The sound of a carriage being drawn found its way to the ears of Rem and Subaru. At the pace they were going, they should reach the mansion by morning. Then they'll have plenty of time to take Emilia and run away from the Witch's Cult. However, the real question was how would they transport her. As Subaru contemplated this, he noticed someone familiar waving towards him.

"Hey, let's exchange information!"

"Wait a minute...that's--"

As Subaru had Rem stop the carriage, the two of them were now walking towards Otto as the merchant was directing them to his colleagues. The sun was setting as the crackling of fire could be heard as Subaru and Rem were now sitting with Otto and his companions. While he was sitting down, Subaru decided to take this opportunity to explain his situation to the merchant as Otto listened closely.

Hearing Otto's situation, Subaru was silent for a few moments as he was thinking about how to make the most of the situation. He needed to hurry to Emilia and take her out of the castle. Soon Subaru casts his gaze on Otto as he had an idea that could possibly benefit both him and the merchant.

"Otto, I have a deal for you."

"Huh?"

"I'll buy all the oil you have in your carriage, so lend us transport in return. All of the merchants and carriages here....anyone who will sell transportation for money, sell it to me! We're transporting people!"

"Huh?! We don't want any part in human trafficking!"

"I'm not running that type of side business. There's a village near Mathers mansion, I want you all to transport them somewhere else! We will, of course, pay you properly."

As Subaru said this, Rem stood next to him as she held a large bag filled with coins. Soon everyone got into their carriages as Subaru and Rem got in the same carriage as Otto. After a few minutes, the sound of carriages moving and earth dragons running were echoing through the night as Otto and his companions accepted Subaru's deal. With a smile on his face, Otto turned his head towards the brown haired boy as he explained the situation.

"If we run through the night, we should make it to the Mathers domain by morning."

"I'm sorry you guys can't stop to rest."

"Don't worry about that! You're buying all of my oil and paying for my services. I feel invincible!"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, Subaru-kun, but i'd like to check the remaining distance we have. Can you open up the map? It's right by your feet."

As Subaru nods his head at Rem's request, he picked up the map by his feet. It was too dark outside for him to read it, so he simply took out his cellphone and decided to use the light from it to read it. When asked about what his cell phone was, Subaru merely played it off as futuristic technology. Hearing this, both Otto and the bandana wearing man driving next to Subaru felt a chill down their spines as if they saw something illegal. After looking at the map with Subaru, a smile formed on Rem's lips.

"Just a bit farther and we should see Flugel's Tree. If we head northeast from there, the Mathers domain isn't far."

"Flugel's Tree?"

"It's a large tree that stands in the middle of Liafus Highway. Apparently a sage known as Flugel planted it there several hundred years ago. Look there it is."

Large couldn't even begin to describe what Subaru witnessed. In all his life back in Japan, he never would've expected to see a tree this large in scale. It stood tall as it towered over everything within range, making Subaru and everyone with him look like the size tiny carts and animals just simply passing by. Even in a situation this dire, Subaru couldn't help but find the sight magnificent.

"Wait, where is the bandana guy? I hope he didn't get distracted by the tree and got separated."

"What's wrong, Natsuki-san? Are you looking for something?"

"Oh, Otto, i'm looking for one of your companions. What happened to the guy with the bandana? He was driving a carriage next to me, but now I don't see him."

"What are you talking about, Natsuki-san? There wasn't anyone there in the first place."

The moment he heard Otto finish this sentence, Subaru noticed that the area was slowly being covered in mist. Soon the black-haired boy's gaze drifted upward as he noticed the mist seemingly being ejected out of something as it danced through the air. Subaru felt himself gulp as a shiver circulated throughout his body while he grabbed his phone. The moment he used the light on his phone, Subaru realized that the thing he was gazing at.......

.....stared right back at him.

Before he realized it, Subaru was was flying in the air as a large amount of mist erupted from the creature. The dragon carriage he and Rem occupied was now being reduced to splinters. As she was in the air, Rem used one of the destroyed pieces of the carriage as a platform in order to propel herself towards Subaru. The moment she had the boy in her arms, Rem used another piece of debris to launch them into the wagon that Otto's dragon carriage was pulling. Soon Rem looked at Subaru as she kept the boy from sitting up.

"Don't stand up, Subaru-kun! If you do, you'll get blown away."

"What happened?! What's this all about?! Otto, do you know what this is all about?!"

"Don't you understand, Natsuki-san?! There is only one thing this large and swims around a misty sky! It's the White Whale!"

"That thing is the White Whale.......Rem, what happened to the other carriages?!"

"They've scattered and are running away!"

"Dammit, just when we managed to get some help!"

Just as Subaru said this, he noticed the gaping mouth of the White Whale as the beast suddenly began to inhale. It felt as if both himself and the dragon carriage were being sucked in by a hurricane. Hearing the screams of both Subaru and Otto, Rem knew she had to do something or else they would all be swallowed up by the beast. With her horn now protruding from her forehead, Rem suddenly jumped high into the air as she was prepared to stop the beast from feasting upon them.

"AL HUMA!"

Just as she was facing the White Whale, Rem summoned massive, dense pillars of ice that were comparable to a central pillar of a mansion in size. They were fired at such high speeds, it resulted in the beast in front of them getting hit with tremendous force. Just as Rem landed on the dragon carriage and was now next to Otto, her eyes remained sharp as the White Whale's chase wasn't halted in the slightest.

"Run past it to the left!"

"Yes!"

"Left, left, left, left, left, left, left!"

While the dragon carriage was being maneuvered, Subaru felt himself being flung back and forth before falling off of the wagon he was occupying. Desperately trying to avoid being devoured by the beast, Subaru grabbed onto a piece of rope as he tried to climb back into the wagon. However, to his horror, the rope broke apart. Time felt as if it was slowing down, his heartbeat echoing in his ears. As he tried to desperately reach out towards anything, Subarus eyes widen when he heard the sound of chains rattling. In a matter of moments, Rem used the chains from her morningstar to capture Subaru and pull him towards her. Just as Subaru made it into the dragon carriage, he heard Otto speak to him.

"Why is it zoning in on us?! There are other carriages out there!"

"Think....think....think."

He had to find a way out of this situation and make it to Emilia. He needed a way to survive this matter. He needs to see this through to the end without Akira. If he couldn't do this much, then what would be the point of leaving the white-haired boy behind. What would be the point of being mad at him? Seeing Subaru struggle to come up with an idea, Rem simply nodded her head as she stood up and hands Subaru the bag filled with the money they promised Otto.

"Subaru-kun, please take this."

"Did you think of something, Rem?!"

"I'll hop off the carriage and intercept it. Use that time to successfully escape. Otto-sama, please take care of Subaru-kun! He has the payment we promised you."

"Payment? That's the least of our worries now! It isn't worth anything if we die!"

Rem simply smiled as she nods her head. She wasn't that smart, she was willing to admit that. However, this was the only idea she could think of. Before the maid could turn around, she felt someone stopping her in her tracks as her shoulders were being held. Right now, Rem was met with the desperate gaze of the man she cherished.

"Wait, Rem! I won't let you go, I won't! If you die.....if you die too, I......"

Suddenly the dragon carriage hit a bump in the road as Rem and Subaru collided with each other. Just as she opened her eyes, the maid found herself in a warm embrace. Her blue eyes were widely open with shock as Subaru held her tightly. If the situation wasn't so dire, she would've loved to have stayed like this forever.

"Ah....I was born for this moment, wasn't I?"

"Rem, what are yo--"

Faster than he could witness, Subaru felt himself being struck at the top of his head. Slowly, his consciousness was slipping away from him. While his eyes grew heavy, the only thing Subaru could make out was the back of a blue haired maid as she was ready to intercept the White Whale. With a smile on her face, Rem left Subaru with one parting message.

"Don't worry. I will always watch over you from behind, Subaru-kun.

As Rem jumped off of the carriage to intercept the White Whale, Subaru's sight turned pitch black as he was no longer awake. Though several lingering thoughts occured to him before he did. He abandoned Akira just because he couldn't stop this feeling of envy towards him. He was too weak to stop Rem from intercepting the beast chasing him. He was too idiotic when trying to convince the Royal Candidates to kill the Witch's Cult. Now, in this very moment, Natsuki Subaru was completely alone. And the only person he could blame was himself.

Time simply passed by as Subaru was slowly starting to open his eyes. The moment he regained his consciousness, he desperately looked around carriage. Though, despite his best efforts, Rem wasn't anywhere to be seen. With his voice filled with panic, he desperately asked the biggest question on his mind.

"Rem! Where is Rem?"

"Natsuki-san, are you awake?! Don't move, the dragon is running at full speed! I don't have time to worry about you."

"I don't care about that, Otto, where is Rem?! What happened to her?"

"..........."

"Answer me, Otto, what happened to Rem?!"

".......so that we could escape, she jumped off the carriage to intercept the White Whale."

Subaru felt as if his heart sunk into a deep ravine. He didn't want to let it happen again, he couldn't let it happen again. In this moment, Subaru abandoned all other thoughts except for one. The thought of saving the woman that stuck by his side. With his voice laced with a bit of anger, Subaru merely said two words to Otto.

"Go back."

"Huh?!"

"I said go back. We have....we have to save Rem! We have to go back now!"

As Subaru said this, he ran up to Otto and grabbed the man by the hood of his robe. Everything else in his mind was cast aside as Subaru wanted to go back in order to save Rem. No matter the cost, he wanted to go back to her and save her by any means necessary. Confused by Subaru's actions, Otto tried to reason with the young man as turning back would be suicide.

"W-what good would that do? Didn't you see how terrifying that White Whale monster is?! Going back would be a death wish!"

"I saw that monster up close! That's why i'm telling you to go back!"

"Have you gone insane?! Do you want the hope that she gave us to go to waste?!"

"Don't you talk about Rem! You abandoned her! You have no right to talk about her, go back!"

"You're the one who doesn't know how terrifying the White Whale is! It even killed the former Sword Saint back when she was part of the subjugation party sent to kill it! I'm weak...and so are you. We can't save that girl. We can't catch up to that girl's strength."

"Shut up and do as I say. You claim you want to protect her, but that's all i'm hearing from you."

It was for a brief moment, but the moment Subaru caught his breathe, Akira's words suddenly went through his head. A look of conflict was on his face as he sat down next to Otto. He didn't know why he remembered those words at a time like this, yet he couldn't even retort to it. After seeing Subaru calm down, Otto finally spoke up again.

"Fortunately, we managed to shake it off for now. But we don't know if we'll encounter it again until we leave the mist."

"Otto, watch your mouth."

"What do you mean, Natsuki-san?"

"I'm saying don't talk like it's a game! We were "fortunate". You must be joking! Don't you understand how Rem felt when she--"

"Who is Rem?"

"Huh?"

"There was no one with that name among the merchants who separated from us. Who are you talking about?"

While the merchant's eyes held genuine confusion in them, Subaru's eyes were wide with disbelief that such words escaped from Otto's mouth. Before he even realized it, Subaru had already slammed his right fist onto the merchant's face. The dragon carriage was unsteady for a moment due to Otto being punched to the side, but the young man got back up as he continued to drive but was soon grabbed by his collar as Subaru's eyes were filled with anger.

"What do you think you're doing, Natsuki-san?!"

"Cut the crap! You talked about how Rem let us escape, and then ask who she is?!"

"I'm telling you, I don't know what you're talking about! Why are you suddenly talking like this?! Did seeing the White Whale make you lose your mind?!"

"That's my line, Otto--"

Their arguing was immediately brought to a halt. The looks of anger and confusion now replaced with looks of fear. Otto began to panic as the large beast bumped its enormous body against his dragon carriage. None of it's actions made sense to both the merchant and Subaru. Why was it still chasing after them so relentlessly? While Otto threw the lamp that gave him and Subaru light in an attempt to throw the beast off their tracks, Subaru held his head tightly. The arrival of the White Whale only meant one thing.

"Rem......"

"Why is it only chasing after us, even in this darkness?! Is there some sort of marker?!"

"No, it can't be. Is that beast, the White Whale, a mabeast? Is it being drawn to me? Rem.....no........it's my fault....Rem...."

"Natsuki-san, please die."

In the blink of an eye, Subaru felt himself getting pushed off of the carriage. As his body hit the ground and was rolling over, Otto looked forward with tears in his eyes as his entire body was shaking. It was following them because of Subaru, so Subaru should take responsibility. In order for Otto to live, Subaru needed to die. As the black haired boy was picking himself back up, Otto and his dragon carriage were long gone.

Soon the White Whale was seen hovering over Subaru. As it opened its jaw, it almost looked as if it was smiling when it's gaze was on Subaru. If the boy didn't know any better, it felt like he was being mocked. Suddenly the White Whale's eyes turned red and a large gust of mist was blasted at Subaru as the boy was flying backwards. His body harshly landed on the ground as blood escaped from the top of his head. As he was now lying on the ground, several thoughts went through Subaru's head as he was afraid.

"I want to believe in you,Subaru. Yet.....you're the one not giving me reason to!"

"I don't want to die."

"How can you call yourself Emilia's knight when you haven't said you'll save Emilia once?"

"No, I don't want to die! No! NO, NO, NO! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

"Don't worry. I will always watch over you from behind, Subaru-kun."

"HELP ME....REM....I DON'T WANT....TO DIE...."

He yelled with everything he had until his throat began to hurt. Tears escaped his eyes until nothing else could escape from them. He desperately prayed for someone to save him, but no one came. As Subaru looked around, his entire body shaking from horror, only one salvation was given to him. The White Whale was no longer around. As he slowly stood on his feet, the boy began to walk forward.

"I don't want to die.......Rem.....please forgive me......"

These words endlessly left Subaru's lips as he walked aimlessly. All his efforts to gather transportation and manpower were wiped out in an instant. Soon the sound of large footsteps entered his ears as the black-haired boy lifts his head so he could see what was in front of him. Standing right before Subaru was a dragon carriage with no driver. However, he recognized the carriage as the Earth Dragon had on a hat the same color as Otto's. When he looked inside of the carriage, all he saw was blood and a dagger.

"I see...so we're all that's left.............let's go."

No words were said as the passage of time still continued. While Subaru was dozing off, the earth dragon kept pulling the carriage. There was only one path laid out before it and it continued to take that path until the destination was reached. Slowly, the moon that was illuminating the night sky was beginning to vanish. In its place was none other than the sun, burning brightly as the once dark sky was now lit. As the black haired boy was asleep, he suddenly opened his eyes as he heard someone calling his name.

"Subaru? What happened to you? Where is Akira?"

"Petra......"

True to his words, standing right in front of the dragon carriage was none other than Petra and her friends. Soon a small smile began to form on the young man's face. He was in despair over everything, yet he still made it back in time. As his body fell from the dragon carriage and onto the ground, Subaru had one thought in his mind.

"I made it."

~Roswaal's Manor~
A few hours have passed since Subaru made it back to the manor. The sun beamed through the window as the light made its way onto Subaru, who was now lying in bed. As the boy opened his eyes, he saw a familiar figure sitting next to his bed. Upon seeing the maid outfit and her hairstyle, a brief look of hope was on his face as he held onto the maid's left hand.

"Re-"

"Why are you so readily touching me, Barusu? I understand that you're happy to see me after a few days away, but don't instinctively jump on me like that. It's indecent."

"Oh......right......"

Noticing the look of confliction in his eyes, the pink-haired maid let a sigh escape from her lips. Before he knew it, Subaru found himself being pat on the head as Ram looked at him. Truth be told, he didn't expect something like this from Ram. It took him by surprise to see the young lady do something like this for him.

"I thought you were the type to deliver the final blow in moments like these."

"There is no maid more benevolent and tolerant than me. Next time i'll let you have it."

"Heh, correction. You're just like I remember."

"So, Barusu, tell me what happened. You were in terrible shape and Akira-san wasn't with you. Your dislocated shoulder, split forehead, and broken ribs have been mended, but they'll open again if you strain yourself. I've also discarded your muddy, blood-soaked clothes."

"Thanks .....the one who healed my wounds....."

"It was Emilia-sama."

Subaru's eyes widen with shock before a look of regret was plastered on his face. Ram didn't know what happened between Subaru and Emilia, but judging from his reaction, she was positive the young man did something he shouldn't have. Meanwhile, as Subaru looked at Ram, he tightly gripped the sheets of the bed he was in as tears escaped from his eyes. Gathering up any amount of courage he had, the young man finally spoke to Ram.

"Rem is dead. I.....couldn't do anything. The fog....the White Whale....appeared on the road. So, to cover my escape, Rem...but I was left alone in that fog. I left Akira behind because I was mad he didn't act to save anyone....yet here I am....everyone besides me ended up dead and I couldn't do anything. I acted on impulse and let my emotions get to me....Akira was right. And because of me, Rem--"

"Barasu. Rem...who is that?"

"H-huh?"

"Who is Rem, Barasu?"

It was a simple question asked out of curiosity, at least from Ram's perspective. But for Subaru, that question only brought confusion and despair. First Otto acted as if Rem never existed, now even Rem's own sister acted as if she was an only child her whole life. Suddenly Subaru threw the sheets off of him as he looked at Ram with desperation in his eyes.

"It's your sister's name! Rem! It's Rem! Don't kid around with m--"

"I don't have a sister."

"Why you--. If Rem wasn't here, how did we all survive until now?! You, Rem, Akira, and I--"

"Something is seriously wrong with you, Barasu. I hate to admit it, but you were half-responsible for the Ulgram eradication along side Akira-san. Roswaal-sama and I handled the rest. There was no place for this long lost sister you call Rem."

"This isn't funny. Even for a nightmare, this doesn't make sense!"

"I'm always serious, Barasu. Maybe you are the one that is dreaming."

After hearing what Ram said, Subaru couldn't take it anymore. Suddenly the black haired boy stood up and rushed out of his room. With Ram following behind him, Subaru opened the door to Rem's room. However, to his horror, the room was completely empty of any belongings of Rem.

"Rem isn't......."

"No such person has ever lived in this room. Go back to your room and sleep. Your exhaustion is making you confused."

The moment she said this, the pink-haired oni turned around and left Subaru on his own. Slowly, the young man began to descend down the steps. Should he run back to his room like Ram said? Should he keep on running away? Just before he could take another step, he remembered Rem's back when she left to intercept the White Whale. As he turned around, Subaru had one destination to head to. There was no point in running away when he came this far. After finally making it to Emilia's room, Subaru opened the door and was met with the gaze of a silver-haired half elf.

"Subaru?"

"Emilia...."

"Subaru, why did you come back? Is Akira with you?"

"Let's go. We can't stay here."

"Go? Where? No, why?"

"Anywhere that isn't here is fine. If you had to ask, i'd say "It's for your sake". I came back here for you!"

"That again, Subaru? You came back covered in wounds and worried me to death. Weren't you supposed to be getting treated by Felix? Why are you here?"

A slight pain could be felt in his heart as Subaru heard Emilia's voice beginning to tremble. The young girl was trying her best to keep her composure, Subaru knew that, but he needed to get her out of the manor by any means necessary. Soon the black haired boy grabbed onto Emilia's left arm as he began to walk towards the door.

"Stuff happened! I'd like to explain but we don't have much time! I'm taking you with me no matter what! You'll see i'm right in a couple of days!"

"Wait! Wait, Subaru! You weren't this kind of person before! I trusted you and yet.....you go and do something like this!"

"Shut up and do as I say! You can't stay here! You'll regret it for sure! No one will be saved! I don't want you to suffer or cry anymore! Just do as I say! That way everything will work out! Why! Why won't you understand m-"

"Shut up and do as I say. You claim you want to protect her, but that's all i'm hearing from you."

"Wait a minute......isn't this.... exactly what he warned me about?"

Subaru's eyes widen in horror the moment Akira's words echoed through his mind. Right now, at this very moment, all he did was prove the white-haired boy right. He was trying to force Emilia to leave, yelled at her, and even broke his promise to her. Yet, despite all of this, he didn't even do one simple thing. Throughout everything that happened, did he ever once say that he wanted to save Emilia? Seeing the boy in such a state, Emilia tried to catch her breath as she spoke up.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're trying to say. I want to....but i'm not sure I have the time for that right now. There's so much I need to do. By the way, why isn't Akira with you? I'm sure once we all come together, we can make something wor--"

"You'll fail."

"Huh."

"Things won't go well, you're not good enough. You'll fail, you can't do it! You're all talk! You can't say anyone nor will you be saved! You'll create a pile of reckless actions one after another and see mountains of corpses as high as the amount of impossibilities that you try to take on. That's your future! It doesn't matter if myself or Akira are here, that's your future!"

"Why?"

He couldn't stop the tears flowing from his eyes anymore. He abandoned the one man who was on his side all because he was merely trying to reason with him. The woman who stood by his side throughout everything sacrificed herself so that he could make it here. He had to get Emilia out of the manor, he NEEDED to get Emilia out of here. Because if he didn't, all those sacrifices would've been for nothing.

"After.....after she sent me here--....no, after she brought me here, there's.....there's something I have to do for Rem's sake. Something that I even abandoned Akira for....."

"Rem?"

"So you've forgotten Rem too?"

"Subaru?"

"Fine, i'll tell you everything. If all of you are going to forget Rem, i'd rather expose everything and vomit up blood! Emilia.....I can use Return By Death to--"

Tears escaped from the boy's eyes as a look with a mixture of horror and confusion were deep within his eyes. Usually he would feel a great deal of pain whenever he tried to mention his ability. Yet this time, there was no pain for him when he spoke. Just a chilling sensation that struck him at his very core. Before he could react, Subaru was suddenly met with Emilia falling into his arms.

"Emilia....why? Why do you feel so cold?"

True to his word, despite her being in his embrace, Subaru felt how cold Emilia's body was. After being met with silence, Subaru felt something hitting his bare feet as well as the floor. Slowly, he began to move Emilia away from him. That's when he saw it, blood escaping from Emilia's body as all he could do was let out a tearful scream. Tears were continuously escaping his eyes as all he could do was scream his heart out, unaware of the person who walked into the room.

"No! No! No! NO! IT WASN'T SUPPOSE TO END LIKE THIS! I begged my heart out for help! I abandoned Akira! I got Otto and his merchants killed! Even Rem....even Rem was killed and forgotten. Was all of that ........every last decision.....was everything I did all for nothing?!"

"You have the look of someone who believes himself to be the most unfortunate soul in the world."

"Beatrice......."

"It seems Bubby won't come out, I suppose."

Beatrice held onto the glintstone that was sitting on Emilia's chest before the item split open as tiny specs could be seen floating into the air. Seeing the look of shock on Subaru's face, Beatrice merely informed the boy that Puck had returned to his original form for now. The moment she was prepared to leave, the blonde stopped in her tracks when she heard Subaru pleading to her.

"Please kill me. Right here."

"You would ask me to kill you? That's too cruel, I suppose."

"Huh?"

"You understand nothing, nothing at all. I won't grant any of your wishes, I suppose. If you want to die, then die on your own. Betty wants no part of this. Everything is probably over but it'd be troublesome for you to be here. I want to at least protect the mansion. Betty is different from Roswaal."

The moment Beatrice held out her right hand, Subaru couldn't believe what he was witnessing. It was as if space itself was being torn apart as a hole was now present in the wall of the room. As Subaru was being pulled towards it, he looked at Beatrice as he noticed something off. Instead of her usual scowl, the young looking blonde had a look of sadness in her eyes.

"Even if it's for the future, Betty's come to hate cruel, dreadful, and painful things. Please die where I can't see you."

The moment she said this, Beatrice saw that the room was back to normal. While looking around, she noticed Subaru was nowhere within her sight. As a small sigh escaped from her lips, the tears in her eyes were now threatening to fall. All Beatrice had left was a single question.

"Mother.....how long must I wait?"

~????~
A small crack could be seen in the night sky. After a few seconds, the cracks grew larger until a hole was left behind. Without warning, Subaru landed harshly on the ground with Emilia's corpse still in his embrace. The moment he looked at the half-elf's lifeless body, Subaru couldn't help but cry as he only wanted one thing in this moment.

"Emilia......i'm so sorry. Someone.....I don't care who.......kill me."

The sound of several footsteps echoed in Subaru's ears. When he looked around, one after another, several hooded figures were seen surrounding him and Emilia's corpse. The moment he got a good look at the robes the figures were wearing, Subaru's heart began to sink as he noticed a familiar figure walking towards him with a smile on his face.

"I've been waiting for you, believer in love."

"Petelgeuse......."

"My, my, my. The one you happen to be holding into your chest there wouldn't happen to be the half-devil girl, right? How diligent you are! Before we could even act, you took the half-devil's life in the name of the Ordeal! Ahahahahahahaha!"

"I'm diligent.........."

"That's right! You are diligent! Fantastic! Still....unable to overcome even one Ordeal, much less to confront one of the sins, and after all that waiting...she trips over the first pebble in her path, and it's over. Ah, she is truly......slothful."

As Petelgeuse said this, he saw how Subaru was clutching to the girl tightly as his body was shaking. While two of his Unforseen Hands sprouted from his back, the Archbishop of Sloth laughed as he tried to crush both Subaru and the half-elf before him. However, something unexpected happened at this very moment. Whether it was on purpose or by accident, Subaru managed to evade the hands that were aimed at him.

"You....did you see the Unforseen Hand just now? No, that's bad. This isn't right! It's all wrong! It's a mistake, a mistake! My authority, the Authority of Sloth, my Unforseen Hand, granted to me by love...no one else can be allowed to see it!!!!"

Suddenly several more of the Unforseen Hand sprouted from Petelgeuse as Subaru felt his entire body being restrained. As he squirmed within the Archbishop's grasp, all Subaru could do was struggle as he was completely powerless in this moment. Soon Petelgeuse looked at Subaru as a crazed smile formed upon his face as an idea formed in his head.

"You held her as if she was precious to you, but how beautifully will you cry when the half-devil's body is torn apart?"

"Stop .....please stop......"

"Ahahahahahahaha!"

"PLEASE STOP!"

Just as Subaru screamed, two events occured. One of them being several large chunks of ice being shot around Emilia's body as if to shield her from Petelgeuse's authority. The second event that occured was several of the Witch Cult members were suddenly impaled through their chests as the roots from the trees around them suddenly shot out of the ground and went through their bodies. As Petelgeuse looked towards the sky he saw several more chunks of ice in the air as one creature was looking down upon him.

"What are you doing to my daughter, you scum?"

As this happened, Subaru looked to the side as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him. The moment he saw the person that person the footsteps belonged to, Subaru was at a lost for words. Subaru lashed out and called him a heartless jerk back at Crusch's manor just because he was being logical and refused to rush to save Emilia without a proper plan. Subaru envied him due to how perfect he seemed and rushed off without him as if to prove something. Yet despite everything, despite the fight they had, Subaru was forced to acknowledge one thing. Suzushima Akira was the only person he had left.

"I'm sorry I failed you both, Subaru."

As he was walking by Subaru, the brown haired saw the look in Akira's eyes. They looked devoid of any life, almost as if what little light was in them had died out. The moment Akira got close to Emilia's body, he merely placed his right hand on the girl's head as tears fell from his eyes and onto her face.

"I really am a hopeless case. Just when someone was close to understanding me, they were ripped away from me and I couldn't do anything about it. Just like back in Japan. I'm sorry, Ayu. I'm sorry, Emilia. I failed to protect you both....but I promise, not just to you....but to Subaru as well."

"Oh my. Oh my, oh my, oh my. Another soul has come here in the name of love! Sadly you are too late my white-haired friend! The half-devil has already been slain! To claim her as a friend but failing to save her....you are....slothfu-"

Before Petelgeuse could finish his sentence, he suddenly began to cough up blood as he felt his feet were no longer on the ground. As the Archbishop of Sloth looked downwards, he noticed the very ground was shaped into spear-like pillars as they pierced his flesh. The moment he turned his head towards Akira, he noticed how the boy's red eyes were now filled with the intent to kill.

"I promise.....I won't fail again."