A heavy silence fell over the garden.
The kind of silence even death dares not break.
Ram — or what was left of her — slowly raised her head.
Her eyes were wide open, stripped of any human emotion.
A mad light danced within them, a manic glint no one had ever seen before.
She turned her face toward Guts, then toward Rem.
Ram : What a delightful shell... so... fitting.
Her voice no longer belonged to her.
It rasped, slid between tones — like two mismatched voices layered awkwardly.
A disturbing, inhuman dissonance.
Ram : She let me in... the very moment her faith faltered...
A twisted smile spread across her face.
Too wide. Too stiff.
A grotesque imitation of a human expression.
Then came the laugh — shrill, piercing.
A high-pitched scream that seemed to crack the stones of the manor.
Ram : HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH!
Wilhelm stood still, one hand resting on his sword's hilt.
Julius took a step back, breathless.
Felix stammered something — no one heard.
Rem remained frozen.
Arms at her sides. Mouth ajar.
Unable to speak. Unable to call.
Rem : This is impossible... That's not her. That's... not my sister.
Ram — or what was left of her — took one step forward.
Emilia : Ram?
But the name had no effect.
The creature wearing her face stopped — and squared her shoulders.
Ram : I am the Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult… representing Sloth… Betelgeuse Romanée-Conti.
He gave a slight bow, like an actor stepping onto a stage.
Betelgeuse : A pleasure.
Silence returned — suffocating this time, crushed beneath the weight of horror.
Guts remained upright, his grip tightening around the hilt of his sword.
His eyes didn't leave Ram. Or rather… what she had become.
There was nothing alive in that rigid posture, in that fractured voice, in that twisted movement.
Guts : Tch...
He spat slowly onto the ground.
And though he seemed calm, his breathing had grown heavy.
Rem stepped forward.
Rem : No... no, there's still a chance. She's still in there. I know it. We can save her, we can—
But Guts raised his hand — palm open.
Stop.
She halted instantly.
And she understood.
He didn't say a word.
He didn't have to.
Because he had seen this before.
Bodies taken by evil.
Eyes emptied of everything but something else.
He had seen comrades turned into monsters.
And he knew.
Behind him, Wilhelm closed his eyes for a second.
Julius took another step back, horrified.
Betelgeuse — Ram — was watching Guts with twisted fascination.
Like a beast toying with the threads of its own madness.
Betelgeuse : Oh, you already understand, don't you… Stranger.
You've seen this kind of thing — yes, you've suffered it.
You know what it costs to cut down what you once tried to protect. HIHIHIHIHI!
He tilted his head, mocking a dramatic bow.
Betelgeuse : So... will you go on?
Will you raise your hand against this pretty little face?
Will you erase it? Kill her?
Guts didn't answer.
He simply stepped forward.
Planted his stance.
And slowly slid Dragonslayer from his back.
A metallic screech tore through the air.
And in the weight of that silence…
Rem's voice broke:
Rem : Guts...
But it was too late.
The time for choices had passed.
The ground shattered under the impact.
Guts leapt — straight at her — no, at him.
Because this was no longer Ram.
It was the shell of a fallen priestess, possessed by a twisted faith.
Betelgeuse barely dodged.
A gust of wind slashed the earth, flinging dirt and shredded grass into the air.
The purple silhouette spun like a serpent, and the Invisible Hands emerged.
Three. Then five. Then ten.
Guts cut two down in a single sweep — his blade singing through the void, slicing ghostly limbs as if the air itself were bleeding.
Another gripped his waist.
He spun, smashed the space with his elbow, pushing the assault back with brute force.
Ram laughed.
Betelgeuse : You hesitate, warrior? You still… feel something?
For this shell? These eyes? These memories?
She leapt back — almost gracefully — and summoned a volley of magic blades.
Winds like the ones she once controlled.
Guts raised his iron arm to block.
A slash grazed his cheek. Another struck his shoulder.
But he didn't flinch.
He planted his feet. One second. Two.
Then he charged again.
A horizontal strike — dodged.
A vertical blow — blocked by the Hands.
A counter. A step back.
Then a roar:
Guts : RAAAAAAAAHH!
He swept the space before him in one brutal arc.
The raw force shattered the phantom limbs.
The blade hit Ram's shoulder.
A spray of blood — real blood.
She staggered back.
The mask of madness cracked for an instant.
And Guts saw something.
In Ram's eyes, he thought he saw… a glint.
A trace. A remnant.
And still, Betelgeuse laughed.
Betelgeuse : Too late, warrior. Too slow. Too human.
You wanted to save her? You should have struck sooner!
He lunged — claws bared.
But Guts was ready.
His grip tightened.
The blade tore the air.
A deep, dry crack echoed through the garden.
Flesh was cut.
The sword pierced her shoulder, shattered the bone, and burst out through her side.
Ram's reanimated body was hurled to the ground.
Silence.
No breath.
No cry.
Not even a word from Betelgeuse.
Guts stood frozen, weapon still extended.
Blood oozed from the wound — thick, warm, spilled like a grotesque offering on the garden's white stones.
And then she moved.
Ram rose slowly, to her knees, head bowed.
She trembled. Or rather… her body trembled, but not like a human's.
Her shoulders shook, spasmodic, unnatural.
Her neck twisted, lifted.
Then she raised her head.
It was no longer her.
Ram : Heh... heh... HÉHÉHÉÉÉÉ...!
A trickle of blood slid from her mouth, through clenched teeth.
Betelgeuse : This isn't... enough!
You think pain can banish me?!
You think this shell rejected me?!
No! NO!
He clutched his head, as if convulsing.
Another Invisible Hand cracked into existence.
Then another. And another.
Guts clenched his jaw.
There were no more choices.
No words.
No escape.
He advanced.
Ram — Betelgeuse — lunged at him, claws extended, screaming like a trapped animal.
The Hands carved through the air in wild choreography.
But Guts no longer dodged.
He blocked, struck, tore through.
Faster. Fiercer.
His rage, his fear — gone.
Only necessity remained.
The final blow was clean.
A wide, horizontal slash.
Unrelenting.
The blade cut Ram in two — at the torso.
The upper half slid gently, almost floating, before hitting the ground with a dull thud.
The lower half fell right after.
Silence.
No breath.
No scream.
Just Guts — alone, standing, soaked in blood.
And on the ground…
The broken body of someone he had never truly known…
But had come to respect.
And in the distance — a cry.
A cry of pain.
Rem.
The fight was over.
But nothing felt like victory.
Rem ran the last few steps.
Her legs buckled.
Her arms trembled.
And when she reached her sister's severed body, she collapsed.
Rem : Ram… no… Ram… wake up…
She held her, kneeling in the blood-soaked earth.
The body was cold. Heavy. Unresponsive.
She wept without sound.
Without scream.
As if her throat had forgotten how to wail.
Behind her, no one moved.
Puck had landed on Emilia's shoulder.
He said nothing.
There was nothing to say.
He just nestled against her — a tiny shield against the grief.
Emilia stared ahead, eyes hollow.
She didn't shake. She didn't cry.
But in her gaze, all light had vanished.
Even hope.
Wilhelm had bowed his head.
One knee on the ground.
Hands clasped.
It wasn't a prayer.
Just a tribute — to those who couldn't be saved.
And he…
Guts didn't move.
He stood there, Dragonslayer planted in the soil, his breath slow, his eyes lost somewhere between shadow and dawn.
A black silhouette.
Motionless.
Frozen outside the world.
The wind rose, gently.
And in that garden turned graveyard…
All was swallowed by silence.
Author's Note
And that wraps up Arc 3.
I'm currently working on Arc 4, but it's going to take some time. In the meantime, I plan to release a transitional Arc 3.5 next month to bridge the gap between this ending and what's to come. Given how this arc concluded, I think it's the right moment to shift the story in that direction.
If everything goes well, I'll try to publish the first part of Arc 4 by August. It's an ambitious arc, so I want to take the time to do it right.
I truly hope Arc 3 lived up to your expectations. Thank you so much for all the support — whether you're commenting, leaving gems, or simply reading. It means a lot.
That's all from me for now. See you soon.