Chapter 30 (225): Decisive Battle
[Felix: "This enemy… is incredibly strong..."]
[Rem: "The Witch Cult again… I've already reached my limit with these people."]
[Crusch: "To think even Greed and Gluttony have appeared. This period truly hasn't been peaceful at all."]
[Ram: "That's true. Ever since Little Hikki appeared, more and more witches and Witch Cultists have been showing up. Just how many secrets are still hidden behind all this?"]
[Emilia: "Absolutely… absolutely cannot let Hikigaya-kun shoulder everything alone again. We have to get there!"]
[Wilhelm: "Even this old man has never encountered enemies so powerful, with such terrifying abilities… but it seems we have no choice but to fight."]
[Julius: "Indeed. When facing the Witch Cult, we knights have no reason to retreat."]
Greed and Gluttony's attacks worked like a chained combination skill, instantly devastating the battlefield. Countless soldiers collapsed in an instant. At that moment, nothing could be heard but the cries of flesh and blood and desperate pleas for help.
Hikigaya and the others who survived were forced to confront the two Archbishops head-on. However, their available combat power was painfully insufficient.
Mimi, Hetaro, Captain Ricardo, Priscilla, Crusch, Beatrice, a weakened Rem, and Al, who had lost an arm.
Although they seemed to possess considerable strength, under these circumstances, as long as Greed's ability could not be broken, victory was impossible no matter how hard they fought.
Under such dire pressure, Hikigaya was forced to decide on splitting the battlefield. The combined destructive power of the two was simply too overwhelming, separating them was the only option.
Beatrice, Hikigaya, and Priscilla with the Yang Sword would deal with Greed. The rest would take on Gluttony.
As if connected by an unspoken understanding, Hikigaya nodded to everyone, then turned his gaze toward Beatrice.
"Do it, Beatrice!"
"Shamak!"
A gray haze instantly enveloped several kilometers. This conspicuous fog immediately alerted Emilia's group, who were rushing toward the battlefield from afar.
Just as expected, the vast battlefield was quickly split into two by Beatrice's 'Shamak'. Greed remained arrogant and unflustered, casually waving his sleeve in an attempt to disperse the hateful mist.
With senses and vision obstructed, Priscilla's sword aura struck once more, instantly cleaving Greed's body in two.
Priscilla: "Hmph. I thought he'd be more impressive than this."
The three slowly emerged from the Shamak, but as they looked at Greed's body split in half, something felt off.
Hikigaya: "Fall back first. This guy might be like Sloth!"
Beatrice: "Beatrice can smell it… a very evil presence..."
Priscilla didn't waste any words. Gripping the Yang Sword, she stepped directly in front of Regulus, intending to send him straight to the afterlife.
However...
Boom!
A powerful gust of wind surged forward instantly. Hikigaya, the first to react, threw himself in front of the two girls to shield them. In that split second, he was sent flying through the air.
The moment she saw Hikigaya being blown away, Beatrice followed after him without hesitation. Priscilla, her face twisting with a hint of rage, glared at Regulus and unleashed an immediate strike.
Once again, time seemed to freeze. Within this "Screen" only Regulus's body moved in an eerie, unnatural posture. He slowly stood up as if nothing had happened, fully restored.
Yet, compared to before, his expression was noticeably more furious. Looking at Priscilla and her Yang Sword, his anger reached its absolute limit.
Boom!
A massive impact sent Priscilla flying as well. Despite the protection of the Yang Sword, she hadn't been able to react in time. Her body bore a mark that looked like a severe burn, an injury that couldn't be ignored.
Thud!
Hikigaya, having just regained consciousness, opened his eyes only to see a girl in a red dress hurtling toward him at an unstoppable speed.
Tumble, tumble, tumble...
The two rolled several meters across the ground. Had it not been for Beatrice's intervention, they likely would have kept rolling indefinitely.
By the time they stabilized, Priscilla's consciousness was clearly fading. Hikigaya held her by the shoulders, his mind racing as he analyzed the situation.
'This guy... what's the deal? How can he just... come back to life under those circumstances?'
'It should be impossible. If it's like this, he's unbeatable. He's completely off the charts.'
'Time stop, kinetic manipulation, and infinite resurrection...'
Before Hikigaya could think further, Regulus descended upon them with a face full of wrath, intending to crush them both into dust.
At this moment, even if Priscilla wanted to raise the Yang Sword to resist, she had no strength left. A look of helplessness crossed her face as she glanced at Hikigaya, looking as if she wanted to say something, yet she remained silent.
Time stopped.
Regulus lunged with a kick, aiming to turn them both into powder. However, Beatrice moved first, stepping in front of them and using her own body to block the attack.
She was sent flying violently.
Regulus: "Hmph. I'd like to see who can save you this time."
Hikigaya softly closed his eyes. He was all too familiar with facing death. No matter how powerful the enemy, he would simply return again and again until this monster was dead.
Boom!
The attack seemed to fail. No, rather, the positions of Hikigaya and the unconscious Priscilla had shifted in an instant.
Regulus: "Who's there?!"
Pandora: "My, I've gone and saved you again, Hachiman-kun."
Hikigaya: "It's you..."
Pandora: "Normally, if you don't call for me, I won't appear. But... I was just so bored. I know you better than anyone, Hachiman-kun. Getting you to take the initiative is practically impossible, isn't it?"
Hikigaya: "No... that's not it at all. The guy I'm facing is already enough of a monster; I just didn't want to add another one to the pile."
Pandora: "Hachiman-kun, you really say the most hurtful things. But let's leave it at that. After all, that's the Hachiman-kun I know."
"Regardless, I've helped you once more."
Seeing that Pandora had no intention of even looking at him, Regulus's expression grew even more incensed.
"Don't you know how rude it is to suddenly appear and interrupt me?!"
"Die!"
Time stopped again. Accompanied by the aura radiating from Regulus, Hikigaya felt his body becoming illusory. But in the next moment...
Pandora: "Oh, I forgot you were still here. In that case..."
Like a creature that didn't truly exist, she walked toward him. She was killed by Regulus over and over, yet with each death, she drew closer, until she stood right in front of him.
Realizing the danger, Regulus instantly backed away to create distance. But when he regained his senses, he found Pandora standing right behind him, as if she had never moved.
"Just die already!"
A violent shockwave erupted, but it still failed to erase her existence.
With a gentle touch from the Witch of Vainglory, Regulus, as if he had never existed in the first place, instantly vanished from the world.
Hikigaya watched it all. Because Beatrice and Priscilla were unconscious, he was the only witness to what had transpired.
'A monster, through and through.'
The next second, Pandora was back at his side. Hikigaya had already grown used to her sudden teleportations.
"Hachiman-kun is secretly saying bad things about me again..."
"But... since I'm here to help, I might as well see it through to the end..."
As if she had already seen through Hikigaya's thoughts, she spoke with a serene smile: "The Archbishop of Greed... to put it simply, he can stop time and swap his heart with those of his 'wives.' This makes him virtually immortal. Even for me, killing him is quite a troublesome affair..."
Hikigaya reacted quickly: "In other words, we didn't kill him just now... we killed his wives."
Pandora stepped closer, her expression unchanged.
"Yes. So, what will you do? Will you kill all of his wives, or watch your dear companions die? I truly want to know your answer."
Hikigaya didn't speak. In truth, he had already devised a plan to defeat him, and seeing Pandora only confirmed his theory.
Pandora: "It seems you already have a plan. But what a shame, even though I saved you, I still can't change your lack of will to live."
Hikigaya: "That's why I hate people who can read minds. But... thanks anyway, even though I don't know what your goal is."
Pandora: "My goal? If I had to say, it's naturally to become your friend... Time is almost up. See you later, Hachiman-kun."
As if appearing from thin air and vanishing back into it, the Witch of Vainglory disappeared once more.
Regulus was gone for now. What he needed to figure out next was the existence of the other one. After settling Priscilla and Beatrice, Hikigaya endured the throbbing pain in his body and limped out of the "Screen."
"Hachiman?"
Whether it was good or bad luck, he ran straight into Emilia. She looked at him in disbelief, seemingly unaware of the current situation.
"Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to be with Beatrice-sama..."
"No time to explain. How are Crusch-san and the others?"
"Crusch? Who is Crusch?"
Hearing that name, Wilhelm and his group felt an immediate sense of unease. Beyond their confusion, they couldn't comprehend what Hikigaya was saying.
Felix: "Oh, I get it! Crusch must be the name Hachiman-nyan gave to a ground dragon. Hachiman-nyan is always giving things weird names, like that 'Hayama' person."
Hikigaya wanted to treat their words as a joke, but he clearly couldn't laugh now. Supported by Emilia, Hikigaya quickly arrived at the location where Gluttony and the others were.
However, aside from Mimi and the others who were still fighting a desperate battle, Rem and Crusch had both vanished.
Wilhelm and Julius quickly joined the fray. Puck, who had been offline until now, saw the situation and began to utilize his powers.
Perhaps not expecting to suddenly face so many enemies, Gluttony soon found himself unable to hold them off.
Hikigaya: "You really don't remember Crusch?"
Emilia shook her head gently, and Felix followed suit.
'It seems the problem lies with Gluttony. No wonder he called the White Whale his pet; he possesses an ability similar to it.'
Seeing that he was completely outmatched, Gluttony prepared to escape by diving into the ground. But Ram wasn't about to let him get away so easily.
Boom!
At that moment, everyone unleashed their attacks simultaneously upon Gluttony. The overwhelming barrage of magic left him with nowhere to run.
In his final moments, before he could even process what was happening, he was cleaved in two by Wilhelm.
Memories flooded back into everyone's minds like a rushing stream. The moment he remembered, Felix couldn't control his tears.
"Crusch-sama... Crusch-sama... she's dead..."
"Rem, too... she died trying to help Mimi..."
Looking at the battlefield-turned-ruins and the grief-stricken people, Hikigaya sought more information.
Al lowered his sword and walked over slowly.
"Brother..."
"What exactly happened just now?"
Al looked helpless: "I don't know either. All I know is that Gluttony kept calling out Crusch-san's name, and then... in the chaos, he tore her body apart..."
'So Regulus also knew Priscilla's name...'
Al: "And Rem... for some reason, before Gluttony consumed them, he called their names. It was like some kind of... strange incantation."
'How did he know Rem's name? But...'
Hikigaya patted Al's shoulder lightly, his expression resolute.
"Good work..."
(End of this chapter)