“You’re still alive aren’t you?” Subaru shook the giant. “Come on, we have to get out of here.”

The man groaned, blood dripped from his stump, but not as much as he thought. He turned his head to get a better look at it. To his surprise, it was a clean cut, slightly burnt, no doubt the assassin had cauterized the wound so the giant wouldn’t bleed to death.

A kindness even to this fight to the death.

Subaru couldn’t help but feel respect for the assassin in both strength and character. She had many chances to end them, yet she let them live. He wasn’t sure how to take it, but he had done everything he could to defeat her, and he came up short every time.

He needed to focus on the now.

Walnut woke up looking like shit. His eyes shifted around.

“Where is she? Where did she go-”

His attempt to push himself up failed, and Subaru tried to catch him. He was clearly confused at why he had fallen until he saw the stump of his arm.

“Ah.” His face twisted as if he bit a sour lemon. “So, that’s how it is. A mark to show that she could have done us in.”

“I don’t think that’s what she did,” Subaru said. “We fought her, and we lost. We should go, I don’t think there’s anything we can do to help Kagami.”

“And that’s it?” Walnut grabbed him by the collar, a sneer on his face. “We lost, now let’s tuck our tails and run off? Fuck that! She let us live and that was her mistake! We’ll go back and fight her!”

“And how are we even supposed to do that? We can’t beat her! You know that!”

Walnut looked around and then let him go.

“Where’s my arm?” He turned his gaze back at Subaru. “Help me find my arm.”

Subaru stayed where he was standing as the giant hunkered down to look for his arm.

“Walnut. We don’t have anyone that can attach that arm. I don’t think we can even-”

“That’s not why I’m looking for it.” Walnut yelled at him with his back turned. “That hand, carried our victory. A way to beat her.”

“You did say something like that before, but what was it?”

He didn’t answer him and he straightened himself to survey the area. He walked out of sight. He must have spotted his arm, because a moment later, he came back with his arm in tow. Subaru looked at the hand, seeing it empty.

“Did you find it?”

“I did.” Walnut nodded. “Now, we follow her, and we wait for an opportunity to attack. We might have only one chance.”

Subaru watched him silently, shaking his head.

“I don’t get it. What is making you do so much? Tell me!”

He didn’t expect him to tell him, but a moment later, Walnut opened his mouth and told him.

“I have a son…”

#

In the distance, Subaru watched as the assassin was teleported away. He almost dropped from the tree he was standing on.

He…that bastard.

Subaru’s fist shook in rage.

That man had used his teleport token. She had been sent to HIS HOME. He had left a bottle of the finest wine from Havelock on his dining room table to be drunk in celebration for escaping this god forsaken place.

And now, he would never be able to go back home.

Subaru took in a deep breath and yelled the bastard responsible for doing all of this.

“Walnut!”

#

Walnut watched the assassin get swallowed by the space itself as she shoved the teleport token onto her.

And then she was gone.

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He turned back from his oni form in a blaze of steam and almost sunk to his knees from the strain fighting the assassin had caused his body. He could feel his Gate creek from being open so much. He was near his limit and was sure eating another key would result in his Gate collapsing and him turning to ash.

“Walnut!” He heard Subaru yell at him in a distance. “You bastard!”

Walnut’s lips turned to a small smile. He didn’t like doing it, but he had to. He used Subaru’s token to send her to wherever it had been anchored to.

The bandit was just glad that it was all over. He looked over to Kagami. Rather than give him a smile and a thank you, the man gave him an almost inhuman and cold stare. As if he viewed the giant as nothing but a bug ready to be squashed.

“Hey, are you alright?”

That was the question he managed to ask before the prince thrust his arm through him.

“Ka-kagami?”

“That man is not here right now. He slumbers from the cruelty the world has given him. I thank you for saving me, it is why I will grant you a slightly less painful death.” He wrenched his arm free. Walnut fell on his back. Blood formed under him.

“Ce-Cedar?”

It was an answer that seemed insane, but it made sense. From the sneer the Prince gave, his answer was correct.

“Yes. Good. Do you know why I stabbed through you? Even though I had no access to my own body, I was able to see from his eyes. You slipped up plenty of times, you work for my sister don’t you? You work for Hazel?”

How did he know?

It must have shown on his face, because Cedar gaze grew even colder.

“I wondered why you served the fool so well. You really bent over to do everything for him. I do not tolerate spies, but even though it was for your own self interest, I shall forgive you. Your life will end by my hand. There is no greater honor than that.”

Walnut pursed his lips and hissed. “Fuck you!”

“…A shame. Then your death shall be as cruel and painful as what I planned for my sister.”

A crimson spear pierced through his chest. Cedar turned to see that Luke had risen up once more.

“You’re still alive.” From his tone he was surprised by this. “How wonderful. If you stop yourself, I shall grant you the honor of serving me for the rest of your life.”

“Go fuck yourself!”

“Unfortunate. It seems you’ve learned nothing though.” He tapped the spear’s tip protruding his chest. “I cannot die.”

Luke wrenched free. Walnut expected him to be bathed in a storm of rainbow flames. Instead, he swallowed a painful cry and fell to his knees. Luke circled him in front of him, spear in hand.

“I saw your fight with the Black Sun. You weren’t healing when she cut you. It seems that there are limitations to your healing. You can only use it when you’ve been mortally wounded.”

There was a change in his face. Luke had hit the nail on the head. Walnut pitched himself forward to sit up. Blood was leaving him fast. He pushed to transform. Without any potions, it was his only chance to survive. His ogre self had high regenerative abilities. As he pulled Aura from his Gate, he could it strain from overusing it.

It was a partial transformation, he felt himself grow just a little big, but the bleeding in his chest slowed down to a crawl. He would survive for now.

At some point Subaru had arrived, staring at Cedar with concern. When he noticed Walnut rise, his expression darkened.

“Hey! You bastard! How dare you-”

“Not right now.” He pushed the little man aside walking right up to Luke. The guard trained his spear at the Prince, and at some point had wrapped blood around him like a rope.

“What do you plan to do with him?” Walnut asked.

“I will give him to the Warden. He was the one that wanted him the most.”

Walnut sighed. He was afraid of that.

“I can’t let you do that.”

“Shut up! You can’t tell me what to do! This man! This man!” His yell echoed across the forest. “He killed my sister! He took everything from me! Then he pinned his crimes on me!”

“I know lad.” He put a hand on his shoulder. “He took my wife, but I can’t let you kill him. I made a deal with his sister. I watch him, and make sure he lives, and I get my son back.”

“My sister’s words are as honorable as a backstabber.”

““Shut up!””

The two yelled at him. Then they turned to each other.

“I will have my justice! I won’t allow this bastard to escape!” Luke glowered at him.

“My son is the only thing I have. I would do anything to see him again.”

“Woah! Woah! Stop right there!” Subaru cut across the two of them, and the small man tried to push them away from each other. He looked at the two of them. “We can’t have you guys fight here. Can you say that you can control your blood if you fight another person?”

“I won’t lose to a man with a single arm,” Luke said.

“I won’t lose to a half dead brat.” Walnut growled.

“Enough!” Subaru said. “I don’t know about you two, but I don’t want to die. Right now, we can agree right? The prince has to live. We should find a place to sit down and discuss this.”

“There’s no one here other than us.” Luke turned to the other Black Sun assassin. He hadn’t moved for a while. “You can go with him to the Warden and try to convince him not to kill him, but I will do what I need to do.”

“We got two of us and only one of you.”

“Don’t put me in this situation here.”

“You heard him, you’re alone. I’ve got another myself. He’s just hiding beyond the forest, ready to strike if you make one step.”

“If you’re talking about your lanky friend, he ran off a while ago. I saw him when I was perched on the tree.” Subaru told him.

“That coward!” Luke’s hand was shaking.

“Ha!” Walnut drew his face close and sneered. “Now that you understand, you can give him to me.”

“Hey, guys.”

Subaru tried to get their attention. Walnut ignored him. Luke did the same. He had a clear eye on Cedar. The prince just watched the two of them out of boredom.

“I’ve had enough of this, you can go ahead and try to stop me, but I won’t-”

“Guys!” Subaru yelled.

““What?!”” The two of them yelled, but a black blade slipped through Luke’s chest in the same way his spear did the same to Cedar just a moment ago.

Walnut tapped into his Gate, but a sickness spread in his gut, and he knew he had overused his Gate. He lurched forward spraying a splatter of blood in the stone ground. A finger from his hand dropped, turning to ash.

Subaru took a cautious step back, his face contorted in fear.

When Luke dropped, the wolf woman stood behind him. Walnut almost didn’t recognize her, she was bloodied and injured to the point that she looked like a corpse. He didn’t understand where she had come from, but with the single eye that was open, she looked at the three of them in disdain.

Then, seeing that none of the three would do anything, she turned to Cedar. The Prince chuckled.

“So, it seems my brother’s mongrel has come to save me-”

She beheaded him and a torrent of rainbow flames converged.