Chapter 4

Ley furiously attacked, launching spell after spell mixed with a variety of fighting techniques befitting his 'Master-Class Fighter' title. Many of them were acquired using his 'Gluttony' authority, gaining all the skills and abilities of his victims' souls.

However, no matter how many he used, Subaru countered every single one of them.

If it was the old Subaru, he would've been shredded to pieces in the initial exchanges, but that's precisely the problem: he's become someone else.

Ley could tell exactly that, as he looked into the young man's eyes, and something else looked back. It's sinister, one which would lay carnage onto anything near and around him if triggered.

In the middle of a fast-paced brawl, Ley jumped and raised his leg up high, intent on pulverizing the ground below him. It should've been difficult to dodge, a combination of Ley's inherent skill and the wide space it took, but Subaru, once again, dodged it perfectly by jumping back a hair outside of the attack's range. The space where he once stood became a wasted crater, and among the overthrown rocks and dirt, a grin of pure malice was directed at Ley.

Roy tried to prevent the incoming blow, but Subaru's fist had already flown past him first and landed square on Ley's body, sending him flying a good distance and petrifying him with painful spasms wrecking his solar plexus. Obviously not done, Subaru's right hand still hadn't left his victim's stomach, instead glowing brightly with a fire element along with his left. Ley tried to get up, but his tormentor's left hand was faster, snatching his face faster than a snake and slamming him back into the ground.

Then a punch came smashing into his skull.

And another.

And another. And another. And another.

Desperate, Roy decided to use Lunar Eclipse, one of the trump card of 'Gluttony'. Internally, he swore again and again, damning this worsening situation, which clearly turned out not how they'd planned. Against other strong warriors and experienced mages, they had a great time, slowly playing with their intended victims until they succumbed into fatigue. End of story. After 'playtime' was over, all they had to do was clean up.

This was the first time they'd met someone who felt like he could end their lives with the ease of snapping his fingers.

Lunar Eclipse certainly took effect, as he felt its drain on him immediately. Neither he nor Ley could handle the ability perfectly, even when they're in perfect condition. Ley was unconscious after the first hard smack to the face, and it's only a wonder how on earth his skull still hadn't smashed into pieces yet. It's a gamble, sure, but for the sake of their lives? Roy would gladly take it.

He snuck behind Subaru, who seemingly was occupied making sure Ley was as dead as possible. However, he missed the young man's ears twitching, having detected his movement.

Imperceptibly, Subaru murmured, "I'm beginning to like this game."

Roy aimed his fist high towards Subaru's back of the head, bolting towards him as quick as lightning. 'I got him! Just… just a bit more…!'

He missed.

Subaru casually tilted his head left, letting said fist sail straight into Ley's already-battered face. Just before impact, all Roy could note was how his friend already looked unrecognizable, even to him. Before he could recompose himself, he felt a sharp pain cutting across his shin, which was, of course, broken as soon as he could lay his eyes on it, courtesy of Subaru's sharp kick.

Almost immediately, Roy could feel the hair on his arms burn. His breath caught in his throat when he observed Subaru's three horns, one on his head, and one on each shoulder, glowed, summoning a tornado of fire around him.

"This is FUN. SO FUN! I haven't feel this much power in decades. I can do anything, now…" Laughing hysterically, Subaru seemed to be lost in his own world, ignoring the hobbling Roy or the half-dying Rey.

By using some of the souls stored inside him, Roy tried to soothe the pain and heal the various wounds on his body, but his mind was still stupefied by the scene in front of him. In Subaru's eyes, gone were the passionate fire he had when Roy toyed with the girl, or the dark hatred he shot the pair of them when he first attacked in futility.

In them… was the same insanity Roy and Ley had. It wasn't the light of a human. Not anymore.

He rushed to Ley and threw him on his shoulder, turning tail and desperately escaping. They needed to regroup, fast, and preferably returning with some overpowered army to bury this… this monster deep, deep underground.

Only a few steps left, yet the two of them didn't make it.

A huge sphere of flame blindsided them from above, engulfing them in a large explosion, potent enough to reduce everything around them, even the hard ground, into ashes, and creating a plume of smoke visible from miles away. From the corner of Roy's eyes, the last thing he could make out, before the pain of being roasted alive overwhelmed him, he could see Subaru slamming his fist to touch the ground, likely guiding the flame-meteor towards them.

"Tsk. Still alive? What tough bastards…" Subaru was disappointed when he strolled over to the two charred bodies lying on the ground, hands lazily placed on his hips.

The couple's mana had long dissipated, much too weak to even gain consciousness, much less moving a finger. Kicking their bodies a few more times, hard, Subaru grumbled. "Fuck the two of you! Now I need something else to play with!"

He wasn't talking to particularly anyone, but it still made the newcomer stiffen.

Turning around, Subaru observed the man, well-built with indigo hair framing his heterochromatic eyes. 'Roswaal,' a part of his unconsciousness noted, informing his current persona.

- Static.

The older man had healed Ram to the point she was conscious and weakly moving. Somewhere, very, very deep down, there's something about the two which struck him as familiar, but the malice of carnage and destruction drowned those thoughts.

- Static. Static. Static!

He chose to rush forwards towards Roswaal, ignoring Ram's yell.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Her voice possessed none of the cold, demure tone from before, but it was sweet… befitting an embodiment of melody itself. Normally, the boy's heart would've been stirred by it, but not this time, as he's too focused on the rampaging infantile tyranny inside him. His hands, still stained by Rey's broken pieces of flesh and bone and splatters of blood, radiated with energy once again, making their way towards Roswaal's face.

Yet, unlike Roy and Ley, the man was calm, putting on an innocent, yet at the same time, an intimidating look, irking Subaru even further.

Once, in the past, a blue-haired girl whose face brought no name to Subaru's current mind told him, "Demons are thought as terrifying beings who brings death and destruction wherever they go."

- STATIC. STATIC! STATIC!

His target disappeared.

Subaru was mildly shocked. He could slaughter those two insane, dangerous cultists, yet this clown-like bimbo was able to evade his strike? His irrational brain failed to notice the greatest magician of Lugnica, the Dragon Kingdom, had dodged above him not by jumping, but floating.

A spear of light rammed itself straight into the largest horn on Subaru's body, right on his forehead, summoned by the spirits of six elements. It was an impossibly-quick chant, as the magic circle practically formed without warning and launched its attack. Naturally, the power wasn't compromised by its speed in the slightest, a testament of Roswaal's mastery of his craft.

Yet, struck by an attack which could disintegrate any second-rate magician in an instant, Subaru merely stumbled slightly, glaring above him with an inhuman ferocity.

Ram was unusually tense, her eyes fixed on the horns protruding from the (unfamiliar) boy's body. Obviously, the (foreign) man was helping her from the (unrecognizable) boy, who's intent on harming the two of them. 'Why does he have horns? Is he… one of us…?'

Subaru launched himself into the air, his mind set in a plan, as simple as it could get: he would punch him like he did to Ley, and break this jester's body beyond recognition. His instincts told him to forgo all sorts of complicated strategies; against a person like Roswaal, a skillful battle would only put him at a disadvantage. However, before he could land nary a scratch on the older man, he saw Roswaal's lips mutter something unintelligible while pointing towards him.

And his body dropped to the ground like a rock through water. His body jerked uncontrollably, as his limbs refused to listen to his head's commands, and pain – oh, the pain – was so intense, thousands of times worse than being struck with lightning. His body naturally contorted into a fetal position, yet the pain was never-ending.

Under Roswaal's guarded stare, the three horns on Subaru's body slowly but surely began to shrink. Darkness engulfed the boy's consciousness faster than the horns' shrinking, but not before he could let out an anguished cry.

"W-WWHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYY?!"

Why? Why would Roswaal… and Ram… hurt him? Why? Why did she just stand there without a change of expression…? Did she want this in her heart? What… What had he done…?

"My dear Ram, are you all right?" Roswaal asked, obviously concerned of the girl.

"Yes. I am all right but… who are you?"

Her tone was too sweet, bereft of the familiar sharpness Roswall's gotten used to. No, in her head, apart from her name, she remembered… nothing. Why was she here? Where was 'here'? Who were all these people lying around half-dead? Why… why was she so weak?

The questions were too much for her strained mind, and slowly, her eyes lost their focus and drooped down. Her body would've followed suit, but her 'master' caught her before she slammed into the ground.

Roswaal scratched his head, smacking his lips and tensing his jaws. "This could be a problem."

Well, that's quite understating the situation.

Before long, Patrasche arrived alongside Emilia and Rem, who're just as surprised at the surroundings as Ram did.

"W-What's going on?" Rem, distressed, asked her master with a quivering voice. She could see, despite his calm outward appearance, Roswaal, too, was quite shaken by things. And he did not shake easily.

With a heavy tone, he said, "I shall cut right to the chase. The boy," he pointed at Subaru, "went insane and beat up those two," he indicated to the still-unconscious Roy and Ley, "before trying to attack me and Ram." He continued, despite the two ladies' gasps. "And dear, dear Ram had amnesia. She didn't recognize me or the boy."

Rem rushed straight towards Subaru, who had dirt and blood and gore and god-knows-what-else covering his body. She hugged him tightly, more so after every single word her master uttered. The scene puzzled Emilia even further. Shouldn't Rem rush to check Ram's conditions first? She's her sister, for crying out loud! Rem was a maid, but this… was far above and beyond her duty to care for him.

They turned to the two cultists, who's regaining consciousness after the souls inside them nourished them slightly, just enough so they could speak. Thrown into the carriage roughly after being chained with a magical rope, Ley growled, "Will anyone get us some water, please?"

He was ignored.

"Roswaal, do you have some… theories, at the very least? Break us out of our worry for the two of them, I beg of you," Emilia muttered sadly.

Roswaal simply shook his head, silently ordering Patrasche to take them back to the mansion.

Beside them, Rem sat still, cradling both Subaru and Ram in her arms. 'S-She will remember. Subaru-kun willremember. I… The two of you, I'm Rem! Rem is here! Please… wake up and call my name…!'

Her prayers, with her hand clasped on her chest, were unfortunately unanswered.