Re:Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu

(Thank you Anni, Aaron, Roanz, Tamer, Jean-Loupe, Danny89, White Rice, Julian, Brototype, Sir Fox, Kam, Jeffry, Vojta, Luis for helping me proofread on the Live Draft! <>

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Subaru"s body should still be in the Tomb inside the Sanctuary.
What had been summoned here was Subaru"s spirit-body, or otherwise, his soul. If his spirit died here, would it carry over to his physical body? Could souls even die?
None of it mattered. If it meant another death and resp.a.w.n, he"d be fine with that.

He would not take the Witches" help. Instead, he would move forward with even greater self-abandon, scouring away anything that wasn"t necessary, and, if he could just stay true to his course, surely, the path would open―― if I could do just that, I,

[Minerva: That, idiot――!]

The instant she noticed Subaru"s attempted suicide, Minerva rolled up her sleeves and jolted forward, hurrying to punch Subaru to heal him. But, cutting in front of her was Typhon, who had been standing at Subaru"s side.
The small Witch stretched out her little body, blocking Minerva"s path.

[Typhon: Baru made his own choice! Nerva, no interrupting!]

[Minerva: Self-harm or suicide or injury or murder, I won"t allow any of it under my watch! I don"t care what kind of anguish is going on inside! I can"t do a thing about wounds that I can"t see! That"s why! There"s no way I’d overlook a wound that I can see!]

The ground caved in beneath her single step as Minerva"s fist pierced through the wind, driving towards Typhon"s face.
The shrieking fist advanced with enough force to rupture a mountain, but the moment it connects with a living being, the destruction would transform into healing. Although, the shockwave of the impact would still be transferred to the recipient of the strike.

Producing a resounding boom, Minerva"s full-forced strike sent Typhon flying.
The prep.u.b.escent girl was blown away as easily as a leaf, dancing through the meadow"s artificial sky. It was a rather brutal sight―― but Typhon wasn"t the only victim.

[Minerva: ――――Tch!]

Minerva"s right arm, from her shoulder onwards, shattered like ice-crystals.
This was the consequence of touching the judgment of the Witch of Pride, and thus being deemed a "Sinner".
Minerva tilted back her head in pain for the loss of her arm, opening her mouth wide to shriek――

[Minerva: A scratch――!!]

Or not.
Though she was sensitive to other people"s pain, the Witch of Wrath completely disregarded her own.
Even as she criticised Natsuki Subaru for his outlook, she was in fact guilty of the same.

[Minerva: Anyway, now――!]

Having removed her obstacle, Minerva leaped towards Subaru, readying her remaining left arm. Aiming the mighty arm for a full-forced strike from above,

[Sekhmet: I"ll be getting in your way next… haa]

In an instant, with her blonde hair fluttering, Minerva was slammed into the ground.
Her entire body pinned to the earth creating a person-shaped crater in the gra.s.s, Minerva lifted her face, flushed red with indignant fury, as she screamed at the seated Sekhmet.

[Minerva: Don"t get in my way――! Sekhmet――!]

[Sekhmet: That won"t do, huu. Sentimentally speaking, I"m on the kid"s side, haa. And adding to that, I"m also on Typhon"s side, huu… So I have no reason not to get in the way, haa…]

Hearing Sekhmet"s declaration of war, Minerva ruefully bit her lip as she looked around her.
But Daphne and Camilla were staying neutral in this conflict, and Echidona was merely watching with piqued interest for the outcome. And, Satella――

[Satella: Hhh……hha……]

Crumbling to her knees, her voice trembled as she watched profuse blood spouting from Subaru"s mouth.
With his pouring blood and severed tongue clogging his throat, Subaru was experiencing the sensation of drowning as he caught Satella in a corner of his consciousness.

She"s crying, isn"t she?
Witnessing Subaru"s "Death", she looked more shaken than he had ever seen her before.

[Satella: Why can"t you understand……? That of all the thing you want to protect, you should be protected too]

Why would she think this way about Subaru?
Within her delusions, just how much support did Subaru lend to her heart?

[Satella: Just like everyone else, struggling in the dead-ends of fate, it"s the same for you too. It’s just that you have a way of overturning it…… but… you need saving too… so why…]

She was completely wrong.
Subaru was a hopeless b.a.s.t.a.r.d who couldn"t even hold onto the things within his grasp, much less save those he wished to save. A half-a.s.sed, useless b.a.s.t.a.r.d. There was no escaping from that.

To overcome that useless self, to no longer leave things half-way. Wasn"t that what he had promised?
To become the best self he can be. Wasn"t that what he had decided?

――That weak, useless self, and the self that no longer wanted to be weak were fighting inside him.

No one would see Natsuki Subaru"s weakness anymore.
He must become that strong, dignified, unshakable hero he needed to be.
Because there was a girl who wanted this from him. It was the curse he had placed upon her, and it was his duty to repay her for accepting that curse. Or, actually. It wasn"t so much of a duty. It was just that, since that girl believed this about him, he wanted her to keep on believing.

Yes. That was it.
That was it.

If there was anyone who would grieve over Subaru"s death, it would be her.
Choosing "Death" was a betrayal the girl who believed in him. Though of course, to Subaru, "Death" would not be the end. Using "Death" as his stepping stone, he would eliminate his cause of "Death" and retrieve everything he had lost.
But what would this mean for the others whom the Death-bound Subaru had left behind?

He mustn"t think about it.
He mustn"t know it. Those were dangerous thoughts.
It was fine. Natsuki Subaru was fine just the way he was.

He mustn"t think that anyone would grieve for him.
He wasn"t someone worthy of such a thing. Subaru"s life was a consumable resource. To be used, and used, and used, until they reach the very end. That was all it was meant to be.

To use death without reservation to its greatest effect, he mustn"t balk at his own "Deaths".
Be decisive. It"s fine to think nothing. In order to take back what he needs to has back, he must be prepared to abandon what he has to abandon. Everyone does this. It"s fine for Subaru to do this as well.

He just has to save the ones precious to him
If he could do just that, Subaru――

[Satella: What did you see…… in the Second Trial……?]

The Trial. ――The Trial. The Trial, the "Trial". Trial Trial Trial, "Trial" Trial Trial Trial, Trial――?

Shock and deprivation of oxygen had slowed his thoughts to their limits.
His vision blurred and blurred into a flickering red, as a storm of television noise ran through his mind. "It"s about time this ended", he vaguely thought.

The end was slowly approaching.
How many times was it now, that he had welcomed "Death" like this? It was far too tiresome to count, but that was fine.

Eventually, he would have repeated deaths so many times that counting would become sickening.
He didn"t think he could stay conscious long enough to count all the "Deaths" anyway.

That heart of steel.
To have, that unshakable, heart of steel――

Slowly, and slowly, Subaru"s consciousness departed,
And faded,

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

{I"m counting on you, son}

A voice.
Through the noise, and through the rebounding cacophony, he heard a horrifically clear voice.

{――Have a safe trip}

He heard another.
A different voice. But it brought the same emotions to his chest.

{I would have liked to call you friend}

Another voice, bringing a different feeling.
Somehow, it agitated him to hear it. But, there was also a pleasantness to it.

{Subaru-dono…… please forgive me……}

Yet another voice.
Flooding his chest with a pa.s.sing loneliness and something similar to yearning. A voice he wanted to apologize to.

{You… aren"t, that person…… I know that… at least…… but……}

Here was a voice that gripped at his chest.
Hearing this voice, he could no longer control himself. This voice, that was about to cry. This voice that mustn"t be allowed to cry. This voice that he must protect. This voice. This voice. This voice.

{So show me how amazing you can be. Subaru-kun}

*Thud*, something thumped inside him in answer to this voice.
His body heated. Compelled by a sense of duty to move. At this voice that had always supported him.

And,

{Thank you, Subaru}

There came voice.

{――For saving me}

――The voice that announced the beginning of everything.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

He was probably crying.

If the people dear to him learned about his death, would they grieve for him?
Those irreplaceable people left behind in the worlds that Subaru had selfishly escaped through "Death", would they mourn and grieve for him?

Just as Subaru was lamenting his own weakness, repeating through Return by Death in search of the perfect future, those who lost him in the final step―― would they mourn for him as well?

The people who were precious to him.
The people who he believed he must protect.
The people he undoubtedly wished to rescue from their fate"s dead-end.

――Was he worthy of being mourned by those so precious to him?

It"s alright to be a little conceited, isn"t it?
To be so conceited as to think that I"m also precious to the people I consider precious.

It"s alright to have a little faith, isn"t it?
To believe that those I want to protect also want to protect me as well.

I"m allowed to have a little hope too, aren"t I?
That someone would shed tears if I died, and see me as important enough to reach out their hand to save me.

――It"s alright for me to think this, isn’t it?

I don"t want to die.
I don"t want to give up, as if this is the only way.
I don"t want to be a stepping stone, even if it means saving the futures of people I love.

In that future where I"ve protected all of them, I want to be there too.
It"s alright for me to think like this, isn"t it?

I… have the right too… don"t I?
If I do, then――

[Subaru: I don"t… wanna die……]

Gurgling through the clotting blood, alongside the escaping air, he spoke.
The severed-tongue clogging his throat broke free, as his mouth opened and closed, gasping for air. His lungs expanded, oxygen cycled through his brain, and his murky vision started returning.
Then,

[Minerva: There, those"re his real thoughts……kh!]

――Despite having lost both her legs, with willpower alone, the red-flushed Witch of Wrath rammed her healing head into Subaru"s.

-=Chapter 78 End=-

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Chapter 79 Live Draft:
(I’ll post it tomorrow)