Chapter 113 - c

It may not have been the answer he hoped for, but Julius didn't seem particularly disappointed. Of course, he of all people hadn't expected Subaru to turn out to be some kind of mystical Witch Cult killer.

Subaru himself immediately understood that it was the second issue Julius had brought up that was the real point.

"…Greed is the one who kidnapped Emilia. Even now, his selfish pet theories have every hair on my body standing on end. I don't wanna leave

Emilia with that bastard one second longer than I have to."

"By that, you mean you are prioritizing Lady Emilia's rescue?"

"Damn right I am—is what I'd like to say, but…"

When he tried to give Julius's question a confident answer, Subaru broke off with a sigh.

He did want to get Emilia back as soon as possible. That was, without question, Subaru's true feelings on the matter. The idea of leaving Emilia in the hands of someone with such warped thinking for any period of time made him want to hurl.

But the city's dire state and Lust's demands did not permit Subaru to act out of emotion.

"We can't let Lust do as she pleases. If we don't stop her, she's gonna wreak absolute havoc with people's minds— Plus, that metia is a serious problem."

"Agreed. The metia in city hall is a chain that binds everyone in the city."

A voice that could reach every part of the city was plenty menacing enough. Lust was clearly aware of its efficacy, but Subaru had a different concern in mind.

There was someone else inside the city, someone with an Authority that amplified emotions and made them resonate with those of anyone in the vicinity. If that ability was augmented to a despairing degree by that metia, what would happen?

A pandemic of explosively irresistible madness would spread, and the city would be annihilated.

To save Emilia, they had to prevent the destruction of the city and regain control over that metia. Both goals required defeating Lust at city hall.

Accomplishing this was the first step on the path to rescuing Emilia from Greed's clutches.

"The enemy has seized the four control towers as well as the municipal offices at the center of the city. That said, the priority target is obvious. Getting Lust out of city hall comes first. Plus, if Lust was serious during that broadcast earlier, the lives of the people inside city hall are more at risk the longer we wait."

"I see… A most valuable opinion. It largely matches my own thoughts." When Subaru detailed his plan, Julius nodded in apparent satisfaction.

In all likelihood, the handsome knight had internally come to the same conclusion much sooner. Perhaps making Subaru say it out loud was to test whether Subaru had lost his cool and reached a hasty conclusion.

"Good, good. Let's review and take stock."

Lightly clapping, Anastasia resumed her self-appointed duty as master of ceremonies. Spreading her hands, she fixed Subaru with her round, light-blue eyes.

"I support following Natsuki's plan. I agree that leaving the broadcast metia in that person's hands is dangerous… The longer we let her be, the greater the chance the city's residents might lose the will to carry on and force our hand."

"I also concur with the two of you. If we allow the enemy free rein, our options shall gradually diminish. If we are making our move, the sooner the better."

With a crisp posture, Crusch agreed with Subaru and Anastasia's conclusion.

Just as she had said, they were currently well staffed and ready for a fight. The Muse Company was currently housing Garfiel, Ricardo, Julius, and Wilhelm, distinguished warriors all.

Adding in the Iron Fangs and Kiritaka's private forces, the White Dragon's Scale, would enhance their strength even further.

However, Kiritaka interrupted that line of thought as he shook his head side to side with a grim face.

"I am very sorry. Currently, my personal troops are carrying out a different mission at my direction. They are securing the members of the

Council of Ten and escorting them here."

"Shit, that's… Nah, that's something you need to do. If one of them blabs, the city'll be destroyed by something other than the water gates. That said, I'd love to improve our chances somehow…"

If it was possible, Subaru would've preferred to face the enemy at the same strength they'd been able to field during the battle with Petelgeuse—at minimum. After all, they were currently facing no less than three Archbishops of the Seven Deadly Sins, so by simple arithmetic, he assumed the fight would be three times as tough.

"—Nah, you probably don't need to worry about that, right?"

"Al? What do you mean?"

Al suddenly interrupted Subaru's train of thought. Twisting his neck, he said, "Well, you know?" as a preamble. "Bro, you're worried about city hall turning into a haunt for the Archbishops of the Seven Deadly Sins, right? But didn't they say in that last broadcast that they've set up camp in each of the control towers?"

"? What of it? Is there something odd about that?"

"!! Ohhh, I get it now! Yeah, you're right!"

Ricardo voiced his confusion, but Subaru grasped what he was getting at.

Apparently, they'd each stationed themselves in different control towers —and what did that expression imply?

"The Archbishops took over the control towers at the same time…but I don't think they're working together like a big happy family. They're the kind of people who'd be willing to start turning on one another even as their enemies close in on them."

Subaru pointedly recalled how Sirius and Regulus had nearly gone for each other's throats.

Had it not been for Subaru being in the way, the falling-out in the timetower square would probably have ended with one of them going down. In the first place, the terms harmonious and group activity didn't suit them in the slightest.

Could such hyper-individual personalities really rein it in and coordinate properly?

"The fact that no one else spoke during Lust's broadcast seems to support that theory. They're all way too keen on promoting their own causes to leave something like that to anyone else."

"I cannot call that anything other than a very subjective opinion…

However, it is oddly convincing."

Subaru's conviction left Julius furrowing his refined eyebrows as the man shut one eye and considered the plausibility of it all.

There was no question that this was the most speculative theory they had discussed so far. However, Subaru was certain in his deductions. Having come face-to-face with three Archbishops of the Seven Deadly Sins and having had indirect contact with a fourth, Subaru Natsuki believed wholeheartedly in their warped character.

Then just as their counterattack on city hall suddenly seemed genuinely within reach—

"—Whew. Somehow, I managed to finish the treatment." The door to the adjacent room opened, and Ferris emerged, covered in a sheen of sweat as he tottered forward. Covered in bloodstains despite having already changed clothes once, he wiped his brow with a towel as he gave Anastasia his

report. "Lady Anastasia, I have done everything I can. The rest…"

"How's Mimi? Can ya save her? You will, right?"

Ricardo's breathing was ragged as he talked to Ferris over Anastasia's head, hoping for good news. Behind Ricardo, Garfiel stared at Ferris as if clinging to his every word.

With their gazes and earnest pleas focused on him, as well as the attention of everyone else in the room, Ferris lowered his eyes.

"The wound still isn't closed. For now, I did what I could and stopped the bleeding using primitive methods… Then borrowing the power of the blessing shared between Mimi and her little brothers, we're somehow keeping her going for the moment."

"By 'blessing,' do you mean the blessing of thirds? What's that gonna do to them?"

"That blessing gives the power to share wounds and fatigue between the three of them to begin with, right? They forced that bond to strengthen, taking a greater share from Mimi's wounds than they normally would. That's extended our time limit, but…"

"—When Big Sis's life runs out, it means we will die as well, I presume."

From the door to the other room, someone behind Ferris cut in with a voice that was short of breath.

When Ferris moved to the side, everyone could see Hetaro and TB sitting on the floor of the adjacent room. A simple cot lay between them, and resting on it was Mimi.

Their older sister continued to sleep as the two younger brothers gently held her hands— However, their free hands were pressed to their own chests in obvious signs of pain.

"—Ya pair of fools. I swear the both of you don't have a lick of sense."

"…When I think of this as Big Sis's pain, I feel a little bit happy I can share it with her."

"I am not quite as taken with this as my older brother seems to be. Therefore, captain, I trust that you will do something about this as soon as possible— After all, should we die, the three of us will absolutely haunt you."

Shouldering a portion of their sister's wounds, the two little brothers braved the same mortal danger. Their courage made Ricardo's fangs tremble. In an attempt to console him, Ferris put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Don't be angry with them. These kids are just desperate to help Mimi."

Ferris was standing up for the choice that the two cat-people made. But really, his voice was thick with his own regrets over his lack of ability.

"It isn't your fault, Ferris. Besides, I'm guessing those two came up with that idea on their own, didn't they? These children are such a handful. They never stop to think whenever their beloved big sister is involved."

With a thin smile, Anastasia indicated that she understood her subordinates'—her family's decision.

Then Anastasia seemed to slowly bite down on her teeth.

"Ricardo."

"If we're gonna do it, we do it fast. Otherwise, there ain't no point. Am I wrong, boss?"

When called upon, Ricardo replied without hesitation. From his low growl, it was clear there was no one capable of calling a halt to his determination to fight—nor was there anyone who failed to comprehend the feelings urging him onward.

With a click of his heels, Julius straightened his back and gave Anastasia a reverent knight's salute.

"Lady Anastasia, should you command it, all members of the Iron Fangs can move at once."

"Thank you. Our Iron Fangs will secure the route to city hall. After that, ideally, the elites will launch their assault and take control of the building without delay. Our enemies are a looming man, a slender woman, and the

Archbishop of Lust."

"On our side, we've got Garfiel, Ricardo, Wilhelm, and Julius, right?" "—I shall participate as well." It was Crusch who raised her voice.

Her long, green hair was tied back, and a longsword hung at her hip. She retightened the straps of her boots as she boldly volunteered for the front lines.

"Are you sure you're up for this, Crusch?"

"I may not be as I once was, but I have retrained with Wilhelm as my teacher. I also have the power of the blessing of wind reading. I have no intention of weighing anyone down."

Before she'd lost her memory, Crusch had been mighty enough to be one of the heavy hitters during the battle against the White Whale. But now Subaru wasn't sure where she stood in strength. If he was blunt, even her gravitas didn't compare with the old Crusch, and he didn't think her current personality was suited to fighting, but—

"Lady Crusch's natural talents have not waned whatsoever. Her strength with the sword is sufficient. I guarantee it."

Apparently wanting to dispel Subaru's concerns, Wilhelm gave his firm stamp of approval. Touching a hand to the hilt of his own sword, he turned both of his blue eyes toward his master.

"However, please do not overexert yourself. I respectfully ask that you prioritize your own safety."

"It is a noble's duty to stand before the masses, endure the rigors of combat, and shed blood, if need be. Shirking that responsibility in the name of self-preservation would only cause the blameless populace to suffer instead. I will fight, Wilhelm."

"…What a headstrong liege I serve. Of course, this is exactly why I have pledged my sword to you."

Crusch held strong even as Wilhelm cautioned her. Seeing him stand straighter in approval at his master's reply, Ferris swiftly raised a hand.

"Yes! Yes! Me too! Your lovely Ferri will accompany you! Please let me come along!"

"Ferris, go to the other shelters and treat whoever is in need. I am happy you are thinking of me, but even if it is for my sake, do not lose sight of which battlefield you should be attending to."

"Uuuuuuurgh…"

His request denied, Ferris desperately racked his brain for some way to protest. But unable to find any fault with Crusch's eminently reasonable argument, he soon gave in with a tearful face.

"Old Man Wil, take care of Lady Crusch. You absolutely have to keep her safe."

"Of course. I shall see it through, even if it means I will meet my end in this land."

Wilhelm's reply was brimming with powerful, noble determination.

In the end, with Crusch added to the mix, the core force tasked with retaking city hall numbered five people.

Just as he was reviewing their roster, Subaru noticed Al sitting on the stairs.

"Can we depend on you for the coming fight? I've never seen you duke it out, but…"

"Weeell, actually, about that… This pep rally is real inspiring and all, but…"

"? What's up?"

Al scratched the back of his neck as he stood up. Then while pressing a palm against the scabbard of the falchion resting on the back of his hip, he turned his head and looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"Sorry about this, but I can't go to city hall. The situation's changed. I've gotta split off from you guys to go find Princess and link up with her."

"Huh?! The hell are you talking about at a time like this?!"

"I said sorry, didn't I? I really am about all this."

When Subaru was taken aback by his sudden declaration, Al gave a vague apology, but this wasn't something that could be settled with a quick apology. He wanted to know what in the world Al was thinking.

"For starters, weren't you the one who said you didn't need to worry about Priscilla?"

"That was before I got all sorts of new data and had to revise everything. Besides, even if I'm there, I ain't no use in a boss fight at city hall. If I'm just gonna hold the crew back, I might as well not be there. Am I wrong?"

"Y-you…"

When Al asserted his own powerlessness, Subaru couldn't do anything but gape.

Al had been a full participant in the meeting up until that point, so he understood exactly what was at stake. If they didn't take back city hall and send Lust packing, the entire city would be in danger. There was no way he didn't understand that.

"—Sir Al, you will not reconsider?"

Setting Subaru's bewilderment aside for the moment, Julius took the opportunity to pose an additional question toward Al. Turning to address The Finest of Knights, Al simply said, "Yeah," and nodded without enthusiasm. "Sorry, I won't be changing my mind… Unlike you guys, I haven't been able to hook back up with my master."

"It is only natural for a vassal to think of his liege. I shall not criticize you for that."

"That's appreciated. I'm glad you understand."

Al's reply to Julius's elegant words somehow came off as cold. It was just that he seemed guilty for going against everyone's decision and opting to act on his own. Then he looked at Subaru once more.

"This isn't exactly what I was talking about, but you're in the same position, right, Bro? I think I've gotta prioritize a woman who's important to me over going to city hall."

 " "

"That said, I'm pretty sure there's a limit to what you can do with that leg anyhow."

Al's assertion made Subaru's face crumple as if he'd sustained a painful blow.

In a sense, Al's position was totally reasonable. Whatever spin Subaru might put on it, Emilia's safety was not assured whatsoever. It was completely possible that she was in peril that very moment.

And with his leg so badly injured, Subaru had few sane choices to pick from.

—In response to Al's words, there wasn't much Subaru could do.

"Aaarghhhhhhh…!"

"W-wait—Subawu?! What are you doing?!"

Enduring the excruciating pain in his right leg, Subaru somehow managed to rise to his feet. Seeing Subaru exert his grievously hurt leg so terribly, his physician, Ferris, hastily rushed over and slapped him on the head.

"Owww, that hurts."

"Of course it hurts! I told you, you have to rest, so why do you keep being so reckless?! Do you have a problem with Ferri's diagnosis? Because it wouldn't be strange if your leg fell right off!"

"I, uh, wanted to prove my resolve, or something like that. Ferris, you of all people should understand how I feel."

"Uuugh…"

Caught by Subaru's intense black eyes from up close, Ferris pouted and struggled to form a response.

This was Subaru's reply, both to Al's words and to his companions who were heading toward a place of death. If his choices had decreased due to his leg wound, he would simply have to push through on grit and guts alone.

Al had cited his lack of power as a reason not to participate. That undoubtedly applied to Subaru as well. But Subaru had the heart of a

trickster. If he could at least support the others with that, then—

"—There's meaning in pushing myself. This is what I can do for Emilia's sake."

"…Are you saying even if you lose your leg, you'll have no regrets?"

"Of course I'd have regrets. But they'd only get worse if I back down here and now."

"Sigh… If you're going to go this far, you might as well have kept acting cool right up until the very end."

Sighing in exasperation, Ferris reached a hand toward Subaru, who was breathing hard as he endured the pain. Then he stroked the thick bandage over his patient's right leg.

"I'll use my special trick, then."

"What's that? Er…wait a— Ow, that hurts! That hurts a lot! Wait, ow, ow, ow! It really…doesn't…hurt?"

Gradually, his leg was enveloped in the faint light and heat coming from Ferris's hand. Bit by bit, the stabbing pain was drawn out, and soon, it felt better than ever.

"Hey, are you serious…?! If you had such convenient magic all along, don't be stingy and just use it sooner! Yes, yes, yes! I can move! I can…"

With the pain completely gone, Subaru emphatically stomped on the floor several times. After that, he slapped his leg where the wound had been. When he did so, he felt something wet on his palm. He saw that it had become deep red.

His right leg's wound had split open and was bleeding with a fair bit of force.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, it's not healed?!"

"I never said I healed it. I only asked if you'd regret losing the leg. All I did was remove your sense of pain. If you try hard enough, you should even be able to run around."

Subaru was stunned by how much he was bleeding as Ferris tied a fresh bandage over the wound. Just like he had explained, his leg didn't hurt at all.

It was painfully obvious that this rather unnatural state did mean he could push it to some extent.

"Any strain you put on your leg will absolutely have serious effects, so try to be careful!"

"…Got it. This is a huge help. I owe you."

"…There's absolutely no way Subawu is going to listen to what Ferri says, is there?"

As Subaru checked the condition of his leg and nodded, Ferris puffed up

his cheeks and turned away in a huff.

Subaru would have loved to protest and say, That's not true, but he had no idea what he'd resort to until the choice was upon him. He had learned not to make promises he couldn't keep.

"All right, I'm adding myself to the team that's mounting an attack on city hall. Just letting you know in advance, there's no use trying to stop me. It's true that I can't exactly contribute a ton in raw power, but even I have stuff I can do…"

"What do ya mean, 'try to stop ya'? A guy like you is worth a hundred men. We're dependin' on ya."

"I can do things like… Wait, what?"

Expecting a hail of objections, Subaru was ready to justify his presence, but Ricardo accepted his proposal without any hesitation. Noticing that Subaru was surprised by his reply, he elaborated and said, "Bro, I saw how hard ya worked, both during our rumble with the White Whale and when we fought Sloth. It ain't just Julius and Wilhelm who rate ya highly."

 " "

Ricardo's unexpected appraisal left Subaru struggling to find words. When he looked around the room, seeking answers, he saw Julius shrugging and Wilhelm nodding deeply.

It seemed that neither had any objections. On top of that, Crusch was faintly smiling as well.

"Needless to say, I would be glad to have your support. By all means,

Master Subaru, join us."

"You serious? This seems a little weird, but…"

Subaru was totally confused, unaccustomed to being counted as someone who could contribute in battle without question.

"Geez, you gonna be that reckless here…?"

When that string of exchanges brought a grumble spilling out of Al, Subaru turned toward him.

"I get what you're saying, but I still think this is the best call. I do feel sorry, though."

"No need to say sorry to me. You should just do what you want, Bro. I'll be doing the same— Ah, I will give ya one piece of advice, though."

"Advice?"

When Al abruptly raised a finger and said something unexpected, Subaru cocked his head. Then in a voice that sounded totally emotionless, he said one thing.

"—If Gluttony shows up, don't say your real names." A shudder ran up Subaru's spine.

That word of caution had come with no warning, and simply hearing it was enough to claw at his heart.

Eyes wide, Subaru stared straight at Al. Glancing at his dumbfounded face, Al shrugged nonchalantly.

"Hope the two of us meet again safe and sound, Bro." He left him with those carefree words.

3

—The Water Gate City of Pristella had gone so quiet that the events of that morning felt like a mirage.

As Subaru walked along the paving stone–lined streets, a slight glance to the side would have been all it took to get a perfect view of the peacefully crystal clear waterway, belying the crisis currently gripping the city. Looking at the serenely flowing water might have seemed like it could wash away the vortex of chaos swirling inside his chest, but that would be a lie. The melancholy that he felt could not be relieved with such simple means.

"Priscilla and her people always leave a mess behind… Man, did he lay down a real doozy before he left, though."

Subaru was grumbling about the explosive parting message he had gotten right as they were on the verge of departing from the Muse Company.

His surprise at hearing Al bring up Gluttony was no small thing in and of itself, but that wasn't the only piece of information the cryptic man had offered up. Afterward, Al had added one more thing.

"…So it's possible that all the Archbishops are in Pristella right now, huh?"

Now that he thought about it, that was more than plausible.

At present, three Archbishops of the Seven Deadly Sins had already been confirmed to be inside the city. Plus, they knew the Witch Cult had taken over the four control towers on top of seizing city hall.

Given that five places had been captured, if each was under the control of one of the leaders of the Witch Cult, then Wrath, Greed, Lust, Gluttony, and Pride were all in attendance.

"—You are too deep in thought, Subaru. You should calm down a little."

"Argh…"

While brooding over the possibilities, someone abruptly tapped his shoulder. It was only then that Subaru noticed he'd forgotten to even breathe. When he glanced over, he saw Julius was right beside him, staring with an anxious look on his face. Subaru recoiled immediately.

That overreaction made Julius snort with a "Hmph," before continuing to speak. "From the looks of it, you have regained your senses."

"Yeah, I'm actually pretty grateful for that… I really did wade in a little too deep."

"Little wonder. To be blunt, you have too much hanging over you. There is taking back city hall and securing Lady Emilia's safety. And then there is the potential presence of your fated foe, Gluttony."

 " "

"Were I in your position, I would have my doubts whether I could remain as calm as you are. On that score, your efforts are more than sufficient. You should take pride in them."

"What's with you…? Don't creep me out like…"

Subaru furrowed his brows, feeling a chill after receiving that overly considerate compliment. He understood that Julius meant him no ill will, but how his friendly demeanor made him feel was a separate matter.

Still, thanks to Julius's thoughtfulness, Subaru regained enough composure to properly examine his surroundings.

—At the moment, with Subaru included, the six members of the group tasked with retaking city hall were walking through the city.

Garfiel and Ricardo, both boasting keen senses of smell, led the group from the front. Crusch and Wilhelm followed behind the pair, and Subaru and Julius brought up the rear.

They walked in formation, on guard against attacks the Witch Cult might launch, but fortunately, there was no sign of any enemy presence so far, let alone an assault. Instead, what came into sharper relief were the various things smoldering deep inside each of the members of the assault team.

In Subaru's case, the injury to his leg, his fraught escape with Beatrice, and, more than anything else, not knowing whether Emilia was safe ate at him. The added flicker of Gluttony's presence left his mind teetering on the edge.

Much like him, the other members of the party harbored various issues in their own minds.

Garfiel and Ricardo were concerned for Mimi's well-being; Wilhelm's wound, which was left by his departed wife, had deep implications; and Crusch was struck by the possibility that Gluttony, to whom she, too, was tied by destiny, might be somewhere in the city.

Before heading out, Subaru had sworn to the sleeping Beatrice that he'd come back with good news, but his worries did not abate in the slightest.

"On that point, you're pretty much the only one here with a calm and collected mind, aren't you?"

"Considering my concern for Mimi and the others' well-being, I would hardly claim to be calm. I am, however, striving to be as calm as I can manage."

"And I'm thankful for that… Hey, you think we can win?"

Gently, Subaru averted his eyes and posed the question in a quiet voice so that none but Julius could hear. He detected Julius's breath catching ever so slightly.

"…It is rather unusual for you to ask me, in particular."

"I think I'm being stupid, too… I'd rather have our strongest guy here and not have to worry like this, though."

"…In this sort of situation where the innocent could be hurt, it is inconceivable that Reinhard would not move. The very fact that he has not yet revealed himself should be taken as an indication that some kind of commensurate problem has befallen him. This includes the likelihood that he is engaged with Witch Cultists somewhere else."

Even though Subaru hadn't named anyone in particular, Julius listed off all the possibilities he could think of.

As a matter of fact, Subaru had already experienced a lap where Reinhard had engaged the Witch Cult in combat. But this time, the man hadn't been seen ever since the Witch Cult had attacked in earnest.

Naturally, this conspicuous absence and the question of exactly whom he and Felt had sauntered off to meet were major points of concern.

"Gahhh, how long am I just gonna grope around in the dark? If he ain't here, he ain't here. Worrying's not gonna make worries go away, and it's not about whether we can win; it's that we will win. Time to get my head in the game…!"

Continuously stressing about every concern that came along would summon dark clouds over any warrior.

Subaru slapped his cheeks with both hands, brushing aside his welling feelings of frailty as he let out a strong and sharp breath of air.

Glancing at the sight, Julius narrowed his eyes a bit without a word.

Thinking the reaction odd, Subaru tried to press the issue when—

"—Smells of blood. A lot of it, too."

Still on point, Ricardo scouted ahead with his nose. Garfiel nodded in silence.

Right then, the report from their top two trackers confirmed that they were getting close to the tall building visible on the other side of the street—city hall. It was here where Subaru and the others halted for a moment to make their final preparations.

 " "

Garfiel equipped his shields on both arms, and Ricardo adjusted the way he carried his large hatchet. And with a look resembling a quiet sea breeze in Wilhelm's eyes, those three projected a sense of incredible tension.

To Garfiel and Ricardo, the opponents waiting for them in the square ahead were targets for vengeance, and as for Wilhelm…exactly what this impending encounter would mean to him was something Subaru just had to know.

"I had my flower buds survey the area, but it seems there is no sign of troops lying in ambush. According to Mr. Kiritaka, the only entrance into city hall is from the front— There is no option save challenging them head-on."

Julius had used a number of his six contracted greater spirits to check the surrounding area; he was enveloped by pale lights as they gave him their reports. Subaru was simply grateful for the news that there was no ambush lying in wait for them.

"Can't you get the spirits to take a look inside the building, too? If we could find out where the enemy is and how they've set up, this'd be a lot easier."

"Unfortunately, I am not inclined to force the ladies to go that far. There is no guarantee that the enemy has not learned from Sloth's defeat and taken anti-spirit measures."

"Yeah, nothing good'll come from them getting nailed and depleting your fighting strength, huh?"

Julius's power was directly connected to the number of greater spirits he had and the number of options they put at his disposal. Plus, Subaru wanted to avoid the risk of them probing too deep for recon and alerting the enemy to their imminent attack.

Above all else, the longer it took them to act, the greater the danger posed to the hostages in city hall.

"Let's go, just like we planned it. The exact details are gonna depend on the enemy's composition and positioning, but basically, we'll stack several people to fight each one. Relying on numbers, we'll focus 'em down one at a time and then take back city hall. But—"

"If we believe we are at a disadvantage, we must instantly make the decision to retreat…correct?"

When Subaru spoke, taking the reins of the group as if by nature, Crusch turned a serious look toward him. Replying to her with a firm "That's right," Subaru surveyed the faces of everyone present.

In his companions, he saw tension, wariness, and, more than anything else, the will to fight. He nodded and gave the signal. "—Let's go!"

On his call, Subaru and the others broke into a run toward city hall as one. Rounding a corner, they rushed into the square that sat in front of city hall. Swift as ever, Garfiel ran at the head of the pack, and when the square came in sight, he narrowed his green eyes and shouted:

"The square's full of guard corpses! Don't let it shake ya or slow ya down…"

The instant they charged into the square, the scent of blood that Ricardo had mentioned slipped into Subaru's nostrils. And filling his vision was a mountain of corpses, just as Garfiel had spoken of—or not.

"—Eh?"

Garfiel had just yelled for them to not stop moving. And yet the instant he set his eyes on that sight, Subaru couldn't help but slow down, dropping the speed of his sprint a notch.

But it wasn't just Subaru. The other five were no exception. That was how completely the sight that greeted them in the square exceeded their expectations.

 " "

According to Garfiel, the square was filled with the numerous corpses of the guards who had fallen in an attempt to take back city hall. And it was true that the current condition of the square seemed to also point to that ghastly truth.

There was a dense odor of spilled blood, and the paving stones were dyed red to the point that it evoked the expression a sea of blood. However, there was not even a single corpse lying around. In their stead were bizarre creatures.

They were pink-colored masses of flesh. As far as descriptions went, Subaru felt that this was the most fitting.

Their pink-colored surfaces were glossy, warped, and irregular in form, like mud dumplings made by little children. They were large enough that Subaru couldn't comfortably put both arms around one, and there were at least twenty of them.

The flesh piles of unknown origin formed a sporadic line. The reception put everyone's footsteps out of kilter— "—It's them!!"

Immediately after, Garfiel, running first among them, looked overhead and howled.

With the shock over the flesh creatures yet to recede, everyone forced their gazes upward. Two figures were leaping straight down at them from city hall's upper level, jumping right toward them with a slash of the swords they wielded.

"! Here I go!!"

As their enemies sailed down before them, Crusch valiantly stepped forward and held her longsword at the ready.

Then she unleashed invisible blades—this was her skill One Blow, One Hundred Felled.

Slicing the air at an angle, this was Crusch's lethal sword technique that took full advantage of her blessing of wind reading. The slicing attack was carried on the air, extending the reach of her sword strikes by tens of yards and providing her with an ultra-long-range option. This slicing attack had deeply wounded even the White Whale, and now it was hurtling forward. A moment later, it scored a direct hit on the two figures in midair.

"You got 'em?!"

"No! They were able to defend! I did not land a hit!"

When Subaru's voice went shrill from excitement, Crusch shook her head with a bitter look on her face.

The pair, a giant man and a slender woman, landed as they fended off the blades of wind with their respective weapons. Paving stones exploded under the huge man's feet; the woman stood quietly in the pool of blood without even disturbing the air around her.

They appeared on the stage as polar opposites, with a pair of greatswords and an uninscribed longsword. The sight of the black outfits covering them from head to toe was emblematic of the horrid fashion sense displayed by adherents of the Witch Cult.

The moment after Subaru took this all in, the two enemy figures leaned forward ever so slightly and launched their counterattacks.

However, before those two varieties of wicked blades could reach him—

"Even if they have fended off Lady Crusch's sword blows, there is no escaping the rainbow's yoke!"

—three different, dazzling colors circled around the Witch Cultists' heads, summoning a cylindrically shaped aurora to seal the enemy's movements.

Of the six greater spirits serving Julius, three acted in unison to catch the cultists. The cylinder of light must have had incredible restraining power, for the Witch Cultists went down on their knees from incredible pressure upon them.

It was then that Garfiel, Wilhelm, and Ricardo launched savage, ferocious attacks. "!!"

Blunt and edged, each of the respective blows was an attack able to inflict a mortal wound.

Ricardo aimed for the big man's head with his huge hatchet, while Garfiel's fist and Wilhelm's sword aimed at the woman, all of them entering lethal range—

 " "

The kneeling woman spun around the longsword in her hand, sweeping at Garfiel's and Wilhelm's feet. Instantly, the two leaped to evade her sword, but the woman turned her body to move perfectly parallel to the sword's arc, spreading one of her long legs to snag Garfiel around his neck and forcing him to pull her out of the effective range of the magic spell.

"The hell?!"

With the rainbow-colored force field throwing off his movements, Garfiel was stooped over as the woman broke the bridge of his nose with her knee. She then grabbed hold of Garfiel's arm as he recoiled, using its shield to easily deflect Wilhelm's flurry of sword attacks.

The unbelievable technique left Garfiel raising a painful cry, whereas Wilhelm let out a groan.

The price of that stagnation was a spinning kick that dug into the aged swordsman's abdomen, with the blow causing Wilhelm to bend forward; after a half spin around his stooped body, the woman launched a backward spinning kick that laid him out on the ground.

 " "

At the same time, the sound of an eruption exploded between Ricardo and the giant.

The large hatchet swinging down at the crouching man was blocked by two greatswords crossed over his head. The screech of steel creaking against steel rang out, at which point Ricardo punched down several times with his unoccupied fist.

The blunt blows hammered the great hatchet from behind, bringing the dull cuts ever closer to the huge man's head. But finding himself this pressed, the giant promptly reacted by unleashing a new pair of arms from the inside of his black robe.

Now using four arms to block his blows, the bizarre creature made Ricardo's face twist up, bringing a savage expression to his face.

"I've heard of your kind before, member of the many-armed tribe! Four arms ain't nothin'!"

Though his enemy tried to block him, Ricardo spurred himself onward, heedlessly banging on his great hatchet. If his opponent had four arms, he'd just have to wring out more power from his two.

But Ricardo's intentions were betrayed when the giant unveiled yet another hidden trick. Two more arms appeared from under the black robe, along with two more greatswords.

"The hell…?!"

Four arms were devoted to defending with two greatswords, while two more arms and greatswords went on the attack. With one turn, the attacker and the defender had switched completely; Ricardo backed up a step as the tide turned against him.

"—Garghhh!"

A seventh and an eighth arm came flying from the giant's back, punching, punching, and punching Ricardo's chin some more. The giant man caused blood to spill from Ricardo, sending him crashing into the far side of the square.

 " "

The group supposedly had the initiative, but the attacks of all three of the close-range team were intercepted, with the woman sword fighter and the giant launching merciless follow-up attacks.

"As if I'm letting that happen!"

It was then that the slow-footed Subaru finally caught up and made his move.

He launched his whip at a significant range, making a rending sound as it struck the paving stones with force. The snapping sound from the whip, which ripped through the air at close to the speed of sound, caused a moment's hesitation in the two cultists.

"Fusion magic—Ul Gora!!"

Immediately after, Julius rattled off an incantation as his greater spirits returned to him, generating a crimson whirlwind in moments. The swirling wind was then engulfed in fire, the resulting flames forcing the Witch Cultists to leap away to safety.

The heat wave of the enormous inferno made Subaru unwittingly gawk.

"The hell is that?! Were you always a hardcore spell caster?!"

"No, this is nothing more than a bluff. It is too unrefined to be used as a proper attack. Accordingly…"

When Julius replied bitterly to Subaru's question, the scene before them proved his words true.

Having fallen back in the face of the flaming whirlwind, the retreating woman lashed out once with her longsword—and that was all it took to sever the wind's core, disturbing the spell's composition and causing the whirlwind to collapse, then vanish.

The frighteningly keen sword sense that the woman sword fighter boasted combined with the giant's four massive swords and eight arms, making them seem like twin heralds of doom. Fear shot up Subaru's spine as he continued watching them pull off superhuman feats that were even more impressive than the ones he'd heard them do.

"Going all out at them and having nothing to show for it is a pretty major shock."

When he glanced over, Garfiel and the others, who had escaped thanks to Julius's backup, were all wiping off blood and catching their breath. But the sense of despair at the fact that their melee fighters had been mostly overwhelmed was not something so easily brushed aside.

However, it would have been wrong to assume they had run out of cards to play.

"We know they're pretty nuts in close combat, but they're seriously wideopen against long-range attacks."

Julius's magic, Crusch's wind blades, and even Subaru's whip had been effective to varying degrees.

It was possible that even if his whiplashes did hit, they would be easily shrugged off and ignored, but there was no mistaking that Julius and Crusch could launch attacks that might make the difference between victory or defeat.

 " "

The repulsive piles of flesh dotting the surrounding area weighed on his mind, but he tore his attention away from those unearthly objects. The right thing to do was prioritize taking down the two in front of them—

"Everyone, let's attack again. We'll make Julius and Crusch our main attackers, and…"

"—Bwa-ha-ha-ha! You came, you came, you really came, didn't you?!" "?!!"

Suddenly, the scene was interrupted by high-pitched, silly-sounding laughter that seemed completely out of place on the battlefield.

This incredibly grating voice brought the giant and the woman to their knees on the spot. Simultaneously, as nigh-unendurable terror urged Subaru and the others to hold their breath, the laughing voice still trembled in derisive mirth.

"All it took was a few threats to reel such big fish in. How do you meatbags even live when you're this stupid, ugly, and shallow-minded? I wouldn't be able to deal with that! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!"

"—It can't be."

Searching for the source of the voice, Subaru's gaze wandered when he noticed Crusch gasp right beside him.

Her amber eyes had shot wide-open as she looked toward the roof of city hall. Realizing that the speaker, Lust, had to be over there, Subaru turned in the same direction.

That was when he finally understood the true meaning behind the raspy echo of Crusch's dazed murmur.

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!! What's with that face?! Such a stupid face! Did you practice it just for me? If you did, I want to reward you!! How about my spit? Would my saliva make you overjoyed? That should literally be mouthwatering for meatbag scum like you!!"

The nonsensical laughter echoed as the speaker standing on the roof of city hall—no, standing above it—gazed down upon Subaru and the others from her vantage point with scorn.

Then she flapped the large, malevolent black wings on her back once.

"Let me reintroduce myself! I'm the Witch Cult's Archbishop of Lust!!"

Her red eyes glimmered with cruel delight as she—Lust—laughed with renewed disdain.

The single, black dragon claiming the title of the Archbishop of Lust gazed down at the surface, laughing scornfully.

"Capella Emerada Lugunica—that's meee! Now die, you rotten sacks of meat!!"

4

—Circling in the sky high above city hall, the black dragon continued its mocking laughter.

It had sharp, ferocious fangs, magnificent black wings that gathered the wind underneath to soar through the skies, plus a daunting face, and it was encased in a hide of rocklike scales—this was well and truly what Subaru imagined a dragon would be.

Some of its features resembled Patlash, the land dragon, but they were incomparable in the size of their frames and the raw power they possessed. If a land dragon was on par with a horse, then the black dragon overhead was best likened to an elephant.

The sight of it spreading its wings and leisurely gliding around brought no words to mind save nightmare.

"Gawking at me with those passionate gazes means you're all turned on, aren't you? What, are you animals in heat the whole year? Are you enjoying this chance to ogle me? Oh noooo, whatever shall I do?!"

"…Well, this dragon's so expressive that it gives me chills."

Writhing in midair, Capella—the black dragon twisting its reptilian form into vulgar shapes—behaved in a way that left Subaru unable to conceal his disgust. How could he take anything else away from the mouthy dragon's first impression being this twisted?

It was impossible not to feel repulsed by Capella, who came off as human in all the wrong ways.

"If it was doable, I would have liked to confront Lust in order."

Checking the heft of his knight's sword, Julius peered up at the dragon overhead as he commented in a quiet voice. Mentally agreeing with those words, Subaru saw the pair of sword fighters down on the surface apparently stiffening from awe at the appearance of their comrade, the winged dragon overhead.

The two of them knelt as if in reverence for the winged dragon that was their master, even as they kept an eye on Subaru and the rest of the party without ever letting their guard down. They were such formidable foes by themselves that adding in the black dragon would put the group at an overwhelming disadvantage.

However—

"—When fighting a dragon, the important thing is to break its wings as soon as possible, bringing it crashing to the ground. If we permit it to fly in the sky as it pleases, it will rain dragon breath upon us unopposed. We must avoid this at all costs."

With all of them unsettled by the appearance of the dragon, Wilhelm delivered that bold pronouncement at the center of their formation. His words, filled with such certainty, made Subaru unconsciously glance over toward the Sword Devil.

"From how you said that just now, it kinda sounds like you have experience fighting dragons."

"Once, nearly four decades ago, I crossed swords with Bargren the Black

Dragon, who appeared in the south of the kingdom. Compared with that one, this dragon is far too small. Should we lop off her head once, she will surely perish."

"What, once wasn't enough for this Bargren guy?"

"I lopped off all three of his heads."

There is only one to lop off this time, implied his deeply reassuring words.

The evocative tale of that legendary duel to the death bolstered Subaru's spirits as he adjusted the grip on his whip. Privately deciding that he needed to hear that heroic tale in detail later, he girded himself to rejoin the battle. The others' morale had recovered as well.

Seeing that Subaru and company's hearts were unbroken, Capella went, "Wuh?" as if totally taken off guard. "My, my, a die-hard bunch, aren't you? Normally, after being screwed around with so much, reinforcements arrive, and oh, look, it's the Archbishop!! The usual routine is for weaklings like you to try to run with your little tails between your legs. Or did I mistake you for the wrong kind of insect?"

"—Quit yappin' on and on! I don't care whether you're a big lizard or an Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins! Everyone who gets in my way, I'm

gonna smash 'em, send 'em flyin', and beat 'em down!"

When Capella made her bizarrely long tongue dance and form such wicked words, Garfiel turned his fist on her. Detecting such incredible hostility directed toward her, Capella went, "Eh? Ehhhhhhh?" and laughed. "Bwa-ha! I think beaten dogs howling in the distance are the annoying ones. Ohh, that's right, you're not a beaten dog—you're a beaten cat, was it? Meow, meow, meow, meow, your face went beet red when you cried over that kitty girl dying didn't you? Poor widdle kitty!"

"!!"

Garfiel listened to nearly unendurable words of abuse as they clawed at the weakness in his heart. Seeing the painful look on the side of his face, Subaru took a step to stand in front of Garfiel.

"General…"

With his adorable little brother calling his name out, Subaru glared at Capella overhead without saying a word. Noticing his gaze, the black dragon narrowed its red eyes, clearly finding it unpleasant.

"Huh? What's with you? Even compared with the other meatbags, you have the most out-of-place scent, you know? How did you even get mixed in all this? Did you get loooost?"

"Shut up. The more you talk, the more you're ruining my internal idea of dragons. Also, quit claiming the name of that princess. I feel sorry for her."

"Claiming? What in the world are you talking abou…?"

"Also, you people are so sloppy, it's painful to watch! You big shots should be biding your time and coming out one by one! Who the hell just shows up all at once without paying any attention to the pacing?! Who do you think you are, trampling on people's daily lives looking like that? Are you pretending to be a god?!"

 " "

The caustic words that Subaru unleashed with the force of a volley of arrows made Capella open her eyes wide, taking her aback for a moment.

Seeing a black dragon look dumbfounded was quite a spectacle in and of itself, but that hadn't been Subaru's aim. Of course, he couldn't deny that his tirade contained more than a fair bit of his real feelings, but the actual purpose was—

"That's enough stalling from me! Nail her, Julius!"

"On occasion, I admire your brashness from the bottom of my heart."

As Subaru clapped his hands together, Julius immediately replied from behind, gathering light upon the tip of his knight's sword. When all six greater spirits assembled within the blade, The Finest of Knights swung it like a musical conductor.

"What a petty little trick you're trying to use on…!"

"Burn under the light of the rainbow! —Al Clauzeria!"

The tip of the sword, which he thrust out, emitted a rainbow-colored beam, unleashing a swirling aurora. The rainbow attack, which contained the combined might of six greater spirits, shot out in a straight line, aimed right at the black dragon circling directly overhead.

—Instantly, the beam burst apart, enveloping the roof of city hall with an explosion of light.

The sky was dyed in the surreal colors of the beautiful aurora—a purifying ritual to purge all evil. The spell, which had been wielded so fiercely in the battle with Petelgeuse, now bared its fangs at Capella.

"Gaaaaaah!!"

Struck by a direct hit from the rainbow light, Capella raised a highpitched shriek.

 " "

With this strike serving as a signal for combat to resume, the kneeling pair of sword fighters kicked off the ground once more, quickly approaching Subaru and the others.

A fluttering longsword and several whirling greatswords were intercepted by the white-haired Sword Devil and a ferocious golden-haired tiger.

"As if I'd let ya!!"

Making his battered will to fight burn even higher, Garfiel blocked the giant's greatswords with both shields. The vigorous impact rocked Garfiel back on his heels, but he did not retreat a single step.

Beside him, the swordswoman was being pressured by Wilhelm's slashing sword attacks, forcing her backward.

"Do not assume you can retreat with ease! I must know for certain!"

The Sword Devil dealt out more attacks without mercy. However, the woman skillfully wielded her longsword, parrying each and every sword blow while evading pursuit with highly polished footwork.

Her body almost seemed like it was designed for the sole purpose of wielding a sword.

Wilhelm was exhibiting swordsmanship on the same level that he had brought out during the fight against the White Whale. The swordswoman engaging him displayed excellence in technique and creativity, along with a superhuman sense of balance.

Lashing blades whistled through the air and scraped against the ground as they ran along their paths, parrying, redirecting, and defeating each other's blows.

Not even sound could intrude as their incredible sword duel continued, each attack and defense so polished that it was no exaggeration to call it the pinnacle of the sword.

"Uraaaaa!!"

The other battlefield nearby was a cruder scene as half-beast and giant swordsman clashed head-on.

Garfiel raised a battle cry as he and the giant slammed into each other with mighty blows. This was a contest of wild savagery that was incomparable with the elegant battle of sword masters.

The fighting style of the sword-wielding giant could not be cleanly categorized as that of a trained swordsman. Against an opponent employing what was ultimately refined brutality, Garfiel counterattacked with his personal brand of brawling.

Bones creaked, flesh ruptured, and souls cracked in the grand, chaotic battle of titanic blows, with the clashing of shield against greatsword reverberating like a symphony of percussion instruments. Their fight also sent sparks flying everywhere, distracting the eyes as well as the ears.

Wilhelm's duel had gone eerily silent, while Garfiel's battlefield was a roaring thunderstorm.

Lacking the ability to intrude upon any of those matches, Subaru was left alone in the three-sided battle. But there was no time to bemoan his lack of strength. Before he had a chance, a new move revealed itself upon the game board.

And this was—

"Master Subaru, look out!!" "Pull back!!"

Right after two voices called out, Crusch came flying in from the side, tackling Subaru. Pinned under her soft body, he watched as Ricardo stepped forward.

Ricardo opened his large maw and let a howl erupt from the space between his rows of sharp fangs— "Wahaaah!!"

His howling voice made the very air quake as the resulting sound became a shock wave that was imbued with enough destructive force to reshape the world around them.

It was a Howling Wave—an attack similar to what Mimi and her little brothers had used to great effect during the battles against the White Whale and Petelgeuse. However, the frightening thing was that Ricardo could, on his own, unleash a blow on par with what had required the cooperation of all three siblings.

 " "

Ricardo's target had been a plume of hungry black flames that was chewing through the aurora and descending onto the surface.

The thick spouts of fire, which was blacker than darkness itself, collided head-on with the Howling Wave in midair. Instantly, the flames were snuffed out by the shock wave without offering any resistance, leaving the lingering embers to scatter here and there all over the field of battle.

But if anything, this helped the black flames become even more effective.

"The hell's with this black fire…? It ain't goin' out?"

The flying black flames continued to blaze ceaselessly, whether they sat atop paving stones, waterways, or masses of flesh. The area that was covered by the wave of writhing flames expanded bit by bit, encroaching upon the world more and more as if they were alive.

Like setting oil on the surface of water aflame, the black flames continued asserting their presence.

 " "

The downpour of black flames had not touched Subaru or the others, erasing the aurora in their stead by disrupting its magical composition. Julius's wary gaze was still focused on the black dragon, which had spewed the black flames.

Following his lead, the sight of the black dragon entered Subaru's vision as well—

"—Eek! Oh no, oh no, staring at someone from such a harsh angle is turning you on, isn't it? Stooop, don't look! Stop violating me with your eyes! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! If I told you that it's forbidden to touch the dancing girls, are you going to say searing them with magic doesn't count as touching…? Bwa-ha-ha-ha!"

Unleashing another stream of vulgar words, Capella looked fine and well as she landed on top of the city-hall roof. But this was not in the sense of being unscathed— If anything, the effects of Julius's spell had been profound.

As the black dragon rested her wings, both of those wings were still aflame from coming into contact with the aurora, with bone poking out from molten membrane in some places. The damage did not end there; her internal organs were boiling from the scorching heat deep in her seared abdomen, and the right half of the dragon's head had been sent flying, leaving that stupidly laughing tongue in tatters as one of her eyeballs hung freely.

Half-alive and half-dead didn't even cover it. From this terrible spectacle, she was already on the brink of death.

However, it was not this alarming sight that caused Subaru to swallow his breath, Julius and Ricardo to narrow their eyebrows, and Crusch to inadvertently raise a feminine-sounding yelp.

—All those terrible wounds were regenerating at a speed that was outright disgusting.

Blood vessels wriggled, flesh swelled up, bones broke audibly, torn tissues mended, and Capella's destroyed flesh repaired itself with swiftness that was a far cry from any norm.

The speed of this healing ability made her cells seethe, vaporizing the blood coursing through them and causing it to rise as a ghoulish red vapor.

"So are you satisfied now that you've caused even my beautiful viscera to be exposed for everyone to see? You're all perverts with such uncontrollable lust that you'd do anything to see even your beloved meatbag's rectum, aren't you? Hey, hey, are you satisfied? Hey, are you totally sweaty because you had your fill?"

"You're… What the hell…is that?"

"Asking something you can figure out the answer to just by looking makes you a fool through and through, doesn't it? But I will reply because of the depths of my compassion. As you can see, I have conquered death! I am a complete being!!"

As Capella embraced herself with her healed wings, her grandiose words rocked Subaru.

A complete being—put another way, Capella was calling herself immortal. And after seeing half her head get blown away only to heal it at great speed without relinquishing life, there was a strong case to be made that she was telling the truth.

One had bodies to spare, one dragged others to the grave, one was an invincible being, and one was an immortal monster— "! Damned Archbishops of the Seven Deadly Sins!"

"Ah, somehow, I feel like you lumped me in with those jerks just now. Could you please stop that? I mean, come on! People will start calling my character into question!"

When Subaru resentfully clicked his tongue, Capella rejected him with vivid displeasure. In that time, the black dragon, her body largely finished regenerating, slowly raised her heavy hips— "Oops. Whoa there. Coming through."

The next instant, the distant ring of the time tower's bell echoed across the city's sky.

Hearing this, Capella's motions came to a full stop, and when the black dragon tilted her long head, she let out a languid "Ahh—" as she gazed wistfully at the sky, watching evening approach.

"Seems like it's the appointed hour. Your clumsy faces really aren't bad, but a bigger stage awaits me, so excuse me while I go back inside!"

"Huh?! W-wait!"

"Why should I?! My beautiful voice needs to echo across the sky! How exactly will these fools stuck in the insect cage suffer? Stay tuned for the broadcast and find out! As for you, do entertain my minions and then die and rot as you see fit! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Laughing loudly, Capella unilaterally declared that the time for talk was over and then turned around on the spot. The black dragon's huge body then promptly vanished into the roof. It seemed that Lust was genuinely intent on leaving the battlefield.

Of course, the right thing was to think she was making Subaru and company lower their guard as part of some sort of ruse, but—

"If we let her go, there is no telling what she might finally inflict upon the hostages. We must make haste."

"If she broadcasts it live, morale will crumble, and panic will spread across the city like wildfire. Shit! No way forward except through, huh?

Man, we have to chase her in there? In a situation like this?"

It was clearly a bad move, but they had no other cards to play. In the first place, they'd challenged the enemy at city hall because rescuing the hostages and stopping the broadcast was a top priority. If that meant dancing on the enemy's palm, they just had to grin and bear it.

"Guess that's settled, then. Leave the folks outside to me and those two.

Julius, Bro, and Ms. Crusch will charge in."

Ricardo announced his plan to Subaru and Crusch as they pondered. Subaru's eyes questioned whether he had any basis for his unwavering judgment.

"Ain't nothin' special. Just intuition, Bro! Intuition! …The mountain of intuition I've built up from surviving a ton of battles!"

"So we're just trusting your gut?! Maybe that's the best thing to rely on…!"

Concurring with Ricardo's judgment, Subaru leaped up on the spot. Then lending a hand to Crusch, who'd saved him from the black dragon's flames, he helped her to her feet.

"You really saved me back there, Crusch. Usually, it's the other way around."

"Let's keep it a secret from Ferris and Lady Emilia."

His eyes went round at the unexpected reply, but he grasped that this turn of phrase was Crusch's way of lightening the mood. As he focused on the task before him, Subaru clenched his teeth then and called out to Garfiel, who was still caught in a battle of frenzied blows.

"Garfiel! We're going ahead to stop Lust! Once we're done here, we gotta go save Emilia! Don't lose!"

"!! Go and get it done, General! Me, I'm seein' this through!!"

Slipping between the gaps of whipping greatswords, Garfiel sent sparks flying as he howled his reply.

"Wilhelm, I leave this place to you!"

"Understood!"

Beside Subaru, Crusch shouted a few brief words of encouragement to the Sword Devil, who replied as he unleashed a flurry of countless silver flashes.

Finally, Subaru and Crusch broke into a run, heading straight for city hall with Julius taking point. Of course, the two warriors whom Lust had entrusted with guarding the place tried to move to bar their way, but— "Line up like that, and you're basically just food for me!!!"

Ricardo leaped toward them and used his powerful shout to blow both sword fighters away as they attempted to impede Subaru and the others' advance. The giant and the swordswoman used their own evasive techniques to avoid taking any damage from the howling wave.

But the partners of the dances that the enigmatic pair had pulled out from prematurely did not let them escape without a fight.

"Do not be so cold. I am right here, devoted to you every step of the way!"

"Don't go showin' your ass in the middle of a fight! I'll tear your tail fur out and give you a real thrashin'!!"

Sword against sword, and fist against slam—furious blows met again and again, allowing no one in that square even a moment's respite.

The two Witch Cultists were being hindered, and if they insisted on giving chase, Ricardo would stop them by force. With reliable allies covering their backs, Subaru and the others headed straight for city hall, reaching it by the shortest possible route.

"Subaru! I will carve you a path! I entrust Lady Crusch to you!"

On the verge of racing into the building, Julius raised his knight's sword high as the greater spirits gave off a dazzling radiance.

Wondering what was happening, Subaru blinked furiously when, right before his eyes, Julius was enveloped in an explosive wind that materialized directly below him, his mantle fluttering as Julius sailed into the sky.

"Why did yo…?! Crusch, pardon me!"

Feeling the same wind buoying his own legs, Subaru forcefully picked up Crusch as she ran alongside. Lighter than I figured, he idly thought; a moment later, Subaru's legs peeled away from the ground as he shot into the air.

"Waaaaaaaaaah!!"

Picked up so suddenly and unsure how to deal with the abrupt weightlessness, Crusch raised a loud yell. The two kept on going, sailing over the wall surrounding city hall and finally flying all the way to the roof.

"Crusch, hang on tight!"

Shouting, Subaru supported Crusch with one hand as he drew his whip out with the other. Holding her breath, Crusch clung to Subaru for dear life as he used his whip and instantly wrapped it around the roof's railing.

Taking advantage of this foothold, Subaru and Crusch traced a large, semicircular arc toward city hall's roof. The instant they landed, Subaru spread his legs wide as he fell to the floor.

"Guhohhhh!!"

Feeling a numbness that was impossible to ignore run through his legs, Subaru heard an improper sound coming from his right leg. Having so swiftly betrayed Ferris's admonition telling him not to push it, Subaru released Crusch from his arm.

"…Crusch, are you all right?"

"I—I am fine. But, Master Subaru, your leg…"

"It's all right—don't worry about it. It doesn't hurt. Also, if you mention this to Ferris, he might kill me, so, uh…"

Genuinely fearful of such a future, Subaru gingerly turned his eyes toward the roof.

What he saw was not Capella, who'd been burned by the rainbow, but only a roof that had been wrecked by the black dragon's movements. The only thing on the roof itself was a single door leading to the building's interior.

According to Kiritaka, the metia was located on the building's uppermost floor. Having moved Subaru and Crusch here and taken the shortest route to pursue Capella, Julius brushed back his mantle and looked at the pair.

Flipping off the handsome knight with his middle finger, Subaru tried to race to the door leading inside when—

"—Ah-ha-ha. Settle down right there, ladies and gentlemen."

Loud laughter stopped Subaru in his tracks. Suddenly, the metal door was kicked apart from the inside, blown off its hinges. A new person came on the scene with the sound of bare feet, stepping upon the door, which had fallen so dramatically.

 " "

—At a glance, their newest opponent seemed like a young boy.

One thought so because he was small in stature with a youthful face, and the voice they heard sounded like it had yet to crack from puberty. But one glance at the boy's eyes was enough to realize that such sentiments were deeply mistaken.

No proper human being would have such warped eyes that seemed like all the vices of the world were fermenting within them.

"We're so happy. We're so glad. We're so delighted. We're so overjoyed. Happy thoughts help us feel happy! Drink! Gorge!! The longer we have to wait, the emptier our belly becomes! And the more we savor the very first bite!"

His scorched-brown hair was tied up in a braid, and his small physique was wrapped in a long robe, with long hems, cuffs, and sleeves that hung about. There was a sadistic smile plastered onto his youthful face, and his smile showed that he had teeth like a shark's.

All these characteristics matched the identity of someone Subaru had heard about before.

"Hmm? Why do you look so annoyed, mister? Could it be that you have some kind of grudge against one of us guys? We're tryin' and tryin' to remember, but we're really bad at faces. Really, we're no good at remembering at all…"

Enduring Subaru's withering gaze, the boy adopted a cruel smile that was reminiscent of a cat toying with a mouse. This attitude grated on Subaru's nerves as he exhaled, striving to remain calm.

"Hey, you shitty brat. If you just walked in here because you have no sense of direction, now's the time to surrender. That's pretty stupid, but it's forgivable. Still…"

"We are the Witch Cult's Archbishop of—"

Subaru did everything he could to remain calm. To try and keep a cool head. He tried and tried and tried.

"—Gluttony, Roy Alphard!"

Attempting to maintain his calm any further was impossible.

"Gluttonyyy!!!"

The instant the boy openly declared himself as Gluttony, Subaru unleashed the fastest and mightiest whip blow of his life.

The tip of the whip tore through the air, mercilessly scoring the face of his greatest foe. A direct hit should have peeled the skin back and rent the flesh, leaving a scar so severe that anyone who saw it wouldn't dare look at it twice, and this blow—

"—Well, lots of people hold a grudge against us because of our feeding."

Catching the tip of the whip with his teeth, Gluttony spoke those words without a single ounce of shame.

5

Subaru's merciless blow, literally the greatest blow he had ever mustered in his life, had been stopped cold without much fanfare.

Still biting the tip of the whip, Gluttony—the one who had presented himself as Roy Alphard—waved his hands in the air as if appealing to the audience. Faced with this foe, Subaru could feel his thoughts boiling.

This Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins was the key to awakening the still-sleeping Rem.

"Your luck's run out!"

"You shall not escape! Prepare yourself!"

Standing at Subaru's side as he shouted, Crusch unleashed her One Blow, One Hundred Felled skill at Alphard of Gluttony.

The raging blade of wind sliced through the still air of the rooftop, allowing the resulting violent gales to engulf the air in its wake. This scattered shock waves in all directions, and of course, the slicing attack bore down mercilessly upon Alphard—

"Ha-ha-ha, that's really something! As a funny parlor trick, that is."

"!!"

Alphard went low, dropping onto all fours to evade the invisible blade of wind. He proceeded to bend and fold his short limbs, licking his chops as he turned to fully face Crusch.

"From the feel of that move of yours, your flavor might be right up our alley!"

The instant after he spoke the words, Alphard shot up like a bullet, exhibiting enough explosive force to smash through the roof.

Unhinging his yawning jaws, the sight of his bare, sharp fangs made Subaru think of a feral, starving beast. But the level of danger that this boy posed was incomparable with any mere animal. This was one part of the nightmarish chaos that had befallen the city.

In contrast to Alphard, Crusch put her hips into her sword attacks, unleashing a thrust that was too fast to be followed by eye. Her target was the enemy's face, aiming to mercilessly impale the brain behind it—

"Good form! But! Not enough polish!! As you are now, you're barely gonna be an appetizer to us!"

As he howled, Roy Alphard rotated his arms disturbingly, as if he didn't need to bother with his joints. Instantly, a fierce scratching sound tore through the blue sky, and Crusch's arm was immediately thrown back.

This was thanks to the concealed weapons known as tiger claws, which Alphard had equipped on the fingertips of both hands.

"As if I'll let you!"

A moment before Alphard could claw out Crusch's beautiful face, Subaru wrapped his whip around her slender hips. "Eep!" cried Crusch as Subaru yanked her over to safety, pulling her right out of the range of the claws.

But dismayed at having his prey snatched from him, Alphard altered his route with a single bound—

"Good, nice, great, wonderful! Did you think you could escape?! If anything, we'll get you and your pal over there, too! Drink!! Gorge!!"

Carrying Crusch, Subaru fell back, with Alphard drooling in hot pursuit.

The chase made Subaru twist up his face.

"I didn't think…my role is…"

"—To always play the decoy. Even now, you are incredibly effective!" "Whaaa?!"

By wholeheartedly pursuing Subaru, who looked like an easy target, Alphard had left himself wide-open in turn—Julius, now in midair, had waited for that moment to pound his rainbow-sword blow home.

Instantly twisting his body, Alphard attempted to evade the glimmering sword flash. However, the brilliant arc of The Finest's sword strike homed in on his foe and drew fresh blood from Gluttony, who rolled onto the floor.

"Gaaah! Now that's a surprise! Er…"

"Then I shall provide you with further surprise. Blossom, my lovely flower buds!"

When Alphard slapped the floor and leaped to his feet, Julius pursued him with a merciless follow-up attack. The six greater spirits swirling above the knight's head glimmered like a rainbow as they swept across the roof in a beautiful display.

"Don't push yourself too much, spirit mage!!"

"Formally, I am a Spirit Knight. I have heard rumors that you are a gourmet, but will you grant my lovely buds a warm reception?"

"Oh, I'll give 'em a real passionate welcome! I'll rip 'em apart like the annoying pests they are!!"

As the approaching aurora seared his vision, Alphard brimmed with slavish appetite. To seal off his enemy's avenues of escape, Julius pursued Gluttony with seemingly endless sword strikes from every angle.

Subaru would have liked to support him without a moment's delay, but Alphard's almost-feral movements, which had him darting all over the roof, prevented Julius from landing a clean hit. He had to do something with

Gluttony—with Alphard right there—

"—Remember your objective, Moppet Mage!"

Just then, a voice's shout reached the rooftop, calling out with a completely inappropriate moniker.

 " "

In accordance with Al's warning, Julius had concealed Subaru's true name while communicating with just his yellow eyes whenever he could. As the knight continued with his rainbow swordplay, Subaru didn't need him to spell everything out to understand his intent.

—Julius was saying to let him deal with Gluttony while Subaru went to stop the slaughter and broadcast.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, you sure about runnin'? Pal, you have a grudge against us, don't ya? Destined foes always, like, taste the richest. The ultimate in deep delights? To eat, gnaw, eat, lick, nibble, eat, bite, tear, crush, gorge! Drink!! Let me do all that, okay?!"

Leaping around, Gluttony hurled insults, trying to draw hesitance out of Subaru.

In fact, Gluttony had. To Subaru, defeating Gluttony was the singular goal he had pursued for over a year. He'd dreamed of this day so many times that he'd stopped counting.

Defeating him would save a girl. Subaru would be able to see her again.

He'd come this far believing that.

To just let that chance slip through his fingers— "—Master Subaru."

Subaru's melancholy was shattered when Crusch looked up from his own arms and called out to him. From up close, he could see a powerful, powerful conviction and an ever-so-slight sway of regret.

—It was none other than Crusch who had as powerful a link to Gluttony as he.

To her—someone who had her memories stolen by Gluttony, someone who was forced to go forward groping through a world that was blank when it shouldn't be—the foe before them was the key to getting her memories and her old self back. Even knowing that, she had chosen to fulfill her duty over helping herself.

They were badly lacking both time and the strength to soundly defeat their greatest enemy. Subaru and Crusch's standpoints were the same. That was exactly why Subaru was the only one able to fully appreciate how noble her decision was.

He was hesitant. He was reluctant. He'd probably regret this. But— —Sorry, Rem. Please wait just a little longer.

"—Damn it all! Fine, I get it! Hey, Juli! Don't you dare lose on me!"

"That is my line. Make sure to fulfill your duty as the substitute knight of the Valkyrie!"

"Let us entrust this to Master 'Juli' and go, Master 'Moppet Mage'!"

Scratching his head, Subaru set his rueful thoughts aside and took Crusch's hand. Then relying upon the boundary lines generated by the aurora, they escaped Gluttony's attack range.

Their destination was the door leading inside—or not. They would have

to veer toward the rooftop's bent railing. Vaulting it in one stride, Subaru supported Crusch as he took one last look at the battle unfolding behind them.

"—Go!!"

However, noticing his gaze, Julius wouldn't permit him to waste time worrying about him until everything was settled.

Internally clicking his tongue at that annoying attitude, Subaru swore to complain to his face later. Then grabbing Crusch by her slender hips, he launched himself into the air once more— "—Crusch, plan B!"

"Pl-please do not let go!"

Ferris'll kill me if he hears about this, Subaru mused as he crouched, holding on to Crusch tightly and then leaping down from the roof of the cityhall building in one go.

Naturally, gravity pulled on them, and soon, they were plummeting headfirst toward the square. Halfway through the fall, the whip, which had been anchored to the railing above, reached its limit and brought them to a stop, leaving Subaru bearing the weight of two people on his shoulders.

"—Nghhh!"

Enduring the pain of his creaking bones with sheer willpower alone, Subaru and Crusch traced a large curve through the air as they swung toward the wall. Then with both feet extended toward the glass window in their path, Subaru slammed into it and broke right through.

"Raaaah!!"

"Eeeep!"

Glass fragments flew all over the place as Subaru and Crusch rolled into the room they'd aimed for.

Pushing hard on the floor with one hand, Subaru let up a second cry as he released Crusch from his grasp. Instantly settling down, the pair looked around, confirming that this place was indeed their objective.

This was the room on the topmost floor of city hall, in which the metia for broadcasts was placed.

The assault team had worked out beforehand that they would fly to the uppermost floor. Of the various methods Subaru had devised, he'd ended up using the most dramatic, but with the exception of what happened to his leg, the operation had mostly gone off without a hitch.

Subaru pictured Ferris's indignant face in his mind as he glanced toward

the back of the room, for the enormous presence of the device set into the wall stole his thoughts.

Even in this city, this was the most precious and important thing—

"—So this is the metia?"

It was the most peculiar metia of all the ones that Subaru had seen to date.

The device he spotted was designed for expanding and enhancing the user's voice, increasing the range of its reach. Relying only upon magic crystals for its power source, this was a "machine" shaped like a pipe organ. And while Subaru was unwittingly letting the metia steal his attention—

"—Master Subaru!!"

The sharp cry and the shock wave erupting from a savage collision of sword and claw behind him brought Subaru back to his senses.

His body went rigid as he turned around and saw Crusch engaged in a mesmerizing sword dance, delivering a painful blow to the scales of the black dragon sitting at the back of the room.

Howling in agony was the black dragon of Lust, the culprit of repeated acts of evil that targeted the residents of the city.

"—Capella!"

Leaving Subaru behind as he shouted, the black dragon and the Valkyrie engaged in a ferocious back-and-forth that covered the entire room.

The room contained not only a metia, but also a conference table, chairs, fixtures, and the like along the walls. Naturally, these furnishings were quickly blown away one after another by the powerful shock waves that marked the furious battle, leaving the items broken beyond recognition.

But in this back-and-forth, Crusch's masterful attacks held the upper hand.

In that room, the dragon was clearly at a disadvantage, unable to freely swing her large frame about. This was probably because the black dragon had never expected Subaru and Crusch to come flying through the window.

The black dragon had probably been keeping watch over the room's proper entrance, its flame trained toward it the whole time. While she was busy guarding that side, Subaru and Crusch launched a surprise attack by coming in from the roof—this was their plan B.

"Yaaaaah!"

Freed from her fear of high places, Crusch raised a valiant battle cry as she drove her sword home again and again.

Crusch's wind attacks exhibited their true might not in long-range combat,

but up close. In an enclosed space with nowhere to run, the invisible blades mercilessly bit into the black dragon's hide.

"—Orrrggghhh!!"

"Look out! Get…down?"

Caught up in the moment, Subaru did his best to roll and flee when the dragon bellowed and breathed a stream of pitch-black flames. However, in the middle of his dramatic escape, Subaru realized something.

—There was a bound, squirming girl wriggling under the bleeding black dragon's feet.

 " "

Instantly, Subaru felt the urge to vomit as he realized Lust's lowly scheme, in which she cunningly used a hostage in the same way that Wrath had. In the end, the Archbishops of the Seven Deadly Sins resorted to similar means to make their opponents falter.

He'd been defeated by the same ploy before, and as a result, Emilia had been whisked away from him.

"Uooooh!!"

With that fact lighting a fire in his heart, Subaru exhibited his greatest level of concentration as he slid directly under Capella's feet.

Ducking under her head, he slipped between her legs, resolutely sliding over broken glass as he went straight to the girl. Picking up her trembling body, he also slammed his whip into the black dragon's back. It did no apparent damage, but it did certainly make him feel better.

However, Crusch followed up with a sword slash that was not nearly so gentle.

"!!!"

"No quarter! Pay for the wicked deeds that are bringing calamity and disorder to the city!"

As the black dragon clutched her head in a show of fear, Crusch sliced her blade down at her from the front.

Perhaps the Archbishop was just that brittle when forced onto the defensive, for Capella continued to endure a stream of attacks, seemingly helpless against the steel blade. Her wings were rent, her fangs were broken, and the scales of her long neck were shorn, making the dragon scream from the pain.

Crusch raised a long, slender leg, delivering a powerful kick to the dragon's torso. The force must have been far greater than any kick Subaru could muster. The strength of that attack pushed the huge dragon backward, forcing it toward a still-intact window.

Hers were not the actions of someone with a chance of victory. She was simply buckling under the weight of Crusch's strength.

"—It ends here!"

"!!!"

Not lending her ears to Lust to the very end, Crusch slammed her blades of wind into the black dragon's torso and wings, sweeping across her neck and slamming her massive body into the wall again. Finally, the window gave way, and Lust was completely blown outside.

Plummeting with the remains of the window, the black dragon instantly spread her wings, but one wing was broken at the root, and the other was ineffective due to countless lacerations. Her regeneration wasn't fast enough —and so her fall was inevitable.

A few seconds later, the sound of Lust slamming into the ground reached them. It was a heavy, wet splat, like meat being slammed against a wall, or a wet mop being dropped on the floor.

"I shall check and keep watch. Master Subaru, please see to that girl." "R-right, gotcha."

Crusch walked over to the window that the black dragon had fallen through, never lowering her guard. Feeling reassured as he watched her from behind, Subaru gently released the captive girl from her bonds.

"Auuugh…"

"It's all right. Just now, that strong, beautiful lady over there taught the bad dragon a lesson. We can't really afford to take our time, so let me cut to

the chase… Do you know what happened to…the other people?"

Subaru spoke to the girl, who still seemed disoriented by the sheer fear and bewilderment that naturally came with getting caught up in a battle between a warrior and a dragon. Kneeling to talk to her at eye level, Subaru posed his question as gently as possible.

The young girl blinked several times, not responding right away. Then slowly, she seemed like she was gasping for air as she moved her lips several times.

"Th-the room over there… Everyone's in there."

Her voice shaking, the girl pointed to a door on the other side of the room that was still marred with the fresh signs of combat.

Setting his eyes upon that door, Subaru somehow refrained from putting to his lips the question that immediately rose in the back of his mind—whether the captured people were dead or alive.

But asking the girl such a thing was far too cruel, and far too thoughtless. But seeing as how there was no sign of activity or life of any kind after the massive battle that had just occurred, he was not very hopeful.

 " "

Patting the still-worried girl on the head, Subaru slowly turned toward the other room.

His limbs grew heavy and cold. Subaru keenly felt the sheen of sweat forming on his back. He wanted to believe that this being a broadcast room, no sound was leaking out simply because of soundproofing.

"Master Subaru?"

"It's all right. I'll check in a sec… What about Lust?"

"…There is no problem over here, either. For whatever reason, there is no sign of her moving from where she fell."

Crusch replied as she warily kept an eye on Lust below. Hearing this, Subaru took a deep breath and stood before the door. Then he reached his hand out to the knob.

It was possible there were still Witch Cultists lurking behind this door as well. Despite that consideration, Subaru had no better option than to simply check.

However, for some reason, he was convinced that there was no need for such concern. And as a matter of fact, he wasn't wrong. There were no Witch Cultists standing guard inside the room.

—After all, the room didn't need guarding.

 " "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" ""

 "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" ""

 "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "

Gazes. They were gazes. Gazes, gazes, gazes, gazes.

g a z e s g a z e sg a z e s g a z e s g a ze s g a z e s g a z e s g a z e sg a z e s g a z e s g a z e s g a z e sg a z e s g a 

z e s g az e s g a z e s g a z e sg a z e s g a z e s g a z e s g az e s g a z e s g a z e s g a z es .

—As Subaru screamed, he saw countless, wordless gazes.

—No, it was nothing more than Subaru's impression that they were looking at him. Subaru had no way to know if they actually observed the world around them. He could not comprehend such a thing.

All he could do was scream. This was what being at a loss for words truly meant. His mind had frozen over, unable to assemble even a single thought. However, he did know one thing.

—Now he knew the true nature of the ear-grating background noise he'd heard during Lust's threatening broadcast.

"…What…is this?"

When an incoherent voice finally managed to trickle out, that noise filled the room all at once.

What greeted Subaru was endless buzzing that brought feelings of fear, delight, rejection, and many countless others.

Within that dimly lit room, a vast quantity of multifaceted eyes glowed red as they wriggled, moving to and fro as they stared at Subaru, who stood perfectly still. These were…flies. They were, without a shadow of a doubt, flies.

—The room was jammed full of…a huge number of human-size flies.

"!! Master Subar… Ah."

"?! Crusch?!"

Subaru, his brain bleached white by the revolting sight, turned back when he heard a sudden scream. Even as the buzzing of the flies' wings pervaded his ear in response to the scream, Subaru looked and saw what happened.

—He saw Crusch crumple to the floor, and the wretched smile coming over the girl, who was kicking her.

The girl stroked her short, blond hair with her palm, her red eyes gleaming and glimmering as she stared at Subaru.

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Really, how can you be such suckers? Did you really think you were getting one up on me? Me?! That's not even worth a laugh!

Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

As Crusch lay prostrate in a pool of her own blood, the girl stomped on her, cackling in a high-pitched voice—a voice that Subaru only realized then was familiar to him. There was no doubt.

"It's me, your dear Capella! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!"

Sticking her tongue out, Capella winked and posed for effect, laughing with utter disdain at Subaru for his impudence.

6

Behind him was the giant insect cage, packed with flies. A pool of the black dragon's blood, which had splattered inside the room, spread farther. Standing amid the gruesome spectacles she herself had brought about and trampling all over Crusch was the small girl—no, the Archbishop of Lust.

A fang-like tooth poked out of Capella Emerada Lugunica's mouth as she continued to laugh.