understood the weight of Reinhard's loyalty. To reject that protection wasn't just bravery—it was either delusion or a power that made the Sword Saint redundant. Her Divine Protection was silent. No lies. Only absolute conviction.
Satoru Gojo. You have my attention, she thought. Let's see if your strength matches your arrogance.
Satoru stepped down, giving a stunned Subaru a thumbs-up. The other candidates followed with their declarations. Priscilla claimed the world was made for her convenience. Crusch vowed to break the Dragon's Covenant and let the people stand on their own. Anastasia admitted her greed, viewing the nation as a business to grow.
Then Emilia stepped forward.
"I wish to build a nation where all people—no matter their race or birth—stand equal."
She bowed gracefully, though Roswaal's sing-song support mocked the gravity of the moment. As they turned to leave, a noble sneered.
"A half-elf? Have the Sages lost their minds? Bringing a half-devil into this hall is an insult to our blood!"
Roswaal's painted smile remained.
"Mind your manners. Nobody likes being called a devil without cause."
Satoru saw Subaru's face turning red.
Stay down, Subaru.
But the noble continued.
"She looks just like the Witch! Letting her breathe our air is a sin! She should have been left in the frost!"
Gojo sighed.
"——ENOUGH!!"
Subaru's voice thundered, raw with fury. He pushed into the open space despite Emilia's pleas.
"I won't shut up! You're judging someone you don't even know! You're cowards hiding behind tradition! Apologize to her——now!"
The dam burst. Emilia stood her ground.
"My name is Emilia. I am a silver-haired half-elf. I understand your fear, but I won't let your prejudice dictate my fate."
Miklotov, the head Sage, looked at the shaking boy. "And your position?"
Subaru pointed a defiant finger.
"I'm Emilia's knight! Her one and only! If you want her, you go through me!"
Satoru rubbed his neck.
He did it. The most 'Subaru' thing possible.
Julius Juukulius stepped forward with furrowed brows, his purple hair swaying as he walked.
"What exactly are you proclaiming when you declare yourself a knight?"
Subaru doubled down.
"I said it. What about it?"
Julius shook his head with pity. He called the knights to a synchronized stomp that echoed through the chamber.
"Do you have the resolve to match that?"
Subaru admitted he was weak and still training, but claimed his willpower would make Emilia ruler. Julius's disappointment was visible.
"You cling to weakness as a shield. Have you bled for the title? Have you sworn the oaths?"
"I don't need a piece of paper!" Subaru shouted.
Julius turned cold. "You aren't protecting her, Subaru Natsuki. You are indulging yourself. Look at her face."
Emilia was pale, her eyes downcast in shame. Subaru couldn't look at her. He screamed about silver spoons and fancy houses, but Julius simply sighed.
"You insult the very woman you claim to serve."
"That's enough," Emilia said softly. She placed a firm hand on Subaru's back and guided him toward the exit.
As they reached the doors, Miklotov spoke.
"Emilia-sama... your attendant showed us something today, at least. A 'Witch' would not be defended by such a clumsy, human display. It proves you are not a monster."
Emilia didn't look up.
"Thank you. But... he's not my attendant. He's just someone I know."
The doors shut. Satoru let out a breath.
"Second-hand embarrassment hitting like a truck. He's gotta learn this the hard way."
———————————————
Subaru sat in a small, sparsely furnished room, his expression blank—empty, drained. The echoes of the throne room still rang in his ears, each one a phantom sting to his pride. Across from him stood Reinhard van Astrea and Felix Argyle, quietly observing the wreckage of a boy who had tried to play at being a hero.
"The Royal Selection has… finally begun, Subaru."
Reinhard's voice was calm, but it held the weight of a firm tectonic shift. He looked at Subaru not with anger, but with the pained clarity of someone who knew exactly how high the walls of the world were built.
"Subaru-kyun, you are Emilia-sama's knight, ain't nya? So, let's do our best~!"
Felix chimed, his playful tone acting like a serrated blade against the heavy atmosphere. He leaned in, his cat ears twitching.
"Though, a knight usually knows when to keep his claws retracted, nyo?"
Before Subaru could snap back, the heavy oak door groaned open.
"Forgive me for interrupting."
Julius Juukulius entered. He was the picture of knightly perfection, his purple hair catching the dim light. His eyes flickered with a brief, microscopic spark of concern as they landed on Subaru's slumped form, but it was quickly masked by a cool, aristocratic layer of duty.
"W-What're you doing here?!"
Subaru blurted, scrambling to his feet, his heart hammering with a mix of rage and defiance
Julius let out a long, weary sigh.
"I sincerely wish you wouldn't wear such an unpleasant expression. I never expected a warm welcome, but if you keep this attitude—this petulant, unearned anger—it will be the death of you."
Subaru clenched his fist, the heat rising in his chest.
"Then what?! You gonna lecture me too?!"
"I only suggest you proceed with caution. Words are not the only things with edges in this palace."
Julius's voice was steady, carrying the chilling weight of a formal warning.
"Now… you asked why I'm here? I came to see you, of course. To see if the boy who shouted at the Sages was a man of substance or merely a loud noise."
He glanced out the window toward the training grounds, lost in thought.
"There's something important we need to discuss. A lesson that cannot be taught with words. Come with me."
———————————————
The scene shifted.
Subaru stood alone in the center of a vast colosseum-like arena. Rows of knights lined the balconies above, their gazes sharp and watchful.
His suit was off, replaced by simple training gear. He was stretching, preparing.
Opposite him stood Julius, with Reinhard just behind, holding out a wooden sword.
"Julius... you really shouldn't do this..."
Reinhard murmured, concern evident.
Julius's gaze hardened as he took the wooden blade in his hand.
"He insulted the knights directly. It is only just that he faces punishment."
He exhaled deeply, stepping forward deliberately, ignoring any protests Reinhard might have offered.
Raising the wooden sword high overhead, he declared loudly:
"I hereby administer the death penalty to this insubordinate man who has sullied our knighthood's honor. Under normal circumstances, such insolence would be met with death by the sword. But... considering you are Emilia-sama's attendant, we will fight with wooden blades."
Subaru's eyes flickered down to the wooden sword in his hand.
His grip tightened around the hilt… then, a flash of Gojo's training crossed his mind.
"If you're weak, Subaru, don't try to play their game. Play yours."
With a swift motion, he tossed the sword aside. It clattered uselessly on the stone. He raised his fists, his stance wide and grounded.
"Sorry. I refuse. I fight better with my fists."
Julius's brows furrowed.
"You truly are a foolish man..."
He shifted his stance, one hand slipping behind his back in perfect form, the other angling his blade forward.
"Fine, then. Let us begin."
"Yeah... alright."
Subaru's teeth grit.
"——I won't hold back!"
Subaru took a long, deep breath. His focus sharpened into a needle point. He didn't have mana, but he had the "stink" of the Witch and the spark Gojo had fanned into a flame. Cursed Energy surged.
But he didn't charge. Not yet.
Instead, Subaru took a long, deep breath—gathering everything. His focus sharpened, and the cursed energy that lay dormant within him surged to the surface.
It erupted.
A raging aura of black and blue energy spiraled around him, coiling skyward like a living flame. It crackled violently, humming with raw, unstable power before dissipating as if absorbed.
Julius's eyes narrowed, his golden gaze catching the flicker of that strange, unfamiliar energy. Magic in a way, perhaps—but not like any he's felt before. He remained silent, poised, observing.
Then——
Subaru's foot struck the ground with such force that the stone webbed into cracks. He lunged at a blistering, inhuman speed, closing the distance in a heartbeat. His fist, cloaked in the black sparks of cursed energy, screamed through the air aimed straight for Julius's jaw.
Julius stepped aside. He didn't panic; he simply wasn't there. He pivoted effortlessly, sliding through the dirt like a gust of wind. Subaru's punch tore through empty air, the sheer pressure of the missed strike whipping through Julius's violet hair.
Subaru's eyes went wide. He was overextended.
Julius's counter was a blur of motion. The wooden blade thrust forward, meeting Subaru's chest—but instead of piercing, it skidded off an invisible, elastic friction.
A barrier is it…?
Julius thought, his eyes widening.
No... he's reinforcing his very skin, but it feels different to the Flow Method——it's strange.
Subaru twisted his hips, driving a desperate hook toward Julius's ribs. But the difference wasn't just power—it was refinement.
But it still wasn't enough.
"Hoh——"
Julius exhaled lightly, sidestepping once more.
It wasn't just experience. It wasn't just training.
It was everything. Subaru lacked everything, in comparison to this knight.
The butt of Julius's wooden sword slammed down onto the top of Subaru's fist, driving it into the dirt. The impact crushed Subaru's momentum, sending a spray of dust into the air.
SWOOSH—!
Julius moved like a phantom, slipping through the dust cloud.
The wooden blade slammed against Subaru's ribs with the force of a falling tree. A sickening crunch echoed through the colosseum. Subaru's cursed energy flared—then fractured under the precision of the strike. The blow lifted him off his feet.
He rolled, tumbled, and skated across the arena like a ragdoll, his body finally slamming into the far wall with a heavy crash.
Silence fell. Julius didn't gloat. He didn't smile. He stepped forward slowly, the tip of his wooden sword trailing in the dust.
"You are lacking in every way," he said evenly. "Skill. Experience. Power. Speed. But most of all... Resolve. You think your 'feelings' are a substitute for the weight of a life spent in service?"
He pointed the sword at Subaru's throat.
"Now get up. This has only just begun. I will break that arrogance out of you, or I will break your bones trying."
——————————————
A knight burst into the throne room, his armor clanking with frantic, uneven strides as he skidded to a halt before the Council.
"R-Report! The Imperial Knight Julius Juukulius and the candidate's attendant, Natsuki Subaru, are engaged in a mock battle in the arena!"
The air in the room, already thin from the political tension, seemed to vanish entirely.
Emilia's eyes widened, her face draining of color.
"W-What?! Why would Julius-san... how did that happen?"
Her hand flew to her mouth, her voice trembling.
"I—I have to stop them!"
Anastasia Hoshin lazily raised a hand.
"Hoooold your horses, sweetheart. I just wanna know one thing: who issued the challenge?"
The knight swallowed hard.
"It was Sir Julius who proposed the 'Penalty of the Sword,' though Natsuki Subaru accepted it without hesitation."
Anastasia waved a hand dismissively, a small, predatory smirk playing on her lips.
"Then I'm against stopping it. A man who says 'yes' to a fight is a man who knows the price of admission. Interrupting a duel is like canceling a contract mid-signature—bad for business."
Subaru… that fool… accepting a duel like that just because his pride took a bruising…
Satoru's gaze shifted toward Anastasia, his blue eyes icy behind his shades.
"Your knight and my friend are currently breaking each other's ribs out there. Aren't you the least bit worried? Or do you only care about things with a price tag?"
Anastasia finally looked at him, her smirk widening.
"Worried? About what——Julius going a little overboard? If we have to pay a healer premium to patch that boy up, that's just overhead. Julius is the 'Finest Knight' for a reason; he won't kill him. He'll just... re-educate him."
Crusch Karsten spoke next.
"Regarding the duel… I too oppose interfering. To a knight, a battle begun must be seen through to its end. To stop it now would be to rob both men of their honor——and for Natsuki Subaru, it would mean he never learns the weight of the title he claimed."
Satoru sighed, dragging a hand through his hair in disbelief.
"Tch. What a moron… he's got zero sense of scale. He thinks 'willpower' can bridge a gap that takes decades of blood to close. My dearest student's first display is going to be getting his ass handed to him, crap."
He turned back to the knight, his voice dropping into a dangerous, low register.
"Why are we only hearing about this now? The arena isn't exactly next door."
The knight flinched under Gojo's gaze.
"B-Because, well... it's been rather quick. And, frankly, it is incredibly one-sided. We thought it would be over before we even reached the stairs."
Emilia didn't wait for another word. She hiked up her gown and sprinted from the room.
Satoru just sighed, resting his palms onto the back of his head and following.
Well… I might as well see if the dude can at least land one punch. Even a near miss would be impressive against that knight.
———————————————
Julius's wooden blade slammed into Subaru again, cracking against his bruised shoulder with brutal force.
Subaru's stance faltered. His legs buckled—but didn't break. Bloodied and wheezing, he clenched his scorched fists and twisted into a sudden, desperate left hook aimed straight at Julius's face.
The knight ducked low, his back bending fluidly as Subaru's fist soared overhead, the displaced air ruffling his lavender hair.
He's still standing? His technique is non-existent, and yet his body is surprisingly durable… almost as if he's being reinforced by sheer stubbornness.
"…Very well."
Julius muttered, his voice dropping an octave.
"If you refuse to listen to reason, I shall speak to your body instead."
Julius's body flickered—his speed ramping up as he tapped into the mana of the atmosphere. To Subaru's battered eyes, he became little more than a shimmering blur.
——SWISH!
Subaru's world flipped. A single, surgical kick to the shin sent him spiraling. Then, before he even hit the ground—
Julius stepped forward, swinging his wooden blade like a heavy bat, crashing it into Subaru's ribs mid-air. The impact sounded like a hammer hitting a side of beef. Subaru's body launched several meters across the arena, rolling and smashing into the dirt in a cloud of dust.
"Guhhh… uufff…"
Why…?
Subaru groaned internally, clawing at the dry earth.
Why after everything I've through… is it some guy with a stick that makes me feel so small?
"Just surrender before I kill you."
Julius's voice echoed through the colosseum, devoid of malice but heavy with finality.
"Admit you've reached your limit. I underestimated your spirit slightly, I admit——but this is the extent of your strength. To continue is no longer a duel; it is a tragedy."
Those words cut deeper than the wooden blade ever could.
Subaru's fingers dug into the sand. Slowly, shakily, he pulled himself upright. His ribs screamed, and blood trickled down his chin in a steady stream. He wiped it away with his wrist, leaving a jagged red smear across his cheek.
"Screw you, bastard! Like you said… this has only just begun!"
From the arena entrance, the royal candidates filed into the stands—Emilia at the front, her face pale and her hands clenching the railing. And behind her…
Satoru Gojo.
Subaru's eyes twitched.
Gojo-sensei… is watching me get my ass handed to me… Alright then. If I can't win with his training, I'll win with the one thing only I have. The one thing that makes me 'special' in this hellhole.
He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. His pupils dulled, his body swaying slightly as he reached within—deeper than he had ever dared.
I figured it out. The Witch's Miasma… the 'stink' everyone talks about. It's dense. It's heavy. It's similar to cursed energy. So I thought——what if I could use it the same way? Not as a curse, but as a fuel?
At first, he hadn't understood how to touch it. It was like trying to grab smoke with a sieve. But now, with the adrenaline of the beating and the humiliation of the throne room burning in his veins—
WHOOSH—!!
A new aura erupted from him—dense, oppressive, and violently cold. It wrapped around his battered frame like a localized storm. No longer the flickering black and blue of standard cursed energy—this was a deep, bruised purple, and it radiated something far more sinister.
From the viewing stands, Satoru Gojo's posture changed instantly. He stopped leaning against the wall, his expression sharpening into something predatory.
What the hell is that? His cursed energy amount has increased... The output is spiking, and the nature of the energy... it's not coming from his emotions anymore. It's coming from that unidentifiable thing in his soul.
Subaru's eyes snapped open. They were glowing faintly, a savage, unhinged grin tugging at the corners of his lips.
"I… can return by——gkHHK!"
As the taboo nearly triggered, the hand of the Witch seemed to squeeze his heart, but instead of crushing it, the pressure forced more of that dark energy out. It flared violently, rising like a tidal wave.
What is this now?!
Gojo thought, a genuine, wild smile creeping onto his face as he leant forward against the barrier with interest.
Insane! Hah, totally insane! How has he found a method to increase his cursed energy pool? That wasn't even possible up to this point!
Julius sensed the shift—his stance tensing for the first time in the duel. The air had changed. The atmosphere itself became darker, as if a cloud had passed over the sun.
Reinhard's gaze darkened, a rare shadow crossing his face as his brows furrowed in genuine concern.
"The Witch's miasma… it always clung to Subaru. This feels… strange."
Gojo didn't answer. He couldn't take his eyes off the arena.
Then suddenly—
"——SHAMAAAC!!"
A surge of absolute darkness erupted from his feet, spiraling upward like a tidal wave of ink. In a heartbeat, the center of the arena vanished beneath a blanket of pitch black that swallowed the light of the magilith lamps.
Gasps echoed from the stands as the nobles and knights were blinded.
Inside the darkness, Subaru lunged forward—racing through the void. He didn't need to see; he could feel the intensity of Julius's mana.
His bloodied fists clenched tight, the purple energy crackling between his knuckles.
Come on… just one hit. I don't care if I break every bone in my hand. Just one hit at least!!
———————————————
Julius narrowed his eyes. The darkness of the Shamaac was absolute to the naked eye, but to the "Finest Knight," the world was never truly empty. He could feel the desperate, jagged pulse of Subaru's spirit thrashing through the void.
He didn't flinch. He didn't retreat.
Instead, he raised his scorched wooden sword, sliding it backward over his shoulder with a grace that felt almost funereal.
"Out of respect for your efforts…"
Julius muttered, his voice a low, solemn vibration that seemed to calm the shadows themselves,
"Accept this gift. I shall answer your 'special' move with my own!"
He stomped his lead foot down——a concentrated wave of mana scattered the darkness in an instant, the black smoke shredded as if by a gale. It revealed Subaru barely a meter away, his fist extended, his face a distorted mask of agony and unyielding resolve.
The air around Julius suddenly shimmered.
Six tiny, flickering spirits—the Lesser-Spirits of fire, water, wind, earth, light, and shadow—materialized around his blade. Flecks of multicolored light danced across the wood, which began to glow with an ethereal, radiant hue. It was a brilliant, blinding white—tinged with the shifting colors of a shattered rainbow.
"——Al Clauseria."
He thrust forward—not at Subaru's chest to pierce him, but at the very space between them, where the purple miasma was thickest.
From the tip of the blade, a spiraling beam of spiritual light erupted. This was not a physical strike meant to rend flesh; it was a calibrated discharge of pure, balanced mana designed to judge the soul and stabilize the chaotic.
FWOOOOOM——!
The beam slammed into Subaru's chest, washing over him in a tidal burst of rainbow-colored brilliance. The purple aura—the cursed energy twisted and corrupted by the Witch's scent—wasn't just suppressed; it was ripped away. The spiritual light acted like a solvent, cleansing the jagged malice in a blinding cascade of energy.
CRAAASH——!!
The sheer kinetic backlash of the purification flung Subaru across the arena like a ragdoll.
He sailed through the air, the rainbow light still clinging to his clothes for a split second before he smashed into the far stone wall with enough force to send a spiderweb of cracks through it.
A cloud of dust rose. As it settled, Subaru's unconscious form crumpled to the ground, his arms sprawled wide and his breathing shallow.
Silence followed——heavy, ringing, and absolute.
Julius looked down at his hand. The wooden training sword had been unable to withstand the output of the spirits; it had disintegrated, leaving nothing but a scorched, smoking hilt. He let the remains clatter to the floor.
Julius took a long, steadying breath, his golden eyes losing their battle-heat. He turned toward the viewing stands, his gaze briefly meeting Satoru Gojo's.
"The duel is concluded…"
Julius announced, his voice echoing through the colosseum.
"——The penalty has been paid."
——————————————
Felix dropped down beside Subaru in an instant, aura flaring as his healing magic began to pulse.
Reinhard landed moments later, stepping up beside Julius, his expression tight.
"That was too much."
His voice was low.
"You could've beaten him without calling on your spirits..."
Julius didn't meet his gaze at first. He simply sheathed the broken hilt at his side.
"I could have. But… I misjudged him."
He looked back at Subaru's unconscious body.
"He's a fool, yes—but one with resolve. I can't ignore that. So, I returned his sincerity with a bit of effort of my own."
——————————————
Up in the stands, Satoru Gojo sat perched, arms folded, eyes focused on the fallen boy.
He exhaled through his nose—not a sigh of disappointment, but an odd little smirk that tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"He's got a lot of explaining to do when he wakes up."
He tilted his head.
"Because I definitely didn't teach him that. Heheh~ not bad, Natsuki Subaru!"