Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"On the other hand... Hachiman Hikigaya doesn't think he can persuade Priscilla."

"Emperor Vincent, that's the princess's brother." This is what Al told him.

"If Komachi were burned to death, what would he do? Putting himself in her shoes, Hachiman Hikigaya can completely understand Priscilla's current situation, and even feel very sorry for her."

"Vincent is Priscilla's brother, which means Priscilla... is actually a princess of Holy Flavia?!"

This revelation of her identity left many people both amused and bewildered. It turns out that Al's previous use of the nickname "Princess" wasn't a special nickname at all, but rather a way of stating the truth.

At this moment, many people couldn't help but wonder: Was Priscilla a member of Lugnica or the Holy Flacchia Empire?

If Priscilla wins among the five candidates, it means that the new emperor of Lugnica is the former princess of the Holy Flacchia Empire.

"Dragon..."

Crusch grew increasingly dissatisfied with the aging and failing Shenlong.

However, the members of the Sages' Council did not change their minds. Since the dragon had chosen Priscilla, she was qualified. This was a matter of etiquette and respect for the dragon.

Vincent, far away in the Holy Flacchia Empire, suddenly had a bright idea. He had found a crucial point: "The ordinary people below don't know about my stepping down, which means—"

His double took his place.

His double was involved in the rebellion!

Vincent, beaming with joy, let out a sigh of relief. After so long, the rebellion had finally made progress. Now, he was about to order the arrest of the imposter!

248. Priscilla Route - Enemy, Blue Lightning

"The entire army dispatched by the Empire was brutally slaughtered. In the following ten days, the enraged Priscilla traveled throughout the Holy Flacchia Empire, single-handedly defeating and killing several of the Nine Gods Generals stationed in different cities."

"The atmosphere within the Empire was tense. Notices were posted, and troops were urgently dispatched to besiege Priscilla. However, large forces repeatedly missed Priscilla's trail by the slightest chance, being completely outmaneuvered and achieving nothing."

"During this time, Arachya, one of the Nine Gods, even betrayed Priscilla and joined her forces. With tears in her eyes, she tried to bow her head and kiss Priscilla's feet, but was ruthlessly rejected."

"Hachiman Hikigaya personally experienced just how terrifying Priscilla was when she went all out to achieve her goal. Her strength, which surpassed that of any of the Nine Divine Generals he had ever seen, coupled with her heaven-defying protection and incredible luck, actually allowed her to single-handedly confront an entire nation in a short period of time!"

"...However, all these impressive achievements vanished the moment they met that man."

"It was an ordinary night when they were hiding in the forest, avoiding the main force of the empire. A man approached from the darkness. He had two swords hanging at his waist. His appearance, clothing and temperament were as dashing as a legendary great swordsman, with a chilling aura."

"Hey, hey... I was determined not to get involved in the power struggle between the old princess and the new emperor, but how did I still end up getting caught up in it? Seriously, this is really troublesome, but pretending not to see it is even more troublesome. You guess you're just unlucky, Your Highness."

"The boastful declaration symbolizes the arrogance of a man's inevitable victory. Priscilla, dressed in red, curled her lips in disdain. She was even more arrogant than her opponent, not even glancing at him directly. With a light clench of her hand, the dazzling light of the Yang Sword immediately illuminated the dim world."

""oh--""

The lazy man's eyes lit up, his gaze suddenly sharpening. "You should have said so earlier! You should have said you used a sword earlier! Couldn't those defeated soldiers even bring back this little bit of information?"

"Because all the soldiers who witnessed the princess wielding the Sun Sword were wiped out." Al sighed, tapping his helmet before gripping the hilt of his sword tightly with his single arm. "Though I'm tempted to say something so frightening... you might be the first survivor of the princess's Sun Sword."

"That's an exaggeration...it's an exaggeration of our own combat strength."

"Hachiman Hikigaya could feel the heavy pressure in Al's words. It was nighttime, Priscilla was no longer blessed with good fortune, and more importantly, she had been running rampant in the Empire recently, almost exhausting the reserves of the Yang Sword. Once the Yang Sword disappeared, it was really hard to imagine how to fight against this enemy who exuded an incomparably powerful aura."

"One of the Nine Divine Generals of the Holy Flacian Empire, Azure Lightning, Celsis."

"He slowly drew his two swords and introduced himself with a smile."

"Your Highness, I'm buying you some time. Please leave quickly during that opening!"

Arachya immediately shielded Priscilla. Considering the princess's personality, she did not use the word "run away." Even so, Priscilla remained standing in place.

"Sigh..." Al shrugged. "Seriously, let's just fight. It's better to save our energy. Don't waste our breath; the princess doesn't like running away with her tail between her legs."

"Hachiman Hikigaya sat to one side, crackling his matches, unmoved... Against an enemy of Celsis's caliber, he was practically useless in combat; if he went up, he would only be killed instantly or do more harm than good. He could only watch."

"—Until he threw the last few pieces of wood he had picked up into the fire, the firelight illuminated Al, who had been dismembered and whose helmet had been cut in half, revealing his true face, which was rarely seen by others."

"The battered and bruised Arakia, barely clinging to life, fled with Priscilla's corpse on her back, only to be pierced through the heart by a thrown sword and nailed to a large tree, thus linking her to the princess she had always dreamed of."

Even after losing her life and soul, Priscilla, now just a corpse, remained clean and tidy, possessing a captivating pride and charm—she ended her life by slitting her own throat just moments before being killed by Celsis.

"No one in this world, except herself, has the right to take her life; this pride and arrogance are truly conveyed."

"So I said, I really don't want to get involved in this mess."

"Celsis sighed. Compared to his composure when he first appeared, he has now become a second Al, with only one arm left... That's all thanks to Priscilla."

"But thankfully, my arm is still there; it wasn't burned off by the old princess's magic. That means we can just find a skilled healer later."

"He played with his severed arm, and his feigned sighs could not hide the surprise on his face. After his battle with Priscilla, he seemed to have gained some insight and climbed another level on the ladder of swordsmanship."

He ignored Hachiman Hikigaya the entire time, as if he didn't even see him. Hachiman Hikigaya didn't speak to him either, but just glanced at the three corpses with his eyes lowered.

"Then, Hachiman Hikigaya stood up and picked up Al's sword, which was covered in his own blood."

"The sound of a cleaver chopping pork rang out continuously. As Celsis watched with great interest, the knife dismembered, cleaved, cut, chopped, and smashed the corpses of Arachia and Priscilla until they became a pool of mixed meat paste, indistinguishable from anything else, without a single distinguishing feature."

"A lump of minced meat, it's just a lump of minced meat."

"I thought you were a coward with some self-awareness, someone who would surrender after your master's defeat. But... to prevent them from becoming spoils of war for the empire, you actually went to such lengths, stripping them naked and parading them through the streets?"

"Celsius slowly drew his sword again from its sheath with a resounding clang, a sound of approval: 'It is no disgrace to my sword.'"

"Under the tree, looking at that pool of flesh, Hachiman Hikigaya, trembling and vomiting up stomach acid, turned around, panting, 'Priscilla is my savior.'"

"Not serving a monarch? Hmm... never mind, it doesn't matter."

"A contented Celsis smiled."

"In the clash of swords and blades, victory or defeat is decided by life and death."

"Hachiman Hikigaya, died."

249. Priscilla's Route: Digging Your Own Grave

"Dead? Dead? Just like that?"

At Advanced Nurturing High School, Horikita Suzune was dumbfounded.

Although she knew from the previous cycle that Priscilla would die in the Holy Flacchia Empire, she really didn't expect her to die so hastily.

"There was no massive army of thousands surrounding Priscilla, no nine generals joining forces, no ambush, no prophecy. It was simply because the blue lightning didn't want to waste its energy chasing Priscilla, so it was taking a casual stroll, and then—it just died like that?"

Not only Horikita Suzune, but also Kogenji Rokusuke and Kushida Kikyo were dumbfounded and bewildered. Priscilla's death was too hasty and caught everyone off guard.

"Hasty? Ha."

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji glanced at them and shook his head slightly. His intention to pity their pitiful intelligence was so obvious that Suzune Horikita wanted to slam her fist on the table... if she could beat him.

"Priscilla's incredible luck only intensifies when others target her. Whether it's a joint ambush by the Nine Gods or an overwhelming force of tens of thousands of troops, any carefully planned conspiracy is doomed to fail."

"The only way to bypass her strong luck to the greatest extent possible is to have no intention of targeting her and not to be her enemy. Therefore, the more hasty we are, the more likely we are to succeed."

"Hachiman Hikigaya proposed this method back when he was serving as Crusch's strategist, and now facts have once again proven him right, yet you are here in disbelief—I am very disappointed, Horikita."

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji's expression and tone carried an unparalleled sense of oppression.

"It's unbelievable that I chose you as a pawn back then... I misjudged you to such an extent. Compared to his judgment of people, it was an overwhelming defeat."

Horikita Suzune's face froze, her cheeks flushed red. Did this mean that her IQ was so low that she was not qualified to be a pawn of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka?

She knew that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, once his true colors were revealed, wouldn't offer any well-intentioned explanations. Every time he spoke, it was actually to speculate about Hikigaya Hachiman, or to compete with him.

Humiliation, it was truly humiliation!

"However, Crusch, Emilia, Rem, and Anastasia are people that Hachiman has his eye on, and they are definitely far beyond your reach, aren't they?"

Kikyo Kushida, who was standing to the side, was still sneering and adding insult to injury. Suzune Horikita glared at her and said, "No matter how bad I am compared to those people, I'm still much better than you!"

Her face darkened, and Kikyo Kushida was about to add fuel to the fire when Kiyotaka Ayanokouji glanced at her and said in a cold, emotionless voice, "Those who want to make noise should get out. If you're affecting my viewing of Hachiman Hikigaya, it's not as simple as just one punch."

The entire Class D fell silent instantly.

There were actually other reasons for Priscilla's death, but Kiyotaka Ayanokoji was too lazy to talk about them.

The Hexin Chamber of Commerce looked bewildered, feeling that the death had been incredibly hasty. Lius said blankly:

"Lady Priscilla's incredible luck has truly broadened my horizons. Given her previous performance with such incredible luck, even if the blue lightning was unintentional, it shouldn't have been able to find her so easily."

Mimi tilted her head and said, "Yeah, there should be a warning during the day if someone suddenly decides to have a whim, right?"

“Strong luck does give warnings, but ultimately the choice is Priscilla’s own, Mimi.”

Holding the fluffy Mimi, Anastasia gently explained, "Her beloved brother was burned to death, and anger has made her lose her mind. Although she received a warning, anger and arrogance combined, causing her to have no intention of acting according to the law. She didn't run away in advance. Subjective and objective factors conflicted, and subjective factors prevailed over objective factors, resulting in this outcome."

At this point, Anastasia curled her lip, "If you want to die, just die! Why drag my prime minister into this? How pathetic!"

She wiggled her little feet, pouted, and muttered, "Come here quickly, Your Excellency."

"..."

Compared to Anastasia, which had already completely fallen, Rigador was more concerned about the strength of the blue lightning... He could tell that the blue lightning was stronger than the Blesser.

The Praiser is stronger than the current Sword Demon, the Sword Demon is stronger than the current Julius, and Julius is stronger than him. In other words, if we don't count the bishops of the Great Sin, those with strange powers, the witch, and the dragon, the Azure Lightning might be one of the top three, or even the second strongest, terrifying beings in the world right now.

No wonder she was able to fight her way to kill Priscilla, who didn't have much luck.

"...Tsk."

Li Jiaduo clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Speaking of which, doesn't Al have a blessing similar to Return from Death, meow? Why didn't I see him use it this time, meow? Hmm, should I call it a blessing or an authority, meow?"

At the Carlsten residence, Phyllis raised her hand to ask a question, and the observant and experienced Wilhelm offered his guess:

"Are you referring to the self or the other party returning to their state a dozen seconds earlier? Based on my deduction, that's very different from Lord Hachiman's Return of Death. It requires active use and has certain conditions—Mr. Al encountered serious danger several times when fighting against the Imperial Army, but he didn't use this ability. I guess the conditions for using it here are not met."

"Furthermore, given the difference in strength between him and the azure lightning, even if he keeps rewinding, he still cannot win."

"If there is a possibility that the blue lightning will lose, then the key to victory, the glimmer of hope, can only be Lady Priscilla."

Crusch overheard their conversation, but she didn't participate, partly because she shared the same thoughts as Lord Wilhelm.

On the other hand, she was so happy that she couldn't speak—if she did, her joyful smile would surely overflow.

Although it was for the other person's own good, she almost burst out laughing when she saw Hachiman-sama chop Priscilla's corpse into pieces.

Moreover, this timeline clearly reveals the internal situation and overall strength of the Holy Flacian Empire, which is a great thing.

"It's just a pity for Lord Hachiman... He has to do this kind of thing himself, he must feel extremely nauseous."

Only this heartfelt lament could somewhat dispel her joy.