Disaster. Total disaster.
Approximately seventy percent of Priestella's population perished. Most of the casualties resulted from the skeleton sorcerer's instant death spell. Some were caused by Reinhard's single attack from his Dragon Sword Reid.
Reinhard van Astrea had collapsed, sullen and depressed, staring at the shattered ground. He was supposed to be the hero; he was supposed to be the savior of the weak, yet he failed. An undead sorcerer had soundly defeated him.
Sung Jin Woo was dead.
His shadows, lingering for a while due to some surplus mana, had finally dissipated. Megumi Fushiguro kept using his shadow chimera beast to heal Sung and some other survivors, but no amount of reverse curse energy could resurrect the dead.
Izuku Midoriya succumbed to death, having expended nearly all his strength to find a haven for Megumi, Subaru, Emilia, and several other scattered residents. His danger sense quirk was in overdrive, and he succeeded in helping them, but he died in the process.
He was caught in the instant death wave effect.
His corpse was lined up with the others; most of the bodies showed not a single blemish or sign of damage. An invisible wave of energy surged through; the instant death spell struck, and most collapsed like puppets whose strings had been severed.
The sound of clattering boots echoed from behind; the response team had arrived, what was left of them anyway. They started holding the bodies of the victims of the instant death spell, casting several healing and stabilizing spells, but the dead remained dead.
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji appeared alongside Ryuen Kakeru, grimacing at the sight of the number of dead people. The two students didn't help; they kept their distance. They didn't have any special abilities. They stayed in the carriage they arrived in.
Natsuki Subaru approached the sullen Reinhard. He reached out to the red-haired knight, placing his palm on the knight's shoulders.
Reinhard turned and didn't smile; he couldn't even manage a fake one. He merely glanced with dead eyes and nodded. Whether he failed or not, he still had a duty to save those who were still alive or injured.
Self-pity was a luxury for those who deserved it. Reinhard thought as he rose, then glanced at his waist; his legendary sword was gone, taken by the scions of the skeleton sorcerer. He then glanced at the sky and closed his eyes, begging Od Laguna, not requesting, for help.
At this point, Reinhard would take anything.
Subaru was about to say something when he felt a strange pressure emanating from Reinhard, causing him to take a single step back. The pressure was intense since, for Subaru, it felt like watching an iron kettle turn red from the heat.
"Reinhard!"
Subaru shouted, breaking Reinhard's focus for a moment. For Subaru, he had one solution, an only solution. He would use it again, and given the circumstances, he shouldn't hesitate.
"Yes?" Reinhard answered weakly.
"This may sound insensitive considering the destruction of the city, but please humor me."
Subaru muttered before taking a long, low apologetic bow. Reinhard raised a brow. Reinhard knew there was something unique about Subaru but couldn't quite figure it out despite the keen sense and intuition. For Reinhard, timing was one of Subaru's strengths, yet the battle was already lost. Still, he was a friend, and friends humor one another.
"What is it, Subaru? I am in a hurry; please make it quick."
Subaru rose and wore a grim, determined face. Reinhard noticed the hesitation in his expression. The way he kept his mouth opening and closing, searching his mind for the right words, eventually he found his footing.
"If you could replay this fight again? What would you change to achieve the best possible outcome? What sort of advantage would you need?"
Subaru tightened his eyes, bracing for an attack that never came. Reinhard, confused, scanned his surroundings for some immediate danger but found nothing, either. Reinhard glared and then opened his mouth.
"A reliving? Well, first, I will not let my sword be stolen. Second, launch an extremely rapid offensive the moment the battle begins. Third, request more protections."
Reinhard answered with no emotion, then nodded to Subaru and walked away. Subaru gulped and walked away too. Reinhard was about to kneel and close the eyes of a deceased demi-human when the sound of a woman's scream alerted him.
"Subaru!? What are you doing!?" Emilia shouted.
Reinhard turned to see Subaru plunging a jagged glass shard into his own neck. The sight of blood escaping from Subaru's neck had stunned Reinhard. If Reinhard had acted the moment Subaru stabbed his neck, Reinhard would've saved him.
However, he was a second too late to intervene. The last thing Subaru saw was Emilia and Megumi's faces screaming and trying to provide help, but nothing. A black hand suddenly appeared, stabbing Subaru's heart, preventing him from being healed.
Thus, Subaru had returned to a previous checkpoint.
...
...
...
When Subaru regained his senses, he was in a café. He bought some bread and other pastries here for Emilia. However, Emilia arrived a few moments later, having changed her mind, thus sparking an improvised date between the two.
However, that peace was shattered by a sudden attack. A man in a modern suit appeared and began assaulting the people. With at most forty minutes to prepare, Subaru immediately left the café and rushed straight to the manor rented by Reinhard's camp.
...
...
...
Subaru reached the manor and hammered on the door with urgent, frantic force. Izuku, who was the closest to the door, sensed the urgency and his heroic instincts instantly kicked in. He dropped the hamburger and opened the door.
Subaru smiled upon seeing Izuku's live face. The hero had saved him in a previous loop; this time, it was his job to save the hero. Subaru immediately sensed a presence from behind; it was Reinhard.
Subaru turned. "Reinhard! Please listen to me and listen to me carefully!" He pleaded.
"Hmmm?"
Reinhard hummed as he continued munching on a piece of ham. He was in the middle of his breakfast when Subaru suddenly appeared and started knocking hard on the door. Reinhard, aware of Subaru's impeccable timing, chose to listen to him.
(The next chapter is... maybe another loop?)