Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

167. I declare war on you!

Now that things have come to this point, it's safe to say that almost no one dislikes Hachiman Hikigaya.

However, compared to the current, slightly awkward and skewed Hachiman Hikigaya, people, including Crusch, clearly preferred the previous Hachiman Hikigaya. Emilia was largely responsible for shaping him into the way he is now.

Although she was also a victim, and very cute, beautiful, and pitiful... it really evokes mixed feelings.

After all, humans are emotional beings who can't help but take their anger out on others.

"Rem is not Hachiman's hero. Rem didn't protect him properly at all... Now, on the contrary, she is being protected by Hachiman properly."

Rem wouldn't hold a grudge, but she sincerely hoped that Lady Emilia would seek help from the Sword Saint Reinhard in the future. "If Rem were still alive and well, she could at least comfort Hachiman. Rem doesn't want to see Hachiman become like this... Rem... is selfish... doesn't want Hachiman to assist Lady Emilia anymore."

Therefore, when we meet again, I must clearly explain to him how dangerous it is to assist Lady Emilia. However, if Hachiman is unwilling to stand by and watch someone die, then…

Rem obeys Hachiman's freedom.

However, I won't let Hachiman risk everything for Lady Emilia... If there's any sign of that, Rem will definitely—

"Is it selfish?"

Ram gently shook her head. She knew what Rem would think and do. But Rem was still too gentle.

In Ram's eyes, there flickered an overwhelming tenderness of familial affection, as well as a murderous intent that would solve everything for the sake of family.

Minerva left in anger.

"Next up was Daphne, the Gluttonous Witch, whose hands and feet were bound to the coffin and whose eyes were covered."

She yawned as if she had just woken up. "What's up? Donna said you wanted to see me. I'm so sleepy... Hey, you...? You smell so good."

The coffin with spider legs swiftly brought Daphne to Hachiman Hikigaya. She was wide awake, drooling, and her eyes, even through the eye patch, held a chillingly covetous look. "You smell so good, so very good. I want to eat you up."

"Daphne's words reminded Hachiman Hikigaya of Otto's piercing scream when the rabbits were eating."

Unconsciously clenching his fists… Hachiman Hikigaya took a deep breath. Undeterred by Daphne's covetousness, he said directly, “I want to ask you about Toto. Can you tell me anything about Toto?”

"A bunny? Hey... do you want to eat a bunny? Hmm, in that case, I can tell you." Daphne said, drooling. "Bunnies multiply infinitely, but they don't have the intelligence to think. They just instinctively head towards Manado. So, if you want to eat a bunny, just find a magician in Manado."

"...Eat too much rabbit?"

"Huh?" Hachiman Hikigaya's questioning tone made Daphne equally puzzled. "Don't you want to eat a bunny?"

Hachiman Hikigaya paused for a moment: "You mean... you want me to eat the rabbits? It's your rabbits that are devouring all living things, why would you want me to eat them?"

"Because rabbits are meant to be eaten," Daphne replied matter-of-factly. "Beluga whales are big, right? And there are lots of rabbits, right? With these two, there's plenty of food, and no one will go hungry, right?"

"You mean, your original intention in creating the three great magical beasts was to ensure that people in the world could have enough to eat?"

"Whether Daphne is telling the truth or not, Hachiman Hikigaya can tell. It is precisely because he can tell that he feels mentally deranged."

"At this moment, Hachiman Hikigaya's mind flashed back to the many soldiers who died during the White Whale Extermination Campaign, Crusch's roar, Phyllis's exhaustion while healing the wounded, Wilhelm's tears as he sought revenge for his wife. And finally... Rem."

"Didn't you... consider that the white whale and the rabbit are too powerful, and might end up treating others as food?"

"Hmm?" Daphne's voice turned colder. "If you want to eat people, isn't it only natural to be prepared to be eaten yourself?"

"This statement, this principle, is not wrong, but..."

"But," Hachiman Hikigaya's voice was even colder than hers, "no one asked you to produce these three food reserves!"

"Are you angry? Donna said you're sacrificing yourself for a child, but that child didn't ask you to do any of this, did she?"

"Daphne has arbitrarily equated her actions of wreaking havoc on the world for four hundred years with Hachiman Hikigaya's protection of Emilia. Hachiman Hikigaya did not refute this slander."

"I have nothing to say about this. It's wishful thinking, my selfishness, my own selfishness, and me simply indulging in self-pity. In that respect, perhaps my actions are the same as yours."

"Hachiman Hikigaya's eyelids drooped. If Emilia knew the price she paid for him, she would feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. So, he was not noble, but rather somewhat despicable, and Hachiman Hikigaya was quite aware of this."

""But…""

"Rem, Otto, Crusch, Wilhelm and his wife, the residents of the Sanctuary who were devoured by the rabbits, and the soldiers who have a blood feud with the white whale."

""But…""

"Should we say it's for Rem, for Otto, for them?"

""But…""

"Yes, it's for Rem, it's for Otto, it's for them."

""But…""

"But it's also for myself; I hate the white whale, I hate the rabbit, I hate Daphne!"

""But…""

"Regardless of whether the essence is the same, I—only you—am someone I absolutely cannot forgive, someone I want to kill, someone whose very soul is annihilated, Daphne!!"

"'Who is Rem...?'"

"That jarring question that pierces the heart will always drift into my ears unintentionally."

"Countless nights, he dreamt of Rem's silhouette in the white mist, the hero who fought alone against the white whale to protect him, gradually disappearing, leaving him all alone."

"Because Echidna was there, I knew I wouldn't die. With that assurance, I threw a punch."

"If Echidna weren't there, would I still be able to throw a punch?"

"Hachiman Hikigaya didn't know... but he clenched his fist and swung it out, intending to use all his strength to strike the Gluttony Witch Daphne."

168. It's not that I'm going to cry.

Crusch was both shocked and furious.

Although Echidna, Pandora, and Typhon have thoroughly revealed the witches' peculiar values, it's still shocking to see Daphne casually state that she created the three great monsters to prevent the world's people from going hungry...

"This kind of reason, this kind of reason!!"

Wilhelm was breathing heavily. Before he could even ask his lord Crusch for permission, his body had already taken matters into his own hands and leaped out into the courtyard, drawing his sword and pointing the blade at the sky.

He nearly ground his teeth to powder, his arms trembling. Finally, this elderly man, who had lost his wife to a white whale, let out a long, mournful howl.

With his long howl as a signal, intermittent cries of sorrow and mournful laughter, madness, irony, anger... Countless emotions resounded throughout the world as people who had lost loved ones because of the white whale played a lament.

Phyllis lowered her head sadly. "I'm sure Will is the one who understands Hachiman's feelings right now. If Will were to see the Gluttony Witch say these words to his face, he would definitely take action."

Crusch opened her mouth, but remained silent.

She was furious with Daphne, but also shocked by Hachiman Hikigaya's audacious attack, even with Echidna as her backup—the legendary Gluttony Witch.

But now, listening to the mournful cries that filled the entire capital, she knew.

"To throw this punch, you must throw it, you must hit the target... So, this is your wish, Lord Hachiman."

They had no idea their future would be broadcast, nor how many people their actions inspired.

However, at this moment, Hachiman Hikigaya was indeed carrying the wishes of tens of thousands, even more, of the victims of the White Whale. Together with him, they shouted and threw this punch at the Gluttony Witch Daphne.

but.

"Missing."

In that instant, Daphne vanished, and reappeared at the tea party in an imposter named Echidna. She patted her chest, a hint of lingering fear in her voice, and exclaimed, "What a surprise! You've always been such a rational person. If I'd been just a fraction of a second slower, I might have been too late!"

"Echidna, gazing at her Donna tea, pondered for a moment, 'Should I call it "making the most of what you have"? With me as your insurance, you might as well use it. You can even test whether Daphne's body is truly untouchable... Sigh, what a stingy man.'"

"Because she used him as a pawn and material, she's now turning the tables and using him as a pawn instead."

“But I don’t dislike it.” Echidna smiled.

"Hachiman Hikigaya neither admitted nor denied it; he simply stared at his empty fist and remained silent for a long time."

"Amidst Echidna's incessant chatter, he began to experience tinnitus, a sign that his soul was about to return to his body. Hachiman Hikigaya withdrew his fist and gave Echidna one last look."

"Yes, that's right, I'm that kind of person, I'm very stingy."

"Even being mocked as a frog or called Hachiman mushroom, he still remembers all those trivial things and will always remember those who left him with those memories."

"So, it won't end here."

"This is a declaration of war."

"A petty, vengeful man, Hachiman Hikigaya, declares war on the Gluttonous Witch Daphne!!"

"Given the external threat of the Witch Cult, he still went ahead and declared war on the terrifying witch in the Sanctuary... Although I understand that he loves Rem and is avenging her, isn't that a bit too irrational?"

Ibara Mayaka scratched her head. "At the very least, you should secretly gather your strength to take revenge, right? There's no need to be so open and aboveboard."

"In a place like the Tea Party, do you really think that the witches other than Echidna can't see what Hachiman is thinking?"

Houtarou Oreki sighed, "You can't hide it from a witch, and besides, being open and honest is Hachiman's way of repaying her."

"What do you mean?" Ibara Mayaka was dumbfounded.

"Although the one who created the White Whale and the Rabbit was the Gluttony Witch, she provided information about the Rabbit for free, which is a favor in itself. Declaring war openly is Hachiman's way of repaying this favor."

Houtarou Oreki thought about it carefully, but he still couldn't fully fathom Hachiman Hikigaya's state of mind. However, the parts he guessed were enough to fill him with awe.

Chitanda Eru exclaimed in amazement, "Oreki-kun is so enthusiastic!"

"Positive..." Houtarou Oreki shook his head slightly. He actually wanted to conserve energy, but the charm of Hachiman Hikigaya made it impossible for him to do so.

At the same time, throughout the Kingdom of Lugnica, a deafening roar resounded across the heavens and earth.

Emilia, in the capital, looked around in surprise. The surrounding noise was overwhelming. After Hachiman Hikigaya declared war on the Gluttony Witch, it seemed that most people were shouting his name.

The suffering that beluga whales have brought to the world over the past four hundred years is simply too much.

However, everyone knows that Hachiman Hikigaya's declaration of war is merely a statement; even if the Gluttony Witch is truly to be dealt with, it will be a long time from now.

Moreover, before that, there wasn't a sure thing about how to get through the mansion and the sanctuary.

"He opened his eyes, stood up unsteadily, and remembered everything about his conversation with the witches and his spying on Emilia's past."

"...No, it wasn't me..."

Before he could organize his plans, the hazy murmurs he had heard countless times reached his ears again. Hachiman Hikigaya's body was still frozen in the moment when he was devoured by the rabbits and lost all feeling. He staggered and struggled to control his still not fully recovered body, rushed to Emilia's side, shook her shoulders, and woke the silver-haired girl from her nightmare.

"Emilia."

"What can be done? What can be done to alleviate Emilia's pain? What can be done to distract her from the fear that arises from undergoing the trial?"

"Hmm...?"

Emilia tilted her head slightly and saw Hachiman Hikigaya gritting his teeth, seemingly wanting to do something. However, after hesitating and weighing his options, Hachiman Hikigaya finally gave up and lowered his head in dejection.