Having traversed countless realms, can you possibly be as clever as me?

He had originally experienced three deaths here before breaking through the first barrier of this other world, and now he has experienced this possibility a full eighty-eight times.

I failed 88 times, racking my brains, but still couldn't pass the level.

In this timeline, not only is there no devil like Tsugumi, but there is also no Reinhard who came to help after hearing his cries.

So he died many times at the hands of those three thugs, from being killed by them to being able to kill them skillfully later on, but even so, he still died dozens of times at the hands of the Bowel Hunter.

Now that he has become powerful, he seems to have forgotten his helplessness when facing the Bowel Hunter in the past, perhaps because he has not died at the hands of this assassin many times.

But in this timeline, he witnessed firsthand the power of the Bowel Hunter, and no matter how hard he tried, he could only be killed by her.

He watched as another version of himself walked towards him from the other end of the alley for the eighty-eighth time, his steps hurried and stiff, like a wound-up toy, obsessively and frantically murmuring a name.

“Satella…”

The same scene repeated itself a total of eighty-eight times, with the vast majority of those deaths occurring in the form of being killed by the Gut Hunters.

No matter how many times the powerless are reincarnated, they cannot change the fact that they are wantonly slaughtered by the strong.

But he still stubbornly did the same thing, obsessively trying to save the girl who had once saved his life and called herself 'Satella'.

Looking at his own stubborn and obstinate self, Natsuki Subaru suddenly felt a strange chill.

Subaru Natsuki, who was simply doing things rather than observing, seemed to understand for the first time how unusual his choices of returning to life through death appeared to others.

After eighty-eight consecutive deaths, just as he was about to die for the eighty-ninth time, Natsuki Subaru, who was standing in front of Rom's stolen goods shop, collapsed to the ground. But this time, his abdomen was not cut open.

There were fresh knife marks on the door, and the smell of blood in the air had not yet dissipated. His gaze pierced through the half-open door and fell on Elsa lying on the ground—her abdomen was pierced by an unbelievably huge wound, and blood was gushing out like an overturned bucket.

But she was still alive. Her purplish-red eyes were wide open, holding a trace of bewilderment that Subaru had never seen on that face before. Like someone accustomed to torrential rain suddenly dragged into a windless, clear sky, unsure of how to breathe.

Standing before her was a figure Subaru knew all too well—Reinhard. His red hair blazed like flames in the dim light.

"...Is it resolved?"

Subaru heard his own voice coming from behind him. He turned around and saw himself leaning against the door frame, his gaze fixed on Reinhard, on the unsheathed dragon sword, on those tireless eyes, on that face that didn't even show any signs of breathing disorder.

Natsuki Subaru suddenly understood—he was jealous of Reinhard, or rather, the Subaru of this world was jealous of this perfect hero.

Jealousy is the fact that I have tried countless times to overcome but could not, yet he easily solved it in the end.

"Yes, it's resolved." Reinhard turned around, his tone as relaxed as if he were commenting on the nice weather.

"You...you only used one sword strike?"

"To deal with an opponent of this caliber, one sword strike is enough."

Subaru didn't speak. Subaru stood beside him, and he could see Subaru's profile—his lips were pressed into a pale line, his pupils were slightly dilated, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, as if he had swallowed back something that was about to burst out of his mouth.

Yes, without any fancy slashes creating a dazzling spiral, the shockwave completely destroyed a corner of the slums.

The powerful swordsman accomplished in a single instant what he could not do even if he died nearly a hundred times.

Subaru's plan, in a way that was different from what was expected, achieved its ultimate goal of defeating Elsa.

Reinhard's participation in the war was unexpected, but he was overjoyed that his wish had been fulfilled.

Thanks to this, the matter of Satella's badge being stolen was resolved peacefully. Since Felt and Rom couldn't meet with their trading partner, Elsa, there was no need for them to retrieve Satella's badge from them themselves. Besides, Satella probably wouldn't kill those two in a fit of anger.

The story, centered around the stolen goods warehouse, ends with very few characters appearing.

This is the result Subaru hoped for. This is good, this is enough...

924 >>

Even though he never had the chance to see the girl again from beginning to end.

The hatred and helplessness brought on by eighty-eight deaths crumbled easily under another person's casual attack. Subaru felt not only relief, but also...

A deep sense of powerlessness and jealousy gave rise to emotions akin to hatred.

But he didn't hate Reinhard; instead, he hated himself. His twisted emotions turned into anger and cursing at his own powerlessness, and then he made a decision.

He saved Elsa, the Bowel Hunter, the murderer who had killed him dozens of times.

He gained Elsa's trust, and together with her sister, the Beastmaster Melly, they formed a twisted alliance.

For Subaru Natsuki, his plan and purpose remained unchanged: to make Satella—whom he later learned was named Emilia, a girl he had never met in this cycle—the queen.

To prove himself capable, and for this ideal, he began to do whatever it took.

He began to eliminate obstacles by any means necessary. He infiltrated the Witch Cult and, after experiencing more than 400 deaths, single-handedly killed the Archbishop of Sloth.

He then devised a plan to eliminate the other chosen ones: Crusch, Felt, Priscilla, and Anastasia. He used the intelligence he gained through countless deaths to defeat them one by one.

After doing all this, he eliminated other archbishops of sin, killing Color, Violence, and Greed, thus making himself the de facto ruler of the Witch Cult.

He contacted Roswaal and formed an alliance with him to jointly promote Emilia to power.

For this purpose, he committed countless evil deeds, and in the end became the only 'Baptist Archbishop of Pride' in the Witch Cult.

He transformed himself into the most evil villain in the world, committing countless unforgivable acts, yet after ten thousand deaths and resurrections, he still could not find a way to defeat Reinhard.

Since we can't kill him, let's destroy everything he has on a knightly level.

Thus, his reputation was taken away, everything he wanted to protect was killed, and everything he could rely on was destroyed.

He couldn't kill Reinhard, he could only kill him as a knight and a hero.

But in any case, within the burning capital, he finally achieved this result.

After committing unimaginable atrocities and losing their constant companions, Elisa and Melly both died.

Having sacrificed everything and betrayed everything, the ultimate arrogant bishop stood before Emilia.

He spoke of his goal, telling Emilia that if she killed him, she would become the hero who had eradicated the six archbishops of sin and destroyed the Witch Cult.

By then, even if she is a half-elf, she will be able to become the queen of Lukenica.

Emilia didn't even know him, since their brief encounter only existed in Subaru Natsuki's memory.

In the end, he allowed himself to be killed by her, using his own life to pave the way for her becoming queen.

Even if—at the cost of the kingdom's collapse and the destruction of everything, and he didn't even know why Emilia wanted to become king.

He has completely abandoned his role as a savior, existing solely as an arrogant figure.

This is the 'result' of this timeline.

I love you, what does it have to do with you? It doesn't matter if we've never even met.

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

Natsuki Subaru thought he could handle these future possibilities, but he was still terrified by the experience.

Where did this crazy, mentally ill, male masochist come from?!

"Do you understand? You are me, and we are your choices, we're just on different paths."

Subaru Natsuki, driven by greed, stood before him, holding the Book of Wisdom, and spoke softly.

"Stop talking to me in my name!!!" Natsuki Subaru, kneeling on the ground, stared at the witch before him, his face deathly pale, and roared.

"Hahaha, I've been exposed, but I never lied~~~~" Echidna revealed her true form and said with a smile.

"All of these possibilities represent choices you would make, choices you would definitely make. Can you deny these? Can you deny that none of them represent yourself?"

Subaru stared at a present that shouldn't exist, as non-existent worlds unfolded before his eyes. Overwhelmed with pain, Subaru curled up on the ground, unaware of his own location.

Is it in reality? Is it in a dream? Is there only consciousness? Is there a body? Can a series of recurring nightmares be called nightmares? Can they be considered crimes and reality? Is it purely a delusion about possibility? Or is it a hell after a real hell?

Aren't these worlds fabricated based on Subaru's memories? If so, are those obviously non-existent pieces of information false worlds created by delusion? Or are they eroded by a reality different from reality?

924>>>>

Perhaps there's a right answer among them, but Subaru's wounds are too deep for him to straighten his back or lift his head. So—

"What's with that look in your eyes!" A thunderous voice rang out in front of him.

"What's with those tears?"

Echidna clicked her tongue in annoyance, then vanished like a dream, leaving Subaru standing before her—

—Taro, oh wait, no

"Team Leader Moroboshi?!" Natsuki Subaru, who had been on the verge of collapse, exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Then, the next second, he was sent flying by a blow from the opponent's Ultraman Cane.

"Can your tears save the world?"

"Wait, wait, wait, this isn't right!" Subaru Natsuki exclaimed loudly as he looked at Dan Moroboshi in front of him, having just gotten up.

"Why did it suddenly switch to a tokusatsu (special effects) film set?!"

"I just wanted to say that line." Tsugumi returned to her original form, glancing sideways at Natsuki Subaru as he got up.

"So now, Subaru Natsuki, you've reached a new turning point in your destiny."

"You have already seen these things. Yes, what you have seen is not an illusion. Every future, every outcome, is the result of your own choices."

"Now that you've realized your incurable arrogance, Natsuki Subaru, do you still want to stick to the contract?"

925

644. Natsuki Subaru's admission of arrogance

Natsuki Subaru firmly believes that he is a normal person.

Although Tsugumi called him an arrogant guy and gave him the Demon King's certification, but—

I don't believe it. How could I be an arrogant person? I'm so humble, so hardworking, and so down-to-earth—how could that be arrogant?!

He had no idea what arrogance, which could be called a great sin, was like, but now, after witnessing firsthand the development of the multiple timelines that Echidna had written for him, he finally understood.

So... am I really that arrogant?

He used to think that everyone around him was a god, but upon closer reflection, if he wasn't the most godlike person, how could he attract so many other gods to his side?

The four routes shown are almost all extensions of 'arrogance'.

Driven by a strong desire to achieve the perfect ending where everyone survives, he returns to death at all costs, forcibly rescuing those he has redeemed, regardless of their willingness.

Beneath this greedy thirst for 'perfection' lies an absolute arrogance that disregards the opinions of others.

Driven by rage, he developed PTSD from his hatred of Ram, which led him to seek the power to determine all destinies. He rejected everyone who relied on him, firmly believing that anyone who approached him harbored treacherous intentions, and only accepted those who hated him.

Beneath this incomprehensible, overwhelming rage lies the arrogance of firmly believing in one's own absolute correctness, and the denial of any other approach that might change one's mind.