A Random in Re:Zero

Loop 3 - Part 7

"It's a good thing you're both safe! Phew..."

I tried to get up and immediately fell back down, as exhaustion had made me a little dizzy. Luckily, Meili took pity on me and helped me stay up, just like she had with Elsa when I met them in the city.

"Are the townspeople okay?" I asked worriedly.

"Yes, your cultist friend only attacked the Ulgarm."

"I see. Rem, how did you...?"

I interrupted my statement when I realized Rem wasn't with us. With her demonic horn active, she had charged into the battlefield, pushing King Ulgarm away to take care of the enemy herself.

Rem's Morning Star soared through the air and slammed into the cultist's body, who managed to block and neutralize the attack with his hands.

When that didn't work, Rem lunged at him with scratches and kicks that were completely dodged. The cultist might not have been very strong, but his agility was something to behold.

He even treated her like a fighting bull, luring her to a specific spot and evading her attacks at the last second. Seeing Rem with her horn activated being mocked like that, I started to get seriously worried.

Growing more furious and savage, Rem snarled and swung her weapon around, this time feinting to reach her target and rip out his throat with her bare hands.

Cleverly, the cultist dodged the grab and brought his leg in to knock Rem off balance, catching her off guard with a critical blow to her horn. She fainted instantly.

"Shit..."

I had a bad feeling when my strongest ally was nullified with relative ease.

Once again, the cultist came running, his murderous intent lingering. Clearly, I was his priority, which would be flattering if the cultist were a pretty girl and wasn't trying to kill me.

King Ulgarm intervened just in time to prevent the start of a fourth loop, again ramming my assassin away from me.

"Something's wrong with this guy... Why is he so resilient?"

While I was racking my brain trying to decipher the cultist's mysterious abilities, King Ulgarm unexpectedly managed to catch him in his jaws and swallow him.

"Oh?! That's it!" I shouted excitedly. "Eat that bastard!"

For a moment I thought we had won, but I soon discovered that these were false hopes.

A horrible howl sounded. Meili stifled a scream and covered her mouth with her hands. King Ulgarm collapsed to the ground, his belly slashing open, revealing the cultist, seemingly unharmed, though covered in blood.

"Son of a bitch, are you Terminator?!"

He stared at me and started walking toward me. Placing my faith in another long shot, I leaned over and whispered something in Meili's ear. She nodded and ran off.

That was the last card I played from my own hand. If that failed, this loop was screwed.

The cultist's daggers were crooked and covered in blood, so he discarded them as he had previously discarded his primary weapon.

"I guess you didn't learn the concept of 'recycling.' You should start putting it into practice; it's highly recommended."

I sneered, taking a fighting stance. It was time for round two.

I clumsily parried a punch aimed at my jaw, but my combat reflexes were brutally humiliated by a second punch that sank into my gut.

I spat out saliva, gagging as the attack continued. Unfortunately, that was just the beginning: what followed was a knee to the face, which made me bite my tongue and drew blood from my nose.

Then came a series of blows to my ribs and legs. I stopped counting the blows beyond that point and focused on holding on as long as possible.

Gradually my vision blurred and my ears began to ring, dragging me to the threshold of unconsciousness.

I felt like I was going to faint with the next attack, but then I heard her.

"LEANDRO! I BROUGHT YOU SOMETHING!"

It was Meili's voice. Just in time. Gathering my remaining strength, I looked at the cultist and held his shoulders while flashing him a bloody grin.

"Shamak."

Darkness erupted from my body, leaving us both plunged into a blind world. Feeling my grip on his shoulders, I gauged his body position, praying for good aim.

With a less-than-elegant move, I bent my leg and executed a kick straight to the cultist's groin. I felt my foot connect with something soft, and, assuming I'd hit my target, I ran out of the cloud of smoke.

***

The Hunter writhed. Despite being prepared to ignore the pain, his body reacted to the terrible impact on a sensitive area; the blow unleashed a stunning effect on his nervous system and left him unable to move for a few seconds.

However, even if his limbs were torn off, his muscles ripped, and his skin eroded, the Hunter would never stop as long as he could act. After all, his very existence was tied to his mission.

When the paralysis effect wore off, the Hunter ran out of the dark area to find his elusive prey. He had to fulfill his purpose.

But upon leaving the blind spot, the Hunter was met by not one, but twenty consecutive shots. His body was penetrated by long, sharp bullets with which he was familiar.

They were the arrows he used in his main weapon, the crossbow; the same crossbow Leandro was holding at that moment. Yes, the one the Hunter left lying on the ground when he ran out of ammunition.

"I didn't say all that stuff about recycling just for the hell of it, you know?"

Leandro reused all the crossbow bolts, turning the Hunter's body into a hedgehog-like meat sieve. His heart, throat, and many of his organs were punctured: he was basically doomed to die imminently.

The Hunter fell, his blood pooling on the ground. Leandro crouched beside him and watched him silently, watching the life drain from his body.

"In all this time, you haven't said a single word. I wonder if you're one of those resurrected soldiers... Ah, what an idiot I am."

He slapped his own forehead, laughing as if he were in a casual situation.

"I can find that out easily."

With that, Leandro reached out and pulled back the top of the Hunter's robe, exposing his face to the moonlight.

But when he saw it, Leandro's expression turned into something that expressed pure bewilderment.

"No... Why?!"

He stepped back in fear, unable to tear his gaze away from the Hunter's face.

"Why does this guy have my face?!"