Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"Utterly vicious and utterly selfish."

"However, the effects of the power of lust are not limited to one. Just as Regulus possesses both invincibility and the ability to store the heart, the effects of the powers of the Bishop of Gluttony and Capella are also very diverse."

"The power of lust: the eternal truth."

"The prerequisite is that the person Hachiman Hikigaya deeply loves, whether it is romantic love, familial love or friendship, as long as the person he deeply loves is within his sight, he can put on an invisible shield that is 720 degrees without blind spots and can defend against any form and any kind of attack."

"The more he loves the other person, the stronger the shield he puts on them. But if he uses it too many times in a short period of time, he will pay a price. He will need to randomly give up mana, stamina or blood until he voluntarily removes the shield or can no longer maintain the load."

"What is needed to save Shaula is not 'eternal truth,' but 'selfishness.'"

"A selfish heart can't do some outlandish things, like commanding the controlled to come back to life or making the curse on the other person disappear, but it can do things that are realistic."

"For example, Beatrice knows nothing about swordsmanship, but under his control, Hachiman Hikigaya can make her use incredibly exquisite swordsmanship."

"For example, Otto only knows a little bit of basic magic, but if Hachiman Hikigaya has a high level of magic like Roswaal, he can control Otto to gather mana and use extremely high-end magic."

"Let Shaula's will return and banish the current orders; that's just within the realm of what can be done."

"Because the command to 'annihilate the visitors to the Tower of Sages' is not a curse, but rather an integral part of 'Shaura' as a person. Shaura deeply loves Hachiman Hikigaya, and this love allows Hachiman Hikigaya to do whatever he wants to her."

"The power of manipulation reached its peak due to Xia Wula's extreme love, reaching the limit of its authority, a point where it could not be advanced any further."

"If you don't mind my arrogance and are willing to accept me as your second master, different from Flügel, then you'd better come back to me obediently, Shaula!"

"At the call of Hachiman Hikigaya, the attacking scorpion suddenly froze, and then its six compound eyes gradually regained their clarity, losing their bloody killing intent."

"Under his witness, the enormous scorpion gradually transformed, shrinking without any suspense, and returned to the original form of Xia Wula."

"hiss!"

The whole world was stunned; almost everyone stared wide-eyed at the scene.

Because they have an omniscient perspective, as spectators, they sometimes have a clearer understanding of Hachiman Hikigaya's strategic advantages than Hachiman himself does.

Unfortunately, the Witch Factor is invisible and intangible, and back in Minato City, Priscilla had just killed Capella, and the Witch Factor had just entered Hachiman Hikigaya's body when his memories were swallowed by the Bishop of Gluttony.

So until this minute ago, neither the current audience nor Hachiman Hikigaya himself knew that this thing existed.

At Advanced Nurturing High School, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, with his exceptional memory, immediately remembered: "In the underground sand cave, when Shaula first met Hachiman Hikigaya, she said 'one,' so she was referring to a witch factor?"

"I didn't expect it to finish hatching at this time."

On the rooftop of Roswaal's mansion, Roswaal and Beatrice muttered to themselves. The witches in the Sanctuary Tomb knew about this, but no one expected that power would be born at this moment.

"And it's actually this powerful..."

As a top student with an excellent memory, Yui Nariyuki immediately made the connection: "In the Sanctuary Trial, when watching Emilia's past, it was mentioned that Jus has a very poor compatibility with the Sloth Factor, so using it will not only make you weaker, but also have side effects."

"Does the fact that Hikigaya-kun's lust power is so strong now symbolize that he and lust power are a perfect match?"

Is Hachiman Hikigaya's lustful power stronger? Of course it is!

Crusch quickly came up with various uses for it. It could be said that with this power of lust, Lord Hachiman would instantly become a powerful figure, only needing a few allies who loved each other to cooperate with him.

Even if he had only one of his allies—Emilia, Beatrice, and Julius—whom he loved in mutual affection, then Lord Hachiman at this point would undoubtedly be the second strongest in the Witch Cult, where all the Archbishops of Sin were present.

However, this is not what Crusch cares about most or values ​​most.

"Although there are other derivative uses, Lord Hachiman's original intention in creating these two powers was twofold: first, to successfully commit suicide and return to life to save the dead; and second, to protect those who are still alive."

"The Witch Factor is such a powerful thing. It could have been developed into an ability that directly makes one stronger, like the Archbishops of Sin. But Lord Hachiman went and made all the abilities this way."

"...When will you ever start thinking about yourself more, Lord Hachiman?"

Moreover, both of these powers were born after he regained his memories, so it's hard to say that his 'selfishness' wasn't influenced by his subconscious desire to save Xia Wula, meaning that he was also thinking of others.

"After all, this is Hachiman!"

On the main street of the royal capital, Emilia clenched her fist. "So, I'll take care of Hachiman's safety."

She was in high spirits, and together with Rem and Beatrice, though in different places, they shared the same thoughts and were genuinely happy for Shaura's recovery.

The same goes for Julius in the Hexin Merchant Guild.

408. The Perfect Conclusion to the Xiawula Incident

“Shaura and Beatrice share the same illness, but they are ultimately two different people with vastly different degrees of illness, which is why Hachiman chose a completely different way of coping.”

At the Shirogane residence, Shirogane Miyuki sighed. His words had barely left his lips when his younger sister, Shirogane Kei, tugged at his sleeve, staring at him expectantly, demanding he describe the intricate power struggles and calculations involved.

Baek Eun-kyu himself didn't understand anything and couldn't see anything.

For the fifth time, Shirogane Miyuki felt grateful in his heart for the broadcast of Hikigaya Hachiman's future video, which gave him the opportunity to improve his relationship with his rebellious sister. He pointed at the video and generously offered his advice.

“Beatrice has two points. First, over the past four hundred years, she has seen too many candidates for ‘that person,’ but none of them are the one. After experiencing countless expectations and disappointments, she is not just longing for the arrival of ‘that person,’ but also hating it at the same time.”

"Secondly, Beatrice has the Book of Wisdom as her anchor. Tearing up the book is essentially severing the strong bond between her and Echidna, giving her the impetus to deviate from the Mother Pact."

"That's why Hachiman was able to persuade her to completely abandon 'that person' and follow Hachiman completely—because this was a future that Beatrice did not oppose at all, and even welcomed. Her final resistance was only out of her attachment to her mother, not because she wanted to continue waiting for 'that person' to appear."

Otherwise, how could a relationship spanning four hundred years be so easily persuaded?

Actually, this was achieved through double the human effort; not only was Hachiman Hikigaya a human force, but Beatrice was also a human force.

A bewildered Shirogane asked, "Does that mean we can't replicate Beatrice's methods?"

“That’s right.” Shirogane Miyuki nodded. “Xia Ula has waited for four hundred years and has never had a charlatan’s master appear. Moreover, her master is different from Beatrice’s ‘that person’.”

“Beatrice’s ‘that person’ never appeared, so Beatrice didn’t have any feelings for him; she was just following her mother’s instructions.”

“But Shaula had lived with her master, and she always remembered his kindness. The four hundred years of waiting only made those beautiful memories more and more profound, and her faith in her master, Flügel, became more and more deeply rooted.”

So even if Hachiman Hikigaya said, "Forget Frugal, from now on only look at me, think of me, and follow me," Shaula couldn't do it.

Shaula would not abandon Flügel, so there was no question of freeing her from four hundred years of waiting, because it was simply impossible to free her.

Miyuki Shirogane thought of Roswaal, the culprit from the early stages, that hateful man... Compared to Beatrice, that clown was closer to Shaura.

“But Beatrice’s object of her mother’s affection is the Book of Wisdom,” said Shirogane Kei. “By analogy, the Tower of Sages should be Shaula’s ‘Book of Wisdom’ that she entrusts to her master. Even if we destroy this tower, can’t we break Shaula’s feelings for her master?”

Shirogane Miyuki shook his head, categorically rejecting the idea, "It might have a slight impact, but it will definitely not reach the level of replicating Beatrice."

Shaula's unwavering devotion to Flügel is indestructible, but it is even stronger than Hachiman Hikigaya's determination to save her, and these two things are not contradictory.

If we can't replicate the approach used to save Beatrice, then let's find another way.

“Shaula will not give up calling him ‘Master,’ and he will absolutely not identify with Frugel. If neither side is willing to back down, let’s build a bridge for communication.”

Hachiman Hikigaya allowed Shaula to call him "Master" from then on, but a Master is a Master, and a new Master and an old Master are two different people and two different things. Hachiman Hikigaya is not Frugal.

This is already enough to satisfy Xiawula.

In contrast to Hachiman Higashiya, he was to fulfill his responsibilities and obligations as a master under this premise, and through years of getting along, help Shaula gradually emerge from Flügel's loneliness and waiting.

The gentle touch of nature silently dispelled all the gloom surrounding this cheap disciple.

"I see!" Shirogane Kei exclaimed in sudden realization, clenching his fist in the palm of his hand. "So, a world where no one gets hurt is complete? That's amazing! As expected of Hikigaya-senpai!"

"You're wrong. This isn't a world where no one gets hurt. This is a world where only Hachiman Hikigaya gets hurt."

Shirogane Miyuki waved his hand and asked in return, "Why do you think I sighed just now, Kei?"

"Although the idea of ​​setting up new and old masters and separating them is good, theory and practice are different."

"Shaura may verbally agree to Hachiman Hikigaya's proposal, but when she calls him 'Master,' the feelings she harbors are still only for her former master, Flügel, because she feels that Hachiman Hikigaya is Flügel."

"Only Hikigaya unilaterally acknowledges the new and old masters. Every time he responds to Shaula as 'Master,' he is actually enduring a huge impact of false emotions."

It seemed like a win-win situation, with neither side backing down, but in reality, Hachiman Hikigaya sacrificed himself.

He wouldn't have had to pay this price if he hadn't tried to do good deeds.

"How...?" Bai Yingui stared in astonishment, covering her mouth with both hands. "How could this be!?"

"Hachiman had said before that he could never be Shaula's master... At that time, he certainly knew how to help Shaula and could think of this method. But between himself and Shaula, he chose himself."

However, he has now chosen Xiawula.

At the Kousaka family home in the distance, Kousaka Kyosuke sighed deeply: "Stubborn tsundere... He never thinks of himself, Hachiman-kun. He hasn't changed in all this time, even though he has suffered countless hardships because of it."

"They always say Emilia and the others are the real thing, but if you think about it carefully, isn't Hachiman Hikigaya the biggest, most eternal, and most dazzling real thing?"

…If Priscilla heard this, she would immediately draw her sword and go on a killing spree. She utterly despised her foolish son's tendency to sacrifice himself.

Inside the mansion, Priscilla furrowed her beautiful eyebrows, snapped her fan shut, and said in an annoyed voice, "Hmph, stubborn fool with a soft heart. I did not allow him to demean himself."

Once she catches this idiot, she's going to really work on changing Hachiman Hikigaya's personality.

“...Master.”

Muttering to himself, he was the only living person standing atop the Sage's Tower in the desolate, monster-infested desert.

With blurry eyes and slumped helplessly on the balcony of the Sage's Tower, Xia Wula stared blankly at the sky, watching herself act towards her master after turning into a scorpion, and her master act towards him.

All of it, flowing through a complex mix of tears that are hard to unravel, turned into a muffled cry.

"...Master...!"

409. The Return of True Love in Blue

"Is it possible to absorb witch genes and create new powers?"

Inside the Sword Saint's mansion, Reinhard was deep in thought as he quickly recalled the exact locations where he had annihilated Regulus, Capella, and Badenkathos.

"Once Hachiman arrives, let's take him to retrieve those three scattered witch genes."

Although most of the threats have been resolved, there are still many powerful figures in this world, both overt and covert. There are bound to be many people who have designs on Hachiman Hikigaya because of the future that has been shown, and no one can be sure whether those people have good intentions or malice.

Reinhard was confident he could defeat anyone, but he lacked the confidence to protect Hachiman Hikigaya from all sorts of unknown and bizarre assassination attempts.

Even with the ability to return from death, the death of a close friend is a tragedy that cannot be tolerated.

If Hachiman Hikigaya could gain three new powers, he would be able to solve most of the world's problems on his own, even when he was alone. That would be a truly effective solution.

As for now.

Let this Reinhard, who can also get angry, enjoy the satisfying deaths of the three Gluttonous Bishops.

"Master... Father..."

"With surprise written all over her face, Xia Wula, who had regained her sense of self and returned to human form, stared blankly at her master who was reaching out to her."

Tears welled up uncontrollably. Realizing this wasn't a dream, Xia Wula suddenly lunged forward and crashed into Hachiman Hikigaya's arms, sobbing uncontrollably, "Master, Master, Master! Master, sob sob sob—I love you the most, Master!"