"From this moment on, we will test whether you qualify to become gladiator slaves on this island."
Leaving the sleeping Tanza in the infirmary, Subaru was led into a dim, stifling room. Simply put, it resembled a changing room or waiting room-with neither personal lockers nor benches.
Besides Subaru, four men were inside. One was Gustav, who folded his four muscular arms across his chest and delivered those opening words.
The others were a gray-scaled lizardman draped in filthy rags, a fearsome man whose bare upper body and bald head were covered in tattoos, and an otherwise unremarkable man with long, rust-colored hair.
In Gustav's eyes, these three stood in the same position as Subaru. Judging by their looks, however, they seemed to disagree.
"Wait, Governor Gustav! Are you really letting this child take part in the Sparka?!"
"D-don't joke around! Our lives are on the line! What use is some little brat?!"
"You won't turn gladiatorial combat into a cruel spectacle... wasn't that supposed to be your policy...?"
The three looked at Subaru, the last to arrive, and voiced their dissatisfaction. Even without knowing the situation, he could tell that all their complaints were directed at him. Subaru himself had disappointed their expectations, so they vented their anger at Gustav.
"Governor, please give us a convincing explanation! Besides, even with this child, we don't have enough people. You originally told us a Gou consisted of five!"
"Yeah, exactly! If this isn't what we agreed on, then I-"
"Silence. To interrupt me is to interrupt His Majesty the Emperor's will."
One deep, weighty statement crushed the rust-haired man's and lizardman's protests. Gustav's expression and tone remained unchanged from the start. Even so, the weight of his words struck down the men's dissatisfaction head-on.
"As you were just informed, your Sparka will now begin. The spectators will be gladiator slaves from the island, with no outside visitors. However, understand that this does not diminish the significance of performing the ritual in the slightest."
"The ritual's significance..."
"Silence, Schwarz. However, I shall answer your question. The Sparka held on this island takes its inspiration from a ritual practiced by a certain tribe-the Shudraq-in the dense forests of the eastern Empire. Known as the Rite of Blood and Life, it determines whether challengers' pride and skills meet the required standard."
"-"
Gustav's explanation made Subaru's entire face scrunch up. This Rite of Blood and Life-
"Don't tell me we have to kill each other..."
"Ha! You really don't know anything. If that were the case, wouldn't we be delighted to have a scrawny brat like you thrown in with us?!"
The moment Subaru voiced his thoughts, the lizardman sharply rebuked him. True enough, judging by their earlier reactions, the source of the three men's unease was precisely that Subaru could hardly count as fighting strength-
"...Don't tell me all of us have to fight something together?"
"Smart little brat... and while we're at it, I don't have much patience... keep quiet..."
Rather than offering gentle praise, the tattooed man threatened him in a powerful voice. Only the rust-haired man had yet to scold Subaru, but he too was among those cursing their useless new addition. In short, they were certain to begin the ritual with the worst possible team situation. That left Subaru without even the composure to run his mouth.
Did he really have to cooperate with these three to defeat whatever it was? Subaru's answer, of course, was no.
"...You haven't answered my earlier question. Even if this child is our fourth, our Gou is still missing its final member, the fifth."
"The fifth member of your Gou remains unconscious in the infirmary. Since that person has not awakened, the four of you present will challenge the Sparka."
"Th-this is madness...!"
"If necessary, madness is also part of my duty in following His Majesty the Emperor's thinking."
Gustav's loyalty was as unyielding as stone and steel, and the rust-haired man abandoned further objections. Instead, he turned the conversation toward Subaru and addressed him.
"You look like nothing more than a scrawny child, but is there anything you're good at? Special skills? Magic? Any useful strengths?"
"U-useful special skills..."
Bombarded with questions, Subaru's gaze wandered as he desperately thought. Unfortunately, his trusty whip seemed to have been lost at Lapis Lazuli Castle Chaosflame.
His adorable Beatrice wasn't here, and without Satella's arrival, he wouldn't even have been able to use magic.
But now he had command of the powers of three factors, and this very moment was the perfect time to test them.
Subaru, who had briefly felt a little sad over Beatrice's absence, faintly revealed a sinister, dragon-king-like smile under Satella's encouragement.
"What even... he really is just a child."
Seeing Subaru apparently rendered momentarily speechless, the rust-haired man pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed.
"Hee, hee-hee, even with the brat, we still don't have enough people. We're doomed, doomed! Doooomed!"
"Stop yelling, you stinking lizard... you trying to piss me off and get yourself killed...?"
"Huh? Can't hear you! Your voice is too quiet, skull-face!"
Pushed to their mental limits and overcome by emotion, the lizardman and tattooed man glared at each other face-to-face. Just as a fight threatened to erupt, the rust-haired man hurriedly intervened.
"Wait! What good will fighting among ourselves do?! I understand you're on edge, but listen! I used to be a warrior! As long as you follow my instructions in battle..."
"Shut up! You used to be a warrior? Then why'd you end up here?! Didn't you lose and become a prisoner or slave?! What rotten luck, you useless bastard!"
"Who'd trust someone else with their life...? I'm not taking orders from anyone..."
"Y-you two...!!"
The rust-haired man's attempt at persuasion backfired, merely increasing the number of combatants from two to three. That was hardly a good omen for the approaching Sparka.
-with relations between them at their worst, the story returned to the moment before the Sparka began.
"The arena...!"
The circular space enclosed by towering walls was the arena where gladiator slaves fought. Behind the walls rose tiered spectator seats, creating an atmosphere much like a baseball stadium, except those sitting there were bastards waiting to enjoy gladiator slaves slaughtering one another. Though not packed to capacity, the seats were filled with the island's gladiator slaves Gustav had mentioned.
In the very front row sat the fake Cecilus, who had heartlessly parted ways with them in the infirmary. He smiled and waved their way, and Subaru crudely gave him the middle finger. But his composure for such trivialities vanished the instant their "enemy" appeared.
"-"
A black demon beast slowly emerged from the dark passage beneath Gustav's feet, where he stood in the special seats.
The lion-headed demon beast was the same kind of fierce creature that the braided girl Meili had brought into the burning mansion. (Back then, Subaru had tried to use a dust explosion, but failed for lack of skill.)
It was the demon beast whose remains had provided the material for Subaru's whip.
"A Shadow Lion...?"
"Roooaaar!!"
As though rejecting Subaru's words, the demon beast-or rather, the gladiatorial lion-roared. Fighting a monster even larger than Gustav would surely have been a nightmare in the past.
"If we don't take that thing down, we're done for."
Trembling, the rust-haired man said this as he glared at the lion. Yes, exactly. They now had to bring that lion down together.-But what chance did they have?
"Damn it! Bastards! Why did I have to end up like this...?!"
Faced with the threat of death, all the others seemed capable of doing was pouring out endless complaints. To bring this disorganized lot together, Subaru had to step forward.
"Everyone, enough complaining. I'll finish this fight!"
Natsuki Subaru rubbed his hands together, the impulses of the various Witch Factors inside him already leaving him ravenous. Ordinarily almost incapable of fighting, he now actually craved battle.
"Fighting feels great!"
"Huh?"
"A little brat like you? Don't joke around. That's a gigantic lion demon beast! What are we supposed to do against it?"
Feeling how faint their hope was, the lizardman and rust-haired man-the two who had been fighting just before entering the arena-immediately clung to each other and wept, as though they had become long-lost friends again.
"Simple. I just have to take it on."
His figure was small.
But beneath the gray sky, those black eyes-
Were like two stars.
At the center of the sandy ground, a massive Shadow Lion slowly paced. Its mane was black as ink, and every step left deep claw marks in the sand. Its blood-red eyes fixed on what stood opposite-
A ten-year-old boy.
"Who's that kid?"
"A newcomer, right? Think his name was..."
"Schwarz."
"Right, Schwarz."
"Why does that sound like a girl's name? How'd he get sent here, anyway?"
"Who cares? That little brat definitely won't survive today."
"Not necessarily. Have you forgotten the other monster with a child-sized body?"
"You mean-"
Discussion surged from every direction, buzzing like flies.
Subaru ignored it.
Standing at the edge of the sand, he crouched, scooped up a handful of sandy earth, and slowly poured it over his head. The grains slid down his hair, landing on his shoulders and his thin clothes.
This was a ritual he had learned in this world.
Not a magic incantation, nor the opening stance of a sword technique.
Simply letting the weight of death settle upon him, recognizing the weight of life.
Then he stepped onto the sand.
The Shadow Lion noticed him. The massive demon beast stopped pacing, its blood-red eyes turning toward this tiny human who had entered its territory.
A stir rose from the stands.
"Is he crazy?"
"He doesn't even have a weapon!"
The Shadow Lion let out a low roar, its four paws scraping the ground and stirring up sand.
Subaru drew a deep breath.
He closed his eyes.
The Witch Factors inside him began to circulate.
Sloth-
Invisible hands spread from his palms. Not merely the single one from his navel as before-but four full hands. Black, translucent, and visible only to him, Invisible Providence unfurled behind him like tentacles, each poised to strike like a swarm of hungry snakes.
Greed-
A faint, almost imperceptible silver radiance surfaced over his body. The physical enhancement granted by the Witch Factor of Greed accelerated his perception to several times that of an ordinary person and allowed his body to keep pace with his reflexes. Everything around him slowed-the flowing wind, the falling sand, even the minute vibrations of the Shadow Lion's contracting muscles became as clear as a slow-motion replay.
Envy-
This was his first time actively drawing on Satella's power. Those factors burned in his veins, like lava, like starlight, like power condensed from four hundred long years of waiting. A pitch-black power, ominous yet reassuring, surged from his heart and spread throughout his body through his bloodstream. He felt every inch of his muscles trembling-with both fear and joy.
After all, back at the mansion, he had only defeated the Shadow Lion thanks to everyone's help.
And now,
For the first time, he would defeat this enormous creature relying solely on his own strength. To say he wasn't afraid at all would have been a lie.
But because of love, because he wanted to see Emilia, wanted to protect Rem, wanted everyone to have a profound reunion, a happy ending...
Now he also carried an expectation from four hundred years ago and had to face this love that spanned four hundred years.
He had to master his power, had to desperately seize hold of everything.
Feeling himself filled with power, he decided to fear no longer, to gladly break through it all-and seek possibilities beyond Return by Death.
His Gate opened fully.
All the Witch Factors resonated at that moment.
Subaru opened his eyes.
Something burned deep within those black eyes.
Interwoven golden and black light flowed through his pupils like a newborn star in the cosmos. Someone in the stands gasped.
The Shadow Lion moved.
It lunged at Subaru, so fast it left only a black afterimage. Its massive claws tore through the air with a piercing shriek. In the past, Subaru would have been flattened into pulp before he could even react.
But today was different.
Subaru did not retreat.
The Authority of Sloth-Invisible Providence.
Four invisible hands extended simultaneously. Two wrapped around the Shadow Lion's forelegs from either side, clamping its joints like iron pincers; one tightened around its neck and forcibly lifted its head; the last supported its belly from below, like a giant palm holding up its entire body.
The Shadow Lion's pounce was forcibly halted in midair, less than an arm's length from the tip of Subaru's nose. The huge beast struggled madly, its claws scrabbling through the air, its mouth blasting out foul-smelling heat. But the four invisible hands remained immovable, like chains cast from molten iron.
The stands erupted.
"What happened?!"
"That kid didn't do anything-why did the lion stop?!"
"M-magic? No-"
Subaru ignored those voices.
He was sensing. Sensing every contraction of the Shadow Lion's muscles, the rhythm of its breathing, the flow of mana inside its body. The activated blessing of Greed granted him perception beyond ordinary humans-that was the enhancement of yang magic.
He could even clearly perceive every beat of the Shadow Lion's heart and the paths of blood rushing through its vessels.
Then he moved.
Subaru bent his knees and kicked off the ground. His small body shot forward, sand exploding beneath his feet and throwing up a cloud of dust.
Added to that was his own yin magic.
"Shamak!"
The erupting black mist instantly engulfed the Shadow Lion's vision.
He moved too fast to be a ten-year-old child-the blessing of time granted by the Witch Factor of Greed allowed his body to withstand the corresponding strain even as his perception accelerated.
Every push of his feet landed precisely in the gaps between the Shadow Lion's attacks, like a swallow threading through a storm.
With its senses severely suppressed, the demon beast lashed out madly in erratic attacks,
The paths its massive claws traced through the air seemed as slow as fish swimming through water in Subaru's eyes. He ducked, and a lethal swipe passed over his head, severing only a few black hairs.
He did not dodge away, but charged straight at the Shadow Lion's front-the most instinctive line of defense for any creature, and the most dangerous direction.
Behind him, Sloth's invisible hands exerted force together: yanking the Shadow Lion's right foreleg backward and shoving its left foreleg forward. The Shadow Lion instantly lost its balance, its enormous torso tilting left and exposing the soft area beneath its neck unprotected by its mane.
Something gathered in Subaru's palm.
The shadow of Envy.
It was not tangible like Sloth's "hands," nor restrained like Greed's "blessing." Envy's power was more primal, more violent, closer to the chaos before the world's birth.
Pitch-black shadow gushed from his palm, without any fixed shape, yet under the guidance of his will, it condensed into a long, narrow outline like a sharp blade.
That black shadow trembled faintly in the air, emitting a low hum-as though yearning for something.
He did not hesitate.
Subaru leaped.
His small body traced an arc through the air, landing precisely on the exposed left side of the Shadow Lion's neck. His feet planted on its pitch-black mane, feeling the enormous beast's muscles spasm and its bones shake.
The pitch-black shadow blade swung down.
"-Haaah!"
No blood spurted.
The power of envy-the instant it made contact, the Shadow Lion's mane, skin, muscles, and bones disintegrated layer by layer. They were not torn apart or severed-instead, some irresistible force seemed to erase them from existence, turning them into black fragments that then dispersed into the air. It did not even have time to scream.
The Shadow Lion's massive body crashed to the ground, throwing up clouds of sand.
Its head was already gone.
The dust settled.
Subaru stood beside the Shadow Lion's corpse, covered in gray-black dust, his little chest heaving, his breathing as rapid as if he had just run a marathon. Four unseen hands of sloth slowly withdrew into his body, and the black shadow of envy dissipated in his palm. Deep within his eyes, the intertwined golden and black light slowly faded, returning to pure black.
The arena was deathly silent.
No one spoke. No one applauded.
Everyone was looking at the child standing beside the demon beast's corpse.
Not a sound.
What broke the silence came from the sword slaves' section. A lizardman rose to his feet, Subaru's figure reflected in his gray reptilian eyes. Beside him, another beastman sword slave stood as well. Then one, two, three-
Those people standing in the shadows, abandoned by the Empire-
They began to clap.
It came from the bottom of their hearts-
Recognition.
The lizardman and the rust-haired man stared blankly at this powerful child, shock written across their faces.
Using the word "powerful" to describe a small child was unbelievable in itself, but this child had earned it. The lizardman leader stepped out of the shadows and walked up to Subaru.
He lowered his head-the reptilian stood three times Subaru's height, but the gaze he directed at Subaru was not one of condescension.
"...You."
His voice was hoarse.
"What's your name?"
"Natsuki Schwarz."
"Schwarz."
He repeated it once.
Then he held out a hand. That scale-covered palm lay open before Subaru.
"-Everyone will remember your bearing as a mighty warrior."
Subaru looked at that hand and fell silent for a second.
Then he reached out and clasped it.
A tiny hand and a massive, scale-covered palm.
The difference was enormous.
But the strength of their grips-
Was evenly matched.
"...Thank you."
Subaru spoke softly.
"-"
The lizardman leader said nothing.
But the corners of his mouth seemed to curve a little.
"-That is all! You have survived the Sparka!! By the authority vested in me, I welcome you as members of Sword Slave Island!"
His booming voice resounded through the arena as Gustav declared the battle over. At once, the previously silent stands erupted in cheers, and the sword slaves rose to their feet together.
"Well done!"
"Incredible!"
"You're pretty good, little guy!!"
The men's excitement poured down like rain.
In the distance.
Cecilus leaned against a stone wall, arms folded, quietly watching it all.
Though he could not see those unseen hands, he could sense the unusual fluctuations of power coming from Subaru. He saw Subaru charge, saw Subaru leap, saw Subaru swing down that shadow blade he could not see-and then the Shadow Lion's head vanished into thin air.
He saw Subaru standing beside the demon beast's corpse, covered in dust and panting.
He saw the sword slaves stand up and applaud.
He saw the lizardman leader hold out his hand.
He saw-that little black-haired child clasp it.
Cecilus tilted his head.
Something flickered faintly in the depths of his blue eyes.
It was a kind of anticipation-one strong warrior felt toward another, one hero held for another.
"...How interesting. Now I want to spar with little Abau myself!"
...Huh, wait, was it Mao or Mau?"
Watching the boy down in the arena flash a victory sign in his direction, Gustav narrowed his eyes.
An astonishing battle, a confrontation beyond the norm-it could be called an unprecedented Sparka.
This was the true purpose behind Ginunhive's sword slaves.
"My, my, my, that was simply wonderful, Mr. Gustav! Taking little Abau in instead of abandoning him really was the right decision! Don't you think I've done something worthy of great credit?"
"...Segmunt."
As Gustav pondered, Cecilus casually came to stand beside him. Hearing the boy speak with both hands behind his head, Gustav rubbed his forehead and the space between his brows with his two right hands.
"There is some truth to what you say. Did you foresee this all along?"
"I certainly hoped for it, you know? I thought it'd be nice if things turned out this way, and then they really did! So this is what it feels like to be saved by something you believe in!"
"...You wagered your life on such an uncertain possibility?"
"-? Yes, that's right. What's wrong?"
Cecilus tilted his head, looking surprised and puzzled. He did not think he had said anything strange at all.
If Schwarz was unfit to be a sword slave, he was willing to take responsibility with his own life. Yet despite insisting on that, he remained utterly nonchalant.
"In fact, there's no problem anymore, is there? To me, it was an offer to be grateful for. I'm not someone who's going to die in a place like this without doing anything, so it was a chance worth betting on."
"-. Your actions were not improper. His Majesty the Emperor will surely be pleased by the birth of an outstanding sword slave as well."
"Yes, yes~ Though I'm hardly one to talk, His Majesty the Emperor doesn't seem to be much of a decent person either!"
"You will not insult His Majesty the Emperor. There will be no second warning."
After that stern warning, Cecilus shrugged and obediently backed down. Just then, the guards entered the arena to lead away the new sword slaves who had survived the Sparka. The others, exhausted from constantly dodging attacks, were taken to the healing room to receive treatment from the healers.
"I never imagined there would be a case where every member of a Gou survived."
As someone who had witnessed the outcome-
"I told you, didn't I? You get the feeling a grand story is about to begin, right?"
Indeed, Cecilus smugly sought his agreement. Answering him would only leave Gustav seething, so he simply kept his face stern and turned his back on the arena.
And he turned, vanishing in a flash of blue lightning.
Subaru stood on the sand.
The Shadow Lion's corpse gradually cooled at his feet. The sea breeze scattered the dust, and sunlight spilled through gaps in the gray clouds, falling upon him.
The people around him were talking, discussing, whispering to one another. He did not listen. He only looked down at his hand.
That tiny, dust-covered hand belonging to a ten-year-old child.
But just now, that hand-
Had locked the Shadow Lion's body in place with the Authority of Sloth.
Had accelerated his perception with the Blessing of Greed.
Had used the power of envy-to sever a demon beast's head.
"...Subaru-kun."
Satella's voice came from beside him.
Subaru looked up.
A translucent figure stood before him, the sea breeze passing through her long hair, his face reflected in those purple eyes.
Then came her gentle words.
"You did very well."
Subaru was silent for a moment.
Then he smiled softly.
It was a slight, faint smile.
Like the first thaw of ice and snow in March, like the first ray of dawn after a long night.
"...Yeah."
He spoke.
"-This is only the beginning."
In the distance, the gray sea churned.
Waves struck the reefs with dull crashes. The Empire's canopy still hung overhead, coldly watching this land.
But on this forgotten island-
Something was quietly changing.
And those sword slaves did not yet know,
That this black-haired child who had been sent among them-
Would one day lead them off this island.