Chapter 31 (226): Gluttony's Weakness
Emilia: "Hachiman, are you okay? About Rem..."
Hikigaya: "It has nothing to do with you, Lia. It's not your responsibility. Don't worry, I'll definitely bring her back."
Ram's face was grim. Since learning of her sister's death, her heart had plummeted into an inescapable abyss.
Beatrice: "What are you planning to do?!"
Hikigaya: "The same thing I always do. What needs to be done..."
The group looked at him with confusion. Hikigaya knew he couldn't choose to "restart" right here. Even knowing that everything that happened afterward would vanish, dying in front of them was something he instinctively revolted against.
Under the guise of needing to rest, he walked to a deserted area. At this moment, perhaps due to the sudden and massive casualties, everyone was preoccupied with counting the dead and checking on the survivors.
'Alright, Gluttony. I'm coming for you.'
Wind magic pierced through Hikigaya's mind. In an instant, his strength vanished, and he collapsed to the ground. In the moments before his consciousness faded, he thought he heard Beatrice calling his name.
'Ah... sorry about that, Beatrice. But... I'll be back.'
[ Beatrice: "This guy is so irresponsible. He brought Betty out, yet he ends his own life without saying a word. And yet... Betty cannot find it in her heart to blame him." ]
[ Rem: "Hachiman-kun... did he commit suicide again just to save us?" ]
[ Puck: "He really is a stubborn one. But I suppose it's that kindness that makes Lia pay so much attention to him." ]
[ Emilia: "But... no one can share this pain with Hachiman. In the end, he has to bear it all alone. I... I find that hard to accept." ]
[ Crusch: "As expected, Sir Hikigaya is the only true variable." ]
[ Ram looked at the determined Hachiman, momentarily stunned. Once, she had wanted to kill him herself, but now, he would calmly choose death for the sake of Rem's life. ]
[ Perhaps it was because of these repeated choices that Ram found herself watching and anticipating the young man even more. ]
[ Yukinoshita Yukino gripped Hikigaya's hand, unable to bear it, her worried expression showing: "Hachiman-kun... are you afraid? I know you're not, because you're always like this..." ]
[ Yuigihama Yui: "Yukinon is talking to herself again. But... Hikki, I don't want you to be like this either..." ]
[ Hikigaya: "But some things just need to be done. If I don't do it, I'll only regret it. So..." ]
[ Hayama: "Yeah. Some things have to be done by someone. Once you've made up your mind, there's no changing it, is there? You've already become an existence we can no longer compare to." ]
[ Iroha: "I just hope Senpai can think about us, the people who worry about you, while you're on the edge of life and death... It really makes me miss those times." ]
[ Hikigaya: "Once everything settles down... I will." ]
When he opened his eyes again, Hikigaya felt a rush of air surging into his nose and mouth. This was...
'Damn, the checkpoints are always weird, but isn't this one a bit too much...'
This was the falling sensation that began the moment Hikigaya stepped into Beatrice's teleportation gate. However, having experienced it once already, Hikigaya was clearly not as nervous this time.
After all, Beatrice would catch him below.
'If Yukinoshita were here, she'd probably be scared half to death by this height…'
[Yukinoshita, who had just been feeling sentimental, immediately shot Hikigaya a resentful glance...]
Sure enough, just as he was about to hit the ground, Beatrice was already waiting below to catch him.
Boom!
The massive impact still kicked up clouds of dust. Hikigaya stopped midair, then gently fell into Beatrice's arms…
It really was exactly the same development.
However, because of the time rewind, Hikigaya suddenly felt intense weakness coming from his body. At this point, he was completely unable to move and could only rely on Beatrice's help.
Thinking about the upcoming battle, Hikigaya weakly asked:
"Beatrice, do you have any fruits that can quickly restore stamina?"
Beatrice shook her head.
"You think Devil Fruits are something you can just pick up off the street whenever you want.."
Alright then. Looks like this awkward princess carry was going to continue.
Because he already roughly knew Crusch and the others' location, Hikigaya was now rushing there at full speed.
If his guess was correct, then the timing of running into Greed and Gluttony this time would probably be about the same as he had imagined.
Although the subjugation force's combat power wasn't low, the rule was always to gang up rather than fight one-on-one. Hikigaya immediately launched a signal flare like fireworks at their current location.
This signal was meant for Emilia and the others. Once Hikigaya arrived at the battlefield, he would immediately fire a second signal. Wilhelm and the others, who were struggling to locate everyone, would be able to rush over as fast as possible.
Of course, that was only its first purpose. Perhaps this signal could also confuse Greed and Gluttony's targets, while simultaneously alerting Crusch and the others.
"Let's go, Beatrice!"
On the other side, seeing the signal flare blazing high into the sky, Crusch looked over with some confusion.
Naturally, the rest of the subjugation force noticed it as well.
Rem: "Lady Crusch, should we…"
Crusch: "Although we don't know what's going on, just in case, we should stay alert and pay attention to our surroundings."
Al: "If we need to rush back, we can do it quickly, but if something happens, that wouldn't be good, right, Princess?"
Priscilla stared at the distant signal flare, and Hikigaya's figure involuntarily surfaced in her mind. She shook her head repeatedly, trying to force him out of her thoughts.
Propping her cheek up with her hand, she said:
"Do whatever you want…"
Al: "Princess, could it be that you're worried…"
Priscilla: "Al, if you keep making baseless guesses, I'll rip your mouth apart."
Al shut up.
At this moment, Ricardo was still touching the White Whale's corpse, speaking with some emotion:
"What an incredible guy. Taking so many of my blades and still keeping this thickness… I really don't know what this thing ate to grow this big… but…"
As he spoke, he quickly revealed an even more arrogant grin.
"Being able to die by my hand only proves one thing, that I'm even more incredible! Hahahahahahahahaha….."
Mimi: "That's right, that's right, Captain is amazing! Of course Mimi is amazing too…!"
"Hahahahahahahahaha…."
Hetaro looked at the two of them and couldn't help but smile with relief.
"Miss Anastasia will definitely be happy too. After all, things really did turn out just like Hikigaya-kun said, there are no casualties at all."
Ricardo: "Now that you mention it, that's true. He's really someone worthy of respect. He is clearly just an ordinary person, yet he has that kind of courage and resolve."
Mimi: "Mimi really likes him too!"
Just as the three were laughing and chatting, Greed suddenly appeared, once again blocking everyone's path.
Boom!
"Jump!"
Perhaps because they saw it in advance, the massive impact didn't cost anyone their lives. However, the shockwave still killed the ground dragons. At this point, escaping was basically impossible.
In the distance, Gluttony, who had been secretly laughing all this time, slowly walked over. He stared at Crusch, silently chanting her name, then opened his mouth wide.
"Ice Binding!"
Countless ice spikes fell like meteors toward Gluttony. If Hikigaya hadn't arrived at just the right moment, Crusch's arm would likely have already become his meal.
Because of the sudden attack, Gluttony had no choice but to interrupt his own, allowing everyone to instantly pull away and create distance.
Although they still couldn't fully determine the enemy's abilities, Hikigaya had already seen enough from what just happened.
He didn't know how much this proved, but it seemed that in order to eat someone, Gluttony had to first call out their name.
Gluttony: "You dare interrupt my meal. Who are you?"
Greed: "Interrupting someone when they're enjoying themselves is rather impolite, you know."
At this moment, the battlefield was split into four sides. Hikigaya and Beatrice faced Gluttony directly, while everyone else stayed far away from Greed.
Seeing Hikigaya arrive, everyone froze for a moment. Whether it was Crusch or Priscilla, all eyes were now on him. Clearly, this was not the time for conversation.
Hikigaya sneered, and a ridiculous idea surfaced in his mind.
"Since you're so curious about who I am, I'll generously tell you my name."
"My name is Hayama. Hayama Hayato!"
'If it were that guy Hayama, he'd definitely announce his name this arrogantly.'
[Hayama: "So basically, Hikigaya-kun, you definitely have some prejudice against me, right?"]
[Hikigaya: "No, not at all… Anyone would think so."]
[Yuigahama: "Hikki, your personality is awful."]
[Isshiki: "Although it's not the first time I've known, Senpai's personality is really getting more troublesome. But if you cultivate it properly, it can still…"]
[As she spoke, Isshiki's voice grew quieter and quieter. It was only when it disappeared entirely that she finally noticed everyone staring at her.]
[Only Yukinoshita, who had been watching from the side, kept covering her mouth and snickering. After watching for so long and enduring so much inner turmoil, she gradually emerged from that mental exhaustion.]
[Perhaps everything was beautiful at this moment. If time could continue like this forever, then no matter what Yukinoshita had to use to protect it, she would persist.]
Everyone was confused, but seeing the firm expression on Hikigaya's face, no one exposed his lie. Meanwhile, Gluttony's expression grew increasingly sinister. Just as he was about to open his mouth again, Hikigaya directly interrupted him.
"By the way, I still haven't heard your names. Before asking others to state their names, you should give your own first. That's basic etiquette."
Knowing full well that no one could escape his gaping maw, Gluttony and Greed weren't in a hurry at all. They simply put on vicious expressions and said:
"Witch Cult…"
Before Gluttony could finish, Hikigaya cut in.
"Ah, I know. Witch Cult Sin Archbishop of [Gluttony], Lye Batenkaitos."
"And of course, I know you too. You're the Witch Cult Sin Archbishop of [Greed], Regulus Corneas."
Having his name stolen like this made Greed glare at Hikigaya in extreme displeasure, revealing an openly disgusted expression.
Gluttony: "You're truly disgusting, Hayama Hayato."
Hikigaya: "I think so too!"
Gluttony: "Prepare to die, Hayama Hayato. Hahahahaha, Hayama Hayama Hayama Hayama!"
As he spoke, Gluttony rushed forward as if he were cheating. Beatrice, as if this had all been planned beforehand, didn't move to protect Hikigaya.
Seeing this scene, everyone panicked. Even Priscilla had already drawn her Yang Sword, preparing to slash forward.
But…
"Damn it, at this distance, he'll be caught in it too."
Hikigaya didn't resist at all. No, rather than that, he had never planned to resist from the beginning. His body was already so weak that even standing was difficult.
He simply waited for Gluttony to come.
And then… beneath that gaping maw…
"Ugh!"
Countless streams of vomit poured from Gluttony's mouth. The physical discomfort forced him to stagger backward as he clutched his throat, his face turning pale.
Everyone else still hadn't processed what had happened. Only Gluttony kept pointing at Hikigaya.
"Hayama, no… you're not Hayama! You bastard, you dared to deceive me!"
Hikigaya spread his hands.
"Come on, not casually telling strangers your name is the simplest common sense there is. But now I understand…"
"Gluttony, you can only devour people who know their own names to erase their 'existence'. Otherwise, you'll end up vomiting nonstop like this."
Crusch: "So that's why…"
Gluttony: "Impossible… my secret… all these years… no one has ever known. No, you must die. Everyone here must die!"
Hikigaya sneered again.
"Then let's see what you're capable of!"
"Shamak!"
Black mist once again engulfed the entire battlefield. Under Hikigaya's command, everyone quickly completed their assignments.
Priscilla, Crusch, Rem, Beatrice, and Hikigaya would deal with Greed, while the rest would handle Gluttony.
(End of this chapter)