Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"She should have been panicked, she should have been bewildered, but... It's so good, so very good... To see the relieved look on Hachiman's face when he sees me, it's truly wonderful."

"A lovely, bell-like voice, completely different from last night's, shone through as Emilia looked at Hachiman Hikigaya and smiled sweetly."

"Hmph, taking advantage of a vulnerable moment as a mistress, how shameless of you, Emilia."

In the courtyard of Roswaal's mansion, Ram sneered, "You're just taking advantage of Rem's temporary inability to move. Once Rem wakes up, Ram's brother-in-law will definitely distance himself from you, this shameless mistress."

"elder sister…"

Rem thought it was unlikely. However, looking at Hachiman who had bid farewell to his first love for her sake, looking at Hachiman who had already proposed to her, and then looking at Emilia who had taken over Hachiman.

To say that Rem wasn't a little wronged would be self-deception. She could only promise herself she wouldn't say anything harsh to Lady Emilia, but as for what her sister said, well… let her sister be.

"When Emilia was full of energy and said she wanted to challenge the trial again, Hachiman Hikigaya stopped her and postponed the challenge time a little."

"He figured it out."

"Although Emilia was forcing herself, probably to avoid disappointing him, the residents of the Sanctuary, and the villagers, she was far from being as relaxed as she appeared. She needed some time to adjust her mindset."

"On the other hand, he also needs to take this time to have a long-awaited showdown with Roswaal, otherwise he has too many questions in his mind."

"Ram was sent to look after Emilia, and at this moment, only Roswaal, who was lying in bed, and the rational monster Hachiman Hikigaya were in this room."

"I'll just be blunt."

"Hachiman Hikigaya knew Roswaal was a smart man, and he couldn't possibly be unaware of what I was trying to say, so he didn't mince words: 'Emilia encountered the Bowel Hunter in the capital, the night of the invasion of the territory's magical beasts, and most recently, the Witch Cult's invasion—you were absent from each of these major events, and you didn't offer Emilia any help even once.'"

"Roswaal," he said sternly, "you've actually been deliberately avoiding battle every time, haven't you? You don't care at all whether Emilia can win, right? If that's the case, why did you recommend her? What exactly is your goal?"

"To put it bluntly, Hachiman Hikigaya has no other choice. He can only pray that Roswaal is willing to answer; otherwise, he has no means to force Roswaal to answer."

"Saying he's bedridden is just something to fool Emilia. Even if Roswaal is truly injured, his strength is still no less than Emilia's right now. Besides, there's Ram, and Garfiel and the others who should be more inclined to side with Roswaal. A head-on fight wouldn't do any good."

"Hmph, I knew I couldn't hide it from you. You're quite perceptive, Hachiman-kun."

Roswaal smiled, seemingly unconcerned about revealing his true colors, and quite happy to answer the questions.

"Yes, you're right, Hachiman-kun. You're quite accurate about how I've been deliberately avoiding battle all along. But—no, it's not that I don't care whether Lady Emilia wins or not; on the contrary, I value Emilia's victory in the candidate competition immensely."

"Hachiman Hikigaya's mind was racing."

Roswaal continued, "These two things are not contradictory, Hachiman-kun. It is precisely because I wish for Lady Emilia to win that I am avoiding the battle."

Hachiman Hikigaya could tell that Roswaal's words were true: "If I hadn't avoided the battle and hadn't lent a hand to Lady Emilia, how could these credits have fallen on the half-elf Lady Emilia, or on you, a knight of unknown origin? If I had lent a hand, the credit would have naturally been bestowed upon me."

"Besides."

Roswaal gave a knowing, teasing look: "If I hadn't done this, Hachiman and Emilia's relationship might not have progressed so quickly."

""wrong.""

"Hachiman Hikigaya pondered, then realized the blind spot: "How could you assume I would succeed in saving Emilia? Didn't you consider the consequences of my failure? You shouldn't be such a crazy gambler, someone without any backup plan, but—"

"But Emilia did die several times. This shows that Roswaal truly believed from the bottom of his heart that he would succeed."

"Hachiman Hikigaya suddenly felt a pressure coming on him. His eyes sharpened, and he came to a conclusion after thinking it over."

He looked at Roswaal and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Unless you believe I will definitely succeed, and you have evidence to prove that I will definitely succeed."

"Roswaal, you..."

"Able to predict the future!"

133. The Fall of Roswaal

"Predicting the future?!"

Outside the Kingdom of Lugnica, in the Holy Flacchia Empire, the young Emperor Vincent Abelks' pupils contracted.

He had initially viewed this screen that projected the future with the intention of appreciating Hachiman Hikigaya. As for the inside story of the Kingdom of Lugnica revealed in it, it was actually of little use; most of the information could be discovered through investigation.

Even if some inside information cannot be investigated, it is almost useless. After all, the empire is currently rife with undercurrents and has no time to spare. Moreover, as long as Shenlong and Reinhard are alive, the empire will not be able to invade the Kingdom of Lugnica.

But predicting the future is different. Although the Empire has prophets and Lugnica has Dragonstones, both of them are vague about the future.

Roswaal's ability to predict the future is terrifying; he even foresaw the final outcome of Hachiman Hikigaya's repeated deaths and returns. The difference in their abilities is immediately apparent.

This is absolutely the most terrifying strategic weapon!

“Let’s see, let’s see… If Lord Roswaal’s ability to foresee the future is truly that terrifying, even if we send out the Azure Lightning and deploy the Nine Divine Generals, even if we can’t bring him here, we must kill him on the spot.”

"Predicting the future? Hmm, that makes sense."

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji nodded almost imperceptibly. Previously, it had all been based on the assumption that Roswaal harbored ulterior motives. However, since Roswaal had so sincerely stated that he was the one who most wanted Emilia to ascend the throne, the only explanation for his strange actions could be that he foresaw the future.

Meanwhile, in the karaoke bar, Hayama Hayato was truly numb.

"The Witch of Envy, Satella, returned from the dead; the Sword Saint, Reinhard, was invincible; the Archbishop of Greed, Regulus, had a defense that could withstand a nuclear bomb; the Witch of Greed, Echidna, fabricated such a large Sanctuary barrier and trial, freely prying into other people's memories and pulling at their souls; and now there's Roswaal who can witness the final rewind of the Return of Death and foresee the future."

"What on earth is this other world?! The power ceiling is way off, it's way too far beyond what's allowed!"

He sighed deeply, feeling heartbroken for his dear friend.

If this were a different world where a modern army could easily defeat them, without so many flashy and terrifying characters, Hachiman Hikigaya, with his intelligence, could almost certainly have fared much better than he does now, even without the Return of the Dead.

"Predicting the future?"

Roswaal was visibly surprised. "To make such a guess? I thought you'd throw a punch at me right away. I definitely underestimated you."

"I'll throw a punch at you later, Roswaal." Hachiman Hikigaya shook his head. He was rational; it wasn't the right time to clash with Roswaal, although the thought of Emilia's various deaths did fill him with rage. "Answer my question."

"Predicting the future, yes, you can understand it that way."

Roswaal nodded in affirmation: "With this answer, you should understand many things yourself; I don't need to explain them in detail."

"And what about Frederica?"

"Now that everything is out in the open, Hachiman Hikigaya has no more reservations. He wants to understand Roswaal, understand Roswaal and everything around him, and directly continues to ask: 'Is Frederica loyal to you? Did you give her any special instructions because of the prophecy?'"

Roswaal clicked his tongue in amazement.

"He hadn't originally planned to mention Francesca, but since Hachiman Hikigaya brought it up himself, there was no point in hiding it."

"Flanderica is indeed loyal to me; there's no need to worry that she's a spy for an outsider. As for special orders, there aren't any anymore. If you need to use her, I think Frederica is someone you can trust more than Ram."

"You can't believe everything Roswaal says."

"The person who caused Emilia's death several times through prophecy may have intended to make the outcome better, but he had no idea of ​​the price he would pay along the way. Hachiman Hikigaya cannot trust Roswaal, let alone trust him."

"Of course, that doesn't stop him from asking the last two questions."

"Did you confess everything to me because of the prophecy?"

"——"

Roswald paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"Then, let me confirm one last time, Roswaal." Hachiman Hikigaya stared intently at the man who had removed his clown makeup. Based on Roswaal's answer, he would choose to continue being a rational monster, or directly succumb to his emotions. "Was Rem's death foreshadowed in your prophecy?"

"Rem...?"

Roswaal frowned, then suddenly realized. "I see. She's the sister of Ram you mentioned—no, I didn't foresee her death. She's not qualified to be on the stage of prophecy. If you're saddened, I could apologize, but it seems you don't need to."

"Without Crusch's protection in discerning lies, and without Puck's ability to recognize emotions, Hachiman Hikigaya could only rely on his heart to observe and feel, and through detailed deduction, he concluded that Roswaal was not lying."

"And it makes perfect sense... It's precisely because it's this form of foreknowledge of the future that it happened in the capital..."

"Your expression just now was truly terrifying, Hachiman-kun. That murderous aura was far beyond what even the most stern-faced soldier could match."

"Roswaal watched Hachiman Hikigaya turn and leave, and suddenly felt a little relieved... Hachiman Hikigaya's willingness to turn against him might mean that Rem was more important to him than Emilia. That was unacceptable. In Hachiman Hikigaya's heart, Emilia had to be first, so as not to deviate from the instructions of the Gospel."

"Thank goodness. Thank goodness you're dead, um... but it seems you're not quite dead yet..."

"But it doesn't matter."

"Anyway, he has already set up his scheme to destroy people's hearts. According to the habits of that escaped bowel hunter, everyone in the mansion will definitely have their intestines cut open by her, even if Rem is already spiritually dead."

Roswaal's inner thoughts are unknown even to those with God's perspective.

However, even though all that could be seen was his expression and his mutterings, Roswaal's glee at Rem's death was enough to make one feel disgusted and deeply repulsed.

"Lord Roswaal."

A cold glint flashed in Ram's eyes; she respected Roswaal greatly. But compared to her sister Rem, everything in the world was insignificant.

"If you say such things again, even if it's Lord Roswaal, Ram will not forgive you."

134. Variables in the Prison Break

"Ryuzu Bilma".

"This is a higher-ranking person in charge of the Holy Land than Garfield."

"She has long pink hair, and her appearance is about the same size as Betty's. She speaks as 'this old woman' and calls Garfield 'Garfield-kun' and Hachiman Hikigaya 'Hachiman-kun'. She seems to have lived for a very long time."

"After confronting Roswaal, Hachiman Hikigaya and Granny Ryuzu learned about the current situation of the Sanctuary's residents and villagers. It seems they have become one and are doing quite well."

"The villagers no longer discriminate against even the legendary half-demons, so of course they won't exclude demi-humans. Moreover, they've experienced the monster invasion, which has made them braver. Courageous people will be recognized no matter where they are."

"Unfortunately, because Roswaal is also trapped here, and the Witch Cult's invasion has left the outside world in ruins, no food or supplies have been sent from outside the Sanctuary, making it difficult to support so many mouths of the villagers."

"So, you want me to send the villagers out first?" Hachiman Hikigaya was genuinely reluctant. To be honest, the villagers were incredibly useful. If they could whisper in the ears of the Sanctuary's inhabitants, even if Emilia failed the trials repeatedly, it wouldn't diminish her reputation too much.

"Since this is a request from Granny Ryuzu, whom even Garfield respects, please rest assured, I will take care of it tomorrow."

"With a single sentence, he flattered two people. It had been a long time since he had used his eloquence, and this immediately increased Garfield's goodwill towards him."

"Hey, see that? I'm a talent even he values!"

In the Sanctuary, Jiafei grinned. Being valued by a man she respected felt far better than boasting.

"That's right, that's right, that's how it should be—I should make more appearances. Women and romances are nothing compared to my charisma, they're not like Ram."

"Jiafei's shot flashed by."

"This is a combat talent that Hachiman Hikigaya values ​​highly, but there's no rush to recruit him now. We can take it slow. The most urgent task is to resolve the barrier."

"On this day, Emilia failed the trial once again."

"Hachiman Hikigaya, who was waiting outside the grave, could hear Emilia crying inside. But he didn't rush in like he had yesterday, because the crying was gradually decreasing in volume and frequency."

When Emilia staggered out, leaning against the wall, she had wiped away her tears and even managed a forced smile, saying in a slightly choked voice, "I'm sorry... I failed again."

"I don't know what made her grow, but Emilia has clearly improved compared to last time. It's just... not enough, not enough for her to face the past directly."