Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"Numerous dark figures appeared out of nowhere, startling the mercenaries and Otto."

"But Hachiman Hikigaya seemed to suddenly realize something, and he said rather bluntly, 'Take me to see your leader.'"

"The shadowy figures lined up and pointed out a path."

"Mr. Hachiman, what exactly is going on...?"

Otto stared at him in astonishment, and the earth dragon stared back at him.

"I don't have time to explain. In short, the mission has changed." Hachiman Hikigaya shook his head slightly, looking dejected. He handed his sword to Otto and lowered his voice.

"You don't need to fight anymore. My task for you now is to take my token and explain the situation to Emilia, so that she, Ram, Betty, and the villagers can go to the capital with you. Immediately!"

"Then, I will buy you some time... Tell Emilia that if she doesn't leave immediately, I will give up being her knight."

"Those were several deep breaths, filled with countless words of self-reproach."

Otto and the mercenaries were stunned. Faced with the overwhelming numbers of the witch cultists, they were speechless and could only nod, and then…

"Watching this man who faced death without fear leave me with his departing figure and those last words."

"Don't hurt these people, let them pass!"

67. Emilia is no mere pretty face!

"That's enough! That's enough! We've already done far too much!"

Emilia shook her head, her small, white hands clasped together in front of her chest, her eyelids drooping, tears welling up in her eyes. "Why don't you cherish yourself? Why do you value me so much? Sacrificing yourself and all that... do I, who have been saved like this, really deserve this?"

Even Parker was speechless at this point.

It's perfectly reasonable for him to give everything for Ria, but why did Hachiman Hikigaya do that? Was it just because Ria saved him once and is beautiful? Or was it because he's a kind person?

"What exactly are you thinking, Hachiman Hikigaya?"

Compared to Emilia, who was both moved and confused.

"hiss!"

Shirogane Miyuki gasped, feeling both admiration and helplessness.

"I must say, as expected of Hachiman Hikigaya, his efficiency is ridiculously high. Although I could more or less guess from his name that he might receive special treatment from the Witch Cult because of 'The Witch's Lingering Scent,' his immediate action is truly impressive."

"Looks like I made the right bet."

"The lingering fragrance of a witch."

"That's what Rem told him; the return of death will enhance this lingering fragrance."

"If there's anything special about him, it's this one thing about Hachiman Hikigaya. We can deduce from the abnormal patterns of the white whale and the monsters that this lingering fragrance will probably drive the monsters crazy and attract them."

"And as it turned out, this lingering fragrance was also able to get him into the circle of the Witch Cult."

"What a versatile tool... ha."

"Hachiman Hikigaya's self-deprecating voice dissipated when he reached the end of the road and saw the gaunt man."

"A man so thin he looked like he was just skin and bones, with green hair, his body bent at an inhuman ninety-degree angle, and his eyes always gleaming with a crazy brilliance."

"The moment they see him, everyone instantly realizes: he's a madman."

"Oh my? Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my—this is really, really, so interesting, hahaha."

He leaned closer to the expressionless Hachiman Hikigaya, his brows furrowing deeply: "You...you wouldn't happen to be arrogant, would you?"

"Then he rejected it himself."

"No, no no no no no no no no no! Such eyes! Such attitude! Such spirit! Such soul! Ah, ahh ...

"Ah ...

"This madman!"

Ferut was terrified. She wasn't afraid of Elsa the Bowel Hunter; she would be enraged by a serial killer. But this Archbishop of Sin, with his bizarre, unpredictable, and erratic behavior, this unknown nature, even chilled her to the bone.

Reinhard pursed his lips, silently offering his blessing, "Hang in there... my dearest friend. It would be too agonizing to die at the hands of someone like that."

"The madman who was rambling on and on one second suddenly stopped, thoughtfully biting his finger until it bled, and then burst into laughter."

"Ah, so I've done something incredibly rude—I am the Archbishop of Sin in the Cult of the Witches, the Sloth Archbishop, Petelgeus Romaniconti, hee hee hee hee hee—"

"Hmm?" He pressed his face close to Hachiman Hikigaya's, looking puzzled. "Why...why aren't you speaking? Why aren't you answering? Why aren't you working diligently? Why are you so lazy?"

"Ah, ah, sloth, so very sloth—the brain, trembling, trembling, trembling!!"

"..." Hachiman Hikigaya conceded defeat.

"In psychological warfare and in the area of ​​observing people, he suffered his first major setback today. He can hardly imagine what kind of behavior logic a complete madman would have. He only knows that normal people should not try to understand a madman."

"Hachiman Hikigaya stared intently at Sloth, making no attempt to conceal his fury towards the Witch Cult, for such things cannot be hidden from a madman."

"I want to hear your whole plan, about why you wanted to kill Emilia."

"So, he came clean."

"The guy on the other end is a madman..." Hachiman Hikigaya reminded himself. This was the only thing he could do when facing a madman.

"Kill?" Sloth's bloodshot eyes trembled. "No, no, no, no, no, no, this is a trial, a trial—yes, a trial—you."

He ignored Hachiman Hikigaya's anger, his disgusting act of biting his fingers suddenly stopped, and he took out a book from his robe with a look of utmost respect.

"Sloth flipped through the book repeatedly, as if something was wrong. 'No, no, no, no, no, no, something's not right! Something's not right!'"

He then gave Hachiman Hikigaya a strange look. "And you—the Gospels—where are you?"

"At that moment, Hachiman Hikigaya knew he was doomed."

"No matter how much they try to justify it, it only increases the pleasure of sloth, and this great sinner bishop knows it perfectly well."

"Hachiman Hikigaya lamented his own incompetence. Although his intelligence was barely passable, it didn't mean he could understand everyone or solve any predicament. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to drive a suicide truck back when he was still at Soubu High School. This was precisely proof that he wasn't smart enough and didn't have the ability to have the best of both worlds."

"What about the Gospels?"

"Go ahead and play if you want. If you want to play, I'll play with you. We need to buy some time—" He was about to speak when Sloth changed his mind and gave up on playing dumb with him. His crazy tone, calling himself Archbishop Sloth, was clearly that of a chatterbox.

"Ah, ahhhhh—you really are—lazy, aren't you?"

"Unpredictably, the Sloth Archbishop's mood shifted from curiosity to longing, from playfulness to rage, and in an instant, this filthy creature was driven mad and shattered."

"The Power of Indolence - The Invisible Hand -"

"Sizzle!"

"As blood splattered everywhere, surpassing the gut-slicing of the Gut Hunter, surpassing the torture of Rem, surpassing the freezing of Puck, Hachiman Hikigaya's limbs were twisted into pretzels at the same time, his bones cracking and popping. Next was his waist, then his body, and then his neck."

"Hachiman Hikigaya's eyes moved; he was looking, he was looking—"

"Can you see it?"

"Sloth forgot to breathe, his unbelievable face, what Hachiman Hikigaya saw and heard in his dying moments, that latest information."

"Can you see? Can you see? Can you see? Can you see? No, no no no no no—I can! You can see!!"

"That is..."

"A vast, dark mass of arms, swelling from the body of the Archbishop of Sloth, stretching to and fro at will, moving freely, possessing extremely high attack power, and probably even emitting the stench of a witch."

"So that's how it is. The others can't see it? Is this the power of the Archbishops of Sin, the might of the Archbishops of Sin?"

"'Next time, next time I will—'"

"boom!!"

"As his consciousness gradually faded, a series of explosions, growing louder as they approached, suddenly pulled Hachiman Hikigaya back from the brink of death. In that final moment of lucidity, he heard a hoarse scream, a heart-wrenching scream, which made his rational mind tense up at the shattering sound of the scream."

"Where are you? Where are you? Where are you, Hachiman!!!"

68. Fifth Death

"Emilya...?"

"Hachiman Hikigaya's pupils contracted. His body, which was about to be twisted into a pretzel, suddenly burst forth with unexpected strength. His will to survive supported his consciousness, and he turned his neck to rotate his overburdened body. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the figure that had saved him."

"Why? Why did you come here? Why didn't you run away? Why, why—Amelia!!"

"Being outmatched in skill and unable to find the flaws in the Bishop of Sloth's spirit through short-term observation is something that Hachiman Hikigaya regrets."

"He was regretful, he was sad, but he died with peace of mind—he had done all he could, and still died, so he could only admit his own powerlessness and the strength of his opponent. But he had saved those he should save, so he had a clear conscience."

"But what if the people who should be saved don't survive?"

"Run, run! Why are you coming? Hurry up, Emilia!"

"A faint, muffled murmur accompanied by coughing up blood, a broken spine piercing his internal organs, difficulty breathing, only a pair of eyes, driven by panic and unwilling to close, still proclaiming a life of mere survival."

"Oh my? Oh my, oh my, oh my, this is really, this is really, this is fantastic, the best, unparalleled, number one in the world, hahahahahahaha!"

"The mad Archbishop of Sloth took a step, and the next moment, his body bent at a ninety-degree angle, staring blankly at the soles of his feet, where, on the verge of death, Hachiman Hikigaya's inhuman hand grabbed him."

"Ah, ah...you are, you are diligent, so diligent, so diligent."

"Hachiman Hikigaya could no longer make a sound; his vocal cords were completely damaged. He watched helplessly as Sloth praised himself while countless terrifying arms grew from his back, reaching towards—"

"Click."

"All was silent."

"The sounds of ice spikes being thrown, the sounds of bodies moving, the sounds of extreme anxiety, the sounds of concern for the fallen, the sounds of people who regarded Hachiman Hikigaya as very important—all of these vanished in an instant."

"Sloth and indolence~"

"Assessing the half-demon who had fallen silent after losing his life, the Archbishop of Sloth shook his head regretfully. He squatted down and held the lifeless, unseeing eyes of Hachiman Hikigaya in his arms."

"You're the diligent one!"

"As soon as he finished speaking, the Archbishop of Sloth sat down. He couldn't squat—his feet had been crushed just moments before by the man who, by all accounts, should have no strength left."

"Hachiman Hikigaya, died for the fifth time."

"..."

Crusch slowly exhaled a heavy breath, feeling distressed by his eagerness to recruit Lord Hachiman.

"He was willing to sacrifice himself to buy time for others to retreat, but in the end, he ended up harming the people he cared about, causing Emilia to actively seek out the Witch Cult and die even faster."