At the exact moment Rem rushed into the forest.
From deep within the woods, Natsuki Subaru's exceptionally defiant voice echoed out.
"Eh! Doesn't hurt!"
"It just doesn't hurt!"
"Bite all you want... If you so much as break my defense, I lose!"
Following the sound, one could see Natsuki Subaru curled up on the ground, covering his backside with both hands as a pack of demon beasts viciously tore into him. Yet he kept shouting with all the force he could muster.
"Come bite me!"
"What, are you still weaning?"
"You don't even have the strength to bite people, and you dare call yourselves demon beasts?"
"Roar..."
Perhaps Subaru had annoyed them, or perhaps they realized biting him was useless. Along with a series of growls, the ground around him suddenly softened at a rapid pace.
"Huh?"
Subaru froze, then his upper body plunged straight into the mud.
This was bad. The moment he opened his mouth, a huge amount of mud and sand poured inside, physically forcing him into silence. Of course, the demon beasts did not understand that... They simply thought Subaru's skin was too tough and wanted to suffocate him to death instead.
"Mmph! Mmmgh!"
Subaru could only struggle desperately.
Unfortunately, without the Stubborn Blessing, his strength had already dropped considerably. Now the demon beasts were still frantically biting him, and the sharp pain made Subaru instinctively want to scream. Instead, he inhaled another mouthful of mud into his lungs. At that point, no amount of struggling would help.
And just as Subaru's consciousness gradually began to fade.
Something cold suddenly seemed to wrap around his foot.
Then a tremendous force yanked him free, sending Subaru flying out like a radish being pulled from the soil.
"Bleurgh... Cough, cough, cough!"
The instant he emerged, Subaru began coughing