"You..." Gojo's voice faltered, his eyes widening behind the blindfold as if Subaru had just told him the most ridiculous lie in existence.
Return by Death?
"Are you actually serious?"
His fist peeled away from the cracked wall, his weight shifting back a step. For once, Gojo looked less like the unshakable sorcerer he was known as—and more like someone grasping for reason in nonsense.
Literal immortality. It was absurd. And yet—how else could he explain Subaru's strange flashes of foresight, his unearned experience, the way he always seemed to know things no one should?
"...It all makes sense.." Gojo muttered under his breath. "You... Subaru..."
But Subaru didn't even hear him. He was too busy staring past Gojo, eyes darting along the edges of the room as if waiting for the inevitable—the suffocating darkness, the unseen hands, her. His entire body shook under the weight of that memory, that curse.
And yet… nothing came.
"--H-huh...?"
No shadow. No whispers. No hands clutching at his heart.
Why wasn't she coming?
"I... I can Return by Death...!" Subaru's voice cracked, louder this time, as though shouting the words would finally trigger the punishment. "By—by DEATH!!"
Still nothing.
His legs trembled. His throat closed. His eyes burned with tears that wouldn't fall. "Why... why isn't she here...?!"
Gojo stood frozen, lips parted. Even for him—this was too much. Too insane for even someone like him to believe, yet, it made sense...
"You... really mean it...?"
"...Or is this all some kind of sick joke?" Subaru's voice hitched, fraying at the edges. "Another way for the world to toy with me... break me again...?"
Gojo raised his head, ready to answer—
But then the tower itself rumbled. Barely perceptible at first, just a tremor through the soles of their feet. Then stronger, enough to make the walls tremble. The stone groaned, alive, and both of them froze.
Gojo snapped his head to the side and tore the bandages from his face, cerulean light flaring from the Six Eyes as they drank in the unseen.
"...What the hell is going on...?"
For a fleeting moment he thought of Shaula's body, lying still in that star-soaked balcony. He'd wanted to move her, if only out of respect—but that would have to wait. Whatever could shake the entire Watchtower certainly demanded his attention.
He broke into a sprint, a blur of white tearing down the hallways. Subaru followed, though the gap between them stretched wide; no matter how much he pushed his legs, Gojo was still on another level.
At the spiraling stairwell, Gojo slid to a halt, boots scraping stone, and leaned over the edge. His gaze speared downward, past floor after floor, until the abyss far below lit his eyes with a hellish glow.
Subaru caught up moments later, panting, then froze beside him as he too looked down.
The Fifth Floor. Celaeno. The endless hall that was usually dim and featureless now blazed like a sun trapped underground. Heat pulsed upward in waves, stinging their skin even from dozens of meters away.
And with it—screams. Shrill, warped, unnatural. The sound of witchbeasts.
"...No way..." Subaru's voice cracked. His eyes widened as the herd revealed itself: at least twenty, horse-shaped monstrosities with molten manes, hooves sparking fire as they stampeded.
He knew them. Too well. The beast he'd barely survived once. The kind that had nearly ended him forever.
But this wasn't one. This was many.
"What the…?"
Gojo said, his eyes agape as he glares at the sight below.
"R-right…"
Subaru muttered, steadying his breath, trying to keep his nerves.
Gojo didn't respond at first. His jaw clenched, teeth bared—not at the monsters. At something else.
"No. That's not what I'm talking about." His tone was alien, uncharacteristically tight. "Why the hell is he down there?!"
Subaru blinked. "...He—?"
And then he saw it.
Amidst the inferno and the shrieking herd, cutting through fire and flame, was a blur of red. Crimson hair like a comet's tail. A long kimono snapping with each movement. In his hands—not a sword, but a simple wooden stick, swinging with such weight and precision it made a mockery of the burning beasts around him. Each strike carved through them clean, effortless, the wood refusing to char even as fire licked it from sheer speed alone.
He was laughing. Grinning like a madman even as fire and fangs lunged for him.
"LOOOOK! LOOKLOOKLOOK AT ME, YOU!" His voice boomed, echoing up the tower. "AREN'T YOU GONNA TAKE VENGEANCE FOR ALL THOSE COMPANIONS OF YOURS I'VE SLAIN?!"
He twisted, vaulted over a beast, brought his stick down in a thunderous blow that split the spike where a head should've been in one impossibly fast motion. Blood bubbled and hissed as it met fire.
"C'MON—! C'MON! COME ON!" he howled, his grin splitting wider as the herd swarmed around him.
Subaru's lips trembled, eyes going wide. He whispered the name before his breath could catch:
"...Reid...??"
It was Reid Astrea. The very first Sword Saint—alive, breathing, grinning like a devil.
The better question wasn't what he was doing, but how the hell he was even down here. Neither Subaru nor Gojo had imagined the man could just stroll out of that trial room. If he could leave at will… then what did that mean for them? Was the whole tower just a joke to him then?
Gojo's jaw tightened. Above all, he wanted answers—and right now, he had more than enough reason to suspect Reid Astrea had been the one to slice Shaula apart. Why would the red-haired man do such a thing? Reasons didn't matter to Gojo.
"You'd better reinforce yourself, Subaru. Heavily." Gojo said, his tone flat, eyes locked below. "Then again—it's your choice. You can… come back from the dead after all, right?"
He didn't wait for a reply. His hands slipped from his pockets as he surrendered to gravity, Infinity flaring to life around him through instinct as he hit the ground like a falling star.
"Ghh—trust me, I do not want to know what being roasted alive feels like!" Subaru shouted, cursed energy crawling over his skin as he bent his knees and leapt after Satoru.
———————————————————————
The moment Gojo landed, his voice cut through the inferno.
"REID ASTREA!!"
"Hrn?" Reid's head turned mid-swing. His grin faltered only for a breath before the stick in his hands split a charging centaur's leg like it was dry kindling. In the same motion, he pivoted and drove the blunt tip clean through the beast's skull. Using the corpse as a platform, he leveled his wild eyes at Gojo beneath him.
"Oi, oi—you." His gaze flicked to Subaru. "And the small-fry too. You two seriously came down here? Heh. I reckon you'll scrape by, but babysittin' the deadweight? That's gotta be a right pain in the ass, eh?"
Gojo's reply died in his throat—no one had the luxury to stand still. Fire lanced from every angle, heat warping the air. He snapped his arm out, seizing Subaru's forearm and yanking him into Infinity's veil before the flames could char him alive.
"Smoke's too thick…" Gojo muttered, swiping the air clear with his hand.
"Heh!" Reid's sandals thumped as he kicked off the pinned beast, vaulting toward the next. A fireball streaked toward him. He ducked under it with a laugh, stick whipping in an arc that split the monster straight in half—the wound clean, permanent.
Gojo narrowed his eyes, watching. His hand leveled outward without even batting an eye, energy twisting—
Red.
The blast detonated into another centaur, collapsing its frame into shattered bone and mangled flesh. For a heartbeat, the thing was still.
Then it twitched. Rose again.
Meanwhile Reid's kill—bisected, hollowed, destroyed—lay silent, unmoving, undone in a way that mocked every law Gojo understood.
What's different about his strikes…?
Gojo thought, eyes narrowing further as the heat raged.
There's something about his attacks that I can't quite put my finger on, how confusing… But that wasn't the point. I've got something to settle with him. Subaru can hold out. He's gotten stronger since his last scuffle with one of these witchbeasts.
Reid moved like a storm. His sandals scraped sparks as he slid under a gout of flame, body low, and with a single kick launched a centaur witchbeast skyward like a ragdoll.
In the next instant, he rose after it—step light, almost delicate. Then came the whirlwind. His stick whirled into a gale of slashes, so fast they blurred into a single storm of steel and wind. When his feet hit the ground again, only bloody chunks rained down around him.
"Tsck—borin'..." Reid spat, flicking blood from his cheek. "These horses are just raindrops to me."
Another heat-lash surged toward him, and Reid's body turned instinctively—stick snapping into a guard.
CLASH-!
The strike didn't come from a beast.
It was Gojo's foot, pressed down hard against his weapon, Six Eyes gleaming like frozen fire.
Reid's grin sharpened. He shoved, forcing Gojo into a midair flip, but the sorcerer landed with feline ease.
"Ohooo?!" Reid barked out, exhilarated laughter rolling between the flames. "Centaur's too weak for ya, eh? Heh—I respect that! Small-fry over there, he's fun in a pathetic way, but you…" His eyes thinned to wild slits, blue pupils burning. "You ain't predictable. You're dangerous."
He snapped his stick into a stance, weight forward, like a beast baring its fangs.
"This stick-swinger'll show ya what it means to be the strongest, y'hear?!"
Gojo exhaled slowly, lowering into his own stance. No smile. No flippancy. Only a cold razor's edge of intent.
"Then remember this name, 'stick swinger'" His voice cut through the roar of fire like steel.
"I'm Satoru Gojo. And this'll be the second time you die."
———————————————————————
Subaru ripped the ebony blade free from the centaur's flank, the beast howling in that shrill, piercing tone before detonating in a spray of fire. He staggered back, smoke trailing from his clothes, lungs searing.
The cursed blade morphed, lengthening into a javelin. With a roar, Subaru hurled it overhead—the weapon lanced into the monster's chest and split outward like jagged roots, nailing the shrieking beast to the wall.
"This is the best I've got…" he muttered, wiping ash from his brow, heart hammering. "One… maybe two if I'm lucky. But fifteen? I'd be dead meat without those two monsters cutting loose over there..."
Still, his gaze snapped toward Gojo and Reid as their duel edged into motion. Just watching them made Subaru's stomach churn. The last time Reid fought seriously, Subaru had nearly been crushed by the aftershocks alone. He might be stronger now, sure, but this…? This was a clash of natural disasters.
"Urkk—damn it all…"
———————————————————————
Reid moved first. His body twitched once, subtle, before exploding into a blur. Stick and fist collided with Gojo's hand in a single brutal impact that spiderwebbed the floor and sent shockwaves hammering across the entire hall.
"Hrkk—!" Gojo grimaced, jaw tight, his arm rattling under Reid's raw strength even through Infinity.
Reid snapped his weapon back in the same breath and thrust it forward with killing precision. The stick's edge grazed Gojo's cheek, parting flesh before he bent low, momentum hurling him toward an onrushing centaur.
But Gojo's eyes saw it all.
He dropped into a fluid slide, body gliding beneath the beast's belly. A ripple of cursed energy burned in his outstretched palm—
SPLIT-!
The centaur fell apart in perfect halves before Gojo could blink, a curtain of blood splitting open. And right on cue, Reid burst through the gore, just as Gojo had predicted.
Reid's eyes widened, grin flickering as he saw the glowing crimson sphere blooming inches from his face.
"—Red!"
The impact was real—Gojo felt it in his bones. Red had smashed into Reid and hurled him back, gouging a path across the fiery stone floor. But the Sword Saint didn't stumble, didn't cough blood, didn't even grimace. He simply lowered his stick, kimono scorched, smirk still carved into his face.
Tch—he blocked that?!
"Oi—oi oi, shitter." Reid's voice rang wild through the firestorm. "Don't look so down, y'hear? That was prob'ly the best chance you had of winnin'. But don't you dare give up now—fights like this? Rare as hell y'know."
Gojo's eye twitched. A smirk curved his lips, but only for a heartbeat before his gaze hardened again.
"I couldn't agree more… but I can't enjoy this one." His voice dropped, tone cutting like steel. "Not when you killed Shaula."
His heel cracked the stone beneath him. No flicker, no warning—Gojo moved.
"Tch—the fuck're you tal—"
Reid's words were cut off as he was forced into a lean, Gojo's fist passing inches from his face. His stick flashed, biting through cloth and skin across Gojo's chest, a wide arc of blood spraying through the air, but neither fighter seemed to care—
Red-
Reid read it instantly. No second chances. He vaulted free of the blast radius, kimono smoking, eyes narrowed at the debris whipping unnaturally toward him. Flesh, rubble, blood—all dragged by the pull of cursed energy.
Blue-
Instead of faltering, Reid's grin split wider. In one breath, his stick whirled—no, dozens of strikes layered into a single moment—reducing stone to powder and meat to mist.
"GYAAAHAHAHA! YOU—YOU GOTTA DO BETTER THAN THAT, SATORU GOJO!"
Gojo's chest knit shut with a glow of Reversed Cursed Technique before he twisted his wrist, flinging a centaur corpse into Reid's path with a crushing wave of blue energy, then leapt high. Reid anticipated, eyes darting upward as Gojo descended like a hammer.
SWISH—!
Reid's body slipped aside, fluid, inevitable. His stick carved upward—clean, merciless.
Gojo's eyes snapped wide. His arm—gone. Severed from the elbow. Blood sprayed in a fountain as the limb spun through the air.
Pain flared, but the sorcerer didn't scream or panic. Infinity folded tight around the wound, sealing the blood mid-spray, slowing any blood that dared try to escape infinitesimally. He lashed out with a kick, but Reid parried it and slammed a palm into his chest, sending Gojo skidding back, staggering.
His brows furrowed. His breath caught.
Why…?
His lost arm wasn't regenerating.
The other strikes of his that cut me never truly took off a limb, they just cut my skin, is that the difference?
"Tch…" Gojo exhaled, frustration bleeding into a grim grin. "You ever hear you're a real pain in the ass to fight?"
Reid cocked his head, grin easy, feral.
"Pfft. All the time. Usually from weaklings cryin' 'cause they ain't got the guts to grind their way up. But you…" His eyes flicked sharp, tone twisting. "Nah—you're one o' those prodigy bastards, huh? Spoonfed talent 'n power. Annoyin' types."
Gojo didn't bother answering. His eyes slid toward Subaru.
"Oi—Subaru. Get the hell outta here. Can't go all-out with you in the blast zone."
"...Yeah, I mean—GLADLY!"
Subaru yelped, barely ducking past a flaming centaur's lunge. Reinforcing his legs with cursed energy, he leapt skyward, snagging the half-melted staircase and hauling himself upward, climbing as fast as his body would allow.
After ensuring Subaru was completely out of his range, Gojo's lips curled into a grin as he raised his remaining hand, palm agape and aimed at the charging Sword Saint.
"Oi—oi, watch yourself!!"
"Maximum Output: Red—!!"
A crimson sphere detonated into a crescent of raw force, screaming forward. Reid swung his stick to intercept—
CRACK-!
The weapon exploded into splinters. Only pure instinct saved him, his body twisting into a narrow lean that barely kept him from being halved. But the awkward motion left him open—
WHAM-!
Gojo's fist slammed into his jaw. Reid skidded back, blood spitting from his mouth… but his grin never faltered. He licked his lips, eyes glittering.
"Now that's more like it!"
He shifted stances, feet sliding. A Centaur, still staggering nearby, rushed between them. Reid didn't hesitate—his foot pistoned forward, smashing into the beast's ribs and hurling its massive body like a living projectile straight at Gojo.
"Tch—!"
The corpse hit Infinity and stopped cold, blocking Gojo's vision—exactly as Reid blitzed in from the side. His kick caved into Gojo's ribs with a brutal crack, forcing blood from the sorcerer's mouth.
Reid didn't stop. Snatching a chunk of bone from the carnage, he stripped it clean in one contemptuous swipe and swung it in a vicious diagonal arc.
Gojo thrust his palm forward, fingertips glowing.
"Red—!"
The strike split apart the impossible blow, the bone shattering—but the proximity hurled both of Reid's arms skyward. Gojo surged in with a crushing hook—only to find Reid already flowing under it, body arched impossibly low like a bridge, his leg snapping upward to pry Gojo's guard open and force distance again.
"You know, pretty boy…" Reid scoffed, rolling his neck. "You're gonna lose like this. Pathetic, really. Weren't you screamin' about avengin' some chick? Shaula, or whoever the hell you think I killed? That all you got?"
Gojo's eyes narrowed, his breath heavy.
Reid clicked his tongue, tilting his head with mock thoughtfulness.
"Was she hot? If so, why the shit would I kill her? Nah, I'd bed her first. Plenty o' places to sleep in this tower after all, before I leave this shithole that is."
Gojo froze mid-breath.
"…Before you leave? What the hell does that even mean?"
Reid blinked, then scoffed.
"By walkin' through the doors, obviously. You dumb or somethin'?"
"Tsck—"
Gojo grimaced, but the Sword Saint was already scratching his chest idly, tone shifting to bored demand.
"Anyway. Essentials, y'know? Water. Food. Some sake. And women."
Gojo winced, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"…Right. So what I'm getting from this is—you didn't kill Shaula?"
Reid didn't answer immediately, gaze wandering the ruined battlefield. No centaurs remained; their fight had slaughtered every last one. He scratched the back of his head, then finally spoke.
"Hrrr… Brown-haired chick? Big tits? Hell no, I didn't kill her. Tch! What kinda man you take me for, hrm?!"
Gojo sighed, dragging a hand down his face.
If he didn't kill her… then who the hell did?
The Six Eyes narrowed, unease creeping in.
This is all way too confusing… damn it, all I can take away from this is there's a little rat sneaking about…
"…So why did you wait so long to leave?" Gojo tilted his head, tone flat but with a razor edge. "You seem like the type who wouldn't bother with a trial at all. But you gave Subaru days before bailing. Doesn't add up."
Reid let out a loud snort, dragging his sandal against the floor as though the question itself was a waste of his time.
"Tsck… reasons, reasons, huh? Rhhh—fuck you! Ask too many dumbass questions, makin' me sound like some sorta dumbass!" He jabbed his thumb toward his own chest, smirking. "Me? Stayin' for days? Don't get it twisted, pretty boy. That was me… being generous."
Gojo didn't even blink.
"Generous. Uh-huh."
"Yeh! Small-fry needed some prep time. If I'd just walked outta that room straight away, he'd've been face-down cryin' like a baby with no fight left in him. Least this way, he had a chance to flex before gettin' stomped. That's manners, you hear, you?"
Gojo stared at him like he was staring at a particularly stupid kindergartner drawing on the walls.
"…You didn't even know you could walk out until you tried, did you?"
Reid clicked his tongue and looked away sharply, scratching the side of his neck.
"Tsck—don't flatter yourself, pretty boy. I just didn't feel like wastin' the effort yet, y'get me? I was enjoyin' my nap, keepin' the skills polished, listenin' to that idiot small-fry whine his ass off every day. Entertainment, see?"
Gojo's expression didn't change, though his shoulders slumped just slightly as if gravity finally caught him.
Unbelievable. It's not like he's dumb either, so is it just plain arrogance?
"I don't give two shits about this trial." Reid snapped, shaking his head like the entire concept bored him. "And why the hell should I? You think I care about some little test? You?"
Gojo sighed, rubbing his temple like he was fighting the beginnings of a migraine.
"…Well… I guess that makes enough sense. Unfortunately."
His eyes then trailed down to his lost limb, a frown appearing on his face.
Now what the hell am I going to do about this...?
———————————————————————
Subaru let out a long, shaky sigh of relief as he leaned over the edge to glance down. Flames still licked at the air far below, and the stone was cracked and blackened, but he couldn't see either Gojo or Reid in the chaos. All he could hear was the sounds of chaos below.
"… Gojo can hold his own.. sure he's fighting an absolute monster but, it takes a monster to fight one."
Subaru muttered, half to himself, half in disbelief.
Shaking his head, he turned away, boots scraping against stone as he jogged back through the hallways. His steps carried him back toward that broken wall where Gojo had cornered him earlier.
He slowed. The hole in the stone… the sharp imprint of Gojo's fist… it all made his stomach twist. Subaru stared at it like it was some riddle.
Why could I tell Gojo? Why… why didn't she care?
The thought burned as he clenched his teeth, glaring at the wall as though it might answer him.
He knows. He knows I can Return by Death. So why? Why does the witch not come causing anarchy this time around…?
His lips tightened into a thin line, and he forced himself to turn. The door opposite still hung ajar, and beyond it—
Shaula's corpse.
Subaru's chest sank. The sight was all too familiar, all too cruel. He felt his throat tighten with frustration.
"A failed loop this is." he muttered bitterly. "The only reason I haven't restarted already was to find out more. And for some reason I don't think it was Reid either, it doesn't make sense for him to kill someone like Shaula with her errr... assets? He'd be all for that anything..."
He rubbed at his face, dragging his fingers across the sweat and grime streaking his cheek. His voice cracked as he tried to convince himself:
"…I can just figure it out the next—"
The words froze in his throat. His instincts screamed at him—MOVE!—and cursed energy surged through him without thought, reinforcing his body as he snapped his body around—
—but too late.
A flash of silver, and white-hot pain.
"GRHH—!"
Subaru's breath ripped out of him in a ragged growl as the dagger carved across his chest and side, slicing muscle like paper. Blood sprayed in a vicious arc, scattering across the floor.
Stumbling back, his vision swam red. His breath hitched and trembled, but his eyes still burned with disbelief and primarily, confusion.
"…Wh-what… the hell—?!"
The flash of steel carved across the dark, slicing Subaru's chest before he even had time to blink. His body lurched back, breath hitching as a thin spray of blood painted the air and floor.
From the shadow, a silhouette wavered, then stepped forward into the light—long, flowing brown hair tipped in pinkish-red, beady green eyes that gleamed like a predator's, fanged teeth bared in a grin. His cloak dragged along the ground, whispering with each step, like the sound of something being devoured.
"Ahhh—ehhh? You, you you you—you dodged? You moved? Nuh-uh, no, no no no, that's not fair, that's not how it works, nope nope nope nope nope—"
The voice trilled, lilting and broken, like a child throwing a tantrum and a lunatic giggling over a joke only he could hear.
Subaru's eyes widened, heart sinking as recognition struck. That voice. That face. The monster who had appeared that he had to fight against alongside Ram at the mansion. The thing Gojo had left him to handle while fighting Elsa and that other Archbishop.
He stumbled into a stance, lips pressing tight.
"... Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult…"
The figure stretched his arms wide, head lolling as though on strings, before snapping back into a toothy grin.
"Representin' GLUUUUTONY~! Lye Batenkaitos!"
Lye's green eyes snapped downward without his head moving an inch.
"Tsck—guess I've found our killer, huh…"
Subaru muttered, his voice ragged. His whole body burned—not the sharpness of flame, but a feverish suffocation, sweat dripping into his eyes. His chest rose and fell unevenly, the blood loss biting deeper than he had time to bargain for.
"Not fair… not fair, fair fair… Though you aren't the white-haired fella who killed little brother, still—still still—I'll eat, eat eat you up, tsu~"
Lye stepped forward, feather-light, but each step brought him closer with the aura of a predator. He launched forward, a silver glint flashing through the cramped hall.
"Hrk—!"
Subaru jerked sideways, the dagger just grazing flesh. Another flash followed—he barely dodged again. And again. And again.
The tight walls hemmed him in, narrowing the dance, turning Lye's erratic swipes into a storm Subaru couldn't counter in his current state. Every missed strike still cost him breath, each heartbeat dragging him closer to the dark edge of unconsciousness.
A hand, his left clamped Subaru's shoulder. Lye's touch was light, almost playful—before both his legs tucked inward and he kicked off Subaru's body. The next instant Subaru was slammed spine-first into the stone wall, the air ripping from his lungs.
"Urrghk—! Damn it Gojo-sensei, why's he taking.. so long…?!"
Subaru coughed, his vision swimming.
Lye tilted his head like a curious animal, his grin widening, his green eyes glittering with a manic, hollow joy.
"Ahhh? Is—is it true, truly? Is that the name, the name of the one who killed little brother? Ohhh, oh oh, it must be, it must be, tsu~!"
Subaru's body sagged, his legs trembling. His breaths were shallow, his pupils dimming, strength falling from him like water through cracked fingers.
"No, no no no no…" Lye hissed, each word doubling back on itself, as though savoring it. "You can't—you can't die yet, can't die, tsu~! You must allow me, allow me to eat you, chew you, swallow you, make you part, part, part of me, tsu~!"
Subaru dragged in a shuddering breath. Death was certain, his body already shredded—but he refused to keel over yet. Not to this freak so easily. Not without learning something for the next loop.
He let out a breath, his veins bulging with jet-black as he manifests it once more.
The Authority of Pride…!
The walls buckled as if responding to his will—black spires of shadow erupting like jagged fangs toward the Archbishop. Lye's green eyes flickered, his grin sharpening. A step—and he vanished.
Behind!
An ebony blade surged into Subaru's grip, steel ringing in his ears as it met the silver dagger. Sparks danced as Subaru shoved back, forcing Lye to skid across the stone.
Darkness lashed. Cuts appeared on Lye's frame, shallow but real. He only laughed, twisting, bounding across walls, leaving silver arcs in his wake. Subaru parried, blocked, bled—until his mouth filled with iron and his lungs burned like fire.
But still, he began to grin like a mad-man on the level of Lye himself, as if death was nothing more than a simple matter.
Subaru's whole body was screaming at him to just collapse—muscles torn, lungs drowning, vision flashing in and out—but his lips just peeled back into a wild, bloody grin. His heart hammered like a war drum, every nerve alive with fire.
If he was going to die, then why not burn everything out? Why not laugh as he pushed past the limits of his body? Maybe that was why it felt so good. Maybe death was the very reason ecstasy clawed through his veins.
"Ahhh…"
His laugh came out ragged, bubbling with blood. His eyes lost their focus for a second from the sheer ecstasy—then suddenly snapped back to meet the glint of green and silver barreling toward him.
Darkness met steel.
CLANG!
The hallway shook with the clash. Subaru's knees almost buckled—but his face split into a manic smile as he shoved back with everything he had.
"Is… is it weird, huh? That I feel so damn good right now?" His voice cracked, half-snarling, half-laughing. "I mean—seriously… this is greaaat!"
He cackled, pressing harder against Lye's guard, eyes wide and unblinking.
Lye's grin faltered for the first time, his green eyes narrowing as though confused—just for a flicker. The Archbishop of Gluttony was used to screams, begging, sobbing… not a half-dead boy howling with joy like this.
"Tsu~…?"
Subaru's blade trembled in his hands, darkness flaring around it, eating at the edges of the corridor. His whole frame quivered as though about to collapse—yet he laughed louder, forcing the dagger back inch by inch.
The black blade quivered in his grip, his arms trembling—but instead of faltering, Subaru threw his head back and laughed.
"Ahahahahaa—! Come on! Harder! Cut me up more if you want too!"
Lye's green eyes widened, second dagger flashing forward like silver lightning through the gap—straight through Subaru's shoulder. Flesh split. Bone cracked. His body jerked under the impact, but instead of recoiling, Subaru lunged forward into the stab, forcing the blade deeper in his own body just to close the distance.
He slammed his forehead into Lye's nose with a sickening crunch.
Blood sprayed across the walls. His own and Lye's mingled in the air.
Lye hissed, twisting his dagger out, carving across Subaru's ribs in a spray of blood. But Subaru didn't even flinch as a response—he threw himself into the slice, letting his side split open just so his fist could smash against Lye's jaw.
The Archbishop skidded back, eyes twitching, grin twitching between delight and confusion. This wasn't despair. This wasn't fear. This was… something else. Something confusing.
"Tsuu~…? You're strange, strange strange, very strange!—letting yourself be eaten up, little meal…"
Subaru staggered forward, dripping red with every step, blade dragging against the floor. His lungs wheezed, his legs shook, but his grin was radiant.
Lye darted forward again, faster, sharper, blades flashing in a frenzy. Subaru didn't dodge. He let them cut, his skin opening in slashes across his arms, his chest, his thigh—but every time he was cut, he struck back harder.
"Ghhkk—!"
Blood sprayed as crimson tears welled in his eyes. The veins in his entire body threatening to burst from sheer pressure alone.
Lye landed lightly on even ground after being flung, another opening!
Subaru stepped. Darkness exploded from his heel.
"Try blocking THIS ONE!"
His voice cracked, half-scream, half-laugh.
The hallway became a coffin of spikes that surged toward the Archbishop. Lye's eyes went wide—
"Eclipse!"
Lye howled, twin daggers cutting through the wave of darkness and shattering the void around him—
Only for Subaru to meet him again in a spray of sparks where their blade's clashed with one another. The only difference were these sparks weren't orange, they were black and red.
Subaru's lips peeled back in a bloody grin. For the briefest flicker of eternity, everything aligned—his will, his cursed energy, the abyss inside him, all of it suddenly made sense.
SNAP-!
The dagger shattered from the sudden explosive force. The backlash launched Lye across the hall like a ragdoll at supersonic speeds, his body cracking stone as he smashed into the far wall. The ground erupted. Black lightning hissed across Subaru's blade.
"—BLACK FLASH!!!"
Time finally lurched back into motion.
Subaru's knees gave out instantly, his vision collapsing into red haze and pitch-black static. His breaths came wet and shallow, every nerve screaming. The obscene amount of blood pooled around him, his entire body reduced to a state it had ever been before.
And yet he laughed, his smile delirious, unshaken, even as the blood formed as a puddle beneath his cold frame.
"…Heheh… found.. our killer… and learned something real good…"
The darkness surged up around him, swallowing him whole as his body went limp. But even as his head fell against the wall—he was grinning. He'd had an epiphany after all, the understanding of his Authority deepening.
Next time. Next time I'll be ready, and I'll make sure nobody dies...
Lye Batenkaitos... I'm coming for you.