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Arc 5 – Chapter 24, "Resolution of Ice and Fire"

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Sirius hadn't registered Subaru's presence.

She merely glared with passionate hatred at the two standing in front of Subaru — that is, Emilia and Beatrice.

Subaru: "What's up with her? She's not the same as before…"

Subaru could not hide his wavering confusion at Sirius's rage.

In the short span of time since he'd encountered her, Subaru had met a relatively normal Sirius three times. Among those encounters, although Sirius hadn't followed any expectations common sense would bring, she was not someone irrational who was overrun by rage.

In fact, she had always been attempting to justify her claims to force on others. So, the Sirius in front of them was completely foreign.

She'd lost her rationality and fallen prey to rage. Putting it simply, she now seemed a perfect fit for her title of Wrath.

Sirius: "I could keep burning and burning you, but it wouldn't be enough… like maggots, like flies. Haha, how much do you hate me!? Even in my saddest days, am I not allowed the freedom of mourning?"

Emilia: "… I don't know what you're talking about?"

Sirius: "Ah, ha!?"

Emilia responded fearlessly to Sirius's enraged allegations, even at Sirius's fierce reactions. She pointed the tip of her sword of ice at the crowd behind Sirius.

Emilia: "If you feel angry at me, I'll hear you out. After all, the sudden provocation came from us, so of course you'd be angry. However, this has nothing to do with the other people here. Please liberate them."

Sirius: "That's the wrong attitude! If you want to let everyone go, do it right! Of course I'll be angry? Then show me the right attitude! Apologize, repent, cry and beg for forgiveness, then let me shoot flames into your ass and scorch your internal organs away!"

Emilia: "Having my organs burned would be troublesome. —So, let's settle this simply."

Sirius tilted her head upon hearing Emilia's low voice.

Emilia immediately twisted her upper body slightly and darted forward. Her pale wrists wielded her sword of ice as if it were weightless.

The sun glistened off of the sharpened tip of the sword as she drove it toward Sirius's shoulder.

Subaru: "Emilia-tan?"

Sirius: "Gah!"

Subaru's exclamation overlapped with Sirius's snarl.

Facing that swinging, Sirius immediately lifted her left wrist, bringing flames to the swords. However,

Sirius: "Damn half-witch!"

Emilia: "Please don't say that anymore. It'll make people feel dirty."

Emilia's sword, although bathed in Sirius's flame, didn't vaporize into air.

The silver tip of the sword won against the heat, and met Sirius's burning left wrist — only, Sirius's chain was also wrapped around it.

With a sharp ring, the sword and chain collided with a brilliant flash of mana. After only a moment of contest, Emilia's sword broke with a crisp snap.

Sirius: "You, damn…!"

With a look of glee, Sirius used her wrist to knock Emilia back. If the flaming chain made contact, she would be in trouble.

Emilia's beautiful face was about to be deformed, but, in that moment,

Emilia: "Hahh!"

Sirius's wrist bounced back up; Emilia's sword of ice had deflected her.

Sirius: "Ah ah aaaah! Ah ah ah ah ah! Just die already!"

Sirius's cries of wrath pierced the air as she swung both arms over her head. The center of the area she was targeting was occupied by Emilia.

Emilia's ice blade extended at the hilt, changing shape into a hammer. Sirius met its blow with both hands, retreating, only to be pursued by Emilia.

Emilia: "Haah! Hahh! Yah!"

Sirius: "Disgusting! Half-witch! Maggot! Fly! Insect! Loathsome bug!"

Through use of centrifugal force and control over her body, Emilia demonstrated an unimaginable show of combat.

Against the ice hammer, the flame wielding Sirius had been reduced to defense. Looking at Emilia's one-sided attack, Subaru, as an observer, judged that she would triumph. Even so,

Subaru: "This isn't the time to be in a trance! No, Emilia!"

Beatrice: "Subaru, you can't be distracted right now, in fact."

If Emilia killed Sirius, the last Death would certainly repeat itself.

Although Subaru had foreseen this crisis, Beatrice quickly scolded him. Subaru, wondering what had happened, followed Beatrice's gaze.

Crowd: "—Dirty insect."

Subaru: "—Crap."

The members of the crowd behind Sirius were all flushed with anger.

The crowd looked at Subaru and Beatrice and made cursing gestures reminiscent of Sirius- in fact, they were sharing her Wrath.

That wave of anger focused on Subaru.

Subaru: "It's not just sharing feelings, but also doing things like brainwashing a crowd into acting on her will."

Beatrice: "Identifying the situation is good, I suppose. If a solution doesn't exist, then all we can do is escape, in fact!"

As Subaru groaned, considering his troubles, Beatrice immediately jumped onto his back. The crowd advanced toward Subaru.

Subaru: "Emilia, help stall for us!"

Emilia: "I won't be too messy about it!"

Receiving her strong reply, Subaru broke into a sprint, fleeing from the crowd. Fortunately, the pace of the masses who had lost their rationality was far from normal.

They chased Subaru with hands outstretched, empty wrath in their gazes, looking not unlike zombies. The main different was that rather than wanting to eat Subaru, they wanted to tear him apart with their hands.

Subaru: "If we keep stalling like this, someone could come…"

Beatrice: "Even if someone comes, without figuring out the conditions of victory, it would be meaningless, in fact. Even if Reinhardt comes, would he be able to solve this, I suppose?"

Subaru: "In short, our worries won't end even if he comes…"

In any case, the one who could summon Reinhardt, Larkins, was presently part of the crowd threatening Subaru. He was one of the people pushing forward, trying to be the first to reach Subaru.

Subaru was uncertain of what action to take before solving Sirius's emotional link.

Subaru: "So we have to think of something!"

Crowd: "Dirty insects!"

A man leapt at Subaru, who ducked his head and threw himself past his opponent's arms, before sweeping the man off of his feet and sending his body flying.

The masses showed no consideration to the tumbling man until he knocked them over. Turning from this bowling-like scene, Subaru spoke.

Subaru: "They're so angry that they aren't thinking at all."

Beatrice: "However, that isn't what I would recommend, in fact. In such an atmosphere, they probably won't hesitate about killing whatever is near them, I suppose."

Subaru: "That won't do!"

He didn't want any sacrifices.

The reason why Subaru fought so hard for so many was precisely this. Of course, Subaru understood the scope of his wish.

There were many things he wanted to protect. However, there was a limit to how much he could reach.

Of course. Subaru wasn't an omnipotent being.

Subaru: "However, I'm the one who chooses that limit!"

Beatrice: "That's Betty's Subaru, in fact!"

Hearing the greatest possible support from his back, Subaru drew his whip.

I'll save as many lives as I can. So please forgive me for any injuries — that was Subaru's train of thought. Aiming at the feet of the crowd, his whip launched through the air.

With the crack of a small thunderbolt, the whip hit the stone pavement.

Although it wasn't lethal, it was still a weapon, and, when wielded mercilessly, could produce the an incapacitating degree of power.

If maybe, after witnessing that power, the mass of people be cowed into retreating,

Subaru: "It won't go that smoothly."

Then, there was no other way.

Subaru swept his whip through the crowd, this time targeting the leading figure. A medium stature, light blue hair, sharp eyes — wasn't that Larkins?

Attacking people who he knew would make Subaru feel sad.

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Subaru: "Although this aches my heart, I can't let myself be torn apart either. Sorry, Chin!"

Larkins: "I'm not Chin!?"

Subaru lashed his whip at Larkins's feet and yanked upward. His body spun in a half circle, and he caught the people surrounding him as he fell.

The fallen members of the crowd blocked its advance. In order to reach Subaru, they needed to find another route.

Subaru: "Right, they can't think… in that case, as long as I—"

Just as he was about to say "stall long enough", Subaru felt a chill rise on his back.

To Subaru, that chill was like the imposing intimacy of his gloomy lover. Even if he were reluctant to meet her, she gave Subaru the help he needed most. They had that kind of complex relationship.

— That was the breath of Death.

Subaru: "Ah!"

Beastman: "You maggot!"

A large blade whistled toward Subaru, accompanied by a shrill wind.

The beastman had leapt from the crowd, aiming at Subaru's neck. Although he had prominent pointed canine ears, his nose and mouth seemed to resemble the cunning charm of a fox.

The half-fox, using his white tail as a brace, was unaffected by Subaru's tricks as he took another heavy swing.

Subaru: "Beako!"

Beatrice: "Shamak!"

Beastman: "——!?"

In a serious confrontation, Subaru could be cut down in only five seconds.

In a flash, Subaru had determined the difference in their power, and called Beatrice's name. She immediately realized Subaru's intention and cast a Shamak which enveloped the beastman's face.

His slender body and large sword were also engulfed by the dark fog, stripping his combat effectiveness away.

Subaru: "Does that cut off the link with the others?"

Beatrice: "There's nothing to that effect, I suppose. Even take the fighting, the link itself did not cut off, in fact! Most likely, that compulsion will stop only taking effect after that freak dies, I suppose!"

Subaru: "What do we do!?"

Beatrice: "Betty in desperately thinking, in fact!" Solving that mystery was a task best left up to Beatrice.

The only thing that Subaru could do was to give Beatrice ample time to survey and think, and to keep the brainwashed masses from disturbing her.

Subaru: "And on Emilia-tan's side—?"

Subaru turned his gaze to Emilia, who was still busy confronting Sirius.

During this year, Emilia had dedicated her time both to learning about politics and combat. Her combat effectiveness was much higher than Subaru's.

Even so, Subaru worried about Emilia, not because he thought he was better, but because Subaru was a man and Emilia was a woman, nothing more.

Most people would probably dismiss that worry as meaningless.

Emilia: "Hahh! Yah! Hah!"

Emilia was shouting slightly listless battle cries, but Sirius was ignoring all of them.

Emilia spun around, her sword slashing toward Sirius's hand, who whipped her burning chain through the air and knocked the blade away while cursing angrily.

With a crash, ice fragmented into powder and dispersed, but Emilia had already formed a spear, which stuck upward with, its defensive power sending Sirius flying away.

She was making use of her huge store of mana, refining the weapons of ice for the purpose of carrying out destruction.

Subaru had named this combat technique Arts: Ice Blade, in honor of its illusory beauty which reminded him of an ice fairy from tales of fantasy.

The wreckage of smashed ice illustrated the intensity of the fierce battle between Emilia and Sirius. Fighting with fire and ice, the fiery heated battle between the two warriors wielding opposing arms continued to unfold on the frosty stage.

Emilia: "Haah!"

Emilia spun around, twirling her spear at Sirius, knocking her back. She immediately followed up with another blow, lashing out with the tip of the spear. Sirius nimbly twisted her body in mid air, avoiding her strike and capturing the spear in her grip.

Sirius: "Blazing! Boiling! Burning! My heart is trembling! Ah ah aaaaAAAAAH! This is Wrath!

Emilia: "Ah!?"

As if echoing her call, the intense heat redoubled its efforts.

Emilia's spear was consumed by the blaze as she involuntarily released it, leaving no remains.

Sirius: "Your dirty amethyst eyes, your dirty bell-like voice, your dirty silky silver hair, your dirty fair skin, your dirty cute face! Those all exist purely to seduce men! Ah, such lust! You bitch, you dirty whore! Just die! You just want to tempt men? You want to take that person from me? You filthy slut! You disgusting half-witch!"

As a wave of heat passed over Emilia's squinted eyes, she once again created a blade of ice. This time, the weapon was a two pronged spear, which held the flames away from her.

With an intense grinding sound, the madwoman and Emilia exchanged their gazes.

Emilia: "My eyes, my voice, my silver hair! All of those came from my favorite person, from the most beautiful person in the world! Treating them as though they're dirty infuriates me!"

Sirius: "Fury!? Did you just say fury!? Don't kid with me! Fury is mine! It's the precious thing that I received from that person! This duty and the name are all gifts from that person! To, without authorization, without permission, take that away from me… I won't allow it! Won't, won't, won't, won't, won't, won't, won't, won't, won't, won't, won't, won't, won't, won't, won't, won't, won't!"

As her speech came to an end, Sirius's attitude changed dramatically as she cried out in grief. She caught the spear in her grip and snapped it, and Emilia created another sword.

But had Emilia been affected by Sirius's cries? Her face, which had previously worn a strong sense of purpose, seemed to have slackened.

Subaru: "—This is bad."

After catching a glance of the side of Emilia's face, Subaru's instincts began to scream of bad news.

There was no basis. But Subaru was sure.

Emilia's expression had changed, that is, had adopted the feelings of Sirius.

She was still fighting on, and her movements had not dulled. Even so, that response had indeed happened.

Emilia had fallen prey to Sirius's power.

However, she hadn't immediately fallen into the palm of Sirius's hand.

Emilia, currently in a defensive battle, was still matching Sirius blow for blow. She wasn't as far gone as the crowd, as was just as lovely as usual.

Then, inspecting the situation,

Subaru: "When Sirius first appeared, why weren't Emilia, Beako, and I affected by her emotional link?"

Just as Emilia and Beatrice had resisted her power just as Reinhardt had. Was there any individual trait, or something similar to that, which they shared? Subaru's initial assumption had been that Reinhardt would be able to resist it just because he was Reinhardt.

But if there was in fact a specific reason, then he could start hypothesizing.

Subaru, who had seen Sirius three times, could now resist her like this — that was also something to take into consideration.

If that was the key to a breakthrough —

Subaru: "Bea…"

Beatrice: "Subaru!!"

The moment Subaru had wanted to convey his newfound realization, an anxious cry echoed in his ears.

As Subaru's eyes widened, something collided with his right side.

Subaru: "Guu—"

His body folded into a K shape from the power of the blow, and Subaru immediately hopped to the left, attempting to lessen its impact. As he coughed up stomach acid, he attempted to check the damage the blow had caused.

The blindfolded woman, moving like a shadow, had suddenly approached him. That defenseless looking woman had delivered a rather piercing blow into Subaru's side.

Beatrice: "Subaru! Don't die, I suppose!"

Subaru: "Even I wouldn't reach a game over from that… but that hit was super effective…!"

Although his ribs ached, Subaru judged that his other bones and internal organs hadn't been harmed. He judged that it wasn't too serious. As long as there was no internal bleeding.

Subaru: "This guy and that guy too, why are these enemies so troublesome?"

Beatrice: "Either Subaru looks unreliable just because the enemies are strong, or because he himself is too weak, in fact."

Subaru: "Really, you…!"

His whip bounced as it chased her feet, and as she turned her attention to below her, Subaru tossed a handful of grit in her face. Although it didn't affect her blindfolded eyes, it distracted her enough for Subaru to throw himself at her shoulder.

Subaru: "My lack of fighting strength seems to have come in handy. If the attack had been serious, I probably would have died on the spot."

Beatrice: "…although I can't say that that's something I'd accept eagerly, that works, since we have more trouble coming up, I suppose."

Beatrice reiterated her annoying remarks about Subaru, who breathed a sigh of relief after defeating the blindfolded woman. He tilted his head in a gesture of "I'm not listening" as Beatrice frowned and gestured with her chin.

She indicated the large waterway connected to the square.

Subaru: "You're kidding me…"

Subaru moaned as he caught sight of the waterway, where another gathering of enraged people had emerged.

Beatrice: "Betty thinks that they heard the commotion and rushed over to see what's happening, in fact."

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Subaru: "The entered the scope of her power and were swallowed… are you serious? Is her ability contagious on a wide scale?"

— Panic, fear, madness, would be transmitted between people.

The feelings and feelings shared by Schiller's are precisely the result of the factual reflection of that phenomenon.

Ah, so that was it. The severity of her threat, her poison which was worse than even Petelgeuse's.

Subaru: "The more you try to flee, the more victims she finds… how can that be stopped!?"

Beatrice: "However, something is off about this entire situation, I suppose.. Subaru knocked over that woman, and I cast Shamak on that man. Try coupling that with how Tonchinkan's injury didn't appear on anyone else, in fact."

Because the situation was pressing, Subaru didn't correct Beatrice's mistake of calling Chin "Tonchinkan". What was more, the details that Beatrice had just pointed out could serve as a basis for speculating on the conditions of Sirius's emotional link.

Subaru: "…are we going to have to defeat that whole crowd too?"

Beatrice: "If Subaru has the fighting ability to do that, then we can go for it, I suppose. —Betty's Shamak can also lend a hand in stripping their consciousness away, in fact."

Although a cruel means, that had indeed been Subaru's initial plan.

He could avoid putting himself through unnecessary worry. Subaru needed to avoid the expansion of such a disastrous situation. Now, to act on Beatrice's proposal—

Emilia: "Ah!"

Subaru: "Emilia!?"

Subaru attention was diverted to Emilia's pained cry.

He turned and saw her lying on the slate ground of the square, with Sirius, who was brandishing her flaming wrists, looking down at her.

Sirius: "Growing! Growing! Love culminates! That quantity is power! There is love for all! Everyone! Human beings love each other, and with that union! They can share thoughts, they can share wishes, and, be it joy or sadness, they can talk to each other and share their feelings! In that case, this is the inevitable result! The half-witch isn't included in the bond of Love and should just disappear like a crushed insect!"

Emilia, who had held the initial advantage, had gradually lost her footing until the two were about even.

As time dragged on, had Sirius's strength increased, or had Emilia's strength decreased? Whatever the case, this was the situation now. Emilia looked at Sirius with regret.

Emilia: "Something's off. What you're saying is right, but… it somehow feels wrong too. Why?"

Sirius: "Because you go against the truth! Because you dirty half-being cannot understand Love as long as you live, you will not know Love when you die! The existence of a half-witch is in and of itself is evil! Even your birth, even the meeting of your father and mother are wrong! The union of trash and insects birthed an unholy dirty combination of the two that needs to end its existence here!"

Emilia: "——hk!"

At the end of that unbearable tirade, Emilia's eyes changed.

Kind and gentle as she was, Emilia couldn't face such harsh words, which demeaned not only her existence, but even her parents' meeting.

Biting her lip, Emilia pushed against the slate ground, leaping to her feet. Her enraged gaze trained on Sirius, a silvery shimmer gathered in her hand.

Emilia: "——"

Her sword slashed through Sirius's coat, splitting it wide open.

Emilia, in her rage, would stop for nothing as she took another swing at Sirius, her sword of ice reaching the thin body in front of her —

Emilia: "— Eh?"

???: "Mmphm!"

— Subaru saw the chained girl and froze.

A blonde, curly haired girl, bound in the same manner that Lusbel had been, blood pouring from her mouth, sobbed. Her small body was firmly bound to Sirius's.

Tina — the name flashed through Subaru's memory.

Sirius: "—The anger in you is scary."

Subaru who had noticed the girl, and Emilia, who saw the girl's tears, were overtaken by rage. And at that moment, Sirius gave her most ferocious smile yet as a wave of heat blew Emilia's body away with alarming momentum.

The explosion whistled through the air as Emilia was knocked backwards. She flew across the stone, tumbling until coming to a stop at the very center of the square.

Emilia: "Gah, ugh…"

Emilia moaned as she writhed in pain. Sirius gazed at Emilia as she lifted her burning arms. Then, she clapped her hands.

Sirius: "An insect shouldn't give me such a sweet passion. It's incredibly disgusting."

Emilia: "——"

Sirius: "Well, thank you. I'm sorry."

With her wrists held over her head, Sirius's fierce flame roared once again.

Even steel would melt with just a touch of that flame. If it touched her directly, then not even a shadow of Emilia would be left behind. She'd be completely burned from the world.

If he didn't act right now, he wouldn't be able to save her. And not saving Emilia was unacceptable. Subaru clearly understood all this, and yet,

Subaru: "Move already, feet!"

Tina: "Mmph!"

Subaru's feet were trembling with something like fear, leaving him unable to walk.

Subaru's inaction had begun the moment he'd rested eyes on the terrified girl bound to Sirius. Beatrice, on his back, was similarly unable to move.

Maybe feelings could be shared with spirits. But now wasn't the time to ponder that.

Subaru: "Emilia…"

His throat vibrated but he couldn't even call the name of the girl who he loved so deeply. Emilia certainly couldn't have heard him.

Emilia's thoughts as she lay on the stone floor, unable to move, watching the imminent catastrophe unfold before her very eyes.

— Even those would be scorched by an unforgiving fire, leaving them forever a mystery.

A terrifying heat baked the slate ground, and, as the heat wave became the impact, the world was dyed a brilliant gold.

Faced with this fantastical scene, Subaru's knees shook, and he collapsed on the spot.

Beatrice: "Suba… ru…"

Beatrice, still clinging to his back, called to Subaru in a stuttering voice.

Subaru couldn't respond. His line of sight remained fixed on the ground beneath him, as he refused to face reality, swallowed by an overwhelming dread.

Right now, if he looked up, he would lose to fear.

No, the heart he'd long lost to fear would shatter and break.

If he had to see Emilia turn to ash, if he had to see Emilia vanish from the world, then—

Beatrice: "Su-Subaru. Subaru!"

Even so, Beatrice continued desperately calling Subaru's name.

His head was knocked several times, but Subaru could only embrace his horrified and timid heart, shaking his heads slowly.

He couldn't. Even if that madwoman were standing right in front of him, Subaru would—

???: "—I caught up."

However, the moment he heard that sound, Subaru's heart shook off that fear. Rather than fear the sight in front of him, he feared being left in the dark.

Raising his head, he looked to the direction of the sound — the place where Emilia had been incinerated.

There, a man stood.

Smoke rose from the charred rocks, which still crackled with heat. In the midst of that destruction, the man assumed a leisurely pose. There, in his arms—

Subaru: "Emi… lia?"

In the man's arms, there rested a girl who should have disappeared in flame. Although she had passed out from exhaustion, she was physically unhurt.

Emilia had lost her consciousness from the accumulation of her wounds, exhaustion, and fear, but she was peacefully resting, safe and sound.

Subaru: "You…"

The character who had suddenly appeared and saved Emilia's life.

His horrified heart was denying him a celebration of Emilia's safety, Subaru involuntarily voiced his wavering thoughts with a similarly trembling voice.

The man who heard and turned around. Then, he spoke.

???: "I came to meet her, so it's great that I was able to catch up."

Subaru: "To… meet? What's that supposed to…"

???: "Isn't it a matter of course that I come to meet a woman who I intend to take as a my bride?"

At that abrupt utterance, Subaru fell speechless.

At Subaru's stiff lack of breath, the man, a white-haired youth, laughed lightly.

Regulus: "I am the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop of Greed. —Regulus Corneas."

It was not intended to boast, but rather speak for granted facts.

Regulus: "As promised — I'm here to take her as my 79th wife."