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{3rd Pov}
"Reina, you must stop this!" Heinkel shouted as he finally reached the frontlines, standing face to face with the two most dangerous individuals on the battlefield.
His voice carried both anger and desperation.
Reina stood calmly beside Subaru, her posture steady, her grip firm around the hilt of the Dragon Sword.
There was no hesitation in her stance, no sign of conflict in her expression. She did not move forward, nor did she step back.
She simply stood there, unshaken by the fact that she was willing to kill her own father if what it took to serve Zero's purpose.
"Sir Heinkel," Reina replied in a calm and composed tone, her voice completely devoid of emotion, "I am fully loyal to my Lord. That is my duty."
She did not even raise her voice.
"And because of that," she continued, her gaze steady as she looked straight ahead, "you should consider yourselves fortunate that he has not ordered me to annihilate all of you already."
Her words were not a threat.
They were a statement.
A simple fact.
Heinkel's eyebrows twitched violently as frustration surged within him.
Her calmness only made it worse.
"You…" he clenched his fists, his breathing growing heavier as his anger began to surface more clearly.
"You are disgracing the name of the Astrea family!"
His voice rose, filled with fury.
"You are turning your back on everything our ancestors stood for!" he continued, his veins visibly bulging as the emotions he had been suppressing finally broke through.
"You are betraying everything that our lineage represents!"
He took a step forward, his gaze locked onto her.
"Do you even understand what you are doing?!" he demanded.
His expression twisted further, the anger mixing with something deeper—something more personal.
"You are going against the very ideals that my mother—Theresia van Astrea—gave her life for!" he shouted, his voice cracking slightly under the weight of his emotions.
The name alone carried history.
It carried Legacy of what her family was, and the expectations placed on her because of that.
However, Reina did not react in the way he expected.
"She did not fight for the Kingdom," Reina replied without raising her voice, her tone calm and unwavering.
"She fought for love."
There was no hesitation in her words.
"And I am doing the same."
As she spoke, she took a slow step forward, positioning herself in front of Subaru.
At the same time, she summoned a standard sword into her hand, holding it firmly as she stood between him and the opposing forces.
It was a protective stance.
One that would have seemed noble—
If not for the irony behind it.
Because even if the entire world were to collapse at that very moment, Subaru would have remained completely unharmed.
Still—
Reina stood there, shielding him without question.
"For love?" Astros scoffed, his voice filled with disdain as he glared at them. "That traitor seeks to usurp the throne of Lugunica through unjust means, despite having had a fair chance to claim it properly—for that half-elf."
His words carried accusation and contempt.
To him, there was nothing righteous about what they were doing.
Subaru, however, did not react emotionally.
"I have already said everything that needed to be said," he replied calmly.
His tone was steady, and his words short because Subaru knew that there was no point to debate senselessly with idiots, that will just result him wasting his own time.
"This is my final warning," he continued, stepping forward slightly.
"Surrender… or face the consequences."
Then—
He moved.
Subaru reached out and casually pulled Reina slightly back by her shoulder, positioning himself just behind her while still keeping close. His expression shifted into a grin as he looked directly at Astros and the others.
There was no fear, no hesitation, only pure fucking confidence due to having the best wife in the world.
And the clear indication that he had no intention of backing down.
There were two things Subaru valued more than anything else.
The first was spoiling his wife.
The second was being spoiled by her in return.
It was a simple preference, yet one that remained consistent regardless of the situation. Even now, standing in the middle of a battlefield surrounded by enemies, that part of him had not changed in the slightest.
Despite being overwhelmingly powerful, Subaru genuinely enjoyed the feeling of being protected by Reina.
It was not because he needed protection.
It was because he wanted it.
Of course, there was a clear line.
If a situation arose where there was genuine danger—something that could truly threaten her—Subaru would immediately step forward without hesitation. In such a case, he would choose to protect her rather than remain behind.
But at the same time—
Reina would do exactly the same.
That was simply how their relationship worked.
Neither of them saw themselves as above the other in that regard. They both understood each other’s strength, and more importantly, they both accepted each other’s nature without question.
That mutual understanding made their bond stronger.
To an outsider, it might have looked strange.
Or even excessive.
As Subaru casually held onto Reina while standing behind her, completely at ease despite the situation, it created a scene that felt out of place on a battlefield.
Yet for them—
It was natural.
The others watching could not ignore it.
Some were confused.
Some were irritated.
And some were simply silent.
Because what they were witnessing was not just affection.
It was something deeper.
Those two did not love each other in a superficial or idealized way.
They accepted each other completely.
Not just their strengths—
But also their flaws.
Their darker sides.
Their imperfections.
And that kind of bond—
Was not something easily understood, by normal people, but Astros didn't care for any of that.
“Reina van Astrea, I order you to kill Zero… or your mother, Louanna Astrea, will pay the price,” Astros declared coldly.
This was not a sudden decision.
He had already discussed this with Heinkel beforehand.
Their plan had been carefully constructed around Reina’s known abilities. Astros had told Heinkel that Louanna would only be treated as a prisoner in name—that no real harm would come to her as long as things proceeded as expected.
But that was not the full truth.
They both knew that Reina possessed the ability to discern lies from truth through her Divine Protection. Because of that, Astros could not afford to spread false assurances openly. If he lied directly or allowed the situation to appear harmless, Reina would see through it instantly.
So instead—
He chose ambiguity.
He made sure that no one else was informed that Louanna’s status was merely symbolic. To the rest of the Knights, the orders were clear and direct—if necessary, Louanna could be executed.
There were no exceptions.
And when Astros said she would “pay the price,” he did not necessarily mean immediate execution.
But that did not make it any less cruel.
The intended punishment was far from merciful.
Louanna would be subjected to suffering—whipped, broken, and used as leverage until Reina complied.
That alone was enough.
Heinkel had struggled with this decision.
When he first heard the full extent of the plan, he had been deeply conflicted. The thought of his own wife being used in such a way was something he could not accept easily.
It tore at him, but Astros had given him something in return.
A promise.
If they succeeded—if Zero was defeated—Astros would provide dragon blood, something that could potentially awaken Louanna from her condition.
That promise became the deciding factor.
In the end, Heinkel convinced himself, he told himself that this was necessary that enduring this temporary suffering would lead to a greater outcome.
That it was a sacrifice worth making.
And so—
He chose to remain silent.
Now the plan, in essence, was simple—but extremely calculated.
No one other than Heinkel and Astros knew the full truth about Louanna’s status. To everyone else, especially the Knights assigned to guard her, she was not a symbolic prisoner.
She was a legitimate target, an actual prisoner and hostage that needed to be executed if push come to shove.
The orders given to those Knights were very specific. If the situation demanded it, they were to execute her. However, before doing so, they were instructed to subject her to punishment—to whip her.
And that was something Heinkel had agreed to even if reluctantly, even if it pained for him to know what kind of torture her comatose form will have to bear.
But he had still agreed.
That punishment was what Astros referred to as the “price.”
It was not an empty threat.
And that was the key to the entire strategy.
Because technically—
It was not a lie.
The Knights had been given direct orders. Louanna could and would be harmed if things did not go according to plan. Even if Astros himself did not explicitly intend to kill her immediately, the structure of the orders ensured that the threat remained real.
And because of that—
Reina would not be able to dismiss it.
Her Divine Protection would not flag it as false as there was no deception in the literal sense, only manipulation of truth which made it far more effective.
This meant Reina would be forced into a position where she had no safe options. She would either have to comply or risk her mother’s suffering—and potential death.
The intended outcome was clear.
She would be pressured into acting against Zero.
Either to kill him—
Or at the very least, restrain and capture him.
Once that was achieved, the core leadership of the rebellion would be neutralized. With Zero and Reina dealt with, the rest of their forces would lose their strongest pillars, making the war far easier to conclude.
After that—
They would move to the next phase.
Louanna would be handed over to healers, her condition would be stabilized and Heinkel would be granted access to the promised dragon blood.
From Astros’ perspective—
Everything was accounted for, every risk had been calculated beforehand, till he came up with this perfect plan.
However, there was one very important detail that neither Heinkel nor Astros had accounted for.
In fact—
It was something they were completely unaware of.
There was no Dragon Blood left to speak of.
If such a resource had truly existed in a usable form, then the Royal Family would not have met its end so easily. The very foundation of their assumption was flawed, built on something that no longer existed.
And the irony of the situation made it even worse.
Because the very thing that had contributed to the downfall of the Royal Family was connected to Dragon Blood itself.
It had been used and corrupted having turned into something far more dangerous.
The one responsible was the Sin Archbishop of Lust.
She had taken the previously stored Dragon Blood and used it to unlock her dragon form. Along with that transformation, she had gained the ability to manipulate Dragon Blood in a twisted way—using it as a medium to curse others.
It was not just powerful it was beyond conventional healing.
Even Felix—“Blue,” the greatest healer—had been unable to counter it.
That alone spoke volumes about how dangerous that ability was.
And now—
There was nothing left.
No reserves.
No hidden supply.
Nothing that could fulfill the promise Astros had made.
Heinkel, however, did not know this.
From his perspective, everything still seemed achievable. He believed that enduring this plan, allowing Louanna to suffer temporarily, would eventually lead to her recovery.
He thought he was making a difficult but necessary choice.
But in reality—
He had already made a critical mistake.
Not only had he placed his faith in something that no longer existed, but he had also gone against his own family in the process like in the true Heinkel fashion.
In trying to secure a future where Louanna could be saved—
He had unknowingly destroyed the very possibility of it.
Astros slowly reached into his cloak and took out a mirror metia.
Without any hesitation, he activated it.
The surface of the device flickered for a brief moment before an image appeared—clear and unmistakable.
It was a live broadcast.
The scene being shown was a dark, enclosed room. The lighting was dim, barely enough to illuminate what was happening inside. At the center of the room, Louanna was bound tightly with heavy chains, her body restrained against a cold stone surface.
There was no room for movement, no room for escape which was ironic considering the hostage herself had been in coma with no ability to even walk or escape.
Beside her stood a knight.
In his hand was a whip—one embedded with steel pincers, designed not just to strike, but to tear.
The intent behind it was obvious.
Astros did not look away.
“Do it,” he ordered coldly.
There was no hesitation in his voice.
Heinkel stood nearby, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned pale.
‘Please… endure it, Louanna,’ he thought, his heart tightening with every passing second. ‘Once I obtain the dragon blood, I will heal you. I will make up for this. I will atone for everything I am doing right now…’
It was the only way he could justify it to himself.
The only way he could keep standing.
Then—
The whip came down.
It struck her body with brutal force.
The sound alone was enough to make several soldiers flinch.
Her clothes tore instantly under the impact, but it did not stop there. The steel pincers dug into her flesh, tearing through skin and ripping pieces away as the whip was pulled back.
Fragments of flesh—and even bone—were dragged along with it.
Blood spilled freely, staining the stone beneath her.
The scene was violent, full of gore and unforgiving to their eyes.
Reina froze; her blood running cold in an instant.
For the first time since the battle began, her composure cracked.
And beside her—
Subaru stopped, the grin that had been on his face disappeared completely gone without a trace.
“Stop.”
Astros’ command cut through the moment sharply, and the knights in the chamber halted immediately, lowering the whip before it could strike again.
The image in the mirror metia remained.
Louanna, still bound as blood poured down from her injuries, flesh and bone fragments spilled all over the place alongside torn skin.
Astros shifted his gaze toward Reina, his expression completely cold and devoid of emotion. There was no hesitation, or sympathy.
He was waiting for her to break.
Reina, however, did not even look at Heinkel.
Unlike Subaru, she did not know the reasons behind his agreement to this plan, and more importantly—
She did not care, whatever justification he might have had meant nothing to her.
Her attention remained forward.
Her stance did not waver.
“Kill her if you must,” Reina said, her voice calm, steady, and absolute.
“I will not betray my Lord.”
There was no hesitation in her words, no doubt in her tone.
It was a final answer.
But Subaru—
Subaru was different.
He was seething with rage building up inside him, sharp and suffocating, because he could feel exactly what Reina was feeling at that moment.
Through their connection, her emotions reached him clearly, she was angry and yes she was feeling the pain seeing her mother being tortured in such an inhumane way.
Even after everything that had happened—even after she had cut off her ties with her father and grandfather—there were still people she had not blamed.
Her mother was one of them.
And perhaps Carol and Grimm as well, despite how cold they had become toward her later in life.
Louanna had never been someone Reina resented.
She still loved her deeply, and yet even with that love Reina chose not to waver.
She would rather let her mother die than betray her Lord.
That was the decision she had made.
And she stood by it.
In fact, she had already tried to locate her mother using her Divine Protections, but every single attempt had failed without exception.
No matter how much she focused or how precisely she tried to trace her presence, there was simply nothing for her to grasp onto.
It was most likely because Astros had deliberately constructed that chamber using extremely rare and specialized materials.
These materials were not ordinary by any means—they were specifically designed to interfere with and weaken the connection between that space and Od Laguna itself.
As a result, Reina’s Divine Protections, which normally functioned flawlessly, were rendered completely ineffective within that environment, as if they had been cut off from their very source.
On top of that, the location itself was incredibly far away, far beyond what Subaru’s current sensory range could perceive.
Even if he tried to extend his awareness to its limits, it simply wasn’t enough to bridge that distance.
Moreover, even the Mirror Metia present there was no ordinary artifact.
It was an exceptionally rare and valuable relic, one that had the unique ability to conceal its own magical signature entirely.
Because of that, Subaru’s magic-sensing abilities couldn’t detect it at all, making it effectively invisible to his perception.
Not to mention, Subaru wasn’t constantly monitoring them every single second of the day. He only checked in occasionally, observing them for brief moments rather than maintaining continuous surveillance.
Because of that, he had no way of knowing that something like this had even occurred.
Furthermore, he didn’t make a habit of reading their minds unless it was absolutely necessary, such as when he used telepathy to broadcast his voice to them.
The truth was, he had never needed to go that far before.
His strength had always been overwhelming, to the point where he simply didn’t feel the need to fear any hidden schemes or secret plans.
However, what he failed to account for was Heinkel.
He hadn’t anticipated that Heinkel, driven by his deep love for his wife, would be willing to go to such extreme lengths.
After all, Subaru’s own empathy had clearly told him that Heinkel genuinely loved his wife—just as deeply as he himself loved Reina.
“You can try to read my mind if you want. I know you possess some kind of ability that allows you to peer into our thoughts. I had already taken that into account beforehand, so even I myself do not know where Lounna is right now. She has been transferred through dozens of layers of Knights, each one handing her off to the next in sequence. You can go ahead and try if you wish,” Astros said, his expression filled with confidence, as if he had already secured victory long before this moment.
Subaru, who had indeed attempted to read his mind, quickly realized that Astros was telling the truth.
There was no deception in his thoughts, no hidden contradiction for him to exploit.
For a brief moment, Subaru remained silent as that realization settled in.
It was the first time he genuinely felt it—he had been outplayed, not in strength, but in wit.
Because at this point, he only had three possible ways of saving Lounna, and none of them were ideal.
The first option was to expand his senses across the entire world in an attempt to locate her.
However, doing something on that scale would place an unbearable burden on his current soul and mind.
Even though he was incredibly strong, there were still limits to what he could handle, and forcing such an expansion could overwhelm him entirely, potentially causing serious damage like the time he had tried to get Spica and Rigel's soul.
The second option was far more ruthless—he could simply allow Lounna to die and then resurrect her later once he managed to locate her body.
From a purely logical standpoint, it was a viable plan.
However, after reading Astros’ mind, Subaru already knew that they intended to torture her body.
That alone made this option far more complicated.
Subaru had never actually met Lounna in person, nor did he know whether she could still feel pain while in her current sleeping state.
If she could, then allowing that to happen, even temporarily, was something he could not easily accept.
The final, and third method, was to use his Authority of Greed to search through the memories of the world itself.
In theory, it could allow him to trace her whereabouts.
However, the conditions for using that ability remained the same as always.
He could only select a viewpoint that he was familiar with or had knowledge of.
Since neither Heinkel nor Astros knew where Lounna was, and even the soldiers who had initially taken her had only passed her along to the next group without knowing the full route, this method became extremely unreliable.
It would be incredibly difficult to track her that way, and perhaps even outright impossible.
After all, this authority, powerful as it was, was far from omnipotent.
‘Is this the kind of treatment Reinhard van Astrea deals with? Being ridiculously overpowered, yet still incapable of doing the one thing that actually matters the most?’ Subaru thought in frustration, his mind boiling with irritation at the situation he had been forced into.
Right now, he wanted nothing more than to kill Astros on the spot, to crush him without hesitation.
But he knew he couldn’t act recklessly.
From everything he had gathered, the moment their connection was suddenly cut off, the orders given to the Knights were clear—they would immediately begin torturing Lounna without delay.
He had also already calculated the possibility of tracking the hidden magical signal again.
If he attempted to track the magical signal of the Metia directly, that connection too would likely be severed instantly, triggering the same outcome.
There was no simple workaround, no easy solution he could exploit.
Subaru had to admit it—Astros had planned this thoroughly.
He had accounted for nearly every possible move Subaru could make and had constructed a complete countermeasure to his abilities.
It wasn’t just skill at play here, but also a significant amount of sheer luck, and the combination of both had resulted in a perfect deadlock.
‘Very well… you want to be entertained? Fine, I’ll let you have your entertainment,’ Subaru thought, his eyes darkening as his resolve hardened.
‘Gloria, Sylphy, Agni, Gaea, Aqua, and Beatrice, stop focusing on supporting the armies. Change your priority immediately and begin searching for Lounna,’ Subaru ordered his contracted spirits without hesitation.
The moment they felt the shift in his emotions, they understood the urgency and quickly moved to carry out his command.
Next, he issued another order—this time to all the people currently involved in the ongoing battle.
He informed them that he would be engaging in a staged fight with Reina.
Although he didn’t explain the reasoning behind it, they trusted his judgment enough to go along with the plan without questioning him.
Finally, Subaru sent a direct telepathic message to Reina.
He instructed her to fight him seriously, to actually hurt him if necessary, and most importantly, to stall for as much time as possible.
The longer they could delay things, the better the chances his spirits would have to locate Lounna before the situation escalated any further.
‘My Lord?! That’s impossible! I cannot fight you, let alone hurt you!’ she said in a panicked voice within her mind.
Outwardly, however, her expression remained composed and calm, restrained by her Divine Protection.
Even so, there was a slight twitch at the corner of her lips, a subtle sign that betrayed the turmoil she was feeling internally.
Astros noticed that small reaction.
Observing how both Zero and Reina had yet to make any visible move against each other, he quickly came to a conclusion.
It didn’t take much for him to realize that they were most likely communicating mentally, exchanging words in a way that no one else could hear.
“Also, just so you’re aware—if you try to deceive us with a staged or fake fight, it won’t change anything. They will still torture her, and they will still kill her,” Astros said coldly, his tone carrying absolute certainty.
At those words, the Sword Saint’s fists tightened instinctively, her fingers curling into a firm clench as she struggled to maintain control.
‘Reina… I know you love me, and I understand that you’re willing to place me above everything else,’ Zero’s voice reached her through their mental link, steady but firm.
‘But if you refuse to let me love you in return, then what kind of relationship would we even have?’
There was a brief pause before he continued, his intent unwavering.
‘Relationships are not one-sided. They go both ways. So let me make this sacrifice… please. And if it comes down to it—if you truly have no other choice—then kill me. I will return by death, and I will fix everything afterward.’
Subaru was fully aware of the truth behind his own hesitation.
The only reason he felt restrained right now wasn’t because of fear or lack of strength, but because of his own morals—more specifically, his feelings for Reina.
He didn’t want her to suffer.
He didn’t want her to feel pain or guilt because of her actions, even if it was only for a brief moment.
That was just the kind of love he had for her.
“Again,” Astros said coldly, his voice carrying no hesitation or mercy. At his command, the whip struck once more, tearing through Lounna’s flesh. The impact was brutal, ripping away a chunk of flesh along with fragments of bone, leaving behind a horrifying wound.
‘Please… I’m not ordering you as your Liege this time. I’m asking you as your lover,’ Subaru said through their mental connection, his voice quieter but far more serious than before.
That was the moment Reina finally broke.
Subaru took a small step back, giving her space, as if silently acknowledging the weight of what she was about to do.
“I am sorry… please forgive me… please,” Reina said, her composure finally collapsing.
The calm mask she had maintained until now shattered, and genuine grief surfaced on her face as she faced the reality of her decision.
Astros and Heinkel both relaxed at that sight. The tension that had been present in their bodies eased almost instantly.
Their plan had worked.
Subaru had been defeated—not by overwhelming power, but by precise and calculated planning.
Just as how a person who can have same wits as Subaru had always been Envy Subaru’s greatest weakness, this situation had exploited that same flaw perfectly.
“Come forth—” Reina began, but her voice faltered midway.
She couldn’t even bring herself to complete the incantation properly, yet despite that, the Dragon Sword responded.
It began to unsheathe on its own, as if recognizing her intent even without the full command.
Astros’ grin widened further.
If Reina had called upon the Dragon Sword, then it meant one thing—she had resolved herself to fight seriously, to stand against Zero with genuine intent.
In the very next moment, what awaited was inevitable.
A battle between them was about to begin.
To be continued...