Chapter 27 (222): Sloth's Final Battle
Though Meili's reaction had clearly messed things up, since they had already been discovered, Hikigaya simply stepped out together with Ram, leaving Wilhelm, Julius, and Felix still hidden behind the trees.
Meili: "Where's my present?! Didn't you say you'd bring me a gift when you came back from the capital?"
Hikigaya: "Your gift will be here very soon. I didn't expect you'd really behave so well."
Meili was actually a little surprised herself.
She had long since gained the ability to escape, yet she had stayed here the entire time, waiting for Hikigaya to fulfill his promise.
Of course, as a hired assassin, she knew that after her previous failure, there was no real reason to continue fighting the people of the mansion.
That was probably why she had relaxed so much.
Still, everyone else seemed afraid of her.
If Petra hadn't chatted with her now and then, she would've gone crazy from boredom these past few days.
After all, she was still just a child. Thinking like that was only natural.
Emilia also noticed Hikigaya.
Seeing how urgently he had rushed back, and knowing he had even defeated the White Whale, she found herself unable to scold him for breaking his promise.
Because everything he had done was truly for her, from the very beginning.
"Hikigaya-sama, why have you gathered everyone here?"
"Of course, to announce some good news. For our territory, we've gained a new group of protectors. You might not be familiar with them yet."
As he spoke, Hikigaya pulled Chin forward.
"His name is Chin. He's part of a very capable group I found in the capital. From today on, I hope everyone will support them. They'll be protecting your safety."
Hearing this, the villagers began applauding.
One of them even said: "With Hikigaya-sama here, we feel completely at ease. What could possibly threaten our lives?"
"That's hard to say..."
A strange, mocking laugh slowly spread through the village.
Hikigaya: "I've finally been waiting for you. The Bowel Hunter, Elsa."
Chin: "Everyone, on guard!"
Since they still didn't understand what was happening, the villagers hadn't fallen into panic yet.
Meili: "Eh? Big sister?"
Elsa stepped out of the forest, her face twisted with anger.
"Where's Meili?"
Meili: "Big sister, I'm here!"
Elsa: "Let her go..."
Meili: "Huh? I'm not being held captive though."
Hikigaya: "See, Meili? This is the gift I brought you."
Chin: "Wait... my brain can't keep up. What's going on here..."
Emilia: "Hikigaya-kun, you already knew she would come?"
Hikigaya: "Meili is her most precious little sister. Of course she'd rush over to save her."
Meili immediately ran into Elsa's arms and hugged her tightly.
Elsa froze for a moment, then calmly asked: "You disappeared for so many days. Did you forget where we came from?"
Meili: "I remember, big sister. But here… everything feels really nice."
Elsa didn't know what Meili had experienced.
But hearing her say that left Elsa momentarily speechless.
Hikigaya: "Now you have no reason to attack us anymore, right?"
Elsa drew out her sickle and gave a symbolic smile.
"That's hard to say. To be honest, I've been wanting to take revenge for last time's injuries."
Emilia immediately stepped in front of Hikigaya as a massive icicle formed out of thin air.
"Hikigaya-kun, step back."
Hikigaya kept his calm smile.
This time, he gently walked past Emilia, pressed her hand down, and the enormous icicle shattered instantly.
All the villagers' attention was focused here.
None of them noticed Wilhelm and the others hidden deep in the forest.
Elsa: "Oh?"
Hikigaya: "Elsa, we were never enemies. Honestly, there's no need for us to become enemies. You should understand that better than anyone."
Indeed.
If Elsa had truly been someone they needed to kill at all costs, Hikigaya would never have spared Meili in the first place.
Precisely because Elsa was merely a hired assassin, and not their real target, "Elsa, Meili. As mercenaries, do you really like this kind of drifting life with no home?"
"If you join us, Roswaal will provide you with proper pay. And… everything you desire is right here now."
Villager: "That's impossible..."
Emilia: "Turning enemies into allies? Hikigaya-kun, what are you trying to do..."
Hikigaya: "So? What do you say?"
Elsa sneered.
"Not a bad proposal. But before that, your villagers don't think the same way. Do you really dare trust someone who's killed countless people?"
Petra: "I... I trust Meili."
Meili: "I want to stay here too, but… things like that were difficult from the start, weren't they..."
Hikigaya clapped his hands.
In an instant, Wilhelm, Julius, and Felix appeared, killing the 'Finger' hidden among the crowd before anyone could react.
The surrounding villagers were so shocked they couldn't even move.
Hikigaya: "Everyone, don't worry. That was a Witch Cultist, someone I've been watching for a long time."
Villager: "Witch... Witch Cultist?! This must be because of you!"
One villager pointed straight at Emilia, clearly trying to shift all the blame onto her.
Multiple problems were colliding at once, and Sloth had already noticed their presence.
The situation couldn't be more troublesome.
But for Hikigaya,
This was exactly what he wanted.
As long as there was a common enemy, these people could be united.
Hikigaya remained calm and stepped onto the platform, addressing the villagers: "And that's not all. I also forgot to tell you, Chin and the others aren't some powerful warriors. They're just a group of street thugs from the capital."
"Emilia is indeed a half-elf. Just like you say, she even looks exactly like the Witch."
"And Elsa and Meili are nothing more than mercenaries, bloodthirsty mercenaries."
"Now you understand, don't you?"
"What you need is never people who are pleasant to get along with."
"What you need are people who can protect you."
"As long as they can do that, everything else can be overlooked."
"The Archbishop of Sin of the Witch Cult, Sloth, has already noticed all this. If my guess is right, he's now commanding all his followers to rush here."
"And the people you just rejected, those you feared and despised, are precisely the ones standing between you and death."
"Even now, do you still think that meaningless pride in your hearts is worth holding onto?"
The villagers fell silent.
Just as Hikigaya said, if they were truly that noble, they could leave this place right now.
But from then on, their lives would belong to no one but themselves.
One villager finally spoke: "Then what if she turns her killing intent on us? I don't trust someone like her."
Hikigaya: "Then become stronger yourselves. In this world, the only thing you can truly rely on is yourself."
Silence once more.
In that quiet, Felix smiled and closed his eyes.
"Hikigaya-kun is really cruel, saying things like that to the people of his own territory."
Julius: "No. This is exactly what a leader should possess, not empty encouragement, but the resolve to face the cruelty of the world and still fight back."
Wilhelm: "This old man is growing more and more fond of Hikigaya-dono."
Hikigaya: "Elsa, Meili, time is running out. Sloth will arrive soon. This is your only chance to choose."
"Protect the villagers. Eliminate the enemy!"
Elsa licked her sickle, her smile blooming.
"Then I'll trust you just this once."
Meili: "Hikigaya-kun, hurry and help me remove the crystal! I'm going to summon the mabeasts!"
…
Under Ram's guidance, the villagers quickly evacuated the area.
After Felix confirmed it, there were no more 'Fingers' among them.
During this short time, Hikigaya also explained Sloth's two twisted abilities:
One was [Possession].
The other was [Unseen Hands].
As long as they could counter these two, the rest would be simple.
Of course, although there were only six of them, and Felix's combat strength was quite weak, with Meili's mabeasts added in, their overall power wouldn't be lacking.
"Emilia, this is our counterattack."
[Yukinoshita: "Hikigaya-kun, it feels like you're getting farther and farther away from us."]
[Yuigahama: "I feel the same. Even though Hikki, you're sitting right beside us, this feeling is strange… really strange."]
[Miura: "Well, that can't be helped, right? To me, Hikigaya, you don't even feel like someone our age anymore."]
[Hikigaya: "I didn't expect to hear that from you someday."]
[Miura: "Neither did I. Under that gloomy face there'd be someone so gentle and brave. No wonder Yui... never mind."]
[Hina: "Yumiko, that's not like you. Don't stop halfway through your sentence."]
[Miura: "I was just thinking that some things can't be changed, no matter how hard you try. So... maybe it's best to bury them in your heart."]
[Iroha: "It feels like even Miura-senpai's been influenced now. Why is everyone starting to talk in such a weird, dramatic way?"]
[Hayama: "I guess that just means you really are amazing, Hikigaya. Even though I don't want to admit it."]
[Hikigaya: "Yeah, yeah, yeah..."]
"Brain trembling, brain trembling!"
"My brain, it's trembling!"
"Sloth sloth sloth sloth sloth sloth!"
"Love love love love love love love love love love!"
From deep within the forest came horrifying screams, and the six people hiding among the trees heightened their vigilance.
If one looked carefully, they would notice that aside from Hikigaya standing openly on the ground waiting for his arrival, everyone else had already concealed themselves.
As the group of Witch Cultists gathered before him, Hikigaya knew very well, this would be the fourth time he faced Petelgeuse.
"Welcome, beloved follower."
"I am the Archbishop of Sin of the Witch Cult, in charge of [Sloth]."
"Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti... desu!"
'Ah, what a headache. I've already heard this speech four times. But since this is the last time, I might as well listen with some curiosity.'
Hikigaya stepped forward without saying a word, wearing only a calm smile.
Sloth tilted his head unnaturally.
"You actually murdered my beloved followers, how very, very, very diligent!"
"But you, just standing there like that, are truly, truly, truly, truly, truly, slothful!"
'What a pile of nonsense...'
Sloth twisted his neck further.
"Why aren't you speaking? Could it be that you are... [Pride]?"
'Forget it. No point listening anymore.'
Hikigaya: "That's right. I am Pride... desu!"
The moment Hikigaya said that, the five hidden in the forest burst out at once.
The mabeasts controlled by Meili instantly surrounded the area.
Emilia's massive icicles shot forward, and the Witch Cultists vanished like raindrops.
At the same time, Wilhelm cleaved Sloth in half with a single strike.
As he died, he screamed madly: "Sloth sloth sloth sloth! Was this part of your plan too?!"
"Why, why, why have I never suffered such humiliation before?!"
Hikigaya: "If I had to say why... it's because I've already lost far too much."
Watching Sloth finally draw his last breath, Hikigaya didn't relax in the slightest.
Instead, he had Felix ignite the final flames, burning the corpse to ashes.
The moment the body was completely incinerated, the remaining Fingers who had not been fully killed by the mabeasts were instantly possessed again by Sloth.
Fortunately, thanks to Hikigaya's earlier warning, no one let their guard down.
[Unseen Hands] burst forth.
Hikigaya desperately threw daggers to block them, and Elsa, noticing the attacks, directly sliced them apart.
Once again, Sloth was cut cleanly in two out of nowhere.
"Watch out!"
Before Hikigaya's warning could even finish, Elsa was seized by the Unseen Hands and crushed completely.
"Bang..."
Blood splattered into the air as Sloth's manic laughter echoed.
"Sloth, sloth, how truly slothful!"
"Hehehe, don't tell me you thought only you could play such tricks."
As he laughed wildly, Elsa struck again from behind, instantly killing the newly possessed Sloth once more.
In this drawn-out battle, Elsa and Meili played enormous roles.
The mabeasts' encirclement combined with Wilhelm's swordsmanship wiped out the Witch Cultists in moments, while Emilia continued firing icicles from the trees.
Julius relied on the spirits around him to constantly sense the Unseen Hands.
To be honest, in a one-on-one fight, the Unseen Hands were more than enough to push most people into despair.
But under these circumstances, the pressure on each person wasn't overwhelming.
With Hikigaya's command and sharp awareness, a simple warning was enough for everyone to evade danger instantly.
Seeing that the Fingers were almost completely eliminated, Hikigaya took a deep breath.
If nothing went wrong, he himself would be the next possession target.
But he hadn't told anyone.
Because he had already found the solution.
And that was thanks to Pandora.
Her appearance had made Hikigaya understand something clearly.
No matter how much Sloth claimed to love the Witch, the moment a Witch truly appeared, he wouldn't be able to withstand that overwhelming "love".
And unfortunately, Hikigaya carried two such monsters within him.
When Julius finally cut down the last Finger, that familiar splitting headache surged into Hikigaya's mind.
Yes.
This feeling again.
"My brain is trembling!"
Hikigaya stuck out his tongue, wearing the expression of a madman, frightening even Emilia beside him.
"Hikigaya-kun! Are you okay?!"
"Since that's the case, then just wait, I'll bring her over right away!"
"Hahahahaha! Sloth sloth sloth! What are you talking about?!"
"The Witch you've been waiting for, I can't wait to see you meet her."
Emilia: "Hikigaya-kun, what's wrong with you?!"
After dealing with the remaining Fingers, the five of them gathered around him.
The first to realize the truth were Julius and Felix.
Felix covered his mouth, unable to accept it.
"That's impossible... how could something like this happen..."
Julius: "Hikigaya, you have to hold on!"
Wilhelm: "Hikigaya-dono, what exactly..."
Elsa: "Looks like the only option is to kill him."
As she raised her sickle, Meili immediately stepped in front of her.
"Meili?"
"Big sister... don't..."
"But..."
"Don't..."
For a moment, no one knew what to do.
They could only watch as Sloth slowly devoured Hikigaya's consciousness.
But this was exactly Hikigaya's plan.
The moment Sloth entered his body,
It would be time to summon the Witch.
"I can... die and retu..."
Within that darkened space, Petelgeuse felt as if he had fallen into an endless abyss.
Unseen Hands sprouted around him as tears and laughter streamed down his face.
"Finally... I've waited so long..."
"Please bestow upon me your love, your mercy, your affection..."
The moment their hands touched,
He realized the other's hand passed straight through his body, piercing directly into his heart.
"No... this isn't you..."
Bang!
Petelgeuse's consciousness was violently expelled.
That scorching sensation of rejection engulfed him completely.
"Impossible... impossible..."
A black, flame-like soul emerged from Hikigaya's body, screaming: "Impossible... my mercy... my looooove love love love!"
Hikigaya panted heavily.
After confirming Sloth had been forced out, he finally showed a relieved smile.
"I thought you loved her more deeply than that. Didn't expect you to come out after just one time. What a useless guy."
"Why, why, why, why, why...!"
"I gave you everything! I devoted everything to you! Why?!"
"Witch Witch Witch Witch Witch!"
"Please grant me your affection..."
Not waiting for any more nonsense, Emilia instantly activated her fire magic, burning it completely away.
Sloth.
Petelgeuse.
Dead.
Completely.
Exhausted, Hikigaya collapsed.
Thankfully, Emilia caught him immediately.
"Good job, Hikigaya-kun."
His consciousness blurred, the world before him seeming ready to fade.
Instinctively, he reached out and touched Emilia's cheek, only to feel it soaked with tears.
Emilia: "Why... why do you push yourself this far... You should've rested properly... If you do this... how am I supposed to scold you..."
Hikigaya: "You're still thinking about scolding me... that's pretty cruel, you know..."
Wilhelm knelt down and nodded deeply in respect.
Though he didn't know how many trials Hikigaya had endured, this journey had been far too exhausting.
Far too painful.
Just an ordinary person, yet he had stepped into death again and again.
Just moments ago, everyone had truly believed Hikigaya was about to leave them forever.
In truth, he hadn't rested for who knew how long.
Including this time, he had already looped nine times,
And finally saved Emilia and the villagers.
But even so, it still wasn't enough.
What he had to do wasn't finished yet.
Grabbing Wilhelm's hand, he staggered and said: "Sir Wilhelm... hurry back and regroup with Crusch and the others... they must have run into trouble..."
Felix: "What's going on?!"
Hikigaya: "No time to explain. You have to go now. Elsa and Emila, you go too. Rem is over there."
Emilia: "But you..."
Hikigaya could feel himself on the verge of passing out, yet forced himself to continue: "Have Ram take me to Beatrice for treatment."
"We can't stop her. That's her little sister, Meili."
"The mansion and the villagers are in your hands, along with Chin and the others."
"No matter what, don't let yourselves regret it."
Because Crusch's group had taken a long detour earlier on Hikigaya's advice, the trouble on their side would take longer to surface.
And Sloth had been dealt with quickly this time.
So, there was still time.
Hikigaya had sworn, no matter what, he would save everyone.
With that, he gently closed his eyes.
(End of this chapter)