Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

However, his older brother, Shirogane Miyuki, shattered his illusions.

"But, it's not enough to deny the Return of Death based solely on the Bishop of Gluttony's one-sided account, is it?"

Kei Shirogane argued forcefully, "Since Hikigaya-senpai values ​​genuine artifacts so much, if returning from death once can restore his existence, it's definitely worth it, right? In fact, it's something that must be done, isn't it?"

“You’re right, Kei.” Shirogane Miyuki nodded, but his eyes revealed a deep sigh for Hachiman Hikigaya’s current situation. “We can’t just believe Rui’s one-sided story and cut off our own hands and feet.”

"Then..." Bai Yingui was overjoyed, but the next second, her brother's voice made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

"But who told you that Hachiman didn't use Return by Death to regain his memories because of Rui's advice?"

391. Unable to speak

Shirogane Kei held his breath. "What...does that mean?"

"Given Hachiman's intelligence, he must have deduced from Rui's words that his Return by Death was borrowed and was essentially Satella's. So, do you think that now that his existence has disappeared, Satella would still remember him, care about him, and help him with Return by Death?"

Miyuki Shirogane took a deep breath. "This experiment is impossible to do. Without knowing the truth, committing suicide now is gambling with your life. If you lose, it's all over!"

Kei Shirogane shook her head. She hadn't expected this. After thinking about it carefully for a while, she was pleasantly surprised to find a loophole: "Then Hikigaya-senpai can go and tell Emilia-neechan and the others 'I will return from death' to test it!"

"He didn't know that telling others about returning from death would result in his heart being squeezed, because he never told anyone about returning from death after he lost his memory."

Using facts to refute his sister, Shirogane Miyuki sighed, "Moreover, the information that Rui revealed by peeking into the memories of the Hachiman Sanctuary—that 'discussing the Return of Death outside might lead to the destruction of the world'—will also make him hesitant to act rashly."

"Although it wasn't a complete lie...that's why Hachiman was even more hesitant to test whether he could still return to life by mentioning Return by Death to others to see if there were any consequences."

Therefore, for a short period of time, Hachiman Hikigaya was in an uncertain state, unsure whether he could return to existence through death, and could not test whether he could regain his existence through death.

By the time he might die again in the future, a considerable amount of time will have passed. Even if he does manage to die and return, the save point will most likely have been updated after that, and Gluttony's conspiracy will have been completed.

Shirogane Miyuki was far from the only one who saw through this chain of events.

Inside the Carlsten mansion, Phyllis looked bewildered and asked, "So, is it possible to return from death now?"

"do not know."

Crusch shook her head sadly. "Whether it's possible or not, even the Bishop of Gluttony doesn't know. She leaked information about Satella because she was afraid that Lord Hachiman's attempt to return by death would actually result in his death. She was trying to avoid that outcome."

Before this unknown outcome is revealed, no one but Satella can answer it.

Phyllis was even more puzzled upon hearing this, "If it really can't be done, then wouldn't the Bishop of Gluttony's plan to steal the return of death have come to nothing?"

"Once Lord Hachiman collapses and is completely devoured and assimilated, the Bishop of Gluttony can spit out Lord Hachiman's existence. At that time, regardless of whether Lord Hachiman had broken off with Satella before, he can be observed and given back again."

Having thoroughly analyzed Rui's memories, Crusch clenched her fists so tightly that her fingers turned red.

The Gluttony Bishops' intelligence and plans weren't actually that extraordinary; they were simply positioned on the high ground of intelligence.

Having consumed Hachiman Hikigaya's memories, I gained a deep understanding of his character and realized that he would not risk destroying the world for his own existence.

After all, he didn't know if his amnesiac self's pronouncement of "returning from death" without destroying the world was a "first warning, second execution" pattern, or if the world's destruction was avoided through "returning from death."

It was Satella who granted him the ability to return to life, and it was Satella who restricted his speech, so Satella must be the one who destroyed the world... Satella is the source of the ability to return to life, so stopping her from destroying the world through the ability to return to life doesn't seem very plausible.

Hachiman Hikigaya is just that gentle; he prioritizes reclaiming his own existence over the rest of the world, so he won't test anyone.

Having tasted his memories, knowing what he would think and do, and taking such targeted measures to restrain him, this is the Gluttony Bishop's winning strategy.

It wasn't because Rui was particularly smart; it was simply because she knew what Hachiman Hikigaya would think, nothing more.

"But this is too... how is this possible..."

At the Kousaka residence, Kirino Kousaka was incoherent and found it hard to accept, "It's not that we didn't have more high-IQ intelligence before, but even people like Roswaal and Echidna couldn't outmaneuver Hachiman-senpai to this extent. Is this Rui really that amazing?"

"It's not that Louise is amazing, it's that she's lucky."

Kyosuke Kosaka rejected the idea not to comfort his still-shaken sister, but simply to state the facts.

"According to the original plan of the Gluttony siblings, after they finished eating Hachiman's memories, they would first have to get rid of Priscilla's pursuit. Then, in the real world, Ray and Roy would find an opportunity to go to Roswaal's territory and ambush and eat Hachiman's existence."

"In that case, the uncertainty is actually very high. Hachiman has a huge advantage in reality. It's possible that Rai and Roy will not only fail, but will also be wiped out in a counterattack."

"But—an unexpected event occurred."

The Book of the Dead has a chance to link to the Hall of Odry's memories, and coincidentally, a Louise lives in the Hall of Odry. No one could have predicted such an unexpected turn of events.

Hachiman Hikigaya going to look through the Book of the Dead was actually a perfectly normal operation, and he lost because of an unexpected lack of information.

In contrast to Hachiman's unexpected surprise, Rui was a huge delight.

Taking advantage of Hachiman Hikigaya's isolation and helplessness in the memory corridor, Rui directly devoured his existence. Based on her thorough understanding of Hachiman Hikigaya's personality, she then devised a plan to kill him and destroy his spirit.

This is the overall picture.

"This can no longer be described as one step is a landmine; this other world is one step is a nuclear bomb."

Inside Sakura-sou, everyone watched with trepidation, feeling despair for Hachiman Hikigaya. How could they possibly turn the tide in this situation?

Even those like Kanda Sorata who make manga and anime, and who have a bit of a chuunibyou (delusional) fantasy, had already abandoned their beautiful fantasies about the other world back in the Petritchus arc, and now they are even somewhat afraid of the other world.

The only one who still believes that the other world is a wonderful paradise is Aki Tomoya, who lives in his own imagination.

Houtarou Oreki and Eru Chitanda both know this very well in the Classic Literature Club.

"This is the real, greatest predicament to date. Even Hachiman Hikigaya would find it difficult to overcome... Perhaps in the original future, he would have fallen here."

Hachiman Hikigaya himself was among those who thought this way.

He wasn't very optimistic.

"My chances in the future are slim... I can't say for sure that things will turn out well."

The pessimistic Hachiman Hikigaya and the pessimistic Yukinoshita exchanged a glance and sighed in unison.

Yukinoshita was heartbroken and on the verge of tears, but she could no longer bring herself to say, "Hachiman, for your own sake, please don't go to that world to save Emilia."

-

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392. Who are you?

Facing a desperate situation, one descends into pessimism.

However, even when Hachiman Hikigaya himself thought that this might be the end for him, there was still a group of people who had full faith in him.

Roswaal, Garfiel, Reinhard, Otto, Wilhelm, Julius, Priscilla, Crusch, Anastasia, Beatrice, Emilia, Rem, Earth Dragon.

The inhabitants of the village, the inhabitants of the capital, the inhabitants of the sacred realm, and the inhabitants of the water gate.

All those who witnessed him traversing the jungle filled with thorns and wild beasts, all those who were personally saved and inspired by him, even if Hachiman Hikigaya himself didn't believe in himself, they would still firmly believe in Hachiman Hikigaya.

I believe it deeply, but I still feel sad and heartbroken.

"First came the memories, then the existence. Hachiman's repeated tragic experiences... When will this kind of future finally disappear?"

Rem gritted her teeth, filled with both hatred and sorrow.

On the streets of the royal capital, Emilia's eyelids drooped. She believed in Hachiman's resilience, but she felt deeply saddened by her own forgetting of Hachiman.

"We just agreed to protect Hachiman... and in the blink of an eye, I've abandoned that promise and commitment."

Looking at the sorrowful Emilia, Parker shook his head and comforted her, "There's nothing we can do about it, Emilia. These Archbishops of Sin have powers that are more bizarre and terrifying than the last."

Regression is powerful, but the powers of Gluttony and Greed are in no way inferior to Regression, and in some respects, they are far superior to Regression.

The power of gluttony, if used properly, can even transcend death and return to life. Hachiman Hikigaya is already considered to have cheated, but unfortunately, his enemies have cheated even more.

Compared to the various manipulative powers of the other archbishops of sin, the invisible hand of sloth, which once seemed so powerful and strange, now appears quite normal and acceptable in comparison.

"These powers and these things, each and every one of them is a monster! A monster among monsters!"

Previously, the presence of the invincible Reinhard diminished the terror emanating from the Archbishops of Sin. Now, witnessing Hachiman Hikigaya's solo confrontation with the Archbishops of Sin, many have finally remembered the fear of being dominated by these monsters.

Reinhard couldn't be there all the time, and the real-world Bishops of Gluttony weren't all dead; Roy and Rui were still alive.

The Sages and Emperor Vincent of the Empire are now so terrified that they've completely abandoned any plans to enter the Tower of Sages. Before, it was at least somewhat pointless, but now that they know reading the Book of the Dead could lead to the Memory Corridor, only a complete idiot would dare to even open it.

Who in their right mind would dare to go to the Memory Corridor and go toe-to-toe with Gluttony Sister? That's her home turf. If anyone were to overestimate themselves and go there...

Unless that person is Reinhard or Pandora, they'll end up like Hachiman Hikigaya.

"One person can't climb Quinn's Stone alone..."

In the Sanctuary, Garfield murmured to himself, looking up at the future with a heavy heart, "But now the General must climb the Stone of Quinn alone."

"But he is not climbing Quinn's Stone alone now—because what's worse is that someone will try to stop the Chancellor from climbing it."

Inside the Hexin Chamber of Commerce, Anastasia was pale and swaying, biting her lower lip and saying in a weak voice, "That person... is me!"

"When Hachiman Hikigaya awoke from reality, he remained silent in the library for several minutes until he sorted out the cause and effect, understood the situation, and was mentally prepared to face reality."

"Putting Reid's Book of the Dead back on the shelf, Hachiman Hikigaya closed his eyes, took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and steadied his slightly trembling body before stepping onto the fourth floor."

"...As soon as he stepped off the stairs and onto the fourth floor, Hachiman Hikigaya heard it. Low sobs and wails, these painful weeping sounds, filled with sorrow, drifted throughout the space, coming from different people."

He arrived at the door of the green room, where everyone who had come to the Sage's Tower had gathered. Their faces were filled with sorrow and confusion, and almost all of them were so downcast that no one closed the door.

"Why... am I crying? I feel so bad, so painful... what's wrong with me, what's wrong with me..."

"Muttering to herself, she couldn't help but shed two lines of tears. She raised her hand blankly to touch her heart. Emilia felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if she were punishing herself, as if she had done something that she could never forgive herself for."

"But what exactly is the reason?"

"Who...who can tell me?" Emilia looked around blankly, but Crusch, Anastasia, and Julius were in a similar state to hers. They had felt inexplicably lost and confused since waking up this morning and had no idea how to answer her questions.

Beatrice was almost withdrawn, curled up in a corner, shaking her head constantly, and even the earth dragon was restless.

"Only Ram and Meryl didn't think anything was wrong and thought everything was normal, which made them even more terrified."

"Something must have happened...something must have happened!"

"Hachiman finally understands what happens when someone's existence disappears. For those whose feelings weren't deep enough, like Ram and Merry, their perceptions are completely altered."

"If the feelings are very deep, and you have already had so many interactions with the other person in your life, and you are intertwined with each other, then you will feel a heart-wrenching pain of 'losing something'... This feeling is definitely more unbearable than any injury."

"This shows just how much Emilia and the others value him. It's evidence of how much they cherish him, but Hachiman Hikigaya isn't happy at all."

"The thought that his going to look up the book was the origin of all this made Hachiman Hikigaya feel guilty. His expression was uncertain. After thinking for a while, he finally pursed his lips and was about to step inside when suddenly—"

"Master!"

"Overjoyed at the long-awaited reunion, Xia Wula's eyes lit up as she rushed over from behind and hugged him tightly. Xia Wula was clearly overwhelmed by the surprise and didn't control her strength. She used too much force, and the momentum pushed the master and disciple into the green room."