Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"Yes, umm." Meryl's eyes darted around as she glanced at the Book of the Dead filling the room, then changed the subject, "Speaking of which, big brother must be eager to regain his memories, right?"

Hachiman Hikigaya glanced at her. "Get to the point."

"What I wanted to say was, big brother."

"Pretty-faced Meryl held up one finger. 'You know—now that things have come to this, there's actually more than one way to restore Big Brother's memories, isn't there?'"

387. Successful Education

"You came to the Sage's Tower to retrieve your memories, but isn't there a more convenient way now?"

With her innocent, childlike face, Meryl spoke lightly and without a trace of weight, looking up at him earnestly as she offered her suggestion: "Kill all the older sisters and read their Book of the Dead. That way, older brother can indirectly regain his memories, right?"

"It was a lighthearted tone. But Hachiman Hikigaya could tell, hear, and feel that Merry's encouragement was genuine."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of intimidation in his voice, "Even if I kill you first?"

"Wow, I didn't really talk to my big brother much before. But since he killed me, there's nothing I can do but stay with Elsa."

With a grin, Melly pulled a book from the bookshelf. The book was titled "Elsa the Bowel Hunter".

"Hey, big brother, did you know? I've discovered something! In this library, if you try hard enough to remember someone, you can be guided to the Book of the Dead of the person you were once closest to."

She held Elsa's book, a look of rapt delight on her face, and was about to open it. "Hehe... After killing Big Sister, you won't have to worry about not finding their books."

Hachiman Hikigaya shrugged abruptly and uttered a nonsensical statement: "I have always had great respect for the dead."

"Huh?" Meryl was taken aback, not understanding what he meant. In that instant, Hachiman Hikigaya stepped forward, reached out, and snatched the Bowel Hunter from Meryl's arms. He quickly flipped through a few pages, then casually tossed it far away with a clatter."

"What I mean is, some people, even if they're dead, aren't worthy of my respect."

"Hachiman Hikigaya said, crouching down to meet Merry's gaze. "You've suddenly become much more indifferent to life. Before, you were always very afraid of death. Is it because your soul has entered the Book of the Dead of the Bowel Hunter and read her life story, and it's influenced you?"

"Merry stared blankly as Elsa's book was carelessly thrown away, her throat bobbing."

"Sometimes, even humans can't understand themselves, let alone how others perceive them—there's a thick barrier between us. Hoping to find your true self through that barrier is naive."

"A fire of anger ignited within her, and with anger burning uncontrollably in her eyes, Mary stared at the man in front of her with a hostile expression."

"Hachiman Hikigaya didn't take any precautions, nor did he consider whether Merry would suddenly attack. He just continued talking to himself."

"It's been like a dream all along, a dream that's become clearer and more real. Until today, when I met Rayd."

"I encountered... when I subconsciously gave a command, everyone obeyed, willingly obeyed, and happily obeyed." His voice was filled with indescribable emotion.

"Emilia, Beatrice, Julius, Crusch, Anastasia... Except for you, who were coerced, they all trusted me and believed I was following orders."

"Merry glared at him resentfully, "So what!"

"Hachiman Hikigaya didn't answer immediately. He stood up and reached out to take Merry's hand. Merry shook off his hand, stood rooted to the spot, and glared at him with burning anger."

"Without any dissatisfaction, Hachiman Hikigaya simply walked quietly to where Elsa's Book of the Dead had been thrown away, picked it up, and dusted it off."

"Remember how you feel right now, Meryl."

Handing Elsa to the stunned Merry, Hachiman Hikigaya said earnestly, "Your deep affection for Elsa, your defense of her... that feeling is the same as when I heard you order me to kill Emilia and the others."

"This is the weight of life. Don't talk about killing so lightly. You have your Elsa, and others have their own Elsa. Remember that."

"Meli held Elsa's Book of the Dead, opened her mouth as if to speak, but then stopped, her mind in a daze."

"However, no matter how much you cherish Elsa, I will not allow you to open her book again. Just hold her like this, just hold her, Mary, don't force me to kill you."

He patted Mary's head, took her hand, and led her out of the library.

"Hachiman Hikigaya knows he's no good at teaching children, so he'll leave Merry to Crusch and Anastasia. Let them handle the rest of her education."

"Merry made a terrible mistake, so Hachiman Hikigaya will never forgive her."

"But the current Hachiman Hikigaya is the Hachiman Hikigaya who did not witness or experience that event. Considering that Merry worked so hard to control the monsters in order to save her life and make it easier for everyone to cross the Monster Desert, Hachiman Hikigaya is willing to give her a chance to repent."

"I hope I didn't do anything wrong... I'm sorry, Hachiman Hikigaya."

"Hachiman Hikigaya murmured to himself as he returned to the library alone."

"..."

In the desolate wilderness, riding on the back of a tamed magical beast, leaning against Elsa, Melly clenched and unclenched her fists, giggling, "What an idiot... big brother."

He chuckled, but it was a forced chuckle that stopped almost as soon as it started.

With her eyes closed, Mary snuggled into Elsa's arms, burying her head in the sand. Elsa gently stroked her lonely, pitiful sister with a lullaby-like melody.

"My useless older sister... ha."

"I am such a useless Yukinoshita, ha."

In the convenience store, Yukino sighed, "Indeed, battle is the best stimulant. The trust of entrusting one's life to another in the face of life and death is much stronger and faster than the feelings accumulated in daily life."

Merry has her Elsa, and Hachiman Hikigaya also has his 'Elsa'... How wonderful! Although it's a strange metaphor, the romance it contains is truly something to yearn for.

"Hikigaya-kun, I..."

Yukino wanted to say something, but the next second, she couldn't care less about continuing the topic of Meryl. Like the other customers in the convenience store, her pupils contracted sharply, her eyes filled with disbelief, and she was so nervous that she couldn't catch her breath.

"While wandering through the library, hoping for good luck, Hachiman Hikigaya spent about half an hour there, and by chance, he actually saw Reid's Book of the Dead. He immediately opened it and began to read. In that instant, the book shone with light, drawing his soul out of his body."

"Consciousness accompanies the soul to an unknown realm, and at the same time, what Hachiman Hikigaya obtains is—"

"Oh? Welcome! It's quite an honor to have you here. In that case, let me, the Archbishop of Gluttony of the Witch Cult, Louise Yarneb, give you a proper welcome."

"A welcoming ceremony from the Bishop of Gluttony that felt like falling into an ice cellar."

388. Echidna's masterful scheme

In that instant, most people were startled and jumped up, slamming their fists on the table.

Everyone's mind was blank, especially Reinhard. If there was more than one Bishop of Gluttony, it meant that there were still some who had slipped through the net, and he had not yet made the Kingdom of Lugnica truly safe!

The villagers of Roswaal's territory and the demi-human inhabitants of the Sanctuary were the first to feel a chill run down their spines, but they were far from the only ones. This terror quickly spread throughout the world, even to the valiant and warlike Holy Flacian Empire army.

In terms of sheer power, no one can compare to Reinhard and Reid, but killing is just a matter of a quick death; as long as one is not afraid of death, it doesn't matter.

But the Archbishops of Sin are different. Every Archbishop of Sin is so morbid, so morbid, that it's terrifying. People would rather fight Reinhard than face these lunatics!

"—And why would the Book of the Dead send Hachiman to such a strange place? Why is that?"

Rem was so worried that her hands trembled and her heart ached. Hachiman's painful ordeal continued, making it hard for her to breathe.

"This is a vast white space, truly boundless."

"What came into view was a little girl who looked to be about eight years old."

"Unlike Beatrice, Mimi, or Petra, when Hachiman Hikigaya looked at her, he immediately realized that her self-proclaimed name was not an exaggeration."

"The Archbishop of Sin is this kind of creature, the Archbishop of Sin is this kind of existence, the Archbishop of Sin possesses this kind of aura. When you see it, you will understand that this is what it is."

"but……"

"There are two Bishops of Gluttony?" Looking around and surveying his surroundings, knowing he didn't know how to escape and return to reality, Hachiman Hikigaya had no choice but to resign himself to his fate and patiently communicate with this imposter.

"Wrong, wrong, not two, there are three." The blonde, white-clad Louise grinned, correcting her playfully, "Gourmet Rai, Glutton Roy, and us Louise, the three siblings, that's us, the complete Gluttony Bishop."

"Unfortunately, only Ray and Roy have bodies, so we're stuck living in this memory corridor, waiting for their scraps to be thrown to us. Sigh, how pathetic."

"But not now! A feast has been delivered right to my door! Although it's completely inedible, just smelling it is enough!"

"His uniquely eccentric tone and the shocking answer made Hachiman Hikigaya frown."

"We can't delay any longer."

"Having obtained this information is enough. We must die and return immediately; we absolutely cannot allow our memories to be taken away again."

"Ta-da! Big brother, are you looking for something to make suicide easier? Hehe, no use, no use. There's nothing like that here. Hitting your head on the ground won't help either, because this is the Memory Corridor."

"Humans can't commit suicide without using external tools, but there's no sword here for you to use, because this is the Memory Corridor. Give up, resign yourself to it."

"After her usual sarcastic remarks, Rui finally looked at Hachiman Hikigaya with a straight eye and said with a grin, 'Instead of coming up with such petty ideas, big brother, why don't you... eh? ... eh eh eh eh!?'"

"What?! Possibly?! It's impossible! Unbelievable! That's how it should be!"

"But I didn't see wrong! It really works, it really exists!?"

"Her eyes widened, her finger trembling as she pointed at Hachiman Hikigaya, visibly shaken and shuddering. She was like a hungry wolf seeing a tempting lamb; her previously leisurely and regretful attitude instantly changed."

"Once, twice, three times, four times, five times—eaten once, and now five more times?!"

"Louie licked her lips, trembling, and saliva dripped from her mouth. She was so excited that she could hardly contain herself, or rather, she had no intention of containing herself at all."

"Is this a benefit of returning from death? No, no, no, it should be a side effect for my older brother. Besides, based on the number of times he's returned from death, there shouldn't be only five!"

"That's it! Could it be! Or should I say!"

"Five times! The current trials of the Sanctuary! That's five times!"

"I once teamed up with Roy to force Rai to transfer Hachiman Hikigaya's memories to the two of them so they could enjoy them. Although they eventually returned to Rai's stomach, Rui only had a brief taste of them."

"It was so delicious, so unique. Compared to that memory, there are only a handful of other dishes I've ever eaten that can be considered truly delicious."

"I thought I could never get it again, but it came to me on its own."

"I thought it would be difficult even if he came, but he's a special case!"

"Ray must have known! Ray knew all along! So! One time wasn't enough for him! He wanted to continue, then again, two, three, four, five, six times! To keep it all to himself!"

"Hehe, hehe, hehe, hehehehehehehehehehehehe—"

"Ruy's mutterings to herself, those chilling voices, shattered the facade of peace as Hachiman Hikigaya, unable to escape or commit suicide, coldly interrupted her: 'Stop acting crazy! Just do what you want!'"

"Huh? Hehe, yeah, ta-da, that's right, that's right! Because it's so enjoyable, I'm really happy; because it's so surprising, I'm very pleased~ I'm sorry, big brother, I've neglected you, hehe."

"Rui leaned over to him with feigned concern, and without thinking, Hachiman Hikigaya swept his leg out hard. Rui immediately transformed into the strong warrior she had faced before, easily deflecting his attack with one hand using that power."

"Don't be so impatient, big brother. I have a lot of information to tell you, so please listen carefully, okay? Hehe."

Having witnessed the disparity in combat power between the two sides, Hachiman Hikigaya stopped probing. He kept thinking, but couldn't come up with any key to breaking the deadlock.

"Hey, big brother, do you know? You definitely don't know, because Lai won't tell you, but actually, each person can only be eaten once in their lifetime."

"Louis's mouth was watering more and more; she was almost unable to hold back, but she still said first, 'Not only Lai, but anyone who has been eaten by one of us three siblings once will also be unable to eat by the other two gluttons.'"

She circled around Hachiman Hikigaya, drooling so much that she had to wipe her lips with her sleeve before she could continue talking.

"We originally had a plan: to lure the older brother into separating from his original self, so that he wouldn't accept that he and his pre-amnesia self were the same person."