Chapter 307. The Battle to Subjugate Wrath, Part III
"I'm sorry, thank you. I'm sorry, thank you. I'm sorry, thank you, thank you, heh, hee-hee-hee." …If Sirius had seen the future of Pristella from the very beginning of the light screen's appearance, this would have undoubtedly been her reaction.
However, for some reason, looking at herself—who had triumphed despite dying—Sirius could only feel waves of splitting headaches. In her mind, scenes of Emilia's childhood spent in the Frozen Forest kept tumbling over and over.
Those scenes, those people, one frame after another.
Sirius was tortured by these visions incessantly, her eyes bloodshot. Although she had already begun to be subconsciously affected back during the Sanctuary arc, seeing herself and that half-elf Emilia slaughtering each other and ending in mutual destruction at this moment made it worse.
For reasons she couldn't fathom, her breathing grew heavier and heavier, as if something was on the verge of bursting out.
Meanwhile, in the Tomb, Echidna—covered in mud, drenched and messy from spilled tea—had grown accustomed to the feeling of being "favored" by misfortune.
She watched this future with a mix of surprise and intrigue, clicking her tongue.
"Oh my, this is truly a wicked sense of humor, Pandora... Geuse becomes Petelgeuse, and Fortuna becomes Sirius. Even though the memories of both parties have been distorted, Fortuna still deeply loves Geuse.
Hmm~ This is also a very interesting answer. Another great experiment regarding love; the answer Fortuna provides is truly touching."
Uttering a satisfied sigh, Echidna smiled and turned to look at Minerva.
"Regarding this encounter that was originally impossible, what are your thoughts on the current 'Wrath'?"
"I! ABSOLUTELY! WILL NOT! PERMIT! Anyone to commit suicide, homicide, or self-mutilation!"
Minerva, the Witch of Wrath, shouted angrily. She hated, super hated, especially hated Sirius!
"...Sirius, wait, could it be—"
No one knew of Geuse's recovery. Priscilla, who still treated him as Petelgeuse, had a portion of her "Strong Luck" focused on him while primarily targeting Echidna.
Geuse, traveling toward the Royal Capital, hadn't been triggered by the various hardships along the way. But upon seeing Sirius, his head—which had been somewhat muddled since his recovery—suddenly cleared, and he widened his eyes in shock.
-
-
-
「"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you..."」
「Hum!」
「The caress experienced after a year's gap reappeared. Hikigaya Hachiman's body fell backward just as it had during his death, but the back of his head did not strike the stone tiles; instead, it merged into a warm embrace.」
「"What's wrong, Hachiman?"」
「Emilia, who had caught him in time, was full of concern. "Could it be that the position of Prime Minister sounds too exhausting? Just hearing about it tired you out this much? It's okay! If you don't want it, that's fine too!"」
「It was this time point... the interval between the discussion of the Prime Minister and reaching the clock tower was very short. In any case, it was definitely not enough time for anyone present to run back and call Reinhard.」
「If Reinhard was summoned by Chin via the token without a prior explanation, he might still deliver a killing blow upon arrival, or at the very least, severely maim Sirius.」
「The consequences of that would be unbearable... They had to suppress her by joining the forces of the four of them (excluding Anastasia), exhausting Sirius's stamina through a battle of attrition, knocking away her weapons, and finally using Beatrice's Yin Magic to capture and imprison a stamina-depleted, unarmed, and non-threatening Sirius.」
「They couldn't call Reinhard—at least, not in the first instance. Although they were prepared this time and could warn him immediately, it was still too risky.」
「If they couldn't beat Sirius, that would be one thing. But now, the four people gathered here possessed the ability to defeat her, so there was no need to take risks.」
「Despite not having experienced danger or Return by Death for a full year, Hikigaya Hachiman's thinking remained sharp. He quickly analyzed the most correct course of action.」
「"Listen to me."」
「Hikigaya Hachiman interrupted the girls' concerned chattering. The look in his eyes as he entered a wartime state caused Emilia and the others to turn serious instantly.」
「He pointed to the clock tower not far ahead. "The Sin Archbishop of Wrath, Sirius, is currently at the top of that tower. One of the effects of her Authority is to spread the damage
she receives, without the slightest discrepancy, to everyone else in the vicinity. If she dies, everyone around her will die in the same manner."
「"A large crowd has gathered under the tower. I don't know what she's planning, but it's definitely nothing good. The four of us can suppress her together. Emilia, you can hit her as much as you want as long as the injuries are light, but do not let her sustain a heavy wound, understand? Beatrice, your responsibility is to find an opportunity to imprison her. Crusch, you come with me."」
「"Mhm, I understand!" Emilia nodded immediately, while Beatrice pondered seriously, wondering if there was any magic that could counter this Authority. "Damage feedback? ...Another troublesome enemy, I suppose."」
「Anastasia was taken aback, looking at Hikigaya Hachiman in surprise. The sudden jump from casual teasing to a Sin Archbishop caught her off guard and left her somewhat confused. "I've never heard that you have a Divine Protection related to prophecy?"」
「"That's because I don't have a Divine Protection of prophecy. This is intelligence I obtained through other channels. Don't dig into it; I won't tell you."」
「Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head. He used his momentum to overwhelm the skeptical Anastasia and Crusch. "Chin, Felt's messenger, is under the tower. Anastasia, you take him away, far from the battlefield—but not too far. If things look bad, have him call Reinhard immediately."」
「Just as Petelgeuse had his soul-possession backup plan in addition to the Unseen Hand, Hikigaya Hachiman was constantly worried that Sirius, also a Sin Archbishop, might have some trump card yet to be revealed, even if they could win in a direct fight.」
「He had to account for the possibility of her turning the tables.」
「Reinhard was necessary. They might not call him over right away, but they had to hold the means to bring him there instantly.」
「With the positions assigned, Crusch was instructed to scoop up Anastasia. The five of them accelerated to their maximum speed, rushing toward the clock tower.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman slowly let out a breath... Although he couldn't reveal the ability of Return by Death, as long as the relationship was close enough and the people around him trusted him—believing every word he said and trusting the intelligence he gained through death implicitly—the same effect could be achieved.」
「"Then..."」
「The battle to subjugate the Archbishop of Wrath begins again!」
」
Read ahead (160 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting