--Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill.
In the thick darkness, only the simmering hatred and murderous intent grew.
--Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill.
No matter how many times he mutters it, no matter how many times he spits it out, no matter how many times he squeezes it out, it's an endless spiral of hatred.
I have never hated someone, any other person, any human being, so much.
Ever since coming to this world, there had been so many times when he had hated this shapeless fate. The merciless world that had thrown Subaru to the depths of destiny, that had forced him to face a merciless reality no matter how many times he tried to climb out, and that made him pay with his life every time he made a wrong choice - the number of times he had hated it was too many to count.
But I have never hated an individual so much in my life.
"Petelgeuse... Romanee-Conti... ii."
Every time I utter its name, recall its appearance behind my eyelids, hear its shriek echo through my eardrums, and become aware of its existence, a raging rage erupts within my body.
Who on earth was that man, that madman?
He has no idea what kind of person he is. All Subaru knows is that he is an insane madman, a flawed human being who is completely unable to communicate with us, a despicable man who thinks nothing of oppressing others in accordance with his own values, and a demon who mercilessly injured Rem, who sacrificed herself to save Subaru, violating her life and soul. All of this screams out to him that it is unacceptable to let that man live.
That is why he must kill him. He must kill him. With these hands, he cannot leave it to anyone else. Petelgeuse must be killed by Subaru's hands.
Otherwise, how could Rem's death be atoned for?
"I'll kill you, I'll kill you, for sure... I'll kill you...!"
Affirming his murderous intent aloud, Subaru twisted his body and made the handcuffs rattle.
Swinging his arms and legs with all his might, he tried again and again to escape the shackles. The shackles had been fastened so tightly that they were constricting his flesh. Subaru's body could no longer withstand the repeated violent movements, and the skin on his arms was torn, and the flesh underneath was gouged out, causing blood to flow.
A searing pain ran from the wound, making his brain boil. But every time the pain hit a nerve, he gritted his teeth, thinking of the suffering Rem had gone through.
If his hand was torn off, that was fine. As long as he could escape the shackles, even if only one finger or tooth moved, he would put an end to Betelgeuse's life.
Desperately writhing, pain and blood trickling from the corners of his mouth, Subaru continued to rampage, seeking a place to unleash his hatred, a target for his murderous intent.
--More than four hours had already passed since Petelgeuse had left Subaru behind and left the cave.
The light sources installed in various places on the walls of the cave - the ragmite ore had lost its glow, and now only emitted a faint light that made its location clear.
When struck, it loses its function of emitting light, and the cave is plunged into an endless pale blue darkness.
Subaru himself, struggling desperately to remove the handcuffs and shackles, is in the darkness, unable to see even his own hands clearly. In a sense, it could be said that it is precisely because he is in the darkness, unable to see the extent of the damage to his arms, that he is able to harm himself so readily.
"Peter, Gius...!"
Spitting out the name of the hated man through gritted teeth, Subaru kept his resolve strong.
In the darkness, where nothing can be seen, there is no sign of anyone other than one's own existence. Heavy breathing, beating of the heart, the sound of chains rubbing against shackles, the sound of dripping blood - in a place where these external changes are absent, being alone can quickly weaken a person's mind.
I suddenly imagine what it would be like to remove all sound in one go.
"--Yeah! I'll kill you, I'll kill you, I'll kill you!"
However, soon he could no longer bear the thought, and with foam rising at the corners of his mouth, Subaru let out a roar of rage.
Being isolated in a world from all outside world and being alone in that world can easily destroy, rot and end the human spirit.
In a world where nothing can start unless one takes action, Subaru screams out as if to shake off the fear of being left behind and to turn his eyes away from that fact.
As long as you scream hatred, you can stay sane.
By continuing to harbor a maddening murderous intent, he is able to stay mad.
Subaru needed hatred to keep from going mad.
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
--Subaru had no idea how many more hours had passed since then.
"Woosh, woosh... so, woosh..."
Consciousness floats aimlessly between awareness and unconsciousness.
Fatigue, weakness, wear and tear slowly took their toll on Subaru's mind and body.
His throat had long ago grown hoarse from voicing every ounce of hatred, and his never-ending resentment no longer came out in the form of human words, but merely a hoarse breath.
His body had been fighting against the shackles, but it had been overworked beyond its limits and was no longer responding to the instructions of his brain. His wrists were torn and worn down to the bone. His ankles were exposed, with dark red flesh all the way up to his ankles, and he was hit by spasmodic pain every time they rubbed against the ground.
--Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill.
And yet, murderous intent continues to well up from the source deep within his heart.
Now that his body and mind had stopped responding, only his heart was supporting Subaru.
A full day had passed since he had been abandoned and forced into a world of solitude. His body and mind had reached their limits, but Subaru had not shut himself off.
If this consciousness were to suddenly cease now, there would be no waking up again. And if I were to forget this hatred, I would not be able to continue to recognize reality.
Only hatred, only murderous intent, proves Subaru's sanity.
If Subaru were to forget this, he would once again be shut away in his own broken world, and would have no choice but to become lazy and cry or laugh like mad.
Lazy, lazy, lazy, lazy, lazy, lazy, lazy, lazy, lazy.
Those three letters kept ringing in my head over and over again.
Betelgeuse's harsh laughter, his insane mannerisms, and the actions of a madman are all linked to those three letters.
If I were to give in to weakness and sink into laziness, I would end up making the same disgrace that man had said I would. That was something I simply could not accept.
Petelgeuse of "Sloth". Witch Cult. Archbishop of Sin. Finger. Right hand. Left hand. Invisible hand. Index finger. Ring finger. Little finger. Diligence. Sloth. Sloth. Sloth.
Listed here were words characteristic of the delusions that Betelgeuse had loudly shouted.
While pondering in his dead mind what the meaning of those things he had extracted might be, Subaru dug up memories connected to Betelgeuse in an attempt to connect his fading consciousness, even if only a little at a time.
I must remember that man's face more clearly, more definitively, more visibly. I must dig up from my memory his voice, his figure, his shadow, the way he walked, spoke, thought, and touched me, all the details of my beloved, burn them into my soul along with the hatred, and keep them burning as fuel for my awakening.
He no longer had the physical strength to remove the shackles, his throat was slit as he tried to call for help, and all his strength was being poured into postponing the pointless loss of consciousness.
Seen from the sidelines, Subaru's mind had already reached the level of madness.
Only the person himself does not realize that there is no point in remaining conscious or letting hatred boil over. And in a world where only he exists, the fact that he does not realize this is the same as being asked a question that he will never be able to understand.
Will the spirit wear out and the heart disappear first?
Or perhaps the body is unable to keep up with the awakening of consciousness and the physical body weakens first.
It's just a matter of choosing which predetermined destination to go to.
Originally, that was the only meaning that should have remained in connecting consciousness.
What gave meaning to that pointless, futile struggle wasn't Subaru's unwillingness to give up,
"--?"
Suddenly, in the pitch black darkness, Subaru sensed the presence of someone other than himself and his breath caught.
Lifting his head, too lazy to even move it slightly, Subaru looked in the direction of the presence he had sensed. However, the darkness that filled the cave was so deep that it could not be overcome by simply squinting. With no ragmite ore to be found nearby, and with no way to dispel the darkness, Subaru could only hold his breath and shrink into a small space at the sudden presence that had appeared.
It is impossible to determine whether the aura that has arisen is friendly or hostile.
If a well-intentioned third party had appeared to help Subaru, they would have called out to him, so it would be extremely suspicious if someone had just appeared without that happening.
Holding his breath and consciously calming even his heartbeat, Subaru silenced the presence of it all.
And yet, the presence that had arisen was slowly, really slowly, bit by bit, at a crawling speed, but surely creeping towards Subaru.
In the complete darkness, Subaru was trying to hide his presence, but the presence approached him as if it knew what was going on.
Its existence makes me feel a sense of crisis, anxiety, and fear.
However, a completely opposite sensation soon crossed Subaru's mind.
--First of all, where did this feeling come from?
Subaru had never been trained to sense someone's presence, and so the reason he was sensing someone's presence in the darkness right now was because of a biological sound made by a being other than himself that had not occurred until then.
And those sounds were quite close in distance, at least they weren't coming from far away like near the entrance. And most importantly, they weren't coming from there.
The sound suddenly appeared from near the center of the cave.
Thinking that far, Subaru's lips trembled in disbelief,
"Re, Remu...?"
He called out the name of the girl who was the most likely candidate for the sound and presence.
That couldn't be the case, his reason told Subaru.
When Subaru last saw Rem, while there was still a source of light remaining in the cave, his eyes were drawn to her in a pitiful state that was almost too terrible to look at.
His limbs were torn off, his ears cut off, and his body was pierced multiple times with blades.
In that condition, they received no medical treatment and were left for dozens of hours on the cold ground, mercilessly robbing them of body heat.
There's no way he could be alive. He must be dead.
But, if that was the case, what other possibilities were there? The true nature of this presence that was creeping towards Subaru at a crawling speed from where Rem had collapsed?
"Rem, Rem...?"
"――――"
However, his pleading calls were met with nothing but silence.
And yet, as if the presence had gained certainty from Subaru's voice, it seemed to have changed its crawling speed ever so slightly.
Slowly, slowly, there was the sound of something being dragged across the cold ground.
There's no way she could stand or walk. If it was her, she would have been moving her remaining two limbs with all her might, crawling towards me like a caterpillar.
Sitting up, he pulled on his handcuffs and ankle shackles, the chains clanking as Subaru tried to move himself. But the walls were strong, and after more than a dozen hours of trying, they weren't going to suddenly loosen up. Filled with frustration, patheticness, and a heat deep in his chest, Subaru continued to wait, almost in tears, for the creeping presence to reach him.
and--,
"R…"
Finally, the approaching presence reached Subaru's body.
Subaru received it and was about to shout with joy, but his throat went cold.
The sensation was so light and cold that it didn't seem like it came from a living person.
"Re, Rem...?"
Rem's body was lying face down at Subaru's kneeling feet. Her trembling body had already lost the warmth of her blood and was ice cold.
Dragging her body along even though it should have been dead, Rem continued to cling to Subaru. She couldn't feel anything with her left hand. Only her right hand ran up Subaru's legs, waist, and chest, wrapping around him from the front as if embracing him.
Subaru, silently accepting the embrace of the dead man, had no idea what was happening.
He was sure that it was Rem in front of him, holding him. But when he touched her body, it was clearly dead, and there was an unreal feeling, as if she was only animated by the smoldering flame of her dying life.
The embrace continued like this for a while.
Suddenly, Rem was the one to end this cold encounter.
She was holding Subaru with only one arm, but her body lost strength and she collapsed to her knees. Subaru frantically reached out his hand to support her, but his hand was not able to support Rem's body. Because,
"--Huh?!"
The hand he held out was grabbed by Rem's body and he was pushed to the ground.
Subaru was pulled forward and knocked down, stunned by Rem's sudden movement and a strength that exceeded his imagination, and was even more astonished by her next action.
Subaru's arms were placed on the ground, and a huge amount of liquid poured down from above.
The cold, viscous water smelled of rusty iron - it was only when the blood splashed into his mouth and he tasted it that Subaru realised it was actually Rem's blood.
The feeling of aversion at being covered in so much of someone else's blood sent chills down Subaru's spine, but the rapid changes that occurred instantly wiped away that negative feeling.
"--Ma"
The whispers shook the air ever so slightly, interfering with the mana and exerting their effect.
"--Zuah."
Subaru was hit with an excruciating pain, as if his wrist was being dug by a sharp blade.
The pain, so strong that it made me arch my neck backward, began in my wrist and spread down to my upper arms and shoulders.
I don't know what happened. Blood is spat out, I feel a sudden pain, and I feel like my arms will become useless if this continues - right after that, I feel a chill run through my body.
--With a sound, the handcuffs, unable to withstand the pressure from within, cracked and broke.
The thud of metal shattering and falling shards echoed across the cavern floor.
Subaru let out a rough breath as the pain suddenly subsided, and he became aware of the sense of relief that had spread down his entire arm, and the burning pain that covered his skin.
And then I understood.
"Rem, you..."
She used magic to freeze the blood Rem spat out, and the resulting pressure destroyed the shackles.
Naturally, Subaru's arms, which had been directly affected by the magic, were not in a good condition either. But still, his wrists could be turned, and his fingers could move according to his will. If he ignored the pain, he would be able to move them as usual by force of will.
In other words, Rem's plan was successful.
Just as he was about to praise her, Subaru caught the light body that had collided with the one he had raised. Light, all too light. The blood was being lost from his body, and now even the last of his consciousness was fading.
"Rem...wait, Rem. Wait...for me."
Did he want to say, "Don't leave me behind?"
Did he want to know if I hated him?
Whatever his true intentions, Subaru despaired at his selfishness.
Even at this point, it's shameful to still try to protect such a weak creature as myself.
Even though Rem had literally overturned death and saved Subaru.
With that, the light of her life would finally go out.
"--yeah"
"Rem?"
Rem's lips, the cold lips of the dead, were trying to form words for the first time.
Not even sparing a single word, crawling along the ground with her body still, and concentrating her magical powers with a hazy consciousness, the girl who had achieved her goal was trying to leave something behind in the end.
it is,
"Come on."
"----!"
"I... love you..."
Dead.
Now Rem is dead.
In Subaru's arms, his light body grew heavy. And even as it grew heavier, it still remained light, a body that had completely lost its soul, and its weight was pressing down on Subaru's entire body.
In the end, in a broken voice, she told Subaru, "Live."
--A lament echoed throughout the dark cave.
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
It was several more hours later that Subaru was able to escape the shackles.
Subaru, freed from his handcuffs, continued to reach out within the shackles' restraining range, and succeeded in grabbing one of the crosses that had fallen from the hand of the black-clad warrior who had died in the battle with Rem.
The broken blade was no longer of any use as a knife, but it was probably for the better, because if the blade had still been intact, Subaru might have resorted to the reckless act of cutting off his own ankle.
"...Light, huh."
Most of the flesh had been scraped off, and I could even see the bones of my ankles. I turned them, painfully, to check that they could move. Ignoring the excruciating pain that ran through my mind every time I stepped on the ground, it seemed like I could walk without any problems.
Subaru stood up, holding Rem's corpse in his arms.
In my now free arms, her body, which had lost two limbs, was so small and light. She was so small that I could hold her close to my chest and completely envelop her. I felt so pathetic and so sorry that my life had been saved by something so tiny.
The cross had an incomplete blade. The broken blade was carefully, carefully slammed into the metal joints of the shackles. The cross collapsed and the shackles were destroyed. It was a contest to see which would take the root first, but the cross won.
He threw the loose shackles at the wall with all his might, the ragmite ore taking the impact lighting up the cavern with a pale blue glow.
The cold light illuminated the dim cavern. Even though the light was so weak, it was still dazzling and penetrated Subaru's eyelids, the first light he had seen in several dozen hours.
Feeling tears welling up from the depths of his eyes due to the pain, Subaru was oddly impressed that there were still tears left in his body.
I thought I had cried until my throat was hoarse and all the tears had flowed.
"Let's go, Rem."
While the impacted ragmite ore was still glowing, Subaru headed outside.
Pain shoots up from his feet as he takes one step after another. The pain shoots up to his shoulders, and the immense damage spreads to his arms as he holds Rem up.
There was no part of my body that didn't hurt. There was no part that wasn't bleeding.
However, the part that was most painful no longer felt anything.
Slowly, at a turtle's pace, Subaru and Rem made their way across the cold floor of the cave. The soles of their shoes-less feet felt the cold of the ground directly, but Rem's body in their arms was much colder. The cold was nothing in comparison.
After passing through a long, narrow cave passage, we come to an entrance blocked by rocks.
Suddenly, having reached that point, Subaru found himself at a loss. The rock blocking the hole in front of him was the same height as Subaru, and the width of three Subarus. If we were to compare its weight, it would be far too heavy for ten Subarus.
There was no way it could be moved. He wondered how he'd gotten in there in the first place, but his memories of being isolated from reality were hazy and blurry, and he couldn't find a manual on how to move the rock anywhere in his brain.
"It was a straight road, right...?"
Even if I thought there might be another exit, I couldn't remember any trace of it on the way here. Or maybe there was a secret passage, cleverly disguised like this rock, but if there was, how much time and luck would it take to find it?
Subaru had little connection with inspiration or good fortune.
"You've come this far, that's a lie... please, it's a lie..."
Weakened, Subaru weakly complained about the cruelty before his eyes. He leaned his body in and touched the rock before him - that was it.
The rock, which had the appropriate mass to support Subaru's body, suddenly vanished from existence.
Subaru, who should have leaned forward and leaned against the rock, stepped on a bellows, and, despite his body being on the verge of falling, he somehow managed to put his foot forward and brace himself, as the world was scorched by the crimson of the pouring down sunset.
"--!"
The orange sunlight gave Subaru a brilliant glow that made him let out an involuntary groan.
Beyond the forest, behind the hills, the setting sun filled the horizon, painting the world the same color as the flames as a final farewell to the day's work.
Subaru had been in the darkness for a long time, so he crouched down for a while, waiting for his eyes to take in the light. After a while, Subaru stood up, blinked several times, and looked around after making sure he was not affected by the light.
Naturally, the sight of nothing but a succession of trees as far as the eye could see was unfamiliar to me.
Looking far into the distance, there was not even a hint of human activity, such as a forest road or a highway. Considering the nature of the group that had been holed up in the cave, it was only natural, but it seemed to be a place of confinement, completely isolated from human settlements.
"But I can walk..."
I don't know where my destination is, and I have no idea where I'm going.
And yet, as if pushed from behind by the light weight in his arms, Subaru began to walk through the forest. Stepping over leaves, climbing over roots, and wading through soil, Subaru made his way through the gradually darkening night.
It was certain that they had reached the vicinity of the Mathers territory - Roswaal's mansion.
When his consciousness was at its fading stage, Rem must have been leading Subaru to the mansion. He dug up his memories of that time, rocking in the dragon carriage and finding comfort in her lap.
There was trouble with the dragon carriage overturning, it was the work of those people called the "Witch Cultists", Subaru was taken away by them, Rem risked her life to save him, and now Subaru is like this.
He had intended to sort out the situation, but the fragments of his memories and even hatred were gathered together, and Subaru's insides were scorched by a bottomless flame.
When I think of Rem, my heart aches with gratitude and regret.
Remembering Petelgeuse, his body groans as if it might burst with hatred and resentment.
Anger, sadness, hatred, affection - all these things supported and drove Subaru.
The path is unclear and there is nothing to guide me.
But still, Subaru's feet did not stop, and he continued to resist without losing consciousness.
--And perhaps that was a miracle that happened to him.
There were no signposts, nothing to rely on, and he just kept walking, refusing to stop, until at the end of it all he found, the place he wanted to reach.
A miracle is a mysterious phenomenon that is beyond human control.
In that case, it was an unmistakable miracle that Subaru had arrived at his destination, covering the shortest distance without anyone's help.
For the first time since coming to this world, the world had bestowed upon Subaru a miracle.
If there was a god who controlled fate, then for the first time, he had smiled upon Subaru.
And that smile, that miracle,
"--teeth"
--And it only rained once.
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
The exact same hell that they had seen before was ravaging the village once again.
Burnt houses and blood-stained villagers. The corpses of those who had resisted to no avail were carelessly gathered in the center of the village, creating a mountain of corpses.
Slashed by blades, pierced, burned by magic, crushed, there is no way anyone could hope to survive.
If there was anything different from before, it was that the villagers' corpses were more mutilated than before.
"Petra. Mild. Luca. Maina. Cain, Dyne..."
Even the mutilated corpses of children were incorporated into the vicious object.
Subaru's knees went limp as he held Rem in his arms.
Collapsed on the spot, hugged the cold body in his arms tightly, and let out a sob.
What was he doing?
How could I have known this would happen and overlooked it?
Subaru had completely forgotten the scene, the hellish landscape that had shattered his heart, until he left the forest path and spotted black smoke rising from the direction of the village.
No, he had been looking away, pretending to be heartbroken over Rem's death, and using his unending hatred for Petelgeuse as an excuse.
In an attempt to escape from what had happened, Subaru once again chose to be self-centered.
The result is what you see before your eyes.
The reason the children are dead here is because Rem, who would have protected them last time, was unable to reach the village. Subaru survived, but the children ended up losing their lives in pain.
The despicable reality eats away at Subaru's heart.
Now I understand. I understand everything.
It's Betelgeuse.
He killed the villagers, he killed the children, he killed Rem.
Not once, but twice, he did the unforgivable.
The course of action was decided. I knew what I had to do.
Betelgeuse must be killed. Kill, kill, kill him completely, burn down every last cell of him, and erase his existence.
Otherwise, death cannot be avenged.
My thoughts are filled with hatred.
My vision turned red, and I could see most of the missing blood rising up to my head, spilling out of my nose.
Roughly wiping the blood dripping from her nostrils, he picked up Rem again, careful not to taint her, and stood up. His knees were shaking, his ankles were wobbly, and it was a wonder he could stand and walk at all.
"I'll kill you, I'll kill you, I'll kill you, I'll kill you..."
But if I can walk, if I can move forward, I'll bite off your throat.
Dragging his consciousness overwhelmed with murderous intent, Subaru heads towards the mansion. He has witnessed the hell that is the village. Next is the mansion. What awaits him there? His memory of what happened right before he died, right before he had to start over, is patchy and unclear.
When he arrived at the mansion, he saw something crucial, and his heart broke. He tried desperately to remember what it was, straining his brain to remember.
He found Rem dead.
And if that experience was anything to go by, then it had already ended this time. Rem was dead, and the impact that her death and devotion had had on Subaru was immeasurable.
"Ugh."
Naturally, laughter began to erupt.
Truly, truly, nothing has changed.
It's just out of order. It doesn't change anything that happened. I don't remember ever wasting so much time redoing things.
No matter how things turned out, Subaru must have gained something from his death.
But what value do I have now, when my mind has been destroyed, I've been unable to save anything, and I've encountered hell once again?
Before you know it, you begin to lose sight of who your murderous intent is directed at.
Petelgeuse, that name was all that supported Subaru. That should be fine. He must be the one he wanted to kill. Kill him, kill him, kill him.
After killing him, I wish -- would die too.
Noise began to mix into his thoughts, and Subaru's mind began to flicker.
Once again standing between sanity and insanity, Subaru looks ahead with bloodshot eyes.
No matter what happened, his priority now was to head to the mansion, and as always he chose to put off the situation at hand.
and--,
"------------!!"
The moment he reached the top of the hill, Subaru saw the Roswaal Mansion collapse.
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
The roof collapses and the terrace collapses.
The window glass shattered all at once, scattering glittering shards, and the cracked white wall was torn apart.
Subaru, who had arrived at the gate, looked up in shock at the overwhelming destruction.
The mansion lost its outline in an instant, as if it had been subjected to a demolition project using bombs.
The familiar building lost its shape, its remains scattered across the carefully tended gardens, and every trace of it having been a mansion was lost.
I search my memory for a time when I had encountered that scene, but there is no corresponding memory. Or perhaps the shock was so great that I don't remember the moment of death.
"Wh, what is that..."
As a confused expression came to my mind, the image of the skinny man's mocking laughter came to mind.
If the massacre in the village was the work of this man, he would have directed his murderous actions towards the mansion as well.
That method may have led to the collapse of the mansion. Even so,
"What on earth did I do to cause this..."
Holding his head in a scene beyond his comprehension, Subaru exhales white breath and his eyes become confused.
Feeling lonely, she craved the sensation of someone in his arms, but the coldness only increased as it trickled down her palms, causing sadness to well up in her heart.
And then, too late, Subaru realizes.
--My own heavy breathing looked cloudy and white.
When I woke up, I felt a piercing pain all over my body.
His breath turned white and turned into ice droplets the moment it dispersed into the air. And the oxygen he inhaled was freezing cold, freezing his lungs and tormenting Subaru from the inside.
I don't know what's happening or what's happening.
The body heat is lost from his entire body, and even standing becomes difficult, causing him to collapse.
He crouched down on the spot, leaned forward onto the ground, and fell to the side with Rem still in his arms, unable to move.
It wasn't a matter of not having enough blood or running out of strength.
Subaru knew this feeling, of not being able to convey his intentions to his fingers, of his consciousness becoming detached from his body. He had experienced it many times before, a sense of loneliness and powerlessness that he would never get used to.
The end was approaching, and in an attempt to resist it even a little, Subaru's still body sent instructions from his brain to his entire body, searching for a place that would obey his will. However, the only ones to listen were his eyes, which were barely moving within their sockets, and they merely looked up at the ruined mansion.
"--a"
And this time, with his vision fixed and motionless, Subaru saw something.
--It was a beast, standing on the ruins of a collapsed mansion.
A beast with grey fur flowing all over its body and shining golden eyes.
The sight of it standing on all four limbs and swaying its long tail was leisurely and mystical.
And above all, the beast had such a powerful build that it could have been mistaken for a mansion.
Watching this from afar, Subaru realised the cause of the mansion's collapse.
That beast had suddenly appeared from within the mansion. With such a huge body emerging from within, the mansion naturally couldn't withstand the pressure.
Turning its body and glaring at its surroundings was a huge grey-furred beast that seemed to be of the feline family.
It spews sharp fangs from its mouth and breathes like a white blizzard, painting the world into a pure white hell that freezes all living things.
What on earth was that? His eyes began to grow pale and dark, and Subaru suddenly realized his throat had become blocked.
The coldness I had felt so far had disappeared, and I even felt warmth.
The temptation to entrust himself completely to that warmth flickers before his eyes, and Subaru forgets everything - the hatred that burns his body, the sorrow that tears his soul apart.
Forget, forget, consciousness sinks into oblivion, into the freezing warmth.
"Sleep - With my daughter"
Just before I fell asleep, I thought I heard someone's voice.
Everything, everything, became insignificant as Natsuki Subaru sank and dissolved into the pleasure.
It melted, melted, melted, and then it disappeared