"Listen up. Right now, this tower is in a seriously bad state. And when I say seriously bad, I mean it's like we're playing Othello and we've already lost all four corners."
"That's... pretty dire."
"Othello"—though to be more precise, Reversi would be the more considerate name for it—was a board game played on an 8×8 grid of sixty-four squares, where two players fought to flip each other's black and white pieces.
Naturally, this was knowledge from Subaru's original world, but since it was relatively easy to replicate in this world too, it had been brought to
And so, his current explanation got the point across to Emilia and the others just fine. In Othello, losing all four corners was tantamount to a death sentence.
Incidentally, Ram hadn't played much herself, but on the rare occasions she did, she was ruthlessly strong in the most literal sense—fitting for an oni.
Anyway— "Four corners... that's an absurdly bad position. Even as a handicap, that's way too much."
"If I got that big an advantage, even doing my happy little dance I might actually win..."
"That 'happy little dance' thing sounds pretty sketchy—"
"! Subaru, say that again!"
"Later. I'll say it later."
Subaru's trademark retort hooked Emilia right in, but when he turned down her request, she pouted in disappointment. Seeing that stirred a pang of guilt in him, but like he kept saying—flirting would have to wait.
Right now, breaking through this crisis was the top priority. And for that— "The four horns... that's the two 'Gluttony' bishops inside the tower, and the horde of Mabeasts they've called in. And then—this is hard to say—but one of them is our... well, whether 'ally' is really the right word is up for debate—"
"Huh?"
He hesitated for just a moment before touching on the fourth horn. He couldn't quite find the right words for describing the girl who stood before them as an unintentional fourth obstacle. The clearest answer eluded even him.
An acquaintance didn't even begin to cover it. They weren't strangers either—not by a long shot. But had they truly shared enough of a destiny to call her a comrade? At the very least, when it came to Subaru, the best way to describe it might have been an unacknowledged, unknowing mentor-disciple relationship.
But what about Emilia and the others?
However, before Subaru could dwell on his hesitation— "An ally? Did something happen to
"————"
"Huh? Subaru?"
"No, it's nothing. Yeah, that's right—it's Shaula."
He nodded back at Emilia, who had smoothly slid the name in as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Not just her—Beatrice and Ram, too, showed no discomfort with Emilia's understanding of the situation.
Regardless of whether Emilia had her memories or not, that much hadn't changed in their perception. In other words, Shaula's position among them was etched in as something friendly.
"Am I an idiot or what. Yeah, I'm an idiot."
Tripping over something obvious was one of
Scold yourself once, praise yourself once. The ideal was: scold yourself once, praise yourself a hundred times.
Something like that would be about right. The true ideal was to praise yourself ten thousand times without a single word of self-criticism.
"Anyway, about Shaula—but first, do you remember the rules inside the tower? The part about things you absolutely can't break?"
"Yes, there was something like that. End the 'trial,' observe the rules of the 'trial,' show respect to the library, don't damage the tower... those were the rules, weren't they?"
"Exactly right."
Snapping his fingers at Ram's fluent recitation, Subaru pointed the same snapping finger down at the ground, then swept it in a circle to indicate the entire tower.
"Some of those rules... when they get broken, the fourth horn appears. I don't know exactly which one was broken, but one of them was. And then..."
"Just like she said herself—Shaula will bare her fangs at us. Troublesome, isn't it."
Ram closed one eye and clasped her elbow in her usual pose, bracing for the worst.
Everyone knew Shaula's formidable combat power. Subaru had experienced the run that led to her death, and Emilia and the others had endured her long-range sniping across the Sand Sea firsthand.
"That clueless girl is actually quite strong, isn't she? Sure, it's better than being picked off from a distance with no way to fight back, but if she turns hostile, we're in deep trouble."
Ram and Beatrice both furrowed their brows.
Having sharp listeners saved a ton of explanation. The only face uncreased among the grim group was Emilia's—still the world's cutest face, wrinkles completely foreign to it—as she raised her hand.
"But the opponent is Shaula, right? Can't we talk it through with her somehow? Shaula is super attached to Subaru, so if he tried really hard to explain..."
"I'd love a peaceful resolution as much as anyone, but getting Shaula to sit down at the negotiating table seems like a long shot. The 'attached' thing is... broad speaking, it hasn't really changed, I think."
"Which means Barusu will be the one taking all the fire. Having a clear target is actually quite convenient."
There was another way to read it—as Subaru's weakness being exploited—but Ram's take on it was one Subaru agreed with.
Having Shaula running wild somewhere in the tower, with no idea who she'd target, was far more dangerous than having her focus on Subaru directly. At least that way, countermeasures were easier to plan.
Summarizing the situation— "So, the four horns are the two 'Gluttony' bishops, the horde of Mabeasts, and Shaula, isn't that right?"
"Two of those four are already being handled. That's thanks to Beako's strategy."
While Subaru had been crouching in the 'Taygeta' library, the clever and adorable Beatrice had been shuttling between her charges, scrambling to deal with the damage inflicted on the tower.
She'd sent Meili to the balcony where the Mabeast horde could be kept in check, and linked up with Emilia and Ram when they went to extract
"No, it's fine. Because you remembered me, Subaru, I'm totally okay. You're always forgetting promises, but you remembered me, and that made me super happy."
"Mmm, why'd you suddenly stab me in the back like that?"
"Seems like your daily behavior is catching up with you. That girl really seems to understand you too—even if not quite as well as Betty."
"Don't compete, don't compete, you adorable thing."
As Subaru patted Beatrice's head, he nodded over and over, savoring the feeling of being loved. Then, as he basked in the moment, Ram called out to him: "Barusu."
"Hm?"
"You said two of the four horns are being handled. I can see that Meili's holding down the Mabeast horde, but what about the other one?"
"Julius."
In response, Subaru grabbed the front of his own shirt, focusing on the heartbeat beneath.
The power of Cor Leonis was still going strong. The burden he'd taken from Ram was, of course, still there, but he could also feel in real time the presence of their allies scattered throughout the tower.
Among them was a light that had to be Julius, and his position was— "He's on the second floor, in the middle of fighting an enemy right now."
"The second floor? Don't tell me—"
"Yeah, exactly that."
He nodded at Emilia, whose face had gone pale, then tilted his gaze upward.
The ceiling blocked his direct line of sight. But beyond it, he could sense the unmistakable aura of an intense battle unfolding.
———— In the end, this was just one of those things—a confrontation that couldn't be avoided.
It was Beatrice who had taken charge of the group in Subaru's stead, when he'd been unable to so much as stand. And under her command, the opponent Julius was facing turned out to be, as expected, that very same Reid Astrea.
This was influenced, of course, by the fact that
But Subaru, who had accumulated countless "Deaths" and traversed a staggering number of possibilities whether he wanted to or not, understood one thing.
It was infuriating, but "fate" existed.
No matter what path was taken, there stood an unyielding, unchangeable reality—and that was what one called fate.
The currents of history ran so deep and so fierce that one could be forgiven for thinking the outcome had been predetermined, that everything was simply flowing toward an inevitable conclusion.
It was the result of countless wills entwining and striving toward their own goals, which was precisely why they were so tightly bound together and impossible to untangle.
But couldn't that, at the same time, be taken as a sign of hope?
If Julius Juukulius and Reid Astrea's confrontation was unavoidable—then— "Reid—he's fused with one of the 'Gluttony' bishops, essentially hijacked his body, and he's pretty much completed the takeover. But leave the fight against Reid to Julius. We handle the remaining three."
"That's settled then, Barusu."
"Hm? What is?"
Ram's question made Subaru tilt his head in genuine confusion. But when he saw his reaction, Ram murmured a curt "Indeed," then continued: "I've come to fully understand what makes you 'Barusu,' you know. Ram's gotten soft in her old age. Having to rely on Barusu's proposal like this..."
"I can't really tell, but I'm pretty sure you're mocking me?"
"Hm? No, no, I'm praising you. I'm saying I'm really counting on you. Fufu, guess I'd better work hard then, huh?"
"...Emilia, Ram wants to talk to you later."
Emilia answered Ram's stiff words with a cheerful "Okaaay!" Looking rather pleased about it.
Given the circumstances, Emilia was probably just delighted that Ram no longer used formal language with her. With their master-servant dynamic gone, Ram's attitude toward Emilia was closer to that of a friend—or perhaps a high-maintenance little sister.
Since her actual little sister was the furthest thing from high-maintenance, Ram didn't often get the chance to play big sister. That perspective, too, was only possible thanks to Emilia's overwhelmingly positive outlook.
"Anyway, that's the situation overview for the tower! Now we just need to deploy the right people in the right places. This sorting operation is where Natsuki Subaru really shines!"
"That's... way too unflashy..."
"But unflashy jobs are important too! This is the kind of understated performance that really counts. A job only I can do... yeah, something only I can do! This is my battle... ow!!"
"Just hurry up and divide us up already."
His lengthy preamble earned him a slap across the cheek from Ram. Wincing from the hit, Subaru looked over the three of them—and one earth dragon.
From here on out, it was an all-out battle, a true full-scale engagement. The gap between humans and earth dragons was negligible, and besides,
Add Super Subaru to the mix, and the possibilities multiplied.
"One for all, and all for one. Everyone is for one, and one is for everyone. If we don't unite as one, we won't seize victory. I don't want anyone left out. We're going to win without missing a single person, because we—"
"—came to this tower to make sure no one is lost and to bring them back."
"That's the idea."
He snapped his fingers at Emilia, nodded, and tightened his resolve.
And then— "First up, the opponent is Rai Batenkaitos of 'Gluttony'—"
△▼△▼△▼△ "Barusu."
"Huh?"
Right as they were breaking from the meeting and about to head to their respective posts, Subaru was grabbed by the collar and forcibly stopped. Not that the grip was actually choking.
There was probably a reason for that restraint—namely— "It's not like you to worry about not breaking me, Sis."
"It's the same effort you'd put into not crushing a bug you're examining in the palm of your hand. ...I wouldn't even bother putting a bug on my palm. Disgusting."
"Don't insult yourself with your own analogy."
Subaru shrugged at Ram's characteristic phrasing. In front of him, Ram was lightly opening and closing her palm, testing the sensation over and over.
The slight hesitation in that gesture was, for Subaru—who considered Ram's natural state to be one of absolute composure—a surprisingly rare sight.
Seeing Ram flustered and uncertain was a bonus in itself. With that much to savor, he could endure even this soul-crushing fatigue.
———— The relentless burden of "No-horn" that constantly wracked Ram's body. Subaru had absorbed it by activating Cor Leonis, giving her enough reserve energy to move at full capacity.
This was an absolutely indispensable measure for conquering the tower.
The detailed mechanics aside, Subaru had already explained the gist of what was happening to Ram.
In short, Ram's burden flowed into Subaru, and Ram's body grew lighter by that amount. But Subaru was suffering, so he'd appreciate it if she finished quickly. Something like that.
"I wouldn't care how long it went on if it were just Barusu suffering on his own."
"But this is a joint operation between me and Sis. When you think about it that way, don't you want to wrap it up a second sooner?"
"That's true. It makes my skin crawl."
"Skin crawl is a bit much..."
Well, that kind of sharp-tongued complaint was more like Ram.
Holding back the nausea, Subaru nodded to himself. In front of him, Ram crossed her arms, gripping one elbow—that familiar pose—and glared at him.
"Barusu. Ram won't be holding back."
"————"
Naturally, the harder Ram pushed herself, the more the burden rebounded and increased. But if he wanted to keep Ram in peak condition, he had to be prepared to take on every ounce of that added load himself.
He could complain about the pain just from having her standing and breathing—it was, after all, more than enough to make him want to whimper. But that was the suffering she endured every single day.
And— "Sis is too kind, isn't she."
The assessment that Rem, still asleep, had made of Ram so many times. Back then, he hadn't really understood it, but now the meaning of her words was clear.
If he were to put it in Ram's own words, it was precisely that kind of preamble that made Ram who Ram was.
"Barusu?"
"It's nothing. —And of course, don't you dare go easy on me. I can gauge how hard you're pushing based on how much I'm suffering. What kind of torture is that?"
"So the more vigorous Ram is, the more Barusu writhes in agony. That's the setup."
"I feel like I handed the nuclear button to the one person I absolutely shouldn't have."
That said, if Subaru were going to hand over the nuclear button to someone within the inner circle, Ram was the only choice.
"Otto was doing pretty well too, but I can't shake the worry that he'd trip and accidentally press it... When it comes to using someone properly, Sis is the most reliable choice."
"Hmph! Flattery won't work. ...You'd better look after Beatrice and Emilia properly. Barusu can do whatever—after all, it's already known that things are tough for him."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. As for Rem—"
"—Ram is the one in the world who worries about Rem the most."
Ram stated it flatly, like it was the most obvious truth in the world.
The force of those words made Subaru catch his breath. Ram narrowed her crimson eyes and continued: "Barusu can settle for being the second-most worried person in the world. That way, you won't even have the heart to let a single hair on Rem's head be harmed."
"...Yeah, I'd rather die."
With that exchange of intentions between them, Ram turned her back on Subaru.
She probably had a mountain of things to say, things she wanted to get off her chest—but she cut short the unending flow of words and swiftly shifted gears. That, too, was truly what made Ram who Ram was.
"Barusu, be careful out there. If you die, you won't be able to see Rem again."
"Yeah—I love you too."
To Ram's unspoken concern, Subaru responded with just as cheeky a deflection.
Watching Ram's retreating back as she ran off without another word, Subaru joined Emilia and the others who had been waiting in the corridor.
"Sorry for the wait. Let's move out."
"Yes, let's. Is Ram going to be okay?"
"She'll be fine—she's Ram. ...Besides, if I was being a total idiot back there, there's no way she wouldn't have called me out on it."
"My, how you've come to trust Ram."
"I feel the same about you—or even more. Don't pout."
"I'm not pouting!" Emilia huffed, puffing out her cheeks. Subaru took the hand Beatrice extended to him, then glanced at Emilia beside him. He'd thought she might be worried about Ram going off alone, but the anxiety on her face was faint.
"Emilia-tan?"
"It's nothing. It's just... I feel really, really encouraged right now."
"...What a coincidence—I actually feel the same way."
Emilia's words, baseless as they were, felt like the greatest possible boost to Subaru.
Hope outweighed doubt. Trust in others was more empowering than relying on them. Believing in people moved you forward more than clinging to them did. Not a single problem had actually been solved yet— "Trusting your comrades is only natural, and I can believe in myself for leaning on them. Since coming to this sand-covered tower, this is the moment my vision has been the clearest."
"That face of yours... I think it's the version of Subaru Betty likes the most."
Hearing Subaru take on the challenge with such force, Beatrice smirked confidently. At her words, Emilia let out a small "Fufu," covering her mouth with her hand.
Beatrice caught that reaction and asked, "What?"
Emilia shook her head and said: "You might not remember, Beatrice, but I was thinking the exact same thing."
△▼△▼△▼△ With tremendous force, the massive body was seized by the hind legs, swung through the air, and ruthlessly slammed into the floor, into the walls.
———— The unearthly strength at work produced a savage display of raw power, and the enormous body receiving the blows let out an ugly shriek—a dissonant sound like countless babies wailing at once, making the very air groan.
—————— That desperate cry came from a Mabeast of grotesque appearance—Natsuki Subaru consulted his own knowledge and identified it as a centaur. But those who had once known this creature had given it a different name: "Hungry Horse King."
—————— The Hungry Horse King's massive body was hurled across the balcony of the sand tower, tumbling end over end. Crushed by the impact, the Sand Sea monarch nonetheless rose immediately, flames erupting from its mane.
Its human upper torso conjured two blades of fire in an instant, and it swung with a double-sword style unbefitting a Mabeast, driving a searing blow toward the one who had attacked it.
But then— ———— The Hungry Horse King's flaming mane howled as it prepared to bring its fire blades to bear—when a white light pierced straight through its torso. The impact drove the colossal body back a full step. But it endured. It withstood. The Hungry Horse King planted its feet, readying a counterattack—only for the impaled light to detonate within its body.
The white radiance became a mountain of light-swords inside the Hungry Horse King, ripping the Mabeast to shreds from within.
No matter how terrifying its vitality, destroying every vital organ from the inside was fatal. The Hungry Horse King was no exception—before the light, its life scattered in gruesome fashion.
———— And the woman who had accomplished this—Shaula's slaughter did not stop.
Tossing her distinctive brown braid, Shaula kicked off the floor with tremendous force and flew across the balcony horizontally. Light coalesced around both outstretched hands, and she seized two Mabeasts in her path—monsters with ape-like bodies and lizard scales—before the light burst forth.
Had Subaru been watching, he would have called it a piledriver—the two apes had their faces caught in her palms and, before they could react, the white light annihilated their heads. Shaula then spun in place, her long legs catching a lunging ape and driving its face into the ground before crushing its skull.
The stage where Shaula fought the Mabeasts was the fourth floor of the
She shot down climber after climber, and the terrace had already become a sea of blood.
———— After accomplishing all of that killing, Shaula hadn't so much as broken a sweat.
The total number of Mabeasts swarming the Pleiades Watchtower was so absurdly vast that counting them was pointless, but the fact that they hadn't flooded into the tower—a catastrophic outcome—was undoubtedly thanks in large part to her overwhelming combat prowess.
But this precarious balance maintained by Shaula— "Shaula!"
"Gguuuuuh...!"
A high voice called Shaula's name, but Shaula did not answer. She merely grimaced in pain as she grabbed a winged Mabeast out of the air and slammed it into the ground before her.
White light drove into its follow-up, red flowers blooming wildly in midair, and the Mabeast pursuit ceased. But Shaula's state hadn't improved. She clutched her own face, stamping her feet.
From between her fingers, the dark-pupiled eyes were splitting, beginning to pulse with a vivid red glow. It meant compound eyes were emerging—a transformation of Shaula.
"Someone... someone broke the rules... ssu..."
She covered her face with both hands, intercepting the incoming Mabeasts in a compromised state. Her long legs batted away their attacks, and a razor-sharp back kick粉碎ed an enemy's torso.
"This is bad. She's at her limit. Meili! How's your side—"
"As you can see, I'm completely swamped with the ones flying in! If even my bare big sister can't fight anymore, we'll be absolutely, positively short-handed!"
"Figured. This is going to be rough."
Watching Shaula's anguish with a grim expression was a girl with rippling violet hair—Anastasia, whose body
Shaula, Echidna, and Meili—the three of them had been fighting a desperate holding action against the Mabeasts pouring into the Pleiades Watchtower. Of course, compared to Meili with her "Demon Manipulation" blessing and Shaula who was a pure powerhouse of destructive force, Echidna's presence was practically worthless.
She was reluctant to return to 'Taygeta,' but equally unwilling to retreat inside the ominous tower where she'd only become dead weight. She'd been in that passive position.
But— "I suppose I can't just sit around anymore..."
Moving her slender fingers, Echidna focused on what lay within—specifically, the Od inside Anastasia's body. With Anastasia's flawed Gate preventing her from drawing in Mana, the only tool at Echidna's disposal was the innate Od.
That essentially meant whittling away at Anastasia's lifespan. As such, it was a method Echidna was reluctant to resort to unless her life was genuinely on the line.
But if things had deteriorated to the point of sitting and waiting for death, then action needed to be taken before that. At least, the Anastasia that Echidna knew would think so.
Everyone played the cards they were dealt. The game was won or lost by how you played your hand.
———— The disturbance plaguing Shaula was most likely caused by something rooted deep within her.
It existed as a chain of sorts—an irrevocable kind. Echidna understood this well, having existed in a similar environment as an artificial Spirit. It was something that no amount of willpower could overcome.
If Shaula's words had been truthful, then the rules of the Pleiades Watchtower had been broken. And as the tower's guardian, she was obligated to rectify it.
The reason she was fighting against that compulsion was that, at the very bottom of her heart, she desperately did not want to hurt the people here—or rather, she did not want to hurt Natsuki Subaru.
"...Ironic, isn't it?"
Because she had stayed on as this tower's guardian, she had been able to reunite with the someone she wanted to see.
But because she had to remain the tower's guardian, she could not defy the command to harm that very same someone. Truly, the sorrow of a created being.
Perhaps the only ones who could truly understand the depth of her suffering were Echidna herself—another artificial being—and Beatrice.
And so— "Deeeaaaaah!!"
Echidna's eyes went wide, breath caught in her throat, as a figure burst out from the corridor connecting the tower to the balcony with a spirited battle cry.
△▼△▼△▼△ The instant he leaped onto the balcony, Subaru was startled by the disparity between the scene he remembered and the current reality—while simultaneously understanding that this level of fierce battle had been raging here all along.
———— The fourth-floor balcony was littered with the corpses of countless Mabeasts, transformed into a sea of blood.
This viewing platform, from which one could survey the entire Sand Sea, was drenched in red because the swarm of Mabeasts assaulting the watchtower refused to abandon their reckless charge. If left unchecked, the Mabeasts would breach the tower, and chaos would spread.
The greatest contributor to preventing that spread— "Shaula!"
"Master...?"
Shaula turned at Subaru's cry, her eyes going wide—those eyes, now on the verge of splitting into six compound eyes, three on each side.
It was the same transformation Subaru had once witnessed with his own eyes. The rules of the Pleiades Watchtower had been broken, and Shaula's duty as the tower's guardian had been triggered.
The result: Shaula would, against her own will, transform into the giant scorpion and begin hunting the challengers within the tower—in other words, Subaru and his allies.
And so— "Master, please... please give me the order... ssu!"
———— "Someone broke the rules... ssu... If this goes on, I'll... I'll hurt Master...! Before that happens, I have to, Master, I have to—"
Clutching her own body, Shaula looked at Subaru with a desperate expression, begging for an order.
Instinctively, Subaru understood that Shaula—whose self-destruct function had apparently been stripped away—was asking for one final push. She needed him to give her permission to end herself.
If Subaru's words brought that about, Shaula would unhesitatingly throw away her own life. With just his order, the threat of the giant scorpion could be eliminated.
So Subaru nodded firmly.
"Shaula."
"Y-Yes... for Master's sake, I—"
"I've told you over and over, I have no idea why you'd call me Master."
"———"
For an instant, Shaula's compound eyes filled with despair at Subaru's response.
The person she had waited four hundred years to see again was denying the very title she'd clung to, and on top of that, crushing even her final wish—Shaula cowered like a frightened child.
Watching that fear, Subaru drew a breath and let it out.
"So, the question of whether I'm your Master or not—that can wait."
"Huh...?"
"I'm not going to tell you to die. I'm not going to leave you crying. I'm not going to let your four hundred years end here."
Because he had spent the time gathering back memories he'd once lost, Subaru understood.
The people of this world were far too patient. Four hundred years, faithfully waiting for someone? No—you should be dragging the person you want to see to the other end, even if you have to grab them by the scruff.
"I'll do that for you! I'm not going to sit here and obediently do as fate tells me! Bring it on, destiny!"
———— Raising his fist, Subaru declared it with fierce conviction. Seeing that, Shaula was struck speechless. Even in that moment, the unbearable impulse was probably erupting within her.
But what mattered in this instant—what was important to her—was neither the tower's rules nor the impulse threatening to burst from inside.
"Master... I love you, ssu."
It was simply the irrepressible surge of love for the person she had waited four hundred years to see again.
———— The instant those words left her lips, Shaula's transformation began in earnest.
Her slender white hands swelled into massive pincers. Her feminine, voluptuous body burst apart, and in reverse like a tape rewinding, the spilling flesh and blood flew back to reassemble the form. Pitch-black carapace emerged. Vivid compound eyes surveyed the world. Multiple legs drove into the floor, completing the tower's administrator— ————!!
The giant scorpion let out a piercing shriek, issuing its warning to the rule-breaker. The first target its compound eyes locked onto was, ironically, the black-haired boy the previous occupant had been obsessed with.
A merciless blow was about to be launched toward him when— "Deeeeeeaaah!!"
A magnificent flying kick smashed into the giant scorpion's torso from dead center.
———— The tremendous impact sent the colossal body airborne, ripping it from the floor. It crashed across the stone floor with spectacular force, plowing through Mabeasts along the way, then vaulted over the balcony's edge and was hurled out into the Sand Sea sky.
But the giant scorpion wasn't about to go down so easily. In a split second, it extended its tail stinger, driving it into the watchtower wall, and launched its enormous body upward like a catapult. Twisting in midair, it made a violent attempt to return to the balcony.
"Muraak."
What cut off its return was a single word of incantation.
Directed Mana interfered with reality, producing effects that would not occur naturally. The result this time: disrupting the giant scorpion's return.
The scorpion was swept up by a gust of wind, its trajectory to the balcony blown wildly off course.
For a creature that had to weigh several hundred kilos at a minimum, being knocked aside by wind would require an impossibly fierce gale. But that wasn't what had happened.
Muraak—a spell of Yin magic that manipulated the gravity acting upon a target.
Put simply, when the giant scorpion's weight became as light as dust, its body could no longer move as its appearance suggested. That was all it took.
———— The giant scorpion shrieked in agony and was flung outside the balcony once more. In the instant it tried to give up on returning and aimed its tail stinger at the tower above to fire— But that was one move too late.
"Feathered Earth Dragon!"
A girl's high-pitched command sent her charges diving at the wind-tossed giant scorpion. They were Mabeasts with bird-like feathers and heads that were almost entirely made of horn. They hammered into the scorpion's outer shell one after another—inflicting no real damage, but the accumulated impacts drove the giant scorpion further and further away from the tower.
———— Even a creature as mighty as the giant scorpion couldn't levitate without support. Where the wind carried it, the spell's effect eventually wore off—and it plunged straight toward the ground.
From a height of several hundred meters—of course, that alone wouldn't be enough to defeat it. But it bought precious time. And Subaru used that brief window— "Meili! Echidna!"
"Natsuki-kun! You've recovered... or have you?"
Echidna looked up as Subaru ran over, a crease forming between her brows. Wearing Anastasia's contemplative expression, she continued: "Could it be—you got your memories back?"
"You're quick on the uptake! But how'd you figure that out?"
"It's obvious. When the girl standing next to you is Beatrice, making that smug of a face, how could anyone miss it?"
Echidna tilted her chin in the direction she meant, where Beatrice was standing hand-in-hand with Subaru, beaming proudly.
Indeed, the change in Beatrice's demeanor was unmistakable—and her inability to hide it, that honest side of her, was truly adorable.
Of course, Echidna's perceptive instincts were sharp too. Following her own intuition, she glanced past Subaru to Emilia, who had just kicked the giant scorpion away.
"And the girl I don't recognize is..."
"It's an authority of 'Gluttony.' Her situation is the same as Julius's—everyone around her forgot, but she remembered. Her name is Emilia. She's my tough, adorable princess."
"I appreciate the quick briefing. But there's chaos both inside and outside the tower. If I may ask—what's the plan?"
"Already got one ready."
As Subaru nodded deeply, Emilia spread her arms behind him, deploying countless shards of ice in the sky above. In one breath, they were launched—tremendous force rained down on the Mabeasts flying through the air and on the ground below.
Subaru couldn't see it, but the giant scorpion that had fallen earthward was surely being hammered by follow-up strikes too. Still, in the face of the enormous horde of Mabeasts, it was a drop in the bucket— "Echidna, you're heading for the interior! First, link up with Julius on the second floor! I've already told Emilia what to do from there!"
"...Fine, I'll go with her. But what about you, Natsuki-kun?"
"Betty and Subaru already have their roles assigned."
Without a moment's hesitation, Beatrice answered for him. She glanced up at Subaru's profile, squeezing his hand tighter.
"Looks like we'll be taking on that big scorpion here. We'll have to hold back so we don't actually destroy her—what a pain, it's going to be such a hassle."
"Big talk from this one. That's my Beako."
"Ehehe, I suppose."
Beatrice stuck out her tongue, having delivered those grand words to embolden both herself and her contractor.
Watching Subaru and Beatrice's banter with wide eyes, Echidna shook her head. Apparently, she'd concluded that devoting time to banter was less productive than entrusting herself to the course of action she believed best.
That ruthless pragmatism—well, she was Anastasia's equal, no question.
"It's true that across every situation in this tower, Natsuki-kun's judgment has saved us. So putting my faith in you here still gives us the best odds... is how I see it."
"I'm honored. Too bad you're the kind of creature named 'Echidna'—that I do regret."
"Regarding the heavy influence of my creator—once this matter is settled, I'd like to have a proper discussion about that. ...Any message for Julius?"
———— Trading barbs, Echidna turned to leave—then added that last remark.
Even now, through the ongoing effects of Cor Leonis, Subaru could feel Julius still fighting on the floor above. Come to think of it, that meant he'd now linked up with every ally in the tower except Julius.
Julius had been one of those who worried about Subaru when he'd lost his memories, so he felt he should report that they were back— "Nah, nothing specific."
In the current situation, there was nothing Natsuki Subaru needed to say to Julius Juukulius, who was locked in battle with Reid Astrea.
Subaru's strategy was fundamentally about placing personnel in optimal positions under the worst possible conditions. That was why he'd been going around rallying everyone—but Julius didn't need that.
Julius's post was Reid Astrea, and that was all there was to it.
"Still, I've got to give him credit. Even without me saying anything, he ended up right where he needed to be—at Reid's location."
Thanks to that, Subaru had been able to exchange words with Shaula before she became the giant scorpion.
In that final moment, Shaula's familiar declaration of love had given Subaru limitless strength. A blazing fire had ignited in his heart: he would absolutely, without question, save her.
So— "What I need to say, the me from a little while ago and the me before that already said it all. There's nothing left to add. That guy is Julius Juukulius, after all."
Subaru had acknowledged it: a powerful "fate" did exist in this world.
The myriad difficulties surrounding this watchtower were unavoidable and would inevitably bare their fangs at Subaru and his allies. But being unable to avoid something was a different matter from being unable to overcome it.
If Reid Astrea standing in Julius's path was "fate," then what lay beyond was equally certain.
The one who would cut down the resurrected Reid Astrea would be Julius Juukulius.
"...Understood. I'll pass that along as is."
"Oh, one more thing—everyone else is having a tough time too, so wrap this up quick and go help the others."
With a wave, Subaru sent Echidna off with a wry smile in her wake. Watching her go, Subaru turned toward Emilia, who was cutting down two Mabeasts with ice blades.
"Emilia-tan! Stick to the plan! Emilia-tan, you're the one I'm counting on!"
"Leave it to me! And Subaru—you better not die!"
"You got it!"
At Emilia's matter-of-fact words, Subaru raised his fist with more conviction than usual.
He didn't want to die. That fundamental principle hadn't changed—but the danger of using "Return by Death" in this situation, for reasons beyond that basic one, was beyond imagination.
If his restart point hadn't changed, Subaru would be sent back to before he had separated Louis Arneb and the
Whether Louis had disappeared from within Subaru or not—the Corridor of Memories was a kind of extraterritorial zone, but how Return by Death would affect it was entirely unclear.
In other words— "This time—we end it!"
Following Subaru's declaration, Emilia seized Echidna and withdrew from the balcony.
They had their battlefield. And Subaru and the others had theirs.
And therefore— "That's it? There's been absolutely no explanation and I haven't the faintest idea what's going on, so you're going to explain it to me properly, aren't you?"
Meili, who had been patiently staying out of the conversation with Echidna, called out the moment she realized only Subaru and Beatrice remained on the balcony.
Subaru gave Meili a thumbs-up and flashed a wicked grin.
The reason Subaru hadn't called out to Meili until this critical moment was simple—the same reason as with Julius: she was already in her optimal position.
"Sorry, but I'm gonna need you to tag along, Meili. The three of us—me, Beako, and you—are going to hold the line against the Mabeast horde and the giant scorpion—the remaining two horns!"
"That's not an explanation at all!"
"Here it comes!"
No time for a detailed briefing—Meili's side-tails were swishing and her cheeks were puffed. The next instant, as if responding to Beatrice's voice, a massive body vaulted over the tower's outer wall and onto the balcony.
Pitch-black carapace, savage pincers, and a pair of glowing red compound eyes— "So, four hundred years of shut-in life, huh?"
Breathing lightly, Subaru scooped up Beatrice beside him. Then, as Meili ran up to join them, the three of them faced the giant scorpion head-on.
Glaring at the enemy that watched them with cold, unblinking eyes, Subaru twisted his mouth into a grin.
"Shut-in showdown. She had four hundred years alone—we've got four hundred and one years between the two of us."
"Three people, four hundred and two years would be more accurate, wouldn't it?"
"Which means we win!"
"I have no idea what that even means other than the winning part!!"
In Subaru's arms, Beatrice howled at the well-timed banter between Subaru and Meili. And so, caught in a fitting tension, Subaru stared down the giant scorpion and let out a breath.
The situation had settled into the matchups he'd planned. All that remained— "I'm counting on you for real, Emilia-tan. You're the key to all of this."
—the battle against the "Four Horns" surrounding the Pleiades Watchtower began in earnest.