Elsa's pupils widened, and for an instant, surprise flashed across her alluring features. She watched in disbelief as colorful regenerative threads extended from the freshly severed wrist and the gash along the man's abdomen. Steam rose, shimmered outward, and faded. Within just three breaths, his injuries were completely gone.
This man is not ordinary.
Clutching her blade, the Bowel Hunter herself, Elsa's expression hardened. She was already heavily wounded after her battle with Reinhardt, and now she had no strength left to confront this strange man whose body healed faster than her eyes could follow.
Making a sharp decision, the assassin turned and leaped up the nearest wall. With several graceful jumps, she landed atop a rooftop and dashed forward.
"Since you appeared, the plot must have only just begun."
Elsa froze mid-stride. That voice wasn't behind her anymore. It was beside her.
Her hair stood on end as she looked over her shoulder. There he was, a man with sharp amethyst eyes, lying casually in midair as if reclining on an invisible bed while pinching his chin in thought.
He floated. Or rather, floated while lying down.
"Who are you?" Elsa demanded. She steadied her stance, tightening her grip on her blade. Her muscles tensed despite her trembling injuries.
Lucien did not answer at first. Still reclining in the air, he pulled out a cigar, lit it, and exhaled a slow smoke ring. His amethyst eyes suddenly sharpened.
A faint crackling sound cut through the wind.
Lucien flicked a finger.
A Flying Finger Pistol shot forward at blistering speed, tearing through the air and striking Elsa's forehead.
Sparks erupted.
Elsa staggered backward, barely blocking with her blade, blood spilling from her mouth. The attack had worsened the deep internal wounds Reinhardt had given her.
"A magic user…" she muttered. Panic crept into her voice. She hadn't even seen the attack until the very instant it reached her. The only thing she registered was the sound and the air pressure.
Her heart sank.
"I got a good deal."
Lucien had been three meters away a heartbeat ago. Now he stood directly before her, their noses barely a centimeter apart. Elsa's breath caught. Staring into his amethyst-patterned eyes at such close range sent a cold chill from her tailbone to her skull.
She didn't know how he moved. She didn't even sense it.
Still, she attacked first.
Four dark, thorn-like tendrils exploded from the shadows around Lucien. They wrapped around her wrists and ankles, snapping tight and lifting her into the air in a helpless spread.
Lucien remained in a calm cross-legged floating posture, tapping ash from his cigar with his right hand.
Elsa, severely injured and bleeding internally, couldn't resist him at all. Even at her peak, she might have lasted a minute or two.
The thorns drew her closer. Suspended in front of him, she struggled weakly.
"Let me guess," Lucien said calmly. "You just came from the slums. Hired to steal a half-elf's insignia. Judging by your condition, that monster Reinhardt did this to you. Which means Natsuki Subaru has already died and revived multiple times, met Emilia and Reinhardt, and the Roswaal Mansion arc should be starting soon."
He had begun by questioning her, but as he continued, his words drifted into analysis.
That confirmed it. This was the world of Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World, a world far more terrifying than Attack on Titan or Demon Slayer.
Even though Lucien had only watched the first anime season and never read the light novels, he still recognized many important figures.
This world was dangerous beyond measure.
Just Subaru's Return by Death alone was an absurd ability. Every time Subaru died, he rewound to a previous point in time. Whether it was time reversal, reality reset, or parallel world shift, no one knew.
But it meant Subaru could not be permanently killed. Every attempt would only reset him.
That ability alone showed frightening potential, and it came from the Witch of Envy, a being capable of swallowing half the world four hundred years ago.
And that wasn't the end. The world was home to Witches representing Greed, Wrath, Gluttony, Pride, Sloth, Lust, Vainglory, and Melancholy. Each one a disaster in human form.
And then there was Reinhardt. The Sword Saint. A walking impossibility.
Over forty divine protections.
Protection of Evasion, making long-range attacks unable to hit him. Protection of Arrows, causing all his own long-range strikes to always hit. Protection of Heavenly Tears making him stronger when it rained. Protection of Azure Sky making him stronger under clear skies. Protection of Nightfall, Dawn, Bleeding… and the Protection of the Phoenix, granting resurrection.
An endless loop of revival.
Lucien's expression darkened the longer he thought.
Even now, he was strong, but compared to these monsters, he was nowhere near the top.
And he didn't even know the later plot. He could meet a minor character and accidentally provoke someone who could wipe out nations.
Elsa watched him carefully.
"How do you know all of this?" she asked weakly.
Lucien snapped back to the moment, his gaze drifting across Elsa's trembling weapon, her toned abdomen, her long legs, and her shapely figure. A plan formed quietly behind his eyes.
He needed to lie low and build some forces. Subordinates were essential.
But first, he needed an experiment.
He planned to kill Natsuki Subaru to confirm Return by Death.
A fifth thorn emerged, coiling around Elsa's left leg. It crawled upward like a dark serpent before piercing her heart. Blood flowed into her body from the thorn.
Elsa stiffened, convulsing in shock.
Her vampire constitution activated involuntarily.
Crimson lines cracked across her pale skin under her stockings, racing up her legs and spreading along her body. Her pupils shifted, becoming purple diamond amber as blood vessels thickened around her eyes.
She collapsed onto the rooftop, twitching violently, groaning through clenched teeth.
Ten minutes passed.
Elsa lay curled on the ground, breathing heavily. Strength surged inside her, as if something within her body had finally awakened.
At the same time, Lucien's presence felt overwhelming, predatory, and absolute. Her vampire nature didn't grant her immunity. If anything, it magnified her awareness of his power.
"Good," Lucien said. "You survived ten minutes. Impressive."
Elsa had become even stronger than Akaza, and if she awakened her Blood Demon Art, her abilities would soar far beyond her previous limits.
Lucien stood. "Let's find a tavern. There's a village near the border of Roswaal's lands. The events of the Roswaal Mansion arc should start there."
Roswaal was dangerous, possibly one of the few people aware of Subaru's Return by Death. He was also the one who hired Elsa in canon to steal Emilia's insignia. Lucien had only seen pieces of this revealed in comments and spoilers, but he knew enough to be cautious.
Elsa bowed her head slightly. "Yes, Master."
Lucien gave a satisfied nod.
They stepped off the rooftop.
The moment Lucien reached the ground, his body shrank, his facial features shifting until he resembled a boy of eight or nine. Even his orange spiky hair and pattern-ringed amethyst eyes changed. It cost him energy to maintain this form, but it was a skill he had trained in the world of Fate/stay night.
He continued walking, perfectly disguised.
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