Arc 5 of Re:Zero Life in a Different World from Zero also known as Stars That Engrave History is the fifth arc in the series which depicts a chaotic and deadly visit to Priestella. It is covered in Volumes 16-20 of the light novel series. It is not yet depicted in the anime or manga.

Previous: Arc 4 - The Everlasting Contract
Next: Arc 6 - The Corridor of Memories

Synopsis

Invitation to Priestella

A year passes in peace since the events of Arc 4. Subaru has spent the intervening time training. One day Emilia is visited by Mimi and Joshua on behalf of Anastasia Hoshin. They delivered an invitation to meet in Priestella and offered a high purity magic stone that can house Puck who had not been seen since breaking his contract. After some preparation Subaru, Emilia, Beatrice, Garfiel, and Otto make the 12 day journey to Priestella.

Gathering of Power

Upon arrival and after getting settled Subaru and co. leave in search of Kiritaka Muse to make a deala for the aforementioned magic stone. They coerce Liliana to guide them but get kicked out for touching "Kiritaka's" Liliana. On their way back to the inn Emilia bumps into a cloaked Regulus who is immediately interested in turning her into one of his wives. The next day a meeting is finally held between all of the Royal Candidates that have been invited by Anastasia though no serious discussion is had yet.
Subaru, Emilia, and Beatrice pay another visit to Liliana but before they can make any progress on negotiations, Sirius makes an appearance and kills everyone using her Authority of Wrath. Subaru returns from death and tries multiple strategies to stop Sirius that fail, driving home how dangerous she is with being able to link any one death to another. Finally, as he asks Beatrice for help Emilia steps forward and volunteers to help fight off the Sin Archbishop. This prompts Regulus to step in to protect Emilia and results in a three way confrontation. Ultimately it is a new entry in the gospel books they carry that end the showdown. Regulus manages to kidnap Emilia and both Sin Archbishops are able to leave with no opposition. Subaru succumbs to his injuries and passes out as the Witch Cult and four Sin Archbishops lay siege on the city of Priestella.

Regroup

The Royal Candidates and their retainers regroup and reasses the situation. In addition to Sirius and Regulus, Capella has made her presence known and powerful but long deceased warriors were roaming around. Capella and Roy make their presence known and things get hectic as the heroes are forced to fight on multiple fronts at once. Everyone is forced to retreat once more and Subaru and Crusch get hurt in the process. While the heroes licked their wounds the Witch Cult issued four ultimatums:

• Hand over 'The Artificial Spirit'
• Hand over the Book of Wisdom
• Deliver twenty couples to a control tower
• Stay away from Regulus' wedding with the silver haired bride

In the first step towards figuring out a plan Subaru makes a speech to the city to raise morale and limit the effects of Sirius' Authority. The rest of the group reconvene and begin sharing information. Otto had brought the Book of Wisdom to the city. Anastasia had an Artificial Spirit with her named Echidna. They are then summoned to visit Crusch who is still bedridden from being poisoned by Capella. Subaru absorbs some of the poison from her but can't completely free her from the curse without putting himself in danger. The remaining fighters split up to deal with the threats. Priscilla, Al, and Liliana confront Sirius, Wilhelm and Garfiel fights Capella. Subaru and Reinhard face down Regulus, and Julius and Ricardo go for Roy.

Scraping By

Through hard fought battles, Regulus is killed, Sirius is captured, and while the other Sin Archbishops escape with their lives, Priestella survived the attack by the Witch Cult. Unfortunately Julius had his name eaten and Capella's victims remained transformed. Anastasia's Artificial Spirit Echidna possessed the Royal Candidate to save her life during the battle but currently found it impossible to cede control back. Capella's victims are placed into frozen stasis by Emilia and the group decides to visit the sage Shaula to look for answers. Along the way they plan to stop by the Mathers mansion first.

Links

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