Subaru approached the dome with slow, deliberate steps, each one echoing with a sense of foreboding. The ground beneath his feet felt unnaturally solid, as if it too was bracing for something terrible. The air thickened with each breath he took, as though the atmosphere itself resisted him, clinging to his lungs like invisible tar. His heart beat steadily, not with fear, but with a deep, intuitive caution. When he reached the dome, he raised a hand and tapped its surface gently. The dome was cold and rough to the touch, like ancient stone left to freeze in shadow. The resulting echo reverberated outward in eerie waves, intensifying the suffocating silence that already loomed around him.
"OIII, Petelgeuse!! Come on, don't tell me you've gotten too lazy to crawl out and greet me DESU," Subaru called, his voice loud and laced with biting sarcasm. A half-smirk crept onto his lips, playful yet sharp, as if daring the madman within to answer. His tone held a dual edge—mockery and challenge entwined like a dagger's blade.
From within the dome, a low, malevolent hum began to rise, so deep it could be felt more than heard. The very air around them began to warp under unseen pressure, a phantom weight pressing down with every heartbeat. It was the kind of tension that made bones ache and instincts scream. Yet outwardly, the dome remained unchanged—solid, unmoving, and inscrutable.
Subaru let out a long, exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes, turning slightly as if ready to walk away. But then, a flicker of motion caught his attention in the distance. His eyes narrowed.
Rem was running toward him at full speed, her expression taut with urgency. Her blue hair whipped wildly in the wind, and her eyes blazed with desperate purpose. Behind her, Beatrice was visible—face pale, mouth agape, eyes wide with terror. That look alone was enough to make Subaru's stomach tighten.
"Huh?" he muttered, confusion turning instantly to alarm. Something was wrong—terribly wrong.
Rem's horn had emerged, glowing with a blinding white light that pulsed like a burning star. In her hands, she gripped her Morningstar tightly. There was no hesitation in her movements. In the same breath, she hurled her weapon toward Subaru with brutal precision. The chain whirled through the air and wrapped around him like a snake. In an instant, the links clamped down and yanked him toward her with terrifying speed.
"Wha—AAAHHHH!"
Through the howling wind and cracking earth, Rem's voice pierced the chaos: "IT'S GOING TO EXPLODE!"
Subaru's eyes widened. His mind raced to catch up, but there was no time. Behind him, the dome erupted in a cataclysmic explosion. A roar louder than thunder shattered the air as a tsunami of searing energy burst forth. Light engulfed the world—white, hot, merciless. The earth was torn open like paper, flames racing into the sky. In a matter of seconds, everything within range—trees, stones, corpses, even time itself—was reduced to ash.
Rem, acting in the nick of time, manifested a protective barrier that encased both herself and Subaru. But it wasn't without cost. The strain etched itself into her face and body. Beatrice, quick-witted and equally powerful, conjured a layered ward just in time to shield herself and Elsa, who had instinctively crouched low.
When the light finally faded, a massive crater lay where the dome had once stood. Smoke curled up from the center like the breath of a dying beast. The destruction was absolute.
Subaru lay panting in Rem's arms, his body still trembling from the shockwave. "You saved me," he gasped. "You really—saved my life, Rem. But..."
He looked down at his hands, now blackened and blistered from the explosion's edge. Pain shot through his nerves like needles of fire. His fingers twitched involuntarily. "We have to get you to Hikari. You're hurt worse than you're letting on."
Rem managed a small, weary smile. "It doesn't matter, Subaru-kun. I'd go through far worse if it means keeping you alive. That's all I care about."
Her words struck something deep inside Subaru. His throat tightened, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned his gaze back to the smoldering crater. Did that maniac actually blow himself up? he wondered. It didn't feel real. It didn't feel over.
He pushed those thoughts away and raised his voice toward the others. "HE'S DEAD! BEATRICE, ELSA—GET BACK TO THE VILLAGE! I'LL BE RIGHT BEHIND YOU!"
Beatrice hesitated, clearly torn. She looked like she wanted nothing more than to stay with Subaru, to protect him, to yell at him for taking risks. But she knew better. This wasn't the time for personal feelings. With a grumpy pout, she turned and began walking back. Elsa, with a shrug and her usual indifference, followed her in silence.
Subaru, now alone with Rem, gently lifted her into his arms. Her weight was light, too light. Her breathing was shallow.
Her cheeks flushed as she stammered, "U-umm... Subaru-kun, I-I can walk, really..."
Subaru chuckled, shaking his head. "Sorry, milady. I'm not accepting any arguments. Protests will be quietly ignored."
But as he held her, something shifted. Rem's body suddenly tensed. Her head fell back, her breathing grew erratic, strained. Subaru halted, dread forming a cold knot in his chest.
"...Rem? Can you hear me? Are you okay?"
Then it happened.
From her body erupted dozens of spectral hands—translucent and clawed, dripping with malice. They seized Subaru in an instant, lifting him high into the air and pinning his limbs outward like a crucifixion. The cold they brought wasn't physical—it was something darker. It clawed at his soul.
Rem's eyes slowly fluttered open. But the warmth that had once filled them was gone.
It was not Rem looking back at him anymore.
Petelgeuse had taken her completely.
The figure's eyes slowly creaked open, pupils quivering with a sickly gleam that shimmered like diseased moonlight. A bloody grin curled on his cracked lips, and his voice emerged—a fractured, trembling cadence, a twisted harmony between ecstasy and madness.
"Hmm... Truly, TRULY, TRULY a magnificent body! Exquisite! If only the six fingers once devoted to my command weren't decaying beneath the earth—my fate might have been different. But alas... deprived I am no longer! But... but... BUUUUT, seeing that expression, that deliciously horrified look on your face... it was worth it. WORTH every sacrifice to possess this girl DESU!! RAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Subaru's heart pounded violently, the rhythmic thump in his chest louder than the chaos around him. Every beat screamed a warning. His muscles tensed as if trying to protect themselves from what his eyes couldn't look away from. Panic and fury battled for dominance in his widening gaze. Then, in a breath more broken than whole, he muttered, "Her..."
Petelgeuse tilted his head sharply, bones audibly cracking, his grin stretching wider as if the madness within needed more space. Raising his chin, he leaned in with a mockery of tenderness, an ear extended toward Subaru like a lover awaiting a whispered confession.
"WHAT?! I TRULY, TRULY, TRULY COULDN'T HEAR THAT DESU! SHOUT! SING! SCREAM YOUR PASSION SO IT SLITHERS INTO MY VERY BEING! LET YOUR LOVE BE A KNIFE THROUGH THIS ROTTING HEART DESU!"
That was the breaking point. Something within Subaru snapped. The inferno behind his eyes roared to life.
"LET HER GO!" he thundered, a roar born from agony and boundless rage.
At once, golden-yellow light erupted from within him, washing over the room like a second sunrise. The invisible hands that had haunted the air were obliterated, disintegrating into dust. This was no ordinary power—this was Yue's Yang Spirit Energy, raw and sacred. The very essence of soul-forged fire, a searing radiance that defied all corruption. Curses, Authorities, malice—they could not abide in its presence.
Subaru collapsed onto the ground, his knees slamming against the stone floor. Each breath he dragged in felt like fire in his lungs. He extended a trembling arm, calling forth Duskveil. The dagger shimmered into being, its edge pulsing with magic and defiance. With what little strength remained, he flung it toward Petelgeuse.
For a moment, time held its breath.
The blade spiraled through the air, perfect in its trajectory, until it reached the space between justice and tragedy.
Just inches before striking Petelgeuse—it stopped.
More precisely, it hovered before Rem's throat, motionless. Subaru's eyes locked onto hers—though hollow and vacant under possession, they were still Rem's. Still her.
His fingers trembled, his breath grew ragged. Duskveil slipped from his hand, falling to the floor with a dull clang.
"I-I can't... I can't hurt Rem..." His voice cracked, sinking to a hush as he dropped his head, crushed beneath the weight of helplessness.
Petelgeuse, with unsettling grace, crouched and retrieved the dagger. He held it lovingly, tracing the blade's edge with a finger as he brought it back toward Rem's pale, possessed throat. Subaru's vision blurred with panic; his whole body screamed to move, to stop it—but he couldn't.
And then—
Invisible hands struck. They wrapped around Subaru's throat and hoisted him into the air, tightening with malicious glee.
"I see... I see... I SEEEEE DESU! You won't harm her, will you? You simply can't! Oh, how beautifully pathetic! It's tragic! It's poetic! It's so, so... STUPID DESU! BUT! If this farce is for LOOOOVE, then it is GLORIOUS! I accept this madness, for love makes fools of us all! HAHAHAHA!"
Subaru choked, the burning in his throat rivaled only by the burning in his heart. Slowly, he reached up with scorched hands and grasped Petelgeuse's arms. His voice was quiet, but it carried the strength of someone long past the brink.
"Then take me instead... Let her go. I mean it. Pandora will come for what's inside me. The Authorities I carry—she'll want them more than anything. You'll be rewarded. I promise."
Petelgeuse paused. For a second, the endless torrent of madness stopped flowing. He stared. The corner of his eye twitched. Behind the madness was thought—ruthless, opportunistic calculation.
"Interesting... interesting indeed desu. Pride and Envy. If I offer both to Pandora-sama... she will understand. She will see the depth of my devotion! And then—SHE WILL LOVE ME! YES! YES! I ACCEPT YOUR OFFER DESU, Natsuki Subaru!"
With a manic flourish, he released Subaru, who dropped heavily to the floor, coughing and gasping.
Wasting no time, Subaru cried out, "Yue! The moment this Archbishop leaves Rem's body, enter it—protect her at all costs!"
There was a pause, then Yue's voice reached him, hesitant, fragile.
"But Master... your soul... what will happen to you?"
Subaru forced a pained smile, more sorrow than comfort.
"I'll manage. This isn't goodbye. Just trust me... and go."
Without further protest, Yue obeyed. A golden streak of light, pure and soft, danced from Subaru's body toward Rem. The moment Petelgeuse's presence began to waver, Yue surged forward. Rem's eyes fluttered, possession fading as her body relaxed, collapsing gently to the ground as if into sleep.
And for the briefest moment, the battlefield was silent. A heartbeat suspended in light and shadow. An offering made. A soul about to be stolen.
A thousand needles of pain pierced through Subaru's soul all at once, and each one seemed to carry the chill of death itself. The sensation was not merely pain—it was an invasion, an assault on every inch of his being. The spears of ice coursed through his bloodstream, not just burning but freezing, clawing their way through his veins like icy serpents. His nerves shrieked with every movement, every breath drew in more agony, and his lungs felt as though they were being crushed by invisible hands. It wasn't pain he felt—it was torment. Torment that stretched from his skin to the marrow of his bones, from the shallowest breath to the deepest thought.
The anguish did not stop there. It seeped into his mind, carving itself into the folds of his consciousness. Every corner of his brain throbbed as if clamped in a vice, each pulse a scream. His muscles ached, his bones creaked, and his organs twisted with an alien presence that seemed determined to reshape him into something he was not. Cold spread through him like ink in water—creeping, engulfing, drowning.
Then came the exhaustion, not like the fatigue of a long day, but the weight of centuries. It slammed into him like a tide, crushing him beneath its immensity. His shoulders sagged, not under a burden, but under the collapse of will itself. His eyelids felt forged from metal, too heavy to lift, too stubborn to open. Thoughts became sludge, drifting in a dark ocean without direction. He was drowning in his own mind.
Control was a dream—one slipping through his hands like dry sand. He could still see, hear, and feel the world around him—but his body responded as if it belonged to someone else. He was trapped, a spectator within his own flesh.
Then, like a blade slicing through silence, came a laugh—sharp, maniacal, and victorious. "I WIN!" The voice of Petelgeuse echoed in Subaru's skull, scraping against his sanity. Each syllable was a nail driven into the soft matter of his spirit. Subaru was no longer a man but a prison, a soul caged in the shell of a body stolen.
But even in the dark, a flicker of recognition pulsed. A presence emerged behind him—one he hadn't sensed in what felt like a lifetime. Without turning, Subaru spoke, his voice a brittle blend of weariness and mockery: "Hey, Flugel... Been a while, huh? When you went radio silent, I actually thought you might've died."
A familiar voice responded, calm but sharp. "I was regaining strength. But I see you've let someone else take the wheel."
Subaru inhaled deeply, as if trying to anchor himself with one final breath. "You saw everything, didn't you? So I won't waste time explaining. I couldn't let Rem be hurt. I counted on you to stop Petelgeuse. We still share a soul... right?"
Flugel appeared, expression unreadable. His narrowed eyes betrayed a simmering disapproval. "I am not your failsafe. Not a magic spell to cast when things go bad. I am not a cheat code. Show some respect."
Subaru sighed, a dry chuckle escaping him. "You want respect? Should've asked back when Lucas killed me on repeat like a broken record. Right now, I need a miracle. Can you take back the body before Pandora turns you into her twisted puppet?"
With a growled curse, Flugel vanished from the shadow realm. Moments later, he materialized in front of Petelgeuse, whose stolen body looked startled.
"Yo," Flugel said flatly.
Petelgeuse blinked in confusion. "What is this? A delusion of the vessel? So lazy desu!"
Flugel exhaled like someone about to sweep away a nuisance. "Not your concern." Then, with a single step and no hesitation, he punched. The force of the blow sent Petelgeuse flying, smashing through the air before crashing into a tree so large it trembled on impact. The trunk splintered, groaned, and cracked; birds erupted from its canopy, the forest shuddered as if in pain.
"Kuh... What trickery is this?!"
Before Petelgeuse could recover, Flugel appeared before him again—closer now, more lethal. His voice dropped to a whisper made of ice: "I'm reclaiming the body. Fight me... and I will end you in ways you can't comprehend."
Petelgeuse bared his teeth, madness flashing in his eyes. "NO! I WON—"
His sentence never finished. Flugel thrust his hand forward, ripping the soul from Subaru's body with a violent surge. The possession shattered in seconds. Petelgeuse's spirit screamed as it was torn out, raw and ragged, twisted into a glowing crystal, pulsing erratically like a heart afraid of death.
Subaru's body crumpled to the forest floor, limp, falling beside the unconscious Rem like a marionette whose strings had been cut.
In the realm of shadows, Subaru remained—watching, waiting, listening. Silence reigned, broken only by the haunting beat of his own heart. Flugel approached him slowly, each step echoing in the vast emptiness. He held the crystal in his palm, and as he raised it, his expression hovered between a smirk and something unreadable. His eyes held depth—a darkness that whispered of knowledge and consequences.
"Tell me, Subaru," he said, tossing the crystal into the air and catching it with practiced ease. "How many seconds do you think that took?"
As the crystal twirled in the air, it caught the dim light of the void, bending shadows around it. It glowed with the remnants of a broken soul. Flugel's voice was curious, almost playful, but beneath it simmered something far colder. "Time bends in this place... but the truth never does."
The question lingered, unanswered, suspended in the space between them like the crystal itself—twisting, spinning, falling.
Subaru had anticipated this outcome from the Great Sage all along. After everything he'd endured—the countless resets, the agony of failure, the pain of loss—it was hard for anything to genuinely surprise him anymore. Shock, once a raw and frequent reaction, had dulled into a quiet acceptance, the kind that only came from living through death far too many times. Surprise had become a luxury—a fleeting indulgence that he could no longer afford. A tired yet slightly mischievous smile curved his lips.
"Thirty seconds, huh? Congratulations, that's a new record. Yay," Subaru muttered, his voice layered with both sarcasm and exhaustion. It was as if the weight of a thousand lifetimes compressed into a single wordless sigh. He gestured loosely, as if half-expecting applause from the shadows. Then, raising a curious eyebrow, he cast his gaze toward the crystal suspended in Flugel's hand. It shimmered faintly, catching the ethereal light of the room. For a fleeting moment, he saw his own reflection—worn, haunted, and yet still burning with defiance.
"So, what's that crystal you're holding?" he asked, attempting to sound casual, though the undercurrent of unease in his tone betrayed him.
Flugel's demeanor shifted, the levity in his presence fading like mist under morning sun. He halted the floating crystal with a subtle motion and cradled it gently in his palms, as though holding a living memory. His expression grew solemn.
"What I'm holding... is Geuse," Flugel said. His voice took on a profound depth, slow and deliberate, like the tolling of a distant bell. "Geuse was originally an earth spirit—a proud and steadfast one. I met him many years ago, back when the Witch Cult was not solely the den of monsters it is now. He served as a high bishop, aligned with those who truly believed in balance and purpose. He was devoted, selfless. A symbol of loyalty, duty, and sacrifice."
Subaru's eyes twitched, brow furrowing.
"That was before everything fell apart," Flugel continued. "Before Pandora turned her gaze toward the girl you love—Emilia."
The name sent a ripple through Subaru's chest, though he showed no outward reaction.
"Geuse did everything he could to shield her. He stood between her and Pandora's will, enduring torment, resisting temptation. In a moment of utter desperation, he used the Sloth Witch Factor—the very one I had entrusted to him—to try and protect her. But it went horribly wrong."
Flugel's voice grew gravelly, like each word weighed upon his soul.
"Geuse was never meant to bear the power of Sloth. He was diligent, purposeful—a man of iron discipline. The Factor was his antithesis. Instead of harmonizing with it, the power consumed him from within, hollowing him out. It twisted his sense of purpose, broke his mind, and finally bent his will to Pandora."
Subaru clicked his tongue in frustration. His mouth opened, but the words died before they could form.
"That's..." he whispered, trailing off. This was knowledge he hadn't possessed—truths hidden in the margins of history. If Emilia knew her foster father had once committed such an act for her sake... how would she take it? Would she see him as the noble protector he once was—or as a monster sculpted by sacrifice?
A heavy silence settled between them. It was not the peaceful kind, but the kind that suffocates, like thick fog rolling into a battlefield before the next charge. In Flugel's hand, the crystal began to tremble.
Without warning, a sharp crack shattered the quiet. The crystal split open, its edges glowing with fractal light as it fragmented into dozens of shards, each scattering like glass dreams breaking in slow motion. Within the cloud of refracted light, a single black thread remained, coiled and pulsing—alive.
The Sloth Witch Factor.
Then, in his other hand, a new crystal took shape—a perfect replica of the one just destroyed. As if time itself had rewound or the destruction had never mattered. A loop, eternal and mocking.
Subaru said nothing. He stared at the scene, unblinking, his expression unreadable. But something shifted in him. It was a subtle pulse, a thrum of discomfort deep in his chest. The idea that such unfathomable power—such utter madness—could be bound to a tiny thread felt wrong. Wrong in the way nightmares sometimes feel too real.
Flugel made a small, almost lazy gesture with his hand and hurled the Witch Factor at Subaru. The object moved like an arrow of darkness, piercing the space between them and merging with Subaru before he could blink. It didn't hit his body; it embedded itself in his very soul.
Subaru staggered for just a moment. The impact was silent, but the aftershock roared through his veins. His vision dimmed and then brightened again, and for a heartbeat, it felt as if something else—someone else—had just inhaled through his lungs.
[DING!!]
Mission Progress:
High Bishop of Sloth Eliminated [2/8]
Sloth Witch Factor Acquired [3/7]
Authority of Sloth – "Invisible Providence"
Effects:
-Grants the user the ability to manifest invisible hands.
-These hands can inflict physical damage and phase through solid objects.
-Current number of usable hands: 4
Subaru rubbed his chin, his eyes narrowing as they fixed on nothing in particular. The air around him had changed. The world hadn't moved, but something in him had shifted.
"Oi... why four?" he murmured aloud. "I could barely handle one before. And now I can just summon four?"
His tone was a complicated blend—curiosity, suspicion, and a quiet, bubbling excitement that he hadn't expected.
Flugel shrugged, an amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "That limitation doesn't apply anymore. The Authority is yours now—woven into your soul. The bounds of what it can do depend entirely on you. Push further, and you'll shape it into something greater."
The words lingered in the air like the aftermath of a spell.
Subaru lowered his hand slowly, a flicker of light dancing across his eyes.
"So... it's up to me now."
And somewhere deep inside, the sloth stirred, invisible hands itching to move.
Subaru didn't let the opportunity slip by. His chest rose with a deep, deliberate breath, as if drawing not just air but clarity and purpose into his lungs. In that still moment between breaths, something awakened within him—a dormant will now pulsing with focus. Then, with a silent command, he summoned four invisible arms.
They didn't appear with a flash or thunderclap. They emerged like ghosts from his back, their forms shimmering like heat waves in the air, rippling with latent force. Though intangible to the eye and inaudible to the ear, the atmosphere around them wavered with tension. The air vibrated, as if reality itself was being bent around their presence.
Subaru didn't hesitate. He moved them one at a time, feeling each extension of his will as though they were his own limbs. The arms punched forward in a rhythm that mirrored a beating war drum. The strikes were precise, driven, not reckless but fueled by something deeper than rage—conviction. With each motion, he felt something within him loosen, break, and reform. Every blow he landed into the empty space was like shattering a chain that had once held him down.
"It really doesn't hurt... That's actually great!" he yelled, exhilaration leaking into his voice. His eyes shimmered, not just with power but with possibility. "Finally, an Authority I can use freely! One that doesn't demand everything in return!"
The sheer freedom in those words lit something inside him. No longer was he just surviving. For the first time in a long while, Subaru felt like he was standing tall in his own strength—not borrowed, not cursed, not broken.
Behind him, Flugel watched. His expression shifted slowly, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile. But it wasn't the typical smile of amusement or pride. It was gentle, distant—like the smile one gives before a goodbye. It carried a quiet melancholy, a certain weight that clung to the moment.
"I'm glad," Flugel said softly, almost reverently. "You've come far. And you deserve to feel what that means. But... you do realize, don't you? Playtime is over."
He turned his head slightly, his eyes narrowing not in anger, but with sober understanding. "You have roads to walk, Subaru. Hard ones. There will be more choices that burn and more burdens you'll wish you could throw away. But you can't. And you won't. Because you're not the same boy who once stumbled through these shadows."
There was no need to ask if Subaru was ready. Ready or not, the path was coming.
Without waiting for a reply, Flugel lifted a single finger and flicked it through the air. A ripple passed through the shadowed space, and in an instant, Subaru's silhouette began to fade—light overtaking darkness like the first breath of dawn. He vanished, swept away by the will of the man he shared a soul with.
The quiet returned, thick and absolute. Flugel remained standing there for a long time, unmoving, as though rooted to the void itself. Finally, he looked down at the crystal still resting in his palm—the prison of Petelgeuse's twisted spirit.
He turned it slowly between his fingers, watching the strange, pulsating glow trapped inside. The crystal's light flickered with a distorted rhythm, almost like a mockery of a heartbeat.
Flugel exhaled through his nose, long and tired. It was not the sigh of a man weary of battle, but of one weighed down by choices yet to be made.
He murmured, so softly that the shadows barely carried the words: "Now... what am I going to do with you?"
His voice faded into the stillness, unanswered.
And the crystal pulsed on.
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HELLO, EVERYONE!
This is your beloved author speaking, tapping in at the end of this chapter with a few words from behind the curtain.
I'd like to take a moment to talk about the direction of the story and maybe let some things off my chest. Sharing my thoughts might not change much, but hey—maybe it'll help you understand where I'm coming from a little better!
To begin with, I've received a few comments mentioning that the pacing feels a bit too slow or even monotonous at times. And honestly? That's a completely valid point. I hear you! But here's the thing—I'm writing it this way on purpose. Not because I want to bore anyone, but because I truly believe that readers who enjoy stories like this often appreciate the depth, the atmosphere, and the little details that build up over time. I'm also doing my best to stay true to the tone and lore of Re:Zero, which is known for its layered worldbuilding, psychological depth, and emotionally charged pacing. So yes, things might feel slow now, but I promise—every piece has its place.
Also, I hope you'll understand that my ability to write is limited by real-life responsibilities. I work literally 12 hours a day, every day, and finding the time and mental energy to write after that isn't exactly easy. So please, show me a little mercy! I'm often staying up late into the night just to bring new chapters to life for you all. If I ask for a bit of respect and patience, I hope that sounds fair to you. Writing isn't just a hobby for me—it's something I pour my heart into. So when I say that I'd be truly disheartened if my efforts were dismissed or trampled on, I mean it from the bottom of my heart.
Your support means everything. Every reader, every comment, every quiet like or share—it all adds up. Thank you for sticking with me through the slow moments, the intense ones, and everything in between. There's much more to come, and I'm excited to take this journey with all of you.
With all my gratitude,
Your Devoted Author