My save point updated and I appeared at Birma's house, just as Otto was preparing the carriage to return to the mansion: that is, a few hours before my last death.
"Shit. You could have sent me back a little further, Satella."
From this point on, I couldn't fix Rem's situation or the revolver, which certainly would have been a great help in this fight. What options did I have? If the Doppelganger was that strong, there was no point in bringing reinforcements; nor in running, because he would follow me wherever I went and it would just be more of the same.
Staying here wasn't an option. If I left Elsa and Meili alone, they would undoubtedly tire of waiting for me and end up killing everyone in the mansion. That left me with only one tactic.
Persistence. When you have infinite attempts, like in video games, difficult enemies are like bosses you have to study and learn to defeat. Besides, in the previous loop, I couldn't properly confront the Doppelganger. If I used my unleashed authority, I'd have a chance.
"Come on, there's no way I can't beat a cheap fucking knockoff."
Nah, he's the upgrade.
So, I repeated the entire journey to the mansion exactly. Upon arrival, I went straight to the dining room.
This time, I made sure to avoid Elsa's backstabbing during the negotiations.
"Do you want proof of my abilities? Then stay here and enjoy the show."
I hurried out of the building and waited for the Doppelganger in the garden. In a matter of seconds, the space in front of me tore open, revealing the swordsman.
Even before his body had finished emerging from the crack, I was ready to fight. The miasma was so intense that my mind became chaotic: a chorus of furious and terrifying voices shrieked in my head, urging me to destroy everything.
Somehow I kept those impulses under control. I couldn't repeat what I did at the Sanctuary.
If anyone had to be destroyed, it was the enemy in front of me.
"Let's see if you're so strong now."
I extended my hand and focused all the energy of the Authority of Sloth around the Doppelganger. With a gesture, I directed all that energy toward him to crush him without mercy.
The pressure was so great that the air ruptured, generating a shockwave that rumbled like thunder. The resulting impact shattered the mansion's windows and destroyed all the vegetation in the garden. It was a concentrated attack, unleashing all the power I could muster, at the cost of my health.
But then...
"How is this possible!?"
It was illogical. No one should survive that attack, except for the most powerful characters or those with some kind of immunity.
Yet, I was seeing it.
The swordsman remained standing, completely unharmed despite the destruction surrounding him. It seemed my attack had ignored him and only damaged what was immediately around him.
"Damned monster..."
Suddenly, he came toward me. His movements weren't slow, but they also lacked the overwhelming speed he'd displayed when he killed Elsa and Frederica. Even so, I had to react incredibly fast to block him with my authority. Then something else unthinkable happened.
The Doppelganger's sword passed through my barrier as if it weren't there. To put it more simply: it didn't break through my defense like Garfiel did, it completely ignored it.
YOU ARE READING
A Random in Re:Zero
FanfictionWhat would happen if someone else took Subaru's place in the story? What would his path, his decisions, and his relationship with the characters be like? Would he have more power or intelligence than Subaru? Would he choose the same route, take an a...
