“Ho?
Judging by your face, you seem to know who I am?
But how could that be?” Inside Subaru’s body, Diavolo had already confirmed his hypothesis based on the boy’s series of reactions.
This brat named Natsuki Subaru possessed a capability similar to 『Epitaph』.
Though he couldn’t yet pinpoint its exact mechanics, it was more than enough to work with.
“You saw the future, didn’t you?
Everything happening now—it seems you’ve already experienced it once.” The gaping hole in Subaru’s memory of the corpse was almost certainly King Crimson’s handiwork.
Hearing Diavolo’s words, Subaru’s footsteps gradually slowed down.
With Diavolo’s prompt, reality finally set in.
He had clearly died—frozen to death by that monster.
And yet, he had returned to life, ending up back at the appa stall.
“By the looks of it, you seem to have figured something out,” Diavolo said slowly.
At this moment, his interest in Subaru was extraordinarily high, especially since he noticed the tiny face atop 『King Crimson』’s head had actually opened its eyes.
In the past, that was a reaction that only ever occurred when activating 『Epitaph』.
Combined with Subaru’s previous mutterings and behavior…
Diavolo had roughly deduced Subaru’s ability: it had to be a time-based Authority similar to 『King Crimson』.
One capable of rewinding time.
And its trigger condition was death.
If that was the case, then it was a 『Return by Death』.
Still, to be safe, it was better to avoid dying altogether—after all, there was no guarantee it would trigger successfully every single time.
“Alright, kid, I’ve pretty much guessed how those bastards ended up.
Now, I can help you take care of them—just lend me the body for a short while.” “No way, you murderer!” Subaru suddenly roared.
Hearing his shout, the three thugs pursuing him involuntarily slowed their pace.
“…” “Hey, kid, who are you muttering to yourself for?
You don’t seriously think acting crazy is gonna make us forgive your curse, do you?” The trio continued to close in on Subaru.
Meanwhile, Subaru’s mind was still filled with images of the white-haired girl being slaughtered, the town turned into an icy hell, and that massive white monster.
“Hey, kid, why are you ignoring us?” The trio behind him kept babbling endlessly, constantly disrupting Subaru’s thoughts.
“Enough already!
What the hell have you bastards been going on about?!
I don’t have time for you, and I don’t have anything valuable to give you either!” Subaru spun around and screamed, his face contorted in anger.
“Huh?
Kid, you should…” Before the punk could finish, Subaru charged straight at the three of them like a wild animal.
“Brat, brat?!” “Fool!
Watch out!” Seeing Subaru recklessly throw himself toward the blades as if he’d lost his mind, Diavolo panicked instantly.
He tried to forcibly take control of Subaru’s body, but he couldn’t do it at all; otherwise, he wouldn’t be shouting urgent warnings like this.
His warning came too late.
*Pfft.* “N-Nani?” Subaru swung a wild fist that hit nothing but air, only to turn around and find a sharp knife plunged straight into his stomach.
“Is this a joke?!
Is this a damn joke?!” In an instant, Subaru seemed to lose all his strength, collapsing to the ground.
Clutched around his wound, he writhed in agonizing pain.
It hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt.
The last time, death had come too fast, but this time, feeling his life drain away, Subaru truly experienced the agony of impending death.
“Don’t just lie there dazed, move!
Get the hell up!” Diavolo shouted urgently.
This useless piece of trash…
what an absolute failure!
“Why’d you stab him?
We’re gonna get in trouble for this,” the brute looked at the punk in confusion.
“Huh?
He ran into it himself!
It’s got nothing to do with me!” “Hey?!
What are you doing!” In the next second, Subaru coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The dwarf had stepped forward and slowly pulled the blade out of Subaru’s body.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing?
Why’d you stab him again?” “Don’t let it go to waste, he’s dead either way.
Hurry up and check if he’s got anything valuable.” “Idiot, the guards are gonna be here any second!” Having been dealt a finishing blow, Subaru’s consciousness grew increasingly hazy.
Everything around him became surreal and distant, yet he could still faintly hear a voice.
It was Diavolo’s voice.
He remembered now.
Diavolo had said they were two souls sharing one body—if he died, Diavolo would die too.
Besides, Diavolo had only killed earlier to protect him; maybe there were things in between he didn’t understand.
“I’m sorry, Diavolo…
for dragging you down with me.” “If I could do it over again, I would definitely…” …
Just as Subaru’s consciousness was on the brink of vanishing completely, his closed eyes in the physical world snapped open.
An emerald-green light erupted from his pupils.
At the moment when Subaru’s consciousness was at its absolute weakest, Diavolo successfully logged on.
Gaining control of the body, Diavolo immediately tore off a strip of clothing to bind the wound.
Then— “King Crimson!” The deep-red figure materialized abruptly, lunging forward with a barrage of fists.
On the spot, he beat all three thugs to death.
Just as he turned to find a place to seek treatment, he looked back and saw a red-haired man holding a sword standing right behind him.
“Damn it.” Diavolo noticed that the man’s hand rested on a sword that was trembling continuously.
He could feel a massive, terrifying threat radiating from the man in front of him.
Without a second thought, Diavolo made a decisive call.
*Hum—* 『King Crimson!!!』 In the next instant, the world’s time was erased, leaving only Diavolo’s time behind.
He didn’t waste time attacking.
Instead, he phased right past the man and dashed outward, searching for a place resembling a hospital.
Along the way, however, Diavolo felt his strength draining rapidly.
“Damn it…
how can a mere flesh wound be this fatal?” “Hey, over here!
He’s right here!
Catch him, then notify the Sword Saint!” A guard spotted Diavolo’s trail and immediately called for backup.
The next moment, a figure dropped from the sky, landing right in Diavolo’s path.
Realizing he couldn’t shake him off, Diavolo decided to go all out.
King Crimson circled behind the red-haired knight, its fist tearing through the air as it aimed straight for the knight’s heart.
Diavolo had long noticed that the people here couldn’t see Stands.
And an unseen attack was impossible to block.
Diavolo was utterly convinced of this.
Yet in the very next second…
Reinhard shifted his body slightly.
It was as if…
he had felt something coming.
King Crimson’s fist grazed past the hem of his cloak, the gust of wind whipping his red hair into the air.
『Divine Protection of Initiative』 Surprise attacks and ambushes by enemies were rendered completely ineffective.
And an unseen attack was, at its core, nothing more than a sneak attack.
Reinhard halted his steps.
He didn’t turn around, but his eyes narrowed slightly.
“…I see.” He spoke softly.
“An invisible attack, is it?” The moment those words left his lips, something on him seemed to flash briefly—as though the world itself had bestowed upon him a brand-new blessing.
Then, Reinhard turned around slowly.
His gaze fell with absolute precision—right onto King Crimson.
Diavolo’s pupils contracted violently.
“How is that possible…
You actually—” “Can see it now.” Reinhard nodded, his tone as calm as if commenting on nice weather.
“That attempt just now allowed me to acquire a new Divine Protection.” “Thank you.
You’ve given me yet another power.” He slowly drew the sword at his waist.
In an instant, the sky changed color, and the roars of dragons echoed from all directions.
“Now then…
it’s my turn.” —