After his conversation with Leandro, Otto went to the stable, and after checking the condition of his land dragon, he began to put on her harness.
Tap, tap.
As he adjusted the straps and reins, he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. He didn't turn around, because he already knew who was coming.
"Master Otto."
As expected, the voice belonged to Frederica. Since she could only see his back, she couldn't make out Otto's facial expression, but she noticed his shoulders tense up.
"Do you need something, Frederica?"
Otto was no longer embarrassed by what had happened; his only concern at that moment was solving the mystery of Garfiel, Patrasche, and Clind's disappearances.
For Clind—someone so powerful and experienced—to have failed to return, something very bad must have occurred. Otto and Leandro were of one mind on that matter, but the danger wouldn't stop them.
"Master Otto, you are going as well, aren't you?"
He didn't answer immediately, taking his time to adjust the straps and place the reins before confirming Frederica's suspicion.
"Yes."
Now it was Frederica who took a moment before continuing the conversation. Following Otto's confirmation, she let out a heavy sigh and placed a hand over her chest.
"Do you really think it will make any difference?"
It was a fair question, but one that wounded Otto's pride with its rhetoric. Otto had already assumed that his intelligence work would be useless against a threat like the ones Leandro usually faced.
If he encountered something or someone capable of taking down one of the most powerful warriors in the world, no strategy would save him, but perhaps it would allow him to protect his loved ones.
"I think I can find out what happened to Garfiel, Patrasche, and Clind."
"Not without risking your own life in the process. Why not send the insects?"
"I already tried… They came back empty-handed. It seems there is a strange phenomenon along the main route."
"What kind of phenomenon?"
"Something is preventing the insects from advancing. It could be a magical barrier."
However, for a spell that powerful to be successfully cast, it would require extensive preparation and resources, making it impossible for the process to take place in a matter of hours.
There was something else at play. However, for the moment, it remained an unknown.
"The only way to know what's going on is to go out and take a look."
"Then I'm coming with you."
Otto came to a sudden halt, turning his head to look at the maid.
"No, I'm going with Leandro. You stay at the mansion."
"The two of you? Do you really think you'll do better than Clind against whatever is out there?"
It was a fair question, given that Leandro was weakened. For his part, Otto didn't have much to offer in a scenario where the threat was still invisible.
But the mention of the butler hit the young merchant like a slap in the face, causing him to grit his teeth for a second before resuming his preparations.
Otto didn't want to be compared to Clind, especially not since he had noticed the tension existing between Frederica and that butler.
At first, he thought he was imagining things when he saw her casting furtive glances toward Clind, becoming unusually nervous or serious whenever speaking of him, often treating him as if he were a nuisance.
A nuisance that made her lower her gaze and blush whenever the butler got too close.
Naturally, Otto reached the conclusion that Frederica had feelings for that man. This was confirmed after Clind's attempt to rebel against the faction, when he injured several members of the camp before finally being defeated by Leandro.
Since then, Frederica's attitude toward Clind had turned completely hostile. However, some say there is only a thin line between love and hate.
Otto wouldn't settle for less; he wasn't about to stand by idly.
"I don't know if we'll do better or worse. All I know is that we're going to give it our best shot. If we don't come back, you have to…"
"Don't be an idiot!"
Frederica lost her composure and grabbed Otto by the arm, shouting at him in crude language without formal mannerisms.
"Why do all men throw themselves into danger as if they don't fear death?!"
"Frederica…"
Otto had never seen her like this, her eyes wide with desperation and raw anguish on display. The hand she used to hold him was trembling violently.
"Please, don't go… If something happened to my brother and Clind, I don't want it to happen to you, too."
He bit his lip, struggling against the temptation to listen to her, but he finally gathered enough courage to shake his head.
"I'm sorry, I have to do this."
"…Why?" Frederica asked, her voice broken.
"Because I want to protect you! Even if it's absurd for a weakling like me to say it…"
Frederica's eyes grew moist as Otto said those words while holding her hands firmly, the determination reflected on his face deeply touching.
"Otto…"
She stared at him, her expression flooded with emotion. She stepped closer slowly until their faces were almost touching.
"You aren't weak," she whispered. "You're the exact opposite."
Frederica rested her forehead against his, forming a small smile.
"You survived the Witch's Cult, something very few can brag about. Then you faced Clind all by yourself, even pushing him to his limit. You're willing to die for the people you care about. Don't ever say you're weak again."
"Frederica…"
Fearing his resolve would waver the longer he stayed with her, Otto let go of Frederica's hands and tried to step away, but this time she held him back.
"You don't have to prove anything anymore," she insisted. "Don't risk your life like this. At least let me come with you."
Otto's face turned somber. His voice took on a cold edge.
"If you want to convince me, you have to do something first."
"What?"
"Tell me how you feel about me. Tell me if you feel the same way I do."
Frederica's eyes widened. Otto didn't even blink. He appeared dead serious.
"That's… unfair," she grumbled, embarrassed and averting her eyes. "How do you expect me to do that when I can't even think straight?"
"That's my only condition, Frederica. Answer now, or I'm leaving."
"Wait! I… Actually, you…"
But Otto cut her off, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her body toward his. Frederica was so caught off guard by the sudden action that she could only gasp as he embraced her.
Her face flushed instantly, and she tried to keep her composure, though her heart was pounding frantically.
She thought he was going to kiss her, but looking at him, she realized something was wrong. Otto had a look of pure adrenaline on his face, gritting his teeth while staring intently at something behind Frederica.
"You!" Otto roared.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt the moment."
Frederica shuddered in terror upon hearing the familiar voice of Roswaal L. Mathers.
The mage wore a smile that looked almost as artificial as his makeup. His piercing gaze had already swept across the room, taking in every single detail of Otto and Frederica's body language.
"He is one of the anomalies that didn't appear in my Tome of Wisdom. I should be careful."
Precisely as the mage was thinking that, Otto pulled out a weapon that Roswaal quickly recognized.
A revolver.
Otto wasted no time or breath threatening or interrogating Roswaal. Knowing the danger that man posed, he simply aimed and pulled the trigger.
The bullets instantly perforated Roswaal's body, creating holes that closed as soon as the projectiles passed through.
It was like shooting a mirage.
"How…?"
"A mage never reveals his tricks, young Otto."
Roswaal smiled and snapped his fingers, causing a swarm of flames to appear around him. The fire was not orange as usual, but blue.
"I will only tell you that I have freed myself from the prison of being human. Al Goa!"
In an instant, the fire engulfed both Otto and Frederica. They barely had time to scream before the intense heat vaporized their bodies.
***
Slowly, Leandro let go of Petra's hands, along with the plate carrying the piece of cake. The ceramic shattered upon contact with the floor, and the fragments scattered with a dull thud.
"No, no, no… Why her…"
Rem and Ram gasped as they realized what had happened to Petra, but instead of rushing into an attack right away, they leaped in front of Leandro to protect him while studying the enemy.
"Hey, I asked you a question. Don't you have any manners?" The voice of Regulus Corneas scraped against the black-haired youth's ears like an annoying screech. "I am here, patiently waiting for an answer—a courtesy you have failed to return."
"Who the hell is this piece of trash?" Ram growled, clenching her fists, barely managing to suppress her rage.
"Be careful, Sister. That man is a cultist."
The white-haired man clicked his tongue, irritated by the oversimplification of his description.
"I am not just any 'cultist'! I am the Sin Archbishop representing Greed, Regulus Corneas! Can't you differentiate my majestic presence and elegant demeanor from those of miserable lackeys?! I have gone out of my way to be patient and kind, but you have looked down on me and insulted me! I will no longer tolerate any further disrespect!"
With that said, Regulus swung his arm and launched a gust of wind toward the three of them. Sensing the danger, Rem grabbed Leandro and leaped while her sister did the same, allowing the trio to dodge the attack in the last split second. The wind—frozen in time—demolished the large windows and left a massive breach in the wall.
"That wasn't wind magic," Ram said, narrowing her eyes as she analyzed Regulus's technique.
"It must be his Authority," Rem deduced, glancing at the black-haired youth to see if he had snapped back to reality. "Leandro?"
However, Leandro's mind was in total chaos.
"What is this guy doing here? Is he the reason Clind didn't come back? Did he kill him? What about Garfiel and Patrasche, are they still alive? No, but Petra is already dead… I need to activate RBD, I can't just leave things like this."
Rem and Ram exchanged worried glances.
"He's stunned by Petra's death."
"We have to protect him."
The sisters hesitated between fleeing and fighting, but ultimately decided to retreat. However, the Archbishop wasn't going to make it easy for them, launching constant gusts of wind that kept them at bay and prevented them from escaping the room.
"Tsk!" Ram grew fed up with playing defense and cast a spell to counterattack, since Rem was tasked with carrying Leandro. "Al Fura!"
The sharp wind swirled around Regulus like a mini-tornado, creating a suction effect that shattered most of the furniture, yet failed to move a single hair on the white-haired man's head.
"…"
Ram frowned upon seeing that her attack had zero effect. However, unlike when she attacked Reid Astrea, there was one very strange detail.
Regulus's clothes and hair remained completely untouched, as if unaffected by the laws of physics.
"Damn Authorities…"
The pink-haired girl cursed, remembering the occasion when Leandro almost lost his mind and attacked her with an Authority he had taken from the Archbishop of Sloth. Those powers were simply too unfair.
"Sister, watch out!"
Rem arrived just in time, shoving Ram out of the path of another gust of wind.
Meanwhile, Leandro was trying to figure out why a character like Regulus had come directly looking for him. It would have made more sense if it were one of the Gluttony siblings, or even Capella due to her connection with Elsa and Meili, but the black-haired youth couldn't recall doing anything that would make Regulus interested in him to the point of tracking him down. Unless Pandora or someone else had coerced him into doing so.
Finally, Leandro blinked, and the light returned to his eyes.
"Why are you here, Regulus?! Did Pandora send you?! Or was it that damn Gospel?!"
"Tsk! That is none of your concern! And now I am quite certain that you are Leandro, so I am going to put an end to this!"
He launched another attack, but the girls dodged it once more. Leandro then shouted to both of them.
"We can't defeat him! We need to run!"
"That's what we're trying to do, Liendre!"
Faced with Ram's exasperated reply, Leandro glanced at his surroundings. There was plenty of space to escape, but with Regulus continuously attacking, the risk of getting hurt along a predictable exit route was far too high.
"Rem, you need to use your horn and blow that bastard away. Ram and I will use that opening to head toward the side garden, and you follow right behind us."
The blue-haired girl hesitated for a moment, reluctant to let go of him, but finally nodded and released him.
"Be careful."
"You too."
Rem manifested her horn and charged toward Regulus, who growled and tried to stop her from reaching him, but the Oni was faster.
With a powerful kick, the Archbishop was sent flying, embedding him deep into a wall.
"…"
For a split second, Rem glared at him with hatred and considered hitting him again, but she shook her head and quickly sprinted off to follow her sister and Leandro.
The three made rapid progress through the side garden, heading toward the stables.
Upon reaching the area, they were greeted by a sea of blue flames.
"What…?"
Rem gasped. Her powerful sense of smell detected a nauseating stench that brought back memories of a certain traumatic night—a night that had scarred her forever.
The fire, the corpses, the Witch's Cult, and…
"Roswaal," the black-haired youth said, glaring at the figure emerging from the flames.
"Hello, Leandro. I see Regulus wasn't enough to finish you off. Even weakened, you remain far too dangerous."
The clown looked just as he always did, with his makeup and extravagant clothes, but unlike before, he no longer used his signature, annoying drawl.
"I've noticed that you and Ram have gotten quite close. You couldn't just settle for Rem, huh? You truly are greedy, Leandro."
Roswaal's mocking smile clashed with Leandro's sharp glare, creating unbearable tension.
"At least I get what I want, unlike others who spend four hundred years feeling frustrated and unable to accomplish anything on their own."
"I must admit that was true for a long time. However, today I am closer than ever to fulfilling my desire."
"If you think this is going to end well for you, you learned nothing from your defeat."
"We shall see."
Roswaal summoned the blue fire once more and extended a hand toward Leandro.
"Any last words?"
The black-haired youth seemed to reflect on something for a few moments. Suddenly, his lips curled into a twisted smirk.
"I'm going to kill you, and then I'm going to resurrect you, just so you can watch me fuck that whore Echidna over and over again while you watch us and cry."
Roswaal's arrogant expression shattered instantly, shifting from mockery to furious rage.
"AL…!"
His enraged chant turned into a muffled scream as he was crushed under a massive iceberg, followed by a hail of icicles that ensured every remaining trace of him was pulverized.
The one responsible was Emilia, who appeared in front of Leandro like a beautiful silver angel descending from the heavens. She leaped down from the largest iceberg and ran toward her knight.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, thanks for saving me."
She smiled. Rem and Ram approached as well.
"What do we do now?" Emilia asked, placing blind trust in Leandro's judgment.
"…"
He bit his tongue, hating the fact that he was weakened at such a crucial and dangerous moment.
"We have no choice but to run."
"…What?"
Emilia looked at him in disbelief.
"Run?"
"Yes. We are facing enemies we cannot defeat. We need to get to safety as soon as possible."
"But the others…"
"They're already doomed, Emilia. If we try to save them, the only thing we'll accomplish is getting ourselves killed too."
"But Anne is still inside!"
"LISTEN TO ME, DAMN IT! THERE IS NO TIME FOR ANYONE ELSE! EVERYONE IN THE MANSION IS ALREADY DOOMED! EITHER WE LEAVE NOW, OR THEY KILL US!"
Losing his patience, Leandro ended up yelling at Emilia in a tone far more aggressive than he had intended.
Emilia flinched reflexively, like a child who had just been scolded. Her amethyst eyes filled with tears, and she stared at Leandro as if he had hit her.
"Why are you acting like this?! What's wrong with you?!"
"What's wrong is that I want to save you! But you're too stubborn to listen!"
Leandro forced himself to control his breathing and calm down. He then placed his hands on Emilia's shoulders and spoke to her more gently.
"This is for your own good. I need you to trust me, even if you think I'm asking for something crazy. I promise you we can fix all of this later, but you have to listen to me."
Emilia understood what Leandro was asking of her and nodded slowly as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Alright… I… I trust you…"
Leandro felt his heart break seeing her like that, but now was no time for sentimentality.
"Alright, we leave now."
"Not so fast, my friend!"
A new voice resonated, sounding strangely familiar to everyone present.
"Shit, just what we needed."
Leandro growled and searched for the hidden enemy, but couldn't detect any presence.
"Who are you?!"
"An interesting question. Who are you? Who am I? Who are we? The answer is never satisfying."
"I don't give a shit about your fucking philosophy!"
"Of course you don't. No two people think alike. However, you and I have something in common, Leandro…"
"What are you talking about?!"
Although the black-haired youth waited for a response, it never came. Rem, Ram, and Emilia kept scanning their surroundings, expecting an imminent attack.
However, they were unprepared for the Yin magic that materialized out of thin air. A massive dark cloud exploded and spread in an instant, obscuring the world and severing minds from their bodies.
***
Leandro snapped his eyes open, his consciousness slamming back into his body.
Before thoughts could invade his mind, his brain intensely registered the sensations perceived through his five senses.
The air smelled of iron, burned flesh, and sugar. The sounds of creaking wood, a blowing breeze, and the soft humming of a melody could be heard. Leandro tasted a sour aftertaste in his mouth and felt an odd pressure on his wrists, which for some reason were bound together behind his back. In fact, his ankles were also tied tightly together.
"Where am I…?"
"Finally awake, sleepyhead."
Someone spoke to him in a playful, mocking voice. It was the same voice he had heard before losing consciousness.
Leandro blinked several times until his vision came into focus.
Looking down at himself, he discovered he was bound hand and foot with thick rope, which didn't budge in the slightest when he tried to pull his limbs apart with all his strength.
"Hey, if you keep doing that, you're going to hurt yourself, hahaha."
Ignoring the warning, Leandro growled and kept struggling until he was convinced of his inability to break free.
Finally, he raised his head to inspect the rest of the room. His eyes moved rapidly, taking in the visual information of the environment as fast as possible.
He was back inside the mansion, sitting at the dining table. In front of him was a small, cracked ceramic plate holding a piece of blood-stained cake.
"What the hell is this?"
"Well, since it's been a long time since we last saw each other, I thought we should celebrate this lovely reunion. I even took the trouble to bring a few guests."
Only then did Leandro take notice of who was occupying the other chairs. The sight took his breath away.
There were two black, smoking skeletons sitting next to each other.
"Who…?"
"Otto and Frederica," the voice clarified. "They died together—a very romantic ending, don't you think?"
Next to them sat a chair holding a pile of human remains, topped with a red bow at the peak.
Leandro gasped.
"That's…"
"Little Petra. A shame she died so young."
Beside that were two empty chairs.
"Beako and Echidna should be sitting there, but their bodies disintegrated when I killed them," the voice explained. "So as not to ruin the theme, just imagine they're there—dead, of course."
Leandro wasn't as surprised by the news that his spirit daughter and his witch partner/lover/associate were dead. That is to say, it hurt and he was furious, but he had already expected something like that, and he forgot his emotions for a moment upon hearing the nickname used to refer to Beatrice.
"Beako? There's only one person who calls her that."
Further down, Leandro saw the corpses of Clind, Seraphina, and Annerose. They had all been killed in different ways, judging by their wounds, expressions, and the state of their bodies.
But three people were still missing. The most important ones.
"Ah, it's about time, isn't it?"
Suddenly, Leandro heard footsteps—light footsteps approaching.
Then he saw him.
A young man with black hair and sharp brown eyes. That pointed face, that distinct hairstyle, and above all, the outfit combining orange and black.
He didn't need to introduce himself.
"Well, aren't you going to say anything, impostor?" he asked with an raised eyebrow.
"Subaru!" Leandro yelled his name in shock. "Were you here the whole time?!"
The Sin Archbishop of Pride frowned.
"I never left… But you knew that. You're trying to make fun of me, aren't you?"
"No, I had no idea! I just arrived and found out I had RBD! I waited for you to show up, but you never did, and I thought I had replaced you!"
"You actually did—you replaced me." His voice trembled, and his mouth made a sound somewhere between laughter and crying. "You condemned me to oblivion… to eternal darkness and a prison inside my own body."
Subaru clawed at his own face as disturbing memories resurfaced. His nails carved red lines into his skin, from which blood welled up.
"But now I am free, and I'm stronger than ever. I'm no longer afraid, and I no longer care about the things that used to hold me back…"
He walked over to a corner of the room that Leandro couldn't see, bound as he was to the chair and lacking the strength to turn around.
He returned noisily dragging a few chairs, placing them right next to Leandro.
The black-haired youth felt a mix of relief and terror when he saw that they held Ram, Rem, and Emilia. All three were unconscious but alive, showing no visible injuries.
"Subaru, I'm not the person you met back then! I never wanted to replace you! Please, don't do anything foolish! Let's talk about this!"
Leandro assumed Subaru was deeply disturbed by something he had done to him, but he couldn't remember what it was. Yet another reason to hate his Doppelgangers.
Subaru looked at him with a deadpan expression.
"We are talking."
"I mean talk like civilized people! Without killing each other, without stupid mind games!"
"You know? It's funny you should say that."
The Archbishop stepped closer to Leandro, his face nearly touching his.
"A long time ago, I told you something very similar. Do you want me to tell you what you did back then?"
"…What did I do?"
Subaru smiled and began to laugh—not with amusement or joy, but with visceral hatred.
"You destroyed me. You erased my existence from the world and rewrote it with yours."
Leandro lowered his head. He had undeniably screwed up, and making excuses by saying another version of him had done it wouldn't do any good.
"I'm sorry, truly," he said in a low voice.
"You're sorry? How touching, I'm going to cry from emotion! You really regret what you did!"
Subaru actually started crying, genuine tears streaming from his eyes.
"…He's insane."
Looking at him, Leandro realized that the boy before him was not the protagonist he remembered. This version was a completely different character, far more twisted than the original.
He looked like the Subaru who became the Archbishop of Pride and burned the entire kingdom to the ground.
"Wait a second, if you're with the Cult, that means…"
"Yes, I'm an Archbishop, but you already know that story."
Leandro clenched his jaw.
"Pandora…"
Subaru let out a mocking chuckle and sat on the table, crossing his legs in a relaxed posture.
"You shouldn't have trusted her, but you were always so arrogant. On the other hand, I had no choice: I never had a choice. Neither with Pandora, nor with Satella."
Leandro couldn't answer that—it was true he had made many bad decisions. He had never stopped making them.
"Leandro…?"
Suddenly, Rem's voice drifted over as she began to open her eyes. Her sleepy expression vanished as soon as she saw what was happening.
She growled and began to manifest her horn, but Subaru remained entirely unbothered.
"Hello, Rem. This isn't how I imagined our reunion would be, but to be honest, I don't really care anymore."
"Who are you?!"
"My name is Natsuki Subaru. I am the one and only original protagonist of this story." He pointed at Leandro. "And that is the impostor who tricked you."
For a moment, Rem was left speechless.
"The real one…?"
"He's telling the truth," Leandro admitted, keeping his eyes glued to Subaru. "Don't act recklessly, Rem. This guy is extremely dangerous."
"HA! You have nerve saying that!"
"I have no nerve at all. I know full well that I've done terrible things, but that doesn't justify hurting innocent people just to get revenge on me."
"Oh, now you sound like a tragic hero."
At that moment, Emilia and Ram woke up as well, looking back and forth between Subaru and Leandro, both confused and alarmed.
"What's happening?" Emilia felt something twist in her chest as she made eye contact with the boy, who gave her a look filled with an emotion she couldn't comprehend. Then, she saw Annerose sitting in the distance, her body limp and clearly lifeless. "Ah…!"
The half-elf choked back a scream and began to weep as she realized Leandro was right when he said everyone in the mansion was doomed. Now, they were likely going to share the same fate.
"Tsk. Another Archbishop? Rem, get ready to fight."
Ram began channeling her mana to empower herself, but Subaru cut her off with a gesture.
"If any of you try to break your bindings, Leandro dies. My Authority allows me to do many things—you'd best not underestimate me."
All three immediately tensed up, looking to Leandro for confirmation or denial.
He didn't look at them. He couldn't—he didn't want to take his eyes off Subaru.
"Don't do this. I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt anyone else."
It was practically a plea. Leandro knew he was at Subaru's mercy, that he wouldn't be able to protect the women he loved if the original protagonist decided to go after them.
"Liendre…"
Ram was stunned to see him like this. He had never begged an enemy; he had never shown vulnerability in the face of danger. It was deeply disheartening and alarming.
Rem and Emilia had almost the same reaction, with subtle differences.
"Damn you…"
Rem quickly grew to hate this Subaru. Because of him, Leandro was suffering again, even to the point of begging for mercy. Not a single damn day had passed since his return, and the world was already torturing him anew.
"Why…?"
Emilia was overcome by a wave of pain, as if the actions of that stranger were affecting her far more than they should. She felt… disappointed, for some reason.
"Don't worry, Leandro. There's only one person I want to hurt."
Subaru hopped off the table and stood before Leandro, leaning in close with a sadistic smile. He slowly extended a hand toward him.
"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" Rem yelled, her horn now fully visible and on the verge of ignoring the warning.
"I wasn't going to. Besides, I don't need to touch him to hurt him."
In a serene tone, Subaru stepped away from Leandro and paced eagerly around the four chairs where his hostages sat.
"This place is so quiet; it's depressing. I should play some music."
To Leandro's surprise, Subaru pulled a smartphone out of his pocket… in fact, it was Leandro's smartphone.
"When did you take that?"
Subaru shrugged and opened the MP3 player, scrolling his finger across the screen in search of the perfect track.
"Here it is."
He selected "Earth Angel - Marvin Berry & The Starlighters" and hit play. The dining room filled with a slow, romantic melody that felt completely out of place.
"Let's see… Who should I start with?" he muttered, rubbing his chin with a thoughtful expression. "Oh, I know!"
He stopped in front of Ram. In one swift movement, he grabbed her head, holding her firmly by the hair.
Leandro and Rem's eyes widened.
"DON'T YOU DARE!"
"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"
Rem made to move again, but Subaru answered her with a menacing smile.
"Do you want Leandro to die? Fine by me."
That threat made Rem hesitate.
"Rem, calm down." Despite her situation, Ram remained composed and tried to reason with her sister. "You're giving him exactly what he wants by reacting like that."
"But you…!"
"Don't worry about me. Remember that I am your elder sister, so you must obey me above all else." She managed a faint smile and looked at Leandro with immense sadness in her pink eyes. "Liendre… Don't die, and don't let Rem die!"
There were so many more words she would have liked to say, but her stubbornness only allowed her to condense her feelings into that short sentence.
Subaru burst out laughing.
"I don't remember you being so sentimental, Sister. I'm surprised."
"STOP, SUBARU!" Leandro grew desperate and tried to break free from his bindings, but only succeeded in dragging the chair a few miserable inches. "DON'T DO IT!"
Suddenly, Subaru grabbed a knife from the table and ran it across Ram's neck, slicing open her jugular.
Ram's body collapsed quickly, making a dull thud as it hit the floor.
"Don't take it personally, Ram. You'll always be my favorite sister."
Naturally, Rem was the first to react, letting out a gut-wrenching scream full of rage and anguish. Much to her horror, she had to stay still as she watched her beloved elder sister bleed to death.
Emilia squeaked and broke down crying again.
"…"
Leandro felt his chest go hollow.
He didn't react immediately, perhaps because he was in shock and couldn't process the pain.
He looked at Subaru and realized that no matter what he did, felt, or said, Subaru wasn't going to stop.
"What for…?" he muttered in a raspy voice.
Subaru seemed to hear him despite the distance and turned to look at him with interest.
"What did you say?"
"What did you kill Ram for? She has nothing to do with this."
"Heh… Sometimes I can't tell if you're smart or an idiot."
Subaru sighed and shook his head.
"Knowing you, I know the best way to torture you is by making you feel guilty. And what better way to do that than by destroying everything you care about? Even better, doing it slowly right in front of you while you're powerless to stop it… Ah, how satisfying."
He began to laugh as he walked toward Emilia, standing behind her and placing his hands on the half-elf's shoulders.
"My beloved Emilia-tan… Her hair silver like the moon, her violet eyes like precious gems, her voice like a bell, and the purity of her heart… Isn't she the most perfect thing you've ever seen?" he asked Leandro. "I know she is, because that love you've felt since the first time you saw her… is nothing more than an echo of my love for her."
"STOP IT, YOU SON OF A BITCH! STOP RIGHT NOW!"
Subaru burst out laughing at Leandro's intensity.
"Or what? Are you going to hit me with the chair you can't even stand up from?"
Meanwhile, Emilia had frozen upon feeling Subaru's full attention focused on her. She looked at him with a mix of fear, outrage, and distress.
"How could you do that to Ram… to Anne… and to the others? You're a monster."
Subaru looked down at her, his expression becoming conflicted.
"I know. I had to do it, because to defeat a monster like him, I had to become one myself."
He pointed at Leandro while offering his excuses to Emilia.
"But trust me, when all of this is over, you'll understand that I'm not as bad as you think, and you'll realize you were manipulated this whole time. Then you'll come to me, I'll welcome you with open arms, and we'll be happy again, Emilia-tan."
"That will never…"
Emilia couldn't finish her sentence because she suddenly felt immense pressure on her neck, stripping away her ability to speak and breathe.
"Forgive me, Emilia-tan… I'll make it fast so you don't suffer."
"SUBARU! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! AAARGHH!"
Leandro continued barking like a rabid dog, thrashing convulsively from the overwhelming despair crushing him.
Subaru locked Emilia in a chokehold, keeping her trapped in his grip while crying and apologizing to her. Emilia fought back and tried to resist, but for some reason, her body couldn't muster the strength to break free.
Slowly, her brain collapsed due to the lack of oxygen, her face flushed red, and her eyes looked at Leandro one last time. She reached her hand out toward her knight, seeking help or one final touch, but she couldn't reach him.
As her consciousness faded away, she heard Subaru's tearful voice whispering in her ear.
"I love you."
Emilia's arm dropped as life departed her body. Subaru let out a series of genuine sobs of grief upon seeing her dead.
"What have I done… My poor Emilia-tan…"
He placed his fingers on Emilia's eyelids and closed her eyes while pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"Good night, Emilia-tan…"
Subaru wiped away his tears and stepped away from her with an air of reverence. Finally, he turned his gaze toward Rem, who was glaring at him with such intense hatred that if looks could kill, Rem's would have not only destroyed his body and soul, but erased the very concept of his existence.
She couldn't believe that this monster was the very same hero Leandro idolized like a god, and the one who had fallen in love with her in the original timeline.
Subaru recovered his smile far too quickly for someone who had just murdered the woman he claimed to love.
"Do you see it, Rem? This is why he's an impostor. What kind of protagonist lets his loved ones die in such a cruel way? He's supposed to protect them, but look at him—powerless and frustrated, screaming like a wounded animal because he can't do anything else."
Rem was so furious she was practically foaming at the mouth, but hearing Subaru demean her beloved caused her to snap.
"SHUT UP! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HIM!"
"I know much more than you do. If you knew him like I know him, you'd hate him too."
"NEVER! I COULD NEVER HATE THE MAN WHO CHOSE TO SAVE ME! I LOVE HIM MORE THAN ANYTHING!"
Subaru repeatedly clicked his tongue, looking at Rem condescendingly.
"Ugh, seriously… You Oni are far too irrational. Just because he saved you doesn't mean he's a good person. Besides, he left you to die. How can you keep defending him?"
"I defend him because that's how unconditional love works! It's something you will never understand! And even if Leandro has been cruel, you are a thousand times worse! At least he has matured—you're just a crybaby who can't accept reality!"
"Crybaby…? Is that what I am to you?"
Subaru's eyes clouded over, taking on a darker hue.
"You think all of this is a temper tantrum? That I have no right to reclaim the existence that was stolen from me? Oh, Rem, you are so very blind…"
Rem scoffed.
"Maybe I am blind, but you are insane."
"You didn't think so when you said you loved me."
"That never happened—not for me. Even if I lost my memory, I would never love you, because you are nothing compared to Leandro. My heart will always be his."
"…Are you sure about that?"
Subaru moved his hand, thrusting it straight through Rem's chest as if he were a ghost.
"Do you want to see a magic trick, Leandro? Pay attention."
Rem's pupils dilated as she realized what Subaru was about to do to her.
"REM, NO!"
In his sheer desperation, Leandro tried to lunge toward Subaru to stop him, but only succeeded in crashing to the floor along with the chair. From there, he watched as Subaru abruptly pulled his arm back, and instantly, Rem died.
"Ta-da!" Subaru opened his hand, showing Leandro Rem's bloody heart. "What did you think of the trick? Pretty cool, right?"
"AAAAAAAAAAHRHRGGGGGGGGGGGASDIFUOSADIJHIAOUG!"
By that point, Leandro was so far gone that he could only scream incoherently while weeping hysterically. He had lost his mind; his mind was broken.
"So noisy… I guess I can't play with you anymore in that state."
Subaru let out a long sigh of resignation and looked down at Leandro with a mocking smile.
"Though I must say, breaking you was quite fun."
He crouched down in front of Leandro and examined him closely.
"Reid Astrea's attack was really effective at severing your connection to the powers of this world. Fortunately, your connection to Satella was restored almost immediately, but Pandora's will take a bit more time. In the meantime, you're mortal again. Which means I can break you as many times as I want. This is going to be so much fun."
Having made up his mind, Subaru stood up and began kicking Leandro.
He stomped on him. He kicked him in the groin. He broke his ribs. He jumped on top of him.
Only when he was satisfied did he deliver a solid kick straight to his temple, ending his life.
And in that very instant, the world reset.