15 (part 4)

…

Most of the theater had turned towards Otto with different reactions to this.

"That's my bro! Always scammin' people!" Garfiel held his arms in cheer, happy that his captain had a solution that involved someone he liked other than Julius. "Ottobro boutta knock this outta the park and save the day!"

"You took advantage of Subaru-kun's desperation as soon as you saw his situation's darkness?!" Rem seethed while glaring at the merchant in the same row as her beloved.

"Otto-kun… That's reeeeally bad!" Emilia said with a disappointed expression filled with hurt that honestly crushed Otto's insides. "How could you not help Subaru for free!"

"T-That's not really in the ethics of being a merchant, Emilia-sama!" Otto stuttered with a guilty expression, feeling more horrible about his selfishness than he realized once he remembered what Subaru had gone through to get here. "I…"

Otto's hands lowered, his eyes losing a lot of their light as he realized. "I should've known I'd still look as selfish and disgusting as the last time."

"That loop ain't gonna matter anymore." Anastasia sighed from above him, looking at the rival of hers with sympathy. "Ya were in a desperate situation with that outta-season oil, yeah?"

"... It wasn't the main thing for me… I really wanted to help Natsuki-san." Otto's voice was trembling as many gave him looks of understanding. "I had come out of that cave with fear that I would die… Either by the Cult or by the scary-looking beastmen that captured me…"

"Sorry fella…" Ricardo rubbed the back of his head with a little sheepishness showing on his tough face.

"I could've just said that I wanted to help him," Otto's hands gripped at his sides. "Stupid habits of mine."

"You don't gotta go that hard on yerself," Felt scoffed at Otto's depression. "Ya got to help him make it in time. That's all that matters."

Otto shook his head and continued to watch, now feeling more down than he first was when this started.

"Do you not tire from the crushing weight you put on yourself?" Julius asked with an understanding expression.

"Knowing what he's felt after I pushed him to his death?" Otto looked from Julius to Subaru with a distant expression. "I think the weight has disappeared from above my shoulders due to disgust."

Julius shakes his head but allows Otto his privacy, one which Garfiel glared at heatedly as this continued between the three boys.

[The scene changes to Otto riding a cart with his blue dragon and Patrasche connected to it.

Subaru was seen off by Felix and Julius as the knight held his injured arm and kept himself standing before Subaru. "I'll send Ia with you. I wish I could accompany you myself, but… "

"You can't, Julius. With all those injuries how could you help them? And your mana's nyot restored yet, either." Felix reprimanded as he did his duty and took care of his patient.

Subaru held the small red spirit in his palm and smiled at the two gratefully. "You just get some rest. Once this is over, we'll celebrate! I'll make sure to invite you, so don't die." Subaru smirked at them and hurried off to the cart.

"Don't you die, either!"

"Good luck."

Julius and Felix smiled in trust of their friend and saw him off.]

"All he has to do now is reach us…" Petra smiled to herself, knowing exactly how things would go from here. "You're almost there to make it, Subaru. Your happy ending."

"It's going to be great, Petra-chan." Frederica smiled at her student with warmth filling her, finally seeing the expression she'd been waiting for on Petra's face since the last five viewings.

"It's beautiful how different this ending is." Crusch's words put Emilia's attention on her as she smirked at the screen. "Last two to see him in his last death, were the same two who saw him off towards his ultimate win."

Emilia's jaw hung at the poetic feeling that Crusch's confident words spawned within her. "That's… So pretty!"

"It's embarrassing since we couldn't help much," Julius sighed with his head resting on his knuckle, finally allowing himself to calm down from all the excitement. "Sloth is finished, and Subaru has to take care of these explosives on his own."

"Nyan…" Felix affirmed with a small unsatisfied glance toward the floor. "Ferri-chan wished he'd have had to make amends for his torture."

"That comes later… All of it does." Wilhelm patted the healer's shoulder as Felix shuddered from the guilt he was feeling.

"It's finally going to end soon!" Mimi cheered, earning looks of surprise from Heinkel and Schult as they couldn't hear everyone speak about how close things were coming to a close.

[Scene change…

"Rather than take this road, it's faster to go through the glade to the left. It's the shortest way!" Otto explained to Subaru as they both rode their dragons and pulled the cart with them out of the road and into the forest.

"Man, your soul of language divine protection is amazing."

"I had a hard time learning to control it. I can hear the voices of all creatures. From ground dragons to bugs, after all."

"But if we choose our path based on what they say, this shortcut will work, and catching up to Emilia and the kids will be easy!"

"What are you talking about? It won't be easy at all!" Otto shouted as the dragons started going down a steep mountainside.]

"You need to have more faith in yourself," Frederica's honest whisper made Otto flinch a little bit.

"I-I know. I try." Otto rubbed his neck uncomfortably, wishing that he couldn't feel Frederica's honest smile from behind him. "I was too focused on Natsuki-san's mission to hear what I was saying."

"No wonder Subaru managed to reach me and Petra-chan in time," Emilia gave the boy a small smile of her own. "He had a reliable person like you by his side to the very end, Otto-kun."

The merchant boy hid his face to not show his blush at the praise from the ladies.

"Thank you for helping him after disgustingly scamming him and preying on his desperation, Otto-sama." Rem bowed her head with a sincere face that almost made Otto misunderstand how mean her words were.

"H-Hey!"

[Subaru screamed like a not man as they fell to the ground.

(I know what I wrote. -_-)

(Copypaster:- I know why i am not changing it)

He screamed once more as the dragons ran through a weakly placed bridge that broke apart as soon as they crossed it.

"We're gonna die! We're seriously gonna die at this rate! It's the end this time!"

Beside him, Otto was holding a much more excited expression as he sped up the dragons. "What is this? I feel a wind hitting me… Honestly, even I had no idea I was capable of this-… huh?"

Otto suddenly stopped his excited rambling and looked behind him with a surprised expression.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"The trees are so loud. The birds and bugs started making a lot of noise, and then just vanished. Something… something is coming!"

Otto and Subaru looked around them to see what was scaring the forest creatures so much…

Subaru noticed something coming right up behind them.]

"Oh, it's this!" Otto found himself the most curious about what had been happening on the screen, as the chuckles and giggles stopped from the audience around him.

"Huh? Ya don't know what's happenin' either?" Felt raised an eyebrow as many looked confused by what Otto was admitting.

Julius turned to him with a questioning expression. "How could you not know what was right behind you? You were there with Subaru…"

Otto rubbed the back of his head, "I-It's okay! There was a creature in the woods that managed to scare us for a couple of minutes. I think it was a mabeast or something but it couldn't possibly have reached my cart at the speed I was breaking with my ground dragon. I think Natsuki-san's smell attracted it or something?"

"Are you certain that there wasn't anything more to it, Otto-kun? A speed like that isn't that easily done by a mabeast… Plus I remember damage to your carriage when I looked at it." Emilia wondered as she remembered what Otto's cart looked like.

"I agree," Julius nodded his head, recalling the assessment as well. "When we reached back to you and Subaru, we had to let Subaru ride with Emilia-sama due to the condition of the cart he left with."

"Did ya never ask about what caused such damage?" Anastasia looked at Otto with a bit of disappointment but the merchant waved his hand around.

"M-My thought process was akin to 'you went crazy with your trip in an unfriendly terrain so there was bound to be damage done to your backside' kind of thinking. Sorry for not being thorough but this is still accurate to how things went so… I don't think he will be hurt much apart from a little scare." Otto's face was serious by the end of his explanation, which won many people over as they thought about it.

"That makes sense… Sorry to accuse," Rem sighed and stopped glaring, which Otto had noticed was happening a lot to him lately.

"Let us see what type of mabeast this was." Julius had a curious face as he looked back at the window. "Wonder if it has any special abilities…"

"Are you wondering if the cult's sent out another monster like the White Whale?" Reinhard asked from the other side of the room, to which many faces hardened, including Otto's who was now hiding a little bit of fear behind a glare.

"... I'm hoping it's that and not what I'm actually thinking," Julius muttered under his breath, eyes sharp on the window above.

[A dark, shadow outline was seen, ramming through the trees and knocking them down one by one as it sped towards the cart.

"Faster, Otto! Don't get caught, no matter what!" Subaru shouted as he jumped inside the cart and ran through the back end of it to meet the oncoming creature.

"Natsuki-san?"

The shadow creature finally raced until it reached the tail of the cart where Subaru stood with a completely pissed-off look. "Just how persistent are you, damn it?!"

As the boy shouted his outrage, the screen panned towards the crawling creature… Revealing a most hideous sight.

Petelgeuse with a crushed head and a malformed body managed to make his unseen hands wrap around him in a way to make himself embroiled in a loaf of darkness with long arms and legs crawling and making him move towards the cart as fast as he could.

The only thing seen of him was his completely malformed green-skinned face but with dark pitching holes instead of eyes.

"My body! My flesh body!" Petelgeuse screamed in a distorted voice as he gasped in pain and followed the cart.]

Roswaal was the first. He slammed a fist on his armrest, gripping his hand into a fist with strength that would've damaged him had it not been for the theater's protection on his body since a few viewings ago.

"How far lower can she push you to be in this form, you beast." Roswaal's expression oozed hatred as he glared at Petelguese's form. "Stop fighting back for something that will never come! That's my burden to bear. Only I should be this persistent out of those of us who believed in Teacher…" His voice broke into a sudden sob as he watched the beast move with the memories flooding back to him of who this man used to be. "Stop it, you bastard…"

"This can't be… Right behind me?!" Otto held no power over his jaw as it fell. Staring in shock. "I… I didn't even look… I… How did you beat him, Natsuki-san?!"

"You're telling me that he didn't die," Julius was looking at the screen with a white-faced expression as he saw his own failure with both his eyes. "I made sure to hit him with direct hits… He should be dead!"

"He doesn't even look alive anymore, Bright guy…" Garfiel winced and stared at Petelguese with disgust. "This ain't a fuckin' guy anymore. He's just a wild animal."

Petra held on to Frederica as she sobbed at the sight of the monster. "When will he ever leave us alone? Just let Subaru be already!" She screamed from her seat with distress covering her entire body language, but Frederica held the little girl strongly.

"Please…" Emilia trembled and shuffled closer to Subaru. "I know you survived this, Subaru. I know you have… I remember your words to me when you did." She had a most calm expression even though her hands shook and her entire body looked tense. "I know you have won against Guese… Please make his end appropriate… Please this time…"

"Wishing this from him while trying to reach you is insane, I suppose." Beatrice locked eyes with the half-elf, both girls looking at one another with looks of understanding. "Betty doesn't oppose a fitting end for Guese, in fact… Just this once, Subaru can stop caring for himself."

"You… Knew Guese, Beatrice?" Emilia asked, her voice hoarse and her heart numb as both girls remembered the man again and again. "Did he ever speak about the forest?"

Beatrice looked at the floor. "Betty remembers… And Betty despises what's become of that wonderful spirit… That glowing kind soul that would always be there to show the world a deeper light beyond the dark."

"..." Emilia's heart shattered at the tears that fell from Beatrice, sooner, the same streaks would run down her cheeks without mercy. "I… Geuse…"

"She forced him to become insane, just like she was trying to do with Subaru…" Beatrice's words hung heavy, as even Crusch and Rem tensed around the two once they heard this.

"What are you talking about?" Crusch asked with a firm glare, demanding an explanation. "This is relating to the Witch's need for Subaru?"

"That man, Petelguese… Was merely a pawn who's gotten corrupted with insanity… And the only thing that made him insane was what he kept screaming about… The same thing being forced on Subaru as we saw at the start of this, Duchess of House Karsten." Beatrice looked at her and Emilia with the tears never stopping.

"Subaru-kun…" Rem's eyes glued on the screen above, sitting alone behind the boy she loved as the monster that he'd been forced to confront time and again was there at his final stretch.

[The scene changes to Emilia holding all of the kids tightly as explosions racketed everywhere around them.

The witch's cult had caught up to the evacuating carts and were trying to destroy them but the knights weren't given them a chance as they also attacked the cult with ferocity.

"It's okay. Hand on tight. There's nothing to be afraid of." Emilia assured the scared kids as they clung to her like a lifeline.

She looked out of the carriage to check on the soldiers fighting outside as the cultists waged war.

That old man just ran into someone behind us. They're fighting.

Puck spoke telepathically through their link.]

Hearing his father's mention, Heinkel sighed to himself, leaning back in his chair as the events rapidly escalated.

"Why couldn't I see him, Hienkel-sama? Why cover my eyes?" Schult asked with a bit of a disappointed glance at the man beside him.

Heinkel just sighed and sat his head back. "I dunno kid… It was a reflex… I just didn't wantcha to be like…" His eyes darted toward Reinhard, who was looking more focused than he had ever seen the boy. "Didn't want to fail another one while I could've done something to stop such a sight from hitting ya."

Schult seemed to look at the man with understanding and a little bit of pity. "I've seen worse, you know… Much worse, in this very same room."

"Just forget about it, kid." The man rubbed a hand through his red hair. "Just fuck off for a minute, will ya?"

Schult nodded his head and sat with his hands on his lap, leaning towards Priscilla as if he had felt out of place without her by his side.

"..." Priscilla, who was silent the whole time, found nothing but fury to give within her heart. Through her eyes, she glared a fire that should have burned god's sky itself had she been sitting within a normal dimension. And it was all directed towards Subaru specifically as he faced the monster who refused to die.

"Crusch this bug… And do not disappoint me once more, half-wit's knight." Priscilla's command was issued via whisper and gritted teeth, as she looked on at something displeasing to her view of the world. A world where the only things that mattered were things with beauty in them. A world where Petelguese shan't exist any longer, for she deemed him unworthy of any beauty that may have related to this world, or any other.

[Do you know how many there are?

Emilia asked with a serious look.

A lot. But the old man's power is no joke. Looks like you and I won't be needed this time. Taking my physical form without reason drains mana, and I don't want to end up being a plaything for the kids.

Emilia looked at the cared children and smiled.

If your cuteness could help everyone forget their fears, I think it might be worth it.

You say some scary things, my daughter.

Emilia smiled in-

*CRACK! *

"AAAAAAHHHH!"

The cart started to tumble as its wheels struck some rocks on the road, making the kids all scream and cling hard against Emilia's grip.]

Emilia looked back to give Petra a small smile, even though the maid didn't expect or need such a gesture, Petra was surprised to find herself smiling back towards Emilia, for no reason. Both girls understood how special this moment was because it showed Subaru's greatest wish for a bunch of kids he tried so hard to save.

And Petra appreciated the fact that Emilia seemed to give her a small thanks with her gaze, even after Petra had been cold towards the half-elf for the better part of a few viewings

["Don't worry. Whatever happens, I'll protect you." Emilia assured the scared kids around her but she was surprised with what came out from one of them.

"W-We're fine!"

"You don't have to worry about us!"

The cart tumbled again and made the kids cower in fear.

"W-We made a promise, so this is nothing!"

"A promise?" Emilia repeated in confusion.

"That we wouldn't let go of you!" One of the kids answered as he clung to her arm.

"Because you'll do something crazy if we're not with you! And he'll worry if someone isn't watching you!"

"Worry about me? Who told you this?" Emilia asked as her confusion rose more and more over the kids' frantic sayings.

"Don't! We can't tell-" Petra tried to stop her friends from saying anything but the boys were too scared to care.

"Subaru!"

"Subaru said it."

"He said that you get lonely easily and so he was worried!"

"Subaru said… Wait, we weren't supposed to tell her."

"Oh, boy… " Petra facepalmed at her friends' idiotic nature.

Emilia's face was white with fear and confusion as she looked outward from the carriage.]

"Thinking that far ahead, eh, Big bro?" Felt gave a small nod of respect and looked at him tiredly. "Must suck… Dyin' and havin' to think about all this shit and how t' win while savin' everyone… I respect the hell outta you man."

"We all do, Felt-sama." Reinhard looked at the kids with a wonder in his eyes. "What brave little ones. They would be fine adults in the future, that's for sure."

"Subaru-kun told them to stick to Emilia-sama so that she can protect them… So they don't end up in that shed with sissy like the very first time he arrived at the mansion…" Rem's words made people freeze over, with Heinkel holding a hand to his face to hide his terror at the thought since he was the only one who wasn't there to see such a sight.

"Even with an imagination as limited as mine… It's too much for me to see." Schult shuddered and held on to Priscilla's hand once again, which was allowed by his mistress.

Ram hugged her sister silently, giving Subaru a look of concern before looking up at the window again.

"Cap'n's even thought of this, huh… Hehe…" Garfiel looked more smug yet tired after he heard what the children had to say. "Havin' the little ones stay with the princess for her to protect 'em… That's so good."

"I enjoy it as well, even though it's unknightly to make your master do the work for you, this is a circumstance I would not want to look down upon for he earned my respect for it." Julius, though worried about his friend, found himself giving a small nod to the children and what they had revealed to Emilia.

The half-elf herself wasn't able to form the words of how she felt as she saw this moment again through a different lens. "I… Thought he was trying to push me away… But I had his trust to do something useful for once…"

"He always trusts, I suppose. And not just you, in fact." Beatrice grits her teeth in an adorable expression that shows frustration and sorrow. "Not a single time was that a question. But Subaru's alone… So increasingly on his own, it's unfair to expect him to remember us when he needs to fight desperately, in fact."

Rem and Crusch looked away from the spirit, a light dim in their eyes once they had remembered how they could've been a part" of the help Subaru needed to fight off Sloth but they had been caught by the other monsters who formed from the same pit as Petelguese.

[The scene changes to a forest being ransacked as Petelgeuse breaks everything in his path to reach Subaru on the moving cart.

"Natsuki-san, is something coming up behind us?" Otto asked as he kept his eyes on the wooded road before him.

"Just some big, black animal. It has a wild voice and a scary face, so you're better off not looking."

"Those things make me all the more curious!"

"Forget it! Just drive! If I get bitten, it'll munch on you next!"

"Yikes!" Otto shouted and kept his eyes on the road.]

"I wish I had looked back for even a second… I stopped using my protection to speak with the others around me so I could focus on the road…" Otto held his hands to his face, finding himself increasingly angry toward his past self. "This isn't fair…"

"I don't suppose you know what you could've done to change things for you or Barusu… You don't even know how Barusu managed to beat this monster, so stop talking like you didn't do your best by getting him to Emilia-sama on time." Ram huffed with her arms crossing, "honestly, how can our head minister be so whiny."

Otto couldn't help but chuckle helplessly as his face was covered by his hands.

[Subaru turned to face the deranged Petelgeuse. "How many times do I have to play the last level? What about you is slothful now, you uselessly hard worker?!" Subaru asked in exasperation at the malformed monster crawling for him.

"Witch! Satella! Give me… Love! Love!"

"She doesn't love you or me! What kind of rom-com has someone trying to squash their love's heart?!" Subaru shouted but the madman was already falling into a trance as his black eye holes bled tears of blood while his broken unhinged jaw moved up and down.

"Satella! Satella! Satella!"]

"What a damn freak…" Heinkel whispered before anyone could, his eyes glaring at the beast without any cowardice behind them this time. "I hate him…"

"A feeling shared but for a different reason. Isn't that correct, Astrea's Mistake?" Priscilla looked knowingly at him which made the man clench his jaw tightly.

"Do not dub me that." He whispered to her, almost pleadingly as his gloved hand trembled.

"Hm," Priscilla let him be as he closed his eyes shut, she turned to the crown below and decided to bestow her voice upon them after much time had passed before she addressed them as the rabble they were. "Bring yourselves to be attentive, commoners. That half-wit's dog had declared something important to us who watch him unwittingly."

"Huh? What the fuck's she on about?" Felt glared at Priscilla with annoyance and looked between her and the window. "What did Big Bro say?"

"He was talking about the Witch's love…" Reinhard answered, looking just as confused.

Emilia and Rem locked eyes for a second, trying to figure it out as well.

"She doesn't love you or me." Crusch looked at Priscilla with realization covering her expression. "He just declared that he is aware of her true feelings for him… The Witch… Doesn't have complete control over him."

"We already knew that," Tivey sighed with relief even though it had been obvious from the start. "The Witch of Envy… Connected to one of us… That's such a crazy… I think it's more fact than theory now."

"Bullshit, she does." Al sighed under his helmet, glaring at his lady for a split second behind his vizor. "I wish she would just up and disappear from the world already. Anything but have him and her be… Fuck, I can't even think about it, pal."

Emilia had to look at the window with a small hint of happiness in her chest, replaying what she had heard him say to Petelguese again and again.

Rem held her arms around Subaru's neck, softly whispering to him her good wishes, knowing that she could've been there to help him at any moment but being proud of him as he faced down his opponent

[Subaru could only glance at the madman's corpse with a look of pity. "I am your opponent. I won't let you get past me, and I absolutely won't let you get to the kid in front of me!"

"Natsuki-san, you care about me that much?"

"Will you be quiet?! I'm trying to make myself look good!" Subaru shouted to the emotional Otto and glared back at the moving corpse.]

Otto had to chuckle at himself, nodding his head as Garfiel and Julius gave him small grins and the twins chuckled in the back.

"I am grateful to you for having my back, Natsuki-san— Wait… Wouldn't I be in danger technically just because Natsuki-san was there with me?! Just like the White Whale?! It's your fault I'm in that mess anyway so don't expect me to thank you!" Otto shouted with a sudden look of embarrassment as more people chuckled at him from behind.

[Black hands came out of the monster's back and latched on to different parts of the carriage.

Subaru started kicking and punching the latching arms away.

"Take this!"

"Natsuki-san, we're leaving the forest!"

The two dragons, the carriage, and the hollowed corpse all managed to come out of the dense forest of Mathers domain and into the flat plains of Lifaus highway.

"Love… Love me. Love alone is everything!"

"I can't take you with me to where Emilia is!" Subaru shouted as he threw some of Otto's oil vassals on the monster, making the liquid cover the crawling figure of the monster.]

"The oil vassals… Worthless to the very end," Otto seethed in anger under his breath before being punched by Garfiel on the shoulder.

"Remember the amount of damage those did to that mabeast ya killed with Cap'n. Don't sell them too short." He grinned at Otto but removed it once he looked at the window with focus again. "C'mon Cap'n. Think o' somethin'."

[Multiple black hands came out of the monster's back and rocketed toward Subaru and the cart.

The boy glared with determination and held his hand in an outstretched manner with his finger extended. "I'm gonna need your strength, Julius Euclius!"]

Julius immediately looked shocked at being proclaimed in such an open manner by Subaru himself. "I do not know what pose he strikes as he uses your power, but please help him as much as you can, Ia!"

[At the very tip of his gun-shaped hand, the red-dotted spirit stood at the ready as Subaru commanded in a yell.

"Rental Goa!"

The spirit was sent flying towards the oil-covered monster, a small explosion that weaved through the oil and covered the monster with licking spirit art flames that wouldn't flicker out but seemingly increased in ferocity and glow all over the corpse monster infront of Subaru.]

"He used the spirit! Yes!" Petra cheered, her face astonished and her body moving on its own to clap her hands in a praying motion as Subaru made his stand clear against Petelguese. "Yes! Please!"

Emilia, Crusch, and Rem held on to Subaru's body from their different angles, each of them displaying an expression of concern and pure trust at what Subaru was using to stop the cult leader.

"Shouldn't it be hurtful, I suppose?" Beatrice muttered under her breath, watching with a bated breath. "Shouldn't this fire that rages on your skin hurt more than the one you've been feeling for centuries in your heart, Guese?" Beatrice closed her eyes with her tears trailing increasingly. "Just give it up, I suppose. Subaru will win."

Otto's expression turned from amazed to one of pure satisfaction as he failed to pump his fist with Garfiel.

"Seems like yer spirit did her fair share of helpin' too, Julius." Anastasia patted her knight, which made Julius smile with great pride.

"She never told me about this little small venture that Subaru had used her for… I might need to speak with her next time we meet." Julius sighed, remembering how alone he felt without his buds around him.

[In a last-ditch effort, Petelgeuse held on to the cart's tail with his hands and started taking it apart piece by piece.

"Damn, that hurts… " Subaru yelled as he fell on top of the box.

He looked up and found the monstrous image of a malformed melting corpse covered in spirit flames looking into the cart with black outstretched hands reaching for Subaru.

"Give it to me. Relinquish it!" The distorted voice said as the monster moved its open melting mouth.

"I told you… If you try to get into my body, you're just gonna get hurt!" Subaru yelled out with gritted teeth as the monster continued to hold on to the half-broken cart.

"The witch… Satella… Satella! I haven't forgotten a single moment of the things you did for me! Even if you've forgotten, I'll… I'll… With all of my diligence, I'll part with my slothful self, to repay your love… "

"If you had stayed a monster, you might have beaten me!" Subaru smirked and threw the black book he had picked up after Julius' fight right over the burning corpse's head.

"Satella…" The monster's melting face held a smile as it looked at the flying book.]

"What disgusting love that she had placed into him." Ram spat with her eyes resembling the same fire as Priscilla behind her now that the monster's nature was exposed for all to see. "Such one-sided love for someone who doesn't care."

"Doing all these crimes for so long just to be this desperate when reality hits… May I never see the day when I meet someone like this once again." Wilhelm turned to stare away from the monster in disgust.

Felix looked at the floor with his hands trembling slightly on his lap, unable to say anything as he heard the others speak exactly what he thought about Petelguese… and about himself.

"You see that, commoner?"

The striking voice above him forced a chill of dread to fill Felix's spine and run through him. But when he looked back at the lady who'd been visiting his nightmares because of her humiliation of him and his love a few viewings ago, Felix couldn't understand what he was seeing.

Priscilla always told him he was wrong to hold Crusch in the same manner as Subaru held Emilia. He thought she would take this chance to rub his face in it once again.

He's just as beastly and unsightly as Petelguese for having such a worthless amount of love for someone who might not reciprocate.

But instead, he witnessed someone else cry tears of anguish and realization instead of himself.

Priscilla looked over them as if she was a divine who had delivered a merciful punishment.

And allowed them to live with the consequences afterward.

"Just let me be… A-Alright? You've got everythin' ya fuckin' need in life, good for ya." Heinkel looked away from her, unable to see the monster named Petelguese on the window again after what he had realized. "What I feel for her… It's not like this guy or the kid fightin' so hard against 'em!"

"Tis not me you convince with such blabbering." Priscilla took pleasure in humming as she watched the fire covering Petelguese fill the reflection within her eyes. "Satisfying it is to see unbeautiful love burn so destructively."

"Mine isn't like that!" Heinkel growled, making Schult and Felix widen their eyes as they overheard his desperation. "I won't give up." He vowed, with a glare aimed at the floor. "I won't fail her. There's nothing left for me here except for her!"

Felix glared and turned around, not wanting to hear more of the pathetic man's words. "The moment you forget Reinhard… You failed to be anything better than me or Petelguese, Deputy Commander." Felix sighed and continued watching with a disappointed frown.

[Swiftly, the monster held the book with a black unseen hand, the wind protection zone was far away from his shape however so when he picked the book from the air, his hand was held in the momentum of the moving cart since was outside of the divine protection making the monster get pulled away from the carriage.

Before the burning corpse could do anything, Subaru suddenly ran up and delivered a powerful right hook right into the monster's face, knocking it away from the carriage and falling on its back but still getting dragged along since it had many hands latched onto the tail of the now half torn cart.

At his feet, Subaru looked as the black book he had just thrown away came back and rested on the carriage beside his leg.]

Garfiel's eyes burned with admiration, the sharp edge of his grin glinting as Subaru's fist connected with the monster's face. "That's it! Hit 'em hard, Cap'n!" he muttered under his breath, fists clenched tight. It was a thrill he could barely contain, seeing Subaru take on the monster so boldly. But the thrill was tempered by something darker, a nagging unease as he watched Subaru throw himself at the creature with no thought of self-preservation. It was exhilarating.

Emilia's heart twisted as she watched. The punch was impressive, raw, but then he was in harm's way again, his body straining to keep balance as he struck. She couldn't pull her gaze from him, her hand inching forward as if she could reach him, hold him back from the danger he seemed so willing to embrace. "Subaru…" she breathed. The desperation in his eyes, the way he threw himself into the fray without a second thought, broke her heart even as it inspired it.

For Rem, the scene felt like an echo of something too close to home: Subaru charging forward, fierce and unyielding, as if he alone could carry everyone's fate. Her heart swelled with pride, but each step he took seemed more labored, his knuckles white as he braced himself for another blow. "Please, be careful, Subaru-kun," she whispered, pressing her hands together as if her silent plea could protect him. The loyalty she felt was matched only by the fear that gripped her as he risked everything for their sake.

Julius watched, his gaze steady, focused not only on the strength of Subaru's punch but on the toll it took on him. He could see the cost of each blow, the mounting exhaustion in every movement. Subaru's bravery had a weight Julius understood too well. "The cost of fighting beyond one's limit, Subaru… You fool."

Otto's breath hitched as Subaru's fist landed, the impact jarring even from a distance. But Otto's excitement quickly ebbed into worry as Subaru seemed to push himself beyond reason. "What are you doing?" he muttered, the helplessness tightening his fists.

Crusch's eyes remained sharp and steady, her gaze fixed on Subaru, taking in each movement, every ounce of force behind his punch. She recognized the resolve it took to fight like this, but in his reckless abandon, she also saw a dangerous pattern. "You fight like one who holds nothing back," she thought, respect coloring her tone, "but at what cost?" Her admiration for Subaru deepened with that swing.

Roswaal watched with his painted smile, a curious glint flickering in his eyes. The punch was impressive, almost poetic in its intensity, the embodiment of everything tragic about Subaru. "Ah, Subaru-kun," he mused to himself, one brow lifting. "What a hero you are, willing to sacrifice everything." The admiration was there, yes, but so was the pleasure of witnessing Subaru's inner torment, a spectacle that played out precisely as Roswaal anticipated and even desired once, but he had to bring himself to glare one final time.

"Now end it for all of us, Subaru-kun." He growled at Petelguese, "So I can see where my Teacher failed to get you to kneel for her. And let my friend finally rest out of that accursed form."

Beatrice's hands flew to her mouth, her heart lurching. Her eyes tracked his move, desperate and aching as she watched his relentless determination, his fist striking without a hint of self-preservation. "Foolish Contractor, in fact," she whispered.

Petra's small hands clenched as she watched Subaru's right hook strike the monster. For a moment, her heart swelled with pride, but the thrill gave way to alarm, her eyes widening as he stood exposed. "Don't push too hard… Don't be like him…"

"He won't be, Petra-chan," Frederica shushed the maid with a hand patting her head.

Felt's mouth hung open as she watched, half in awe, half in exasperation at Subaru's audacity. "Dang, Big Bro!" she muttered, impressed and frustrated in equal measure.

["I… will not… I won't… let it end… this hasn't ended… I haven't!" Petelgeuse's muffled voice repeated as he cried in pain from his hopeless wounds.

Subaru silently picked up the book and held his bleeding finger over the very last page of the Gospel.

Drawing something on the book using his blood, Subaru confidently and loudly refuted the monster. "No, it's over. As of now, you… "

Subaru held the book and showed The Archbishop his last page with the bloody writing on it. "Are finished!"

For a moment, the burning, melting, crushed, and abused face of the monster glared with the ultimate amount of hate Betelgeuse could bring through the flames rising from his flesh.

Subaru met the burning black holes with his determination-filled gaze.

As the two love-drunk fools faced one another, the difference between them could no longer be seen as the similarity played over the scene.

This was Subaru.

And that was Petelgeuse. The one who best copied him.

In love with someone who doesn't even understand them. In love with someone, they wanted to control and treat them like a sweet doll that should only be worshiped and dotted over instead of giving her the free will she needed.

Petelgeuse and Subaru….

Were disgusting fanatics that made love an excuse for their failures and evil deeds.

Subaru made his love for Emilia drive his worst traits to show as he hurt her and everyone around them to make her happy even though no one asked him to do so.

Petelgeuse let his love for the witch be used as an excuse for all of the horror he had committed across his years as an archbishop.

Subaru and Petelgeuse stared at one another… with the boy finally understanding the true effect his love-sick behavior had over everyone around him, himself more so.

Petelgeuse's hand was stuck on the moving cartwheel, making the corpse's shelled body get dragged through it, getting crushed and shredded as his body was pulled more and more into the moving wheel.

"NATSUKI SUBARUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Petelgeuse's throttled throat screamed demonically and distortedly as the monster was shredded through the wheel for one last time.

All that was left of the Archbishop was one outstretched hand moving towards Subaru's skull.

The black-haired boy simply met the black palm and demonic screams with nothing but an unfazed stare. As if nothing affected him even if the black hand coming to crush his skull was inches away from his face.

But as Petelgeuse's body was turned into nothing but a stain on the road, the hand dissipated before the calm Subaru without a trace.

"This time, stay asleep forever, Petelgeuse," Subaru said while looking at the remains of the archbishop with pity.]

Emilia's hand covers her mouth as she stares wide-eyed at the screen, a mixture of shock and sorrow swirling in her gaze. She watches Subaru confront the broken Petelgeuse with steely resolve, his face hardened beyond anything she's seen before. Her heart aches at the lines drawn between them, realizing the heavyweight Subaru must feel as he stares down the Archbishop. "Subaru…" she whispers, almost pleading, as though willing him back from the edge, fearful of what he's realized in the monster's dark mirror.

A chill runs down Rem's spine as she watches Subaru hold the book with focus, his blood marking the final condemnation. She's filled with both pride and unease, her hands clasped tightly together. "Subaru-kun…" she whispers, pain lacing her voice. The intensity in his eyes, his stoic resolve, both awe her and leave her unnerved. For the first time, she sees in him a glimpse of something darker, a love capable of consuming him whole. She swallows, fighting against the sinking realization that Subaru's devotion to Emilia has led him to this grim understanding.

Beatrice's gaze is locked on Subaru, her small hands gripping the arms of her seat as she trembles. "Foolish Subaru…" she murmurs, her voice thick with sorrow. His pitying farewell to Petelgeuse haunts her, the lines between hero and monster blurring in ways she wishes he'd never seen. The darkness in his stare shakes her deeply, yet she sees in his expression a painful wisdom she knows he can never unlearn. Her heart breaks at the sight, at the knowledge of what he's seen in himself. "Betty wishes… you wouldn't look at yourself that way…"

"Do not let that heavy burden consume you," Crusch murmured with a steeled look on her face. She crossed her legs and gave Subaru a small nod of admiration after he realized the darkest parts of himself manifested in Petelguese.

Garfiel's grin fades, replaced with a rare look of contemplative silence. "Damn, Cap'n…" he mutters, barely able to take his eyes off Subaru as he holds the Gospel, blood smearing its pages. There's pride in Garfiel, but it's tempered by something else, a grudging respect that shifts uncomfortably as he sees Petelgeuse's desperate, twisted love reflected in Subaru's own desires. The fight in Subaru has never looked so raw, nor so hauntingly similar to the monster before him.

"And I let that happen all behind me…" Otto's gulp could be heard around the room, fearing what Subaru may have realized about himself with such a cold finality to his expression on the screen. "Natsuki-san…"

"This is the true ending of Sloth, I suppose." Julius sighed, tiredly closing his eyes and giving Subaru the respect he deserved through his customary bow. "That was a deserved hunt, Subaru Natsuki. You did us all a great service… Sloth counted amongst us most of all."

"What wretched existence…" Anastasia sighed, feeling a bit pitiful that the bishop didn't offer much in terms of information but she had eyed the gospel in Subaru's hand for the whole time it's been displayed between the two. "Wonderful work, Natsuki-kun."

"Did he at least please ya this time, Princess?" Al sighed, feeling a shiver run down his spine after the bishop was finally defeated. "This worked out as ya hoped?"

"Tis your wishes that kept me watching, Aldebaran, do not forget that." Priscilla sighed and, like Crusch, leaned back with a look of increasing satisfaction in her eyes. "The commoner's work is done, with mineself greatly pleased, and once again, interested."

"You too, huh?" Al sighed a second time, unable to look anywhere near Subaru as he leaned his helmet onto the chair in front of him. "..."

["Natsuki-san, look!" Otto shouted from the front.

Subaru quickly ran up to the front of the carriage and looked onto the now smoky plain fields filled with various ongoing explosions as the battle between the knights, mercenaries, magic users, and cultists continued across the fields.

"Wilhelm-san!" Subaru shouted as he noticed the old man cutting through the cultists with awe-inspiring speed.

"Subaru-dono!" The old man yelled back to the oncoming carriage carrying the boy.

"Where's Emilia?!"

Wilhelm quickly noticed a cultist about to attack Subaru's carriage with fire, so he moved swiftly to cut him in half.

"Just ahead! Go straight, toward the great tree!" Wilhelm yelled as he pointed further down the battle zone.

The cult quickly took to running alongside Subaru's rushing cart, but they were intercepted by the speedy old butler as he jumped over one cultist and cut two others as he landed.

"This is the perfect chance to repay my debt. Who can stand in the way of a man going to see a woman?!" Wilhelm shouted in outrage as he readied his weapon, making some old knights beside him smile at their comrades' never-changing nature when it comes to love.]

"Thank you…" Emilia whispered, breathlessly looking towards the old man with endless gratitude.

"..." Wilhelm nodded his head, bowing slightly with respectfulness.

[Subaru and Otto were surprised to see the now fallen great tree of the wanderer, Flugel, before them with many carts moving towards it ahead of them.

"Natsuki-san! That's the carriage with the refugees!"

Subaru looked afraid for a moment as images of his very first life when he met Emilia played.

His first life…

when he held that misguided belief that she was his heroine…

when he first died…

when he…

When I promised back then…

"No matter what it takes… I'm going to save you!" Subaru declared with fire of unstoppable determination filling his nasty-eyes.]

"Subaru… you've carried this since the very beginning…" she whispered, brushing a hand gently over his hair.

Rem's heart trembled as she watched Subaru make that promise, the fire in his eyes as fierce as ever. The memory of her own love for him, her vow to stand by his side, flooded back with painful clarity.

"He's still fighting… for her," she murmured, almost to herself, as her fingers brushed the edge of her skirt, willing her heart to stay steady. "I longed to see this moment since his fight at the capital…"

[The scene changes to Emilia as she sits with her arms around the huddled group of kids.

Are you thinking about Subaru?

Yeah… but I still can't believe it.

If Subaru's really leading the army, a lot of things would make sense. Like why Ram didn't argue, and why the villagers agreed to evacuate.

Emilia looked down in sadness and confusion.

But why? After all the pain and suffering he went through… after I made him look so sad… Why would he…]

"And what do you think now? After everything you've seen him go through…" Crusch asked her, not wasting the chance to give Emilia her gaze, finally having the half-elf's true feelings on display as she saw the droplets of tears beginning to form in Emilia's eyes.

"..." The half-elf couldn't display anything but sorrow and gratefulness in her expression, shaking her head while biting her lower lip.

"Emilia-sama?" Rem looked at the half-elf with a look of understanding, smiling softly. "Please let us enjoy this moment you will have with him."

"It's finally their reunion after the fight they had before all of this had started, sister." Ram snorted in amusement. "Barusu will screw it up somehow and that's probably why Emilia-sama is on the verge of tears right now."

"Have faith, sister!" Rem admonished sternly with a pout on her face.

Emilia's lips quivered upwards, looking from Rem to Beatrice, to Petra, to Felt and Otto's group… She held them all with such love in her eyes as the tears began falling.

"I'm just happy I can say to him how much I'm grateful… For being his beloved… For having this love for him."

Crusch and Rem nodded with smiles of their own to the half-elf.

[The cart suddenly began stopping to a halt making the kids all scream in fear.

Lia, something's coming up behind us!

The speeding group of carriages carrying the refugees of Alarm suddenly all stopped to a halt with many dragons going off the road to not slam into their brethren' carts.

Emilia and the kids held each other as they braced for impact. The silver-haired lady had her arms around them all to protect them as her cart stopped.

In the silence, Emilia could only notice the flickering of a shadow coming into the cart as her dazed vision regained focus.

A hand planted on the tail of her carriage, pulling its owner up as they jumped straight into the carriage and landed on their feet.

Standing before her, with their sharp eyes trembling in regret and shame, the person that had suddenly appeared made Emilia's own eyes tremble with emotion.]

Garfiel smirked at the cool pose, giving his fist up in the air with his two companions chuckling at the theatrics.

[Subaru shook his head and moved his gaze away from the lady and towards the many boxes inside the carriage.

His gaze suddenly fell to a misplaced plank on the carriage floor. He quickly ran towards it and broke the wooden plank with his hand.

His eyes widened in shock as he found the sack of glowing red rocks.

"Found them!"

Puck suddenly came out of Emilia's hair with a look of understanding. "I thought this reunion seemed sudden. So that's why you're here."

Subaru didn't respond as he quickly took the bag of explosive rocks out of the hidden compartment and ran out of the carriage.]

"Where's he gonna go with those?" Heinkel asked, looking at Subaru with alarm. "Ain't they set to explode at a moment's notice or somethin'?"

"That's the idea," Wilhelm found it appropriate to answer his son for the first time. "Subaru-dono wants to take them away from the refugee caravan."

"... But what about him?" Heinkel felt stupid at his own question that just left his mouth unconsciously, earning a snort from Priscilla. "... Fuck."

Petra nodded her head at the man's final word, not being allowed to say it herself but wishing she could. "Thanks for saving me once again… And my friends… And even before that… Thank you for beating that monster and not giving up…" Her tears were shed once again as she saw him turn his back and jump on his dragon.

["Wait! Why?" Emilia yelled her question desperately for the boy but he had already jumped out of the carriage and onto his dragon's back.]

The half-elf closed her eyes, feeling her chest getting heavier with a pressure she couldn't explain to anyone in the room as her wishes finally came true.

"It's here… I-I…" Emilia's sob caught everyone off guard as she collapsed on herself, her tears finally falling freely. "It's been so long… Subaru… Please wake up and see this with me…" Her face was flushed from the heaviness she was experiencing in her heart and soul, but her eyes focused only on the sleeping knight at her side.

"Wake up and tell it to me yourself, one more time." She begged as the screen played the next scene with increased volume for all those watching her with confusion.

[Emilia quickly ran towards the tail and looked at Subaru with an emotional gaze.

"Why?" She asked in confusion and desperate need to understand.

The nasty-eyed boy turned towards her with a smile. "I love you, Emilia."

Her jaw hinged open as bewilderment covered her expression.

And as Subaru strode over Patrasche's back with the bag of dangerous rocks under his arm, Emilia looked at his treating back as he strode away from her.

And then Stay Alive played.]

"Holy shit!" Felt laughed as soon as the song played over everything, watching him run on his dragon. "He just told her like that?!"

"Watch him run away!" Mimi laughed with Felt, understanding exactly why Subaru was speeding away but choosing to ignore it for her more fun reason. "Bro's scared of her rejecting him!"

"Seriously, Subaru-kun is cruel." Rem sighed and knocked the back of his head with a small smile, tinged with pain after hearing him say it to Emilia in such a way. "I wish to hear you say it. Wake up…"

Crusch looked at the maid and then glanced at Emilia with understanding in her heart for the yearninggirls.

Emilia herself let the song engulf her as she sobbed and held his hand to her cheek, covering it in his touch and begging between tears and cries to wake up and tell her he loved her already.

[Swiftly running through the field, towards the beheaded corpse of the once mighty white whale without a head and crushed underneath the fallen great tree, holding a big bag with smoke coming out of it.]

"He really just left the princess like that?" Garfiel's laugh was overcoming the song itself and his jumping in excitement and cheer was always a welcome sight to change everyone's mood from the somber seriousness of Sloth's death to something more hopeful.

Otto and Julius chuckled as well, with Reinhard and Felix giving their own grins of amusement.

Al meanwhile sighed to himself. "Come on pal… You already have her…"

[Latching his hand against the satchel, Subaru rode Patrasche with gritted teeth as he remembered every single time Emilia showed him kindness and smiled at him just because she was alone and he gave her something she needed.

A friend.

Through every loop, every death, every fight, every life…

"Damn it! Get there in time!"

She's been his saving grace.

"Come on, Patrasche!" Subaru shouted as the memories of his loops played over, the black dragoness finally reached the hollowed corpse of the giant whale.

Not wasting a moment, Subaru immediately threw the bag inside of the cave-like body of the whale and blasted Patrasche away from the cave-like structure as he noticed the crystals glowing brightly through the bag.

Playing over his struggle as Patrasche ran away from the soon-coming fire, images of Emilia played.

" Thank you, Subaru. For saving me. "

When she smiled at him in a vacant loot house after he was suddenly pulled away from everything he knew and everybody he loved.

There was nothing but Emilia since the start.

And as the music picked up, a flash burned behind Subaru and Patrasche.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! *

An explosion rocketed through the entire fields, sending a shock wave that knocked Subaru off of his dragon with nothing to protect him from the unleashed waves of flames that could turn him to ash.

Patrasche quickly covered her reptilian body around Subaru's as the fire of the explosion covered them both.

From far away, the knights, refugees, kids, and Emilia all watched the giant explosion with nothing but shock and fear itching on their faces.

* WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! *

The massive shock wave rocketed against everyone and almost knocked the carts back from how strong the explosion truly was.

Emilia swiftly let her long legs carry her against the onslaught of wind and smoke as she could only think of the boy who had been at the center when the explosion happened.]

As the fire roared and Subaru's desperate struggle unfolded on stage, murmurs, gasps, and words of all kinds rippled through the theater.

"Please come back and say them to me again…" Emilia whispered while holding on to him, letting the song play in her mind as she watched his point of view of that same explosion she had been shocked by once before.

"I'm reluctant to respect such a stupid way to get rid of those things, He coulda gotten Wilhelm-sama t' throw them far away and not waste the Whale's corpse… But a gal's gotta love such a manly scene~" Anastasia giggled with a satisfied look.

Priscilla let out a soft, derisive laugh. "Ah, the foolishness of the desperate. Only someone as mad as he would dare such a thing." She fanned herself lazily, but her eyes glinted with intrigue. "The world does love its reckless heroes."

"Desperate ain't got a thing on 'em!" Felt grinned. She punched her fist into her palm, practically vibrating with excitement. "Big Bro's beaten so many odds, it's crazy the stories we heard weren't even more epic!"

Beatrice's small voice trembled, her usual indifference melting away. "Don't… don't be reckless, I suppose! Just… survive, in fact!" Her fingers gripped the armrest tightly, her eyes never leaving the window, silently rooting for him.

"I'll remember this moment for a long time…" Reinhard brought himself to smile even through his admiration for Subaru's resilience. "Such courage even when the odds are overwhelming."

Mimi fidgeted in her seat, her small voice almost a whimper. "C'mon, Mister Subaru! You gotta be okay! I'll cheer for ya, I will!" Her innocent cheerfulness mingled with genuine fear, her words filled with childlike belief.

"Damn it…" Heinkel nodded slightly, his voice a gruff mutter. "There's strength in him, no doubt about that. Foolish, maybe, but…" He trailed off, suppressing the hint of pride in his voice as if reluctantly admiring Subaru's resolve. "That fucker's made it through everything…"

Ram snorted softly, though her voice held a touch of pride. "If that fool doesn't come back… I'll bring him back just to berate him." She shook her head, a soft smirk on her lips.

[Where am I?

Subaru asked as his vision was obstructed by a white light.]

"Right here." Rem's firm response came immediately with a hint of love always seeping through. "You're right here with me, Subaru-kun."

"This white light is not familiar at all," Otto muttered under his breath, not willing to ruin the moment but his worry was winning against his best interest.

"Let's just see," Julius said in response, eyes filled with pride for their friend.

[I can't see a thing. I can't hear a thing. Is that witch lady coming to grab my heart again? I don't feel too bad though.

"Subaru!"

"Subaru!"

Oh, hey… I can hear, after all.

Deleted Shadow Garden For This Episode:

Shadow Garden Scene 5

The sigh of relief was the last thing Subaru did before his mind fell into a deep, deep sleep.

When Subaru came to, his mind had entered a world of darkness once more.

Having lost his body, Subaru Natsuki continued to hover in the vast, empty space as nothing but consciousness.

As usual, the world had neither ground nor a discernable sky.

Nothing but darkness spread out before him in an ephemeral dream, one he would forget when he awakened.

"-I love you."]

The room filled with gasps from Frederica and Petra.

"She's back…" Beatrice held on to Subaru's waist, turning her body as she hugged him tight. "She's back to try and take him like Guese, in fact."

Emilia looked from Beatrice to the dark space shown to them on the window, feeling sick as she heard that sentence over and over again. "It's not how he said it to me… It's not at all the same…" Emilia dared to growl at the Witch's poisoning of his heart.

[But in that blank, hollow world of nothingness, there was a charming "someone" he couldn't meet anywhere else.

Always it gave Subaru a soft, numbing throb, as if he was filled with joy at a painful embrace.

"-I love you."]

"This narration shit's way too outta place for me to care about him and the Witch being lover and slave in some sort of mind prison… Just try to calm down as the kid figures it out." Heinkel muttered, seeing how outraged most of the Emilia camp were as they watched this scene.

[The darkness unwound, the shadow formed, and the captivating "someone" appeared, approaching Subaru as she whispered her love. He could not see the expression on her face.]

"She's there… The Witch…" Tivey found himself enthralled like the first time he tried to figure out the exact look of the figure in the darkness since the start. "She's going to be shown fully…"

"I would rather see two mabeasts lay together than see this monster's face!" Rem spat with hatred, not at all in control of herself as she watched the darkness swallowing Subaru's soul.

"... Please…" Emilia gripped his hand tightly… "I beg you not to treat me because of her manipulation of you…"

[However, that "someone" was likely spinning words of love with a face drenched with anguish. He wanted to be touched. He wanted to be longed for. Reflexively, Subaru's heart was drawn in. He wanted to respond to her love, to repay her for it. He would never be able to repay love granted to him with anything less than love of his own and yet—

"—Subaru"

He heard it. A lovely voice from other than "someone" was calling his name.]

"Yes!" Otto found himself at the edge of his seat as he and the other two youths sitting next to him looked at Emilia with excited looks.

Emilia herself was looking upwards with great hope growing within her.

[His thoughts alone understood. A lovely voice apart from the "someone" filling the dream with black shadow was calling him to the world of white light.

As he understood this, a white light, something that should not exist in the land of darkness, was born.

"—I love you."

"— Subaru."]

"Holy shit," Al found himself breathing heavily as he watched like everyone else. "There's no way, pal…"

"The Witch and Emilia-sama… Are battling for his consciousness." Ram was looking at Subaru in amazement. "Barusu's going to have to make the choice now…"

"I-I…" Emilia gasped, unable to let her words out as easily as she used to do, seeing how close she was to facing the Witch herself just because of Subaru's closeness to her.

Almost everyone was on the edge of their seats, even Priscilla and Roswaal looked on with rapid interest growing in their eyes because the Witch was being directly challenged by Subaru and Emilia in such a unique situation.

[Simultaneously, the voices were tossed his way. He wanted to respond to the shadow's love. He had to respond to the love of the light.

He realized that his mind was being drawn away from the voice of that "someone" toward her whose voice reached him from the land of light.

The voice of "someone" held grief at the state of Subaru's heart, for she was being left behind.

Two arms woven from the shadow stretched out, but they did not reach his incomplete body. As Subaru grew distant, he heard the voice tremble, sadly calling out as it sought him over and over.

"I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you."

"—Subaru, please."

The whispers of love repeated over and over, whereas the call of his name contained a simple plea.

Remember who you are.

Remember what you have to do.

Remember the words you must exchange, in the world where you belong,

He couldn't stay there. So—

"Next time, I'll probably come to meet you."

With nonexistent lips surely unable to convey his feelings, he spoke his farewell to the "someone" fading in the distance.

They were words of departure, an oath that they would meet again. That "Someone" let out a small gasp.

Then Subaru's mind was enveloped by a light that blotted out the world of darkness as he slowly melted away.

"—I'll be waiting."]

As the words fell from Subaru's lips, promising the Witch of Envy that he would come to see her soon, an icy silence gripped the theater. The audience, already shaken by the intensity of the previous scenes, now felt a fresh wave of shock and terror ripple through them, each one confronting the gravity of Subaru's promise.

Emilia gasped, her face pale. "Subaru… what are you saying? Do you even understand who you're talking to?" Her voice shook, disbelief mingling with fear as she clutched her chest. She looked around frantically as if hoping someone could explain why he'd say such a thing.

"Either he's the bravest fool alive or he's lost his mind. Makin' promises to her?" Anastasia shivered slightly, but curiosity gleamed in her eyes.

Crusch's face grew somber, and she shook her head in disapproval. Rem followed soon after but gave Subaru a worried glance.

"Charming the creature born to stay in the darkness forever," Priscilla found herself amused more than anything at the scene. "Delightful tis to see, a dark creature trying to stake a claim on that which belongs under the sun."

"Nice poetry," Heinkel sighed, giving himself a rub on the temple. "God, I've been so patient with this shit and no drinks have manifested for me like the rest of these assholes."

Beside them, Al gave the window a small silent glare behind his helmet, not being able to do anything about the feelings that burned through him as a man at that moment. "Soon, pal… You'll see how she truly is… And she won't ever look at you again. Just like me… She has to leave you… Or else I swear…" He didn't finish. He couldn't… Not with all of Subaru's friends around him.

Felix's ears flattened, his face a mask of fear. "Subaru, nya, you can't… you can't be serious." He swallowed, his voice barely a whisper. "The Witch of Envy isn't some lost soul you can save. Please… please don't go anywhere near her."

"A promise to the Witch of Envy… I can't support this, Subaru. Even you should know there are forces beyond what one man can withstand." Reinhard's normally calm face took on a grave expression, his voice low and solemn.

"Ya should stop 'em next time then," Felt growled and glared at her knight with fire in her eyes. "I give ya full permission, idiot!"

Reinhard nodded his head, not wasting a second to accept her order. "I will not allow it."

Petra was the only one who stayed silently watching the scene above with her mouth set in a thin line. "She helped him more than all of us…" She whispered slowly, not caring if anyone heard her.

"A fool's errand, Subaru-kun." Roswaal sighed and looked away from the screen, disinterested in it. "Nothing to do with my Teacher or her plans anymore. Just a pawn promising one of the players a meeting… But my Teacher will save you from her grasp… She already did many times over." His smirk was as self-satisfied as it was relieved for the first time within the theater.

[The screen showed a worried Emilia walking through the cloud of dust and smoke with a hand on her mouth as she scanned through the misty air.

A loud screech from a dragon was heard by the beautiful half-elf, making her gasp and instantly run towards the screech that was coming from within the smoke.

Running through the dust cloud, Emilia finally reached the figure of a bleeding black dragon, looking over the unconscious form of her rider.

Folding her legs under her and sitting over him, Emilia waited for any sign of life from the boy which came in the form of a slight pained groan from his frowned lips.

"Subaru!" Emilia engulfed the boy in a hug as she rested her head against his chest.

Scene change…

"Where am I?" Subaru stuttered as he opened his eyes.

"Subaru, you're awake? Thank goodness am so glad."

Subaru's half-lidded eyes suddenly widened as he noticed how Emilia's beautiful smile was closer to his depth of vision the normal as she was sitting over him.]

"Bet ya he's lovin' this," Ricardo chuckled as did many who grinned at the two.

"Should we be watching this?" Reinhard looked around and asked for permission from the Emilia camp, but no one knew if they could even prevent him from watching as no one controlled the theater.

"Just watch quietly, well ya? I need to know if Big Bro did it." Felt shushed with a serious expression.

"Did what?" Petra asked with curiosity and childish innocence from behind the two.

"Kiss, Petra-chan." Frederica smiled warmly at the two in the window, having her student blush and squeak next to her.

["I'm lying down, and Emilia-tan is kneeling… And considering our distance and the heavenly sensation under my head… "

"You don't have to go through all that. Your head is on my lap. It's not uncomfortable, is it?"

"I know of no finer, move divine pillow," Subaru replied elegantly as he looked up at the beautiful lady.]

Emilia's hand found itself on his head again, pressing on it and running through the strands protectively.

"Just wake up… Please…" She whispered to him, and she almost imagined him moving his head to nod along with her wishes and demands but the scene continued regardless of what she thought.

[The sunlight weaved through the grass lanes as the breeze picked up around them, the atmosphere created through the elements was one of calm and warmth.

Emilia gave the boy sitting on her lap a small smile.

"Um… Can I ask how things turned out?" Subaru asked with an uneasy smile.]

"Cap'n must feel so good now that he's won everythin'... I can't believe what we've seen half of the time in 'ere…" Garfiel smiled brightly with no hidden darker emotion like the rest of the others. To him, everything he had seen only strengthened his love and respect for Subaru.

"Seeing this final win with the princess… I knew rootin' for ya would be the right call, Cap'n."

[Emilia gave a tired one of her own as she gazed at the boy with warmth-filled eyes. "Honestly… I'm the one who wants to ask what's going on."

"Is Patrasche okay? I wanna become the wind with that critter again."]

"Wish I could say the same right now, but she's been alone for the whole time we've been in this prison," Otto sighed but gave Subaru a guilty smile. "I'm just happy he's finally made it…" Otto's hand ran through his hair and he shook in place. "He's made it…"

Otto's tears ran down his cheek for a split second before he wiped them away. "... How'd you like that… White Whale-san?" He whispered to himself, ensuring he wasn't heard by anyone else.

["She was pretty burned, but she'll be fine. Felix is looking at her."

"Oh, Felix joined us, too? Have I been out for a pretty long time?"]

"..." Felix sighed, tired but satisfied with what he was seeing. "Ya deserve all the rest, Subaru-kuyn… That gate of yers will only get its dues with good rest, nyan." Felix's frown returned as he remembered all that he had said and done in the theater for the past few days. "Maybe one day, I can still look you in the eye as I apologize myself for everything I said… And thank you for letting me know who I truly am."

["About an hour or two."

"So everyone's together now, then."

"Julius, too," Emilia said as she gazed at him with an astounded expression. "I was really surprised. I never expected to see you two together."]

Julius found himself smiling with pride at his friend's capacity to trust and win while doing so. "Thank you for not holding it against me, Subaru… I'll try not to let it hinder our friendship if that is what you truly wish from me… I couldn't be luckier for it."

[The boy smiled whimsically as Emilia smiled down at him. "It was for reasons bluer than the mountains, and taller than the seas, Emilia-tan." Subaru turned his head away to the side as he continued to lay on her lap.

The White Whale's corpse has completely turned to ash as the only thing left of the explosion was a giant crater where he had thrown it.]

"Well done… After everything I had to witness today, I regret nothing from what I had said, Subaru-dono. You truly are a man worth a thousand. And I apologize for not stopping you when I should've." Wilhelm didn't hide his smile as he looked at the corpse of the Whale with satisfaction.

"Ain't a sight to behold every day, take it in kid." Heinkel sighed and shoved Schult a bit to make the boy pay attention.

"..." Reinhard looked at the smothered husk with a small frown that disappeared when he gave Subaru his brightest of smiles, one that almost shone like sunlight from how happy he felt. "Had I ignored Felt-sama, you'd have had to sacrifice such a moment like this… With many darker ones alongside it… I hope next time, you will call on me like you did when we met."

[Knights and villagers were confronting each other, Wilhelm, Felix, Julius, and the twins all were interacting with bright happy smiles.]

"That's us!" Mimi jumped and pointed with excitement.

"Yes, Mimi, no one's denying that we are the center of the story." Tivey rolled his eyes as Ricardo shoved his hand on top of both their small heads to ruffle them.

["I finally made it back. I feel like I was having a really long dream. A terrible dream… No, it wasn't." Subaru chuckled as Emilia twirled his hair.

"A good dream, then?" Emilia spoke while smiling at the boy as he slept on her lap.

"A good reality," Subaru responded.]

Beatrice hugged Subaru as tightly as she could, fully giving him her full 'Betty hugging' experience that he would always tease her for. She didn't say anything. Just enjoyed his warmth while listening to the happiest moment for her contractor since he'd come to their world unwillingly.

"Betty will make it up to you, in fact." She opened her eyes and looked at him with determination. "Everything you've lost from your homeworld… It will be returned to you, in fact!" The great spirit of Yin magic swore to him.

[Emilia's expression conveyed confusion at his words.

"Back then, you asked me why… Why I saved you, why I try so hard at everything. You asked me why."]

"How reliable you are… How amazing." Frederica had to speak, feeling too giddy and too happy as she saw him finally receive his break that's been evading him since the beginning of everything they had witnessed. "The more I think about it, the more I realize how similar we are. I was from a place where the world had no idea it existed too… I wanted to make something out of nothing as well… You've gone beyond what I can do, Subaru-sama."

["Yeah. And you said it was because I saved you. But I haven't done anything like that. I've never been able to. You're the one who's always saving me. I could never do anything for you. And yet, you got yourself hurt and said it was for my sake… " Emilia looked physically hurt as she recalled everything that had been said between the both of them during their fight.

"No, I was messed up back then." Subaru shook his head on her lap and smiled tiredly as he admitted his shame. "I was only thinking of myself. I said it was all for you when I was really just drunk on the idea of doing it all for you. I had it in my head that if I told you that, you'd accept it."]

"That's what I like to see," Crusch tilted her head and smiled warmly, deeply satisfied by what she was seeing. "Your words hold nothing but what I admire about you most. Your weakness to be good, even when you know you were in the wrong." Her hand brushed his and she found herself moving her head closer to his shoulder and Rem's arm.

[The boy moved his head on her lap to look straight up at her.

"Subaru… "

"I'm sorry. I used you for my own self-satisfaction. Everything you said back then was true. I was wrong. But… There's one thing I wasn't wrong about. I want to save you. I want to help you. I honestly mean that. It's no lie."]

"... Wish you can keep saying that to me too…" Petra found herself whispering with her frown disappearing, unable to hold anything negative at this moment when her hero finally saved everyone that she cared about. "Thank you so much, Subaru… For saving my village… My family… And the mansion's residents too… The knights… You're amazing."

[Emilia gave a small nod to indicate that she believed him and gave him a small tired smile. "Yeah. I know. Why do you always save me?" She asked him as she glued her eyes to his while holding his head softly.

Subaru's eyes reflected only Emilia's face as he smiled at her with adoration.

"Because I love you. And I want to be your strength." He answered smoothly and truthfully, making the girl above him close her eyes in disbelief as if the very idea hurt her.

"I'm a half-elf… " Emilia choked out loudly as she tried to keep her tears in.

"I know that," Subaru simply answered her.]

"It never mattered to him…" Rem whispered to the girl beyond her row as she held on to the neck of her beloved, feeling more than robbed that she wasn't there beside him as this moment happened… She felt so proud of her hero. "I'm so happy… I saw everything, Subaru-kun… Subaru… I saw it all and I'm so happy you are the one who was there for us all… To save me… I'm so happy… I love you!"

["I'm a silver-haired half-elf and many people hate me because I look like the witch. They despise me. They absolutely detest me!" Emilia repeated while trembling in place.

Subaru only smiled and replied calmly once more, "I saw. I know. Those guys are all blind."]

"At least he's got that spine in 'em after everythin'." Felt sighed and let her anger pass, enjoying Subaru's win. "Now don't screw this up, Big Bro. She's gonna need more!" She smirked mischievously.

["I don't have much experience with people, so I don't have friends. I'm naive and not very worldly, so I say strange things sometimes. And the reason I want to be the kingdom's ruler is really, really selfish… " Emilia repeated over and over as the boy below her only shook his head and smiled at her with passion and warmth.

"No matter what anyone says about you, no matter what you think of yourself, I love you. I really love you! Like crazy! I want to be with you all the time. I want to hold your hand all the time. If you name ten things you hate about yourself, I'll say two thousand things I love about you."

Emilia was full-on shaking right now, barely able to pull herself together.

Subaru slowly sat up from her lap and crossed his legs to face her.

"That's the kind of special treatment I want to give you."]

"..." Priscilla found herself smiling at the scene, hiding it behind her fan of course, as it continued to play. She recalled the moment she made him a certain proposal in a certain failed loop, where she saw how disgusting his love was. But what she saw at this moment… It was of great beauty.

"Mine interest to this feeling he shares with that half-wit is at its apex… And tis no surprise that the world revolved in a way to keep me watching for such a striking beauty to grace mine eyes."

[As the sunlight fell on them both, the breeze picked up around them again, making the grass and fauna around them pop out and setting just how romantic the scene truly was.

Emilia's tears trailed down her cheeks as she faced the boy with a sad barely contained smile.

"That's the first time I've received special treatment that made me happy… "]

"That's the way of the stars, I guess…" Al sighed and found his voice again after seething for so long in his seat. "Can't help but wonder about you pal… How are you going to screw this up for me in the end… Right after I thought we could help each other… After so long, I thought I was a crazy person in an asylum somewhere until I found someone like me." He shook his head and let his hand fall to his side in defeat.

[Subaru's hand softly moved to wipe away her tears, Emilia instantly held his hand in both of hers and smiled against it.

"Why two thousand?" She asked as she let his warmth fill her.

"Because a hundredfold isn't enough to express how I feel about you," Subaru answered softly and with a shining smile.

Emilia rested her cheek against his open palm while holding his hand in both of hers.

"I'm happy… I'm so happy. I never even imagined I'd see the day when someone told me they loved me. What should I do? You've told me so many of your feelings, but I don't know what to do…"]

"You can just say you love him back… At least you can now," Ram huffed with her arms crossed. "Finally, Barusu. You can finally smile without hiding so much nastiness behind your gaze." Ram's chuckle as her sister glared at her was filled with delight.

["You don't have to stress over it. I'm not demanding an answer right away. As far as I'm concerned, it's written in stone that I'll get your answer one day, and it'll be a positive one, at that." Subaru answered with a determined smile holding his hand in a thumbs up.

"Is it really all right? For me… For someone like me to be given such happiness all the time? To be so overjoyed, I actually feel like it's indulgent?" The lady asked while crying tears of happiness.

"Sure, it is. Go on and be indulgent. You can never have too much happiness. If you have so much that it overflows, you can always share it. You can take your time, Emilia. You can take your time and slowly, steadily fall in love with me. I'll do my best so I can walk by your side and so you'll fall head over heels for me." With the sun shining over his face, Subaru grinned charmingly at the girl, making her sob for a moment and shake her head to calm her nerves from the overflowing emotions his words settled in her heart.]

As the scene of Subaru's promise plays, Roswaal's gaze narrows, his mismatched eyes focused intently on the screen. Watching Subaru's devotion, the way he so easily offers to wait forever, Roswaal's lips curl into a small, calculating smile, tinged with a bitterness that betrays his inner conflict.

"Ah, how perfect it should have been. His love, unyielding and absolute, tethered him to her. This was to be the bond that bound him to my purpose, to our shared mission, just as my Teacher planned."

His eyes darken slightly, a shadow passing over his face as he recalls the unwavering ambition he inherited from his teacher, Echidna. "Yes, this love was meant to be my instrument, the very chain that would drive him forward on my path… so that he would align with my vision. And yet…" His voice falters, an unfamiliar frustration seeping into his words. "He broke free, didn't he? I didn't foresee that he'd remain steadfast not to my design, but to her… and in his own way."

Roswaal's voice turns almost wistful as he continues, barely louder than a whisper, "Why? Why would he choose to fight his way out of that web, that flawless snare of destiny I laid out, of a life dedicated to his love for her?" He sighs, his fingers tapping lightly on his lips. "It's his love that should have been my greatest weapon. But… it has become a barrier I can no longer breach."

["Thank you, Subaru. For saving me." Emilia gave an honest grateful smile.

Subaru's eyes reflected her image, he stared at her smile like it was the most amazing thing in the world.

He remembered the very start of his journey… When she would treat him with nothing but distrust and hostility… and seeing her smile now as she cried streams of relieved happy tears while holding his hand on the breezy plain field.]

Her hand moves to cover her mouth, and her eyes glisten with tears. "Subaru… all those things… all the things I never knew." Her voice trembles, a sense of regret mingling with her admiration for his strength.

Emilia's mind races as she thinks back on every moment he spent by her side, tirelessly supporting her, believing in her when she struggled to believe in herself. She remembers each instance he came back to her after facing horrors she could hardly imagine—deaths, betrayals, battles, and countless wounds that must have shattered him over and over again. And all for her, despite her own inability to reciprocate his love in the way he truly deserves.

"He's always given everything for me, even when I had nothing to give back." The realization makes her heartache. All those times she hesitated, unsure of her own feelings or scared to admit what was growing inside her. She feels a pang of regret, understanding now that by holding back, she may have unwittingly added to the suffering he endured alone.

Tears spill down her cheeks as she whispers, "I don't deserve this… I don't deserve someone who would suffer so much, someone who would choose me again and again…" She looks down, her hands clutching the fabric of her dress tightly. "But… he's waiting for me, isn't he? Even now, he's willing to wait, to give me all the time I need…"

At that moment, Emilia's heart fills with a quiet determination. If he can be this strong for me… then I must be strong for him. She brushes her tears away and looks up, feeling a spark of courage bloom within her chest. She knows that she's not ready to say the words just yet, but she also knows she can't keep hiding behind her fears forever.

"Please wake up so I can tell you the answer you've been waiting for, Subaru…" Emilia looked at him one final time, hoping to find his eyelids fluttering or even moving just a small bit. But alas, she had to look upwards at the final frame of the last scene for this viewing.

"I'll wait by your side until you wake up."

[Subaru smiled… and opened his mouth to say something…

But then the screen cut…

Title card:

That's All This Story Is About

Ending Theme: Styx Helix

Episode 13 Directors Cut. End.

" … Third Arc. End. "

"…Return to the Royal Capital."

" … Fourth Arc. Coming soon… "

Season 2 teaser and interlude…

Next…]

(Copypaster:- i hate you)

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