AN: I'll try to upload the next chapter by today or tomorrow for all you folks, so look forward to it. ENJOY.

ARC Five: Trials of the Sanctuary

Chapter Thirty Seven: Anguish

Subaru and Batman began quickly preparing for the departure to the Mansion.

Subaru decided to leave a letter for Emilia, explaining that the two of them would be gone for a while and to try her best in the Trials.

Subaru met up with Batman as they both headed for the Mansion in the Batwing.

Emilia had awoken from her sleep and was in the kitchen reading the letter he left for her. As she read it, she began to shake a bit.

She then heard the sounds of the Batwings engines fire up and ran outside.

Don't go…

Emilia kept running, her face full of panic as she tried to stop them.

Don't leave me alone…

But before she could even reach her destination, the Batwing sped off into the distance, it's sharp piercing sound making Emilia tremble. She held onto the letter as she looked up at the sky with her eyes that had little light in them.

She remembered the fight Subaru and Batman had, the conversation they had in secret and what they further said about her…

"Can we be sure Emilia is capable of beating the Trials, there's three right?"

"Yeah...but I can't take this away from her."

"I understand that...but we don't have any options here. We may need you to finish this."

"...I hope Emilia will understand."

Emilia thought of one thing that made her almost want to cry…

They're disappointed in me…

Emilia then looked over at the Tomb and put on a hollow smile as her eyes lost almost all of it's color.

Subaru...I'll make you proud...then you'll come back….

The two of them quickly made it to the mansion, bursting through the door and making their way to the main hallway.

There they saw Petra's dead body, leaning on the wall with a blade in the back of her head. Subaru nearly threw up when he saw her, but was suddenly pushed away by Batman as a Kukri blade flew past his head. Batman put up a battle stance as he saw Elsa rushing towards them. Batman dodged her strikes before rushing past her and hitting her with taser. She flinched from the pain but still tried to attack him. He quickly parried a slice from her with a powerful kick to her jaw.

She flew back and jumped into the air, she bounced around at rapid speed. Batman concentrated as he quickly determined her trajectory. He threw a punch behind himself and hit her right on the face. He then lopped her to the wall, creating a crater on it, even before she could truly react, he kicked her through the wall and lopped several tear gas pellets inside. As they exploded, Batman tried to help Subaru, who hit his head on the wall when Batman had shoved him away.

Before that, several Ma-Beast began attacking the mansion.

"Subaru! Get Beatrice! I'll hold them off as long as I can!"

Subaru reached over and grabbed the nearest door and was about to enter when he saw two figures emerging within the mass of Ma-beasts...

"...!"

...Meili walking alongside Deathstroke.

Subaru gritted his teeth as he entered the door and into the Forbidden Archive, trusting Batman to survive long enough.

Subaru saw Beatrice sitting on her stool, making him rush over and grab her by the hand.

"What are-LET GO!"

"No Beako! We have to go, the mansion is under attack, Batman is holding them all off even right now!"

"Betty cannot go with you, I suppose. I have a duty-"

"-Screw your duty and that gospel! I want you to live-"

Beatrice wrestled her hand free from Subaru as she stared at him trembling.

"How do you know about the book?"

"I...I learned it from Roswaal."

"...I see...you won't even tell me the truth."

"That's not important! I just have to get you out of here!"

Beatrice ran over to her small desk and hugged her Gospel tightly. Seeing this Subaru became frustrated and stomped his way to her, grabbing the Gospel.

"NO! STOP!"

"I'm sick of you and Roswaal treating these things like it's the end all, be all, fucking solution! I wanna see what has you so obsessed!"

He finally wrestled it out of her small hands as she began to cry on the ground. It hurt Subaru seeing her like that, but he placed the blame squarely on the book in front of him and began to read it.

"...Huh?"

He flipped through page after page only to see the same result no matter what.

"There's nothing in here."

The Gospel was empty. Completely devoid of even a single letter. He glanced down at Beatrice who began explaining that Gospel was actually a copy of the Book of Wisdom and was much more accurate than the Gospels the Witch Cultists carried around. However, for some reason, Beatrice's book stopped telling her the future.

And under her Contract, she had to wait for "Them" in the Forbidden Archive.

"I've been waiting here for hundreds of years…waiting for "Them" to arrive...yet why?!"

"Beatrice-"

"-WHY MUST I WAIT HERE?! MOTHER, I CANNOT DO THIS ANY LONGER! I CAN'T!...I CAN'T…"

Subaru tried to ponder who in the world could be the person she promised to...who this mother was-

-then he remembered Roswaal….the Sanctuary...the large Crystal and even the Tomb itself…

"Echidna."

"...!"

"Echidna made you do this right?"

"I am in a contract with my mother until the arrival of "Them". Unless you...are you-"

"-No Beatrice, I am not "Them", but I am a friend. And I want you out of here, and so does Batman...so please come with me."

Subaru reached his hand over to her, only for her to clutch onto her book harder.

"I am under Contract I cannot leave, I suppose."

"Screw the Contract! Just come on and let's -"

"-HOW DARE YOU ASSUME THAT I WOULD FALL TO SUCH LOWS AND ABANDON MY CONTRACT WITH YOU?! I NO LONGER HAVE THE WILL TO LIVE AND YET YOU-"

"-Is this little shouting match over yet?"

The two of them were shocked to hear an unknown voice…

They both turned to see Deathstroke crossing his arms and leering at the them in front of an open door.

"How did you get past Betty's Door Crossing?!"

"Elsa told me to just open up all the doors to the mansion and leave them open...that way your magic would have nowhere to go. Right?"

Beatrice gritted her teeth, only to relax as she realized how they knew this trick.

"Roswaal told them…"

Beatrice fell to her knees, realizing the hopelessness of the situation. Subaru stood in front of her, intending to protect her from Deathstroke.

"Look I don't like killing kids unless I have to. So you, guy in the tracksuit, come over here and I'll let the girl go."

"Bastard...the moment she walks out of here, Elsa or Meili is going to kill her!"

"Yeah, but not me...so that helps me out right? Besides, it looks as though she doesn't even want to live anyways."

"Shut up. I won't let her die."

"...Fine then."

Deathstroke pulled out a handgun and aimed it directly at Subaru's forehead.

"SHAMAK!"

Subaru released a massive cloud of smoke and ducked down...only to be hit twice in the shoulder by stray bullets. Still, he took the chance to try and grab Beatrice.

"Huh?!"

He was then flung out of the room and into the hallway as he looked back at the spirit. She put on a smile, but one filled with pain as tears fell from her cheeks.

"Beatrice!"

The door closed as he lost sight of the both of them.

Deathstroke looked at the shut door and then back at Beatrice.

"That wasn't very smart little girl."

"...Betty is not a little child, I suppose. I am an ancient spirit...to Betty you are the child here."

"Okay, that makes this a little easier."

Deathstroke unsheathed his sword and finished reloading his pistol, getting into a battle stance. Beatrice raised her hand at the assassin as she closed her eyes.

"El Minya…"

Several purple light spears appeared around as she spoke her last words.

"I'm sorry mother…"

She fired them at Deathstroke, but he quickly dodged all of them, even running along some bookshelves and tossing a grenade at her. It exploded, sending her flying into a bookshelf. Deathstroke slowly walked to the injured Beatrice. She looked up at him with half her face ripped to shreds and in tears.

Deathstroke looked away as he shot her in the face, her corpse dissipating into light.

Subaru was walking down the hallway away from the door he last came out of.

But when he turned around, he saw the door open, seeing only Deathstroke exiting out of it.

"Beatrice…"

Subaru started crying as he ran away, trying to not get seen by Deathstroke.

Sadly, Deathstroke pulled out a submachine gun and fired it at his direction, Subaru dove to try and dodged it...but it ripped his sides to shreds.

Subaru dragged himself on the floor as he tried his best to get away. Deathstroke was aiming his gun at him only for it to be hit by a Batarang. Elsa's body was flung at him, and while he dodged he was hit by an explosive Batarang, sending him flying.

Batman, who was carrying Rem with him, then picked up Subaru and dropped all of his pellets at once as they jumped out of the window. The explosions rocked the side of the mansion as Batman fired a grappling hook to get to the Batwing.

When they entered he looked at Subaru and realized he was in terrible shape.

"Hang on we're getting to the Sanctuary!"

"F-Frederica?"

"She did her best to protect Rem...we have to honor her wishes."

Subaru began to cry as he realized the severity of it all…

Once again, he failed to save them all.

The Batwing was blasting away as Deathstorke whistled loudly. Meili arrived riding a giant warthog-like Ma-Beast.

"What's up Oji-san?!"

"Missile Launcher please."

She then reached over and struggled to pick up his missile launcher, but finally grabbed it and chucked it over to him.

He quickly spun it in place and fired.

The Batwing spun in the air, releasing flares as it escaped the strike.

"Damn."

Deathstroke ran out and jumped on some trees, finally leaping into the air.

"El Fula!"

Deathstroke kicked several times in the air, each kick released a powerful air slice. As he fell back to the ground he saw the Batwing barely escaped and was only cut underneath.

"Well shit."

Deathstroke rushed back and met with his partners.

"Well, Oji-san?"

"No good, they're heading south from here."

"Aw, should we chase after them?"

"No...I have a better idea."

Subaru woke up as he saw that he was now inside the Batwing laying next to a sleeping Rem.

"B-Batman-san?"

"Subaru, hang on we're going to make it...I swear we will."

As Subaru looked down he saw that Batman was bleeding badly from a slice to his side. He was driving the Batwing with one hand and holding onto his wound with another.

Suddenly, the Batwing began to shake as and an alarm sounded off.

"No, not now!"

Batman tried his best to get it under control, but even Subaru realized that the Batwing was descending fast. But before they hit the ground hard, Batman used both hands to cause the Batwing to skid on the ground, instead of crash head first.

That was when Subaru lost consciousness.

Subaru finally awoke with Batman carrying the both of them, as he made his way down the road, up ahead he saw a dragon carriage heading towards them.

"Natsuki-san!"

Otto could be seen driving the carriage with Patrasche leading the charge. When they both saw the conditions of the party and the smoke plume ahead, a feeling of unease hit them both.

Batman loaded the two of them into the back of the carriage, as he made his way back to up the road from where they came.

"Batman-dono?! What are you doing?"

"I have to fix the Batwing immediately, they'll follow the smoke...plus we'll need it to stop what's next."

"But those injuries-"

"-OTTO PLEASE TAKE THOSE TWO ALREADY!"

"...!"

"Please...I'll be fine."

Otto could only watch as Batman walked back towards the direction of the downed Batwing.

He then turned the carriage around as he headed back to the Sanctuary.

Subaru woke up in a room he did not recognize and ran out...only to see it completely the entire Sanctuary covered in snow.

"No...NO!"

Subaru began running around in his terrible condition, but soon ran into Garfiel who dragged him to the Tomb in a rage.

"Go, get the half-devil...NOW!"

"What?"

"Ever since ya' two left she's been there doin' the Trials! And now look around! Tha' whole stinkin' place is covered in snow!"

"Emilia…"

"Bring her out now!"

Subaru made his way into the Tomb and found Emilia who was smiling happily at him.

"Ah! Subaru you came back! I'm so relieved...I was worried you were mad at me. I...I heard you and Batman-san talking about how you didn't believe in me anymore. So I got scared you were going to leave me…"

"But you're back! So happy! And look I've been taking the Trials like you wanted. I bet you're proud of me now!"

"I can see you've been doing something crazy as usual, but that's what make you a good person. You're always doing things for everyone huh? ...Well, I want you to do things only for me now. Only me. I know it's selfish to say, but now I realize something...Subaru...I finally realized it…"

"I love you Subaru."

"I love you and I want to be with you every moment. I want to hold your hand and let you hold mine. I want to touch you and hear from you. I'm sorry I took so long to realzie it...but I'm ready Subaru. Whatever you want...I will want."

"...Okay, let me go and check something really quick okay Emilia?"

"Sure! But don't take too long or I might even cry!"

Subaru left, but he looked one last time to see Emilia smiling at him...with eyes devoid of sanity.

Subaru confronted Garfiel, revealing to him that Emilia was now mind broken by the Trials and that she couldn't possibly be responsible for the snow falling.

"Then who?!"

"Roswaal, let's go and-"

Then a sudden hot piercing feeling hit Subaru when he looked down, he saw blood forming near his chest. When he looked over at Garfiel, he saw that he was looking at a perfectly made hole in his own chest.

They both fell over in pain.

Deathstroke was several miles away, set on a large tree branch looking down the sights of his sniper rifle.

"That first kid was really hard to get through, better use a different round for this one."

He quickly pulled out a anti-tank round and placed it into the chamber of his rifile. Looking down his sight once again.

Garfiel was picking himself up as he coughed up blood.

"Shit...what the hell is this...I need to get up and-"

"-NO GARFIEL STAY DOWN!"

Garfiel's head popped open as a bullet flew through his skull. His eye at this point was dangling and he fell on the ground dead.

Subaru began to run away, but a bullet tore away his calf and he rolled onto the ground. He soon began using the tombstones of the graveyard as cover, trying to make it inside the town. Bullets passed by his head as he finally made it inside.

He then made it to Roswaal's housing.

Subaru breathed heavily as he stared at the master and his maid.

"Barusu what is going on?! Why are you covered in wounds again?!"

As Ram started to move towards him, he screamed out in fear.

"NO! STAY AWAY!"

"What?"

"And get away from the windows!"

Ram slowly walked back to Roswaal's side, when a sudden sound startled them. Roswaal clutched his chest, and fell over from the bed. Subaru also slipped down as he clutched his side and began to breathe erratically.

"Sh...shit...I...think it...hit my….lung..!"

Roswaal seemed to be angry about this more than anything.

"Subaru-kun, what is this?!"

"Gun….ha...ha...it's called a gun…"

Ram moved to help Roswaal up.

That's when Subaru saw that Ram's head was aligned with the hole where the bullet shot through.

"RAM! GET DOWN!"

When Ram looked over at him another bullet passed through the hole and shot Ram's head. The bullet passed through and hit Subaru in the knee.

Ram's body fell over and Roswaal looked at her in disappointment.

"How tragic, to dieeeeee so early in allllll this."

Roswaal stood up but made sure to stay away from the hole in the wall, but he also smiled as he looked down at Subaru. He then quickly grabbed Subaru and they made it outside by leaping out the window.

There, he simply dropped Subaru on the ground as he faced ahead. He could see the Sizeable Hare finally arriving.

"But...we still had-"

"-Oh, yes yoooooou still had at least another day...buuuuut you were asleep for a whole day now...What a shaaaaame right?"

Subaru began to back away as Roswaal launched some fireballs at the approaching monstrosity. But stopped suddenly.

"Natsuki Subaru, if you focus on your goal, even at the expense of others...you will become like me."

"So try not to make a mistake again will you?"

The Sizeable Hare launched themselves at Roswaal and devoured him.

"ROSWAAL!"

Subaru ran for his life as he tried to make it back to Emilia.

Deathstroke saw the Sizeable Hare attacking the town and leaped down to meet the others. They looked at him curiously for the results.

"Mission Accomplished."

They seemed to cheer for another successful assassination.

Elsa held tightly to Deathstroke's arm while Meili held onto to her puppy as she led the other Ma-Beast away. And soon the three of them disappeared deep into the shadows of the woods.

Subaru continued running for his life as the Sizeable Hare chased after him, but just when one was about to attack him Patrasche appeared from the corner of his eye and used her snout to launch him further away. He could hear the ground dragon's death cries as Subaru rolled on the ground.

He tried to get a running start but two rabbits flew past him and ripped open his sides.

Subaru nearly tripped over and could see the two rabbits turning back to attack him, but Subaru launched some throwing stars at them, successfully killing them. Then, he heard loud bursts as he saw the Batwing fly over him and fire its turrets at the Sizeable Hare.

Earlier, Batman finished his repairs on the Batwing and rushed to the Sanctuary. He then saw the approaching Sizeable Hare and quickly sped down and made it to the housing where he was told Rem was in. He tried looking for Otto as well...but couldn't find him. He quickly retrieved Rem and made it back in the nick of time. He flew over the area and saw Subaru running away from the Sizeable Hare and fired away at the beasts.

Subaru kept moving as he finally made it to the Tomb, but he felt his injuries catching up with him.

His regret for allowing Ram and Garfiel to die, Roswaal's words and grisly death, the tragedy in the loss of Petra and Frederica, his sense of powerlessness for failing to save Beatrice, all overwhelm Subaru. Pain, and even the terror of death, don't matter a damn any more.

All he simply wanted was to vanish from this world.

Subaru's indolent, selfish wish would come true. The world begins to cloud, his consciousness and soul gradually growing distant from this place.

Strength leaves his limbs, sensation disappears from his near-wholly departed flesh. What stays there, stays behind there, unaware of Subaru's departure, is only Emilia and Batman.

Emilia found him and put his head on her lap she quietly brushed his head.

"I have fun fiddling around with like, your hair, or your face, though..."

"..."

"Are you listening, Subaru? I want to talk and hear about so many, so many, sooo many things. Please, come on. Be with me, hear my voice. Say something, please?"

Emilia slightly smiled as she got her face closer…

"Subaru-"

On his silent lips, she kissed him.

Natsuki Subaru's first kiss tasted of cold DEATH….

The Batwing flew over the Tomb as Batman descended down to reach them. When he looked inside he saw a dead Subaru resting on Emilia's lap. She put a finger to her lips as she looked over at him.

"Shhhhhhhh...he's asleep."

The Sizeable Hare were now fast approaching, Batman realized that Emilia was in danger of dying a horribly painful death from the Ma-Beast. On the other hand, if he took her with him, she would lose consciousness much like Rem...not to mention even if she woke up her mind was simply too far broken to save.

Batman could hear the Ma-Beast coming...he had to decide.

"It's okay Batman-san...I'll be fine here with Subaru, I'll wait for him to wake up and then I can take the Trials again."

As she said this a beam of light hit her forehead and killed her. Sparing her the awful death that was to come.

"AGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Batman screamed at what he had just done, but he controlled himself long enough to fire a grappling hook into the above Batwing. The Sizeable Hare reached inside as he looked down and saw them eating his two allies.

Three rabbits flew through Batmans chest and stomach as he flew into the Batwing.

"AGH!"

Batman reached inside the Batwing and closed it shut. He tried to fly away but his injuries prevented him from flying correctly, making the jet spin in circles. Finally, he felt his life slipping away, making him look back at the slumbering blue haired girl sitting behind him.

"...Rem…"

Finally the Batwing began flying down towards the Tomb…

"...Rem...forgive us…"

The Batwing crashed into the Tomb, the resulting explosion killing many of the Sizeable Hare and causing the Tomb to finally collapse…

Subaru awoke in the white room of the Trials room, his head began to spin as he began to recollect what happened in the previous loop.

He continued the loop as normal as could be.

Comforting Emilia.

Taking them home.

Discussing things with Batman.

But this time, he took things in his own path, this time...he would take the Trials himself. He snuck out and ran to the Tomb.

"I need her help…"

He was making his way to speak with Echidna and hopefully find a way out of this disaster.

When he finally made it inside the interior turned as white as can be...the light blinded him briefly...as he heard his voice speak to him.

"Witness the unattainable present…"

Subaru then felt himself float as he began his second Trial….and it broke him.

Subaru witnessed the countless consequences and aftermaths of his many deaths.

When he was first killed by Elsa, Puck froze half of the entirety of the capital.

When he was killed by Rem in the mansion and the fight that resulted from it.

When Rem and Ram killed him in the forest...Roswaal and Batman eventually killed each other.

When Scarecrow killed everyone with his bomb, Emilia lost her sanity and Batman left her alone.

When Puck killed them all at the mansion, Reinhard killed the Great Spirit.

When Subaru was possessed by Petelgeuse and they held a somber funeral service for him.

When he and Batman died at Crush's Estate, leaving a weeping Emilia alone in the world.

But Subaru's sanity further broke when he saw...the other visions.

Himself and Rem walking with a son and daughter in a land he had never seen before.

Himself killing Otto with a wrist blade and stealing his money.

Himself surrounded by a great fire, laughing at an enraged Reinhard.

Himself coming home to a very happy woman in modern Japan.

Himself running away from a pleading Rem in the Capital.

Himself working with some loon named "Hououin Kyouma" on some strange device.

Himself running hand and hand with Rem through the streets of New York.

Himself watching as Rem and Emilia were fighting in the hallways.

Himself-

"STOOOOOOOOOOP!"

Subaru found himself now in an empty room as he breathed heavily. With each breath, he felt himself wanting to cry more and more.

"What was that? Does this mean...EVERYTHING IS POINTLESS?!"

Subaru slammed his fist onto the ground as he wanted to cry more and more.

"-Please wake up, Subaru-kun. I would be happy to see your face."

He opened his eyes and saw something that brought joy and sadness to his heart. A sky blue beauty that made his heart ache.

"This can't be real."

"It is real, Subaru-kun."

"You can't be here…"

"Should you desire it, Subaru-kun, I will be at your side at any moment."

"...Rem."

"Yes. This is Subaru-kun's Rem."

Subaru was weak, hopeless and so brittle that he could not live without something to cling to, always without confidence, always in doubt. Because this was the girl who, regardless of Subaru's incapacity to be strong, told him she loved him.

Subaru was hugged by Rem as she spoke nothing but sweet things to him, letting weep loudly as he could. Because she was the only person he could show this weakness to.

"All of your hurt, your pain, your weakness, I will shoulder as substitute. Everything you willed to protect, to fight, to complete... I ask you will entrust to me. There is no necessity at all for you to carry every single burden. Task everything to me, for now you may rest peacefully, and show me once again the Subaru-kun that I love."

Subaru closed his eyes at her as she slowly leaned her face forward.

But a voice rang to his head...the same voice that dragged from the darkness and into the light of day.

"It is easy to give up."

"..."

"But, it doesn't suit you."

Subaru immediately got away from her, as she looked up at him confused.

"...Who are you?"

"Huh?"

"When... I'm hopeless at the end of my rope, seriously wishing that someone'll do something, thinking maybe it's impossible and about to give up... you would come to me. I seriously believed that."

"..."

"You'd listen to my whining, let me spew out my whining, let me wring myself out on tears and everything until the tap's all dry..."

"Well yes I'd-"

"-And say, stand up."

Subaru furrowed his eyes at the impostor. He knew the real Rem would never let him give up, she was one of the only people he could show his true weakness to and the closest other was Batman. He continued to interrogate the girl further for using the face of one of his two guiding stars as a mask.

"Fuck off, you fake. Don't goddamn coddle me wearing my Rem's face and voice!"

Rem soon began to blur as a new person appeared. Her pink hair stretches halfway down her back, her mien gentle—or more rather, timid. Her facial features are attractive, but that did not mean her face as a whole was outstandingly beautiful. Something more of an ordinary, normal-person kind of cuteness.

"Who the hell are you?!"

"I-I'm the Witch of Lust...Carmilla. Ni-nice...to...m-m-meet you…"

Seeing his gaze spontaneously turn harsh, a huge shudder runs through Carmilla's body and she winds up hugging her head.

"D-d-Don't hit...me!"

"Not going to do that...but what the hell were you playing at? Putting on Rem's shape, and standing in front of me! Is that what your power is?!"

Subaru became more and more frustrated that the girl in front of him used Rem as some tool to get to him. That was when Echidna saved him, explaining that her Authority caused those who look at her normal form to lose their breath and cease blinking their eyes at her beauty.

Back in the usual hill with Echidna, he began asking what had occurred earlier. Firstly, she apologized for using Carmila against like that. Secondly, she said she did it because she saw that the second Trial was beginning to erode his mind and she had to make sure she didn't lose him.

"The whole second Trial...was that..?"

"To begin with Return by Death, can be one of two things. It is actually the ability to use your own death to reset time itself to a certain point of a perceived challenge….Or it uses your own death to transfer your memories to another you in a separate universe or timeline thus allwoing you to defeat said challenge."

"And you can't prove it…?"

"Well, the clue is already there, isn't it?"

"...BATMAN."

A fictional character living and breathing in front of them was the definitive proof of alternate timelines. He even recalled that he once told him of travelling to outer space and alternate timelines.

And if that very same person was breathing the very same air as him...it proved it.

"So...hehehehe...I'm jumping timelines?"

"Subaru…"

"So the people I'm saving aren't even the same ones I knew? Emilia? Rem? Beatice, Otto, Patrasche, Petra, Frederica, Garfiel, Ram….Batman? NONE OF THEM ARE THE SAME?"

"I think it's harsh. But, I also think, all there's possibly to do is rationalize it."

She explained that thinking of the other worlds was a waste of energy and that he should look at the current present and not the ones that had now gone by. Even going as far as to use Batman and his unique experiences of alternate timelines as an example.

"There is no one who can forgive me."

"I will forgive you. Who knows of this, I will."

"There is no one who can judge me."

"I will judge you. Me, who knows your sin, I will."

"There is no one who can validate me."

"If you cannot validate yourself, then allow me to invalidate the you you cannot forgive."

"..."

"If you will validate your sin, I will invalidate your sin."

Every one of Subaru's words, Echidna persistently attempts to dispel.

"Why, are you... trying so hard to do something for me?"

"...Making a girl say this kind of thing is just slightly overly mean."

Echidna, who had not faltered even once until now, for the first time gets vague with her statements. With her face still tinted slightly red, Echidna coughs.

"...Will you form a contract with me, Natsuki Subaru?"

Echidna explained that by using a special necklace he would give him, there she could guide him and help him in his times of need.

"Maybe, it wouldn't be so bad..."

"Ah, um... right, if you mean you're desperate for it, then I guess that contract's something we could..."

Echidna breathed calmly as she stood up and raised her right hand to Subaru, he then began rreaching for it as well…

A shattering noise rips through the air as the white cup-bearing table beside Subaru explodes. The impact which broke the table transmits on to the ground, the ground collapsing as it births a crater, the quakes and rumbling jolting Subaru violently as he squawks in surprise.

The Witch of Wrath glared at the two.

"I'm putting a stop to this contract!"

Suddenly, Subaru found himself surrounded by four other women.

Typhon.

Daphne.

Carmilla.

And someone he hadn't met yet.

"Hey….huuuuuu….Sekhmet's the name….haaaaaaaa...so you're the one Echidna is vying for….?"

One by one, the Witches gave subtle clues to Echidna...to her lies….and to her purpose for all this.

Echidna explained in a long spiel to Subaru, that she merely wanted to satisfy her curiosity of his abilities, his actions and the power of Return by Death. She would use him as he would use her, to further her goals by furthering his.

"So all of this...was just to get to me?"

Echidna readily explained to him that she just wanted to get close to him so that she could see his strengths and weaknesses and assess his standings of whether he would accept the contract.

"Before I decide...I want t know something."

"Ask away."

"You know about Beatrice, Echidna?"

"...Yes, I do. Since I was deeply involved over the process of her creation."

"Beatrice has, because of the contract, always been waiting for "Them". Are you who tied that contract? Are you who bound her to the mansion?"

"I don't remember specifying a location, but... the one who arranged for her to guard the Forbidden Archive and wait until their coming was indeed me."

"Who is "Them"?"

"I do not recall?"

"Even you don't know who it is Beatrice is waiting for?!"

"Nope, I don't. I do not know who the THEY Beatrice is waiting for is."

"Why?! But, you're the one who told Beatrice to wait in the Forbidden Archive, aren't you? If you don't know... no way."

Echidna, who instructed Beatrice to wait in the Forbidden Archive, was someone separate from who imposed the time limit that she wait until "Them's" visit. If so, the one who would know the solution would again be somewhere else—

"Wrong, you're mistaken."

Subaru: "...!"

Echidna: "The one who instructed Beatrice to wait for "Them" was me. There's no mistake in that. Where you are mistaken is in a more fundamental area."

"Fundamental?"

"Now just why in the world did I tie that contract with Beatrice? That is where you're misunderstanding. I had Beatrice guard over the Forbidden Archive so that she could give its contents over to "Them", would be what you're thinking, right?"

Subaru doesn't see what she's getting at. It's just a natural thought. Giving instructions to hand something over to someone.

But, at Subaru and his entirely ordinary thoughts, Echidna shakes her head.

"That wasn't my instruction to Beatrice. I tied her to contract, making her wait for "Them"... while waiting for the result of just who she would choose as "Them"."

"...!"

"Naturally, going four hundred years without choosing anyone is yet another result. As is her not easily choosing "Them" from any of those she met through her days. Potentially even her deliberating over whether to violate the contract, and desiring her own DEATH, is yet another result."

"What, do you think of that?"

"Hmmm? I think it's wonderful."

Subaru then decided that he would not accept Echidna's Contract and would instead save Beatrice no matter what.

Just then, a horrid feeling swept through Subaru's back…

Echidna's eyes, seeing what is behind Subaru, lightly snap open. Following her surprise, Subaru turns around, and sees it.

Darkness surrounded it from the neck up...the Witch of Envy….

Batman had arrived at the Tomb spending several hours trying to find Subaru. He saw the distinct prints on the ground leading up to the Tomb.

"Damn it…"

He then took a deep breath.

And ran straight into the Tomb.

The Witch of Envy, Satella, has arrived, as the future of Subaru's fate was to be decided...