When Subaru opened his eyes again, Emilia's worried voice reached him.
"Subaru? Hey! Subaruuu, are you okay?"
Her tone trembled slightly.
Subaru looked down at his hands. His fingers shook faintly.
Blinking back into reality, he thought:
"Shouldn't I have reset completely? In past deaths… everything restarted from zero. This time… is it different?"
He lifted his head and met the half-elf's gaze. Forcing a small smile, he replied:
"Ah, sorry, Tella-tan. Got lost in thought."
Emilia blinked in surprise at the nickname.
"'Tella-tan'? What's that supposed to mean?"
Subaru shrugged, his grin laced with hidden tension.
"Just like giving cute nicknames. If it bothers you… I can stick with Satella."
Let's see how she reacts to that...
A faint blush dusted Emilia's cheeks as she smiled shyly.
"N-No, it's just… unexpected. I'm not used to things like this."
Subaru scanned their surroundings. Puck was nowhere in sight—likely asleep in Emilia's crystal.
Then, realization struck.
"We're back just before entering Rom's tavern… only a few minutes earlier.
Flugel… doesn't want me wasting time."
After a short walk, they reached the tavern. Subaru inhaled deeply, steeling himself.
At the door, he leaned close to Emilia and whispered:
"Tella-tan, I need you to stay sharp in here. Keep your guard up. Unless someone comes at us with bloodlust, don't attack. Got it?"
Emilia nodded silently.
Subaru saw that familiar, pure worry in her eyes—the weight of what he had to do pressing down on him again.
He knocked three times.
Rom's gruff voice called from inside: "What's the password?"
Subaru jingled his coin pouch and shouted: "I've got money!!"
The sound of locks disengaging followed before Rom swung the door open, his massive frame filling the doorway.
"That ain't the password," he grumbled.
Subaru smirked and stepped inside, pulling Emilia along.
He headed straight for the bar and ordered two ales.
When the drinks arrived, Subaru turned to Rom. "Looking for a short, blonde girl. Heard she's here."
Rom's expression darkened. "Ain't nobody like that here. Drink up and get out."
Subaru rubbed his temples, exhaling slowly.
This dialogue… this tension… it's all the same.
But this time, he had to stay in control.
"Rom… I know she's here. My boss sent me to make a trade."
Rom studied Subaru in silence for a long moment.
Then, he turned toward the back door and called out:
"Felt! Someone's askin' for you."
A small, blonde figure emerged from behind the door.
Her sharp eyes flicked between Subaru and Emilia.
"Alright."
A sly grin curled her lips.
"If you're lookin' for me, your boss must've known what I'd be up to today. But I've already got a buyer for this jewel. Now that you're here with an offer… guess we're holdin' an auction."
"Felt's still fixated on the money… But the game's about to change. Elsa could already be here… or watching us right now."
Subaru knew the fight with Elsa was inevitable.
But his first move had to be—
Get Emilia out of danger.
He leaned closer to her.
"Satella… things might get messy during the auction. I need you to leave. Now." His voice was a whisper.
Emilia's brow furrowed. "No. I won't abandon you, Subaru.
You're doing all this for me—why should you carry the burden alone?
I can help."
Subaru met her resolve with silence.
His gaze weighed the sincerity in her eyes.
No fear. No hesitation.
Just raw, unwavering loyalty.
"Even now… you keep surprising me. And every time… it breaks me a little more."
A sharp pang stabbed Subaru's chest.
The air grew thick.
His eyes darted to the corner of the bar.
A shadow—there and gone in an instant—slithered behind a chair.
"...Elsa might already be here. Or she's watching."
Subaru's fingers twitched.
His pulse hammered against his throat.
The storm was coming. He could feel it in his bones.
"I have to play this carefully. This time… I strike first."
Under the tavern's dim light, Subaru's expression didn't flicker.
His heart threatened to burst, yet his face remained still.
This time… I won't lose. This time… I move before she does.
Those dark blades—I'll swing them first.
He turned to Felt, his voice low and deliberate.
"Listen, Felt."
Each word carried the weight of a choice.
"I might not be the first to come for that jewel… but at least I'm not here to kill you."
Felt's smirk vanished. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"
Subaru's voice dropped to a whisper only she could hear:
"Ever heard of the 'Bowel Hunter'?"
Felt froze. The bravado drained from her face.
That name—a childhood nightmare—was real.
"The gut-carvin' human from stories? You're sayin' she's—?"
"Real."
Subaru's stare didn't waver. "And in this building. Right now."
Felt's shoulders tensed. Behind her,
Emilia's eyes narrowed—she sensed the danger but waited for Subaru's signal.
"You're… still too kind for your own good."
Subaru pulled a small pouch from his coat.
"Fifteen gold coins. My boss gave me all of it."
Felt's gaze lingered on the pouch—until the door creaked open.
A chill slithered into the tavern.
A silhouette. Tall. Slender. Lethal.
Her black cloak whispered against the floorboards.
Her smile—a blade masked in velvet.
Elsa Granhiert.
"Ah… What a lovely conversation."
Her voice dripped honey over rusted steel.
"I believe there's an auction?"
Subaru's jaw clenched.
She wasn't just arriving. She'd been listening.
Picking which secrets to cut open.
Rom scowled. "Who the hell're you?"
"Just a customer.
And I have a… particular interest in that jewel.
Though I'm flexible with payment…"
Her gaze slid from Subaru to Emilia.
"…especially for other valuables."
Emilia's expression hardened.
The woman's tone—smooth yet laced with venom—was an unmistakable threat.
She gripped Subaru's arm.
"Subaru, this woman… she's wrong."
Subaru gave a barely perceptible nod.
"Yeah… but this time, I'm ready."
Elsa settled into a chair, crossing her legs with the grace of a predator observing its prey.
"Shall we begin the auction, then? This promises to be entertaining."
Subaru leaned back casually, but every muscle in his body was coiled like a spring. His eyes flicked between Felt, Emilia, and Elsa—calculating.
"Fifteen gold," he declared, slamming the pouch onto the table.
"Real gold. Earned with blood. You know its worth, Felt."
Felt hesitated, arms crossed.
"Gold's gold. But there's somethin' else here. I've seen that look on your face before—
Not fear. The kind of serious that comes from not wanting to die."
Elsa laughed—a sound like velvet dragged over a knife's edge.
"How adorable, little thief. That's the face of someone who wants to live… Or should."
Her eyes pinned Felt in place, as if already carving out her insects with a mental scalpel.
Emilia stepped forward, voice steady but threaded with frost.
"You didn't come for the jewel. You came to kill."
Elsa's pupils dilated—not with light, but with the reflection of something hungry.
"Sharp intuition. Half-elf and perceptive? But rest assured… this is purely business."
Rom's grip tightened on his axe as her saccharine poison filled the air.
"If you're here for a fight, you'll have to go through me first."
Elsa licked her lips, tongue lingering as if savoring the thought of his entrails.
"Ah, dear Rom… I'd hate to dismantle you…
But the abdominal structure of giants is fascinating. One slit, and everything spills so… easily…"
Subaru's blood turned to sludge. The tavern's air crystallized with dread.
Rom hefted his axe—the metallic shing slicing through the tension.
Subaru recognized the tipping point.
"Elsa," he said, voice strained but controlled.
"Take the gold. Leave Felt alone. The jewel's yours—just go."
Elsa tilted her head, feline and mocking.
"How dull, Subaru. No surprises. No tears… And I adore surprises."
Then—the lanterns flickered.
A shadow in the corner twitched.
Subaru lunged in front of Emilia, heart hammering but stance unshaken.
"Felt—give it to me. If Elsa gets that crest… none of us walk out."
Felt's eyes darted between Subaru and Elsa. Time hung by a thread.
As her fingers brushed the jewel—
Elsa moved.
Shadows bled with her. The very floor seemed to yield.
Subaru expected it. He wrenched Emilia aside, flipped the table—
A blade—
Slash!
It sank into the table.
A second's delay… and death would've claimed him.
"ROM!!"
Subaru's scream tore through the air as the giant moved.
His axe rose like a thunderbolt, crashing toward Elsa.
She only smiled. But that smile—
It was the pure satisfaction of a killer.
Now dual-wielding blades, the first swept Rom's axe aside.
The second, with a dancer's grace, carved into his leg.
Clean. Silent. Precise.
Rom staggered. His knees buckled.
And the mountain of a man shook like a collapsing wall.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?! IF IT'S THE JEWEL, TAKE IT AND GO!"
Felt's voice cracked—caught between rage and terror.
Balanced at the edge of desperation.
Elsa turned to her—
like an artist admiring her masterpiece.
"No. What I want…
are your Bowels."
She turned to Emilia.
Emilia stepped forward, hands raised,
eyes sharp. A halo of frost swirled around her—
Not a storm. A warning.
"Stay away from me!"
Elsa paused. Her eyes widened— a sick admiration blooming across her face.
"Magic… Beautiful. You're becoming even sweeter, little Satella copy."
Subaru clenched his teeth. He had waited for this moment.
The battle had begun.
His grip tightened on the twin daggers. His fingers trembled—
but his will did not.
[Mana Blade – Active]
One dagger shimmered— reacting to his mana, glowing with pulsing blue light.
The mana had answered. The fight was on.
He stood. Took a step forward. No more fear—
Only resolve.
Elsa moved away from Emilia— and faced him.
"You again?" she whispered.
Her voice slithered like a snake— but her eyes gleamed with bloodlust.
Subaru's blades clashed with hers. Sparks flew.
The dance of knives cut through the tavern's air—
and Subaru's rhythm faltered.
Even infused with mana,
his strikes struggled against Elsa's deadly grace.
"She's toying with me… She's not even using mana."
The truth rang through Subaru's mind.
Shame. Fury. Helplessness.
Elsa wasn't just fast—
She was death wrapped in beauty.
Rom's strength. Emilia's magic.
Subaru's will— None of it was enough.
He fell back. Drew in a breath.
Let the fire in his chest spread.
Pushed his mana not just into his blades—
but through his entire body.
[DING!]
[Mana Blade: 15%]
[Advanced Dagger Technique: 10%]
A translucent screen hovered before his eyes.
Subaru grinned.
"So this is how it works… I get stronger the harder I struggle."
Just then, Rom hurled his massive axe toward Elsa.
The sound of it slicing through the air—short, but deadly.
Elsa tilted her head slightly. She moved like a ghost.
The axe missed her— not by luck, but by a dance.
And her expression?
Amused.
Subaru was about to lunge—
But Emilia reached for the crystal around her neck.
Her hands trembled.
"Wake up, Puck… please…"
But—
Elsa appeared beside her. No warning. No sound.
"No, little witch. I can't allow that."
Her voice… was cold as a grave.
Before Subaru could scream—
Before he could move The daggers pierced Emilia's body.
Time stopped.
The crystal slipped from her fingers.
With the shatter of glass, something in Subaru shattered too.
Emilia's eyes… Widened— Then dimmed.
Puck emerged from the crystal. His eyes scanned the room—empty, lost.
Subaru fell to his knees. The same scene. The same death.
No matter what he did—he couldn't protect her.
"I was… too late… again…"
Blood still coated his hands. Her warmth still clung to his skin.
And then—
"ELSA GRANHIERT!!
I WILL KILL YOU NO MATTER WHAT!!!"
Subaru's voice—part battle cry, part lament.
It came not from his chest but from the deepest part of his soul.
Elsa chuckled, like a drenched cat toying with prey.
"Watching you try will be delightful, little prey."
Subaru charged— blinded by rage.
His daggers slashed wildly.
Every strike fueled by fury, but none by focus.
Elsa parried them all— using just her fingertips.
This wasn't a fight. It was a massacre.
Puck stared at Emilia's lifeless body.
"My precious daughter… I couldn't protect you…"
His voice for the first time— sounded… human.
And then he grew.
Not just in size but in presence. In magic. In being.
"By the pact I made with Lia… I will end this world."
Suddenly, the air changed. Cold—unfathomably deep and still.
No wind. No sound. Only… decision.
The catastrophe began.
Elsa was first.
Before she could react her entire body froze.
Not by blade but by will.
She became a statue of ice.
Next was Subaru—
He didn't freeze. But he couldn't move.
All he could do was look at Emilia.
"I'm sorry… Emilia…"
And then—darkness.
[Return by Death: Active]
Not a single sacred being in the world failed to sense that magical explosion.
Reinhard van Astrea arrived like a streak of light.
Sword on his back, eyes still as ambush.
Five frozen bodies. And floating in the air—
the great spirit Puck, pulsing with magic.
"Great spirit," Reinhard said,
his hand slowly reaching for the Dragon Sword,
"Why did you freeze these people?"
Puck closed his eyes.
His voice… like a broken father's.
"My daughter is no longer alive. This world no longer holds meaning…"
Reinhard drew his sword from its sheath. Only one thought passed through his mind:
"I can't allow the world to freeze."
He pointed the blade at Puck and charged.
But Puck didn't defend.
The spell was already complete.
In his final moments… he thought of Lia's smile.
And then—
The world froze.
Screams, caught in silence.