A Random in Re:Zero

Loop 6 - Part 37

Suddenly, he plunged a dagger into her chest. It was a treacherous attack, cruel and ruthless.

"You're not fooling anyone, Rem. You tried to use me to make yourself feel better, to forget how miserable you are. I feel sorry for you."

He finished her off with those words, looking at her as if she were a piece of trash.

And Rem's whole world fell apart.

***

"Ugh!"

Ram gasped for air. The invisible force that had been holding her back from moving or breathing vanished when Leandro lost consciousness.

Although she was free of the oppressive force, Ram still felt her body compressed and tense. She breathed deeply, with a persistent feeling of suffocation.

"Rem, are you okay?"

More worried about her sister than herself, Ram focused on Rem, who had collapsed on the ground next to her.

The blue-haired girl was crying profusely. Her older sister rushed to comfort her, wrapping her body in a sisterly hug.

"Don't worry, I'm here with you."

Despite feeling the warmth of her beloved sister, Rem showed no signs of calming down. Ram clenched her jaw in a rage she was barely containing. She glared at the dark-haired man lying on the ground.

Ram had never seen his little sister so devastated as she was at that moment, and it was all Leandro's fault. How could he do that to Rem? He'd talked a lot about Lord Roswaal, but in the end, he was no better than him.

For a second, Ram felt like killing him. However, she knew it wouldn't solve anything. Besides, too many lives were currently at risk because of Lord Roswaal, and getting rid of the only person who could beat him at his own game didn't seem like a great idea.

"It can't be now, but when this is over, I'll make you pay for what you did today."

Then someone arrived. Ram watched the small figure approach, leaping nimbly over the pits and rocky protrusions in the terrain.

"Wow, these guys can't hold back."

Ryuzu Shima spoke calmly. She glanced at Leandro briefly, then focused on Garfiel, who had returned to his human form and wasn't moving. When she saw that he was still alive, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Examining the teenager's wounds, Shima had to retract her earlier statement. Considering what happened in the fight and the fact that Garfiel was defeated in his beast form, it was clear that Leandro could have completely destroyed the demi-human, but he focused his attack in such a way that it didn't cause any fatal or irreversible damage.

Fortunately, Garfiel wasn't seriously injured and would only take a few hours to recover. Shima's gaze returned to Leandro. Blood had trickled from his nose and eyes, which didn't look good.

"Is this power what you rely on?" Shima sighed. "You'd have to be really crazy or desperate to rely on something like that. However, for someone who isn't afraid of death, it's pretty good."

Shima didn't know exactly what Leandro had done, but it was clearly something that would take its toll on his body every time he used it.

"Miss Ryuzu..."

Ram couldn't understand what the elderly girl was muttering, but she was alarmed to notice her so close to Leandro. It was the first time she'd seen a sparkle in her blue eyes.

"Don't come closer, it's dangerous." Ram warned.

"I doubt it is. He's unconscious and out of energy."

Shima examined the boy thoroughly. The miasma surrounding him was still dense, but for some reason it remained stuck to him, not spreading outward.

"How strange. The miasma shouldn't behave like this."

She believed that if such an intense miasma were released, it would drive anyone it touched insane, not to mention attracting many witchbeasts. But when distributed this way, it would only affect Leandro, and it's worth noting that the mental disturbance would be much greater due to its high concentration.

"This is inhuman." Shima whispered. "How can you do this to yourself?"

"What are you talking about, Miss Ryuzu?" Ram frowned. She knew Leandro had used some kind of dark power related to the authorities or the witch herself, but her understanding of it was less than superficial.

Without further explanation, Shima waved her hand. Five seconds later, a group of silent Ryuzus appeared to take Leandro and Garfiel away. Before leaving, Shima decided to answer Ram.

"I'm not sure what happened between you, but that boy cares a lot more about you and your sister than you think."

"What makes you say that?" With her resentment, Ram almost wanted to laugh at those words.

"He risked his sanity and his life to protect both of you."

In fact, Shima was very surprised that Leandro was able to endure the excessive miasma without losing control of himself, especially in such a violent and dangerous situation.

This only increased her respect for him, considering he spared Garfiel's life and protected her companions while fighting the miasma madness.

"The witch's miasma must have empowered him, but it also filled his mind with darkness and chaos. It takes incredible willpower to resist such madness. Anyone else in his place would have killed everyone and destroyed everything in front of them. You're very lucky to be alive."

Leaving those words hanging in the air, Shima left to take care of Garfiel and later have a private interview with Leandro. She wanted to see if the boy's mind had succumbed to madness. She hoped not.