Chapter 306. The Battle to Subjugate Wrath, Part II
「The collision between ice spears and iron chains produced clanging sounds time and time again. Every time Sirius's weapon struck the ground, it triggered a thunderous roar akin to an earthquake, capturing the soul in terror.」
「For some reason, amidst this thunderous noise, everyone felt increasingly angry—however, the angrier Emilia became, the more powerful her excited combat strength grew. She began to gain the upper hand, gradually pressing Sirius into a corner.」
「Despite this, the sight of Emilia wielding her ice sword amidst the rattling of the iron chains remained a cause for concern.」
「If Beatrice were at her peak, her "Space Banishment" move that dealt with the Great Rabbit could have instantly solved the Sirius problem. However, the mana she had accumulated for four hundred years was stored in the Forbidden Library; while she could still channel some power away from the library, Pristella Water Gate City was simply too far away.」
「The mana she currently possessed was insufficient for her to cast such high-level, advanced Yin Magic. She could only assist from the sidelines.」
「"If you won't surrender quietly, then for everyone's safety, please prepare yourself!"」
「With Betty's help, Emilia gained a greater advantage. She caught an opening, swung her ice sword, and sliced through Sirius's left arm amidst a declaration of fury.」
「The left arm left the body, flying high into the air, dripping with blood. This was a moment of triumph for Emilia—a moment worthy of memory and pride. However—」
「Left arm. The left arm left the body, flying high into the air, dripping with blood.」
「It wasn't just Sirius's. It was also Emilia's, Beatrice's, Hikigaya Hachiman's—everyone's.」
「"—How can this be?!"」
「Hikigaya Hachiman, who had been looking for a moment to intervene in the battle, felt his scalp tingle from the stimulus of this sudden, undeserved disaster. He turned his head to look around and saw Anastasia and Crusch in the distance, as well as Chin nearby, all similarly missing an arm. He stared wide-eyed at the laughing Sirius as a terrifying hypothesis formed in his heart.」
「At the same time, the sound of explosions breaking the sound barrier approached from the distance. "That is enough, villain! Your life cannot be spared; you are too dangerous!"」
「Reinhard, summoned by Chin using the token, looked solemnly at the people who had suddenly lost their arms. He immediately deduced that the bandaged enemy was doing this through some special method.」
「Aware of the enemy's danger, and for the safety of everyone present, Reinhard had no intention of leaving her alive. Gathering strength in both fists, no longer holding back or showing restraint as he usually did, a full-power Reinhard moved in front of Sirius within a second and raised his fists high.」
「"—Wait, Reinhard! Don't kill her!!"」
「Hikigaya Hachiman's speed in deducing the effect of Sirius's Authority was very fast; his speed in shouting to stop him was equally fast. But a full-power Reinhard's speed in killing an enemy was faster!」
「THUD!」
「Accompanied by the sound of the fist falling, Sirius's sturdy head shattered and cracked like a watermelon.」
「And then, all Hikigaya Hachiman could see was Reinhard turning his head, his expression shifting from a moment of shock to a sudden, overwhelming despair that engulfed his entire being.」
「And what Reinhard saw...」
「At the same time and in the same manner as Sirius, shattered and cracked heads—everyone's heads!」
「After a gap of one year, Hikigaya Hachiman, Return by Death, activated once more.」
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Everyone was left speechless.
Just a moment ago, Anastasia had been secretly delighted that her "main history" self had somehow started calling her Prime Minister by the title he loved to hear most. But now, she was filled with rage and shock, facing a new round of her Prime Minister's death without warning.
"If Reinhard is there, it should be possible. If Reinhard is there, we can... it should have been like that. It clearly should have been like that, right?" Felt tugged at her hair, unable to understand what had happened. Reinhard himself let out a clatter as the Dragon Sword at his waist hit the ground. His loss and depression were visible to the naked eye as he swayed unsteadily.
The exchange between surprise and despair had been too sudden.
"Emilia cuts off her left arm, and everyone's left arm is cut off. Reinhard smashes her head, and everyone's head is smashed... Heh, I see. One of the effects of Sirius's Authority is to copy the damage she suffers onto everyone within the same area." At Advanced Nurturing High School, much like the Hikigaya Hachiman who shouted for Reinhard to stop, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji deduced the effect of Sirius's Authority at nearly the same time. His intelligence was convincing, but the horror of this effect was so fantastical that the students in the classroom found it difficult to accept for a moment.
"How is that possible... an effect like that!"
"...But, it truly is such an Authority." At the Karsten Estate, Crusch felt a chill throughout her body and had to accept reality. "Sirius is strong, but she is far from being as strong as Regulus or Pandora. If Emilia, Beatrice, and Sir Hachiman teamed up, they might have been able to exhaust Sirius and capture her alive."
"At that time, Sir Hachiman had already deduced the effect of Sirius's Authority. He could have stopped Emilia and told her not to deliver a lethal blow. He had actually already resolved this 'first-encounter kill'; he didn't need to die.
But it was because of the unauthorized actions of myself and Anastasia, calling Reinhard over, that led to the death of everyone." Being a hindrance to Sir Hachiman—for her, this was more difficult to accept than anything else!
"It's not just me, it's you, Lia... Even people as incredibly reliable as Anastasia, Crusch, and Reinhard can end up being experts at 'friendly fire' sometimes." On the streets of the Royal Capital, Puck tried to use this to divert his daughter's attention, but even after hearing this, Emilia remained in distress. Though he had died many times, one cannot adapt to death. Every time she saw Hachiman die, she felt an extraordinary amount of pain.
"Regulus, Sirius... two Sin Archbishops appeared in Pristella all at once. What is this? A prophecy come true?" Recalling how they had smugly said, "With Reinhard around, we don't need to fear even two or three Sin Archbishops," many people couldn't help but slap themselves.
"What a jinx!"
"Sirius obviously doesn't have the ability to beat Reinhard, but it just so happens her Authority perfectly counters a Reinhard who wants to save people, making an invincible combatant like him unable to lay a finger on her. What a mess..." Shirogane Miyuki gave a bitter smile. "Authorities... Sin Archbishops... we still underestimated things like Authorities too much."
"It's too disgusting, really too disgusting!" Shirogane Kei said indignantly. "With Reinhard-senpai there, the opponent is someone who counters him to death. It's like it was intentionally targeted—it's like the world just doesn't want Hachiman-senpai's side to have it easy."
"This bastard of an isekai!!"
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