Re; A Hero’s New Life in a New World!

Chapter 3 — “Dance to the Death”

The lady that just appeared—Elsa Granhiert—made a seductive face and licked her lipstick-covered lips. She knew that she was about to face around eight people but still didn’t show any sign of being intimidated. In fact, she only seemed to get even more excited about it.

“Ah~~! So many dance partners! This is too exhilarating!”

Felt looked a little taken aback by Elsa’s comment. She stepped forward a bit and said “Hey! What do you mean by that? Didn’t you hire me?”

“We can hardly negotiate if the item’s original owner is here. So I have changed my plans. I shall slaughter everyone here.” She moved her curved blade, which made sort of a clank sound.

“You failed to see your job through to the end. You talk a good game, but you do terrible work. You really are just a slum dweller.”

Felt was hurt by her comment. Even though she was the one who had been insulted, the one who answered back was Subaru.

“You bitch. Cut the crap! Don’t get your kicks from picking on a little kid, you guts-loving sadist! Felt is doing her best to live strong… Just because your plan was thrown off, you think it’s over and flip tables? You’re the little kid here! You should value life more! Do you have any idea how it feels when your belly cuts open?! Well, I do!”

“…What in the world are you saying?”

“Heh. It’s called a ‘distraction.’ Get her, Puck!”

“A brilliant display of awkwardness, which I hope survives through the ages. I’d better live up to your expectations.”

Elsa realized that crystals made out of ice started to surround her.

“We haven’t introduced ourselves, have we? My name’s Puck. Remember my name, even in the afterlife!”

Puck fired all the ice crystals at Elsa. A cloud of dust was created due to the impact between the attack and the woman. Justice noticed that Puck was using ‘Ice Magic,’ a type of Magic which the people from his world also knew how to use. Then, Rom asked something that only annoyed Subaru.

“Did they get ’er?!”

“Did you have to jynx us?!”

From the dust, emerged a giant sphere of red liquid. Moments later, it started to fire small pellets of red liquid at all of the people in the room. Luckily, everyone was able to dodge the small projectiles.

“Was that fun?”

Elsa asked them. Still standing in the same spot. “W—What was that…?” the Half-Elf asked.

“[Blood Magic]: Blood Cocoon… That was the spell I used. Surprised? Don’t be. I am a vampire, after all.”

While everyone was surprised as to how she was able to cast that just before the icicles hit her, she merely giggled. Though everyone in the room was shocked, Vanessa seemed to be the most shocked, Justice noticed this.

“What’s wrong, Vanessa?”

“N—Nothing. We should continue focusing on her, the Bowel Hunter.”

“That’s a violent alias!” Subaru commented.

The Bowel Hunter dashed towards the Half-elf and swiped her blade at her. The silver-haired girl countered with a barrier made out of Ice, which completely blocked the attack.

Puck began to fire ice crystals at Elsa, who effortlessly dodged them.

“For a girl, you’re well accustomed to battle.”

Elsa continued to dodge the projectiles. As more and more ice crystals flew at her, she began to use her curved blade—the Kukri sword—to deflect them.

“My, it’s been a while since I’ve been referred to a simple little girl.”

She began to dodge the icicles by bouncing from wall to wall, while also trying to get closer to them at the same time. Unfortunately for her, due to the number of projectiles, the distance never closed between them.

“Well, from my perspective, all opponents are basically just babies. Still, you’re so strong, I almost pity you.”

“I’m deeply touched to be praised by a spirit.”

The two kept on continuing their little ‘game.’ Puck fired ice crystals at Elsa, who would dodge, and try to get closer to her opponents, at the same time.

“If this turns into a battle of attrition, we should have a chance,” Subaru stated.

“No, fer a spirit, the real battle is how long they can stay corporeal.”

“That’s right, it must almost be five…”

Justice glanced at Vanessa and asked her a simple question.

“Vanessa, what’s a ‘Spirit’?”

“Well, think of a Spirit as sort of a familiar. They’re contracted to protect you and help you. However, only powerful Magic users are able to create a contract with them.”

“—But you know, staying up late is bad for your skin, so we should wrap this up!”

Elsa tried to dodge once more, but realized that her right foot had been frozen to the floor.

“I wasn’t just randomly throwing those around.”

“…I guess this means you’ve got me.”

“Have a nice sleep, goodnight!”

Puck put both of his paws out in front as if he was about to release his ultimate move. The two screamed:

“[Ice Magic]: Kouri Biriji!”

He shot out a giant icicle, like it was an arrow, at Elsa. Despite the power and speed of the attack, the woman, Elsa Granhiert, was still able to avoid it—although, blood was coming out of her right foot.

To avoid the attack, she had cut off the sole of her foot. It wasn’t hard to see why she was bleeding profusely from her right foot. …Even then, she still kept a sadistic smile on her face.

“Ah, that was wonderful. I really thought I was going to die, there! I was afraid I might lop the whole foot off, seeing as how I hurried. That truly was a close one.”

“But you’re a girl, so I find that unimpressive.”

“Puck, can you keep on going?”

“Sorry, I’m really sleepy. I underestimated her a bit. All my mana’s gone, so I have to disappear.”

“I’ll take care of things here, so you can have some rest. Thank you.”

“If anything happens, I’ll act according to my contract. If it comes to it, call me, even if you have to squeeze me out of my Od.”

As he finished saying that, he disappeared into thin air. Elsa cut off a piece of ice from the beam that was initially fired at her and placed it on her bleeding foot. With that, she had managed to stop the bleeding.

She dashed towards the Half-elf—who created two icicles around her—and began to unleash a fury of slashes, all of which, were blocked by the two icicles. Elsa continued to maneuver around with her new ice-embedded foot, and slice the icicles. Eventually, she managed to find an opening and kicked the half-elf’s side.

“C’mon, boy, let’s go!”

Rom and Justice nodded at each other. The former grabbed a large club with a few nails embedded into it. He charged towards Elsa and began swinging his club at her. She merely dodged all of his strikes and didn’t fight back.

“This is my first time to have a dance to the death with a giant!”

“If ya’ want a dance, I’ll give ya’ the best dance of yer life!”

The Kukri Blade and Rom’s club began to collide viciously, creating small sparks, which would then fly into the air. As she was about chop-off Rom’s arm, someone grabbed her arm. They pulled her towards them, and landed a fierce blow on her face, sending her flying.

It was Justice. Elsa began to blush while licking her lips, seductively.

“What’s this? I wasn’t able to sense you…”

“I’m able to hide my Magic Presence.”

“You can fight with your hands?!” Subaru asked Justice, looking very shocked.

Justice squeezed his fists as he got into a fighting stance. “Yeah,” he said. “I’m pretty well-versed when it comes to fighting.”

“I’m more of a severing-kind of woman, you see?”

“I see.”

Elsa picked up her Kukri Blade, while, Justice pulled out his sword from his scabbard. The two then dashed towards each other and began to swing their weapons at each other. Like before, as their weapons clashed, sparks would appear, only to fly into the air.

The others could only watch as Justice and Elsa continued to clash. The latter used the ice stuck to her foot to maneuver around Justice. She caught him off-guard and kicked his side, similar to what she did to the Half-elf.

Rom charged at her and began to swing his weapon at her, once again. Like the many other times before, she effortlessly dodged his attacks. Rom swung his club at her, again. But as he did, he noticed that she disappeared. He looked around the room, to see where she was hiding, however, he couldn’t find her.

“Rom—! Watch out!”

Justice screamed as he prepared to use his Fire Magic. Then, Rom realized that Elsa was standing on top of his club.

“What the hell?!”

“I’m sorry, but I have to end our dance.”

Elsa raised her blade and swung it downwards, attempting to slice Rom’s head. “Not happening,” Felt exclaimed as she threw a small blade at Elsa. The blade did not hit her, instead, it hit the Kukri Blade. The blade lost its trajectory, only to strike Rom at the side of his head. The Giant old man collapsed unto the ground, with blood flowing out of the area he was hit.

“Rom-jiiii!”

“Old Man Rom!”

“Rom!”

“Perverted Old Man!”

Everyone aside from the Half-elf and Elsa screamed in grief.

“Insects should know to not mess with things stronger than it,” Elsa stated as she slowly walked over to Felt. She raised her sword, fully prepared to kill Felt. Just as she was about to slash the little girl—

“—Haidara!”

Subaru tackled Felt, allowing her to dodge the blade. “I’m still here!” the silver-haired girl commented as she began to fire more ice-crystals at Elsa. Once again, the latter dodged the ice-crystals effortlessly and continued to dodge the incoming ones.

“[Fire Magic]: Spiral Flames!”

Justice generated fire from the palm of his hands. He then shot the beam of fire—which began to start spiraling, similar to a tornado—at Elsa. Elsa only chuckled at this.

“[Blood Magic]: Blood Strengthen.”

Elsa’s body began to emit a faint red light. The flames hit her. With one slice of her blade, she was able to cancel out the spiraling beam of fire. She didn’t even seem to be affected by the attack.

“Her Blood Magic is too strong!”

“It’s not her Magic that’s blocking other Magic attacks,” Vanessa said. “It’s her cape!” Vanessa motioned her arms as if she was pulling something. Immediately Elsa’s cape flew into the pink-haired woman’s hand.

“Telekinesis?! Woah!” Subaru exclaimed his excitement.

“Not quite,” Vanessa said.

“—I’m able to use Thread Magic. While everyone was fighting, I managed to set up my threads everywhere. This place is kind of like a web, now. Luckily, no one was able to notice this and point it out.”

“Interesting. May I ask how you found out that my cloak could negate Magic?”

“Let’s just say that I know a thing or two about negating Magic.”

Vanessa snapped her fingers. The thread around Elsa’s area began to silently wrap around her wrists and ankles.

“[Thread Magic]: Dancing Doll. Let me just steal all of your Mana, in order to compensate for that perverted old man’s death.”

The aforementioned thread started to grow a pinkish color. Elsa could feel her Mana being slowly sucked away from her body. She chuckled. That chuckle eventually turned into a full on laugh. She began to blush from all the laughter. In this situation, many people would consider her ‘drunk.’

“If you think these weak threads are going to be the things stopping me, just know that you’re wrong! [Blood Magic]: Blood Strengthen!”

Again, her skin began to emit a faint red light. She broke through the thread while continuing to laugh. Everyone could feel intense pressure. It wasn’t Elsa’s laugh that stroke fear into their souls. She was releasing her Mana.

“—Ah~! Thread Magic, a form of Magic that allows the user to generate and manipulate thread. The threads are small enough that it seems invisible to the naked eye, and impossible to detect with Mana. At its pinnacle, it has the potential to control even fate… However, it seems that you haven’t been able to achieve that. I wouldn’t doubt it, if someone told me that you aren’t able to learn how to use it.”

Vanessa didn’t respond to Elsa.

“Don’t listen to her, Vanessa! She’s just a random person saying this! Don’t be hurt by the what she says! Whatever comes out of her mouth shouldn’t matter to you, whatsoever!”

Hearing those words come out of Justice’s mouth put a smile onto Vanessa’s face.

“Tch!”

Once again, The silver-haired girl created more ice-crystals and began to fire them at Elsa, who would continue to dodge the attacks. Subaru got close to Felt, and began to talk at a volume that only he, Felt, Justice, and Vanessa could hear.

“Listen to me, Felt. We’re all going to distract her, so then you can make a run for it.”

“What? You’re telling me to tuck my tail between my legs and run?!”

“Yes… Stick out your butt, tuck in your tail, and run! You’re probably the youngest person in this room, so it’s a given we’d pick the method most likely to keep you alive. It’s a given!”

“Give me a break, a minute ago, you were cowering in fear! One of these guys could be much younger than they look! Actually, how old are you guys even?!”

“I’m twenty.”

“So am I.”

“I’m seventeen, turning eighteen in a few months. Also, both of you guys look younger than you really are!”

“Tch, I guess I am the youngest.”

Subaru picked up Rom’s blood-stained club and swung it at Elsa, who dodged. She saw Justice and Subaru running towards her. Additionally, in the corner of her eye, she could see Felt running away.

“You think I’ll let her get away?”

She pulled out small throwing knives and threw them towards Felt. Justice used his Fire Magic to burn all of them. The woman then narrowed her eyes.

“You let one leave… Serves you right, psychotic bitch!”

“For once, I did feel a tiny bit annoyed.”

The red-haired man and the black-haired woman began to clash their blades. Each time they would fight each other, Subaru would interrupt their fight, by swinging Rom’s club at Elsa.

“Take this!”

Subaru swung the club at Elsa, who easily dodged. Immediately, she used her blade, and attempted to slash the boy. Subaru flew into the air, successfully evading Elsa’s counterattack. He looked extremely happy when he landed.

“Nice support, Vanessa-nee-san!”

“Thanks. When I said that I managed set up my threads everywhere, I should note that I’ve also set my threads on you guys too!”

She motioned her arm as if she was pulling something, causing Elsa to be sent flying to a wall. Again, Elsa began to laugh.

“Fufufu. …This is the most fun I’ve had in a while!”

The others didn’t do anything. They were simply waiting for Elsa to move so they could attack her at the same time. She knew what they were thinking, so, she did not move a muscle. Eventually, the battle turned into a standstill, waiting for the other to make a move.

“Hmm. The black-haired boy clearly doesn’t have much skill, and the silver-haired girl could be easy to take care of, once I get close enough. The ones that really have a chance in defeating me are… those two.”

She narrowed her eyes at Justice while giving him a smile that one could only describe as ‘sadistic.’

“The red-haired man could probably beat me in a one-on-one fight, but since he has to hold back, and try to protect that boy, he isn’t much trouble. However, the real nuisance is…”

Her eyes then moved to Vanessa.

“…That woman’s Thread Magic. It runs all through this space… interfering whenever and wherever she wants it to. It can’t do much to me, personally, but… I can barely see it. It’s too thin, and I can’t detect its Mana. Which means I won’t be able to tell where or when she’ll attack me, or move someone away when I’m attacking.”

“—Special Delivery!”

Subaru rushed towards Elsa, swinging the club in his hands. Elsa would dodge his attacks, and proceed to counterattack, which would then be blocked by Justice’s sword. The half-elf girl was waiting for an opening to fire her ice-crystals at the black-haired woman.

While the others were fighting, the woman with Thread Magic—Vanessa Enoteca, was staring at Justice and Subaru. Waiting for a chance to save one of them from the Bowel Hunter.

“When I see Justice… with amnesia, and Subaru… with his frail body and no Magic, taking on that beast of a woman… it gives me courage… That’s not like me, but it does! It makes me think that I wasn’t wrong to leave my hometown… and choose to live as a Magic Knight.”

“The thread of fate… is something you reel in yourself!”

“Justice! Subaru! I’ll pull my threads in time! Please, believe in me and trust me! Attack her all you like! I promise that I will pull!”

Justice turns around with a smile.

“Sorry… but I already believe in you, and trust you,” he gives her a thumbs up. “One-hundred percent!”

Subaru smiles and gives her a thumbs up as well.

“Me too!”

She gives them a smile back. “Alright!”

“Fufufu. This is all so heartwarming. Though, you all must be close to your limits, correct? If she makes even the smallest mistake, you’ll die instantly! Her magic won’t last much longer, either. Are you sure you can trust her?”

“Of course! She won’t make a mistake in a situation like this, so I know we’re safe. Her magic might not last for much longer, but that’s why Subaru, that girl, and I will give it our all! —So we can take you down before she runs out of Mana!”

Subaru pointed his club at Elsa.

“All four of us are going to beat you here. With Vanessa-nee-san’s help, defeating you won’t be that difficult. We’re going to finish this, and finally, have a… Happy End! Justice, let’s do this!”

“Right!”

“Honestly! How can you guys trust a woman who’s always drunk with your life like this?! If you believe in me so openly, then… I can’t ever betray that trust!!”

While the others were fighting, Vanessa smiled faintly to herself.

“…I can’t believe I’ve fallen for someone this easily…”

Author’s Comment

Woooooh. Typing a long chapter can be pretty exhausting. Speaking of long chapters, currently, this is the longest Re;Hero chapter that I’ve made. Surpassing over 3000 words. Before any of y’all go “There wasn’t Blood, Ice, or Thread Magic in Re:Zero!!!” Yeah, I know.

In the first Chapter of Re;Hero, Vanessa stated that “In the distant past, Magic was made up of Six Elements, which were Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Yin, and Yang. Nowadays, there are many types of Magic.” Most people probably know that, but I felt like putting that there, for the people who don’t remember.

Also, I wanted this Chapter to end with a certain person interjecting the battle, but decided to end it where Vanessa says that she fell for someone, or else the Chapter would be over a million words long.

Anyway, until next time. See ya!

— Mugen