fics I read

Melty was standing next to a carriage unsure of what to do. Furufu was next to her eating grass.

Otto had led them to a nearby village to get supplies for the inhabitants of the Sanctuary.

He was currently haggling for a better price since they were buying a ton.

Enough to feed two villages.

Halibel was charging the carriage with what they had already bought. The blond maid Frederica was helping him; she was quite strong, Melty noted. She was able to carry many barrels on her own far more than Melty could.

[ That one isn't human I think.] Melty concluded.

This left her alone since she couldn't carry much of anything at all without tripping. She sighed in sadness. Truly she had wished to help more.

[ What could have happened to evacuate a whole village?] She wondered absentmindedly.

[ Subaru-sama seems to care deeply for this Rem, for her to be left behind is strange. Wasn't he rumored to love Emilia-sama ?] She was confused by this turn of events.

[ Then again Subaru-sama never spoke of her. Perhaps they had a fallout..?] She concluded though she was still unsatisfied by the lack of knowledge she held on this subject.

The only thing that could make the greatest Mage in Lugnica evacuate his land should be the Witch cult and its archbishops or so Melty believed.

A shudder ran on her spine. Thinking about the Witch cult only made her remember her situation.

[ Is Mama involved? Did she make a move due to Subaru-sama's attachment to Emilia-sama ?] Fearfully she looked behind her just in case. Speaking about the devil tends to make it appear after all.

She breathed a sigh of relief seeing that there was nothing behind her.

[ I pray that everything will be alright. May no evil bar our path.] She sincerely prayed that her Lord would succeed in his endeavor.

" Melty-san we have finished," Otto called the lone nun.

Melty looked up from her prayers and nodded quickly.

Seeing that she was listening, Otto continued.

" We still need to gather more. They didn't have many supplies here so we need to go to another village to purchase the rest." He explained.

" We should split up to bring one carriage back." Halibel suggested while twirling his pipe in his hand.

Otto looked thoughtful before nodding slowly.

" That may be for the best." He mused.

" Frederica-san and Melty-san, would you go back to the mansion? We'll gather more supplies and rejoin Natsuki-san in the Sanctuary tomorrow." He declared seriously.

" Very well." Frederica agreed and bowed lightly.

" I understand." Melty promptly nodded.

Halibel took a breath and stopped smoking.

He looked at Frederica consideringly before accepting Otto's suggestion.

The group split up.

Upon returning to the mansion Melty would meet a certain pink oni awaiting them.

Emilia woke up feeling refreshed; she finally had a good night of rest after weeks of nightmares. Subaru had come to the Sanctuary now they would be freed.

With a smile on her face, Emilia happily hummed a song under her breath and prepared herself for the day.

Donning a lavender dress she ate the breakfast Rem left on the table for her and exited her small home with a spring in her step.

Unaware of Subaru's turmoil.

Meanwhile, Subaru had called an emergency meeting with Beatrice and Zarestia to determine how to proceed.

" Someone needs to return to the mansion..." Subaru muttered he frowned deeply while remembering Roswaal's words.

" What about the Great rabbit shouldn't we evacuate the Sanctuary first I wonder?" Beatrice asked, a little lost.

The depth of Roswaal's madness was dawning on her to challenge a Campione in such fashion was suicidal really. Beatrice could only shake her head in sorrow at her old friend's stupidity.

" I can kill it with my new authority." Subaru declared seriously.

" What is Su-san's new authority? You never told us what you received from your victory against The Huntress of the West." Zarestia asked curiously.

Subaru looked at her in surprise. In his haste to reunite with Rem, he had forgotten to inform his companions of his new authority.

" It's called [ The Bow of the west] with it I can kill any prey as long as I hit them. The Great rabbit despite having many bodies is still one entity right?" He asked to confirm this tidbit of information.

The two Great spirits promptly nodded.

" Yes, it is in fact one Mabeast," Beatrice assured him.

Subaru nodded in satisfaction.

" Then with his many bodies it only makes it easier to aim. " Subaru smiled viciously.

Beatrice had almost taken a step back after being faced with this smile.

Before she shook herself out of her stupor.

Zarestia looked in thought.

" Then I'll go to the Mansion Su-san," Zarestia announced.

Subaru frowned, troubled.

" Are you sure?" He asked in concern.

" A Great spirit like me shall destroy those assassins with ease." She proudly declared, Zarestia puffed her chest to illustrate her claim.

She looked every inch of the prideful spirit she was.

Seeing this display Subaru chuckled in amusement.

His eyes shined with mirth; he relaxed part of the tension born out of the situation leaving him.

" Then I'll count on you, Tia." He declared a small smile appearing on his face.

Zarestia smiled back at him radiantly.

"I won't fail you!" She replied in turn.

Beatrice coughed to disperse this atmosphere. She was jealous of the trust Subaru accorded to Zarestia.

With a pout on her face, she interrupted this heartwarming moment.

" Betty shall remain with Subaru to assist him." She declared petulantly.

Subaru's eyes widened in surprise.

" Of course you will. Thank you for your help Beako!" He happily replied.

Beatrice had a small pleased smile on her face. Her jealousy was forgotten.

Yet now was not the time to share such moments. Time was dwindling fast.

Zarestia departed to the mansion taking the air.

" She's fast," Subaru commented in admiration seeing the spirit take flight and disappear in less than a second.

Subaru shook himself out of it and turned to Beatrice.

" Let's go. We have much to do." He declared seriously.

Beatrice only nodded in answer.

It was at this moment that Emilia stumbled upon them.

Subaru quickly explained the situation hiding nothing from her.

The fact that Roswaal had been the one who orchestrated the situation was a hard pill to swallow for the young woman.

Still, she believed Subaru. That's why she accompanied him to reassure the villagers that the nightmare was over. Despite the threat of the Great rabbit looming on them.

Meanwhile, Rem had remained at a distance from Subaru watching him go wistfully.

Roswaal had ordered her to not interfere.

It was with a heavy heart full of faith for her hero that Rem prayed for his success. Despite the odds, she knew that Subaru would triumph.

The villagers of Alram slowly woke up and went on their days. The mood was heavy; they were tired of being trapped in this place. Being forced to share housing with half-blood had been trying to them. But the lack of supplies was truly starting to wear on them.

Despite rationing as much as they could and cutting down the number of meals they had they were starving. The elders had stopped eating to give their share to the children. Even then most went without a single meal for many days.

They were losing hope that's why the sight of the cheerful Emilia only filled them with bitterness.

Before some of them could express their displeasure they were stopped by the sight of an approaching young man.

Natsuki Subaru stood before them.

This left them speechless before the adults could react, the children already moved.

""""" Subaru oniichan!"""" They all yelled while jumping on him. They hugged him with all their might.

Subaru was surprised by this but quickly snapped out of it.

" Hiya how are you all? Missed me?" Subaru jokingly asked with a smile on his face.

Only for Petra to start tearing up.

[ Ah damn it wrong move Subaru wrong move.] He quickly moved to hug the little girl all the while letting the other children on the ground clinging to him.

He smiled softly to dispel their sadness.

" I missed all of you too." He admitted quietly before wiping Petra's tears.

" I'm back to free you all." Subaru proclaimed loudly for every villager to hear him.

His voice shook the villagers out of their stupor and slowly after the meaning of this sentence dawned on them hope was rekindled within them.

" Today I shall break the barrier. Tomorrow we shall leave for Alram!" He declared. His voice resonated within the Sanctuary and filled all those who heard him with burning hope.

" That's why there's no need for you to cry Petra." Subaru addressed the silent Petra gently.

Her tears had thankfully stopped only for a bright red blush to appear on her face awed by her hero coolness

[ Why is her face so red?] Subaru thought in confusion.

Meanwhile, Beatrice was looking at him and huffed in displeasure.

[ Betty's Subaru only belongs to Betty.] She thought miffed at the girl held within her contractor's arms.

Emilia stood in the background silently, a small part of her was jealous at the trust the villagers displayed towards Subaru. She quickly squashed that small voice that asked why people didn't trust her like that and looked at Subaru with admiration.

[ Subaru is really amazing isn't he?] She sighed partly in defeat and partly relieved that everything would be alright.

After separating with Emilia and the villagers Subaru searched for the core of the barrier with a saddened Beatrice.

[ I didn't see Rem. I hope she's alright...] Subaru thought worriedly of the missing blue oni.

[ The villagers told me that they saw her earlier. She should be fine even if she returns to the Mansion, Zarestia is there.] Subaru reassured himself and chose to focus on his current task.

Beatrice had led Subaru to the Witch grave after a few turns they were met with a strange sight where a giant blue crystal lay. Inside of it, a small pink-haired half-elf rested.

Beatrice looked saddened at the sight of her friend's corpse. Still, she powered through.

" This is the core of the barrier." She announced sadly.

[ Lewes...] She thought sorrowfully of her friend that met her end so early.

Subaru nodded seriously, Beatrice's mood had affected him. That's why he spared a prayer for the sacrificed half-elf that had been his partner's friend before moving to destroy the barrier.

Before he could touch the crystal he was interrupted by the deafening sound of an explosion.

" What are you doing ?!" A voice shouted behind him. One Subaru recognized.

Garfiel had come to prevent him from breaking the barrier despite Shima's warning. He was accompanied by many Lewes clones.

Seeing this many versions of the half-elf used as the core Subaru was confused.

[ Clones huh that's a bit too science fie for this world.] He concluded.

Before turning back his attention toward the crystal in front of him.

Garfiel was incensed at being ignored and moved to attack Subaru, only to be stopped by a barrier. Beatrice glared at the boy furiously.

" Betty won't let you touch her contractor I suppose !" The Great spirit declared. Intent on proving that claim, many Minya crystals appeared and launched themselves at the blond boy.

Subaru was concentrating on destroying the barrier. He ignored what happened in the background; only the crystal in front of him existed.

Yet each time he used his magic to shatter it the barrier flickered and disappeared only to reappear after he stopped his attempt.

[ That's starting to get on my nerves.] Subaru thought, ticked off.

He decided to use his authority as a last resort since the damned barrier wouldn't shatter.

" I am the ruler of death by my will all before me shall perish by my power all that lives shall die" He declared.

Upon the black mist touching it the crystal shattered, the barrier followed suit.

Accidently a half-elf girl opened her eyes for the first time in centuries. Lewes Meyer came back to life before a bewildered Beatrice.

" Where am I? Beatrice-sama is that you..?" The confused pinked groggily asked.

Beatrice teared up and threw herself at Lewes. Hugging her friend for the first time in a long while.

" Lewes ... Lewes..." She hiccuped in happiness.

Lewes hugged her back and traced circles on her back to calm her.

" I'm here Beatrice-sama." She answered her friend's plea with a simple affirmation.

Beatrice hugged her tighter.

Subaru looked at the scene with surprise.

" That wasn't in the plan. Oh well, that's a good surprise." He mused watching Beatrice reunion with Lewes.

Garfiel had been knocked out cold by Beatrice earlier. He laid on the ground surrounded by the downed clones.

With no limit on the mana, she could use, Beatrice was an opponent to be feared. Something Garfiel experienced firsthand.

In a vast clearing, a lone white-haired woman sat at a table enjoying her tea.

While Subaru was working on destroying the barrier. Echidna watched him intently.

" What an interesting choice you have made, Beatrice." She smiled in satisfaction.

" What makes you so happy, Echidna ?" Minerva asked while tapping her feet annoyed. She appeared next to the table; she looked at the greedy witch with a frown on her face.

For her Campiones were natural disasters and to be near one was bad news. There was nothing to be happy about being next to one.

She ignored the fact that she caused more disasters than most Godslayer due to her obsession with healing those in front of her at the cost of the world.

Campione, as insane as they were didn't try to destroy the world over a scratch, well most of them.

" It's quite an unexpected turn of events don't you think?" Echidna cheerfully asked as she took a sip of her favorite tea while humming.

Minerva grimaced in answer.

" Of course you'll be happy in this situation, he destroyed our expectations." She muttered in defeat.

" Indeed." Echidna smiled softly.

She had been retracting the barrier as she spoke to avoid it being destroyed. All the while she made preparations to inhabit one of the Lewes clones' bodies.

Echidna's eyes widened, feeling Subaru's mana skyrocketing. Minerva turned toward her in distress.

" Quick! He's gonna use his authority !" Minerva yelled in fright.

Echidna nodded still shocked and quickened the process.

As Subaru intoned his aria. Echidna transferred her consciousness to a clone in a record time.

The barrier shattered.

Echidna breathed for the first time in this timeline. The newly named Omega quickly disappeared from the Campione's view.

Subaru was far too concentrated on Beatrice to notice the clone's departure.

After separating from Beatrice, Subaru made way to take care of the approaching calamity.

The Great rabbit was, according to Roswaal, going to attack them.

After reaching a suitable perch Subaru stopped walking. He concentrated on his new authority.

" None shall escape from my grasp my arrows shall render my prey for I am the Hunter." He intoned his new aria with severity. A bow materialized in his hand.

On a cliff overlooking the Sanctuary, Subaru stood still bow ready.

All he could see before he was a vast expense of white.

Only for the white scenery to be filled with red speck.

The Great rabbit had reached the Sanctuary.

Subaru breathed once, twice to steady himself.

The snow made it harder to spot the rabbit. Yet their sheer number made them an easy target.

An arrow was released.

Followed by a torrent of them.

One arrow hitting a rabbit was enough for it to meet its death. The curse spread through the link that the rabbits shared killing them on the spot.

The Great rabbit breathed its last.

" That was far easier than I thought," Subaru muttered in surprise.

[ If it was me before becoming a Campione I would probably be eaten alive or something.] A shudder ran on his spine. The thought of being eaten alive filled him with dread.

In this timeline, Subaru avoided such a cruel fate.

In the Mathers mansion, a confrontation was taking place. It was an exaggeration to call it a fight since one participant dominated the other completely.

Elsa had been tossed in the air many times, she was once again thrown at the forest at high speed. All her bones shattered on impact only to be healed just in time for her to be launched in the air again.

Zarestia was annoyed. Originally she had planned to rough the assassin up and tie it to leave its sentence to Subaru. Only for that pest to constantly regenerate.

She cut the damned woman's limbs many times over only for them to reform. Miffed, she started to play at throwing the assassin in the air and watched her crash to the ground.

Melty was in the mansion with the two maids. The arrival of the Great spirit had originally surprised them and the knowledge of the oncoming assassin had put them on edge. But now it seemed ridiculous to consider the assassin a threat.

The sound of bones breaking reached them.

Melty whimpered.

She started to pray for Elsa's soul.

The two maids were also deadly pale.

Zarestia was truly not to be underestimated.

Elsa was once again launched up.

It was upon such a scene that Otto and Halibel stumbled on.

" What...?!" Otto could only yell in confusion.

Zarestia turned toward him and waved her hand.

" Oh, you're finally back!" She happily told him.

Only for the sound of Elsa crashing down to reach Otto's ears, his face drastically paling.

Halibel looked at the scene critically before analyzing the downed assassin.

" That's the Gut hunter." He announced with a brow raised.

" No clue. I'm wrapping it up; no need to fear." Zarestia replied bluntly.

Elsa was thrown at the forest ground again, a resounding impact sound reached them.

" Hope she's finally out. That annoying pest just won't faint." She clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Otto could only stand speechless.

Halibel sighed.

" Let me take of it." He declared while making his way to the assassin.

Zarestia shrugged.

She then turned toward Otto.

" What's wrong?" She asked curious about what could have caused the merchant's pale complexion.

Otto bite back a whimper.

After finally getting rid of all the obstacles Subaru had reunited with Emilia.

Wishing to rest he had entered Emilia's isolated home. Beatrice had remained with the now alive Lewes to help her adjust to her new life.

Both were sitting facing each other in silence.

"Emilia, why do you need to win the Royal selection ?" Subaru suddenly asked.

Despite the events of the Sanctuary now being concluded Subaru needed to take care of one last matter: Roswaal's fate.

Emilia looked at him in shame before taking a breath to steady herself.

"To free the elves in Elior forest I need the Dragon's blood..." She muttered in sadness.

[ Free the elves.?] Subaru thought bewildered.

Seeing his look of confusion Emilia elaborated.

" A century ago Elior Forest was attacked and the elves living there were frozen, including me..." She trailed off.

Subaru urged her to continue with his eyes.

" Puck unfroze me but according to him, it costed a good part of his mana so he couldn't unfreeze the other. I wish to free the remaining elves from ice, that's why I joined the competition." Emilia finished her explanation, she looked at her lap in shame.

Now after the Trial, she knew that she was the one who froze them. After Subaru shattered the barrier strangely the block on her memories also shattered. Leaving her to remember her past. Emilia was deeply shaken by those revelations. Still, she put it aside and concentrated on Subaru. After all, as long as she remained with him everything would be alright. She did not need to think.

She had been nothing more than a frightened child that lashed at the world yet it was still her duty to free those she condemned.

She didn't wish to look at Subaru's disappointed face.

[ He's disgusted with me isn't he? Originally he wanted to help me gain the throne while I just wanted the Dragon's blood. He went through all this trouble for a selfish brat] She thought sadly.

" Emilia-tan please lift your head," Subaru asked gently but firmly.

Emilia hesitantly followed his instruction.

Subaru was looking at her with gentle eyes.

No signs of disgust or hatred were present.

Seeing this Emilia unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

" I swear that I'll help you free them," Subaru swore his slanted eyes shining with determination.

Emilia blushed a little being the focus of such a gaze. Still, she was happy, unaware of her fragile mind breaking apart slowly. The mindset of leaving everything to Subaru is now rooted within her.

After finally separating with Emilia Subaru made way toward the hut that housed Roswaal.

By then the Margrave was already aware of his loss. Subaru's resounding victory left him speechless.

He had truly believed that he would succeed. Sadly for him, Subaru had triumphed over him in one try. No redo was needed for the Campione to crush him. God Slayers were truly not to be underestimated.

Subaru opened the door with a calm expression on his face.

Seeing Roswaal's defeated face made him feel jubilant. He had outwitted the damned Clown this time.

A malicious smile on his face as he turned to face Roswaal.

The Margrave flinched which only made Subaru's smile deepen.

" Did you know of the authorities I possess?" He asked lightly.

Roswaal looked up at him in confusion.

" As long as a body is left I can bring people back from the dead," Subaru stated calmly his smile only deepened seeing Roswal's face rapidly paling.

" No... you mean..?! " Roswaal stuttered in realization.

" No...NO!" Only to yell in despair when Subaru's words dawned on him.

All this time he could have brought back his Teacher to life. Had he just remained a friend to one Natsuki Subaru rather than try to chain him.

Had he just negotiated with him he would have been reunited with Echidna already and yet, he destroyed that avenue with his schemes.

He was the one who put an end to his ambition.

Seeing Roswaal mounting horror, Subaru slowly approached him.

Only when he stood right in front of him did he stop.

With ease, Subaru cast a powerful curse that Beatrice taught him.

A curse meant to destroy one gate and make the use of magic beyond them.

With his Campione reserve, Subaru easily cast the curse while making sure to overpower it; there was no way in hell he was letting Roswaal off the hook.

Roswaal gate was now useless. The greatest Mage of Lugnica was no more.

" Enjoy being powerless for the rest of your life bastard !" Subaru smiled jubilantly as he condemned Roswaal to a life without magic.

With the curse placed on his gate, Roswaal would now never be able to use magic again.

Along with a curse on his soul that Beatrice judiciously taught Subaru to prevent Roswaal from body-hopping he was now stuck in a body without magic for the rest of his life.

Once the direness of his situation hit him Roswaal's mind crumbled. Had he been less scrupulous he could have resurrected his teacher and enjoy life with her. Yet his mistake had cost him everything in the end

Roswaal L Mathers was no more, only a shell of a man was left.