...
{3rd Pov}
Zero began recounting his experiences from the moment he first arrived in this strange world.
He made sure to clarify from the start that something unusual had happened prior to his arrival, an incident that set his circumstances apart from the majority of other Subarus that existed in different possibilities.
However, beyond making that particular point clear, he did not go into specific details.
After all, what could he realistically say?
Was he supposed to casually admit that he carried within himself the memories of a man from another world who had watched their lives unfold as an anime?
Of course not.
He understood very well that such a confession would only push Subaru—who was already under overwhelming pressure and enduring unbearable burdens—into an even deeper existential crisis. Burdening him further with that knowledge would be cruel and irresponsible.
So instead, Zero steered the conversation in a different direction and began explaining about something more immediately relevant.
"Authorities," Zero started, his voice steady as though he were teaching from a book. "Authorities are special abilities that originate from the Witch Factors. There are seven primary Witch Factors, although in truth the total number goes beyond that. When you add the rare and supernumerary ones, the number rises to nine. The primary seven are Pride, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Lust, Gluttony, and finally Envy—each of them embodying and representing one of the seven cardinal sins. Beyond those, however, there exist two additional factors: Vainglory and Melancholy."
Subaru's throat tightened, and he swallowed nervously before speaking. "Those… those are the powers used by the Witches themselves and the Sin Archbishops of the Witch Cult, aren't they?"
Zero nodded without hesitation.
"Indeed. That is exactly correct. In fact, with the exception of the Witch Factor of Envy—which, as you already know, is currently being shared between the Witch of Envy and yourself—all of the remaining Witch Factors are presently in the possession of the Witch Cultists and their so-called leader. The only possible exception is the Factor of Melancholy, and even then, I cannot say for certain if the situation in this particular timeline mirrors the one I am aware of."
Subaru's eyes went wide in horror as his body stiffened. "Wait, hold on a second! Are you saying that my ability—this cursed power I've been forced to live with, Return by Death—is actually the Authority of Envy?!"
His voice cracked with disbelief, his tone equal parts terrified and appalled.
He had always known that his power was granted to him by the Witch, but now he was being told that he wasn't just a recipient of her gift—he was in fact sharing the Witch Factor of Envy with none other than the Witch of Envy herself?
Did that mean he was, by definition, something like a Sin Archbishop of Envy?
Or even worse, something on par with that title?
Seeing Subaru's growing panic, Zero quickly raised a hand to calm him. "First of all, take a deep breath and relax. You must hear my full explanation before letting your imagination run wild."
Subaru reluctantly shut his mouth, forcing himself to swallow his fear. He gave a tense nod, signaling that he was listening.
Zero continued in a patient, matter-of-fact manner. "The title of 'Sin Archbishop' is not some immutable law of the world. It is nothing more than a designation, a name fabricated and adopted by the Witch Cult. Outside of the cult's own system of terminology, there is no true distinction between those who bear Witch Factors now and the original Witches of old. At most, if a bearer of such a factor happens to be male, the appropriate term to describe them would be 'warlock.'"
He paused deliberately, giving Subaru a moment to absorb the meaning. "And that, Subaru, means you are technically the Warlock of Envy."
The words hit Subaru like a physical blow.
His mind reeled at the idea.
Him? A warlock? The male counterpart to the Witch of Envy herself?
That was more than he could process. His thoughts spiraled out of control.
'So that's why… that's why I constantly release such an overwhelming stench of the Witch. It's because I really am no different from the Witches or the Sin Archbishops,' Subaru thought bitterly.
His stomach churned as waves of guilt and disgust rose within him.
The more he thought about it, the more nauseated he became at his own existence.
Zero, however, did not let the silence fester.
He leaned forward slightly, his tone calm yet firm. "Do not let yourself drown in that kind of thinking. We both know that what truly matters is not the nature of the power itself, but rather the way you choose to wield it. Even something as benign as a Divine Protection can be twisted and corrupted into a tool of evil if used by the wrong hands. Conversely, even an Authority, one of the dreaded powers of the Witches, can be put to use for the sake of good. What matters most is intent and choice—not the label or the stigma attached to the ability."
Hearing those words, Subaru's racing emotions slowly began to steady. The storm inside him didn't vanish, but it calmed just enough for him to keep his composure.
"You are right," Subaru admitted at last, nodding slightly as he tried to collect his thoughts.
After a moment of silence, he turned his gaze back toward Zero, curiosity flashing in his eyes.
"Actually… before you go any further with your explanation, there's something I need to ask. It's been bothering me since earlier. Why is it that we're able to openly talk about my ability without the usual consequences?"
"Normally, even mentioning it is forbidden. If we're both Subaru, I suppose it makes sense on some level—the Witch would care about both of us, and maybe that mutual connection gives us some kind of loophole where we can talk about the taboo between ourselves. But what confuses me is that your spirits also know about it. That shouldn't be possible. Even if your Witch of Envy is different from mine, the one tied to me should have already noticed that I broke the taboo."
This realization came to Subaru only after his emotions settled down enough for him to think clearly and analyze the situation. The more he thought about it, the more it didn't add up.
Beatrice, who had been quietly resting on Zero's lap with her usual dignified posture, suddenly lifted her head and answered with an air of smugness.
"Hmph, that's simple enough. It is because Betty's Subaru disciplined this timeline's Witch of Envy long before meeting you, I suppose!"
Subaru froze, eyes widening in complete disbelief.
His jaw almost dropped at her words.
For a second, he wondered if he had misheard her, but the look of confidence on Beatrice's face told him otherwise.
His brain struggled to process the sheer absurdity of the statement.
Disciplined the Witch of Envy? Did he hear that correctly?
The very Witch of Envy—the monster who had annihilated half the world four hundred years ago?
The same incomprehensible being who had forced the combined might of the First Sword Saint, the Divine Dragon, and the Great Sage to fight desperately just to seal her away?
That Witch of Envy? And somehow, another version of him managed to "discipline" her as if she were a rebellious child?
The thought was almost insulting to common sense itself.
What unsettled Subaru even further was the fact that they hadn't been able to kill her back then. That alone spoke volumes about her level of power.
Either she was immortal, unkillable, or simply too overwhelming to be destroyed by any conventional means.
Whatever the case, it only emphasized how terrifying she really was.
And yet, here was Zero's Beatrice, casually saying that "her Subaru" had disciplined that same Witch as if it were some minor accomplishment.
"Don't look so shocked," Zero interrupted Subaru's spiraling thoughts, his tone infuriatingly casual. "I am stronger than Reinhardt, so handling the Witch of Envy wasn't as difficult as you think."
Subaru's chair screeched against the floor as he suddenly stood up, staring at Zero with wide eyes.
"Are you being serious right now?!"
His heart pounded in disbelief.
He could accept that there might be countless versions of himself across different worlds, some weaker, some stronger, maybe even some incomprehensibly powerful.
And yes, given that Zero was apparently traveling between timelines, that only lent credibility to his outrageous claim.
But still, hearing someone so calmly declare that they were stronger than Reinhardt van Astrea—the man who was practically the walking definition of overpowered—was something else entirely.
"I mean, I get it," Subaru continued, trying to calm himself down enough to argue logically.
"I understand that we're dealing with other worlds and alternate versions of ourselves, so the idea of a stronger version of me existing isn't impossible. And considering you're traveling through timelines, I guess that adds a mountain of support to what you're saying. But I'm still having a hard time believing it. The thing is… you've got six powerful spirits under your command, right? And don't get me wrong, that's impressive, but doesn't that make you the worst possible matchup against Reinhardt? Wouldn't he just crush through all that?"
Zero leaned back comfortably, not the least bit offended by Subaru's doubt.
Instead, he gave a small, knowing smile. "I can understand where you're coming from, and your reasoning makes sense. But my strength isn't limited to just my spirits. They are not the whole of my power. There's more to me than what you're assuming. I'll explain in detail why I am as strong as I am, but that will come a bit later. For now, let me just say that I'm honestly impressed you remember Reinhardt's level of strength so clearly."
Subaru let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples. "Of course I remember that bastard's ridiculous strength. How could I forget? Even after half a century has passed, I can still recall his broken, cheat-like abilities like they were yesterday."
It was almost comical to him.
Even when he had grown old, to the point where his memories of Return by Death had nearly slipped from his mind, that absurd detail about Reinhardt had stubbornly stuck with him.
The sheer unfairness of Reinhardt's existence was impossible to forget, even for someone like Subaru.
"I suppose I can see where this Subaru is coming from, in a way," Beatrice said, folding her small arms with her usual confidence.
Her sharp gaze shifted between the two Subarus as she began to explain, her tone more like a teacher lecturing students than anything else.
"Reinhardt possesses a passive ability that is essentially a natural mana vacuum. The result of that ability is simple but devastating: all the surrounding mana is constantly being absorbed into him. This absorption doesn't just drain the atmosphere; it also causes any mana that has been channeled into a spell to collapse before the spell can properly form, dispersing it back into raw mana that Reinhardt absorbs."
"To put it simply, any magic cast in his vicinity will fizzle out before it can even activate. And considering that spirits are beings composed entirely of mana, that same passive effect becomes even deadlier against us. Even the Great Spirits, those who stand at the pinnacle of spiritual existence, would find their very bodies being consumed and would eventually die simply by being in his presence."
She then raised one delicate finger and continued, laying out the facts with an air of superiority.
"However, there are still ways to circumvent this overwhelming ability of his. There are three possible methods by which one can use magic effectively in Reinhardt's presence. The first method is to possess an extraordinarily massive reserve of internal mana, enough that the vacuum cannot absorb it all before the spell takes form."
"The second method is to create a mana vacuum of one's own by siphoning large amounts of mana faster than Reinhardt can absorb it, essentially countering his vacuum with another. And the third method is to use someone else's mana in place of one's own, channeling external sources of energy rather than personal mana reserves."
Zero smiled and gently patted Beatrice on the head, acknowledging her explanation. "Indeed, Betty is correct, as always. However, let's be clear: meeting any of those three conditions is exceptionally difficult. Very few humans in history have ever possessed the kind of immense mana capacity required to overpower Reinhardt's natural vacuum and still cast spells that won't be instantly dissipated."
"As for the second condition, creating a mana vacuum of one's own would demand a rate of mana regeneration so incredibly high that only a handful of beings could ever hope to achieve it. And lastly, while spirits can in theory rely on the mana of their contractors, unless the spirit is an artificial one designed for that specific purpose, the result isn't much better than using their own mana. It is at best a temporary workaround, not a permanent solution."
Subaru, who had been listening with wide eyes, practically jumped in his seat. "Wait, wait, wait… damn! You actually know how to counter Reinhardt's abilities? I seriously thought the guy was invincible! Well… maybe not literally invincible, considering he did lose against the Sin Archbishops, but still! To even have a counter-strategy against someone like him is insane!"
Zero nodded, then smoothly redirected the conversation. "Now then, let's return to the topic we were discussing earlier—the Witch Factors and their Authorities. Witch Factors of Sin attach themselves to a host and awaken a corresponding Authority of Sin within that host. There are several important things you must understand about how this process works."
"First, the Authority that manifests represents the personal sin of the individual host—it is not identical across different bearers of the same Factor."
"Second, once a person has awakened their Authority, they retain it even if they later lose possession of the Witch Factor itself."
"Third, under certain specific circumstances, Witch Factors can actually be shared between individuals."
"Fourth, and most importantly, Authorities are superior to Divine Protections. No Divine Protection, regardless of how powerful it might be, can hope to surpass the might of a Sin Authority."
"And finally, unlike magic, which cannot function in worlds without mana or functioning mana gates, and unlike Divine Protections, which only exist as natural blessings within this world, Authorities can function across worlds. They are not bound by the same limitations."
Subaru sat back, stunned into silence.
"Damn," he muttered after a long pause. "No wonder even Reinhardt ended up losing against those Sin Archbishops. If Authorities are that powerful, then it makes sense. Not even the strongest Divine Protection would be able to withstand them."
"Yes, exactly," Zero confirmed, before casually dropping a revelation as though it were something trivial. "And there is also one more thing you should know… I am the Great Sage."
Subaru opened his mouth, inhaled sharply, and then exhaled in a long sigh.
Surprisingly, he simply nodded without saying anything at first.
Zero chuckled lightly. "To not even express shock or ask a flood of questions—you must finally be calming down. That's progress."
Then, with a more serious tone, he elaborated, "The Great Sage is not just a title. It refers to the one individual who is compatible with every single Witch Factor. The Great Sage is someone who has awakened all of the Sin Authorities."
"On the other hand, someone who is compatible with every Witch Factor but has not yet obtained them is known as a Sage Candidate. That is what you are right now—this timeline's Sage Candidate."
The words hit Subaru like a thunderbolt, and he practically jumped out of his seat. "Wait, really?! You're telling me that I—me, of all people—can potentially wield the kind of powers that could make even the Sword Saint completely helpless?! Don't tell me this was my cheat ability all along, the hidden trump card I had from the very beginning!"
"Indeed," Zero said, unflinching. "That potential exists. However, whether or not you could actually defeat the Sword Saint is a very different question entirely. Let's just say it's still a long stretch to assume you would win against him."
"As expected," Subaru muttered, instantly deflating as he sighed and sat back down onto his crude earthen seat, his momentary excitement giving way to resignation.
Zero then leaned forward slightly and asked, "Do you remember how I told you that everyone awakens different forms of Authorities?"
"I get it now!" Subaru said, his eyes lighting up with realization as he slapped his fist into his open palm. "That means the abilities people awaken can either end up being ridiculously strong or pathetically weak, depending on the circumstances, right?"
Zero nodded approvingly. "Yes, that's correct. Technically speaking, the more closely your mindset and actions align with a particular Sin, the stronger the ability you awaken from its Witch Factor. However, this doesn't mean you need to be some deranged lunatic or a bloodthirsty monster to achieve powerful results. People often misunderstand that part."
He leaned forward slightly, his voice steady as he gave examples. "Take Pride, for instance. If your pride stems from something destructive, like arrogance or vanity, you might awaken a twisted Authority. But Pride can also manifest in more positive forms."
"For example, if you are prideful about your family—proud that you have such loyal companions standing at your side, or proud of the growth they achieve through their struggles—that pride could result in an Authority that draws power from those bonds."
"Similarly, if your Wrath is not blind hatred but righteous anger against anyone who dares to harm your loved ones, then your Authority of Wrath could manifest with that protective fury. Greed doesn't always have to mean selfish hoarding, either."
"If you are greedy for the strength to defend the people you love, or greedy for the willpower to endure endless hardships, that Greed can shape a strong Authority. In short, if you align your mindset properly, you can awaken relatively strong abilities without losing yourself to madness."
Subaru blinked rapidly, his brain working overtime to digest the explanation.
"I see! That must be the reason you're so ridiculously strong then, huh? You probably aligned all your Sins properly or something. So… tell me honestly, how many Sin Authorities do you actually have?"
He leaned forward, almost afraid of the answer but too curious not to ask.
Zero's expression didn't waver. "I have six of them. Envy, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, Wrath, and Lust—all of my own versions, awakened through my experiences. On top of that, I also possess a copied Pride Authority. Only with those combined can I rightfully call myself a fully fledged Great Sage."
Subaru nearly choked. "S-six?! And you even copied Pride on top of that?! Are you serious right now?!" His voice cracked halfway through, his disbelief reaching dangerous levels.
Zero ignored the outburst and continued calmly. "My Authority of Envy is almost identical to yours, in fact. Just like you, I possess Return by Death. The only difference is that in my case, every single time I die, all of my abilities—physical strength, magical power, speed, endurance—every aspect of myself doubles."
Subaru's entire body stiffened as the words sank in.
His eyes widened in shock, and he immediately pointed an accusing finger directly at Zero.
"You… you absolute cheater! You're an even bigger cheat than Reinhardt! Getting stronger just by dying, and the growth doubles every time? Do you even understand what that means?! After just a dozen deaths, you'd be strong enough to wipe out the entire world! That's not an ability, that's a walking apocalypse!"
His voice rose higher and higher as he ranted, spitting out every ounce of outrage that came to him. Subaru understood immediately how broken Zero's version of Return by Death was.
The compounding effect of doubling after every death was ridiculous. It wasn't just unfair—it was absurdly, cosmically unfair.
The part that made him want to scream even more was the fact that they supposedly had the same Authority of Envy.
So why in the hell did Zero get the supercharged version that let him snowball into a god while he, Natsuki Subaru, was stuck suffering endlessly with no such bonus?
Where was the justice in that?!
(Author's Note: Of course, from Subaru's point of view it looks like an easy way to grow stronger, but for anyone else, repeatedly dying would drive them insane long before they reached such power, even if they had an abnormally strong will.)
Zero only smiled in response to Subaru's meltdown.
His teeth flashed, and his lips curled into a smirk that radiated confidence and arrogance in equal measure.
"I am," he said simply, as if acknowledging the accusation of being a cheater was a compliment rather than an insult.
"FUCK YOU!" Subaru roared, his face red with frustration as he raised his middle finger high in the air and jabbed it toward Zero.
Zero only laughed at Subaru's outburst. He wasn't offended in the slightest by the curse or the middle finger; if anything, he found it amusing.
Of course, he understood exactly why Subaru acted that way. After all, it was the same coping mechanism he himself used.
As another Subaru, Zero knew better than anyone that the best way they both dealt with unbearable stress and trauma was through weird behavior—acting out in bizarre ways, lashing out, or turning everything into a joke when things were at their bleakest.
For example, even when Zero had been in life-or-death situations where survival was impossible, he still came up with silly ideas in his head, or mocked the absurdity of the moment as if it were some kind of cosmic comedy.
Making fun of reality, even when death was inevitable, was his twisted way of holding himself together. It wasn't strength, exactly—it was a survival mechanism, a refusal to completely collapse under despair.
(Author's Note: Do you get it now? Do you see the brilliance of this writing choice? Do you realize how well this character is being handled right now?)
"Anyway," Zero said with an exaggerated shrug, as if the previous exchange hadn't happened.
"My Authority of Greed allows me to copy other people's abilities. This doesn't stop at ordinary skills or magic, mind you—it extends even to the Sin Authorities themselves. Thanks to this, I've managed to copy every Authority that I was compatible with."
He smirked shamelessly, his tone making it clear that he was bragging.
"As for the ones I haven't revealed? Well… let's just say I won't tell you about those. If I did, you'd probably die from the shock."
The arrogance in his voice made Subaru's blood boil.
Subaru gritted his teeth so hard that his jaw ached.
Damn it! He wanted nothing more than to punch this bastard in the face.
He wanted to knock that smug grin right off him.
But then reality sank in.
Subaru glanced at Zero's composed expression and realized the truth: even if he threw a punch, his fist would probably break before Zero even felt anything.
Zero's "skin" was too thick, both literally and figuratively.
Attacking him would just make Subaru look more pathetic.
So he clenched his fists, trembling with frustration, but forced himself not to lash out physically.
Zero's smirk faded into a more serious look.
"I've told you everything that was necessary for you to understand. Now we come to the main point—the real reason I am here. I came to help you, Subaru. I came to guide you."
His voice was calm but heavy, carrying weight. "You understand the scale of the threat looming over Emilia's camp. If you don't prepare, they will be destroyed."
Subaru's heart skipped a beat.
His eyes widened, filled with desperation and a fragile glimmer of hope.
He leaned forward slightly and asked with trembling lips, "Then… will you help me save them?"
Zero didn't hesitate. "Yes. But not directly."
The light in Subaru's eyes flickered. "What?"
Zero clarified with firm conviction. "I will not fight in your place. Instead, I will make you strong enough to save them yourself. That way, the victory will be yours, not mine."
Subaru's fragile hope cracked, and frustration erupted out of him.
"But we only have two days!" he shouted, his voice breaking.
"Two days! Unless I start harvesting Witch Factors like they're candies—and that's impossible because it would require Sin Archbishops to die in the first place—there's no way I can get strong that quickly! There's no way to close the gap that fast!"
Zero met his despair-filled gaze without flinching.
His eyes carried an unshakable confidence. "Subaru, you are underestimating yourself. You're not weak. The truth is you're simply not using the abilities you already have properly."
Those words struck Subaru harder than he expected, and anger bubbled up inside him.
"Not weak? How am I not weak?!" he yelled, his voice trembling with both fury and hopelessness.
"I was beaten down by Julius in front of everyone! Humiliated like trash! Just Rem's grip alone—just her holding me—is enough to break my bones like twigs! My gate is practically useless—it's tiny, fragile, and overused to the point of breaking entirely! I'm on the verge of being crippled from the inside! Tell me, how the hell am I supposed to see myself as anything other than weak?!"
His breathing grew heavy, uneven, as though all the pent-up emotions were pouring out of him at once.
His voice cracked as he went on.
"Other than absorbing Witch Factors, which again means fighting and killing Sin Archbishops, I don't see any way to become stronger! And those monsters… those freaks… I can't defeat them like this! I don't even stand on the same battlefield as them!"
By the end of his rant, Subaru's body was trembling.
His face was twisted with frustration, shame, and despair all at once.
For a brief moment, it almost looked like he was about to break down completely, as if Zero's refusal to fight directly meant that he was being abandoned too.
After everything he had endured, Subaru had thought—hoped—that maybe this other self of his would simply step in and fix everything.
But instead, Zero was telling him to do it himself. And that crushed him.
Subaru gave Beatrice a gentle pat on the head, signaling for her to hop down from his lap.
The little spirit obliged, floating gracefully to the side as he slowly rose from his chair. Zero then stood as well, his movements deliberate.
With a casual clap of his hands, the earthen table and chairs that had been conjured earlier crumbled back into the ground, vanishing as though they had never existed.
Zero turned toward Subaru, his expression serious and his tone unwavering.
"First of all, you possess an unbreakable will. Do you even realize how rare that is? Do you even grasp how many people in this world—or any world—would completely lose their sanity if they had to endure the same deaths you have experienced? Even Reinhardt, with all his ridiculous abilities and natural advantages, would lose his mind if he had to experience your suffering without the aid of a particular Divine Protection. And I am not exaggerating."
Subaru froze, staring at Zero in disbelief.
But Zero continued without pause.
"In fact, in another timeline, the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony attempted to devour your memories," Zero said, his voice sharp with emphasis.
"What do you think happened? After consuming your memories, she was forced to relive all of the deaths you had experienced. And the result? She went completely insane. She begged for death. She cried out for it, unable to endure the torment of your experiences. She was so broken that she willingly gave back every single memory she had stolen over the course of her existence, just to escape from the agony of living your deaths."
Subaru's eyes widened, and his body trembled as he lowered his gaze to his hands.
He stared at them, his mind spinning in confusion.
Was that really true?
Could he really be that strong?
He had always seen himself as pathetic—someone who whined, someone who feared death more than anyone else, someone powerless who only survived by clinging desperately to others.
And yet, if what Zero said was true, then his ability to remain himself through all those countless deaths wasn't weakness at all. It was proof of an iron willpower.
A Sin Archbishop—one of the very monsters he feared most—had gone insane from what he endured.
But he had lived through it and kept moving forward.
That alone… that alone meant something, didn't it?
Zero didn't give him time to sink too deep into self-doubt.
"Secondly," he continued firmly, "you have an unusually strong affinity for spirits. In fact, your affinity surpasses even Julius, the so-called 'Greatest Spirit Knight.' It may sound unbelievable, but it is the truth. That affinity of yours will become one of the keys to defeating the first Sin Archbishop you face, and possibly even the White Whale itself."
Subaru's mouth dropped open in shock.
Stronger affinity than Julius?
Julius, the man who was literally defined by his bond with spirits, the one whose entire identity was wrapped around his unparalleled talent in that field.
Subaru couldn't even wrap his head around it.
How could he, of all people, have a higher potential in that area than the Knight who embodied it?
"And lastly," Zero said, his voice calm but filled with conviction, "with the proper knowledge and understanding of your enemies—their weaknesses, their patterns, their limitations—you may not even need to rely on Return by Death to achieve victory."
"And I am not joking, Subaru. In yet another timeline, another version of you managed to defeat the Sin Archbishop of Greed—the strongest among all of them at present. And do you know what he had? Almost nothing. His Authority of Sloth was pitifully weak. His gate was broken, just like yours. His physical abilities were no better than yours right now. And yet, on his very first attempt against Greed, once he understood the Archbishop's weakness, he won."
Subaru's legs nearly gave out beneath him.
His lips quivered as he struggled to form words, his mind overwhelmed by the flood of revelations.
He looked up at Zero, his eyes wide and glassy, a mixture of disbelief and a fragile, desperate hope.
"Am… Am I really that strong?" Subaru whispered, his voice trembling.
Zero slowly walked toward Subaru, his footsteps steady and purposeful.
When he reached him, he placed a firm hand on Subaru's trembling shoulder.
Subaru raised his head and met Zero's gaze, his expression caught somewhere between fragile hope, self-doubt gnawing at him, and a deep gratitude that he didn't even know how to put into words.
Then, without warning, a powerful aura surged out from Zero's body.
It was overwhelming and all-encompassing, a presence that wrapped around both of them like a living force.
Subaru gasped as he felt it pressing into him, not painful but undeniably heavy, as though something within his very being was being reshaped.
His body trembled uncontrollably as strange sensations coursed through him—his chest felt tight, then strangely light, his back prickled, and deep inside his body, he felt his core shifting.
Seconds passed, though to Subaru they felt like an eternity.
Finally, after about half a minute, the aura slowly receded, fading away as quickly as it had appeared, leaving behind only the faint warmth of Zero's hand still resting reassuringly on his shoulder.
Zero smirked knowingly and said, "It's done. I have not only healed your damaged gate, but I've expanded it as well—by ten times its previous size."
The words hit Subaru like a thunderclap.
His mouth fell open, his eyes widening in pure shock, before his emotions overwhelmed him entirely.
"I… I don't even know what to say. I don't even know how to thank you for this…" His voice cracked, and before he could stop himself, tears welled up in his eyes and spilled down his cheeks.
Zero's expression softened, and then he tilted his head slightly with a sly grin. "Technically, I am you. So, does anyone really need to thank themselves?"
"You… you bastard!" Subaru muttered, but instead of pushing him away, he threw his arms around Zero and hugged him tightly.
It was clumsy and awkward, and Subaru knew full well how ridiculous he looked—an emotionally broken, half-a-century-old version of himself clinging to another version of himself like a child.
But he didn't care.
After everything he had been through, the difference between living every day crushed by trauma and living even one moment without it felt like night and day.
Zero didn't resist, letting Subaru cling to him in silence.
The hug lasted longer than Subaru intended, nearly a full minute, before they finally separated.
Subaru quickly rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, trying to wipe away the embarrassing trail of tears.
"Damn…" Subaru muttered, looking away with an awkward laugh, "today I've been shocked, stunned, and cried more times than I probably have in my entire life… well, except for the times when I lost Rem, or when I thought was about to die for good. Those were worse."
Zero nodded firmly, then grinned.
"Good. That means today actually mattered. Now…" He turned, his voice filled with determination.
"Let's get back to Rem. It's time for you to form your first spirit contract and gain your first true companion."
Beatrice, who had been watching the whole exchange quietly, suddenly crossed her arms with a huff but her eyes softened.
"Betty agrees! Betty sincerely hopes that this world's Subaru will one day be able to make a contract with this world's Betty as well. And after that, he should gather even stronger spirits to stand beside him! It's the only proper path forward, in Betty's opinion."
She gave Subaru a proud, almost challenging look.
Subaru chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Ah… but how the hell am I supposed to explain this to Rem?"
He pointed a finger at Zero's face, which was, of course, nearly identical to his own, as if he were staring at a perfect mirror with only a few details altered.
"Oh, about that…" Zero said casually.
Suddenly, before Subaru's eyes, his hair shifted in color until it was stark white, and his pupils changed, his eyes glowing golden with a subtle draconic gleam that gave off an intimidating aura of otherworldliness.
Subaru's jaw dropped, words failing him for a moment as he stared at the transformation.
"…"
Then, finally, he found his voice.
"You… FUCKING cheater…" Subaru muttered under his breath, scowling, though the disbelief on his face made it clear he didn't know whether to be impressed or to scream.
To be continued...
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12 chapters of Re:Zero: The Great Sage
7 chapters of Is It Wrong to Be a High-Elf in a Dungeon?
All available chapters of Pride if Alternative
Exclusive Illustrations
Discord Role
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20 chapters of Re:Zero: The Great Sage
15 chapters of Is It Wrong to Be a High-Elf in a Dungeon?
All available chapters of Pride if Alternative
Versatile Mage: Infinite Resources (Exclusive Fic Chapters)
Exclusive Illustrations
Discord Role
👑 $15 — Royal Member (Nearly Sold Out!)
30 chapters of Re:Zero: The Great Sage
All available chapters of Is It Wrong to Be a High-Elf in a Dungeon?
All available chapters of Pride if Alternative
Versatile Mage: Infinite Resources chapters
Exclusive Illustrations
Discord Role
💫 $20 — Mommy Minerva's Sugar Child (Sold Out!)
35 chapters of Re:Zero: The Great Sage
All available chapters of every other fic
Exclusive Illustrations
Discord Role
⚔️ $30 — King Arthur Tier
All previous perks
Special small animated scenes from my fanfics
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