The moment he woke up, Subaru exaggeratedly vomited due to the bitter taste of dust in his mouth.
Kneeling on the cold floor, with tears in his eyes, he choked and coughed hard, trying to spit out saliva that smelled of sand and mud.
"Do you have to do this again every time... ugh!"
After spitting out the foreign object, Subaru cursed the situation and shook his head, urging him to wake up.
Slowly recall what happened while asleep, like the mist dissipating and the memory awakening——
"I was killed by Big Rabbit... After I came back, I entered a tea party..."
Tea parties and witches - as soon as these keywords appeared, witches with rich and diverse personalities appeared under his eyes. Subaru knew that Echidna had fulfilled her oath.
Subconsciously touching my wrist, it felt like cloth. Petra's handkerchief was still here.
"...Echidna has kept her promise. Really, her title is a swindle."
I don’t know if it’s a sigh or an emotion, but Subaru exhaled slightly.
Echidna, who lacks the sense of a witch relative to her status, is a pitiful partner in this reincarnation. She is rich in knowledge and wisdom. However, there are not many opportunities to rely on her, only tea parties and "trials".
"
"——But instead, we get the greatest advantage, which is very important."
There he obtained information about Big Rabbit and deduced the characteristics of "return after death"
The power Subaru possesses is due to the "Jealous Witch". The time will come when he confronts the witch one day, but in other words, it also seems to have brought back the topic of a huge disaster.
"Now, let me rely on your power first. No matter how many times it is, just use my life as much as possible."
If this can get close to the answer, that is exactly what Subaru wants. For the future, such a deal is simply cheap.
Subaru roughly wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, and stood up on the spot. His expression was originally full of strong determination, but suddenly it turned into surprise because something was wrong.
Thinking of the conversation just now in the Castle of Dreams, the reason why the tea party ended is——
"Because Emilia woke me up...that's how it should be"
To be precise, it seems that external interference awakened Subaru's consciousness. However, it is slightly different from the imagined situation, and this matter is no longer important under the current situation.
Because in the stone chamber of the tomb, the first "trial" place - no one can be seen
"……is that a lie?"
Subaru was stunned and lost his voice, looking around the dark stone room.
However, there was no sign of Emilia anywhere in the "Trial" room. She used to suffer from nightmares before being shaken awake by Subaru, and she was not there at all.
My partner Yue Xing is not here either.
"First he woke up and wanted to wake me up, then Yuexing woke up, and then, then?"
——And then left Subaru, who was still awake, and left here?
That doesn't seem like something they would do. At least Emilia wouldn't leave without Subaru.
Or is her mental state different from usual, even causing her to do things she wouldn't normally do?
"——!"
Subaru didn't realize it until now
This was the fourth time he woke up in this tomb, but Emilia had never woken up before Subaru before. This was the first time. Emilia was heartbroken by the nightmares of the past, and was heartbroken.
Subaru failed to comfort her
"In this case, Yuexing left with him to protect Emilia..."
Thinking of Emilia, who was lost because of her past, it’s hard to say that that kind of thing won’t happen.
Moonstar chose to follow him instead of staying where he was, and there were Ram and Otto outside the tomb. Even if Emilia cried, they would have comforted her, and besides, there was——
"Gaphiel and Miss Luce"
The feet that were originally turning to walk towards the entrance of the tomb stopped abruptly. The concentration of miasma on Subaru's body had just "returned from death" and probably increased dramatically, but he had not yet thought of any countermeasures.
If the miasma is so thick that it exceeds the previous round, I don’t know when Jaffier and the others will take action. They might be attacked as soon as they step out of the tomb.
"...There's no point in thinking about it, I can only go out."
Worrying about whether Emilia is really safe and not wanting to leave any regrets
Moreover, if the miasma becomes stronger every time he comes back, then every misjudgment will lead to the situation getting worse. Subaru's explanation must be acceptable only during the period when the number of reincarnations is not too many. This time may be the last.
From Subaru's emotional point of view, it would be difficult to convince the impatient Kafir, but he might still be able to tell the sensible Ryuzu that the miasma thing was a misunderstanding.
"This time, let's take a gamble on the conversation——!"
Betting on the possibility of only this round, Subaru used it to push his feet that had stopped for a moment. As long as he took a step, he would not hesitate after that. He kicked the hard floor and ran out in one breath.
The sound of footsteps echoed in the cold tomb air, and the sound of Subaru's breathing as he rushed outside was also mixed in. A warm wind blew in from the entrance, and Subaru, feeling disgusted, waved away the heater and rushed outside.
Just then he gritted his teeth and saw the entrance illuminated by the moonlight in front of him. He jumped over the vines covering the floor and walls of the passage. Subaru went outside with the consciousness that would not be shaken no matter what he saw.
After breaking out of the tomb, will the first thing that comes into view be Emilia, Yuexing, or Gaphiel?
"--What?"
The body stopped abruptly after the emergency brake, and the whole body leaned forward, and finally stood up again.
However, the heart that was hit by the unexpected surprise could not easily stand up again.
"————"
A crying Emilia, or a Jaffier who was hostile to Subaru who rushed out. The two worst possibilities that Subaru originally described did not exist in the end.
Emilia, Gafiel, Yuexing, even Ram, Otto and Lutz are not outside.
The only ones there were——
"--shadow"
Subaru couldn't help but murmur, clearly describing the scene in front of him.
Outside the tomb, the forest "sacred area" surrounded by a barrier was all swallowed up by dark shadows.
Shadow - the scene in front of me can only be described as this
The scenery that was originally unobstructed from the entrance to the tomb changed. The square in front of the tomb, the settlement that could be seen, and the bonfires lit to light up the night road were all out of sight.
Looking up at the sky, there is a bright and missing moon above, as well as countless twinkling stars.
Even moonlight and starlight are completely unable to affect the shadows that dye the "sacred area" pitch black.
"————"
Subaru held his breath and walked resolutely down the steps of the tomb and towards the square in front of him. As soon as the soles of his shoes touched the shadow, he felt the touch of grass and soil invisible to the naked eye. It seemed that everything invisible was not sinking into the shadow, but the soles of the shoes to the ankles were covered with The shadow covered it,
Suddenly, this uncomfortable shadow made Subaru's hair stand on end, so he shouted loudly
"Love, Emilia! Emilia, where are you! Where are you!? Answer me quickly, Emilia!"
The uncertainty in front of him and the transformed world before his eyes made Subaru fearful.
I originally had the consciousness of not being afraid no matter what happened, but I was overwhelmed by the unreasonable current situation of not knowing what happened, and overwriting the past.
Emilia didn't respond, couldn't hear her voice, couldn't see her person
"Yuexing! Ram! Miss Lutz! Otto! You are all here! Come out quickly!"
If he had just accepted the "trial" now, then all the people he called should be at the scene. When Subaru comforted the panicked Emilia and took her outside, they would all be outside to greet her. That should have been the case.
of
It should be like this, but nothing is based on Subaru's experience right now.
"Are you an idiot? I... No, I am an idiot. Is this the time to be afraid? No matter what happens, you have to calm down first like pouring cold water on it...!"
Subaru bit his lip hard until it broke, and blood flowed to his chin. Subaru, who was in an abnormal situation, tried to keep himself calm.
Being messy inside, acting on emotions, being fooled around and wasting time, I have already thanked and ignored these things
——Didn’t I make up my mind in the grave, at Echidna’s tea party?
Bravely challenge this unexplainable situation, even if you can't find the correct answer, you must take a step to get closer to the answer, so that you can get revenge next time. You must repeat "death" with this determination
"...I remember that Yuexing once gave me something that could contact him anytime and anywhere!"
Fumbling around in his pocket with trembling hands, the texture of metal came from his fingers.
"found it!"
Subaru excitedly took out the bracelet. As long as he activated the glowing spell on it...
"how come?!"
On the small round ornament, the magic technique that should always emit a gentle light is now dim and the magic technique can no longer be used.
"Yuexing once explained two reasons for the failure of the spell. When the distance is too far, the signal will not be transmitted. According to the moving speed of the two people, it is impossible to leave the signal range so quickly. Then there is only one possibility left, that is
The caster has..."
When the caster dies, the spell will naturally become ineffective.
Incredible thoughts appeared in Subaru's mind
"No matter what, you must confirm it yourself!"
Following this thought, Subaru raised his feet in the shadow and prepared to take a step——
"——Ugh?"
The moment he was about to start, Subaru stopped after taking the first step. It was not because of fear. The reason for stopping was the sudden wind blowing in front of him.
The warm wind has a color, it is black, very similar to the shadows surrounding the "sacred area"
"————"
The wind brushed across Subaru's body like it was licking it. When it came to his back, the feeling of being lightly scratched on his neck gave rise to goosebumps. Subaru slowly turned his head.
Tracking the wind with the naked eye is stupid, but it makes sense
"ah"
The "sacred realm" that fell into darkness, the square where no one was around except Subaru, the land covered in shadows
There was a shadow standing there quietly, so close that my breath almost touched it
We were standing so close but didn’t feel it. We were so close to each other but we didn’t notice it. We were so close but we didn’t make a sound. We were so close that we could stare at each other.
You can't see the other person's face, but that invisible face is the most obvious proof of identity.
"——!?"
The next second, the shadow covering the entire land expanded explosively. The scene that could barely be called the "sacred realm" completely collapsed and was swallowed up by the sea of black shadow. The darkness wiped out the forests, settlements and the world.
However, in the face of such a huge anomaly, Subaru didn't care at all about the world being swallowed by shadows.
His consciousness was taken away by the existence in front of him and the unexpected encounter.
"you……"
His voice trembled, and he couldn't continue speaking. Subaru was speechless, so he spoke in his shadow.
Express your thoughts in a form that can no longer be understood more clearly
"--I love you"
The words are filled with a fiery love that melts the world, the shadow speaks in such a low voice
Facing the erosion of shadow, physical barriers such as doors and walls are completely meaningless.
Stone walls, ancient wooden doors, metal scaffolding are placed everywhere, children's handicrafts with unknown purposes, and accumulated emotions are gradually stained by shadows.
"——Oh my, I'm really unlucky. I don't need to know whether the "trial" is successful or not."
Standing in a room that is gradually being swallowed up by shadows, looking at the eroded residence, the figure lying on the bed expresses this emotion
There was no anxiety in the voice, no surprise at the shadow, just nothingness and resignation.
Nothingness and resignation are the emotions that appear in the character's left and right eyes with different colors respectively. However, the two emotions are so far-reaching and deep that others cannot see them, which is enough to make people feel the density of time.
After spending a long time and hard work, the result is this emptiness and resignation, this is the feeling
"Lady Emilia challenges the "trial" of the grave, and you go to help her. In this way, the situation will definitely change... But it seems that I am not the one who sees the change."
Sighing, he slowly raised his upper body, and the man got out of bed. The floor of the room had been swallowed up by the shadow, and the erosion began to spread to the man's feet.
The shadow wrapped around the ankle mercilessly and slowly moved upward, preparing to obliterate the person's existence.
The erosion of the shadow should cause considerable pain, but even if his feet were corroded by the shadow, the man's expression remained unchanged - no, his face was hidden under the white makeup, and even so, his expression remained unchanged.
Shaken, based on his amazing, or should I say crazy, mental power
The shadow covered his feet, and the erosion reached his waist. During this period, the man untied the bandage wrapped around his upper body, exposing the shocking wounds on his flexible flesh.
The blood-stained bandage fell to his feet, and the shadow rushed to devour it. The man didn't even look at it, but stretched his hand towards the bed, moved the pillow, and took out what was underneath.
Then, he held it dearly to his chest, holding the book with black cover and no title in his arms.
It's like holding a sweetheart, as if that book is the beloved one
Her lips, which were smeared red, curved into a weird smile and murmured
"If you choose hell, I welcome you. If you go to hell, I will go with you happily. If you want to live in hell, then I will long for that hell."
No one heard his whisper
Everything is just to pass the time, meaningless and worthless drama, soliloquies that will never be heard.
However, the man who was talking to himself and performing a one-man show and hugging the book tightly said again
In a place where no one comes, with a voice that no one can hear, just tell it to a person who can't hear.
"——Next time, I hope you won't make the same mistake again."
Ending with these words, the smile was swallowed up by the shadow, the book fell to the ground - everything sank into darkness and disappeared.