A Random in Re:Zero

Loop 6 - Part 42

"Elsa..."

"You can blame me for this. Even though you're not my target, I got carried away by emotion. Don't worry, I just want to immobilize you so you're out of the way."

She left her knife stuck in my body and moved to attack Frederica.

"That's enough!" I raged and threw her against a wall with unrestrained authority, but I instantly deactivated it. "Listen to me, damn it!"

I twisted and fell to my knees. The pain from the stab wound was intensifying, but I managed to keep talking.

"I can keep you safe from her."

"Huh?" Meili reacted with perplexity.

"Oh? You mean Mother?" Elsa sounded skeptical. "How would you do that?"

"By finding her weakness. Everyone has one. Besides, even if I can't kill her, I'm perfectly capable of keeping her away."

Elsa was turning the idea over in her mind. Petra and Frederica had stopped behind me; both were alert for any sign of hostility.

"That sounds good, but I need more than just words."

Knowing her, I knew she'd want a test of my abilities. I kept that in mind from the start.

"Okay... You can come with me and see how I eliminate the Great Rabbit. If that doesn't convince you, I'll leave you alone."

"The Great Rabbit?" Meili raised her eyebrows, interested.

Even with these complications, the hard part was yet to come. I would have to convince Betty to sign a contract with me, and I wasn't sure I could do it. Without her, everything would fall apart. I had to succeed, or I would die as many times as it took to do it.

"Yes, part of my plan requires that I-"

I couldn't finish the sentence. At that moment, space distorted and a kind of crack appeared in the corner of the room. Before I could understand what was happening, a familiar figure emerged from the crack.

"Don't mess with me..."

The individual wore the robes of the cultists, but his aura was unmistakably that of someone more powerful than the average cultist. A profound feeling washed over me upon seeing him, and I knew he was another doppelganger.

"Who is that?" Meili pointed at the newcomer, more out of curiosity than fear.

"I don't know, but I'm fed up with the interruptions." Elsa said, annoyed.

"And I'm fed up with the unwanted visitors." Frederica muttered.

My eyes were fixed on the black sword held by my counterpart. Thin and elongated, it looked sharp enough to cut diamonds.

The most terrifying thing was the unsettling silence that enveloped the Doppelganger's presence. It was a killing machine: seemingly, its only desire was to end my life and the lives of anyone who came between us.

He was an enemy you couldn't negotiate with. Forget about using mind games or emotional manipulation. The only good thing was that he wouldn't try to kill anyone but me, as long as it was just the two of us.

"Girls, get out of here right now and don't ask any questions. He only wants me."

I spoke slowly and in a relaxed tone, trying to instill serenity in all of them; especially Petra.

Of course, I couldn't expect four specimens of the most irrational creation in this world (women) to listen to me.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to calm my cravings!"

"I'm sorry, Master Leandro! My duty is to protect the mansion!"

Elsa and Frederica ignored my warning and attacked the Doppelganger.

"Stop! He's not an ordinary enemy!" I stood up and ran toward them, but I didn't even get a step forward. A blinding flash forced me to close my eyes for a moment, and what I saw next made me nauseous.

The walls, ceiling, and floor were smeared with blood, entrails, and hair, among other things. The doppelganger hadn't moved from its spot, but its clothes were soaked in red.

It took me several seconds to realize that the human remains scattered throughout the dining room belonged to the dismembered bodies of Elsa and Frederica.

They were alive three seconds ago.

"..."

With a fluid movement, the Doppelganger removed his wet robe and let it fall to the floor. His face was identical to mine, but there was one detail about him that completely shook me: he looked at me with contempt.

"Fre- Frederica... FREDERICA!" Petra reacted, going from shock to total despair.

Meili said nothing, but her fear was evident. This was no longer a game. What we faced was lethal and unstoppable.

I was still trying to process what was happening. Even with my reflexes, I wasn't able to see the movements the Doppelganger made to cut the two women so many times in less than a second.

"He's very fast, but what about his range?"

There had to be some weakness in him, like his attack range. To test that, I grabbed the girls and took off with them. He didn't move, but he watched us go.

We left the dining room. I frantically searched for the magic of the cross-doors to find the one connected to the library. I found it in a few seconds and went in as quickly as I could.

Betty was sitting in her usual place. Although she feigned indifference, her unease became apparent when she spoke.

"I suppose this is terrible..."

"Where are we?" Meili looked around.

I took a moment to catch my breath before answering.

"In the safest place in the mansion, at least for now. I can't stay, since that guy is looking for me."

I wanted to open the door, but Betty stopped me with her magic.

"What are you doing?" I complained. "The longer it goes on, the greater the likelihood of him finding us."

"Are you stupid?! If you go out, you'll die!" Betty exclaimed, using the common sense I had long since discarded.

"I know, but I need to gather information for my next attempt. This loop is already doomed."

Despite my apparent calm, I was furious. It wouldn't be easy to overcome this challenge, especially if I had to watch these girls die again and again.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It doesn't matter, just let me—"

Again, I was unable to finish the sentence. I fell silent as I saw a spatial distortion forming in front of me. As I expected, a crack appeared right after.

"Watch out!" The girls tried to warn me, but it was too late.

A sword blade emerged from the small crack and pierced my chest. I heard screams, but they grew fainter, more distant. In the end, all was lost.