Just like desperately trying to get out of the water to breathe oxygen, trying to break free from the darkness, just desperately trying to go up, up
Darkness and consciousness were entangled together, like being trapped in a swamp. Just when his heart was about to be invaded by the weight and fatigue, Subaru worked harder——
After some struggle, his vision suddenly broadened, and Subaru's consciousness returned to the real world.
Surviving the world of shadows - but that does not mean escaping from a desperate situation
"Ha ha……?"
Subaru gasped loudly, as if there was a black shadow stuck in his throat. His feet did not touch the ground. His body was restrained by the black shadow and hung slightly tilted in the air, unable to move.
His left hand instinctively grabbed the handkerchief tied around his right wrist.
"...Petra's handkerchief"
The world was covered in shadows, and Subaru's vision was filled with darkness. In such a pitch-black environment, only Petra's handkerchief was shining, emitting a white light as if it was driving away the darkness.
The emotion placed on Petra's handkerchief brought a miracle to Subaru - something like that. It's really hard to imagine that the prisoner who pulled off the little trick that saved Subaru was probably someone else.
——That’s the “witch of lust” who touched the handkerchief when parting and left meaningful words.
"That guy Echidna...it turns out he knew it would turn out like this, so he did that..."
At this time, the face of the witch who said "Insurance, this is insurance" appeared in his head.
And the scene when Yuexing told him to keep it carefully
Only then could Subaru truly express his gratitude to that proud witch from the bottom of his heart.
Without this beam of light, Subaru would have been swallowed up by the shadows and disappeared.
What happened in the black shadow - it was chaos. Subaru's existence was dissolved in the black shadow, swallowed by the black shadow. After melting, he was mixed with everything that was swallowed.
——Mixed together with all the things swallowed by the witch
Mixed and reorganized with other things that had already melted, Subaru's too many emotions were exposed in the process. Emotions, feelings, memories, and knowledge that did not belong to him flowed into his body in one breath, as if they were originally things in his body.
Just like something that is your own, filling your body, heart, and soul
At the critical moment, Subaru's life was saved. The result of being swallowed by that black shadow was not "death", but Natsuki Subaru and something else were mixed and reorganized, and then they were crushed together and disappeared.
That is something that cannot be undone even by "death return", and it is a defeat that must never happen.
Without Echidna's help, Subaru would have ended up unable to break free from the shadow. Because of this experience, I sincerely express my gratitude to the witch.
"Gu, um, ah..."
However, Echidna's help only goes so far.
Subaru's body was once again submerged in black shadow, as if his lower body was sinking into the ground. The witch was more cautious than before, trying to digest it slowly, covering Subaru with black shadow bit by bit.
Subaru gradually lost consciousness again. Not only did he feel a deep sense of loss, but what was even more frightening was that he actually felt relieved.
I actually feel at ease. After being swallowed up by the shadow, spreading and disappearing, I can see the joy.
So he was convinced that the result of being swallowed by the shadow was not death, but that he would be "loved forever."
"It's so abominable..."
The witch created light for herself for more than ten seconds, but this short period of time could not save Subaru.
There is only a very short time between being restrained and disappearing. Why is Echidna fighting for this time?
"That...bastard witch..."
The moment he came to that conclusion, Subaru instantly changed his previous idea of thanking the witch and waved the beam with his left hand.
This beam dispersed the shadows and saved Subaru's life, which was almost swallowed by the shadows. This beam placed Echidna's hope on him.
Since she appeared, she must have her plan
This is life, not to save Subaru, but to make him fall into "death"
"——"
The beam seemed to have sensed Subaru's tragic determination, and changed its shape, turning into a gleaming dagger.
Thanks to her being so thoughtful, I guess it was a bit difficult to get a handkerchief, so I came up with this trick. Subaru couldn't help but shed tears when he thought about her carefulness.
However, even if you have to shed tears, you will shed tears of blood
Subaru closed his eyes, exhaled a breath - and used this momentum to stab the dagger of light into his throat.
"--ah"
This dagger of unknown sharpness easily passed through Subaru's Adam's apple, causing a fatal injury. Blood began to flow backwards from his throat to his lungs, and Subaru gradually lost consciousness.
——The amulet of light is not a weapon, it was prepared by Echidna for Subaru to make him commit suicide.
Those ten seconds were just for that, to get Subaru to notice, to give Subaru time to execute, to allow Subaru to "return"
Echidna probably expected that the "Jealous Witch" would appear in the cemetery. Although she didn't know the reason, the price was Subaru's life.
"——!"
With Subaru's suicide, the "jealous witch" shouted words other than love for the first time
However, Subaru, who was already immersed in a pool of blood and whose consciousness was gradually blurring, would not know.
He just naturally stretched out his hand towards the witch's face, which was covered in black shadow. Subaru felt that he should do that.
The dagger of light had fallen, and Subaru touched the mask of the shadow with his fingers that still had a few light fragments left.
The mask was removed, revealing half of the witch's face hidden in the shadow.
Cyan purple eyes like gems, long silver hair flowing like moonlight, that is a familiar and lovely appearance that is no longer familiar——
The face was twitching with grief. Seeing this scene, Subaru was so heartbroken that he forgot to be surprised. Sadness filled his body and mind.
Blood has surged into my throat, and I can no longer speak normally.
Even so, he said this to the girl in front of him, the girl who was so sad and crying.
"I must-"
——will save you
At the moment of the announcement, Natsuki Subaru's life ended