Light shined above and below the clouds simultaneously.
The two battlefields were separated by those thick clouds and a great height, though if there was one thing that could observe the two simultaneously, it would be none other than a spectator from another world.
The battle that began with the capture of the Pleiades Watchtower is finally coming to a close.
The situation is...
Subaru: [Ahhhhhhh!]
Subaru screamed as large amounts of sand blew away, creating a raging cloud of dust and shock waves. The force of destruction that struck his entire body was more than enough to pulverize him into tiny pieces in an instant. Yet the reason why he didn't shatter is because he was still...
Subaru: [E-M-M!!!!]
It was one of the three original spells created by Subaru and Beatrice. Roughly speaking, it is an absolute defense magic that stops the flow of time in Subaru’s and Beatrice's bodies, making them unable to accept outside influences.
Subaru: [I used to be proud of this damned spell, but its ability is way too close to that scum for me to be happy about it! That guy is the absolute worst!]
Beatrice: [We have talked about it enough! Betty has already decided to close her eyes, I suppose!]
Beatrice, who was being carried on Subaru’s shoulders, heard Subaru's lament and shouted at him.
The Sin Archbishop, Regulus Corneas, was gifted invincibility from the Authority of Greed. It was a powerful ability that worked very similarly to EMM. The user was awful, but the ability was first class. The only similarity Subaru wanted between them was the ability.
Subaru: [Even if it is only a similarity, it makes me cringe just by remembering it!]
Would it be any better if it was from Gluttony? Subaru unintentionally reminds himself of the Gluttony siblings, and he’s heartily disgusted by the fact that several Archbishops were on his mind.
However, without this ability, he wouldn't be able to protect himself, Beatrice, or Meili in the first place.
Meili: [ahhh......]
In Subaru's arms, a glazey-eyed Meili spills her breath with a raspy voice.
Her expression is pained, but her agonized face is proof that she has breath. Subaru feels that her agony is also slowly easing due to the influence of Beatrice's healing magic. Meili’s was probably within the margin of error, but she should be improving.
Beatrice: [It's hard to use both healing magic and E.M.M.! If it weren't for Betty, All three of us would have died long ago, I suppose!]
Subaru: [I know! Just ......]
While thanking Beatrice for her cheerleading, Subaru asks a question to himself.
It's no longer a question of whether or not there is damage, but a matter of enduring it. The problem is the amount of mana left in Subaru's gate. Even though it's only useful as a magic tank, Subaru's gate capacity is a little less than average when compared to other people.
However, by using E.M.M, Subaru continuously expends more and more mana, like water flowing out of a shot bucket.
At this rate, either E.M.M or the healing magic will stop.
Subaru: [Stopping Meili's healing magic is not an option. ......!]
Beatrice: [Then we'll have to stop E.M.M! It's going to be up to Subaru to decide when to cut if off and what to do next!]
Subaru: [Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Beako, you're going to treat Meili and prepare yourself to respond immediately to whatever I tell you to do!]
Beatrice: [You’re being very bossy, I suppose!]
While arguing and exchanging glances, Subaru and Beatrice simultaneously disengage E.M.M. Without a second's disruption in their linkage, they leap out of the way and dodge the incoming projectile. Behind them, the Crimson Scorpion and a swarm of demonic beasts set their sights on Subaru and the others, all while fighting each other. With the handicap of not being able to leave the watchtower placed upon him by “Cor Leonis”, the Crimson Scorpion's aggressive aim is on Subaru.
At worst, if that situation doesn't change...
Subaru: [Answer my call, “Witch”]
By confessing about his power of “Return by Death”, Subaru generates miasma and draws the surrounding demonic beasts towards him. Although it's not intended to be a trick, it's one of the methods that Subaru often relies on. At this point, the side effect of his confession brings about more repercussions, but if the Crimson Scorpion's obsession is with Subaru, it may be worth doing it, to make it compete with other demonic beasts.
However, the potential collateral damage is too great to bet on.
If Beatrice, Meili, and Subaru fall, then Ram, who has entrusted Subaru with some of her burden, will also fall.
The power of “Cor Leonis” had resulted in an overly strong sense of unity. Subaru really doesn't know how this authority allowed Regulus to live such a lonely life.
Crimson Scorpion: [....]
Subaru: [...E.M.T.!]
Sensing a future where white light will vaporize his head, Subaru performs the second original magic he created with the help of Beatrice. “E.M.T” creates a sphere several dozen meters across, negating the effects of any mana cast within it. It seemed like the best course of action to activate it now, considering the circumstances.
However....
Subaru: [I just deactivated E.M.M., so I won’t be able to cast anything for about 5 more seconds!]
Enemies were surrounding them in all directions, limiting the moves they could take. The Crimson Scorpion's tail needles, the Hungry Horse King's flames, and the demon beasts’ stampede were all aiming for Subaru.
Gasping for breath, Subaru stiffens. He needs to use the third and final original magic to break this predicament. However, there was a chance it would fail. If it fails, it could result in Subaru, Beatrice, and Meili drifting endlessly through imaginary space.
Subaru: [I can't believe I’m forced to make a last-minute gamble!]
While Natsuki Subaru did think he was a great guy, by no means did he think himself a superman who could break through any situation he was put in.
That didn’t mean he was one to give up. It’s just that he could afford to screw up plenty of times. The ability of “Return By Death” gave him a luxury no one else had.
Subaru: [This is not time to start thinking about losing. It's a shitty bet, but ......]
Julius: [You think your willpower and pride alone will get you out of this? That's very much your decision though.]
Just as Subaru was about to attempt his third original magic, a voice fell from above, and a figure, shining with the colors of the rainbow, appeared between the hostile enemies and Subaru. It was so dazzling that Subaru couldn't help but close his eyes.
Julius: [Al Clauzeria!]
Immediately afterwards, a shimmering light was released to dispel the oncoming onslaught.
Shockwaves of destruction carrying burning flames came to take Subaru's life. The rainbow colored light extinguished them, and sand blew in all directions. It was like a force of nature that had been unleashed by the graceful knight’s sword..
Julius: [I'm here for a reason. That was a close call, wasn't it?]
While saying that, the one who glanced back at Subaru was Julius Juukulius, who was known as the "Most Excellent Knight". He stood there with ease while his white outfit was stained with blood and grime. As well as the glow of the rainbow he wears, he stood even more gracefully than before. At his imposing entrance, Subaru's voice trembled.
Subaru: [Julius......you ...... finished?! I thought I left you a message that directed you to help the other crises?!]
Julius: [Yes, I heard the message. That's why I'm here. I'm sorry, but I decided that this was the most dangerous place to be.]
Subaru: [Shut up! What happened to your face? Where's Reid?!]
Julius: [It was a total loss. He got away before I could win.]
Subaru: [Fuck that! Go ahead and win anyway! I would’ve died if you hadn't come, and I'm only going to say it once, but thank you!]
Hearing gratitude mixed in with swearing, Julius, who had a white scar under his left eye, laughed.
It was annoying, but apparently he had something to gain from finishing the fight with Reid. The proof of that….
Subaru: [Have you made up with the quasi-spirits?]
Julius: [To be precise, they blossomed from buds to spirits. Besides, made up aren’t really the right words. It's not like we were on bad terms.]
Surrounding Julius were six pale quasi-spirits-- no, spirits, who increased in their light.
The spirits who had forgotten Julius’s “name” thanks to the Authority of Gluttony had been unable to lend their strength to the Spirit Knight for a long time. However, the gap between them has been bridged, and a bond has been fostered between them that is even stronger than before. It was truly remarkable to have been able to re-contract with six spirits.
Subaru: [Right now, I'm just doing my best to help Beako, so don’t go and get yourself eaten by that damned Scorpion, Julius!]
Julius: [Unfortunately, I have already been eaten.]
Subaru: [That is not funny!]
Subaru rolled his eyes at Julius, who even turned being a victim of a cruel authority into humor.
As long as he expressed that he had won and escaped, he must have settled the battle with Reid. Since Reid's body should have been Roy Alphard's, it was natural to think that the Gluttony sibling was dead. The fact that Julius didn't mention the danger of Roy means that he had succeeded in neutralizing him.
Beatrice: [Julius! I suppose you've come to the right place! I need to borrow Kua!]
Julius: [Understood.]
Julius instantly nods at Beatrice's call. He, too, could see that Meili’s condition was time sensitive.
As the aqua blue spirit Kua, the water-governing spirit, leapt out from the six spirits, its gentle power, along with Beatrice's own magic, poured healing magic into Meili's body.
On top of that--.
Julius: [I am going to buy us some time.]
Subaru: [Can you do that? That crazy Crimson Scorpion is Shaula. You've just been beaten up pretty badly by Reid, haven't you?]
Julius: [It would be disrespectful to Lady Shaula to describe her in such a manner.]
Julius holds his knight’s sword in front of him and confronts the Crimson Scorpion, saying that he would take her head on.
The knight's figure was before her, but the Crimson Scorpion's compound eyes completely ignored him. Its killing intent was still directed towards Subaru, and all others between them were simply obstacles.
As not just a Knight, but a Spirit Knight, Julius’ chivalry elevates himself to an entirely different level.
Julius: [Subaru, I'll take care of Lady Shaula. Other than that, you can go to.......]
Subaru: [I understand, I have something I have to get done on my own as well.]
Julius: [No, you'll have to work with Lady Beatrice to get that done.]
Subaru: [My own power in a situation like this is about 70 percent, and that’s only since I'm adding Beako’s as well.]
Honestly, even 70 percent is a very glamorous figure.
Eighty or ninety percent would be nice, but since the only thing Subaru can be proud of as a contractor for Beatrice is his clever little head and a number of small tricks, even 95 percent might be possible. In any case--.
Subaru: [I’m glad to have you back ......]
Julius: [I'm glad to see that you have reconsidered your own value.]
After exchanging some small talk, Subaru and Julius focused on their own roles.
Julius, in order to prevent the magical beasts' attacks from reaching Subaru and the others, advances forward and proceeds to begin his battle.
On the other hand, Subaru kept the dying Meili away from the carnage of the demonic beasts to buy time for the victory conditions to be met.
Subaru: [.....!]
Sensing something, Subaru turns towards the Pleiades Watchtower.
Subaru: [Did Ram’s light just disappear?]
△▼△▼△▼△
Volcanica’s breath glowed blue as it struck the top floor.
Emilia: [......]
Emilia blocks the flames with an ice shield she quickly created, and attempts to break through the flames.
The ice shield, which Emilia had used while they traversed the Augrian Sand Dunes, was powerful enough to block Shaula’s “Hell Snipe”. However, the shield doesn't last for a moment when faced against the dragon's breath.
The multiple layers of ice melt instantly, and even though the flames’ power was slightly diminished, the attack would certainly be fatal to Emilia.
Emilia: [....]
For a moment, the black monolith behind her passes through Emilia's mind.
It was sturdy and might not be damaged by the dragon's breath. However, Emilia had a feeling that if it was lost, the “trial” would be ruined.
Besides, there was also a thought that Emilia wanted to confirm.
Emilia: [I'm going to miss that thing tremendously if it's destroyed......]
A handprint that gives her a strange sense of deja vu was imprinted on the monolith. Emilia doesn't know what it had to do with her, or even if it was simply a whim. She just wanted to know if there was more to this strange feeling she had. That's why Emilia can't lose the monolith.
Emilia: [....]
Emilia concentrates her mana and manifests a spear made of ice.
Emilia has a surprising amount of mana in her possession, but that doesn't mean she can manipulate it all at once. No matter how much mana she has accumulated, the amount she could handle at one time was only what her gate would allow.
Even so, Emilia's output was more than ten times greater than that of an ordinary mage. Furthermore, spending many years as a spirit mage further expanded her potential.
Through their gate, mages use the mana they have stored within themselves to cast magic. Spirit mages borrow the power of spirits and use the atmospheric mana to cast magic. Emilia can make use of both of these methods to cast magic.
The amount of mana that comes out of her is a fixed amount, like a running faucet, while the atmosphere around her acts like a vat. The mana that overflows from within herself is kept in said vat, and the application of extreme magic that ignores the limitations of a gate is unleashed.
Emilia: [Absolute Zero!]
The spell was theoretical in nature, and hadn’t been attempted before. Subaru had postulated its capabilities to Emilia, and had also named it, but he largely spoke of how difficult it would be to achieve.
Oddly enough, it was at about the same time that Subaru shouted his doubts of his own power that Emilia went on to attempt a technique she had never done before.
And she succeeds.
If Emilia's original magic power is one, then would this magic that takes advantage of her overflowing mana be ten-fold, or perhaps even a hundred-fold?
At the moment, the white void that swept the world was not an expression of the atmosphere being frozen, but rather an expression of power that could even stop the passage of time. The dragon's breath, which should have led to an inevitable death, was no exception. The collision of blue flames and “Absolute Zero”, created a void in the world.
Emilia: [....]
A moment later, those two extreme powers cancel each other out. Astonishingly, the two powers neutralized each other without sound or impact, and when time started moving again, Emilia jumped forward with her ice spear at the ready.
Emilia: [Haaa!]
With a soft shrill in her thin throat, Emilia charges towards Volcanica.
Emilia’s body felt very heavy. Even though the mana she used was outside of her body, the strain placed on Emilia is immense.
Turning over a vat full of water, of course, takes quite a bit of strength.
Since the force required was more comparable to turning over a fountain instead of a vat, it was natural for Emilia to become exhausted. Yet she spoke up, with not even a shred of fear in her voice.
Emilia: [I won’t fall here!]
By shouting that, Emilia energizes herself.
Vigor and mana are two different things, but still, it felt that dormant power was rising within her after her little pep talk. She might be wrong, but it’s not bad to deceive herself once in a while.
Volcanica: [Satella!!!]
With his roar preventing him from breathing more fire, Volcanica swings his paws and tail at Emilia.
The attack came from beyond her eyesight. Emilia defended against it by relying on the sensation of ice grains that developed around her, and the seven ice soldiers. Thanks to them, they prevented Emilia's entire body from being crushed.
An ice soldier stops a strike from one of the Divine Dragon’s front paws, and Emilia takes a huge leap off the ice soldier's shoulder. Volcanica launched a tail whip at Emilia while she was in mid air, which was held off by another ice soldier who was supported by two other ice soldiers. Emilia was able to jump a little higher at the ice soldiers’ expense.
Emilia: [Here we go!]
With the help of their sacrifice, Emilia spins and thrusts her ice spear into Volcanica. It's not enough to break through the Divine Dragon’s skin, but it's enough to draw its ire.
Emilia's silver hair was grazed as she dodged a paw strike from Volcanica. Emilia had just completed a life-threatening thrust into Volcanica, aiming for the Divine Dragon’s weak spot.
Emilia: [The white scale…..]
Emilia looked upwards, hoping that her spear had hit Volcanica’s white scale.
Emilia's eyes widened when she saw the “Divine Dragon” approaching, close enough that she could touch him, so his white scale was difficult to see directly.
The reason for the difficulty was a surprise. It wasn't that the scales had turned white. Rather, there was a large white scar that could be mistaken for a white scale instead.
Emilia: [An old scar ......]
The wound was already closed and there would be no pain even if it was touched.
However, the “Divine Dragon” didn't want the old wound to be touched, and would writhe in pain when the scar was touched. Emilia chokes up when she realizes that it has something to do with an old memory that Volcanica can't erase. Taking advantage of that momentary hesitation, Volcanica flapped his wings.
Emilia: [Ah!!!]
The huge body of Volcanica rises at once, leaving Emilia hopelessly incapable of reaching him.
This is the worst situation to get involved in when fighting a winged beast.
If Volcanica stays in the sky and attacks from somewhere she can’t reach, Emilia would be in a very precarious situation.
Emilia: [No..!]
Emilia quickly lowers her hands to the floor, and all at once, ice rises from under her feet. Extending the improvised ice foothold into the sky, Emilia struggles to reach out to catch up to the flying Volcanica.
However, the ice scaffold reaches its limit after it extends merely twenty meters, yet Emilia would need far more than that to reach Volcanica.
Emilia: [Everyone! Please help me!]
Emilia's shout was answered by the ice soldiers running up the ice scaffold.
As the ice soldiers climbed to the tip of the ice scaffold, they leapt off each other’s backs to form a staircase. Emilia raced up the makeshift staircase, as Emilia leapt on the back of the last ice soldier ....
Emilia: [I'm sorry!]
The backs of the Ice Soldiers, who were used as stepping stones, snapped.
However, the seven falling ice soldiers all crash down with a thumbs up and a smile on their faces. With their encouragement, Emilia's hand goes for Volcanica's tail.
Emilia: [...stupid.]
With that phrase, the tail recoiled away from within Emilia’s reach.
The tail comes back with a force, aiming to strike Emilia down. In the air, there is no escape. Even if Emilia tries to create an ice shield in the spur of the moment, the power that would reach her after the ice shield broke would still be lethal.
Emilia: [Ah!]
Various thoughts are tangled in Emilia’s mind: failure, hardship, and her actions.
Amidst the sense that time is slowing down, she desperately looks for a way out and mobilizes every inch of her head and body to see if she can do anything. Giving up is not an option.
Because none of Emilia's closest friends had chosen to give up.
So....
Emilia: [I'm not giving up, either!]
But nothing can be saved with just a few words of bravado.
As if he were trying to teach the lesson of impermanence to this helpless child, the tail of the fabled “Divine Dragon” approaches Emilia, and...
Ram: [Emilia-sama!]
A moment later, a fierce wind blowing up from directly below assists Emilia's descent ever so slightly.
△▼△▼△▼△
The wind that is blowing up pushes her body, and Emilia's situation changes slightly.
You can't lower the chances of death by a hundred percent, especially in a situation where there is a ninety percent chance of death.
Emilia, who does not know how to give up, successfully grasps that ten percent chance of survival.
Volcanica: [.....]
The “Divine Dragon” aimed its tail at Emilia's head and launched the attack.
As the momentum of her ascent increased, the aim of that tail shot shifted from Emilia’s head to her torso. Understanding this through intuition rather than perception, Emilia folds her knees as hard as she can.
In order to reduce the size of her body and escape the tail’s effective range, Emilia makes herself small. One could consider her successful, since the tail strike meant for her chest swipes at her toes, and Emilia's body suddenly and rapidly spun from the tremendous impact.
Emilia: [----]
Holding her knees, Emilia's body was blown straight upwards.
While being swallowed by the impact that seemed to make her internal organs pop out of her head, Emilia gingerly gritted her back teeth and deployed an ice foothold in the sky, forcing her body to brake itself.
“Thump”, a strong sound rang out, and Emilia looked down with tears in her eyes as she took in the impact with her whole body.
With the icy ceiling created in the sky, Emilia's vision of the heavens and earth reversed while holding onto her foothold. The head of Volcanica and a vague figure that appeared from a single layer of stairs can be seen in the distance.
It's not only a human shadow, to be precise. It's a person, accompanied by the shadow of an earth dragon.
Emilia: [Ram and ......!]
It was Ram, who reached out and helped Emilia rise, who broke in.
Ram, who can be seen from a distance, is covered in blood and full of wounds, so Emilia couldn’t hide her surprise that she rushed to this spot in such a state.
However, thanks to her help, Emilia didn't die from a blow to the head.
With her help, Emilia now puts strength into her knees once again.
Using this ice ceiling as a foothold, she wanted to swoop down on Volcanica at once. Oblivious to the half-elf in front of him, Volcanica was showing a rather odd face.
I'm sure you'd be able to see it the same way.
It seemed as if Volcanica had set his sights on Ram, who had saved Emilia. However, that was not the case. The old “Divine Dragon”, its golden eyes are not looking at Ram.
It was--.
Volcanica: [Patrache?]
Emilia: [Hey, hey--!]
With a force that drowned out Volcanica's mutterings, Emilia's body was ejected downwards
Half a second later, Volcanica's tail, looking up above his head, shattered the ice ceiling. Too late. Emilia's figure had already moved, and ironically, she wasn't even aiming straight for Volcanica's throat.
Emilia, who was released, created another ice foothold - no, an ice slope.
In Pristella, a ramp made for the purpose of accelerating while changing momentum when escaping from Regulus with Subaru. Ehe created it in the air and glided with her ice shoes.
Emilia's speed accelerates in the air, preventing the attacks of Volcanica’s tail that chases her.
The ice runway born in the air, accelerates Emilia while being chased by Volcanica’s tail. The attack braises Emilia’s silver hair, and then….
Emilia: [Hey, hey, hey!]
Emilia jump-kicked out of the slope and launched herself at high speeds, aiming straight at Volcanica's throat.
Emilia evades the paw which tries to close the distance between them, and like a released arrow, Emilia reaches the white scar at Volcanica's throat.
Emilia: [....!]
Emilia's white soles catch his throat and Volcanica screams again.
Volcanica: [Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!]
A sound like the sky is cracking plays in Emilia’s ears, forcing her to cover them as she falls in one smooth motion from the recoil of her kick. Falling, falling, falling, until suddenly--
Emilia: [Oh, my God!...... Wow, thanks!]
The ice soldiers caught Emilia as she fell, who should have been used up as footholds from her earlier ascent.
Aided by the soft impact, Emilia rose to her feet. It was only then when Emilia realized she was again on the uppermost floor, and that Volcanica was writhing above her in terrible agony.
Once again, she runs to the monolith at the central pillar.
Run, run, run, run to that monolith, to that monolith's strange deja vu - and
Emilia: [I knew it!]
She reached the monolith and pressed her hand against it, this time without any interruptions..
The momentum and impact shook the monolith, but Emilia's hand matched the handprint in question with a perfect snap. I don't know how many people in the world have hands that look exactly alike, but at least this monolith's handprint is that of someone whose hands look exactly like Emilia's.
And--.
Volcanica: [Thou, who hath reached the top of the tower. Step forth through the first floor, petitioner of the almighty.]
Emilia: [Oh, .......]
The “Divine Dragon” descended under Emilia, whose hand was placed firmly into the monolith, flapping its wings.
With its huge body still floating in the sky, Volcanica, who should have regained some semblance of sanity, once again asked the same inane question from the start.
But this question had a different aura about it from its original posing, the one that came from the edge of oblivion if anything else. --Rightly, the questioning begins-- is how that question made me feel.
Volcanica: [I am Volcanica. In accordance with the ancient covenant, I ask the will of thee who hath reached the summit.]
The words that have been spoken to me too many times.
Volcanica: [What do you want, what have you come here to do?]
Emilia: [.....]
There are many answers to that question for Emilia.
So many answers to what she wants, what she wants, what she came here to do.
But at this moment, in a great hurry, what Emilia wants....
Volcanica: [Let me hear your will!]
The overlapping question, Emilia's eyes widened and her mouth opened when she heard it.
Then, she replies in a loud voice.
Emilia: [For everyone, be nice to each other!]
△▼△▼△▼△
Instantly, an immense wind blew, and the sandy sea was swallowed up by its momentum..
Subaru: [Whoa!]
Subaru, who was dodging the demonic beasts’ onslaught, screamed, and Beatrice, who was struggling to heal Meili, said:
Beatrice: [What’s happened?! I can’t tell what’s going on?!]
Naturally, it was the same for Julius, who was engaged in a superhuman-level battle against Shaula.
--No, his surprise may have been even greater than that.
Because even though a tremendous dust-filled whirlwind covered his vision, which forced him to fall back in fear for his life, there was no pursuit.
And Julius' surprise continued to grow as he saw the answer.
Julius: [--This, Subaru!]
Subaru: [Oh,What the fuck! The sand is so bad, you can hardly see anything!....]
Julius: [Ignore that and come here!]
Hearing Julius' desperate call for help, Subaru, spitting sand in his mouth, turned his head in that direction.
Then, he saw what instilled desperation in Julius’ voice, and his eyes involuntarily widened.
It was--.
Subaru: [Shaula!]
Beatrice: [Huh?]
Subaru screamed in astonishment, and what appeared in his vision was the figure of the Crimson Scorpion, which had been capsized by the violent whirlwind and was currently helplessly flailing its multiple legs above the sand.
The administrator of the tower, who until then had shown no reaction to any attacks and was trying to corner them with its mechanical movement, the star-named guardian and the error that had to be fixed along the tracks of Subaru’s goals.
Subaru: [What the hell did you do?!]
Julius: [What? I didn’t do anything unordinary. I was only focused on deflecting her earlier attacks. Rather, when that sand wind blew…]
Subaru: [Sand wind ...... Yes, that wind is ......]
The fierce wind that engulfed Subaru and the others, the fierce wind that was called 'sand wind', of which he felt awfully uncomfortable from.
It is the sand wind that mercilessly engulfs those who go through the Augurian dunes, but since breaking through the boundary in question, there has never been a strong wind blowing around the watchtower.
That is to say, not once has there been anything that could be called a “sand wind”. And now, the one that blew was--.
Beatrice: [SUBARU! Look! The sky.]
Subaru: [....]
Beatrice shouted this in a cute voice to Subaru, whose thoughts were disturbed by a thousand things. Hearing this, Subaru was tripped up and looked up.
The change that had occurred in the Pleiades Watchtower, that easy-to-understand drastic change.
Subaru: [--The clouds have cleared!]
The Pleiades Watchtower broke through the clouds and stretched into the heavens.
Its uppermost part was literally covered by clouds and could not be peeked at from below. That, the strange cloud that had enveloped the watchtower, had disappeared entirely.
Then Subaru finally realized. The wind from earlier was the aftermath to dissipate those clouds.
The clouds have cleared and the top of the tower can be seen from below.
That meant only one thing, according to Subaru's wishful thinking.
Subaru: [-You did it, Emilia.]
While muttering this sudden insight, Subaru had realized that his compatriots in the tower that had previously disappeared from the effects of “Cor Leonis” suddenly and completely reappeared. Emilia, who had disappeared first, was correspondingly the first to recover. Following were Ram and Patrasche, whose presence were confirmed with “Cor Leonis”.
Presumably, Ram and Patrashe had gone to Emilia's aid, and their presence made some kind of meaningful impact on the battle.
In other words, if Subaru's idea was correct....
Subaru: [The rules of the tower have been rewritten and ...... Shaula! Hey, Shaula! Listen to me!]
Crimson Scorpion: [~~~~!]
Subaru: [You won't have to fight us anymore! You're already free to go to!!.......]
Is the reason why the Crimson Scorpion, who is currently flipped on her backside and writhing in agony and suffering, because the ancient pact engraved within her has finally been broken? Subaru doesn’t know the specifics of this peculiar situation.
It's just that it's enough. There was no need for her to suffer any more--.
Subaru: [Hey, Shau--]
Julius: [Hey! Subaru!]
Subaru's collar was grabbed as he approached Shaula at a precariously close distance, all in an effort to call out to her. . A moment later, a sharp tail furiously slipped through the space where he was allowed to escape as Julius dragged him away.
Snatched by the wind, Subaru smells the burnt air invade his nose, and he is supremely disappointed.
If Julius hadn't been able to hold him back now, he would have been hit directly.
But it wasn't the sense of 'death' that tormented Subaru - but
Subaru: [Hey, Shaula! Shaula! What, why? Get your shit together!]
Subaru: [Huh?]
Hearing Subaru's desperate plea, the Crimson Scorpion slowly returned to its original and upright position on the sand.
The Crimson Scorpion returned to its upturned posture, its compound eyes wavering, scanning the sand dunes. It slowly caught Subaru again, drool spilling from its vicious fangs.
That didn't seem like the attitude of a very rational being - and
Julius: [I'm sorry to see that, Subaru.]
As he said this, Julius grabbed Subaru's shoulder and tried to move forward.
However, Subaru could see what Julius was thinking, and Subaru grabbed his arm and held him back.
Subaru can see that Julius is willing to take on the dirty role.
But Subaru can't let him do it.
Subaru: [I'm going to help her, I've decided. I'm going to get that girl out.]
Julius: [An unconscious master's duty?]
Subaru: [No.]
Shaking his head, Subaru responds to Julius' words.
It's not. It's not that Subaru wants to help Shaula because he's her master.
Subaru: [It's not because I was her master. I'm doing this because I'm bound to her.]
Julis: [....]
Subaru: [Just like Beako. How can I leave someone who's been alone in this tower of sand all these years and then cries about how much fun she had in the days she spent with us?]
Biting his back teeth, Subaru grabbed Julius's arm and told him truly.
Staring back at Subaru, Julius exhaled.
Julius: [You're ...... stubborn. But you should be.]
Subaru: [Julius?]
Julius: [No, I'm impressed once again. I'll stick it out until the end.]
Julius, smiling thinly, replies by tracing a finger over the scar on his left cheek.
Subaru's eyes narrow at the answer, and he realizes that his free left hand has been gripped by a soft touch. If you look, it's Beatrice who did it.
She looks at Subaru with those large, round, and most adorable eyes on earth.
Beatrice: [Meili’s treatment is over. That is all that’s left]
Subaru: [Can you help me get her out of there?]
Beatrice: [What kind of demon is Betty if she says no to this? ...... Totally, I wonder if Subaru is really a helpless partner.]
At Beatrice's answer, Subaru chuckled and scratched his own head.
Then firmly, he reconnects his hand with his precious contracted spirit and turns to face the Crimson Scorpion, Shaula.
Those two, Subaru and Julius, Spirit Knights. The two of them, side by side, are facing the girl who must be saved, the girl who is crying.
And....
Subaru: [I'm dead to the world. --So get over with it and let yourself be rescued, Shaula!]
The Pleiades Watchtower Attack, the final overtime game, begins.