[User] It was weird to say that it was just as he’d hoped, but Julius was good at picking up on things. He quickly connected Gluttony’s name and ability and reached the conclusion Subaru had wanted him to find.

[Assistant] “It seems like they’ve known where we are since last night. So a half day’s travel…with pets in tow.”

[User] “Considering normal movement speed, it is difficult to imagine reaching this tower in only half a day. Particularly accounting for any obstructions from demon beasts along the way. However…”

[Assistant] “However?”

[User] “If, unlike our rough trip, Gluttony has some way of controlling the demon beasts…then it would purely be a question of how fast they can move.”

[Assistant] Subaru frowned and crossed his arms at Echidna’s comment. "What do you mean by that?”

[User] “—Even if it takes time traveling along the ground, it’s a different story through the air.”

[Assistant] “Through the air…!” Subaru’s black eyes widened at that unexpected angle. “Right, I was just assuming flying wasn’t an option…but it’s normal to fly if you have magic!”

[User] “That’s not true at all. Flying through the air is a composite technique. Ordinarily, it isn’t done because it is dangerous. Only a fool or a genius would use it. Or else a foolish genius, I suppose.”

[Assistant] “Marquis Mathers is famous for arriving at the castle through the air…”

[User] “And he is a foolish genius.”

[Assistant] Subaru looked at Beatrice as she sulked adorably. I guess she’s not a fan of this unknown marquis. But he cocked his head a bit in learning that flying by using magic wasn’t normal.

[User] “If it’s not magic, then a giant bird…ah, a dragon! What about riding on a flying dragon? !”

[Assistant] “The technique of controlling flying dragons is a secret passed down in the Volakian Empire to the south. The empire has jealously guarded the technique, but considering Gluttony’s methods, it would be a relatively simple matter to steal that.”

[User] “They could just ask someone who knows. Take a big bite out of their memories.” The thought made Subaru realize just how powerful their enemy was when it came to the information war. Just eat someone’s memories, and they would instantly learn whatever they knew. Eating their name would erase that first act and even that person from everyone else’s mind.


[Assistant] —“Memories make the man.” What an elegant way of putting it.

[User] Subaru believed a person’s worth and their being were engraved in memories and history. He felt it all the more strongly now, which made him despise Gluttony’s cowardly power from the bottom of his heart. Gluttony’s ability to steal people’s memories was a malicious blight that profaned everything it touched. Claiming it was for their own well-being, using it in the pursuit of happiness—what a stupid idea. They were warping fate in a way that went against the natural order…


[User] “—!” Subaru bit the inside of his cheek to block out the unpleasant face that flashed through the back of his mind. I’m not going to put myself up on a pedestal. I’m not going to get sucked into her tempo. I don’t want to let her take anything more. “I’d love to make her howl, but…her brothers come first.”

[Assistant] "I was aware of there being multiple Archbishops of Gluttony, but have you learned something more?"

[User] "It’s really hard to be sure, because of her weird pronoun tic, but there are probably three Gluttonies. The one rambling away inside the book of the dead, and I think she has two older brothers.”

[Assistant] "If he took Louis’s words at face value, there was dear brother and brother dearest. We can’t take her words at face value, but she didn’t seem like the type to rely on trickery, either. Not that I’m one to talk, since I almost fell for her trap.” What would have happened if I played right into her hands and strangled her? If it hadn’t been for her voice, I would have…"

[User] “…Looks like we can’t afford to just keep chatting.” A large tremor reached even the shelves of Taygeta. Sensing the impending situation, Subaru grabbed Beatrice and stood.

[Assistant] “So it would seem. Let’s continue after reinforcing Ms. Shaula. Ms. Meili?”

[User] “Yes, I can go whenever. I love to work… You know that’s sarcasm, right?”

[Assistant] “Yeah, I could tell without you saying. Anyway, let’s hurry! Time to turn this around!” Only Subaru could understand the true meaning of that. It was something only Subaru, who had experienced the disaster assaulting this tower multiple times, really grasped. But everyone nodded, answering his call.

[User] “—Ooooooh!! !”

[Assistant] And so Subaru Natsuki’s—or rather, Subaru Natsuki’s and his friends’—battle began once more.


[User] "Still, though, it’s one crazy thing after another…losing my memories, taking forever to wake up. I’m sorry!"

[Assistant] "It’s not like everything is your fault. You don’t have to apologize, Subaru.”

[User] “Really? It’s okay? You don’t all hate me, now?”

[Assistant] “What are you so scared of? It’s fine, I suppose. Betty won’t hate you. If anything, I l-l-l-…” Holding his hand and running alongside him, Beatrice tried to muster some words of encouragement.

[User] “I got it, I got it. It’s okay, I feel better already. I love you, too.” Subaru simply nodded. Honestly, it was more embarrassing to have that last part put into words. It was a lot easier for him to say stuff like that than to have someone say it to him. He didn’t doubt his own feelings, after all.

[Assistant] “Where is Shaula? !”

[User] “Yes, we’re almost…there!” In the lead, Julius pointed to a side path hidden in the stone wall. Passing through the deviously camouflaged passage, they entered a hidden space.

[Assistant] The moment they left the tower, they were met by a fierce sandy wind and heard a series of unfamiliar sounds—almost like the sound of countless panes of glass shattering.


[User] The source of it was…

[Assistant] “Urrryaryaryaryaryaryaryaryaryaryaryaryaryaryaryaryaryaryaryaryarya!! !” They were on a balcony set into the side of the tower. From a height of hundreds of feet above the ground, the stylish beauty with black, glossy braided hair was dancing around in the dry breeze.

[User] Subaru covered his face against the wind and shouted. “Shaula!”

[Assistant] “Ah! You came, Master?! I’m so glad! Come to see my big performance? Or more like an office visit! It’s bring Master to work day, so please enjoy!” Shaula responded with a cheerful voice that was entirely at odds with the situation. A string of cannons appeared in the sky along the full width of the balcony. Strictly speaking, they weren’t cannons but white magic circles floating in the air. But that didn’t change their impression, and it was clear from the steep angle that they were aimed at the ground.

[User] “—Infinite Hell’s Snipe!”

[Assistant] “What the hell?! That’s so cool!” The moment she shouted her attack, the white cannons flashed. Drowning out Subaru’s dumb comment, the sound of glass shattering filled the sky above the sands. Simultaneously, the cannons lost their form, unraveling and melting away. That was the source of the sound that had greeted them earlier. And the goal of the orchestra of magic circles she was conducting was one thing—white flashes that swept the ground below. The moment the beams made contact with the sands, the ground was consumed by massive explosions. The demon beasts running furiously across the sands were no safer, splattering blood and flesh everywhere as they exploded, too.


[User] Her bombardment cut down more than a hundred of the charging demon beasts.

[Assistant] “Whoa, whoa, whoa…I don’t really want to hear it, but…”

[User] “Only one section of the tower’s surroundings is visible from this vantage point. However, you may safely assume the same scene is occurring at all points around the tower, yes.”

[Assistant] “You don’t know that. What if this side of the tower’s the only one with sugar water poured all over it?”

[User] “If it is really that stupid of a reason, Betty will pulverize whoever is responsible.”

[Assistant] Subaru felt a little woozy at realizing that it was happening even where he couldn’t see. They’re all too grotesque and weird and incomprehensible. God’s design skills are definitely a C– at best.

[User] “How was it, Master! Did you see my performance?! Also, the nice view I gave you from behind? What did you think? !”

[Assistant] “You’re not discouraged at all, even in a situation like this. That’s crazy. I’m genuinely impressed! Also, nice figure! And I don’t have the composure to take a close look, so just focus on the fighting!”

[User] “Okay, Google! Deeefense! Oooffense!”

[Assistant] “Getting out of this is priority number one…! Meili!”

[User] “You don’t have to shout.” Meili frowned and covered her ears as she looked at the ground.

[Assistant] “But…”

[User] “But?! But what?! ‘But do you mind if all of the demon beasts get killed?’ Yeah, that’s fine. In fact, please do kill them all!”

[Assistant] “Don’t go expecting the impossible. Even I can’t control this many beasties.” Ignoring Subaru’s irrational hope, she braced her adorable young face. And licked her peach lips almost coquettishly.

[User] “—I’ll just have to use the ones I prepared and let them fight.”

[Assistant] “Sssshh!”

[User] Meili pointed her hand at the ground as an enormous spout of sand shot upward.

[Assistant] “That’s…” Subaru gasped.


[User] "I tamed it in advance on the off chance something like this happened. It was supposed to be for sneaking away, but I messed up that.” Meili stuck out her tongue.

[Assistant] Subaru’s surprise wasn’t so much from the worm, but from the fact that he recognized it. It was the demon beast he had encountered when he tried to flee from the tower. Thinking back on it, he had run into trouble when it leaped out of the ground, too. The image of it being blown away by a white light afterward was also in the corner of his mind. So that worm was Meili. And the light was Shaula? He was a little slow to pick up on it, between the shock and awe, but as Meili acted tough, Subaru reached out a hand and roughly tousled her hair while she couldn’t defend herself.

[User] “Wah, ah, stop it!”

[Assistant] “I don’t know if it’s your nature or just a habit, but you don’t have to put up an act. I don’t believe you were planning to leave us behind and run.”

[User] “Mrgh, how can you say that?”

[Assistant] “Because I was you and you were me. Everyone’s different and everyone’s special.”

[User] “Huh?” Meili looked completely lost, and Subaru had no intention of explaining. At a fundamental level, Subaru could see through her deceit. Because he had seen her memories as if they were his own, he was the person who knew her best in this world. Still resting his hand on her head, Subaru scrutinized the situation they were in this time. He finally learned why the demon beasts had been pouring into the tower in the last loop. There had probably been a stampede just like this, and the reason Julius had been fighting the centaurs running wild on the lower floor was because Shaula couldn’t handle them all. That wouldn’t happen this time, because… "Captain Meili was missing due to an unforeseen accident last time, but she’s here now! Which means…”

[Assistant] —It was possible to have Julius deal with a different problem. Realizing that, Subaru understood that they would need to put the right people in the right places if they had any hope of dealing with all the problems cropping up right now.

[User] —The stampede of demon beasts blotting out the desert.

[Assistant] —The Archbishops of Gluttony coming to attack the tower.

[User] —The giant, ferocious scorpion wandering around the tower like it owned the place.

[Assistant] —The enormous dark shadow swallowing the tower and the desert around it.

[User] —And Reid Astrea, who would start roaming freely around the tower. “On our side, we’ve got me and Beatrice, Emilia-chan and Ram. Meili and Shaula, and Echidna and Julius…” Subaru started going through their active roster.

[Assistant] “Are you going to include the two land dragons and the healing spirit in the green room?”

[User] Nodding, Subaru mentally added Patlash and the big ground dragon down below to the list as well. She’s right.


[User] "—Wait, Emilia-chan and Ram just went to the green room to check on Rem and Patlash, right?" Subaru’s voice went hoarse when he realized they still hadn’t shown up.

[Assistant] "In this situation, if they merely didn’t know our location, Ms. Ram would find a way. Or else Lady Emilia would break down the wall herself."

[User] "Ram aside, I wonder a little bit about what kind of person you think Emilia-chan is. There’s no way those cute little arms can break through a wall. And even if she could, she doesn’t have that sort of personality…right?"

[Assistant] "Your loss of confidence at the end speaks volumes. But Betty has a bad feeling, too."

[User] "—! Shaula! Meili! Can we leave this place to you? !" Subaru shouted to Shaula and Meili.

[Assistant] Shaula gave a thumbs-up while setting up more magic artillery.

[User] "Leave this place to me and go on ahead!" Meili brushed her braided hair aside and puffed her chest out.

[Assistant] "I’ll take care of this much somehow. I won’t go easy on you if you don’t find them safe and sound."

[User] Meili was more than reassuring.

[Assistant] Ducking under the wall, they burst back into the passage—

[User] "Meili and Shaula are holding the line for us, but is there any chance of the demon beasts getting into the tower?"

[Assistant] "It’s not impossible. The underground labyrinth we fell into…I guess you don’t remember. It’s possible to get into the tower from there. But, thanks to Meili…"

[User] "You think the worm rampaging might’ve collapsed the underground passages?"

[Assistant] "Given the number of branching paths, I don’t think they can handle that sort of stress."

[User] Subaru clenched his fist to celebrate a small victory.

[Assistant] "Barusu!"

[User] "—! Ram? !" As they were running toward the green room, a voice called out from down the hall.

[Assistant] As they looked up, a black shadow rushed furiously toward the four of them—Patlash.

[User] Ram was holding on to the intelligent land dragon’s back while carrying the sleeping Rem tightly in her arms.

[Assistant] "Ram! And Patlash and Rem! Are you guys all right?"


[User] “Yes, somehow. We had a terrible time while you were napping. How could you sleep through everything? Stand up at once.”

[Assistant] “I’m sorry! I don’t need to hear it from both of you! And look, I’m standing up! Actually, I’m running!” Ram dismounted, leaving Rem in the saddle while giving Subaru a verbal lashing.

[User] Subaru had a sentimental thought that they really were alike in more ways than just appearance.

[Assistant] “—? Your odd attitude is bothering me, but this isn’t the time.”

[User] “Yeah, there’s a lot I want to tell you, too. Wasn’t—?” Subaru started to ask about Emilia, but Ram sharply interrupted him.

[Assistant] “Down the passage, we encountered an opponent calling himself the Archbishop of Gluttony.”

[User] Daunted by the force of her words, Subaru, Beatrice, and Julius all fell silent.

[Assistant] “The Archbishop of Gluttony? Down this way?”

[User] “Yes, that’s right. And that Archbishop is fighting with someone.”

[Assistant] “…Someone?” Her explanation was sounding stranger and stranger.

[User] “Yes.” Ram nodded. “—Some unknown silver-haired girl is fighting the Archbishop of Gluttony. She told us to run.”


[Assistant] “Huh?” Subaru’s mind halted for a moment at Ram’s unexpected phrasing.

[User] “An unknown silver-haired girl…?” Subaru murmured.

[Assistant] “Yes.” Ram nodded. “Someone I’ve not seen once in this tower. At the very least, she didn’t seem to be an enemy… In light of the situation, I retreated for now. However—”

[User] “—even with help, it’s a different story, with an opponent like Gluttony.” Julius picked up for her, his expression grave at having heard the word Gluttony.

[Assistant] Touching the knight’s sword at his hip, he pursed his lips.

[User] “It is an unexpected encounter, but if we are to meet him here as an enemy, we cannot allow him to escape. Our goal is to find a method to undo the damage done by Gluttony and Lust. If one has appeared, then we should ask directly.”

[Assistant] “Agreed. I have no intention of letting him leave alive, either. We have to make sure he regrets so casually showing his face before us.”

[User] “W-wait! Wait a second! I get the enthusiasm! I get it! But…” Subaru suddenly pulled the brakes as they let their powerful animosity toward Gluttony fly.

[Assistant] “Emilia’s name is missing from your conversation."


[User] "Why?” Getting a bad feeling, he just came out and asked.

[Assistant] Ram’s unnatural description and Julius’s lack of reaction had tipped him off. Looking around, Beatrice and Echidna didn’t seem like they noticed anything strange, either. They just accepted Ram’s statement about an unknown silver-haired girl. “—Who is Emilia?”

[User] Ram furrowed her brow. “—!”

[Assistant] Subaru’s throat clenched in shock. Looking around, Julius, Beatrice, and Echidna were all staring at him in confusion. He couldn’t hide his shock. “But…”

[User] It was barely just a minute. Seconds ago, we were talking about Emilia. Wasn’t the whole reason we left the balcony specifically to meet up with Emilia and Ram?

[Assistant] "Subaru, is…?” The first to notice the change was Beatrice, who was holding his hand. But the others quickly realized that the name he’d said had to be crucial.

[User] "Emilia… Is that the silver-haired girl’s name?”

[Assistant] “…That’s right. If there was a silver-haired girl, then she’s Emilia. Our comrade.” Subaru’s voice was wavering. “That’s why she told you to run and stayed behind. That’s why she’s still fighting.”

[User] "That is…possible. It is a feeling I’ve experienced myself.” Julius touched his hair, as if hearing something difficult to believe. He couldn’t hide his surprise, and Subaru was reminded again just how terrifying Gluttony’s power was in its reach, effect, immediacy, and vileness. Honestly, even though he was aware that his own memories had been stolen, it still didn’t feel real. It was impossible to forget the misunderstandings and paranoia he had felt in losing his memories, as well as the negative feelings he had directed at all of them. It was a dark moment he would rather never think of again. But even with that, it didn’t feel quite real. There was something indefinite, hard to describe about searching for something you didn’t have. Like fishing out at sea on a moonless night. That was why it had not really felt quite real. But not this time. Forgetting Emilia, someone they had just been talking about, a comrade they had struggled through adversity with until now, in just an instant. —Is there anything this disgusting? Mowing through other people’s bonds in search of their own happiness was an unforgivable sin.

[Assistant] “—Ugh, ngh.”

[User] Ram suddenly fell to her knee. She was breathing heavily while leaning against Patlash’s leg.

[Assistant] "What is it? Are you all right?”

[User] “…Just a little…headache.” Ram shook her head. “Thinking about that unknown person.”

[Assistant] "About Emilia…?” Subaru furrowed his brow as Ram looked like she was in pain. If Gluttony had stolen Emilia’s name, Ram should have seen it happen. Maybe that’s the cause?

[User] "Subaru." Beatrice touched his shoulder and slowly shook her head. "It would be better to not force her to remember more. She’s missing too much.”

[Assistant] "Missing…too much…?”

[User] “The incompleteness of Gluttony’s authority is showing. There are too many pieces of memory involving the person stolen that can’t be patched.


[User] Subaru was at a loss for words, but he quickly realized what Beatrice was getting at.

[Assistant] Echidna stood next to Ram, whose face was still twisted in pain. “I’ll stay with her.”

[User] Subaru was surprised, but she just shrugged. “We don’t have time to debate things. All the more so with Gluttony here and one of our comrades fighting them, even after her name was stolen. We can’t stop now.”

[Assistant] “Please take care of Ms. Ram, Echidna. Take Patlash and get far away from the battle.”

[User] “Yeah, leave it to me. I know this is a critical moment for you, Julius, but don’t get too heated.”

[Assistant] “I understand. My fighting spirit is chilled to the core. Just like my blade.” Julius immediately accepted Echidna’s suggestion and turned his gallant face forward. The desire to fight seeping out of him was so powerful that Subaru hesitated to say anything.

[User] “Ram.”

[Assistant] “It’s vexing, but I would just be a burden right now. Leave me. But don’t kill Gluttony. I want to make him regret ever being born.”

[User] “The enthusiasm’s reassuring, but take it easy for now! We’ll be back!”

[Assistant] “Yes. Go take care of it.”

[User] Subaru nodded at Echidna, rubbed Patlash’s neck, and looked at the sleeping princess on her back. As always, her eyes were closed in a never-ending dream, and she was breathing so softly, it was almost imperceptible. That’s enough for now. I’ve already heard the words I needed to hear from her. “Just you wait, Gluttony…! I’m sick of letting you eat everything!”

[Assistant] Honestly, the more he thought about it, the more questions he had. Why did Gluttony’s power not seem to affect Subaru? Emilia’s name had been stolen, and she had disappeared from everyone else’s memories, but her name, appearance, and voice were still clear as ever in his mind. And the faint feelings he felt toward her were still lingering in his breast, too. “Is it because I’m from a different world…?” Maybe the rules of this world didn’t apply to him. If memories in this world were a record of life that was removed from a dead person’s soul in the corridors of memory, then Gluttony’s power to snatch them away didn’t influence Subaru because he was an irregular existence who hailed from a different world. In which case, what about the old Subaru Natsuki’s memories? Supposing he’s dead, are they etched into the corridors of memory? Or else…

[User] “…Is the reason I can come back because they can’t be stored there?” It was a chilling theory.


[User] Subaru realizes if he is stuck in the cycle of Return by Death, he will be trapped in this world forever, unable to die of old age.

[Assistant] "Icebrand Arts!" A sharp, clear voice rang out, tearing through his thoughts. Looking up, he saw the passage to the green room up ahead frozen white and felt a tremendous chill wind pass over his skin. Emilia spun as if dancing through diamond dust.

[User] "—Urrya! Hah! Ey! Ey! Yah!" Holding twin blades of ice in her hands, Emilia unleashed a torrent of attacks. Her grunts sounded almost comical, but there was nothing cute about how fast her blades sliced through the air. Her attacks were precise, flying toward her opponent with the singular intent of bringing him down.

[Assistant] "That’s…" As Emilia spun with ice swords in hand, the passage froze over. The ice magic she used even affected her surroundings, seeming abnormally powerful.

[User] "Ah-ha-ha! Not bad, not bad, not bad at all, because it’s not bad, and you’re not bad! That’s why it’s worth our while to eat you!" The sneering creature easily parried and deflected her ice slashes before making a dramatic announcement.

[Assistant] Subaru found it hard to accept the fact that there could be anyone other than Louis Arneb with eyes like that.

[User] "—The Archbishop of Gluttony!"

[Assistant] "Aha! A guest! Or maybe it’s the main dish! We’ve been wanting to meet you, too, mister. It seems you took good care of our sister!" Hearing Subaru’s howl, Gluttony deepened his evil smirk as he parried another of Emilia’s slashes.

[User] "Ah! Everyone! Umm, you probably don’t know who I am, but he’s the enemy! A bad person!


[User] "Leave this to me…even if you probably don’t know who I am!” Emilia understood the position she was in as she spoke with her comrades.

[Assistant] "It’s okay, Emilia-chan! I haven’t forgotten!”

[User] "I’m never going to forget again! No matter what happens, I will never forget you!” Raising his fist, he shouted at her back.

[Assistant] "Nnn!” Emilia's eyes widened when she heard it, but they creased an instant later.

[User] Watching the same scene from behind Subaru, Julius had a smile on his face. "I doubt you are aware just how powerful your words were just now.”

[Assistant] “Huh?” Subaru turned to him.

[User] Instead, he drew the sword from his hip, and tracing a beautiful arc, he held it at the ready. "It goes without saying, but she is our ally, isn’t she, Subaru?”

[Assistant] “Yeah, that’s right. There’s no way someone that cute would be our enemy!”

[User] “Understood.” Julius nodded, and then his shape faded.


[Assistant] Julius accelerated with a single step, leaping into the icy melee with a thrust that Gluttony caught by crossing his arms in front of his chest before being flung backward. "I have been waiting for this moment, Gluttony!” Julius’s intense attack slammed into the smirking Gluttony.

[User] “Whoops, mister…” The Archbishop leaped backward, mitigating the force of the impact. He landed with his feet on the frozen wall as his gloomy voice called out. "Whoa, don’t be in such a rush. Sorry, but we don’t share what we eat. We don’t remember you. Whatever it is, it’s something Roy did, not us, right?”

[User] “Well, saying it doesn’t much matter is one way to look at it. Roy aside, we don’t really have much interest in you, mister. You don’t really meet our standards for food.”

[Assistant] “Your standards?”

[User] “Yeah, that’s right. And…” Gluttony let his arms hang limply, the short blades fixed to his wrists biting into the floor. He stared at Julius, talking about an awfully ominous-sounding standard.

[Assistant] “Hiiyah!! !”

[User] “—? !” Emilia lowered her hands, blasting a chunk of ice at the cultist without hesitation.


[User] Interrupted in the middle of his speech, Gluttony showed a changed expression, and he leaped to the side, just managing to save himself. "Tch! We know, since we ate you, but you really don’t hesitate, do you, Emilia?! If you attack like that, people will think you’re scary…"

[Assistant] "Just be quiet! You should know I’m used to people thinking I’m scary! The important thing is what I think about everyone! And…" Glutttony slipped past the ice only to have Emilia’s white knee right in his face. Blocking it with his arm, Gluttony was blown backward, and Emilia glanced at Subaru for a single moment. "The person I want to remember me the most hasn’t forgotten who I am. Right now, I’m really fired up!"

[User] "This is why the ones who act on emotion are awkward to deal with. They’re always the most trouble."

[Assistant] "—Is that how it is? However, I am in agreement with her." Gluttony’s expression twisted in irritation when Julius slipped behind him. The downward slash he unleashed was caught by an arm that Gluttony immediately swung backward. However, an incomplete block couldn’t completely stop the blade, and it bit deep. The cut reached his elbow, spilling blood.

[User] Gluttony groaned, even as the next attack followed—

[Assistant] "—Forgotten by everyone, I lost sight of where I belong and even felt that my very existence had been negated. But there was never any need for me to doubt where I stood." Putting his quiet resolve into words, Julius increased the keenness of his attacks.

[User] "Tch! Ugh, gah!" Gluttony couldn’t match their speed or intensity, and when one landed solidly on his chest, he let out a cry. Julius and Emilia continued their furious assault, steadily cornering Gluttony.

[Assistant] I would love to finish things in one quick push here…

[User] "Subaru, even if we tried to intervene…"

[Assistant] “…I know. I can’t do anything in that mix.”

[User] “…As long as you understand.” It was frustrating, but that was reality. With his skills, he couldn’t contribute in a battle between transcendent fighters. That was still true even with Beatrice’s support. So he could do nothing but watch. Emilia and Julius were taking down Gluttony. Then…

[Assistant] "Icebrand Arts." It was the second time he had heard that attack’s name, but this time, the one who said it didn’t have a silvery voice. Gluttony was bleeding, but he was still composed, and that smirk never left his face. He had been the one to call out that attack name. An instant later, an ice spear thrust upward from below Gluttony’s feet. Julius cartwheeled to avoid it, while Emilia turned her spear into a hammer of ice and shattered the icicle with brute strength. Even though the surprise attack had been blocked, the shock it brought didn’t disappear.

[User] "That was my—"

[Assistant] "Ha-ha! How does it feel getting a taste of your own special attack?! How is it, how do you like it, how’s it feel, how?! Eat it all!"


[User] "Gluttony!” Before Emilia could even get the words out, Gluttony drew another weapon of ice from the floor.

[Assistant] The shape of it left Emilia and Julius confused, and left Subaru mind-boggled.

[User] "A…a pile bunker? !”

[Assistant] "Icebrand Arts itself is Emilia’s technique, but the one using it is us, who have eaten you, mister! Knowledge is a weapon! We’re a high-IQ Archbishop, after all!” Gluttony turned the weapon from another world on Emilia and Julius.

[User] There was an explosion, and a stake shot out, violently forcing both of them to back away.

[Assistant] “Aaaahhh!”

[User] Laughing loudly, "Sorasorasorasora, go, go, gogogogogogogo!! !” Gluttony summoned weapon after weapon that didn’t exist in this world. Emilia and Julius caught themselves and got back in position to fight, but the change wasn’t just in Gluttony’s weapons. He freely adapted his fighting style to the weapons, forcing Emilia and Julius onto the back foot.

[Assistant] "His movements…can change this much? !” Julius’s shock was an expression of just how terrifying Gluttony could be in adapting other people’s memories.

[User] Emilia’s technique that created weapons out of ice, combined with Subaru’s otherworldly knowledge—that gave birth to infinite possibilities. On top of that, Gluttony had probably absorbed the lives of many warriors, effectively installing the fighting power of countless martial artists without any load times. Because of that, just by pulling out the most effective memory from his stock, he could immediately become an expert with any weapon, freely blending offense and defense.

[Assistant] "Julius! Not there!”

[User] “Ngh…” Julius stumbled as Emilia cried out. Even though they both wanted to defeat the enemy more than anything, their teamwork was clumsy. Their fighting styles were poorly suited to each other. Emilia’s style relied on intuition, while Julius was a schooled fighter who had honed his skills with endless training.

[Assistant] Of course, if they at least knew each other’s habits, it would have been relatively simple to adjust, but…

[User] "How unfortunate. Did you really think you could work together? Knowing someone and trusting them run along the same lines, but they’re totally different things. Because you don’t know each other’s thoughts, there’s no unity. Because you don’t know each other’s habits, you can’t adapt your moves. And then you crash into each other and get in each other’s way… Ha-ha, that’s no good at all, you two!”

[Assistant] “Ngh…”

[User] "Knowledge is power! Memories are bonds! By sacrificing memories, we grow stronger! Spreading our wings, flying high, and going wherever we want!” Leaping up, Gluttony hit both of them with kicks at the same time. His frame was small, and his legs were not particularly long, but his soles landed solid hits on both of their shoulders, sending them flying. "Dangerous! Saucy! A hard fight! What do you think of what we’ve got?!"


[User] "And the mister who’s just watching over there, are you satisfied just feeling frustrated on the sidelines?"

[Assistant] "You…"

[User] "You talked a big game about not forgetting, but how much will that actually help? In the end, experience tells the tale. Gathering superior knowledge grants abundance to life and sets people apart as winners. In other words, we’re the greatest!" Spreading his hands and baring his fangs, Gluttony sneered while his words tore into them.

[Assistant] So that’s his philosophy? It’s a bit different from what Louis talked about, but the essence is the same. They use other people’s lives as stepping stones and gorge themselves. Just the worst stuff. From the bottom of his heart, he thought it was a loathsome—

[User] "What are you gettin’ cocky about?"

[Assistant] “…Huh?” Gluttony had been laughing like the whole world was his oyster, but the moment he heard that voice, his eyes went wide. Subaru and the others were no less surprised. A titan of carnage had suddenly broken into the space, like it was the natural thing to do. There was a crunch beneath his sandals as the towering red-haired man stepped onto the ice. Appearing from the other side of the passage, he hemmed Gluttony in with a ferocious smile on his face.

[User] "The greatest ain’t some twisted little brat like you. The greatest and the strongest, the highest and the best—those are all words that exist for me." The man who shouldn’t have been able to descend from the second floor stood there with the grin of a villain.

[Assistant] Reid Astrea appeared before them with a commanding presence. His sharp blue eyes paid no heed to anyone’s shock at his arrival. His bearing alone left everyone, even Gluttony, speechless.

[User] "What’s with the stupid faces. It’s obvious I’d be here, ain’t it?" Reid tapped the patch over his left eye and tapped the floor with his sandal. "It’s gotten so noisy outside and insane that I can’t nap in peace. And there ain’t any booze, either, so it’s boring as hell. There’s no way I can take that."

[Assistant] “…Sucks for you, then. We’re kind of busy here. Shouldn’t be that hard to see.”

[User] "Hah! What are you spouting, small fry? Sorry, your voice is too quiet. I can’t hear you. Well, not like it’d matter if I heard it or not."

[Assistant] "Stubborn ass…" It wasn’t just that. The timing was bad, too. Subaru’s shout had been weak, not forceful enough to be a real objection. And silenced by that merciless, rough comeback, he clenched his fists, acknowledging he was scared of Reid. Now that he had come face-to-face with Reid, his soul was trembling. But not out of fear and terror. It was trembling with excitement.

[User] "Deep down, I’ve already acknowledged you as my enemy…"

[Assistant] "Heh. Not bad, small fry.


[User] "I still ain’t promoting you past small fry, but I’ll give you credit for not mistakin’ me as some convenient reinforcements.”

[Assistant] “Not like I’d just believe you even if you did say you’re here to help.”

[User] “Hah! Listen to the kid go.” Reid grinned like a sinister shark as Subaru hid the cold feeling he had in his heart.

[Assistant] In one sense, his announcement just now was despair-inducing. But Subaru had never counted on Reid as an ally. That would’ve been a mistake, and the man himself had just confirmed it.

[User] “—Hey, Reid Astrea.” Gluttony spoke, standing right in the middle of the frozen hall—right between both sides.

[Assistant] Reid snorted in annoyance. “Yeah, what is it, kid? …You’re a dirty little rug rat, aren’t you. What is it?”

[User] Gluttony ignored the insult and questioned Reid. “You’re the first-generation Sword Saint, right? So how are you here? From our memories, as the examiner you shouldn’t be able to come down the stairs.”

[Assistant] It pissed Subaru off that the memories he was talking about were clearly his own, but everyone there had the same question. It had happened in the last loop, too, but Subaru still had no clue why Reid, who was supposed to be the examiner for the second floor, was roaming freely around the tower. He didn’t want to think it was simply because Reid was that irrepressible…

[User] “Is there some odd trick, or have the tower’s rules themselves changed? Either way, you being here is outside the plan, so we’ll have to rearrange the courses now. Appetizers first, then the main, and then dessert is standard, right?”

[Assistant] “Blah, blah, blah. Quit spewin’ that babble, you little shit."

[User] “” “I can’t come down? Peel your eyes and take a good look. The hell are you saying? You can see the truth right in front of you.” Reid leaned forward in annoyance.

[Assistant] The way his white teeth flashed, the way he glared at Gluttony with his one eye—the man was a thug. But unfortunately, the pressure he unleashed was nothing like that of a simple street tough loitering outside a convenience store. It already made Subaru feel like his life was in danger. It was like a beast that blended a tiger, a bear, a lion, and a dragon in one body had shown up. Reid bristled with an aura that threatened every possible sort of violence as he bared his fangs.

[User] “Screw you. I do what I want, how I want. I don’t take orders from no one. This ain’t some joke. And who the shit gave you permission to start flappin’ your jaw, huh? Tell me. I dare ya.”

[Assistant] “Ah-ha-ha-ha. Wow, this is amazing. There’s no point in talking to you.” Turning the holy sword of ice in his hand into fragments of ice, Gluttony pushed back his long bangs.


[User] "But…you’re first-rate as prey. As Gourmet, our appetite is throbbing! Bite it! Gnaw it! Slurp it all up! Taste it! Eat it all! Gluttony!" Howling and raging, Gluttony got on all fours and stared at Reid across the frozen floor. His long tongue poked out past his white canines, dripping drool. He was thrall to an appetite for consuming others’ memories that no normal person could hope to comprehend.

[Assistant] "—Archbishop of Gluttony, Lye Batenkaitos." He introduced himself and launched himself off the icy floor and shot forward like an arrow. His feral sprint felt almost like a ferocious four-legged beast on the hunt.

[User] "What a pain in my ass." Watching Batenkaitos charge from head-on, Reid poked a finger in his ear, sounding bored.

[Assistant] "—Thanks for the meal!"

[User] "If a hot babe was sayin’ it, that’d be one thing, but no one wants to hear that comin’ outta you." In an instant, Batenkaitos, who approached with his mouth wide open, violently shifted to the side as Reid's right foot caught Batenkaitos right in the torso, slamming him straight into the wall with terrific force.

[Assistant] "Gheh…"

[User] "Keep that strangled chicken croak to yourself. At least when you strangle a chicken the meat tastes good, but you’re not even food. Whatever that crap about gluttony was about."

[Assistant] "Giiagh!"

[User] "You’re the one jumpin’ at a grown man. You better be ready for an ass-kickin’!" Reid’s leg pushed Batenkaitos’s body against the wall, and he started running down the icy passage at a speed unbelievable for someone doing it on a single leg, dragging Batenkaitos along the uneven surface of the ice.

[Assistant] "Giigaaaaaaa!"

[User] "Oy, oy, don’t start whining after this much. If that’s all it takes, then what’s the point? It ain’t over yet. In my day, this wouldn’t even count as child’s play. Kids these days aren’t just dirty. They ain’t got no substance, neither. Oy, you listening?!" Sounding bored, Reid stopped moving and quickly turned around. A backward spinning kick with his left leg slammed home forcefully into Batenkaitos’s side, sending his small frame blasting away like a rubber ball. He bounced against the floor at an absurd speed, unable to stop himself and spraying blood, the Archbishop passed between Emilia and Julius, past Subaru and Beatrice, and rolled farther down the passage. There was no trace of his energy from moments before as he lay sprawled out, facedown on the floor.

[Assistant] Is he…dead?

[User] "He was a powerful enemy, right…? Even fighting together, Emilia-chan and Julius were struggling…right?"

[Assistant] "...Correct.


[User] Beatrice’s hand clutched Subaru’s. Instead of being afraid of Batenkaitos, who had fallen and had gone still, she was wary of Reid, who stood in front of them. Emilia and Julius were the same. This battle wasn’t a fight against Gluttony anymore; it was becoming a battle against a new, even stronger enemy. Despite being in the middle of that—

[Assistant] "Thank you very much for taking care of that boy… Can we maybe be friends?" Emilia tried a friendly approach with Reid.

[User] Reid shook his head in response to the peaceful request that was just like her, and then he shrugged and kicked the floor. Brushing off her request completely, Reid scratched his head and heaved a sigh. "Hahhh, don’t go sayin’ crap like that… Actually, what are you, even? You’re way too hot. What the hell? You’re a straight-up babe! What are you doin’ in this shithole? Why are you here? Quit playin’ around in this crazy sandbox and drink with me tonight."

[Assistant] “Ummm, this is the second time…”

[User] "Unfortunately, she will be unable to accompany you for a drink this evening." Interrupting his crude ramble, a man with a knight’s sword at the ready stepped forward. Julius Juukulius faced off against Reid, as if protecting Emilia.

[Assistant] "Oh?"

[User] "There shall be no tranquil night for a phantom such as yourself." His eyes were sharp, and his sword was ready for action.

[Assistant] Looking right into those yellow eyes, Reid showed a slight change in his expression. "...Ho-ho. Your face’s gotten a tiny bit better. Something good happen? A woman? It was a woman, wasn’t it?"

[User] "I won’t deny that several things happened that affected my mindset. However, if a woman’s embrace can heal a wounded heart, then a friend’s merciless words can be just as good."

[Assistant] "I see you’re still a wordy bastard. Spit it out already."

[User] "The reason I am standing here with my sword in hand is thanks to my friend—!" As he said that, Julius advanced while swinging his blade upward, tracing an unbelievably beautiful arc with the tip of his blade as he unleashed an attack aimed directly at Reid’s neck.

[Assistant] “…Do you understand what calm and composed means? It means never losing control, no matter what happens. It means tricks don’t mean anything. It means you’re an idiot.” …Reid caught Julius’s preemptive attack with the two chopsticks in his hands. It was an absurd technique, almost like the reenactment of a story about Miyamoto Musashi. No, even Miyamoto Musashi didn’t stop an opponent’s sword with nothing but chopsticks.

[User] "Ngrgh…"

[Assistant] "Well, it wasn’t bad, I guess. Anyone other than me would’ve bought the farm."


[User] "Welp, let’s go." Reid grinned like a shark at Julius. And then, with one chopstick in each hand, he stepped forward while brushing aside the tip of the sword and unleashing an attack. The impact hit the side of the knight’s sword with a loud crack. ""

[Assistant] The short, wooden stick was incomparable to a sword, but in the hand of a master like Reid, it became a lethal weapon far greater than its size implied, sowing destruction wherever it went. Right after the ferocious crack, the resulting shock wave blasted Julius’s hair and clothes, shattering all the frozen ice coating the passage. It was completely absurd. Utterly unreasonable. It wouldn’t be wrong to call it a glitch in real life. Despite seeing it before, Subaru was still speechless and struck again by a stark realization… A monster like this existed in this world, and they had to overcome it if they wanted to clear the tower. The malicious nature of the person who designed this damned place made Subaru sick to his stomach.

[User] "—Heh, I’m actually a little impressed.”

[Assistant] It was hard to say how much of Reid’s full power was contained in that one attack. But he apparently had not expected Julius to be able to withstand it, and he even complimented Julius for managing to redirect it with his whole body.

[User] A drop of blood trickled from the corner of Julius’s mouth as his eyes narrowed. "As it happens, I have to win against you, or our calculations will be ruined.”

[Assistant] “You wanna win? Listen to you talkin’ big.”

[User] “Indeed. However, I shall have you accompany me!” Julius’s sword flashed, but Reid’s two chopsticks wildly deflected it. As his sword’s momentum got diverted, Julius’s stance…didn’t waver. He spun as if even that parry had been woven into his calculation, unleashing the next attack without any hesitation. He followed up with more, chaining the attacks together seamlessly. It was an elegant, practiced blade dance that flowed without a single wasted movement. If Reid’s sword was like a roaring flame, then Julius’s was like running water. In simple affinity, water would extinguish fire, but if the flames were strong enough, then it was more like a burning stone that could boil away the water, rendering it meaningless. Most likely, many, many flowing water swordsmen had been evaporated by Reid’s blazing force. But in this moment, Julius showed no fear as he continued his unwavering attack against Reid.

[Assistant] “Don’t think Julius is the only one here!”

[User] "Hah! I didn’t forget you, hotness! Your face is too good to forget!”

[Assistant] “Thank you for the compliment! But there’s only one person who really remembers me!” Emilia joined Julius’s blade dance with an armory full of ice weapons.

[User] Because of that, Reid pointed one chopstick at Julius and the other at Emilia. His swordsmanship shattered any pedestrian questions about whether that would be enough to keep them at bay.


[User] A chill frost descended upon the sword dance composed of flowing water and raging flame, vividly transforming the battlefield. There had only been a single change of cast, switching Reid out for Batenkaitos as the prime antagonist, but Emilia and Julius’s awkward teamwork started to find links. In fact, even that was changing. Maybe because the enemy was stronger, or maybe because they had adjusted their fighting styles in an impossibly short amount of time, but their breathing was starting to sync up, and the initially unsteady coordination was becoming more and more certain.

[Assistant] "Julius is matching Emilia."

[User] "You can tell?"

[Assistant] "It’s a matter of personality, too. Emilia is moving decisively, and Julius is moving more like himself. It makes sense for Emilia to stop trying to match him."

[User] "That’s them, all right." If that was what it took to make it work, then that was the right choice. In the end, letting go of everything and going at her own pace was Emilia’s style. Meanwhile, Julius was obviously skilled at aligning himself with other people’s movements and still maximizing what his skills brought to the table.

[Assistant] "Ha-ha! Nice, nice! This is startin’ to get fun for me!"

[User] "Uyah! Seiyah! Toryah! Urya, urya, urya!" Reid burst into laughter, enjoying himself as he matched their improving teamwork with force. Emilia’s silly shouts were accompanied by unbelievably deadly attacks, but there was no decisive blow. Water and fire and ice intertwined beautifully in a mystical ballet of violence. It was so beautiful, someone might mistake this for a real dance.

[Assistant] "—Shaaaaaa!" And so the intrusion of dissonance stood out immediately. "You…!" Lye Batenkaitos rudely crashed into their dance. The boy who had been struck by Reid’s kick and who had tumbled away on the verge of death rejoined the battle as if nothing had happened. Batenkaitos swung the blades attached to his wrists, using his short arms and legs to lash out at the three of them with a flurry of lethal attacks. Emilia and Julius and Reid all defended in annoyance. "You do not know when to give up, Archbishop!"

[User] "Ha-ha-ha! Leaving us out of the fun, don’t be so mean, brother dearest! Always, always keeping things to yourself? Don’t be so stingy!"

[Assistant] "Reid! You can see, right?! There’s no point in us fighting here! Can you help us? Or at least be patient and wait?"

[User] "You just don’t get it, do you, hotness? I’m havin’ fun right now. I wouldn’t change my mind even if the stars fell out of the sky!" The four of them traded blows as they crashed their determination into each other. It was a battle soaked in blood. This was not something to approach lightly, and there was no simple or obvious point of compromise. It was hard to tell from the sidelines who had the upper hand and who was at a disadvantage, who was winning and who was getting pushed back.


[User] All he could do was at least pray for his friends’ victory. “—!”

[Assistant] “Subaru? !” Unable to do anything but watch in frustration from the sidelines, Subaru clutched his chest and fell to his knees.

[User] Taken aback, Beatrice touched his shoulder and looked into his face as he stared down, breathing painfully. “Subaru, Subaru! What is it? What happened? !”

[Assistant] “…No, what is…this?”

[User] “Subaru?” Beatrice desperately called out to him as Subaru clutched his chest and blinked over and over.

[Assistant] There was no point in trying to hide it or dodge the question. But Subaru didn’t know what it was, either. It was strange. Something was off. There was an unbelievable heat coming from inside his chest. His heart raced until it felt like it might explode. Every drop of blood in his body seemed to be pleading, as a bright red warning bell rang in his head. A terrifying feeling that he couldn’t bear was coursing through him. “” He didn’t know what was going on with his body. This isn’t something that has happened in any of the loops. Is it some kind of sickness? Or is there some sort of magical interference? Using what little intelligence he could muster, he considered the worst possibility and then shook his head. No, this probably isn’t a bad thing. The alarm is just telling me something’s changed. “Haaah…” He exhaled slowly. What had seared his mind just now wasn’t only concern for Emilia and Julius as they fought Reid and Batenkaitos. He had been powerless to do anything besides stand there and watch. What seared his mind were the two remaining obstacles that were, in all likelihood, approaching even now. While Emilia and Julius were fighting so hard in front of him, the moment he considered the possibility of the tower still being destroyed, his pulse started racing, and he had to take a knee. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. The sound resonated in his mind as he slowly breathed and closed his eyes. That just felt right. Obeying that feeling, he kept his eyes closed. “”

[User] Seeing Subaru move with such deliberateness, Beatrice stopped calling to him. She couldn’t have possibly known what was happening. Even so, she held fast. Subaru was blessed to have such understanding comrades. And behind his eyelids, he felt something strange emerging. —An oh-so-faint light looming in the indistinct darkness.

[Assistant] “—?” Faint, warm, glowing lights. There was one right beside Subaru, and two more in front of him, a short distance away. And mysteriously, even though he didn’t turn around, he could tell there were some behind him, too. Behind him, there were four lights, all bundled together. And then one more even farther away. And, and, and— —He could tell one more was approaching from above.

[User] “—Beatrice!”

[Assistant] “Hyah!” For some reason, Subaru trusted that feeling completely, leaping at Beatrice before bounding away. Light. Holding her in his arms, Subaru rolled across the stone floor without a moment’s pause.


[User] —The next instant, he felt a burning heat graze his right thigh. “Gah, guooooo!” He immediately recognized that the heat came from the wound to his leg. Most likely, he was intentionally distracting himself from the fact that his leg had been badly gouged. He spun around while holding Beatrice, and opening his eyes as pain and tears blurred his vision, he saw it. “I figured you’d be coming, you damn scorpion…!” Subaru spat those words at the giant scorpion that appeared before him for a second time—the scorpion with a black carapace and eyes like red lights crawled along the wall with its multiple legs, glaring down at them.

[Assistant] “—Ah.” Beatrice’s eyes widened when she saw its large, ominous form. Her eyes focused on the scorpion’s pincer that had left such a deep furrow in Subaru’s leg. The scorpion’s pincer tip had a nasty chunk of Subaru’s flesh in it, and blood streamed out, dripping onto the floor. This was the giant scorpion’s intrusion that he had been worried about. The obstacles they had to overcome were all gathering in one place.

[User] Understanding how bad the situation was, Subaru’s mind burned red hot with pain as he raced to find some way out. But he couldn’t figure out how he could change the world in a way that would resolve this. Batenkaitos was here, Reid was here, and even the giant scorpion had joined the party. Even if Meili and Shaula were keeping the swarm of demon beasts at bay, Subaru was out of moves. This isn’t good. This won’t work. There has to be another—

[Assistant] “Subaru!”

[User] “Subaru!”

[Assistant] “Subaru!! !” He heard three people calling as he ground his teeth. Beatrice’s sorrowful voice, Julius’s strained voice, Emilia’s plea—he could hear them all. Batenkaitos, Reid, and the giant scorpion were all on the move. They would cut off every avenue. However, before that could happen— A thunderous roar shook the tower violently. The crumbling floor caused his body to bounce, blew Emilia and the others fighting away, and even crushed the giant scorpion’s carapace. It was like the entire world was collapsing. The small girl hugged him, as if to protect Subaru. Hugging her soft body, Subaru opened his eyes in the middle of the blast. “—I love you.” —The darkness that held only a blind love swallowed Subaru.


[User] —The next instant, feeling a jolt, as if black and white, light and dark, man and woman, love and hate… Everything had been turned on its head as Subaru Natsuki was transmigrated. “—Subaru.” A call, and as if drawing it toward himself, Subaru wrapped the owner of the voice in a hug.

[Assistant] “Uhyaan!” There was a sudden cry and a struggling body in his arms, looking up at his face.

[User] It was— “Bea…trice…”

[Assistant] “Th-that’s right! Don’t surprise Betty like that. I’m not saying I dislike it.


[User] "I was just worried, since you just came back from the book… But it is a relief that you said Betty’s name first." Beatrice murmured softly from inside his arms.

[Assistant] Hearing her voice, Subaru looked around himself. What happened? I was on the ground in the hall just a moment ago. My leg was hurt, and then that dark, dark, shadow…

[User] “…The archive?”

[Assistant] "For now, will you let us at least confirm whether you’re still there or not, Natsuki?" Surrounded by shelves and shelves of books, Subaru was looking around dumbfounded when he heard another voice. Looking over, he saw Echidna smiling awkwardly as she brushed her light purple hair.

[User] Behind her, leaning against a bookshelf and resting her head in her hands, was Meili. "You finally woke up."

[Assistant] "Wha?! Wha-wha?! Subaru?! What is it, Subaru?! Has something happened? Can you tell us what you saw in the book?" Beatrice was flying into a panic.

[User] "Ahhh, no, right. I…need to do that, too, but first…" Subaru hugged Beatrice’s tiny body, savoring the warmth. And then he acknowledged the reality that he had no choice but to face. —I came back…to this point in time. Having messed up clearing the five obstacles, Subaru had returned to this moment.


[User] The first thing he had to do was really come to grips with the fact that he had died and returned. They had failed to deal with the Pleiades Watchtower’s five obstacles in time, and in the end, that terrifying black shadow had destroyed everything in the heart of the tower. And in dying there, Subaru gained a chance to redo things—but this time was completely different from the other loops.

[Assistant] “…The checkpoint is different.” His fifth death. In and of itself, that was something worth grieving over, but the biggest problem was the new reset point. It had been updated to right after he returned from Reid’s book of the dead. From the corridors of memory.

[User] "" He had expected this. The Subaru Natsuki before he lost his memories must have used his Return by Death ability in the same sort of way. So the starting point being right after he had lost his memories obviously stood out. Unless the save point updated somehow, the current Subaru couldn’t have restarted from the green room. So the starting point updating itself wasn’t a surprise. But…

[Assistant] “I was brought back right before the worst moment, with basically no time to prepare anything…!” By the time he had returned from the corridors of memory, the major obstacles were already in motion—the faint rumble he could feel from the floor was proof of the demon beast stampede approaching the tower. His time limit was tight. The demon beast stampede, Reid Astrea, the mysterious giant scorpion, the two Gluttonies, and the brutal shadow that swallowed up the tower. And time’s running out. There’s no time, no time, no—

[User] “—Will you calm down, I wonder? !” A forceful smack brought him back to his senses. Beatrice squeezed his cheeks between her hands and looked straight at him with her big, round eyes. Pressing against him, close enough he could feel her breath.

[Assistant] “Aiyah!”

[User] "Tell Betty what happened in the book, Subaru. Talk to Betty, and we’ll think of something together… That’s our strength.”

[Assistant] "" Beatrice’s words helped him clear his mind of the panic and regret that threatened to consume him. And as he regained a semblance of calm, the enemies that lay past the panic and regret came into view. At the same time, he realized how shameful he must seem. And then he remembered the scolding that spurred him on when he was at a standstill just a short while ago…

[User] “Right, time to stand up.”

[Assistant] “Eh?” Beatrice’s eyes widened.

[User] “Nothing, I was just reminded again how stupid I am and how little progress I’ve made.” Holding on to Beatrice, Subaru rose to his feet. Echidna and Meili are here, too, and I generally know what the others are doing. I have a good idea what kind of mess they’re probably in, too.


[User] "I’ll keep it short. I couldn’t see Reid’s memories in the book of the dead. Something got in my way. The book is connected to some Odo Ragna thing, and I ran into a troublesome person there.” All three pairs of eyes widened in shock as he quickly explained everything. Apologizing mentally for not giving them any time to process these revelations, Subaru moved to the most important bit. “The Archbishop of Gluttony, Louis Arneb, declared war on us.”

[Assistant] “Another Archbishop? Even all the way out here at the eastern edge of the map? Looks like there’s some bond between you and them you just can’t escape.” Echidna joked, once Subaru finished his explanation.

[User] There were probably seven Archbishops total.

[Assistant] “Let’s save lamenting all the bad relations that linger around Subaru for later. What we need now is…”

[User] "Yeah, first up is supporting Shaula. Meili, can we count on you?”

[Assistant] Finishing Julius’s thought, Subaru entrusted Meili to cooperate with Shaula and deal with the stampede of demon beasts outside the tower.

[User] “Ohhh? After that big talk, you’re just dumping work in my lap? But you were at least honest about it, so you can leave it to me. Be grateful.” An impish smile on her face as Subaru turned to her.

[Assistant] “Of course, I’m super grateful! I love you!”

[User] “So cheap…” Evidently annoyed by his confession, Meili still agreed to take care of the demon beasts. She was acting like she didn’t really want to do it, but that was just her hiding her embarrassment.

[Assistant] One down, four to go…

[User] “Subaru, you must have something in mind if you sent Miss Meili alone.”

[Assistant] “You’re quick on the uptake. I said Gluttony was coming, right?”

[User] “…Yes, you said that one of several Gluttonies stole your memories last night. In which case, I trust you are going to give me a chance to avenge myself.” Julius’s voice was low as he touched the sword on his hip.

[Assistant] “That’s right, I want you to get revenge, but not on Gluttony.”

[User] “What? But in this situation, there isn’t an opponent more important than—”

[Assistant] “Reid is coming down. I want you to stop him from butting in.”

[User] Julius’s brow furrowed in shock when he heard that name.


[User] "In this chaotic situation, he would do the number one thing we don’t want. Betty agrees, if that thing comes out, everything will be for naught."

[Assistant] "I agree, too. But it’s hard to believe he can just go for a stroll around the tower…or rather, I really don’t want to believe it. Natsuki, did you get that from…?"

[User] "...Yeah, I heard it from Gluttony." After a moment’s hesitation, Subaru confidently lied.

[Assistant] "Julius, I’m reluctant to move you away from the threat we can see, only to chase after a potential threat. But we can’t just ignore what Natsuki is saying."

[User] "I understand. I wouldn’t be so foolish as to doubt Subaru’s words now of all times. If I’m being honest, it is incredibly frustrating not to be the one who will defeat detestable Gluttony. However…" Julius’s yellow eyes focused on Subaru, who nodded deeply, acknowledging the knight’s resolve.

[Assistant] "Like I said before, you’re the only one we can count on to deal with Reid Astrea."

[User] "...If I don’t win, our calculations will go awry, eh? What an irredeemable argument."

[Assistant] "You have my word. I will handle Reid. However, if it turns out that he cannot move from the second floor, I shall come to where you are at once. Any objection?"

[User] "Nope. If Reid can’t come out for a stroll, then that frees you up. I couldn’t ask for anything better. I’ll let you be the judge of that, but beating Reid is your role."

[Assistant] "Then we have an understanding. Echidna, Lady Beatrice, I’ll leave the rest to you."

[User] "Do me the favor of including my name, at least, come on…" Subaru grimaced at being left out.

[Assistant] Julius simply flashed a pompous smile. Then, with a flutter of his cape, he headed toward the second floor.


[User] After watching him go, Subaru turned around.

[Assistant] "I won’t ask how you can be so sure. So long as you don’t betray his trust or mine."

[User] Subaru gulped slightly at Echidna’s words.


[User] As pragmatic as she was, it was only natural she would doubt how he could possibly know with such certainty that the Sword Saint would start roaming around the tower. Especially when there was so little connection between Gluttony and Reid. The only reason she hadn’t burst his bubble in front of Julius was because she placed some level of trust in Subaru based on what he had done so far. I have to live up to that trust.

[Assistant] “—!” When his mind got that far, he felt a stinging heat in his chest. It was the same strange heat that he had felt just before the shadow had swallowed him at the end of the last loop. His pulse started racing, and he closed his eyes as the impatience swelled inside him. What appeared behind his eyelids were faint, pale lights—in his arms, right beside him, and here and there in the distance down the passage.

[User] “Subaru?”

[Assistant] “…I’m okay. We need to get to Emilia-chan and Ram! Let’s hurry!” Beatrice peered at Subaru’s face as it tensed. Shaking his head, Subaru took her hand and started running to meet up with the others.


[User] No, more precisely, it wasn’t to meet up with Emilia. Because at this point, it wasn’t Emilia they would run into down this passage, but—

[Assistant] “Barusu! You’re awake!”

[User] “Ram!” What appeared around the corner was the same group as last time—Ram holding onto Rem while riding Patlash. She dismounted with a flourish and tossed the reins to Subaru.

[Assistant] “You’re too slow! Take care of Rem! If she’s hurt, or if you touch her in any strange way, I won’t forgive you, so protect her like your life depends on it. I—”

[User] “Wait, wait, wait! Too fast! I get why, but calm down! You—”

[Assistant] “The Archbishop of Gluttony is here! Lady Emilia is fighting, but she’s at a disadvantage. I have to get back at once, or it will be too late!”

[User] “” The emotions that Subaru felt in that moment were complicated. Concern for Ram, who was going to fight, anger at the confirmation that the foul Batenkaitos had arrived—and above all, relief that Ram had said Emilia’s name. The biggest reasons he had been hurrying were to prevent Batenkaitos from eating Emilia’s name and to keep Ram from dropping out of the fight because of that. Getting confirmation that he had made it in time, Subaru took the offered reins and pushed them into Echidna’s hands.

[Assistant] “Echidna! Get Rem and Patlash to a safe area! The balcony and second floor are no good! You can’t get to the green room now. Taygeta’s probably the best choice!”

[User] “Natsuki?! What about you?”

[Assistant] “Me and Beatrice are going with Ram!” Echidna’s eyes widened as Subaru fired off directions. He quickly rubbed Patlash’s neck and seared Rem into his eyes.

[User] “You said it before. Don’t betray your trust, right? I’m asking you the same thing. Take care of Rem.


[User] “…That’s a weird thing to say. You’re Subaru Natsuki, aren’t you?”

[Assistant] “…I have a little hope that you can maybe understand a bit of what I’m feeling.”

[User] Echidna’s eyes widened. "Natsuki, are you…?"

[Assistant] "I’m counting on you.” Not letting her finish, Subaru started running.


[User] He only had Beatrice, who was determined not to let him be alone, and Ram, who had started running first.

[Assistant] "Why are you coming, Barusu? Rem is—” Ram glanced back.

[User] “Rem told me to go take care of things instead of just worrying about her! She gave me a lecture inside the book!”

[Assistant] “—! Rem what? What are you talking about?” Ram’s pink eyes quivered at the news as Subaru ran alongside her.

[User] “Rem told me to fight and take everything back. So that’s what I’m going to do!”

[Assistant] “Of course, don’t forget Betty is here, too."

[User] “…That’s enough for now. I will cross-examine you a hundred times over later.”

[Assistant] “A hundred times? !” Subaru shuddered.


[User] “—Icebrand Arts!” The next instant, down the white, frosted-over passage, he spotted Emilia’s back as she danced with weapons of ice in her hands. She was facing off against the small Archbishop, Lye Batenkaitos—

[Assistant] “Lady Emilia!” Ram’s shout was a final confirmation to Subaru that they had avoided the worst-case scenario.

[User] “Eh?! Ram?! Why did you come back?! And Subaru and Beatrice! I’m glad you’re safe, but it’s really dangerous! Get away! Leave!” Emilia noticed them when her name was called.

[Assistant] “Rem has been moved to a safe location. Now I may assist you.” Ram pulled the small wand strapped to her thigh while answering Emilia.

[User] “Ha-ha! What, what? You came back, Sister! Ooh, so dashing! Why are you so cool, Sister? You’re so wonderful!” Seeing Ram intended to join the fight, Gluttony sneered while putting some distance between him and Emilia.

[Assistant] “—Silence. I’ll kill you, Archbishop.” Her voice was dripping with raw hostility as Ram advanced on Batenkaitos.

[User] "Hey!" Subaru immediately reached for her back.


[User] Worrying about that possibility, he tried to grab Ram’s shoulder, but— “—Who do you think you are talking to, Barusu? Fall back at once.” His fingers touched nothing but air as Ram disappeared.

[Assistant] “Whoa? !”

[User] In a flash, Ram reappeared directly in front of Batenkaitos.

[Assistant] Seeing the wand thrust at his forehead, Batenkaitos widened his eyes, and he shouted rapturously as he crossed the swords on his arms to catch the imminent blow. “Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha. Are you serious?! Creating wind beneath your feet? You’re lucky you didn’t blow your legs off. Most people would be too scared to try that!”

[User] “Don’t use such a pointless standard to judge me.”

[User] “Also, you thought this would be the end? You’ve underestimated my anger.” Ram’s eyes narrowed. A blade of wind flew from the tip of the wand.

[Assistant] Expecting that, Batenkaitos twisted his body, but he didn’t make it in time. “Gih, gaaaaa!!! !” Batenkaitos cried out as the left side of his face was torn open. He pushed Ram back with a desperate kick.

[User] “I’m here, too!” Emilia rushed at Batenkaitos from behind, wielding a greatsword made of ice.

[Assistant] “—Ultimate Palm”

[User] “Kyah? !” A black fist shattered the ice sword mid-swing, like it was made of glass. The unexpected destruction ruined Emilia’s balance, and Gluttony’s hind leg swept her pivot foot out from under her, sending her spinning with a cry as his fingernails thrust toward her face.

[Assistant] “Lady Emilia’s face is one of her few traits that is completely flawless.” Ram’s foot stomped down on his claws, and then her left elbow sent Batenkaitos flying while Emilia quickly recovered by extending her right hand.

[User] “Wah, whoops…! Thank you, Ram! I almost bumped my head on the ground there.”

[Assistant] “Please be careful, Lady Emilia… He can use some troublesome techniques.”

[User] “Yes, it looks like it. That palm attack made my neck really tingle.”

[Assistant] “That is formidable. However…” Joining forces, the two of them spoke while warily watching Batenkaitos, who had retreated to a distance of about thirty feet in an instant.

[User] “Leaping Dorkel’s Teleportation.”

[Assistant] “That’s quite the gaudy name for a simple trick for moving here and there.”

[User] “Ah-ha-ha, are you serious? Figuring out the gist of it after a single glance? How is that fair?” Licking the blood dripping from his gouged face, Batenkaitos let out something between a shudder and a sigh of admiration.


[User] "Ram is someone who can do that much if she does not have to worry about anything else. Gluttony’s queer authority is the sort that can be crushed by a sufficient difference in strength." Beatrice explained as she held Subaru’s hand.

[Assistant] "I didn’t think Ram had the sort of strength to match that."

[User] "Pu, ku-ku-ku, ah-ha-ha-ha! As expected of Sister! A wound! This severe! While replicating Carnivore Heinelga! Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good! Eat it all! Gluttony!" Gluttony started cheering, the left side of his face was covered in blood, as he clapped his hands and looked back and forth between Ram and Subaru.

[Assistant] "Sister and you are both here together! We can’t get enough! The old idol and the current one…you are both our saviors! Every cell of our body, our very soul! It’s quivering! It’s gloating! Our stomach is rumbling!"

[User] "…Idol? Ram aside, why are you adding me?"

[Assistant] "You don’t get it! Because you’re special, Subaru!" Hugging his thin body as he appealed to them with a sickly sweet voice.

[User] "You’re copying her…!"

[Assistant] "That’s it, mister! You remember. That rich, full-bodied hatred that should be directed at us! The aroma of that obsession! The vibrant rage! The thick, pitch-black stew of emotions that we were supposed to taste!"


[User] "Now it’s time to slurp it to the last drop!” Batenkaitos spread his arms wide, his hazy eyes focusing on Subaru.

[Assistant] His drunkenness made him really seem like a maiden in love. Or perhaps madly obsessed.

[User] “You’re our savior…no, we should say it like this! You’re our hero! Our dear, earnest, mean, endearing, fragile hero who we have to stand beside, who the very thought of brings heartache… Our hero who tolerates us even so…!” Batenkaitos’s eyes were shimmering as Subaru fell completely silent.

[Assistant] He could see the Archbishop’s appearance overlapping with that of another person. It shouldn’t have been possible…the girl who had so powerfully spurred him on when he had been on the verge of shutting himself off from everything. The moment those images overlapped, Subaru’s body was consumed by rage and dread.


[User] "How is it?! Let’s reenact that moving moment! Let’s start here, mister! From one, no, from ze—” Batenkaitos was corrupting a holy ground in that instant.

[Assistant] "—Eyaaa!"

[User] "Bgh? !" Batenkaitos was so focused on reproducing the memory, focused entirely on Subaru and Ram but, should not have been focused on them.

[Assistant] "—Murak, I suppose. And…"

[User] "Sneak up and wham!" Beatrice and Emilia nodded to each other as Emilia knocked Batenkaitos unconscious with a heavy swing of her ice hammer.

[Assistant] "…W-we won?" Subaru asked, Dumbfounded.


[User] Batenkaitos slumped, his eyes wide and empty.

[Assistant] "Hooray!" Emilia raced over to Beatrice, giving her a high five.

[User] Seeing that, Subaru looked over at Ram. "Umm, so basically…?"

[Assistant] "Using Lady Beatrice’s Murak…shadow magic to erase her presence, Lady Emilia stealthily snuck behind the enemy. It is a method that fits Lady Emilia, but…" Ram massaged her brow, as if feeling tired.

[User] Noticing that, Emilia cautiously peered at her… "Umm, was that bad?"

[Assistant] "…No, it was splendid. Yes, it was truly splendid." Swallowing her mixed emotions, Ram praised Emilia and looked at the slumped-over Batenkaitos with withering disappointment.

[User] I totally get you. To think Batenkaitos, who I had thought of as a mortal enemy, would be this easily beaten.

[Assistant] "It’s all thanks to Betty and Emilia’s splendid teamwork. Be grateful." Subaru patted Beatrice’s head.

[User] "That was more like a head-on collision. But either way, good job, both of you! Let’s get him tied up quick and go take care of the next problem!"

[Assistant] "Wait. You intend to let him live?" Ram furrowed her brow. "He will be nothing but a potential threat."

[User] Her concern was natural. Subaru also wanted to avoid leaving any loose ends. Even if it was just the shallow peace of mind gained by killing someone. "I’m not saying tie him up because I don’t want to kill. The whole reason we came to this tower is to save the people whose lives were stolen by them, wasn’t it?"

[Assistant] "That’s true. All the more reason…"

[User] "There’s no proof that what he’s eaten will be returned if he’s killed, right? Not only that, but we’ll also lose our chance to pry that information out of him if he’s dead. That’s what I’m afraid of."

[Assistant] He had already asked Louis Arneb about memories and names that were eaten. Her answer was that she didn’t know how it worked. But that was just her answer. There was no guarantee her brothers’ answers would be the same.


[User] “If you have a way to get the answer out right now, then fine, but without that, we don’t have the capacity to deal with him now. There are plenty of problems besides him.”

[Assistant] "…The tower rumbling, and Julius and the others being missing are concerning.” Ram scrunches up her face in thought as she listened to Subaru’s argument.

[User] “Ram, I agree with Subaru. For now, I’ll make ice shackles so he can’t move, and we can ask him more later.” While Ram was thinking, Emilia chimed in on Subaru’s side.

[Assistant] She swung her arms, and there was a crackling sound as ice formed around Batenkaitos’s hands and feet, binding him tightly. “See? That should be enough, right, Ram?”

[User] “…Understood. However, when it comes time for discussions, please allow me to handle it personally.”

[Assistant] “—? Okay, got it. I’ll let you talk to him.”

[User] Emilia’s and Ram’s understanding of the word discussions were not quite in sync, but Subaru couldn’t find a reason to explain the difference or to stop Ram from handling the interrogation. There was no reason for him to feel sympathy for Gluttony.

[Assistant] “So Subaru, we’ve taken care of Gluttony here, but what next? Reinforce Shaula and Meili? Or…?”

[User] “Yeah, about that. Just give me a moment. I’m thinking.” Subaru put his mind to figuring out what their next steps should be. Of the five obstacles, they already had party members set out to deal with the demon beast stampede and with Reid, and unexpectedly, Gluttony’s intrusion had been beaten back by Emilia and Beatrice’s teamwork. The remaining obstacles were the mysterious giant scorpion and the specter of demise that crushed the entire tower, and of course the remaining Gluttony, who had not shown himself yet.

[Assistant] “Louis said the names ‘Lye’ and ‘Roy,’ so…if Batenkaitos is Lye, then the other should be Roy. He hasn’t shown himself once yet.”

[User] There was trouble happening all around the tower. It was hard to imagine there was yet another obstacle he wasn’t aware of, and he didn’t want to dwell on the possibility. If nothing else, it didn’t seem like the shadow of the other Gluttony was lurking around any of his comrades who were scattered around the tower. Meili was currently fighting the demon beasts swarming around the tower, Echidna was moving Rem and Patlash toward Taygeta, and Julius was moving violently around the second floor.

[Assistant] “—Julius is having a rough time. That must be Reid.”

[User] “Subaru? What are you talking about? Where are you looking?”

[Assistant] “Where? What are you talking about, Beatrice? I’m…” Glancing at Beatrice, who was peering up at him, he suddenly realized the weirdness of what he was saying. He couldn’t say what exactly he was looking at and how he knew.

[User] “What is this? I can tell where everyone is…and what they’re doing? I can see…?” Clutching his chest, Subaru confirmed the feeling—the inexplicable sight that allowed him to sense something like faintly glowing lights.


[User] It was the same feeling that he’d noticed in the middle of the last loop—he didn’t know how to describe it, but it was a sort of sixth sense that let him feel the presence of his comrades in the tower. The way he had managed to find Ram and the others on the way here with unerring accuracy was a sign of his subconscious knowledge. He had just accepted it as naturally as if he’d been born with a third arm. But Subaru didn’t know anyone who naturally had a third arm since birth.

[Assistant] “—!” Subaru finally realized how unnatural this all was and groaned. The repulsive, incomprehensible sensation was physically nauseating.

[User] “Subaru!” Beatrice steadied his shoulder as he stumbled.

[Assistant] Noticing something was strange, Emilia raced over.

[User] “It-it’s okay. I’m just a little lightheaded…” He held his hand up to stop them.

[Assistant] “Are you sure? You look awful. It might be because you read Reid’s book of the dead. Maybe you should hide somewhere.”

[User] “Don’t bench me like that, please. I’m just in the middle of upgrading.”

[Assistant] “Upgrading…?” Emilia cocked her head at the unfamiliar word.

[User] Even as he was thinking that her gestures were cute, Subaru desperately tried to get his newfound powers under control. I don’t know how this happened, but I can’t let this sixth sense slip away. With all of his comrades scattered right now and virtually unable to fight himself, this was an authority that Subaru wanted more than water in a desert. “Quit acting up and become mine—” The unnatural third arm had emerged in response to the cry of Subaru Natsuki’s soul. —So it should answer my call now. As he made that wish, the third arm took root inside him. It allowed his sense to extend for an unbelievable range and perceive his comrades all around the tower as faint lights. “I can vaguely tell where everyone is…and if they’re safe or not. With this…” I can still be useful for breaking out of this situation—

[Assistant] Just as he thought that…

[User] “—Ahhh, you’re so stingy, mister.” …there was a voice slithering along the ground that drew their attention. It was the resentful—no, the jealous—voice of Batenkaitos, whose limbs were still bound in ice. He had apparently regained his consciousness.

[Assistant] Before any of them could react, Batenkaitos closed one eye. Then his body disappeared.

[User] “Wh—?”

[Assistant] “Subaru Natsuki.” While they were stunned by his magic act, Batenkaitos crossed the sky with his mouth open wide. His toothy maw uttered Subaru’s name just before his red tongue danced. He couldn’t move in time. His instincts recoiled in the face of a predator telling him he was about to be eaten. Batenkaitos’s mouth closed on Subaru’s neck. “Thanks for the mea—”

[User] —A flash of light passed over the top of Subaru’s shoulder and tore into Gluttony’s wide-open mouth. It happened in an instant. Neither Subaru nor anyone else had been able to move.


[User] Batenkaitos alone let out a stunned sound as the light pierced his body and blew him away before he managed to reach Subaru’s neck. The beams pierced Gluttony’s body one after another, completely obliterating him. Bound hand and foot and hurtling through the air, Batenkaitos couldn’t evade. His arms, legs, torso, and head were all swallowed up in dazzling white light.

[Assistant] "Huh? Isn’t death supposed to be more…?" In his last moments, he started to say something, but he never got to finish. Most of his body was erased, and what bloody chunks of flesh remained had been scattered across the corridor.

[User] Confirming Gluttony’s demise, Subaru exhaled, remembering to breathe again. Then his heart leaped in his chest.

[Assistant] "Th-that was dangerous. I almost got eaten… Thanks." Even as his knees almost gave out, Subaru’s face went slack in relief.

[User] "I wanted to keep him alive, but I won’t ask for too much," Subaru said as he wiped his forehead. "You saved me there, Shaula."

[Assistant] "...Shaula?"

[User] Beatrice’s voice was incredibly grave.

[Assistant] "Beatrice? What is it? Why the face? I know it was a close call, but…"

[User] "No. Not that, Subaru. How can you say that’s Shaula?"

[Assistant] "How…?" He was confused, not understanding her question.

[User] "Emilia-chan? What are you…? Why do you look like…?"

[Assistant] Emilia held out her hand, taking up position in front of him.


[User] Ram was standing silently beside her, wand in hand and eyes fixed on something down the passage where the white light had come from.

[Assistant] "—Shaula?"

[User] When Subaru looked, he could see the giant scorpion with its multiple red eyes overlapping with a faint light.

[Assistant] "Is that…Shaula?"

[User] That short diversion in his mind wasn’t enough to distract him from reality. The massive pincers evolved for slaughter rubbed together ominously. Those red eyes watched their every move. The huge black body.

[Assistant] "Subaru, calm down. Deep breaths." Beatrice’s soft hand held his, calling a time-out as his thoughts started to fall into chaos. He noticed she was rubbing his back, trying to help him calm down.

[User] "I’m okay…I think. I’m still confused, though." Feeling her touch, he came to his senses. One breath in, one breath out.

[Assistant] "That’s fine. And are you sure that’s Shaula?"

[User] "Yeah, there’s no mistaking it. I can sense Shaula… Well, assuming she didn’t get swallowed up whole by it somehow."

[Assistant] "The fact that she might still be perfectly calm even if that really happened is what’s scary about her." Beatrice’s expression softened as she went along with Subaru’s desperate joke.


[User] “Let’s ask.”

[Assistant] “Lady Emilia?” Unable to watch Subaru struggle anymore with the roiling emotions of suspicion and faith, Emilia stepped forward. Not listening to Ram, she took a deep breath.

[User] “Hey, you! Are you Shaula? Or not?”

[User] “…Ah, right. You might not be able to talk. Then raise your right hand if you are Shaula, and raise your left hand if you aren’t! That way, we can tell.” Out of consideration for the silent scorpion, Emilia tried to talk first. She could unleash a completely merciless attack on Batenkaitos, but she was fundamentally a pacifist, so perhaps it was more accurate to say her personality was full of mystery. The response to her request was—

[Assistant] “—Lady Beatrice!”

[User] “I know!” Immediately sensing danger, Ram looked over her shoulder, but Beatrice was already reacting. Light streamed from her raised arms, and a crystal clad in a purple light appeared in the air. The next instant, the crystal was shattered by a white light that hit it directly, creating a furious dance of light in the passage.

[Assistant] “Whooooaaa? !”

[User] “Get your head down! It’ll be bad if it hits!” The shimmering white and purple lights flew wildly as the peal of shattering glass echoed in the air. Behind that magnificent, eye-searing spectacle, Subaru could see that the beam of light that had laid Gluttony low had come from the scorpion’s sharp tail. Beatrice used her magic to protect Subaru, deflecting, redirecting, and batting aside dozens of shots aimed right at them. Moreover, an overwhelming amount seemed to be targeting Subaru specifically.

[Assistant] “Does she have a grudge against me or something? !”

[User] “Maybe it’s because you were always so cold to her! Try apologizing!”

[Assistant] “I’m sorry! My bad! It’s my fault! Please forgive me! How’s about now? !” The shock waves rolled over their bodies as Beatrice and Subaru clung together. He tried following her valuable advice and apologized, but the white flashes didn’t abate. But if the focus of the attack was still trained right on them…

[User] “Just aiming at Subaru is mean. Don’t bully the weak!” Emilia shouted and ran down the passage, slashing at the scorpion with a longsword of ice. Parrying the attack with its giant pincer, the scorpion skittered its legs as it retreated at high speed. However, Emilia gave chase with a beautiful ice attack, determined not to let it escape.

[Assistant] “Teya! Ey! Uryaa!” A longsword, twin blades, a spear, and a war hammer that Emilia summoned shattered one after the other with a high-pitched sound. Silver hair fluttered amid the countless resulting ice fragments. In response to that waltz of ice, the scorpion’s strategy was simple. Flailing wildly with its pincers and tail, it shattered Emilia’s weapons and tried to tear her apart. A person and a monster. A fairy and a beast.


[User] A martial arts contest was unfolding between the two, creating a deadlock that went back and forth. “If it’s a deadlock, then the balance is…” …Easy to break. Just as he was about to say that, he noticed something. The asset who ordinarily would have joined the fray by now was missing. The reason was plain to see. Ram was leaning against the wall for support. There was sweat beading on her forehead, and she was struggling to breathe as her wand hand trembled.

[Assistant] “Ram?! What is it?! Were you hit somewhere?! Are you hurt? !”

[User] “…Don’t shout so loudly. It makes my ears ring. And I wasn’t hit.”

[Assistant] “Then why do you look so pained…?” Rejecting Subaru’s outstretched arm, Ram shook her head. Looking her over, Subaru couldn’t find any sign of injury. “I knew our healing was just a stopgap, but…I didn’t think it would only last this long.”

[User] “—! Beatrice, do you know something?”

[Assistant] “…Put simply, Ram has a limit to how long she can fight.”

[User] Subaru gulped at Beatrice’s short explanation. After witnessing Ram’s genius fighting ability in the battle against Batenkaitos, he had gotten his hopes up that they could count on her as a fighter equal to Emilia or Julius… “Guess it was too good to be true… You should’ve said something sooner.”

[Assistant] “Me? Whine to you? …Impossible.”

[User] “Good job keeping your tongue sharp even now. Up we go!” Subaru fired back while he lifted her slender body in a princess carry.

[Assistant] “Let me go,” she spat with a scowl. “Disgusting.”

[User] “Is this really the time?! People who’ve run out of battery should just be quiet while they get carried! —Beatrice!”

[Assistant] “I know!” Shutting Ram up as she weakly resisted, Subaru shouted at Beatrice. Realizing what he wanted, she pointed her palms forward and unleashed her magic power. The gleaming purple crystals that had caught the impending white flashes of death expanded again. The target for this mass of razor-sharp crystals was the scorpion clashing with Emilia. It would have been best to use it to finish the scorpion, but…

[User] “Subaru, your refusal to give up really is one of your selling points, I suppose.”

[Assistant] “…Sorry for the trouble.”

[User] “None of that now!” Because of the scorpion’s unexpected identity, Subaru was hesitant to finish it off. Guessing as much even though he didn’t say anything, Beatrice generously forgave his weakness and prepared to support Emilia with a bombardment of crystals.

[Assistant] “Emilia! Can you match Betty?”

[User] “Okay! I’ll give it my best guess!” Despite its vagueness, that was a surprisingly reassuring answer. Emilia combined her ice arts with Beatrice’s purple missiles. The sound of the air freezing overlapped with the sound of frozen time being shattered. The passage peppered with purple bolts hardened with an almost indescribable sound, drastically limiting where the scorpion could go with its massive body. Leaping forward on pure instinct, Emilia formed her thinnest blade, made of delicate ice, and slashed.


[User] With a sharp enough blade, a slash resembled the breeze. Whether that was actually something an ancient swordmaster once said or not, that’s exactly what Subaru thought Emilia’s sword sounded like. The joint connecting the scorpion’s pincer to the rest of its limb was severed, and a green liquid splattered as the pincer fell. It landed with a heavy thud. This was the fruit of their struggle. An obvious sign of…

[Assistant] “If you don’t want to suffer anymore, then just—”

[User] “—Emilia! It’s autotomy!” Subaru shouted desperately as Emilia tried to convince the scorpion to surrender. Destroying one of the scorpion’s primary weapons had been the trigger for a terrible tragedy in the loop before last.

[Assistant] Entirely unrelatedly, the scorpion’s legs pumped as it skittered away. This was the same sort of retreat it had performed during the loop before last, too—in which case, Subaru knew what came next.

[User] Hearing the word autotomy, Ram and Beatrice immediately realized the danger. Ram summoned a wind with the very last dregs of her strength, while Beatrice deployed a purple barrier.

[Assistant] “Emilia-cha—” There wasn’t even enough time to finish his shouted warning. The next instant, the souvenir the scorpion left behind glowed just before it exploded.


[User] The blinding light, the deafening blast, and a shock wave that shook heaven and earth. He desperately hugged the body in his arms close, enduring the pain he felt all over. Lifted off the ground and sent tumbling by the blast, he slowly sat up as a dense smoke filled the air.

[Assistant] “Geh, ngah… I-is everyone…guh?”

[User] “Where are you touching?” Subaru fumbled around with tears in his eyes, when a palm thrust sent his jaw back lightly. As he bit his tongue accidentally, his eyes got even more watery.

[Assistant] “It seems we both managed to survive.”

[User] “Y-yeah. Looks like it. Sorry, did I touch you someplace weird?”

[Assistant] “Yes. You touched my shoulder.”

[User] “That’s gotta be the most innocent spot!” Rubbing his jaw that had been hit for basically no reason, Subaru stood. He started to give her a hand, but since her condition wasn’t great, he lifted her up instead.

[Assistant] “Tch.”

[User] “Save it! The others…Emilia-chan! Beatrice!” Grimacing at Ram’s unendearing response, Subaru looked around for the others. The destructive power of the scorpion’s lingering proximity mine was colossal, causing tremendous damage to the fourth floor. There was a big hole in the floor and ceiling of the passage they were in, and the walls looked like they might collapse at any moment.

[Assistant] “Emilia-chan! Beatrice! I’m begging you, say something!”

[User] “Cough. We’re okay, Subaru. Me and Beatrice both.” There was a response from the other side of the dense smoke, across the hole in the floor. The next moment, a figure appeared through the dust—Emilia, her clothes and hair the worse for wear. She was holding Beatrice in her arms, making for a curious mirror image of Subaru and Ram.


[User] “Thank goodness…the both of you…nothing happened?”

[Assistant] “Mm, we’re fine, thanks to Ram’s wind redirecting the blast. That’s how I managed to make it in time with my ice wall.”

[User] “Even so, it was still just barely enough. We survived by the skin of our teeth.” Emilia, holding Beatrice, hopped across the gap.

[Assistant] Seeing that neither of them seemed to have any notable injuries, Subaru breathed a sigh of relief. Then he bit his lip in frustration as he realized the one who had caused this mess had quickly snuck away. "This much from one pincer…that’s not a souvenir you can just laugh off. There’s no telling what other tricks it has up its sleeve.”

[User] “I suppose that sort of obstinacy comes from her master.”

[Assistant] Ram’s retort silenced Subaru. Driving the scorpion back and getting more time to think did nothing to quell his doubts. And the biggest issue at hand was…

[User] “…Umm, was that really Shaula?” Emilia asked. That was the question on everyone’s mind.

[Assistant] Even if he wanted to deny it, it wasn’t in doubt for him. “I’m sure. And she was definitely aiming at me.”

[User] “It’s true that Shaula was clingy with you…but she should know that you would die if she did something like that.”

[Assistant] “You should have noticed yourself, Lady Emilia. That light attack is the same one that targeted us out in the Auguria Dunes.”

[User] “That’s…true…but…” Emilia lowered her eyes at Ram’s harsh statement. She didn’t want to admit it, but in her heart, she had noticed the cruel truth, too. That giant scorpion was Shaula, and she had become their enemy. But there was something that still didn’t make sense.

[Assistant] Searching for an answer to resolve that unease, Subaru expanded the range of his sixth sense. He could sense Ram in his arms, Emilia and Beatrice right in front of him. Echidna and Rem in a place that was presumably Taygeta. Patlash was near them, and farther away, downstairs, was Joseph. Turning his focus to the fourth floor balcony, he detected Meili’s presence.

[User] “Meili is still fighting on the balcony…”

[Assistant] “…In which case, she wasn’t attacked by Shaula.”

[User] “That’s what it looks like… What the heck was Shaula thinking?” It was contradictory. Too many of her actions didn’t make sense. He had even seen with his own two eyes how Shaula had been holding back the tide of demon beasts surrounding the tower. He didn’t know what change of heart she might have had, but she hadn’t hurt Meili.

[Assistant] “Umm, you two have been talking like it’s just normal, but…”

[User] “It was bothering me too. What are you seeing, Barusu?”

[Assistant] Subaru and Beatrice had been talking as if his sixth sense was open knowledge, but Emilia and Ram made them slow down. It was a natural reaction.


[User] "If you were not just talking drivel when you said you felt Shaula, then you must have some sort of reason. Is it some odd new magic with Lady Beatrice…? You aren’t going to say it is a blessing, are you?”

[Assistant] "That is a rude way to describe our magic. And it’s not a blessing." Beatrice answered grimly. "...It is an authority, I suppose.”

[User] "Authority…?” Emilia and Ram cocked their heads.

[Assistant] "Authority...?" They looked like they had not heard the word before, but the sound of it felt right to Subaru, for some reason. Almost as if that was the natural way to describe it.

[User] “Beatrice, what is an ‘authority’?”

[Assistant] “…Think of it as something akin to a more effective blessing.”

[User] “A what?” Ram had a pensive look on her face as she glanced up at Subaru’s.

[Assistant] But Subaru couldn’t tell what thought might be lurking behind her pink eyes. All he could say was that Beatrice’s explanation was probably not wrong. “I don’t know the details, but Beatrice is right. The effect of this authority or whatever lets me generally tell where everyone is inside the tower. And…”

[User] “Amazing… Ah, is that power why you thought that big scorpion was Shaula?”

[Assistant] “Pretty much.” There was a mixture of concern and astonishment in Emilia’s eyes as Subaru nodded emphatically. Authority, sixth sense…whatever it was called, Subaru could use it to sense that the light that was presumably Shaula had taken up a position quite a distance from them. Whether that was to heal the damage of losing its claw or for some other reason, he couldn’t say. There was one thing he knew for certain… “—It was probably after me.”

[User] “” He felt oddly confident of that. It had taken time to accept that the giant scorpion was actually Shaula, but it wasn’t hard to swallow that its target was Subaru. As long as it wasn’t after any of his other comrades, then there was plenty to take advantage of. “Right, and speaking of authority…” He didn’t know the origin of the authority he possessed, but that wasn’t important now. What mattered more wasn’t Subaru’s authority—it was Gluttony’s. There was no trace left of the remnants of Batenkaitos’s corpse in the hallway after the explosion. There was no need to confirm it, though. Gluttony had died before their eyes. In which case, what about the scars gouged into the world by his authority? “Ram, are your memories—?”

[Assistant] “If you mean Rem, I still can’t remember her.” “” Ram shook her head, rejecting Subaru’s faint hope.

[User] Looking over at Emilia and Beatrice, she surmised there wasn’t any change in their memories, either. There was still the possibility that the missing bits might gradually return with time, but… “Doesn’t seem like defeating Gluttony is enough to recover what we lost…”

[Assistant] “A troublesome enemy… Vexingly so.” Ram grimaced bitterly.

[User] This was what Subaru had been afraid of, but there was no changing the fact that Batenkaitos was dead.