Volume 6 - CH 11

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.