Subaru appeared over a bridge, mist swirling at her feet as she materialized. For a moment, all she could hear was the distant clash of swords, the screams, the chaos of the battlefield beyond. Then—
A sharp pulse of magic.
She had one second to realize—
This was a trap.
Walls of shimmering light snapped into place around her, a cage of runes and barriers locking her in. The air crackled with power, thick with enchantments designed to suppress movement, nullify teleportation, seal her in.
The finest mages of the Kingdom stood in formation on the other side of the barrier, their robes billowing in the wind. Some held staffs, others had glowing circles of magic spinning around their hands, their expressions taut with concentration. A few of them even looked smug.
"Satella," one of them called out, voice steady but laced with something sharp. "You won't be escaping this time."
Subaru sighed, adjusting the black glove on her hand.
They really thought this would work?
She took a step forward, letting the hem of her dark cloak brush against the glowing wall. It didn't budge.
"Do you really think a mere cage can hold me?" Her voice was soft, almost bored, but her presence—
Suffocating.
Some of the mages flinched.
One of them, a young woman gripping her staff so tightly her knuckles were white, swallowed hard. "This barrier is unbreakable. You won't—"
Subaru raised a hand.
A dark ripple spread through the air, distorting space itself.
And then—
A portal tore open beside her.
Smooth. Effortless.
The kind of cheat-level magic that should have been impossible.
On the other side of the portal was the other side of the bridge. Outside their barrier.
Subaru stepped through.
Every single mage went slack-jawed.
There was a beat of absolute silence.
Subaru, now standing outside their "unbreakable" cage, cast them a flat look.
The dark veil covering half her face only made it worse.
To the mages, it must have looked like the gaze of a being beyond their comprehension. A cold, unfeeling abyss staring back at them.
One of them made a strangled sound.
Then—
They collapsed.
One after another, every single mage fainted on the spot.
Whether it was from fear, sheer magical exhaustion, or just their minds breaking under the weight of their own failure—
Subaru didn't care.
"Oh, fuck," she muttered, rubbing her temple.
She hadn't even done anything to them.
Whatever.
The castle was right in front of her.
She stepped forward, reaching out to push open the heavy iron doors—
Pain.
Sharp, burning, holy pain shot up her fingertips the moment she touched the handle.
Subaru yanked her hand back.
Holy magic.
Of course.
The door rejected her.
Because she was unholy.
She let out a long sigh.
"Fine."
Pulling off one of her gloves, she reached out again, bare fingers pressing against the metal.
A slow, withering decay spread from the point of contact.
The holy enchantments didn't resist.
They couldn't.
They rotted.
The metal corroded, rusting away into nothing in seconds. The once-impenetrable holy barrier that had kept countless intruders at bay for centuries collapsed like a house of cards.
Subaru slid her glove back on, brushing nonexistent dust off her sleeve.
Problem solved.
She stepped inside.
The moment Subaru stepped into the castle's courtyard, the air shifted.
Hundreds of knights, clad in holy metallic armor, stood in rigid formation. Their weapons glinted under the dim, clouded sky, spears raised, bows drawn. A wall of steel and discipline.
Or at least, that's what it should have been.
Subaru could see it. The slight tremble in their grips, the barely restrained quivers in their stance. The way some knights stole desperate glances at each other, hoping for someone—anyone—to make the first move.
They were afraid.
They were terrified.
One wrong twitch and half of them might drop their weapons and run.
Subaru took a step forward.
The air tightened.
A single step and she felt the tension snap like a frayed thread, sheer terror rippling through the ranks.
"Are you really going to fight me?" she asked softly.
Her voice wasn't raised, wasn't hostile. It carried no sharp edges, no violent promise.
But somehow, it slithered under their skin, a whisper in their bones.
She tilted her head slightly, veil still casting a shadow over her face.
"If you value your life, take a step back. Because I haven't gone to 7-11 for a long time and you guys are making me hungry ."
A simple suggestion. A simple piece of advice.
And yet, to them, it sounded like an unshakable decree.
Some of them shifted on instinct, heels scraping against stone as if their bodies obeyed before their minds could process. A few of the weaker ones took a full step back, ashamed of their fear but unable to deny it.
One knight clenched his jaw. "Don't—don't listen to her! She's trying to get into our heads!"
Subaru exhaled through her nose. I barely even tried.
Another knight barked, "Release your arrows!"
A command.
Subaru watched as they moved on muscle memory, more afraid of disobeying their orders than facing her.
The sky darkened with a flurry of arrows and spears, a metallic storm raining down toward her.
Subaru didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't bother.
The moment they reached her—
She dissolved.
Black mist.
A cacophony of screams.
The air was filled with the sickening sound of metal piercing flesh.
Subaru rematerialized atop the steps leading to the castle doors, looking down at the devastation.
Knights writhing in pain, impaled by their own weapons.
Others frozen in horror, realizing what they had done.
Some had dropped their weapons entirely, wide-eyed and shaking, too stunned to process.
Subaru exhaled.
She had been about to walk away—
And then.
A voice.
A whisper.
I love you.
It wasn't spoken aloud. It slithered directly into her mind, curling around her thoughts like black vines.
Envy.
Damn it.
The hunger surged forward, sharp and undeniable.
She gritted her teeth, her hands clenching into fists.
She was not evil.
She was not here to destroy.
She was just a person stuck in a very messed-up situation, trying to survive.
But the hunger.
It coiled around her ribs, an unbearable pressure, an itch inside her very existence, demanding.
Consume.
Subaru refused.
But—
Her body needed.
If she didn't take something, she would lose control.
Her gaze flickered toward the fallen. The knights who were already dead, their bodies crumpled on the ground, drained of warmth.
Subaru had to.
Just enough to steady herself.
She extended a hand—
And their existence broke apart.
Not their flesh, not their bodies. Their very essence was devoured.
Subaru didn't eat. There was no chewing, no swallowing.
The moment she absorbed them, she almost vomited.
The sensation was disgusting. A heavy, repulsive weight in her soul, an echo of the lives that were once there.
But the hunger lessened.
Breathing heavily, Subaru wiped the back of her hand across her mouth, even though there was nothing there.
She hated this.
She really, really hated this.
But she wasn't done yet.
Subaru turned toward the castle doors and stepped inside.