The Sanctuary, its full name being the "Cremaldy Sanctuary." The Sanctuary is protected by a barrier known as the "Forest of Lost Steps," which repels outsiders and causes them to lose their way.
The barrier reflects the souls of "half-breeds" (mixed-bloods) who enter it, causing them to lose consciousness, and prevents half-breeds from leaving the Sanctuary, but it does not hinder pure-blooded humans.
The Sanctuary was originally an experimental site created by the Witch of Greed, Echidna, and it was also the place of her death and where her grave is located. Because the Sanctuary is on land managed by the Mathers Family for generations, it is under Roswaal's jurisdiction.
Qualified people who challenge the "Trials" can obtain the right to liberate the Sanctuary, provided they have the bloodline capable of interfering with the barrier—that is, being a "half-breed."
This was Fujino's next destination. As for her target, it was the soul of the Witch of Greed, Echidna, within the Sanctuary.
Although there was the barrier set by Touko, to Fujino it was like tissue paper. However, Fujino did not use violence to break it; instead, she flew directly in. The barrier inside was fundamentally unable to repel Fujino; the level of its power was simply too low.
Upon entering the Sanctuary, what she saw was a mist that nearly blocked her vision. However, this had no negative impact on Fujino. She didn't blow the mist away either; after pinpointing a direction, she flew rapidly toward it.
Garfiel Tinsel, a human living in the Sanctuary. Yes, the Sanctuary was not devoid of life; they were the guardians of the Sanctuary's existence.
And Garfiel Tinsel was another of Fujino's targets this time. The reason was simple: this guy liked Ram. Although that was only in the original work—the current version of this guy didn't even know of Ram's existence—Fujino didn't like it. So she decided to let him die; after all, the weak have no human rights.
Garfiel Tinsel walked along the rugged path, a leaf dangling from his mouth, strolling leisurely with a swaggering gait.
"Distort!"
A pleasant voice came from nowhere. Garfiel Tinsel was stunned, and before he could react, his vision plunged into darkness, and his entire being turned into a pool of blood.
Under Fujino's Mystic Eyes of Distortion, which were powerful enough to easily distort even the sun, Garfiel Tinsel had no power to resist at all. He died just like that, without knowing why; perhaps he wasn't even aware of his own death.
Buzz!
An invisible ripple wavered out. This ripple was directed at Fujino, but it wasn't any kind of aggressive intent; it was a transmission of information.
"Are you in such a hurry? It seems you, who possess the book of wisdom, know quite a lot about me." Fujino smiled toward the sky surrounded by mist.
The book of wisdom, also known as the World's Book, records everything that happens in the Re:Zero World. In the original work, the book of wisdom even recorded Subaru Natsuki's many instances of Return by Death.
Although the book of wisdom can record everything that happens in the world, it actually cannot record anything regarding Fujino. After all, Fujino's status was fundamentally not something the book of wisdom could record. However, since Fujino knew of Echidna's existence, to facilitate future events, Fujino used her own methods to let the world record her traces. But these records were all written by Fujino herself. Echidna was unaware of this; what Echidna saw in the book of wisdom regarding Fujino was actually written by Fujino herself, not a true record. That said, what Fujino wrote didn't differ much from what actually happened, except that she didn't write down some private matters.
Buzz!
The invisible ripple wavered again, responding to Fujino's question.
Fujino waved her hand somewhat impatiently, and the invisible ripple instantly vanished.
"I'll come find you right away. There's no need for this."
After Fujino spoke, she disappeared from the spot.
The center of the Sanctuary. This was one of the few places in the Sanctuary that wouldn't be invaded by the mist. The scenery here was beautiful, surrounded by lovely things, with many items placed around, and in the center stood a small, exquisite tea table.
Fujino appeared on the ground and looked at that small, exquisite tea table, or more accurately, at the two chairs beside the tea table.
There was no one on the chairs; they were just placed there.
Fujino remained expressionless, simply raising her right hand. Violent mana and terrifying stellar power gathered in her hand, forming a blackish-blue Rasengan.
"Stop!"
At this moment, a person suddenly appeared on the chair—a woman. At first glance, the most intuitive feeling she gave was like the perfect interpretation of black and white.
Long white hair and a simple, pure black dress; besides those, there was no other color, as if she were as simple as just black and white.
"Echidna." Fujino spoke her name, but she did not put away the Rasengan in her hand, throwing it directly toward Echidna.
Watching the energy ball fly toward her, Echidna's first thought was not how to dodge or resist, but to simply close her eyes as if waiting for death. Possessing the book of wisdom, she knew everything that happened in the world, and she had seen everything that occurred after Fujino arrived in this world within its pages.
Against an otherworldly powerhouse who could easily defeat the world will, Echidna didn't think she could dodge; she might as well accept it and stop trying.
However, Echidna still felt a massive regret in her heart—she wouldn't be able to learn the knowledge of the other world. If she had known, she wouldn't have made that joke!
Boom!
With a massive explosion, the entire Sanctuary fell into a violent tremor. The intense vibration even affected the distant Kingdom of Lugnica. Lugnica, which had suffered heavy casualties from a massive earthquake years ago and had only recently recovered, was once again struck by a quake no weaker than the one from years past.
However, none of this had anything to do with Fujino.
The violent shaking made Echidna lose her footing, nearly falling to the ground. But as the Witch of Greed, one of the Witches of Sin, she wasn't so fragile as to actually fall; she released a spell to stabilize herself, her body floating off the ground into the air.
Opening her eyes, she looked at herself in surprise, finding she was completely unharmed. When Fujino threw that faint black-blue energy ball, Echidna had already prepared for death. After all, that energy ball was not something she could block; even if all the Witches of Sin joined forces, the final result would still be certain death.
"You passed." Fujino spoke, a faint smile on her face. A white contract paper appeared in her hand, covered in dense, difficult-to-comprehend characters. Fujino looked at Echidna: "I know what you desire. Sign this contract; you made your decision long ago, didn't you?"
The contract in Fujino's hand emitted a faint white glow and flew from her hand, coming to rest before Echidna.
Before Echidna could react, she suddenly clutched her head. The contents of the contract appeared in her mind in a script she recognized. This was an unfair contract; once Echidna signed it, she would forever become Fujino's property. Everything of Echidna's, even her soul, would be under Fujino's control, though she would receive the things she wanted.
It seemed unequal, but just as Fujino had said, Echidna had already made her choice. Moreover, for Echidna, this contract was actually a bargain in her favor.
As the Witch of Greed, Echidna possessed an endless thirst for knowledge!
Race: Oni Clan
Weapon: Morning Star (a spiked iron ball attached to a chain).
Abilities: Omnipotent housework, Onification (a horn grows on the head, increasing combat power but affecting mental state and emotions), Magic, smelling the scent of the Witch.
Rem's sister.
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