Yo, it's the author here!Sorry for the abrupt pause in the publication of Guts x Re:Zero — I didn't have much time to work on it. But we're officially back starting today, with one chapter a day until the end of Part 2 of Arc 3. Get ready!
Also, I want to share some new crossover fanfictions in a similar style.First, a brand new Re:Zero fanfic, more comedic and less serious, but still grounded and realistic.Second, still set in the Re:Zero universe, this one stars Madara dropped into the world of Lugnica — it won't be a copy-paste of Guts x Re:Zero, so if you're curious, give it a try.And lastly, something completely different: a triple crossover — Warhammer 40k x Roshidere x Subaru. I'm experimenting with new ideas, and since I'm enjoying it, I thought I'd share it with you too.
If you enjoy any of these stories, feel free to leave a comment — it really helps!
For the three new fanfics, only the first chapter will be released today, and each of their first arcs will begin on Monday, same time, with daily uploads.
That's it for now — enjoy reading the first chapter of Part 2 of Guts x Re:Zero!
A cigarette.
That was all he needed upon waking.No conversations. No faces. No memories.Just a cigarette.To let go of the tension. Or maybe to forget.
He rose slowly, muscles still heavy from the day before.A day full of emotion. Too full.Even for him.
He slipped his hand into the pocket of the jacket lying on the chair, pulled out the slightly crumpled pack.Snapped it open, took out a cigarette, placed it between his lips, then opened the window.
The morning air rushed into the room.Cool. Light. Filled with a thousand unfamiliar scents.
Outside, the street was already buzzing with life.Children shouting, merchants calling, horses passing, wheels clattering over cobblestone.But he wasn't looking at the street.His gaze reached farther.Toward the horizon.Toward that uncertain future, in a world that wasn't his.
He lit the cigarette. Took a long first drag.The first of the day. Always unique.
He let the smoke settle in his lungs, then exhaled slowly.This moment…He knew it wouldn't last.But for now, he savored it.Every second. Every breath.
Last night, Roswaal had spoken.The White Whale. Crusch Karsten. An alliance. A mission.A role to play.
He drew another breath from the cigarette.He hadn't said no.But he hadn't said yes either.
He closed his eyes.Two weeks.Two weeks since he'd been thrown into this world.And already, he was at the center of schemes.Eyes turned toward him. Expectations. Choices to make.
Why?Why him?
He wasn't a hero.Not a chosen one.Just a broken warrior, pulled from one ruined world to another that expected nothing from him.
He knew it.He had never wanted any of this.All he truly wished for was to go home.To see his people again.To continue, tirelessly, hunting those who had taken everything.To avenge the dead.
But he was trapped.Now caught up in stories that weren't his.Conflicts, alliances, wars that didn't belong to him.
He had wanted to walk away.Run.Search for a way back.Somewhere deep inside, he still believed — if he'd been brought here, there had to be a way to leave.
But he couldn't turn back. Not now.He had made a promise.To Roswaal, yesterday.And above all, to Emilia.
She cared about him, despite everything. He had felt it.And he had no right to betray that.
So, as always, he would move forward.He would throw himself into the fight, just like he always had.
But this time… something felt different.A tension in his body.Strange, nervous. Like poison under the skin.
Everything had moved too fast.Even for him.Even for the Black Swordsman.
He would never have imagined being caught in something like this, so quickly.And he hadn't even had a choice.Not really.It was as if the pieces had moved without him, around him, trapping him in a role he hadn't chosen.
And that… he hated that.It reminded him of another time.
Griffith.The White Hawk.The man who spoke of dreams, of greatness, of destiny…And who devoured you without remorse in the name of ambition.
And now, Roswaal.Same look.Same heavy silence full of secrets.Same habit of orchestrating everything from the shadows.
Guts clenched his teeth.An old anger surged within him.Instinctive.Burning.
He felt betrayed, again.His cigarette was nearly gone.The ember dying slowly, like his anger… but still smoldering deep inside.
That rage that always threatened to consume him — he held it back.Forced himself to breathe, to return to the present.
No.He refused to believe that what he feared… might be true.
It was too much.Too painful.Too cruel.He didn't want to believe it anymore.He wanted… to hope.
For the first time in a long while, he wanted to believe he could change things.Not run. Not obey.Change.
But first, he had a goal.Simple. Brutal. Pure.Kill the White Whale.And come back.
Come back to confront Roswaal. In front of Emilia.Tell him no.Return the insignia.Reject that title of knight he had never wanted to bear.
Because he knew.Following this path…Was replaying the same tragedy.
Chasing a dream that wasn't his.Walking a road that could only lead to ruin.Again.
And that fear — yes, that terrible fear he didn't want to name — it lingered, hiding in the shadows.The fear of living through a second Eclipse.This time… he wouldn't survive it.
So he would do everything to stop it.Everything.
He crushed the cigarette against the window frame, without a word.The bitter taste clung to his tongue.There was nothing left to say.Just a beast to slay.And a future to reject.