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{3rd Pov}
Capella Emerada Lugunica's eyes went vacant—utterly devoid of life—as her soul was completely obliterated, leaving behind nothing but a hollow corpse.
With her lifeless body cradled in his arms, Subaru turned and made his way back to the mansion. He landed with a heavy thud before Elsa, his expression unreadable.
"M-Mama…?" Elsa uttered, her voice trembling in complete disbelief.
Her knees buckled beneath her, and she collapsed to the floor, her entire body giving out. In that single moment, she was no longer the infamous Bowel Hunter. She was someone who had lost both the battle and the war, utterly so.
Aqua swiftly casted Water Magic to bind Elsa in place. But Elsa didn't resist—not in the slightest. She just sat there, bound and broken.
"You gave up easily," Subaru commented, his voice calm but laced with a hint of cold amusement.
"You killed her… What do you think I can do to you now?" Elsa replied in a hollow, defeated tone. Her words, as simple as they were, made perfect sense. She had no illusions about her position.
Why hadn't she tried to escape? The reasons were twofold. Perhaps her years of immortality had dulled her instincts and eroded her will. Or perhaps, deep down, she understood how futile it would be to even attempt escape from someone like him.
"What are you waiting for?" she asked, closing her eyes. "Just kill me already and be done with it."
"You want to die?" Subaru repeated, raising an eyebrow as a cold smile slowly crept across his face. "That's the easy way out."
Then, his tone shifted, darker and heavier with intent.
"Make a contract with me… Give me your loyalty—your soul, your body, and your mind. That will be your punishment."
At those words, Elsa's eyes snapped open. She looked at him, shocked but defiant.
"I won't make a contract. Just kill me," she replied, her voice steady despite the pain. She knew full well that Subaru was capable of ending her. Capella's black flames had once nearly killed her, and even her regeneration couldn't have saved her then.
Subaru's smile widened further, his expression growing more twisted as he slowly reached out and grabbed her by the throat. With a single motion, he lifted her off the ground, his grip unrelenting as he began to choke her.
"Fine," he said coldly. "I offered you a chance. But since you want to die so badly… I'll make sure it's the most painful death you could ever imagine."
His voice had become a chilling whisper, and his eyes gleamed with a merciless fury. He had died at Elsa's hands several times. And though this Elsa was not the exact one who had murdered him repeatedly, the memories of those brutal deaths were still seared into his mind.
He had offered her a sliver of mercy—not out of pity, but because this version of Elsa hadn't been the one to harm him. And beyond that, if she could be turned, her strength would be an asset to Emilia's camp.
Strategically, it made sense. Subaru and Reina were strong, yes, but they were not omnipresent. He knew the value of reinforcements.
But she had refused. And now, she would suffer for it.
His grip tightened.
A sharp crack echoed through the hall as her trachea fractured under the pressure. Elsa coughed violently, blood spewing from her mouth as she choked on it. Her face began to turn a deep shade of blue, agony etched into every feature. Her eyes rolled back as tears streamed uncontrollably from them.
She writhed and struggled, desperate to break free, but it was hopeless. Death did not come for her, and her body's regeneration, usually so swift, was too slow now to counteract the damage in real time.
She was trapped—unable to die, unable to recover. It was pure agony. It was unending torture.
"Gghhk! … Agggghh!.. I! I—!" she tried to speak, barely forming words through the pain and pressure.
Subaru kept his grip on her neck for several agonizing minutes, even going so far as to forcibly use his Mind Manipulation ability to keep her conscious and repeatedly amplify her pain.
As long as a person retained even a shred of humanity—no matter how twisted—it was inevitable they would yield to such torture.
And so did Elsa.
When Subaru realized she had reached her breaking point, he finally released her letting her fall unceremoniously to the floor. She crumpled, gasping and choking, blood pouring from her mouth as she vomited onto the stone beneath her.
Her chest heaved violently as she drew in shallow, ragged breaths. Slowly, painfully, her trachea began to mend. Her body struggled to restore itself, inch by inch. Air finally returned to her lungs.
"Oh? Were you trying to say something?" Subaru asked with mock curiosity, looking down at her as if nothing had happened.
And then—Elsa cried.
Tears fell freely down her blood-streaked face. She sobbed—not in rage, not in hatred—but in despair, and in pain.
Subaru fell silent at the sight, his expression unreadable.
Elsa trembled as she reached out and clutched his feet, her sobs shaking her entire body.
"I-I accept! Please! Just don't torture me again!" Elsa cried out in desperation, her voice trembling as she begged for mercy, her pride completely shattered.
Meanwhile, Frederica stood to the side, watching the harrowing scene unfold with wide, horrified eyes.
She had witnessed every excruciating moment—every groan of pain, every twitch of helplessness, and every flicker of torment in Elsa's expression. The raw suffering etched into that moment shook her to her very core.
'I'm truly glad that Lord Zero isn't our enemy…' she thought, a shiver running down her spine. Just the thought of someone like Subaru turning his wrath against them sent a deep chill through her entire being.
If he had stood as their adversary, she could only imagine the utter devastation he could have wrought. No one would have been able to stop him.
In stark contrast, the other women nearby looked at Subaru with a completely different kind of awe in their eyes. Stars sparkled in their gazes as they stared at him, their expressions practically glowing with admiration.
To them, Subaru wasn't just powerful—he was a living legend and hero to them. A giga-chad, as some would say in less formal tones. (Ayoooo! Chill, ladies!)
Not long after her surrender, Elsa solemnly made the contract with Subaru, binding her soul, body, and mind to his will. She had become his servant, his subordinate—whether by choice or sheer necessity.
Yet, even after the contract had been completed, a terrifying realization slowly crept into her mind.
Even now… even with the contract in place, Subaru still had the power to torture her.
There was nothing in the terms that prevented him from doing so. She had no leverage, no escape. In the end, she could only hope that her new master would show mercy—that he might choose benevolence over cruelty.
As the contract settled and the pact solidified, Subaru suddenly felt a strange shift within himself. A surge of power, unfamiliar yet undeniable, stirred in the depths of his being. The Witch factor of Lust has finished merging with his being, it took a lot longer than others for some reason.
A new Authority had awakened within him.
He now held the Authority of Lust, not just Capella's version, but his own personalized form of it, integrated with the witch factor now embedded in his soul.
'How magnificent,' came the voice of Echidna, the Witch of Greed, echoing inside his mind. Her tone was laced with intrigue and amusement.
'To take an enemy and forge them into an ally through sheer will and brutal force… Such a deliciously greedy path you've chosen, Subaru. Truly entertaining.'
Then, with a chuckle, she added, 'Why don't you explore this new Authority of Lust? I highly doubt it's as simple as it appears on the surface.'
'I'll test it soon enough… on the Great Rabbit,' Subaru responded mentally.
Turning his attention back to Elsa, he issued his first command with the commanding presence of a true master.
"Elsa," he said firmly, "your first order: Protect Frederica and everyone else in this mansion from any and all threats that may arise during my absence."
Elsa, still kneeling, nodded in acknowledgement.
"Understood. I will do so," she replied in a low voice.
Though her hands itched to spill blood—as was her nature—especially when it came to demi-humans like Frederica, she clenched her fists and held herself back.
She understood all too well: if she lost control and gave in to her old urges, Subaru would make her existence a living nightmare. She did not want to taste that suffering again.
Subaru then turned toward Frederica, his expression softening ever so slightly.
"Frederica, the problems back at the Sanctuary haven't been resolved yet," he said. "Once I've settled things there, I'll return with the others."
Frederica bowed her head respectfully.
"Understood, Lord Zero. Please rest assured—I shall take care of the mansion in both your absence and Master Roswaal's," she replied, her tone composed and resolute.
Subaru then turned to face Sylphy and the other liberated women gathered nearby. His gaze softened further as he addressed them.
"And all of you… Have you managed to settle in properly? Please bear with the situation for just a few more days. Once things are stable, I'll personally make sure to build proper homes for each and every one of you."
One of the women stepped forward, her expression filled with gratitude.
"Lord Zero, we are truly grateful for everything you've done for us. Please don't worry. We've already adjusted to the space, and there's been more than enough room for us all."
"Yes, Lord Subaru, you don't need to worry about us at all," Sylphy added with a smile.
Subaru gave a tired sigh, his gaze briefly flicking toward Sylphy. Having two people with the same name—his Spirit Sylphy, and this freed woman Sylphy—was bound to lead to confusion down the line.
'Ugh… Whatever,' he thought to himself. 'I'm not changing my Spirit's name, and I obviously can't ask the other Sylphy to change hers either. I'll just have to live with it.'
With that, Subaru gathered Beatrice, Gloria, and Aqua—those closest to him—and teleported, leaving the mansion behind as he made his return to the Sanctuary to confront the lingering problems still awaiting him there.
To be continued…