A Random in Re:Zero

Loop 5 - Part 31

"You don't mean my mouth, do you? I make sure to brush my teeth every day and I don't eat junk food anymore."

She ignored my question, so I approached the portal. Before I could cross to the other side, Echidna touched my forehead with a finger.

"There you go. Now you can take the Sanctuary tests."

"And that? Are you going to give me a test, teacher?"

"You can put it that way. Also, remember not to tell anyone what happened here."

"Okay, I won't tell anyone what color your panties are." I mocked, entering the portal.

"I DIDN'T MEAN THAT!" Echidna's voice faded away, along with my consciousness, which left the castle of dreams.

***

I woke up in the stone hallway, as if it had all been a dream. Unlike Subaru, I perfectly remembered the conversation I had with Echidna. Apparently, she didn't block my memories, which was a good sign, I thought.

I walked leisurely outside. My first impression was that the forest was quiet and empty, but I was wrong.

"There you are, stranger!"

A fierce-looking teenage boy was running toward me. He had blond hair, spiky hair, and green eyes. As he got closer, the height difference between us became very obvious, but despite being short, Garfiel radiated an intense aura, like that of a wild beast.

Plus, he had a six-pack and I didn't, which made me feel slightly inferior.

"Hello." I greeted calmly, "You must be Garfiel."

I couldn't remember if this actually happened in the anime. I didn't really care, though.

Garfiel leaped up the stairs and landed in front of me, grinning with his sharp teeth as he pointed at me with a haughty gesture.

"Are you really the guy who took out the White Whale and two Archbishops of the Witch Cult in a single day!? Dude, you're not that impressive!"

"I'm sorry for not meeting your expectations." I pretended to wipe away a tear while making a distressed expression.

The boy's face crumpled. His hands balled into fists, and he let out a low growl.

"Bastard, do you think you can make fun of the great me? I don't care what Rem said! I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

"Did Rem tell you anything–?"

The sentence was left unfinished as a punch connected with my face, throwing my body several feet back. I rolled on the stone floor.

"Ha! I don't think I even have enough to start with you!"

I spat out blood and slowly stood up. My clothes had gotten a little dirty from the fall.

Seriously, kids these days... Why the hell did I ever think of becoming a school teacher?

"Oh, do you want more?" Garfiel bumped his fists. "Come on, show me something worthwhile."

"I guess we're not going to resolve this peacefully. Well, I've been meaning to put this thing into practice."

I manifested the authority of sloth throughout my entire body, molding it into a membrane that completely covered it. Next, I extended a portion of that energy toward Garfiel, wrapping it around him and pulling him toward me.

He yelped in surprise as an invisible force jerked him around, and he couldn't react to the kick that sank into his stomach before sending him flying.

"As expected, I can combine Authority with my moves to add power to physical attacks. I can also use it as armor, which is very convenient."

I realized my aura wasn't as intense or abundant as it was when I fought Lye Batenkaitos: it probably couldn't cut through someone's body with its current power. Well, it's not like I wanted to kill Garfiel.

Speaking of him, he was making a rather funny face at the time.

"What did you just do?!"

"I got a little serious. Maybe I overdid it? I can go more gently if you prefer."

I don't usually make fun of my rivals when I have the advantage. This is because I'm quite competitive and hate losing, even if I know I'm facing someone better than me. However, in this specific case, my pride had been involved.

I'd rather sleep with Roswaal than be bullied by a fourteen-year-old.

Eh, on second thought, I think sleeping with Roswaal is a bit much. Let's just say I'd rather sleep with Felix.

"..."

Hmm, but now that I think about it, that sounds more like a reward than a punishment. I'm joking, haha. The only man for me is Reinhard.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"

Garfiel roared, propelling his body in my direction. In a split second, the distance between us shrank to zero, and his air-splitting punch hurtled toward me.

Sighing, I raised my hand and casually blocked, though the impact of the attack was enough to cause a small shockwave.

"The defense isn't too bad either, especially if I gather all the energy in one spot, but that takes away the protection from the rest of my body. It's a shame I can't use this to its full potential without damaging my body."

Despite his frustration, Garfiel continued to attack ferociously, throwing spectacular combinations of punches and kicks, but to no avail.

"Bastard! How did you get so tough!? I remember perfectly well that my first hit knocked you down, and it was much weaker than the ones that followed!"

We had reached a stalemate, because I refused to attack (to further humiliate him) and he could not break my defense.

"Ah, what I said before was to make you believe that you are strong and that you wouldn't feel bad."

"WHAT!? THAT'S A FUCKING LIE!"

Obviously, but I wouldn't tell him right now. I had to do some emotional damage.

"If believing that makes you feel better, go ahead..."

Garfiel raised his fist once more, but I had a very interesting idea. Wrapping my arm around his, I forced him to move so that he punched himself repeatedly in the face.

He was incredulous, and I could hardly contain my laughter.

"Pfft. Everything okay, buddy? I understand you're angry, but hitting yourself is a bit excessive..."

"SON OF A BITCH, STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"

"I'll consider it if you apologize for being so rude..."

"FUCK OFF!"

Writhing in rage, Garfiel screamed and began to shapeshift, increasing in size and muscularity exponentially. He also grew orange fur with black lines and a white patch on his chest, transforming him into an anthropomorphic tiger.

With Garfiel's newfound strength, my aura could no longer stop his movements. I gulped, staring at the raging beast preparing to tear me apart with a single blow.

"Okay, I admit I was wrong too. What do you say we start from scratch?"

His response was to slash me with a brutal claw. I made the mistake of being overconfident and thinking I could cushion the damage with my energy armor, but the power of the attack tore through it like paper. The pain was short-lived: Garfiel probably ripped off my head or my entire torso, and death came a second later.