Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"I'm sorry, I'm not your underling."

"Refuted by Julius, the man scratched his head impatiently: 'I could tell from your stingy manner that you like to nitpick over words. Just as I thought, just like my little brother. Hey, stingy one, don't be like my little brother!'"

"Gua... Master, save me!"

"While the others were still watching the man warily, Shaula suddenly trembled as if she had seen the most terrifying demon in the world. She clung tightly to the hem of Hachiman Hikigaya's clothes, her eyes rolled back in terror, and then she fainted, collapsing to the ground, foaming at the mouth."

The man ignored Xia Wula, glanced around the white room, and then nodded as if he understood the situation, saying, "Oh, oh, I see, I understand. Let's begin."

"Having received the order to begin the match, Julius was about to make his move when another voice stopped him: 'Wait—Julius, come back.'"

Julius paused for a moment, then sincerely apologized to the other party, and without hesitation moved away from the man, returning to the group near the stairwell.

"The man who was in charge of the trial seemed to be the very embodiment of 'power,' arousing the desire in everyone. Any knight loyal to the sword would instinctively want to fight him the moment they saw him, and Julius was no exception."

"And to call him back at this crucial moment is clearly a sign that he doubts Julius's strength and believes he cannot win, which should be a great disgrace."

"Even so, Julius obeyed without hesitation, suppressing his surging fighting spirit and setting aside his pride."

"There's only one reason, and it's very simple. It's because the one who called for him was Hachiman Hikigaya!"

"It's that Hachiman Hikigaya who respects others, that Hachiman Hikigaya with piercing eyes, that Hachiman Hikigaya who never made a single mistake in command during the White Whale Expedition, the Sloth Raid, and the Minato Continuous Battle!"

"Even though he has lost his memory, Julius still believes that his true respect for others, his piercing gaze, and his unquestionable command ability are still hidden within his dearest friend, just waiting to be used when needed."

"—Now is the time!"

"Hachiman Hikigaya's eyes were sharp as he stared intently at the man who was taking on the trial, his mind constantly analyzing the situation."

"Shawla fainted upon seeing the other person, and it's obvious that the other person doesn't recognize Shawla. This means that this is someone Shawla knows, whose memories are stuck in a time when the other person didn't know Shawla, and that Shawla was bullied by this person."

"Given Xia Wula's personality—her nonchalant attitude in saying she'd kill rule-breakers—and her habit of indiscriminately killing enemies who approach the Sage's Tower with laser needles all day long, she's not someone who would faint from sheer fear."

"But when she saw this clone, she didn't have the slightest thought of rushing up to avenge her previous defeat, which proves that she felt she couldn't beat this clone and had no chance of winning."

"The man, who looked like a prehistoric dinosaur, stared back at Hachiman Hikigaya. Despite the pressure he was exerting, Hachiman Hikigaya was not overwhelmed. In terms of aura, they were evenly matched, which amused the man."

"Hey, you," he grinned fiercely, "you look much more interesting than your little brother. How about going to train for a few years? —But it's too much trouble for me to wait here for years, it's too boring."

"It would be rather tragic if we were reduced to having a civilian employee on the front lines."

Hachiman Hikigaya raised his left index finger. "I only have one question for you: Will you kill me?"

"You're so naive to think that no one should die while fighting." The man sneered, but the next moment he was dumbfounded. After hearing his words, Hachiman Hikigaya waved his right hand, and everyone else took several steps back, one foot on the stairs.

"It's not that people can't die, it's just that our people can't die. If possible, killing you would be the best."

Sensing the man's boldness in his words, Hachiman Hikigaya bluntly stated, "If you intend to kill, I'd rather subdue Shaura now, leave the Tower of the Sages, and leave you here alone."

"No matter how you look at it, as a trial on a fixed floor, it's impossible for the other party to leave the second floor."

"Therefore, the threat is established."

"Tsk—"

The man scratched his head impatiently and said, "I don't dislike it when you're not afraid of me and spout arrogant threats. But why are you a man? Hey, if only you were a beautiful woman! If you were a woman, you'd definitely be better than these three good women, and I'd love you to bits!"

Hachiman Hikigaya ignored his foul language and continued to press for a firm promise. He knew that once this kind of person made a promise, it was hard for him to go back on it: "Not kill him?"

"No, no!" The man clicked his tongue impatiently again, accepting the condition. "With my little brother and good woman, you can't force me to do that."

"Okay, thanks."

"The standoff ended, and Hachiman Hikigaya, showing both flexibility and assertiveness, immediately expressed his gratitude, making it even harder for the other side to back out. After negotiating the terms, Hachiman Hikigaya waved his hand, signaling everyone to gather around and discuss the matter further."

"Anastasia, and Melly, take the unconscious Shaura back to the fourth floor and stay with Ram."

"After much hesitation, Anastasia still did not reveal the secret that she could allow Dona the Fox to possess her and use magic. Doing so would consume her lifespan, and the current situation was not so dire that she had to do it."

So she obediently helped Meili carry Xiau La downstairs.

"Julius, Crusch, Emilia, attack together. Don't hold back. This is no enemy you need to spare. If you don't believe me, attack him together with your strongest ranged attacks, and you'll understand his power."

"That's a lie."

"He didn't actually know how strong the other party was, but he was worried that Julius would be hesitant because of his so-called chivalry, so he exaggerated as much as possible."

"If that man could be killed in one go by the strongest ranged attack from the third level, that would be ideal. After that, if Julius is dissatisfied, let Hikigaya Hachiman bear the consequences."

"To pass the trial unscathed, with no one on his side injured, was more important to him than to satisfy Julius's chivalry and vent his fighting spirit."

"...But soon, Hachiman Hikigaya realized that he had not only not exaggerated, but had actually underestimated his opponent."

382. Let you touch a woman

"Borrowing six contracted quasi-spirits, combining the rainbow aurora of six attributes, and unleashing an extraordinary great magic, it is the strongest magical attack apart from the secret technique that has not yet been successfully executed."

"Curafiel!"

"I didn't want to use this technique on an unarmed person, but my trust in my best friend outweighed my pride. As the best knight, it's only right that I show my best friend my coolest side."

"Julius, the finest knight of the Kingdom of Lugnica, here to challenge you—Hah! Ahhh!"

"A rainbow beam of light, imbued with intense heat and carrying the will to annihilate the enemy, unleashed a dangerous aura of destruction. At the same time, Crusch's hundred-man katana was swiftly swung out, the brilliance of sword energy and magic converging to create a magnificent offensive."

With a soft shout of "Gauze Curtain!" Beatrice suddenly blocked the man's view, leaving him with nowhere to hide and nowhere to block.

"This is a despicable act, but Beatrice felt no remorse whatsoever; instead, she cursed the man, wishing him to die from this triple attack."

"To retrieve Hachiman's memories... to make Hachiman remember everything... Betty's Hachiman, Betty's contractor, for Hachiman, Betty will do anything!"

"That way, we can—"

"—Whoosh!!"

The veil was lifted, the darkness dispelled, and Beatrice's voice was interrupted. Before her eyes stood an incredibly composed man, so composed he wasn't even serious. He grinned like a shark and said casually, "Nameless, nobody to report. I'm just a batter."

"Just a swinger, but let me state upfront..."

"My sword can even cut through light!"

"There was no response; everyone was completely stunned."

"The man was holding a chopstick, just an ordinary chopstick, but with a casual wave of his hand, the gauze curtain shattered like glass."

"boom--!!"

"With another swing, the rainbow beam of light from Rios was cleaved in two by the attack he created with his chopsticks. The immense energy of high temperature was touched, divided, and compressed, and then exploded with a bang, scattering fire in all directions."

The intense heat of the explosion filled the vast white space. Emilia created an ice shield to protect everyone from the aftershocks. Julius, his mouth dry, murmured incoherently, staring at this unbelievable scene: "How...is this possible..."

The man scoffed at his ignorance and incompetence, saying, "Don't laugh your head off. If you use the best angle, the best speed, and the best feel, there's nothing you can't cut through. Nothing is impossible."

"Even Reinhard—"

The rebuttal was abruptly cut off halfway through.

"Julius has figured it out. Indeed, Reinhard has never made such an unbelievable 'slash' before. But that's because he has always respected his opponents. No matter how strong or weak they are, he will always face them with his sword properly."

"But does not doing it mean it's impossible?"

"Besides the man in front of me and Reinhard, Julius can't think of anyone else in the world who could do this, not even Wilhelm in his youth, nor the blue lightning of the Holy Flacchia Empire."

"...You wouldn't...?"

Julius gritted his teeth, he was trembling... He was excited, excited to be able to fight 'Reinhard' who was not holding back too much. He was afraid, afraid that he could not defeat this 'Reinhard' and help his best friend regain his memories.

"But in any case."

"...My body has already started moving on its own!"

"Boom!"

"The hundreds, nearly a thousand, ice pillars that Emilia had gathered suddenly crashed down with great force, but the man easily extinguished them by waving his chopsticks. Just as he was dealing with these ice pillars, Julius pounced over and used all the sword skills he had learned in his life to unleash the most powerful move in history."

"Clang!"

The man, his sword parried and easily returning to defense, smiled and said with a bored expression, "Yeah, you should get serious already. Playing like this is no fun."

""Play?!""

"His eyes widened in anger, but even with all his strength, he could not retrieve his sword from the chopsticks. The chopsticks moved, causing the sword to move as well."

"Before he could let go of his sword, Julius was flung into the air by the force of the man moving the chopsticks, becoming his shield. Countless icicles pierced Julius's back, blood splattering everywhere, which frightened Emilia into immediately stopping."

"Hey, just right, he's still treatable, he won't die. Here, take your little brother back."

With a single kick, the man sent Julius, who was sweating profusely from the pain, flying. He grinned like a shark and said, "Remember this, the one who's going to kill you isn't me, it's your beautiful lady over there."

Ignoring him, Hachiman Hikigaya handed Julius over to Beatrice to be taken down to the fourth floor for treatment. In the blink of an eye, the four of them working together had reduced the number of people left to Emilia and Crusch.

"Having witnessed Julius's tragic end, they were more cautious in their actions, but it was no use. The two stepped closer to the one wielding the bat, and after a brief clash, Crusch was disarmed in just one move, her arm nearly broken from the blows."

"Emilia provides assistance, forcing men to fight her, but this also puts her in great danger. Creating ice shields has become an instinct for her, and each ice shield is destroyed the moment it is created."

"It's not just chopsticks; every punch and kick from a man possesses an unparalleled, overwhelming power, far surpassing that of a high-ranking archbishop."

"Emilia is powerful enough, but she still pales in comparison."

"Beautiful lady, hey! As my spoils of war, enjoy them well—"

The man looked expectant, moved his chopsticks to touch Emilia's chest, and the next second, solid footsteps echoed, and Julius's sword flew down with a whistling sound, seemingly without any skill.

"That concludes the challenge!"

"When Hachiman Hikigaya's order reached her ears, Emilia stopped trying to attack and focused on defense and retreat, just in time to miss the man's chopsticks. She leaped up, picked up the fallen Crusch, and ran to the stairs in a few quick movements, standing shoulder to shoulder with her knight."

"The man, annoyed by his failed attempt, menacingly threatened Hachiman Hikigaya, 'How stingy! You're even more stingy than me. What's wrong with a good woman like that being touched? She won't change her mind. How stingy!'"

Hachiman Hikigaya looked at him, then suddenly nodded: "Alright, then I'll be generous."

"Oh?" The man's eyes lit up.

"Hachiman Hikigaya rolled up his sleeves and patted his shoulder. "See that? This skin is as white as a normal woman's now, isn't it? If you're willing to let us pass the trial, I'll let you touch it, you can touch it all day long."

383. How miserable!

"Hachiman Hikigaya's words were so outrageous that even Crusch was stunned. The one wielding the bat, after a moment of surprise, burst into laughter, then waved his hand dismissively: 'Ha! I don't like touching men's bodies! Get lost!'"

"Before that, could you please return Julius's sword to me? Otherwise, I'll strip naked right here."

"Hachiman Hikigaya shrugged and uttered words that further shocked the already dizzy Crusch. He smacked his hand with a click and casually tossed the broken sword over with a speed capable of killing Hachiman Hikigaya."

"The crisis was resolved by Emilia. Without hesitation, she took the sword for Hachiman, even though her palms were chafed painfully."