Chapter Text
In a dim alley.
"What gives?! Isn't that gorgeous girl my summoner?"
Subaru watched as a blonde beauty leaped across the walls, jumped right over him, and vanished deeper into the alley.
He was stunned.
Looks like there really wasn't a cute girl to rescue him after all.
It was all just wishful thinking.
Though there was no cute girl, he hadn't forgotten that he was currently cornered in an alley by three thugs.
A big brute, a punkish delinquent, and a short dwarf.
"Ahem, you wouldn't happen to let me off the hook just because someone interrupted your fun, would you?" Subaru turned his head back, testing the waters cautiously.
"If anything, being interrupted just ruined my mood further." The lead brute cracked his knuckles with a sharp pop.
"Figures, haha..."
Subaru gave an awkward laugh.
These three guys clearly had him dead to rights.
But he was a transmigrator!
No matter how you sliced it, he ought to have some cheat ability, right?
According to standard tropes, these three guys in front of him were probably just low-level mobs provided by the beginner tutorial—free EXP!
Yeah, that had to be it!
The more Subaru thought about it, the more convinced he became, successfully brainwashing himself. The gaze he cast upon the trio grew increasingly bright.
Let these bottom-feeders become the experience points to nourish my growth!
"You bunch of extras, you really think you've got me? Watch me wipe the floor with you!"
Subaru roared. His eyes went fierce as he suddenly threw a punch straight at the largest guy.
"Allow me to teach you a proper lesson on your parents' behalf so you stop doing bad things, and I'll take that EXP off your hands while I'm at it!"
The three clearly hadn't anticipated this sudden turn of events and were caught completely off guard for a moment.
Subaru leveled the big guy with a punch and sent the short one flying with a kick.
Striking left and right, he looked undeniably formidable.
"Ooh-hoo-hoo, I'm actually this strong?! I instant-killed both the big guy and the little guy! Though, since it's my first time hitting someone, I didn't expect my own fists to hurt so much."
Subaru was elated.
"Either way, victory is locked in! My setup in this world really is overpowered! My adrenaline is starting to surge—I'm super pumped right now!"
The more Subaru thought, the hotter his blood ran. Fighting with growing fervor, he locked eyes on the last remaining thug and charged straight at him.
However, in the very next second...
The last delinquent thug suddenly reached toward his back pocket.
*Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.*
He pulled out two short daggers, spinning them in his grip. He looked at the charging Subaru with a sneer plastered on his face.
It was as if he were saying, *Come at me, then.*
"Nani?!"
If you had knives, you should've said so earlier! I was just messing around! Knowing he was outmatched, Subaru instantly executed a sliding kneel right in front of the man.
"I'm sorry, my bad! Please spare me!"
"Tch."
*Hmm?*
Subaru, who was busy begging for mercy, suddenly heard someone click their tongue.
It sounded as if... someone was looking down on his pathetic display.
Subaru subconsciously raised his head, intending to look around for the source of the noise.
But in the next instant—
A heavy boot came hurtling straight for his face.
"Gah!"
Subaru was sent flying by the kick. Because he had raised his head, a few of his teeth were shattered by the impact.
He rolled several times on the ground, whimpering in pain.
His mouth was full of the metallic taste of blood, and the jagged fragments of his broken teeth pricked his tongue agonizingly.
The two who had been knocked down earlier had now recovered. All three gathered in a circle around Subaru, who lay sprawled on the ground.
It's over... I'm about to trigger the bad ending CG.
"You dare fight back, you bastard! That kick hurt like hell!"
"We have to teach you a real lesson!"
The three began raining brutal kicks down on the boy on the ground, completely ignoring Subaru's agonized wails.
Fists and boots landed heavily on his body, each blow bringing a searing, deep-seated pain.
Subaru could only curl his body into a ball, using his arms to protect his head.
"Don't think you're getting off easy with a quick death!"
The delinquent placed his boot on Subaru's face, crushing it down ruthlessly.
The dirt and grit on the sole ground against his skin, causing a burning pain.
Subaru could even feel the distinct tread patterns of the boot.
And right at that moment—
A voice resonated inside Subaru's mind.
This time, he heard it clearly.
The voice didn't come from his surroundings, but from... inside his own head.
"Brat, you look utterly pathetic."
"What? What voice?! Why is there a voice in my head?!"
Subaru was completely stunned.
In that moment, he even forgot his physical pain.
C-Could it be... the voice in my head is my superpower?
The moment the thought surfaced, Subaru's heart began to beat wildly against his chest.
A cheat ability!
I knew it!
I knew a transmigrator had to have a special power!
"I am not your power. I am a living, breathing soul."
"You may call me... Diavolo. During the time I've been inside your body since arriving in this world, I've gotten a general grasp of our current situation."
Deep within Subaru's mind.
A crimson figure looked upon the scene with cold, detached eyes.
To be trampled underfoot... what an utter humiliation.
Although during his infinite deaths, he felt like he might have been stomped to death at some point...
Regardless, being stepped on by a piece of trash like this was far too unsightly. Diavolo continued speaking:
"Our current state should be called 'two souls in one body.' We transmigrated to this alternate world together."
Two souls in one body?
Living in his body?
Subaru's brain couldn't quite process the information.
Wait...
Then when he gets a shower...
Or when he uses the toilet...
Wouldn't this guy be watching the whole time?!
A creeping sense of terror instantly washed over his entire body.
Goosebumps erupted across his skin.
"Cease your foolish thoughts. I have zero interest in your physical form."
As if seeing right through Subaru's inner thoughts, Diavolo spoke slowly, his tone laced with blatant disgust.
Despite his words, Diavolo still found the whole situation mind-boggling.
At first, he thought this was just another novel way to die, that he was still trapped within the inescapable reality-denying attacks of Gold Experience Requiem.
Yet as he felt his surroundings, he seemed to have truly broken free from that infinite death loop and obtained a new life.
The most direct evidence was that his Stand, King Crimson, was still present—though it now existed in the form of an Authority.
It was an Authority he had acquired the moment he stepped foot into this world.
The ability remained unchanged; it was still his familiar time-erasure.
However, he had lost Epitaph's foresight into the future.
The small face on King Crimson's forehead currently looked as though it were fast asleep, its tiny eyes tightly shut.
"Doppio..."
Diavolo muttered in a low whisper.
There was an almost imperceptible complexity in his voice.
Having finally broken free after enduring the endless cycle of death, Diavolo's mindset had clearly undergone a subtle shift.
"Oh, okay, so your name is Diavolo, right? Look, now is really not the time for this! I'm actively getting beaten up here!"
The delinquent's boot was still grinding aggressively into Subaru's face.
Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!
Clearly, the conversation with Diavolo had taken place in the span of a split second.
Diavolo was well aware of this, but he remained unhurried.
Subconsciously, Diavolo compared him to Doppio.
Clearly, Subaru's reaction was far inferior to Doppio's.
At the very least, Doppio would cry and yell for the Boss to save him.
This kid, on the other hand, did nothing but scream in pain.
Even though Subaru hadn't known of Diavolo's existence until just now.
"Then get up and kill them, you fool."
"What? What kind of insane talk is that?! Can't you see I'm being pinned down and thrashed by three bastards right now?!" Subaru was rendered speechless.
What kind of time was it to be making sarcastic remarks?
"Then let me handle it, idiot. I have no desire to be trampled underfoot by trash!"
"You handle it? How are you going to handle it?" Subaru asked, bewildered.
"Clear your mind and don't get in my way when I step up."
"How am I supposed to clear my—Whoa, hey, hey?!"
Under Diavolo's deliberate guidance, Subaru suddenly felt as if he were being possessed by a ghost. His vision gradually blurred.
The sensations in his physical body began to drift away piece by piece.
Subconsciously, he wanted to resist, but remembering Diavolo's words, he abandoned the thought.
Anyway... it couldn't possibly get any worse than this, right?
Besides, wasn't this basically just hiring a pro to pilot his account? How was that any different from having a cheat ability?
"To let his guard down so easily..." Diavolo shook his head in disappointment upon noticing Subaru's compliance.
Originally, he had planned to conceal his presence and observe the situation first.
However, sharing one body meant that while he could hide from anyone else, he couldn't hide from Subaru forever.
It was better to make Subaru accept his presence early on.
Most importantly, Diavolo had already tried to forcefully seize control of the body earlier, but he couldn't do it at all. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered wasting his breath on the kid.
Perhaps it was because Subaru was the true owner of the body, whereas Diavolo was merely an outsider.
Currently, taking control was only possible with Subaru's explicit consent.
Fortunately, the process went smoothly.
In the next second—
The eyes of Subaru, who was pinned to the ground, changed.
They gleamed with an eerie, dark green light.
It was as if he had become an entirely different person.
Diavolo was now online.
In the next instant, his body moved on its own.
The realization gave Natsuki Subaru a sharp jolt.
Right now, he felt like a spectator pushed into the nosebleed section. Even though he was still inside this body, even though he could still feel everything, he had lost all control.
He could only watch helplessly as his own hand reached out and seized the punk's ankle.
"Wait, wait, wait! What are you doing?! That guy's holding a knife! I'm gonna die!"
Subaru screamed inside his mind, feeling that taking a cautious approach was the right move against these guys; one wrong turn and getting stabbed would be no laughing matter.
If he didn't feel that he could reclaim control of his body at any given moment, Subaru would never have let Diavolo act so recklessly.
At the same time, he wanted to see what kind of person this second soul inside him really was, and how he intended to resolve the situation.
Hearing Subaru's words, Diavolo had no intention of stopping.
An emperor's pride did not permit him to bow his head.
Even if he wasn't the one physically bowing it.
"You still dare grab me? Watch me chop your hand off!" Seeing the other party resist, the punk raised his knife, making a motion to hack down.
However, he didn't actually intend to chop off Subaru's hand; it was merely a scare tactic.
After all, losing a hand was practically no different from dying, and if Subaru died, they would be in serious trouble.
Their goal was just robbery—there was no need to commit murder.
"Heh."
A soft laugh slowly drifted from Diavolo's mouth.
At some point, a sinister smile had crept onto his face.
"Natsuki Subaru, is it? Watch closely. Your physical condition is decent enough—there is no need to fear."
Diavolo yanked his arm sideways.
The punk instantly lost his balance. The hand holding the dagger was forced to plunge straight toward Subaru.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Diavolo flipped and stood up, dodging the stab. He reached out, grabbed the punk's right wrist, and exerted a fraction of his strength.
A grip strength of 70 kilograms.
"Gah!"
Pain shot through the punk's right hand. The short dagger slipped from his fingers and was caught firmly by Subaru.
Now, the punk held his second knife in his left hand, propping himself against the ground, his center of gravity completely thrown off.
By now, the remaining two finally reacted—it had all happened far too quickly.
A guy who usually possessed only raw strength had suddenly become seasoned and nimble, catching them completely off guard.
"Knock the knife out of his hand, fast!"
The punk shouted, instantly evaluating the crucial point of the battle.
Subaru could already send a heavy brute flying with a single punch; if they let him wield a knife, they might not be able to match him.
Seeing this, the two rushed forward immediately, not even pausing to draw their own weapons, lunging frantically at Diavolo's hands.
Yet in the very next second...
Diavolo seized the opening and plunged the blade straight into the big brute's wrist.
*Pfft.* The blade sank deep into flesh.
"Wait, huh?!"
Subaru, watching the fight from within, widened his eyes in horror. He could clearly feel the resistance of the blade cutting through skin, the rubbery snap of severed tendons, and the sticky warmth of blood flowing down the handle onto his palm...
Every sensation was unbearably vivid—so vivid that he wanted to stop everything right then and there.
Because of Subaru's instinctive recoil, the physical body in the real world wobbled.
"Tch."
Diavolo clicked his tongue in annoyance, forcibly regaining his balance, and kicked the charging dwarf off his feet.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"But... but this is seriously disgusting... Is that my hand? There's blood on my hand? So much blood..."
Realizing he had disrupted Diavolo, Subaru's voice grew smaller and smaller, thick with embarrassment.
After all, Diavolo was trying to help him, yet he was voicing such pathetic complaints.
"Silence. Stop getting in my way," Diavolo barked coldly, his eyes shifting back to the punk.
Because of Subaru's interference, a surge of nameless rage ignited in Diavolo's chest.
"A few worthless pieces of trash... how dare you step on my head?"
Diavolo hesitated no longer.
"『King Crimson!』"
A deep-red, muscular humanoid Stand slowly manifested beside Subaru.
Most eerily, a tiny second face was embedded upon its forehead.
Yet the three thugs acted as though they couldn't see it at all—including Subaru inside the body.
Observing their lack of reaction, as well as Subaru's, realization dawned on Diavolo in an instant.
"It seems the Stand's invisibility remains intact. There are no Stands in this world—perhaps I am the only one who can see it."
Right now, the kid was still asking him in his head why he had suddenly shouted that out loud.
Under Diavolo's command, King Crimson lunged violently toward the punk.
A red fist wound up in the air and thrust forward with lethal precision.
*Pfft.*
The punk, who had just managed to stabilize his footing, suddenly felt his pupils contract to tiny pinpricks.
He had no idea what had just happened. He felt only a sharp pain in his chest, before spurting a mouthful of dark blood.
Slowly looking down, he saw a gaping hole carved straight through his chest.
A classic donut.
"What... is this...?"
The punk's abrupt death caused the other two's faces to turn pale with horror. They whipped around to stare at Subaru standing in place.
"You... what did you do?!"
"Run!"
The dwarf screamed at the top of his lungs, turning on his heel to sprint away.
The tall brute didn't even care about the wound on his wrist anymore, hastily scrambling to follow.
Seeing them flee, Diavolo immediately gave chase.
Right at that moment, however, Subaru spoke up from within.
"Wait, Big Bro Diavolo, what was that just now?! Did you do that? Is that a superpower?! How could you kill him?! That's... that's wrong!"
Subaru felt like he was watching a movie, witnessing his own body act.
At first, he thought he looked incredibly cool, but the moment he saw the punk die a sudden, violent death, panic seized him.
At the end of the day, he was just an ordinary guy; taking a human life was something he couldn't easily accept.
"Enough!" Diavolo snapped in fury, furious at his lack of resolve.
"He was trying to kill you! Were you going to stand there like a good little boy and wait for it?! Were you going to gamble that the knife in his hand wouldn't pierce your heart?! Even if they spared you this time, are you going to gamble that they won't come back?!"
"Snap out of it, you fool! This alternate world is no house-playing game!"
Subaru's emotional turmoil heavily disrupted Diavolo's control, making it feel as though the body were slipping back into Subaru's hands.
"B-But... couldn't we just give them a lesson and let them go? Besides, they didn't want to kill anyone in the first place—they just wanted to steal our stuff!"
By now, the two had already run far out of range, exceeding King Crimson's attack distance.
Yet Diavolo refused to give up, forcibly maneuvering the body to pursue them.
In the next second, however, Diavolo's heart leaped into his throat. He whipped his head back.
An icicle was hurtling straight toward him at blistering speed.
"Damn it, no time!" Diavolo cursed as he activated his Time erasure for the first time in this world.
"『King Crimson!』 Time belongs to me alone!"