On the vast, open plains, Natsuki Subaru lay on the ground, his body torn in half. His consciousness gradually blurred.
Just as Wood had anticipated, Subaru had indeed perished, and it was by the hands of the Sin Archbishop of Sloth.
Originally, the target of Sloth's "Invisible Hand" was not Subaru but rather Anastasia Hoshin. Subaru, however, threw himself in harm's way to shield Anastasia, ending up torn in two.
Truth be told, Subaru had no particular relationship with Anastasia. Though she was undoubtedly a beauty, Subaru wasn't so reckless as to sacrifice his life for her. However, the circumstances left him no choice—he knew Anastasia was Wood's sister. Despite Wood's usual behavior of acting like he disliked her, Subaru knew how much she meant to him. Otherwise, Wood wouldn't have rushed all the way to save her just because of a letter from Mimi.
Subaru's ability was "Return by Death." When the timeline reset, those who had died before him would come back to life. However, this save point was uncontrollable, making it dangerous for anyone who died before him. If Anastasia died and Subaru followed afterward, the save point might end up after her death but before his. No matter how many times Subaru reset the timeline, Anastasia would never come back.
To prevent this—knowing full well how Wood might react if Anastasia were gone forever—Subaru hesitated only briefly before taking the hit for her.
Thanks to Subaru's "Return by Death," Wood found himself back at the starting point once more. He scanned the familiar surroundings, a look of exasperation on his face.
Subaru dying wasn't exactly surprising to Wood. He knew well the strength of the White Whale and the Sin Archbishop of Sloth. Wilhelm was tied up by two of the White Whale's clones, while the real White Whale and Sloth lurked in the thick mist, hunting everyone down.
"Natsuki Subaru, if you're a real man, just hang in there longer next time!" Wood muttered, though his steps were swift as ever. To prevent another early reset, he pushed himself to the limit, speeding toward the site.
Evidently, Subaru was tougher after his first death. Now understanding the strength of the White Whale and Sloth, he directed Venomous Thorn and the others, buying enough time for Wood to arrive. Despite their best efforts, however, Subaru and his group eventually fell. Yet, this time, they held out until Wood reached Arlam Village.
In this new timeline, Wood arrived just in time to see Ram fighting against two of the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishops—Gluttony and Greed.
"Gluttony, Ley Batenkaitos," was a short, scruffy boy with knee-length, brown, tangled hair. He wore ragged clothes, and his exposed limbs were dirty. He wielded a dagger.
"Greed, Regulus Corneas," appeared more refined, dressed in a priest-like white robe with golden embroidery. However, his exaggerated expressions made him look just as manic as Sloth.
When Wood reached Arlam Village, Ram was sent flying by Greed's power. At the same time, Gluttony appeared behind her, ready to strike with his dagger—only for Wood to send him flying with a single kick.
Seeing Wood's sudden arrival, Ram's face brightened with joy. She opened her mouth to speak, but that familiar dizziness struck Wood yet again!
"Damn it, just another ten minutes… No, even five more minutes, and I could've gotten useful information from Ram…"
Wood's anger and frustration made no difference to the relentless passage of time. When he came to his senses, he was once again standing in the middle of the road.
"This is turning into an endless loop! Whether it's Subaru dealing with the White Whale and Sloth or Ram facing off against Gluttony and Greed, neither side can catch a break. Even if I manage to prevent Ram from losing her memory, Subaru dying will just reset everything."
Each time Subaru "Returned by Death," they managed to gather more information, extending their survival time. But once Wood finished handling the situation at Arlam Village and hurried to assist Subaru, it was already too late.
Under the current circumstances, without additional support or intervention, they had three options to break the cycle:
The first option was for Wood to head straight to the White Whale's location, eliminate both the White Whale and Sloth swiftly, ensure Subaru's survival, and then rush to Arlam Village.
The second option was to stick to the current plan, but either Wood had to move even faster, or Subaru had to hold out longer. This way, Wood could get some information from Ram. Even though the timeline would still reset due to Subaru's death, Wood's unique existence allowed him to retain the information he obtained from Ram.
After gathering the intel, Wood could then proceed to where the White Whale was and deal with it, along with Sloth. Though the outcome would mirror the original events, Ram would still lose her memory. The only difference would be that Wood had some vital information before her memory loss.
As for the third option, Wood had little hope—for Subaru and the others to somehow defeat the White Whale and Sloth on their own. Subaru not using "Return by Death" would give Wood the time he needed to handle Gluttony and Greed. It would be the ideal outcome.
Wood quickly dismissed the first option. From what he had seen during the previous loop, by the time he reached Arlam Village, Ram was already at a disadvantage. Even if he hurried and dealt with the White Whale and Sloth, it would still be too late to save her.
The third option, though promising, depended entirely on Subaru and his allies' capabilities, making Wood's efforts irrelevant.
After some hesitation, Wood reluctantly concluded that the only viable course of action was to head straight for Arlam Village again.
Having traveled the same route three times now, Wood avoided unnecessary detours and shortcuts, arriving even earlier at Arlam Village compared to the previous loops.
This time, as Wood arrived, Ram was releasing an incredible surge of magic, the horn on her head radiating visible wind magic energy!
With just a swing of her arm, the magic channeled through her horn became a violent gale, and in the next instant, she unleashed numerous wind blades toward Gluttony and Greed.
The wind magic that Ram released was on par with Wood's "Saint-Level Wind Magic." The hardened rocky terrain was gouged deeply by the cutting wind blades. Houses in Arlam Village creaked under the strain of the gale, and smaller stones and trees were swept into the air.
Ram had recovered her power as a member of the Oni race, surpassing even Julius, the "Finest Knight." Wood even believed that if Ram faced the White Whale one-on-one, she would have a considerable chance of victory. The sheer scale of her wind magic was enough to blow away the White Whale's fog in an instant.
But then, something happened that caught Wood by surprise. As Ram's powerful wind magic reached Greed, he simply extended his hand and stopped it.
"Stopped" wasn't entirely accurate, as there was no clash of power against power. Wind, by nature, was fluid, yet the wind blades aimed at Greed seemed frozen in place.
With a gesture, the massive wind blades shattered before Greed, who remained unscathed, his sleeves not even ruffled.
At the same time, Gluttony, who had been standing behind Greed, suddenly seemed to teleport behind Ram. Without warning, he raised his dagger, ready to strike at her chest.
Allowing Gluttony to succeed was not an option. Wood immediately activated "Shave," disappearing and reappearing in front of Ram, slashing at Gluttony before the latter could strike.
Despite his hunched appearance and ragged clothing, Gluttony displayed keen reflexes and agility, swiftly changing his dagger's trajectory to block Wood's sword.
Clang! The sound of metal clashing reverberated. Though Gluttony managed to block the strike, he couldn't match Wood's strength and was sent flying.
The small figure skidded along the ground, and as both Gluttony and Greed looked at Wood, curiosity lit up their faces. Ram, meanwhile, was visibly relieved to see Wood. She was both surprised and happy at his sudden arrival.
"Compared to Rem, Ram is clearly lacking in the chest department. And yet you still choose to stab her there? That's not going to make her happy," Wood teased, his tone lighthearted.
Ram, who had been touched by her rescue, immediately lost her sentiment and huffed in annoyance. "Can you be serious for once, Sir Wood? Don't act like that fool Barusu. These two are Sin Archbishops of the Witch Cult. They're extremely dangerous."
Seeing Wood had certainly put Ram more at ease, as she knew his strength was beyond measure, but the opponent was still an Archbishop. Caution was necessary.
"What happened here in Arlam Village? Weren't you supposed to be tracking Roswaal? Why are you suddenly fighting the Witch Cult here—and not just one, but two Archbishops?" With time being limited, Wood wasted no time questioning Ram, knowing Subaru could end up dying again at any moment.
"I was investigating Lord Roswaal, and I found out that the Witch Cult's frequent activities were all because of Lady Emilia's participation in the royal selection. Moreover, Lord Roswaal knew about it the entire time." Ram continued, "Just as I was digging deeper, I encountered Gluttony and Greed here. They planned to capture the villagers to lure Lady Emilia. Lord Roswaal arrived briefly but left to take the villagers to safety, leaving me to hold off the Witch Cult."
Ram remained somewhat loyal to Roswaal, as she hadn't found conclusive evidence linking him to Rem's injuries. Given the past debt she owed him and knowing the villagers would be in danger if they fell into the Witch Cult's hands, Ram had agreed to hold the line.
The job wasn't necessarily a death sentence, and with her restored Oni power, Ram was confident in her abilities. But she hadn't expected these Sin Archbishops to be so formidable. Judging by their initial clash, retreating unscathed seemed increasingly unlikely.
Hearing Ram's explanation, Wood hesitated. It didn't match the information he'd gathered from his previous loops. Hadn't Frederica said that Roswaal scared off Gluttony and Greed by arriving in time? Yet now Ram was claiming Roswaal had taken the villagers away, leaving her behind to fight.
Had the timeline changed because of the loop, or had Frederica and Roswaal lied?
"What about the abilities of these two Archbishops? What are they capable of?" Time was running out. Wood needed to understand Greed and Gluttony's abilities as soon as possible, so they could plan accordingly if the timeline reset and Ram lost her memory again.
"I don't know," Ram admitted, "It's my first time facing off against the Sin Archbishops of Greed and Gluttony. I barely know anything about their abilities."
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