Chapter 320. Anastasia's Rage
「Fortunately, the time the floodgates remained open was not too long; the gates were soon closed again, and the intensity of the water diminished. Even so, the damage the flood brought to this city was already far too great, leaving it riddled with scars.」
「During this time, Emilia did her best to use her healing magic to treat the sword and blade wounds shared across everyone's bodies.」
「Garfiel and Wilhelm were dejected, hardly daring to raise their heads to meet anyone's eyes... precisely because the two of them failed to defeat Kurgan and Theresia and were instead wounded, those injuries linked to Julius, causing him a momentary lapse in reaction.」
「It was because of this that Gluttony found an opportunity to complete the ritual of his Authority, call out his name, and steal his memories.」
「"Raise your heads, will ya? Although I'm also hurtin', Julius wouldn't blame you... though I don't know about the current Julius. But you two also put your lives on the line in that fight; there's no way to condemn ya for it."」
「As Julius's companion, Ricardo spoke these words; despite this, they still could not alleviate the guilt felt by Garfiel and Wilhelm.」
「...He could understand their loss and self-reproach, because when Hikigaya Hachiman heard that Julius had lost his memories, his head also buzzed, and he found it difficult to breathe.」
「But.」
「"Take a good look at the Water Gate City as it is now." Patting Garfiel and Wilhelm on the shoulders, Hikigaya Hachiman, walking out of the City Hall, spoke with deep earnestness. "We don't have time right now to wallow in guilt."」
「"How to repay Julius is a matter for later. For now... please pull yourselves together. Garfiel, Wilhelm—are you really going to sit here in a daze and watch while Crusch and I stay busy?"」
「Pressuring them with responsibility, Hikigaya Hachiman's rhetoric was successful. Garfiel and Wilhelm shot forth like bullets, leaping across the various buildings of Pristella to rescue surviving citizens from the receding floodwaters.」
「"The City Hall was retaken, but I reckon you really can't call it a success."」
「Ricardo sighed, shaking his head with a bitter smile. "I don't even have the face to see the young miss. To say the words that Julius's memories were swallowed..."」
「"You don't have to go. I will be the one to tell her, Ricardo." With his shirt torn into bandages and tied around various parts of Crusch's body, Hikigaya Hachiman, bare-chested, stood beside Ricardo and spoke.」
「"Hey now..." Ricardo wanted to refuse, but upon making contact with Hikigaya Hachiman's gaze—one filled with exhaustion and unparalleled heartache as he watched the now-helpless and amnesiac Julius—the words suddenly died in Ricardo's throat.」
「Mimi hopped around by Julius's side; her cuteness temporarily healed and occupied the amnesiac Julius.」
「Everyone wanted to go comfort Julius and properly tell him what the situation was. However, being able to spare even one person like Mimi to do so was the absolute limit of their manpower; everyone else had urgent work of their own.」
「Mimi's two younger brothers had to find a way to relocate the group of people turned into flies. Crusch had to inspect the various shelters because once Wilhelm and Ricardo found injured people, they would place them in the nearest shelter; if a shelter was damaged, they needed to be notified.」
「Emilia was already exhausted from treating the sword wounds of ten people just now, but she still had to head to the Witch Cult Disaster Headquarters to see if Ferris needed help.」
「Ricardo had to organize the soldiers to prepare for the subsequent reclamation of the four floodgates.」
「There wasn't even time to shout slogans of mutual encouragement; everyone moved into action rapidly. Emilia froze the floodwaters along the path that hadn't yet fully receded, and she and Hikigaya Hachiman skated across the ice.」
「"I am... ve~ry angry!"」
「Emilia's cheeks were puffed out; her frustration, rage, and various low emotions were accumulating more and more, visible to the naked eye. For a simple girl with such a kind personality, it was incredible that she could be turned into this state.」
「"I'm frustrated, so frustrated. Everyone, and Julius, and Hachiman too—you almost died earlier... I'm frustrated, ve~ry frustrated!"」
「Her melodic, pleasant voice vented her feelings. Hearing Emilia's voice, Hikigaya Hachiman said nothing; he simply reached out slowly and grasped Emilia's slender hand.」
「This simple act proved his resolve.」
「"Emilia."」
「The two were inches apart, Hikigaya Hachiman's breath intermingling with Emilia's as they looked at each other. He said softly and firmly: "I'm very angry, and very frustrated. Me too, everyone too... so, just watch."」
「"Watch me take this anger, this frustration, and pay it back a thousand, ten thousand times over. I will definitely, definitely... make Capella and Batenkaitos taste the anger and frustration we have now, multiplied by a thousandfold!!"」
「Emilia nodded heavily.」
「She believed that her knight would surely be able to do it.」
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"Binge-eating! Gluttony! If you can do it, then try it! Heh heh, I'm also looking forward to eating your existence, your memories, and the deliciousness of your many loops, Hikigaya Hachiman!"
Walking through the wilderness, the foraging Batenkaitos had already stopped in his tracks, staring intently at this future. He was salivating, his mouth watering.
Gazing at Hikigaya Hachiman was like staring at a unique, gourmet feast. The trinity of the Archbishop of Gluttony, wanting to taste a "delicious" Hikigaya Hachiman, was already so starved it was enough to drive them mad.
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「Trust overwhelmed anger. Only now, having gained a partial understanding of common romantic knowledge, did Emilia have the spare capacity to observe Hikigaya Hachiman's bare upper body. Stimulated by her knight's masculine presence, her face turned slightly red.」
「But soon, she had no time to think of such things... on the way to the camp, Emilia and Hikigaya Hachiman were attacked by various man-made mabeasts that suddenly appeared.」
「These man-made mabeasts were bizarrely shaped; one only had to look at their appearance to know they were abominations stitched together by Capella's Authority.」
「The Witch Cult had opened the floodgates, and what they let into the city was not just floodwater, but Capella's deformed creations.」
「This was a major crisis for the common citizens and soldiers, but it wasn't the only new crisis—everyone in the Water Gate City was visibly becoming more angry and irritable. It was as if they had eaten gunpowder; many would start arguing or even fighting over the slightest disagreement.」
「Sirius's Authority had already spread to more than half of Pristella over time, intensifying everyone's rage, irritability, loss, and despair.」
「This greatly increased the threat to the security forces.」
「But these were things that couldn't be resolved immediately. Returning to the camp and parting ways with Emilia, the first thing Hikigaya Hachiman had to do was...」
「Endure the rage coming from Anastasia.」
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