Chapter 331 — Arc 6 – 11, “The Audible Tearful Voice”

ーーWhat had been visible was the lustre, nothing but that.

He remembered, he had tilted his neck upwards.

Also the moment initially afterwards, one section of the tower in front, white lustre, and him narrowing his eyes at that dazzle.

However, what lay in his memories was only till that point. He did not remember anything thereafter.

Neither ache, nor impact, nor terror, he did not feel a single thing.

For Natsuki Subaru, these were all indispensable retinues in the advent of 『Death』.

Neither did he have the ache to make him wail in tears, nor the impact that would scatter his body into a thousand fragments, nor the terror of losing everything.

Otherwise that 『Death』, may have had been a much more kind-hearted 『Death』 than what Subaru was normally acquainted with.

Above all, Subaru, who had died and gotten his brain evaporated, did not have any free time whatsoever to think about it, nor could he merely think back to it and absorb himself into it.

As if in the blink of an eye, the moment immediately after he thought his field of vision had been caged within darkness, the lost 『Life』 of Natsuki Subaru was resuscitated, regurgitated, and once again, into reality, was abandoned.

ーーWas abandoned.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

???: “ーーTch tch tch.”

Subaru: “ーー~hk.”

For a single moment, feeling the weight of gloom upon his five senses, as if clogging up his breath, Subaru opened his eyes.

Discerning the clamorous sound of the whole body of the dragon carriage, his contracting muscles screamed out in pain. The reins he had clenched to so tightly that his nails could eat away into his palm, and the warm temperature insisting their existence, Beatrice.

Subaru: “……Ah?”

Within his faint field of vision, he looked down at the back of Beatrice’s head from close proximity.

The violent sweet aroma sliding into his nostrils, was again, different from the one when he had hugged the young girl. Beatrice’s scent was like that of freshly? prepared sweet confectioneries, but what wafted in the air now was, as if adhesive toxicity, self-assertive sweetness.

He had memories of this sweetness. It was natural. It was what, just recently, he had continued to smell ad nauseam.

Rather, even if it was only for a limited number of minutes, what was special was that it had been interrupted.

???: “Tch tch tch tch.”

Upon Subaru’s dusky consciousness, reached a rhythmic sound, as if the clicking of a tongue.

In front of his eyes, was Beatrice with her body stiffened up, and Patrasche who was holding her breath in, watching over what lay ahead of its nose, the dragon carriage carrying Emilia and Rem, and standing ahead of that dragon carriage was a repulsive Witch Beast.

With fine roots stretching across its entire body, the truculent Witch Beast starved of bloodーー it was a Courtesan Bear.

For a single moment, unable to express it as a déjà vu, the fresh sense of reality returned to Subaru.

That feeling was not to be doubted. It was 『Return by Death』.

Natsuki Subaru had just now, experiencing 『Death』, returned to this moment in time.

Subaru: “ーー~hk.”

ーーBut, of all things, returning to this moment!?

Rather than the moment of transpiration of『Death』, he cursed at how unfavorable the timing he had 『Returned? by Death』 to was.

Inviting the interest of the Witch Beast by the sound of clicking her tongue, the one trying to remove it from the front of the dragon carriage silently, was Meili. That scheme was only barely successful, however, and it fell through in the end.

The Ground Dragon pulling the dragon carriageーー Gyan, was unable to bear the pressure of the Witch Beast, was the reason for it.

“ーーーー”

While being aware of that, Subaru instantaneously hesitated in making a judgment.

The state of the vital Gyan was invisible from the rear. But, Julius, who had clenched the reins, would not encourage the unusualness of the Ground Dragon. There simply lay nothing special there for him to turn his eyes towards.

Each one in the dragon carriage was praying for the success of Meili’s contact with the Courtesan Bears.

However, unfortunately, that wasーー,

Meili: “Tch tch tch…… tch~.”

Meili’s voice wielded a faint sense of stress, and her finger pointed towards the right of the dragon carriage. Lured to that movement, the Courtesan Bear slowly stepped its feet ahead in that direction.

An ambience of solace originated within the dragon carriage, and for Beatrice as well. However, Gyan was unable to stand up to the slicing of the thread of tension.

Subaru: “Juli……”

“ーーーー~hk!!”

Without being able to make the correct judgement, his call was obstructed by Gyan’s roar.

As if going through the recent progression once again, Gyan stomped the ground while letting out a roar, and at that wail and rumbling, the Courtesan Bears’ consciousness was awoken at once.

Further exposing their bloodshot eyes, the Courtesan Bears leapt with their drool dripping down. Bluish-white? radiance perforated through those craniums, the flow had been completely the same until the blast.

Emilia: “El Huma!!”

Emilia, standing on top of the dragon carriage, turned over both her hands, as if fluttering in the wind, and created a maelstrom of ice blades in the sky, with movement like that of an elegant dance. The revolving blades of ice successively were fired, with their aim set above ground, as if the encircling notes of a musical saw, the sloth of Courtesan Bears was swallowed within the lethal weapons of ice, as they raised their death wails with their limbs being slashed away.

Subaru: “R-Runrunrunrunrunrunーー ~hk!!”

Pulling the reins and speeding up Patrasche, the dragon carriage, too, moved when Subaru raised his voice.

He glanced sideways at the driver, Ram, who had suddenly appeared?, having exchanged the position of driver with Julius, and at Julius, wielding his knight sword, who launched sword slashes upon the approaching? Courtesan Bears, along with a barrage of kicks, that was what he was able to understand.

ーーCompletely, the same.

Having gone with the flow, Subaru strongly, strongly gritted his molars.

His consciousness being unable to catch up, due to the sudden『Return by Death』 would not make for an excuse.

Putting off the impact of having passed away, Subaru’s heart covered his remorse.

It could be said that ever since he became aware of 『Return by Death』, up until now, this had been the first time for Subaru that he had wasted 『Return by Death』.

Missing out on the information received through 『Return by Death』, the result was that he was simply heading for another death. However, this was the first time he was tracing the very same situation, despite 『Return by Death』, without even any establishment of a trick of some sort. Subaru’s own puzzlement, unrelated to his intentions while thinking that, the rail of destiny was yet the same.

Beatrice: “ーーSubaru! There is no free time for you to be spacing out, in fact!”

Subaru: “ーー~hk!”

Lying face down in regret, tightly gripping to the reins was Subaru, and Beatrice struck her back on his chest. Looking ahead at the light impact and voice, he was able to see the truculent Witch Beasts advancing speedily.

At the same time, grasping the small palm reaching out, making Beatrice stand on top of the dragon, thus commenced the counter attack.

Beatrice: “Minya! Minya! One more time, Minya, I suppose!”

Through the palm, the aimless Mana within Subaru’s body, was absorbed and resolved into power for Beatrice. The materialised crystals of violet pierced into the bodies of the Witch Beasts obstructing their path, and as the crystals shattered those bodies, Patrasche proceeded while stepping firmly onto the scattered fragments.

Meili: “Held in rese~rve, Sand Earthworm!!”

Hearing Meili’s shout, who had grown desperate, the sand at the corner of his vision spouted up.

The desert covered by Courtesan Bears, making its appearance from further below that, the Sand Earthworm tossed several numbers of the Witch Beasts within its huge jaws, and putting together its humongous frame enough to make one look upwards, proceeded to crush its enemies.

The second great decisive battle of monsters, but Subaru was aware of how unfavourable this was.

Ram: “ーーBarusu! Run till you die! If you do not want to die!”

At Subaru, who was grilling in formless restlessness, a seemingly reprimanding voice was launched.

Controlling the reins at the driver’s position, driving the agitated Gyan, was Ram. She? was driving the dragon carriage fully in control with her handling of the reins no inferior than that of Rem but, at this pace, this was no good.

Subaru: “It will be no good if you keep going straight ahead at this rate! Ram, change direction!”

Ram: “ーー~hk! What are you trying to say? The watchtower is right in front, the surroundings are all territories of the Witch Beasts!”

Subaru: “That is plausible but still, that won’t be any good!”

Patrasche lowered her head, and pierced right through the torso of the Courtesan Bear in front. While having the writhing Witch Beast right in front of her nose, the jet black Ground Dragon rushed ahead madly while using the body of the Witch Beast as a shield. The continuous slashes being hammered in tore apart the body of the Witch Beast, and its dancing fallen petals and fresh blood soaked? the sand sea.

Ram: “Barusu, what did you notice! Say it clearly!”

Subaru: “There wouldn’t be any problems if I could explain clearly! At any rate, it’s a change of course!”

At Ram’s words, which had a tone of irritation, all Subaru could do as well was to yell violently back. He himself realised it was a terribly absurd response, but he had no measures other than that.

After all, the current Subaru was unaware of the cause of his death.

His『Return by Death』was unquestionable, and yet, he could not remember the reason for his death.

Noticing it, regarding the point of『Return by Death』, this time it was close to how it felt when he had met『Death』for the first time in the Roswaal mansion.

From the point of confirming the cause of death, and eliminating that problem.

Subaru: “The time for that, is nowhere here!!”

Having been caught up by the Witch Beasts, he had fallen prey to those slashes. Just as how the bar’s bartender had warned, had he become the cruel bait of having his intestines slurped on. Otherwise, inadvertently falling from Patrasche, he may have unfortunately fractured his neck. It was a thought really, truly difficult but, he may have broken down due to Beatrice utilising his mana excessively, that was not impossible either.

Subaru: “Whichever it may be, the memories haven’t cleanly, suddenly stopped till now.”

Even if his guts were cleaved open, even if he was put down in ice, even if his head was crushed by a morningstar, even if his whole body was devoured greedily by rabbits, even if he was eaten away by entangling with an absurd Authority, Subaru did 『Return by Death』.

And regardless of what the cause of death may be, eliminating and defeating what had occured right before his own 『Death』 which was stalemating him, it had been used as a method for that.

That fragile string of fate, was nowhere visible this time.

And the time to search for that fine string, was not bestowed upon Subaru and the others.

ーーThis was simply, the worst entrapment of 『Return by Death』.

In the scenario where he possibly passed away by the same method, it would be a completely fumbling restart.

Before that happenedーー,

Subaru: “Move from here! Whatever you do, don’t get close to the tower!”

Ram: “Again, why so……”

Subaru: “The tower will shine! Probably?, that light is dangerous!”

Ram: “Hu~hーー!?”

In the situation where they had been nothing but cornered, even Ram did not have the time to varnish the blades of her words with poison. While clashing with the voice possessing a frank tone of repudiation, Subaru pulled the reins and conveyed that to Patrasche.

To not go straight ahead, but divert their purpose at any rate.

Subaru: “The tower may be visible, right in front but……!”

Right in the middle of the advancement of the Courtesan Bears in great numbers in the sand sea, the watchtower right in front of their eyes was clearly getting closer. However, what awaited them if they truly got close to it was only the scorch of before.

For that to not happen, what Subaru had to choose wasーー,

Subaru: “Run backwards! It would be better to pass through 『Sand Time』 one more time! Let’s go back to that earlier sand dune!”

Ram: “What nonsense have you been……”

Emilia: “Ram! Do as Subaru says!”

At the determination where it could not be helped but think he had lost his mind, Ram raised a voice of repudiation, which Emilia detained. While she purged the Witch Beasts with countless ice shards, she nodded at Subaru.

Emilia: “Because there’s no way Subaru would say something ?weird without giving thought to it!”

Ram: “Barusu ordinarily lives by wetting his pants with thoughtless words and nonsense.”

Emilia: “Because there’s no way Subaru would say something weird without giving thought to it in a dangerous situation!”

Subaru: “Thank you for going out of your way and correcting it!!”

Whether he should lament being treated as a young wolf in sheep’s clothing, or be delighted that he was a man who could be relied upon in times of a pinch.

Keeping both introspection and conceit for later, Patrasche, moving according to Subaru’s intentions, thrust her feet on the sandy soil and suddenly turned round. Her tail cutting through the air mowed down the abdomen of the Witch Beast, and kicking down one of the Courtesan Bears with her leg, she ran backwards.

Ram: “ーー~hk! The two of you on the top and side! Make sure you don’t fall off!!”

Seeing their sudden turning around, Ram, too, had Gyan turn around by skillfully handling the reins. Naturally, the dragon carriage, having to eat the centrifugal force at that moment, inclined greatly and turned sideways butーー,

Julius: “Emilia-sama! The foothold!”

Emilia: “Eh? Ah, is that so! Yes!”

Thrusting his sword fiercely into the body of the vehicle and supporting? his body, Julius brought aid to Emilia’s attention to the inclining dragon carriage. Emilia rounded her eyes at those words, and magical power headed instantaneously towards directly underneath of the dragon carriage. As if assisting the wheel that had tilted due to the inclination, a slope of ice was born, and the dragon carriage, as if painting a semi-circle, rushed and evaded toppling sideways.

Furthermore, at the same pace, without killing off the vigour, commenced the backward dash which followed Patrasche.

ーーImmediately afterward.

Subaru: “Wha…… ~hk!?”

The moment following the commencement of the backward dash, echoed a metallic shrill as if slashing one’seardrums.

Thoughtlessly shrugging his shoulders was Subaru. From the rear, a sudden gale was born.

Subaru: “The one right now was…… eh, heyheyheyhey!”

Beatrice: “What, I suppose…… huh!?”

Sensing the enigma arise behind, Subaru and Beatrice, turning back at the same time, expressed astonishment.

On top of the dragon carriage racing immediately behind them, Emilia and Julius, too, widened their eyes.

Meili: “Sand Earthworm, -chan is…… ~hk.”

Leaning forward her body on the driver’s seat, with her throat trembling in astonishment, was Meili.

In front of her eyes, in that shape, a visage behind the dragon carriage, as if concealing it, with the large build of the Sand Earthworm being thrown up. With the frame of a span over ten meters, with thickness of body such that two men may not be able to rotate it with their arms. Protruding its head above the ground, the form lording over its prey seemed as if it was the ruler of the sand sea.

The body of that Sand Earthworm, receiving the direct hit of that something, was blown off into fragments.

That slimy body skin suffered a thousand pierces, and the thick body of great length was splendidly divided into two. The body that had lost its head toppled sideways, and the head, having lost its support, slowly, slowly, headed towards them, tricklingーー.

Subaru: “Get aside, dodge i~i~i~tーー!!”

The fallen head of the Sand Earthworm had excess mass which could crush the dragon carriage under its pressure.

With the death agony of the Witch Beasts crushed under the pressure of the body that had, just now, fallen behind, Subaru and Ram subsequently transmitted instructions to the ground dragons, overbearingly averted their routes and escaped the course of the Sand Earthworm’s direct hit.

“ーーーー~hk.”

Raising a shrill tearful voice, the Sand Earthworm’s head fell onto the sand sea with great vigour.

The sand whirled up, the bones of the Courtesan Bears, injured while escaping, crumbled into fragments and fell and their limbs, having been caught up in the impact, were blown off. At the same pace, the head of the Sand Earthworm bounced, while entangling with the inevitable future of the Witch Beasts, tumbled, and finally suffered countless slashes, quickly turning into fragments of flesh.

Subaru: “Danger, danger, ous, ous!”

Beatrice: “Subaru, this was a mistake, in fact!”

He’d felt relieved for evading the crisis of the moment but, instantaneously, Beatrice rejected that relief.

Looking at the young girl at his chest wondering what had happened, she cleared away the fallen, fluttering petals with a troubled expression, and surveyed the rear,

Beatrice: “From the one just now, the dragon carriage on the other side has gone astray, I suppose! There is only Betty and you!”

Subaru: “What did you say!?”

Pursuing her gaze in panic, Subaru confirmed the absence of the figure of the dragon carriage in the surroundings?.

Only the distant radiance of bluish-white mana and roars of Witch Beasts, furthermore, discovering a place slightly exposed to the sandy gale, he was able to understand from his view through the immense distance, the hard fight being put up by Emilia and their new servant, Meili.

However, even if they tried to meet up with the other side, the space between them was overflowing with a countless number of Courtesan Bears. And for Subaru and the rest, with diminished number of moves, there were no indications that the fierce attack of the Witch Beasts had been weakened.

Subaru: “Simply, half the war potential! The number of enemies are double!”

Beatrice: “Compared to earlier, it has increased to four times, I suppose!”

Brandishing the claws, at the face of the Courtesan Bears attacking, the cusp of the whip let out a roar.

The striking impact, fortunately, crushed the eyes of the Witch Beast and breaking through the one trembling in violent pain, Patrasche dashed once again. However, that course of direction had a different direction than that of the dragon carriage of Emilia and the others.

Subaru: “Patrasche! Not this way……”

Beatrice: “It is this Ground Dragon’s own judgement to be left alive, in fact. Rather than Subaru or Betty, leaving it to its instincts would be better, I suppose!”

Interrupting Subaru’s outcry, Beatrice kicked and dispersed away the Witch Beasts standing in their way with magic. Patrasche marked the points where the tight besiegement and broke through them, risking her own life for protecting the two on its back.

Subaru: “Shit! This again…… this shape again! What am I doing!”

Swinging the whip, he struck the faces of the Witch Beasts trying to get closer. However, with this, he would not be able to stop the power of the Witch Beasts, having an expression of having lost reason.

Inflicting fatal wounds with the sabre, he sharpened their dynamism with magic. ーーThe power Subaru chose, even with any of those, it would not be even remotely attainable. All craftiness, would get crushed under the pressure of overwhelming power.

Doing what he could do, augmenting whatever he had the ability to do, it had become slightly easier, is what he had thought, and yet.

The mere superficial cleverness of Natsuki Subaru, was fate only going to exhale a laughing sigh at it and trample upon and crush it.

Subaru: “I had somehow managed better at the time of that shitty bastard Regulus……!”

Beatrice: “There is no time for such deep thinking, in fact! Are there any ways to……”

Subaru: “Beako, Murak on Patrasche! Lighten her weight, then we can cross over the swarm!”

Beatrice: “ーー! Murak!”

Accepting Subaru’s directions, Beatrice used 『Murak』 on Patrascheーー a magic that abateds the effect of gravity, and the speed at which they ran further accelerated. Stepping and racing ahead, the distance doubled, and the leaping Patrasche used the Witch Beasts as a place to stand on, and tried to withdraw from the writhing flower meadow.

Butーー,

Subaru: “The liーー!?”

In close proximity to his eyes appeared a white purge, and the moment he turned his voice inside out, 『That』 dashed through the sky.

The white purge above ground ran through, and the sand sea was blown off by the terrific force. Facing the swift bolt of the purge, the bodies of the Witch Beasts were torn apart, spouting out blood, as they leapt, leapt, leapt.

And that aftermath swooped down upon Patrasche as well, agitated by the wind pressure of 『That』 which was closing on the large build of the ground dragon, and got easily flipped.

Subaru: “Beatrice! Hold tight!!”

Beatrice: “Subaru too, make sure you’re hugging firmly, I suppose!!”

Patrasche: “ーーーー~hk!”

Patrasche neighed, and Subaru hugged and clung to Beatrice’s body.

Spinning and revolving in the air, the large build of Patrasche pranced overhead of the Courtesan Bears. As if pursuing that Patrasche, the corona continuously downpoured incessantly.

The sand was burst open, the Witch Beasts who got dragged into it and had to receive it were burst open, and the appearing and quickly disappearing Patrasche raised an echo of distress.

Subaru: “O~a~a~a~a~a~hーー!?”

In the midst of the attack, the 『Divine Protection of Wind Evasion』 failed, and Subaru tasted that impact altogether.

Grasping the reins and Beatrice, he had firmly interposed both his feet in Patrasche’s saddle but, rubbed by the force, with his body being struck hard in parts here and there, he barely managed to grasp to his consciousness.

However, regardless of even that state, the pursuit of the claws of the Courtesan Bears under his eyes continued to shoot.

Swallowed in the terrific attack, he floundered without being thrown off. Now, if he were to fall, no way would he be saved. What barely connected his life, was precisely because he had not given up.

Subaru: “But, at this rateーー”

Beatrice: “Not good, in fact…… ~hk!”

Subaru: “ーーPatrasche!?”

With the remarkably strong impact, Patrasche’s roar of anguish pulled back her tall tail.

Looking at it, at the side of Patrasche, who was flipping around lightly through the effect of Murak, had been exposed to the claws of the Courtesan Bears and had been slashed. With the scars of the claws etched into the jet black scales, painful to even look at, from the mouth of the deep gash flowing and spilling was fresh blood.

Subaru: “ーー~hk, kh, ah!?”

Tumbling down with the same pace due to that force, Patrasche? suddenly fell on top of the desert. At the same time, Subaru and the others were thrown onto the sandy soil as well, and were left behind on the feeding ground of the Courtesan Bears crowding their surroundings.

Shaking his head, his body rose. While continuing to hold Beatrice’s hand. She, too, dusted off the hem of her dress and stood up, and quickly observed the surroundings with no negligence in her eyes. However, their advantage was undeniable.

Subaru: “You bastards! Don’t you dare lay a single finger on Patrasche!”

Beatrice: “Minya!”

Wounded, Patrasche groaned in agony, as magic pierced through the Witch Beasts flooding towards it. Subaru pulled Beatrice’s hand and rushed over to Patrasche, and kneeling down, touched the wound.

The claws had not reached her intestines but, if she pushed herself, her guts might brim out. She could not be allowed to push herself. He also needed time to heal it.

Subaru: “Beatrice! Shamak! Deceive the perceptibility of the Witch Beasts around!”

Beatrice: “Now!? Even if that’s done, it’ll do nothing but buy time, in fact! On top of that……”

Subaru: “That time is needed for now! Hurry!”

Bending their stance with bloodshot eyes, the Witch Beasts awaited for a gap to swoop in.

Coping with them would be impossible if they assailed from all directions. The Witch Beasts eventually became impertinent, and what would be their cue depended on their patience. That could perhaps, not be expected.

Beatrice: “ーー~hk! El Shamak!”

Beatrice joined both of her hands together, and something entirely fell out of Subaru’s interior.

It rolled towards the whirlpool within the hand of the girl beside, becoming quiet power it swept through the sand sea, and with Subaru and the rest as the center, tens of meters in its radius, were wrapped up in black mist.

With the foundation of Shadow Magic, this was the invocation of Shamak.

Producing discord in perception, the expanse of Shamak, brought the Courtesan Bears’ conduct to a standstill. Conception vanished beyond understanding, and even the instinct to chase after prey gets forgotten.

Of course, it did not show effect on Subaru and the others, who had executed it. However, it did not last long.

Beatrice: “If the ones beyond the scope of efficacy get in, it would eventually be laid to waste, I suppose. Before that, escape along with that Ground Dragon!”

Subaru: “I know! The effect of Murak is still left, right? If that’s so then I’ll carry Patrasche on my shoulders, at any rate, continuously fire Shamak and joining up with the dragon carriage on the other side is what we shouldーー”

Withdrawing from the gambling room, judging to prioritize that, he extended his hands to Patrasche.

Normally its large frame would weigh several hundred kilos, but in the interval it was adhering to Beatrice’s Murak, that body, like a featherーー would be an exaggeration, it had become light. Not enough to be able to shoulder it and run.

Her yellow eyes were intently looking at Subaru. The emotions passing by in those eyes were complex, eloquence such that nobody could ever imagine being a Ground Dragon’s expression.

Those eyes, were telling them. ーーPlease leave.

Beatrice: “ーーSubaru!”

Immediately after his eyes were robbed by the glint in Patrasche’s eyes, Beatrice raised a sharp voice.

She, rushing over, aimed for Subaru’s palm, the surging magical power took form of a shield, and right next to Subaru arrived a magical wall of violetーー and it, averted the fired white lustre.

Subaru: “Gho~ah!?”

Reverberated the sharp sound as if an exchange of blows of steel, and Subaru’s body, receiving the impact, flew backwards. Tumbling over and falling with limbs stretched out on top of the sand, the violently coughing Subaru noticed after trying to lift his body up.

Blood was dripping out of his right side, which had suffered the impact, and that it had his right leg thickly soaking.

Subaru: “What did I, receive……?”

Grasping the side overflowing with blood, exhaled Subaru reflexively with one of knees knelt down.

At that moment, the impact which had ransacked his internal organs gives rise to vomiting, and gastric juices and blood ceaselessly gushed forth out of the edge of his mouth.

Air exited out of his fissured abdomen, and a goofy sound like that of fart leaked out along with the foaming blood.

Subaru: “Ah, hf……”

Beatrice: “ーーbaru! Subaru!”

As he exhaled hoarsely, his field of vision simultaneously inclined right beside him.

Toppling sideways, he understood he had lost the ability to move his body. He had understood, but nothing more than that could he continue. The wound on his side heated up, and there lay the pain as if his body was melting away.

Desperately, he heard the voice calling for his self.

Beatrice: “Subaru! Subaru, don’t I suppose! Dying is…… don’t, don’t die…… don’t leave Betty, alone…… ~hk! Sto~p…… ~hk.”

His shoulder was being shook. At the audible tearful voice, he wanted to stretch his hand out, but he could not move.

His brain tissues were burning, he became unable to remember the young girl in front of his eyes.

An adorable face, but it was crying, she shouldn’t make a crying face, is what he thought.

“ーーーー”

On the other side of that, a large, large lizard lay collapsed.

Black, it was a lizard with a beautiful appearance. In that body, a white long and narrow something of an unknown source, unknown origin was lunging through, with no movement whatsoever, it was clearly dead.

Perhaps, his ownself had received the same thing, is what he thought.

???: “Don’t leave Betty behi~nd, plea…… ~hk!”

Sobbing, the young girl desperately hugged Subaru’s body.

With that petite frame, Subaru’s body, who had lost his strength, would be too heavy.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. He wanted to at least wipe away those tears.

He searched for a part that was still mobile in his body, but he was unable to find anything. That is why, he hauled something mobile from someplace else, not in his body.

Subaru: “ーー~hk.”

???: “Subaru?”

Invisible to the eyes, the 『Hand』 only his self could see, wiped the tears on her cheeks.

Black fingers caressed her teardrops, and the girl looked at him, making an expression as if she had noticed something. The strength to smile and reassure her, even that, he did not possess.

???: “Subaーー”

For a single moment, the young girl tried to say something.

However that was, interrupted by the white purge that came flying behind her from a distance.

“-ーーー”

The second attack, lunged through Subaru’s chest.

Slowly turning his gaze towards that, it had perforated through the back of the young girl, furthermore, piercing through Subaru’s chest, it came out from behind.

???: “Ah.”

Leaving behind a dusky sigh, the form of the young girl, hugging Subaru, disappeared.

As if she did not belong to this realm, the form of the young girl was rendered invisible.

Losing support, Subaru collapsed on the spot. He could not move. He did not have the reason to move.

Subaru: “Kh, oh.”

His weakly moving fingers scratched the sand, that was all.

Losing its caster, the black fog which was interposing the environs and space, was dispersed by the breeze.

Divulging from the magic that deceived perception, all what remained was only the corpse of a Ground Dragon and a young boy on the verge of death. The flock sloth of Witch Beasts slurped on their tongues, and advanced closer to that prey.

“ーーーー”

His breath stopped, the focus of his eyes blurred.

Excessive blood loss, was not how it felt. Something, which felt fatal, poured upon him.

He was rendered unable to understand, anything.

In close proximity to him, the Courtesan Bears, with their claws sharpened right overhead, he could hear their roars.

Those claws had swung down, and his cranium had been crushed.

Or instead, now, on the edge of his field of vision, which was on the verge of vanishing, 『That』, which had faintly shined, was the one to blame.

Despite not knowing which one of the two was the reason, Natsuki Subaru’s life came to an end.