Another Astrea (Re:Zero WC)
Subaru watched as the same assassin that has killed her twice before, weave through the ice constructs fired by Emilia.
At this moment, she feels ridiculously helpless, after all, she is the only one that knows the consequences of losing to the assassin.
She doesn't want that to happen again. She doesn't want to die. Sure, she might have said something like "I want to die" before back on Earth, but having experienced death twice? Yeah no. Natsuki Subaru does not want to die.
The erotically dressed assassin continues to weave through conjured ice with effortless grace that Subaru loathes to admit, it's as if her body has no weight and she moves from place to place without delay.
Subaru can see that Emilia has lost the advantage she held when Puck was still around. Dammit, he could have at least worked overtime today, couldn't he?
"It seems like we have a troublesome opponent on our hands."
Subaru looks to the side as old man Rom stands up, his massive club on his right hand.
That's pretty obvious, Rom-ji!
"We can't sit around watching anymore Felt."
He says.
"Yeah, I know! The big sis over there is trying her best, we have to help her…" Felt replies then looks at Subaru. "About earlier, thank you, I guess you kinda saved me… just a bit. And just because you have bigger boobs than me doesn't mean I'm a little kid, you know!"
"I'm surprised you can focus on something like that at this moment." Subaru says embarrassedly. It's not her fault her boobs are big, she'd always get embarrassed whenever it was pointed out.
They watch as Emilia narrowly avoid the edge of the assassin's blade but she misses her footing and crashes into the bar counter.
"Here I come!!!"
Old man Rom yells as he rushes at the assassin.
"Ara, it's quite rude to cut in on this dance. It may not seem like it but I was enjoying it, you know."
The assassin replies, easily deflecting the power swing from the giant.
"If you wanna dance, I'll show you the best moves you've ever seen!!"
Old man Rom says as he continues to strike at the assassin who either deflects them or sidesteps them.
All it takes is a lull in movement.
Old man Rom strikes upward and the assassin jumps, higher than what any human from Subaru's previous world would be capable of.
The assassin somehow manages to land on top of the club.
"What the hell—"
"Amazing, giants really are strong aren't they?"
The assassin says as she swings her blade down.
"As if I would let you!"
But at that moment, Felt throws her short sword with blinding speed and Subaru, not knowing what to do, did the only thing she could do in that situation.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"
She screamed.
The blade of Felt changes the path of the assassin's blade, while Subaru's abrupt scream jolts the assassin, sending her trajectory further from the intended strike zone.
Instead of striking the head of Old man Rom, the blade instead leaves a large gash on his shoulder.
"Rom-ji!!!!"
Felt yells.
This is bad, this is definitely bad.
Subaru is scared.
The old man was strong and not even he could defeat this assassin? Are they all going to die here? In the first place, why did she have to have a shitty ability like this?
She has read a lot of Isekai mangas and light novels, so you can't blame her for expecting a more grandiose ability. Not the one that needs her to die before it works.
It would even be better if she could activate it without dying but she can't, she has tried already.
She already loses blood every month, she would prefer not to lose any today, especially through her guts.
"What a naughty girl you are. You have neither the resolve nor strength to fight. Why don't you tuck your tail between your legs and try to run? Don't you think that would be better than doing nothing?"
The assassin says looking at Felt.
Subaru balls her hands.
"And you…" The assassin looks at Subaru. "Oh? You are even more scared than the rat, but yet… oh, yes, yes, you are angry as well."
"Damn right, I am! Killing people for no reason! I'll have you know that dying is painful, bleeding through your guts is not nice, it hurts like hell! If you can move like that, why don't you go join the Olympics instead of working as an assassin huh?! In the first place, why don't you pick on someone your own size!!"
No, no, no, what the hell is she doing antagonizing someone who can kill her easily.
The assassin has a look of confusion on her face.
"Big sis?" Felt questions.
"I have no idea what you are talking about, but don't worry, all I want to see is the col—" Spears of ice cut off the assassin, as she starts darting around, evading or deflecting them with her blade.
Subaru looks to the side, seeing Emilia with a pained expression on her face.
"Emilia, you're okay… not! Your head, your head is bleeding!" He yells.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." She responds not taking her eyes of the assassin.
"Are you—"
"Big sis, watch out!" "Subaru!"
The world feels like it's in slow motion.
Subaru sees the panic on Emilia's face— even with a panicked face, she still looks beautiful— and she slowly turns seeing Felt running towards her— What are you doing, Felt? Run away!— and in front of Subaru is a blade flying straight at her.
Ah, there is no way she can evade that.
Is she really going to die again? And feel that excruciating pain once more?
No.
No, she doesn't want to die, she doesn't want to feel that pain again.
Father… mother…
Please, someone.
I don't want to die!
Subaru closes her eyes, bracing for pain… pain… There is no… pain?
"Good grief…" A masculine voice says from right… above her?
Opening her eyes, she sees that she is in the arms of a guy. A very good looking guy.
Short red hair tied in a knot and sky blue eyes, on a symmetrical face.
And this ikemen is carrying her in a Princess carry.
"How come I wasn't invited to this party?" He says, smirking.
"I-it's you, weird onii-chan" Felt says pointing at the guy.
"Oh? You're here brat? And who are you calling weird, you loli!" He says to Felt.
"Don't call me a brat! And somehow that last word pisses me off."
"Oh? Hair as red as flames and eyes as blue as the sky… what a pleasant surprise, I didn't think I would meet the Sword Saint here." The assassin says with a sultry smile.
"Ah, sorry to disappoint you. Although I'm an Astrea, I'm not Reinhard, the Sword Saint…" The boy says smiling back and shaking his head.
"Is that so? Then who are you then?" The assassin replies back.
"Umm." Subaru draws attention to herself as the boy looks at her in his arms.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that, carrying you like this felt somehow natural that I didn't realize it." He says
Subaru's face reddens a bit as he sets her down.
"Ah, thank you." She says.
"No, no, no. Thank you for the treat." He says displaying white teeth.
Right now, Subaru is questioning if someone is allowed to be this good looking, but thinking about Emilia, she realizes that yes, it may seem like it.
"Emilia-sama, if you would let me take care of this situation." The boy says, as he returns his gaze to the assassin, who is still standing in place.
"Eh? Orion, is that okay?" Emila responds.
It seems like Emilia and Felt knows this person.
"It's okay, it's okay. Why don't you heal the old man over there? And the rest of you, step back and enjoy the show."
"Alright, I got it." Saying so, Emilia walks over to the incapacitated body of the old man, Subaru and Felt follows closely.
"Emilia, will he be okay?" Subaru asks.
She has seen Elsa fight and she knows she is strong but is this person strong enough that he would want to take her on alone?
"Orion?" Emilia asks as she crouches before the old man.
"Yes, this Orion guy."
"Hmmm, I don't rea~lly know but according to Puck, he is strong. And he is also an Astrea." Emilia replies.
They mentioned that before but he has no idea what an Astrea is supposed to be.
"Hey sis, will Rom-ji be okay?" Felt asks, looking at the old man.
"Don't worry, although he is not out of the woods yet, he won't die, I'll also do my best." Emilia replies.
As she starts healing him, Subaru looks back at the confrontation between the boy and the assassin.
"Well, then. Don't you think you should introduce yourself first?" The boy known as Orion says to the assassin whose lips is curved in a smile.
"Fufufu, amazing. Everyone in this room has a whiff of fear, but not you, you smell excited. As if you've been looking forward to this." She says.
"Hahahaha, you are not wrong. The truth is that I've been wanting to test my new moves and honestly? You are literally the perfect opponent." Orion replies, a smirk on his face.
"Fufufu, Is that so? so you're saying I'm just a plaything to you? Didn't your parents teach you that you shouldn't toy with a woman's heart like that?" She says.
"Ah, actually no. But don't worry, I've never broken a toy since I was a child, rest assured, I promise I won't break you." He says then stretches both hands forward and in a shimmer of golden light, a great sword appears on his hands, the sharp point, facing down.
A black blade with golden accents and a silver edge around it.
Subaru thinks he looks like a knight with this image.
"Ohh, how amazing. Are you going to show me something interesting? I would really like to know what your guts looks like." The assassin says, an ecstatic smile on her face.
Raising the sword with one hand and putting it on his shoulders, he smirks at her. "Guts, huh? You're the Bowel Hunter aren't you?"
"What sort of evil sounding name is that?!" Subaru yells from behind.
"Fufufu, it seems like my reputation precedes me." She says drawing out another blade from her back, now having two. "I am indeed the Bowel Hunter, Elsa Granhiert."
She sets in a stance.
"Kuku, interesting. I am Orion, Orion Astrea…" Saying so, he holds his blade to the side with both hands. "Don't blink, okay?"
Subaru can feel the tension in the air rising by every second.
"Amazing, amazing." Elsa starts squirming, face flushed. "I know. I can somehow tell already. Your guts will be the best yet."
"Then… why don't you come get it?"
In an instant, Elsa moved, going way faster than she has shown before, to Subaru's eyes, she might as well be a blur.
As Elsa's blade poises to strike at the standing Orion, without a sound, he disappears from his position and appears behind her in that same instance with his blade no longer in his hands.
"Eh—" Is what Elsa says before.
"『Purification』"
A golden light envelopes her and she screams before falling to the ground, unmoving.
Silence.
"Somehow that felt anticlimactic." Subaru says looking at the sight.
Somehow she had expected a sort of shounen battle.
From the way they were throwing banters, she had expected they would be clashing like they do in anime, but this?
"It can't be helped, I am not actually a knight, so I don't have to fight with honor and all that crap."
Ehhhhh?
Give it back! Give me back my image of knights.
Crouching beside the body of Elsa, Orion places a hand on her back.
"Pervert! Pervert!" Even though Felt is yelling like that, relief can be seen on her face, knowing that old man Rom is okay and their lives is not in immediate danger anymore.
"Oi, shut it! It might not be much but I still have a reputation to maintain, you know! What would you do if people start calling me a pervert?!" He yells back.
"Orion, are you okay?" Emilia asks.
"Ah, I'm fine, Emilia-sama." He says.
"Mou, I told you it's fine to call me Emilia, right?" She pouts.
Hey, hey, hey, what is going on here? Is this ikemen trying to steal her heroine?
"Hahahaha, okay then. I'm fine Emilia." He says.
"Good." Emilia nods to herself.
"『Sacred Seal!』"
Everyone watches as a golden magic circle with a lock in the middle appears on the back of Elsa.
"Eh, onii-chan, what was that?" Felt asks.
"Oh, are you curious loli-chan?"
"Don't call me that!"
"Well, this is a sealing spell, I sealed her consciousness so she won't be waking up anytime soon." He says.
"Forced to sleep. Somehow that sounds scary." Subaru voices.
"I would tell you that it's not as bad as it sounds but I wouldn't know since I've not used it on myself before." He says, standing up.
"Is everyone okay?" He asks. "Well, just in case, 『Major Heal』"
Saying so, motes of gold-white light and gold feathers shimmer on everyone present, with the exception of the assassin.
"Wow, that felt nice, I feel like I could run a full lap without getting tired." Subaru says, hopping in place, her chest hopping along.
"Amazing, I have never seen magic like this before." Emilia adds, surprised.
"Yeah, I feel full of energy!" Felt says.
"Hahahaha, it wasn't a—"
"It seems like I was late."
Another voice cuts into their conversation.
Everyone looks to the source. A young adult with short red hair and sky blue eyes on a handsome face.
"Geh! Rein!"
Everyone looks back at a startled Orion who has put Elsa over his shoulder.
"Stop right there!" In an instant the new arrival appears in front of Orion who was about to run.
"Eh? What's going on here?" Felt asks.
"Reinhard, is something wrong?" Emilia questions.
Reinhard.
Subaru remembers hearing that name earlier… the Sword Saint.
"Forgive me Emilia-sama but it seems like my brother is up to no good again."
Brother? These two are siblings? Actually, they do look alike. Twins maybe?
"Kukuku." Orion laughs. "Do you think you can stop me, little brother? I'll remind you that you have never won against me in a game of tag before."
The two brothers square off in front of each other.
Reinhard sags his shoulders. "Okay, okay, let's calm down Ori, nothing good will come of this."
"Well, I guess you are right Rein."
Abruptly, Reinhard moves and in that instant, Orion disappears from his previous position.
"Naive! Naive! You really thought you could use my move against me? That's very naive Rein-kun!"
Reinhard looks at Orion, face weary.
"Goodbye O' brother of mine! Muahahahaha."
And with that Orion disappears, his laughter echoing behind.
Reinhard sighs as he starts walking towards the spectators.
"Oi, is that okay? I thought he was a good guy!" Subaru yells.
Was that guy an accomplice all along? No, that shouldn't be right, Emilia knew him after all.
"Ah, I'm really sorry about that. Big broth, I mean, Orion is always like that, he will be back. He actually means no harm." Reinhard says rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
"What about the assassin lady he carried along?" Felt adds.
"As I thought, that was the Bowel Hunter, wasn't it?" Looking over Emilia, Felt and Subaru. "Can I trouble you to tell me what happened here?" He asks.