Arc 5

Stars That Engrave History (歴史を刻む星々, Reikishi wo kizamu hoshi) is the fifth arc of the Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu series, preceded by The Everlasting Contract Arc and followed by The Corridor of Memories Arc. Arc 5 consists of five light novel volumes.

Overview
Anastasia invites the Emilia, Crusch, Priscilla, and Felt Camps to attend a gathering in Priestella. Soon after they arrive at the Water Gate City, Sin Archbishops of the Witch Cult appear to take control over the city, forcing Subaru to unite all the camps in order to defeat them and protect the city.

Protagonists

 * Subaru Natsuki
 * Emilia

Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 16

 * Chapter 1
 * Chapter 2
 * Chapter 3
 * In the Light Novel, the sparring battle between Reinhard van Astrea and Garfiel Tinsel is omitted, however, Garfiel recognizes Reinhard's immerse strength from his aura feels a instinctual fear.
 * Chapter 4
 * Chapter 5

Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 17

 * Chapter 1
 * Subaru's whip is made of the Demon Beast, The Guiltylaw
 * Chapter 2
 * Chapter 3
 * Ricardo's appearance and dialog is replaced with Al from the scene where Subaru wakes up.
 * Capella's request for Priestella became the remains of the Witch of Pride
 * Anastasia had investigated the Watergate city before, and she knows that the city was used as a trapping mechanism to capture a Witch, but she doesn't know what witch.
 * Aldebaran knows about the Witch Cult and the Witches of Sin. Specifically, he knows that the request pertained to the remains of Typhon.
 * Chapter 4
 * Chapter 5
 * Roy's main weapon is changed to claws instead of twin short swords in the web novel.
 * Capella transforms into Emilia as Subaru is facing her.

Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 18

 * Prologue
 * The prologue is new.
 * During the fight against Kurgan, Garfiel nearly dies, but Ricardo saves him.
 * The Witch Cult opened the water-gate in the first street for a brief amount of time, resulting in the city being partly flooded.
 * A Black Dragon, likely the transformed Garek, tries to save Crusch and Subaru by carrying them in its talons outside the City Hall. But a Giant Serpent, part of Capella's transformation attacks him, causing him to drop Subaru into the flooding Priestella.
 * Chapter 1
 * Subaru nearly drowns, when he comes to he finds himself with Priscilla and Lilliana. Presumably rescued by Priscilla.
 * A new kind of creatures called Demi-Beasts are present around the city. They are described to be a cross between steel and flesh, having weapons like axes, spears, and such protruding from their body. They are blind and some lack certain body parts. Subaru comments that they are likely not Demon Beasts.
 * On the way to the Muse Company, Subaru is cornered by three Demi-beasts and he is in a bad spot, but Julius helps him dispatch of them.
 * Chapter 2
 * The Witch Cult attack the Priestellan Council of Ten, slaughtering everyone but Kiritaka
 * Artificial Spirit Echidna is not introduced. And because of that, Echidna revealing herself to Julius, Ricardo, and members of the Fang of Iron was omitted.
 * There is a completely new scene written in which Sirius attacked the Muse Company where Anastasia, Kiritaka, and some of the non-combatants and the injured were. This occurred roughly when Subaru and the others were trying to recapture the City Hall. The injured and non-combatants manage to escape thanks to Tivey and Hetaro helping to fend off Sirius, before Kiritaka and his White Dragon Scales took over.
 * Chapter 3
 * There is a new scene in which Emilia sneaks out of her room, to spy on Regulus who is talking using a Conversing Mirror to Capella. When Regulus leaves, Emilia approaches the desk with the Mirror is and it shines. She picks it up and Al is on the other side. Emilia asks him to convey a message to Subaru about where Regulus and Capella are.
 * Al is against Subaru making his speech in the Light Novel.
 * Chapter 4
 * Wilhelm talks about the civil war and Sphinx, but the Roswaal of two generations ago is not mentioned.
 * Instead of asking Al to go with Priscilla and Lilliana to fight against Sirius, Subaru asks him to stay back and defend the City Hall. In the Web Novel it was Priscilla who told him although this happened off-screen.
 * Chapter 5
 * Otto's scene just before he encounters Ley is modified so it includes references to the Demi-Beasts.

Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 19

 * Prologue
 * Julius is far more uneasy about the prospect of fighting Roy, and wonders if someone had been eaten from their faction. Ricardo tries to assuage his worries by asking how that could be so, because he knew that Mimi and the others, Anastasia, and of course Julius himself were all present.
 * Instead of Otto, Felt, Dynas and the others stalling Ley so that Liliana could escape, Dynas claimed that Liliana had been taken by the enemy. Kiritaka is not present in this scene.
 * Wilhelm and Garfiel approaching the control tower was not told in flashback form, but instead illustrates the scene of events that occurred for them to get there.
 * When they enter the area, instead of finding the writing in blood on the wall, Wilhelm and Garfiel encounter the reanimated Theresia van Astrea and Kurgan. Behind them, is an eerie looking giant blood clot. After Theresia's hood slips from her, the blood clot attacks and engulfs both Kurgan and Garfiel.
 * Chapter 1
 * Emilia is more proactive in the escape sequence from Regulus, making heavy use of Ice Brand Arts to keep him at bay.
 * The escape sequence using the ice curve is slightly changed, with Subaru asking Emilia to fashion some ice skates using her magic to aid their escape as she continues to ward off Regulus. One of the ways which Emilia tries to ward off Regulus is by hitting him in his crotch with a Three Section Staff. Subaru eventually grabs her body with his whip as she flies past, resulting in the pursuing Regulus crashing into a nearby wall.
 * The continuation of the fights against Gluttony, Theresia and Kurgan that appear in the Web Novel have been removed. Chapter 51, for example, was not included at all in Volume 19.
 * The Water Dragon's sacrifice was omitted from the Light Novel. The rain of blood pouring down on the protagonists was substituted with a rain of water coming from the waterway.
 * Chapter 2
 * There is a new scene with Lilliana and Priscilla just before they head off to fight Sirius which includes Lilliana helping Priscilla change into her new dress. She is enamoured by Priscilla's breasts, feeling as if a god had descended.
 * It's implied that Priscilla knows about the existence of Anastasia's Artificial Spirit in a new dialogue between the two, just before she heads off.
 * There is new dialogue between Priscilla and Lilliana in which they discuss the fate of the Council of Ten. Priscilla thinks that Kiritaka is still alive because of his knowledge of where the Witch's Remains are located.
 * They also discuss the convenient timing in which the flood gates had been opened and shut. Lilliana feels like Priscilla may know something that she is not letting on, but Priscilla dismisses her talk.
 * The flashback chapters from Lilliana's Point of View in the Web Novel (Namely Chapter 63 and 64) was omitted.
 * When they confront Sirius, Lilliana asks Sirius about Kiritaka. Sirius replies that he's under her care. She brandishes her Gospel and claims that without it Lilliana's treasured one would be in danger.
 * The first person point of view from Lilliana's perspective in the Web Novel has been changed to third person in the fight against Sirius.
 * Chapter 3
 * Regulus starts to destroy buildings as if he was playing a game of daruma otoshi to try and kill Subaru.
 * There's an emphasis on Emilia trying to take the wives out of Regulus's little kingdom as Subaru beseeches Emilia to take the wives away from his little kingdom instead of bringing out their true feelings.
 * Chapter 4
 * The tale "King of Thorns with Iris" was changed to "King with Iris". There is an extra dialogue added in which Lilliana reflects on the titles which Sirius had spoken to Priscilla and realises that they are titles of famous tales.
 * As in the Web Novel, Kiritaka rescues Lilliana from the water when the control tower collapses. Kiritaka had ended up in the chaos of the people who were running about wildly in the plaza. In the Web Novel, he had ended up in the fight against Ley.
 * Chapter 5
 * After Subaru crushes the heart Regulus had placed in Emilia's chest, Emilia uses her ice brand arts to conjure a hammer and swings it at Regulus. Following him being slammed against a wall, Emilia punches Regulus 53 times, brutalizing him. Once for each wife that remained. She follows up her punches with attacks from her ice magic. This occurs just before Reinhard arrives on the scene and punts him up into the air.
 * Chapter 6
 * Regulus' long rant at the beginning of Chapter 59 in the Web Novel is modified at the end to have Regulus repeat "I am not to blame" over and over again.

Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 20

 * Prologue
 * The cut continuation of the fights against Gluttony, Theresia and Kurgan that appear in the Web Novel have been moved as a prologue.
 * Garfiel is still wrapped by the mysterious blood clot that had swallowed him up, as they sink underneath the water. He transforms into his tiger form to escape it and rips the blood clot to shreds.
 * A flock of Demi-Beasts attack Garfiel, but he easily dispatches of them in tiger form. Garfiel reasons that the Demi-Beasts were specifically set to guard the tower Capella should have occupied.
 * Garfiel loses his footing after the initial wave of attacks, and slips. A Demi-Beast with a sword amalgamated with its body senses the opportunity, and tries to kill Garfiel. However, Kurgan dispatches of it. Kurgan would not permit them to interfere in his battle against Garfiel, and between the two they dispatch of the Demi-Beasts that had surrounded him, whilst fighting each other.
 * Garfiel is seized by Kurgan still in his Tiger form shortly after. He manages to wriggle out of his clutches by untransforming himself.
 * There are changes to the start of the fight between Garfiel and Kurgan, including Garfiel being punted up to the top of the control tower by Kurgan.
 * Roy Alphard shouts out "Lunar Eclipse" before using his Palm of the Fist King technique. In the Web Novel, he did not use Lunar Eclipse before doing so.
 * Chapter 1
 * Ley Batenkaitos shouts out their full name, when he eats someone's name in the Light Novel. In the Web Novel, he only said their first name.
 * Neither Solar Eclipse or Lunar Eclipse are explicitly mentioned by Gluttony in this fight.
 * The attack from the Meteor hits Ley dead on. The sequence in which Louis takes over his body to escape the blast is changed so that now Ley lies in dying state.
 * After Dynas attempts to take the dying Ley as a hostage, Louis suddenly takes over his body. The voice of the man is described to be speaking like a young girl.
 * Louis changes her appearance to her actual form after Otto realise that Ley's body has been hijacked by her. It is at this point she introduces herself as one of the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony, Louis Arneb. She's described as if she would have been pretty, like an angel, if her expression wasn't brimming with malice.
 * Chapter 2
 * There's a new dialogue added in which Capella tries to get Al to leak out some of his secrets. Capella seems to think that Al was behind the opening of the floodgates, and also hints that he was behind the murder of the members of the Council of Ten.
 * A description is added on how Al escapes the collapsing building, which he used to snare Capella. He dives out of a crack in the wall into the waterway.
 * After the building collapses during the fight against Capella, the scene in which Al confronts Anastasia still takes place. However, since they weren't introduced to the artificial spirit Echidna, Al doesn't know what is possessing her. He just knows that she isn't Anastasia Hoshin.
 * Unlike in the Web Novel, the group are interrupted by Capella reforming herself, first as countless red lights, then as hundreds of field mice, before finally taking her original form back.
 * Capella speaks to the trio, in a new scene in which she decides that she will withdraw, stating that plainly. Anastasia, who has been possessed by her artificial spirit now, asks her if it her Gospel had instructed her to do that.
 * Capella pulls out her gospel from within her arm and shows it to the trio. She rubs her cheek against it, and states that to the end, the book is a material for judgement, and the liberty of choice rests in her.
 * After announcing her retreat, Capella sets her Demi-beasts on the trio. Al kills one as they flee for their lives. During their retreat Capella mocks them saying Unless they get a move on that the number of corpses would increase. And if the number of corpses increased, so would the number of Demi-beasts. It's said by Capella in this scene that the Demi-beasts are made from corpses. It's left unclear if her authority resurrects the corpses and changes them, or simply changes them into Demi-beasts moments from death.
 * Chapter 3
 * A new scene has been added that follows the continuation of Al, Felix and Anastasia's escape from the Demi-beasts. During the escape sequence, Al tries to fend off the Demi-beasts, mowing them down with his Blue Dragon Sword. However, it's mentioned that it feels like it's just a matter of time until they swarm the trio.
 * Priscilla turns up as they try to fend off the Demi-beasts, and dispatches of all of them with her Yang Sword. The description describes her as bestowing mercy on them, who's lives had been toyed with and kept at bay from death.
 * Chapter 4
 * Chapter 5
 * This chapter has been considerably shortened from the Web Novel.
 * From time to time, ever since her uncle died and she received the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint, Theresia heard a voice saying "Take up your sword, Theresia" in her mind.
 * When Theresia finally took up the sword, she could hear that voice laughing. It was at that moment she realised that the voice belonged to the Sword God.
 * After Wilhelm defeated her and took over as her sword, she was finally freed from hearing the voice of the Sword God.
 * Chapter 6
 * Beatrice reveals to Subaru that Al gave her the magic stones. She is holding one left in the palm of her hand. In the Web Novel, Kiritaka had been the one to hand her them. Beatrice is extremely suspicious of Al, as when he handed them over to her, Al had said to her "Don't ask." Subaru thinks that Al has been involved in too many suspicious incidents within the city, and ponders that if his suspicious behaviour continued, he would have no choice but to keep an eye out on him. He is jerked out of his thoughts by Emilia saying that she didn't think Al was a bad person.
 * The end of the fight against Roy Alphard takes place off screen, in contrast to the Web Novel where part of the end is seen in flashback format. The results of the fight remain unchanged as Julius still loses his name, and Ricardo still loses his right arm.
 * Chapter 7
 * The scene in which Subaru tries to test his hypothesis that people from a different world can remember Gluttony victims was essentially cut. He only asks the people at the meeting in the Light Novel, whether they remember Julius, putting no emphasis on Al, nor making any internal reflection of his hypothesis.
 * The physical scene in which Emilia freezes the victims of Lust has been off-screened.
 * The Artificial Spirit Echidna possessing Anastasia is revealed in the Light Novel here during her private talk with Subaru thanks to the latter's perception. Echidna ends up confessing to Subaru who she is, during this talk. Earlier, during the meeting, Priscilla had also referred to Anastasia as "The Fox Woman", which Echidna grasped as having had her identity figured out by her as well.
 * The Arc 5 Interludes, from the Web Novel, have been cut.