Chapter 146: We're Actually a Bit Alike
The power within his body was rampaging, struggling to find an outlet to burst out from the narrow confines of his flesh.
And right in front of him stood a man who could not be moved by words, could not be saved by them—
Only violence remained as a means to save him.
Violence can save people.
Violence can also hurt people.
Right now, using violence was to protect the people in the village, and to protect the companions who had fought alongside him several times.
But this time, he would use violence to hurt the very person he wished to save.
There was no choice but to resort to violence—
Break the man's legs! Twist his arms until they're like ropes!
Then, maybe, think of another way to save the one person only he wished to save.
There was no other way.
At least, not with the abilities he currently had.
The reason he had chosen to face Petelgeuse alone, without bringing any companions,
was because only he knew a part of Petelgeuse's past, and only he harbored the desire to save this man who had fallen into the abyss.
The feeling of having to personally kill the one you care about most—
He had never experienced it before, but even imagining it filled him with unbearable pain.
Wilhelm, Julius, and the others who knew none of this—
They would never spare Petelgeuse.
That's why it had to be him.
Alone.
For his own selfish reasons.
Yes—for his own selfishness.
It wasn't entirely for Emilia's sake.
He just believed that if things turned out this way, it would be something truly beautiful.
Kamijou once spoke of his dream—
A dream so naive it made others want to laugh.
He had once thought Kamijou could never achieve it—
but in the end, he had watched Kamijou make that dream come true.
It was precisely because of that, that after coming to this world, he wanted to work hard to create a perfect ending.
The madman, the lunatic, the sinner before him—
Yes, he deserved to die.
What he had done merited death a thousand times over.
But even so, for his own selfish reasons, he was willing to give Petelgeuse a chance at redemption.
Let him spend the rest of his life repenting.
If he could just live to see Emilia and him reunite—
That kind of future, surely, would be one where everyone was smiling.
Right now, only he knew who the Sin Archbishop of Sloth really was, and what he looked like.
So if he beat him down with brute force, and resolved the madness clouding his mind,
then he could begin repenting for his past.
"Petelgeuse!
This world doesn't need your existence!
Until you bring Geuse back—
Just lie down already!!"
As the words burst from his mouth,
the power raging inside him found its outlet.
His body sprinted toward the enemy ahead—
Each step left a deep imprint in the ground.
Each stride closed the distance between them rapidly.
His vision slowed—
All he could see were the countless arms threatening his life.
What should a bare-handed man do in such a situation?
But… was he really unarmed?
Hadn't his weapons always been there?
His fists. His legs.
His entire body was his weapon.
That's how he had made it this far.
"Impossible!
How can you see my Authority?!
It's not real!
It's unreasonable!
It's incorrect!
This is MY Authority!
Only I should be able to see it!
There's no way—YOU CAN'T SEE MY AUTHORITY!!!"
He heard Petelgeuse's shocked scream in his ears.
But Subaru gave no reply—
After all, he didn't know why he could see the invisible hands now.
In previous loops, he hadn't been able to.
But none of that mattered anymore.
He just had to swing his fists and shatter every hand that blocked his way!
As the distance rapidly closed, Subaru's body suddenly lost balance.
Looking down, he saw two arms emerging from the dirt, grabbing his legs.
With overwhelming force and speed,
the hands began flinging him violently.
He smashed through tree after tree.
His body slammed into the cliff face,
leaving crater after crater.
Blood gushed from his mouth as he soared through the air.
His eyes burned red.
This was supposed to be the best possible outcome—
No one would die.
No one would cry.
Was he really going to die here?
Even if he could loop again,
Was giving up here really the right choice?
His body was slammed hard into the cliffside.
Through his blurred vision, he saw a mass of arms descending toward him.
"No…
No way!!
I can't fall here!
If my strength isn't enough—
Then I'll just do it again!!"
"Overdrive Burst!
Full-Power Strike!!!"
With a furious roar,
his muscles tightened,
his wildly beating heart sent shockwaves through his body.
His clenched fist swung forward—
A shockwave shattered every approaching hand.
The hands grabbing his legs were blown apart as his leg muscles flexed.
His body tilted forward.
His legs braced against the vertical cliff wall.
Subaru looked straight at Petelgeuse in the distance.
The power in his legs exploded at that moment—
And he vanished from Petelgeuse's view.
All Petelgeuse saw was the cliff wall crumbling before him—
Then a body came crashing down,
slamming into everything on top of him.
His body was flung backward.
Blood spewed from his mouth.
His back smashed into something again and again.
His mind went blank.
Trees collapsed one after another.
The two blurry figures tumbled through them before finally stopping.
Petelgeuse's blank mind slowly regained clarity.
He opened his eyes and saw—
A bloodied Natsuki Subaru straddling him,
a fist raised high,
ready to come crashing down on his head.
The fist fell.
A five-meter-wide crater formed around them.
Trees tilted.
Dust blanketed everything.
When the dust finally settled,
Subaru sat in the center of the crater,
looking down at Petelgeuse's face.
There was no madness in Petelgeuse's expression.
His eyes were closed.
Subaru gave a faint smile.
Then, Subaru's body began trembling violently.
The hand that had smashed Petelgeuse's face was soaked in blood,
and his arm had gone limp and useless.
The once-frantic heartbeat began to weaken.
Silence.
Stillness.
If not for their faint, shallow breathing,
one might think both were already dead.
"In some ways...
we really are alike, Geuse."
Subaru's frail voice made Petelgeuse open his eyes.
He saw Subaru's weary face,
his eyes filled with distant memories,
as he spoke slowly:
"Back then...
After I failed, I ran away.
Locked myself in my room.
Lived every day in darkness.
Just opening the curtain could've brought sunlight.
Even just stepping outside could've let me feel happiness.
But I didn't do any of that.
I don't really understand what you were feeling.
I don't really know what your past was like.
And we don't have all that much in common.
But at least in one way…
when it comes to running away—
we're the same, Geuse.
Aren't we?"