The icy air of the forest lashed against Arata's face, while the strong metallic smell of blood permeated the surroundings.
The cold breeze of twilight swept between the trees as the sun sank farther and farther below the horizon, bathing the scenery in dark shades of red.
Before him, Loiry remained standing, wielding her deadly weapon: an enormous scythe with a curved blade, attached to a long and heavy metal chain.
— Stain... — she called, her voice as sharp as the steel itself. — Tell me right now what you came here to do.
Are you looking for test subjects for your horrible experiments?
— I already told you I'm not this Stain guy! — Arata exclaimed, his voice faltering with desperation as he pressed down on the wound in his leg.
— I'm..... Arata Ryusei! Loiry, please, stop this! I'm losing too much blood... I'm going to die!
— That's exactly what a damned cultist deserves — Loiry shot back, cold and unwavering.
— If you're not Stain, then who are you working for?!
— I... I don't work for—
Before he could finish the sentence, Loiry channeled her mana, manifesting a chain made of pure darkness.
The obsidian-black link surged toward Arata like a snake, wrapping tightly around him and restraining his movements.
With a violent pull, she dragged him across the dirt and planted her boot firmly against the boy's back, pinning him down.
— Who are you working for?! — she demanded again.
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— I don't—
Loiry didn't hesitate. Moving the iron chain, she swung the massive scythe in a precise arc toward him, striking his left arm.
The impact instantly tore the limb apart, causing another massive amount of blood to gush onto the grass.
— AHHHHHH!! STOP!! PLEASE, STOP!!! — Arata screamed at the top of his lungs, writhing in pure agony.
— I won't stop until you tell me the truth and tell me who you're working for, cultist — she declared, looking down at him.
— Please... — Arata begged, tears mixing with the cold sweat. — Aren't we... friends?..
— No. I barely know you — Loiry replied, her expression completely apathetic.
Those words echoed through Arata's mind like a blow worse than the blade itself.
Crying from pain and desperation, he faced the cruel reality.
It's true... In this timeline, because I changed my choices, I didn't spend enough time with them... I'm a complete stranger to her.
What the hell!
— Tell me already, bastard — Loiry pressed her foot even harder against his back.
— I've been watching you discreetly since the first day. I can smell an Authority emanating from inside you.
I sensed it the exact moment you stepped into the mansion.
Spitting blood and completely consumed by tears, Arata vented his anguish, screaming toward the dark sky:
— Why?! Why are you doing this to me?! Why do I have to be so damn lonely in this world?! I'm the only one who can remember everything! The only one who knows about everything we've already been through together! Why do all of you always leave me alone, damn it?! What a fucking cursed power! I can't even vent to someone without being punished!! What a fucking life!
Loiry slightly furrowed her brow, staring at the boy's delirium without showing the slightest sign of emotion.
— I didn't understand a single thing you just said... Now, die, you damned infiltrating cultist.
With a swift and merciless movement, Loiry's scythe was thrown directly toward Arata's neck, reaping his life in the same instant that tears were still streaming down his face.
Death Count: 6
Suddenly, the sensation of pain disappeared, and Arata opened his eyes in the absolute emptiness of the limbo—the same enigmatic, dark setting where he had awakened several times during the events of Arc 1.
Before him, emerging from the darkness, stood the silhouette of the woman with long silver hair, wearing the black cloak that concealed almost all of her features.
It's been so long since I ended up here... Arata thought, his chest still rising and falling from the recent trauma.
The female figure took a step forward, fixing her mysterious eyes directly on him.
— Why, Marina?! — Arata shouted, his voice echoing through the void. — Why did you give me this damn power to turn back time?!
— Because, Arata-kun... I love you... — her voice echoed softly and melancholically through the limbo. — And you need to become the new him...
— The new him?! What are you talking about?! Who is he?!
Before the Traitor Witch could finish her revelation, an invisible and overwhelming force pulled Arata's consciousness back into reality, shattering the dark scenery.
Arata awoke with a start, his heart pounding frantically against his chest.
In sheer desperation, he ended up rolling off the mattress and falling straight onto the floor of the room.
His hands immediately felt around his own neck and arms; everything was intact, perfectly healed, as if that terrible execution in the forest had never happened.
Lying on the floor and trembling, he raised his eyes and saw Emma's silhouette.
The girl's face was filled with genuine panic as she quickly approached to help him.
However, the mental exhaustion of suffering two brutal deaths in a row was simply too much.
Before Emma could touch him, Arata's vision went completely dark, and he fainted once again.
End of Chapter 33...
To be continued in Chapter 34...