Chapter 305. The Battle to Subjugate Wrath, Part I
Yukino Yukinoshita was filled with righteous indignation, but soon she lost the spare capacity for it. Her eyebrows knitted together as she sat up straight, turning solemn.
She saw a new scene appearing in the video—a scene sufficient to threaten her Hikigaya-kun. In the face of his life and safety, things like romance could be set aside for now.
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「On the way to the meeting point with Liliana, the five of them passed a tall clock tower. A large crowd of citizens had gathered beneath it, all looking up toward the top.」
「"Everyone who is chatting happily, everyone who is in a hurry, I apologize for causing you unease. Please lend me a moment of your time; thank you for your generosity."」
「A woman stood there, her entire body including her head wrapped in bandages, draped in a black robe. Her hands were entwined with intimidating golden chains, the ends of which featured sharp grappling claws.」
「She smiled with a twisted tenderness, and then she spoke:」
「"Thank you, and I am sorry. I am the Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, representing Wrath—Sirius Romanee-Conti."」
「There was an ominous aura about her, a malevolence identical to that of the twisted Petelgeuse. Because of this, everyone could instantly judge that she was not lying; she was indeed the Sin Archbishop of Wrath.」
「"—Heigh-ho!"」
「Consequently, the moment she announced her name, an overwhelming barrage of ice spears had already begun to sprint through the air, charging toward Sirius. Having suffered deeply from the Witch Cult's poison in the past, Emilia acted immediately, giving Sirius no further chance to speak.」
「"That's enough! I don't know what you're planning, but surrender quietly right now!"」
「Her voice, melodic as a silver bell, drowned out Sirius's defense. Emilia's eyes were sharp; her gentle temperament transformed instantly, filled with a reliable aura, looking more heroic than anyone.」
「Clatter—!!」
「All the ice spears were intercepted by the iron chains, shattering with a metallic ring and raining down as shards of ice. The dazed crowd beneath the clock tower, realizing such a fierce battle had erupted, immediately scattered in a panic, screaming as they ran.」
「"So stinky, so..."」
「Compared to her feigned composure and harmlessness from before, Sirius's eyes were now filled with nothing but madness and passion. She muttered intensely with the wailing of a festering resentment.」
「"So stinky, so stinky, so stinky, so stinky... the stench of that wretched woman, so filthy and loathsome. The half-devil stench that stole that person away from me. You aren't even that person, yet the foul smell on you is so similar! Ahhh, ahhhhh, I hate it!"」
「"Are you... testing my love for that person? Spirit! Isn't it enough that you stole that person from me, you filthy half-devil!"」
「She was frenzied. As she raised her hands high above her head, flames manifested out of thin air, attaching to the iron chains and burning furiously.」
「Her movements, her mania, her screams—all were saturated with an absolute loathing for Emilia.」
「"I! Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, Sirius Romanee-Conti, Governor of Wrath! You bastard half-devil, I will burn you and these bastards to cinders and scatter your ashes before my husband's grave!"」
「Her name, her demeanor, and her words had already revealed too much information.」
「Because he had met Regulus, Hikigaya Hachiman knew that the surname 'Romanee-Conti' was not a suffix shared by all Sin Archbishops. Analyzing Sirius's words, she was either Petelgeuse's wife or, at the very least, believed herself to be.」
「Petelgeuse was utterly obsessed with Satella; therefore, it was only natural that Sirius, who loved Petelgeuse, would hate Emilia, who shared Satella's appearance.」
「Clatter—!!」
「The iron chains, roaring with raging flames, slammed into the ground. With a thud, Sirius leaped down from the top of the clock tower, landing on all fours like a hideous demon from hell.」
「"Take care of yourself, Hachiman!"」
「Emilia only had time to say that much. Facing the incoming chains, she didn't retreat but advanced; she had to protect Hikigaya Hachiman by her side.」
「Emilia's hands condensed into solid ice swords, striking the joints of the chains. She created ice slides beneath her feet, rushing toward Sirius in a single breath, closing the distance significantly.」
「The hooks at the ends of the chains were unaffected by the movement of the middle sections; they erupted with a sonic boom, swinging straight toward Anastasia, who was clearly the most fragile and lacked any combat power. On the brink of crisis, Hikigaya Hachiman, with the fastest reaction, drew his sword and struck, being knocked back simultaneously with the chain's hook.」
「"Beatrice, stall her!"」
「Returning his sword to its sheath with a backhand, Hachiman left the combat-capable Beatrice to hold the rear. The moment he turned, he grabbed Anastasia and charged toward the perimeter.」
「"Stay close to me, Crusch!"」
「Hachiman's command caused the bewildered Crusch to subconsciously follow him away from the battlefield. They sprinted over a hundred meters in one go until Hachiman set Anastasia down at this barely safe distance, turning back immediately to rejoin the fight.」
「"Wait, Sir Hachiman! I want to—"」
「Only then realizing she had played the role of a deserter, Crusch reached out. Her hand was sharply swatted away as Hikigaya Hachiman spoke in a rapid, urgent breath: "Listen to me, it's just one Sin Archbishop. The situation hasn't escalated to the point where you need to go up there—protect Anastasia, Crusch. You have your mission. Help me protect Anastasia, okay? Do you understand? Take Anastasia and run further away, Crusch!"」
「Leaving those words behind, Hikigaya Hachiman gave her no time to argue. He turned and shot out like an arrow from a bow, the explosion of his muscles combined with his weight and momentum causing the stone tiles beneath his feet to shatter.」
「She had come within a hair's breadth of death, yet Anastasia felt no lingering fear. She clenched her fists, her body filled with rage toward the Sin Archbishop and an unusual emotion that spread through her soul more fully than ever before.」
「"Help me protect Anastasia—"」
「She chewed over those words. Then, she grabbed Crusch, who wanted to defy Hachiman's instructions, and pointed in a direction. "We have our mission, Miss Crusch. We have things we can do!"」
「In the direction she pointed, Felt's messenger, was also fleeing in a panic. If it was him, he might have a special token given by Reinhard that could summon Reinhard more quickly.」
「Crusch immediately nodded to Anastasia. Mimicking Hikigaya Hachiman, she scooped up Anastasia and ran toward Chin to intercept him.」
「It was the same posture, but this time, Anastasia didn't experience the same feeling as before.」
「She gazed distantly at Hikigaya Hachiman's retreating back, worry surfacing in her eyes as she murmured softly to herself.」
「"You have to win... Prime Minister!"」
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