The Hated Anastasia (Part 2)
「"Wait—"」
「Hikigaya Hachiman's stunned attempt to intercede hadn't even left his lips before he was stopped—stopped by the dozens of women in the room.」
「Upon hearing Anastasia's request, what they showed was neither anger nor fear, but relief. They wept bitterly, but the tears fell because they were overjoyed.」
「"Finally... so that's it... that's how... I'll do it, I want to do it, we'll do it! As long as we can take revenge on that man, death is a release for us!"」
「In unison, Regulus's wives, for the sake of sending their husband down the road to the yellow springs, chose to face death together.」
「"Before that," one of the wives said with a smile, "please, Miss Anastasia and Mr. Hachiman, bear witness for us. Witness our unilateral divorce from that giant infant, the dissolution of our status as his wives."」
「"I accept."」
「Anastasia nodded with a smile. She turned to look at the dumbfounded Hikigaya Hachiman, her delicate small hand secretly nudging the Lord Prime Minister.」
「A brief exchange was not enough for Hachiman to grasp the full situation, but as a "Human Observer," he could naturally see that these women's wish for death was spontaneous and incredibly intense.」
「Though he knew nothing of the context, even if he wanted to persuade them, he had no starting point. He could only silently close his eyes, left without words.」
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"I see."
At this point, the Authority of the Sin Archbishop representing Greed, Regulus Corneas—his illusion of invincibility—was completely cracked.
Although the exact principle remained unknown, all signs pointed to the fact that when Regulus's heart had no host and returned to his own body, he absolutely could not maintain the invincibility that allowed him to clash with Reinhard.
It was a simple deduction: if he could maintain it without doing this, he wouldn't have done it in the first place.
"From this moment on, Regulus is the easiest Sin Archbishop to break."
Many felt joy at this development... but looking at the devastated Water Gate City and at Hikigaya Hachiman, whose "Genuine" memories had vanished into nothingness, it was hard for that joy to outweigh the gloom and lamentation.
SHOOOM—!
A sonic boom resounded throughout the Water Gate City.
Moving at a super-high speed several times the speed of sound, Reinhard did not hesitate. He leaped instantly, soaring through the air, advancing toward the marked location of Regulus.
His speed was fast enough, but as he closed in on Regulus, Reinhard saw from afar that most of Regulus's wives had already been killed by the Archbishop for provoking him.
The remaining small portion, after seeing Anastasia's explanation in the "future" broadcast, chose to commit suicide while crying and laughing.
"Regulus!!"
A roar filled with fury came from the distance. Regulus looked up and saw a small black dot in the far-off sky.
In an instant, his legs went weak and cold sweat poured down... Having lost all his wives, it was impossible for him to fight Reinhard for days like in the future timeline. He could last a few minutes at most; in the end, there was only a dead end.
"Bastard, damn it, go to hell! Unfaithful wives, husband-killing wives, why, why why why why why why why—my rights, my rights, my RIGHTS AHHHHHH!"
Without his wives, Regulus could only maintain five seconds of invincibility. His principle was to "stop time" for himself, but once his heart stopped for more than five seconds, he would face a near-death state because it wasn't beating. He could only stop time for five seconds, release it, and then immediately stop time again half a second later.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
Carrying massive inertia and ignited by friction, Reinhard descended like a meteor, smashing directly into Regulus.
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「While Julius went to prepare the tools for their suicide, Anastasia led Hikigaya Hachiman to a window. Pointing south toward the billowing dust and smoke, she convinced him with a single sentence: "That is the destruction caused by Regulus."」
「What entered his sight was a deadlocked battlefield drawing closer to the camp. Every time Regulus moved, massive buildings collapsed and the ground buckled with overwhelming force.」
「By the time Julius returned to the room with a batch of blades, Hikigaya Hachiman had also returned. No longer Regulus's wives, those dozens of free women offered their sincere thanks.」
「Anastasia tried to pull Hachiman away, but she couldn't budge him. In desperation, she stood on her tiptoes, raising her hands to cover the Lord Prime Minister's eyes so the amnesiac him wouldn't have to see such a bloody and tragic scene.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman took a step to the side, dodging the touch of this woman he "hated." With indescribable emotions, he witnessed with his own eyes the moment those women's lives faded away.」
「"...What a cruel and malicious world."」
「The moment he defined this parallel world, a piercing, agonized, frantic, and incredulous wail suddenly erupted in the distance.」
「Regulus was lashed. Regulus was beaten. Regulus was dismembered. Regulus was crushed. Regulus was robbed of his life.」
「In confusion, in bewilderment, in the solitary reality of being a "divorced" man without wives—the most vicious, most violent, once-hailed as the strongest and most terrifying Sin Archbishop.」
「Regulus Corneas was ground into meat paste by the World's Strongest Sword Saint, Reinhard, and utterly annihilated.」
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"Greed... is it? Such greed is truly low-class, despicable, and entirely cheap. It defiles the name of Greed; it disgusts me."
In the Tomb, Echidna took a sip of her Dona-tea, casually delivering a sharp critique.
Compared to the worthless passing of Regulus, something else concerned her more: "Has the misfortune... shifted?"
"AHHHHHHH MY MY MY MY RIGHTS MY AHHHHHH—"
The current Regulus and the future Regulus—two Archbishops of Greed were annihilated at the same time by the same Reinhard, the strongest in the world.
Having finished this, Reinhard's anger had not yet subsided when he suddenly felt a prying gaze.
In the distance, Batenkaitos's eyes widened in tremors. He immediately activated a spatial leap, trying to flee, muttering in despair and terror, "Damn it, damn it, damn it! I just wanted to find that idiot Regulus to discuss what to do!"
His reaction to flee was fast enough, but a full-power Reinhard was faster!
The moment Batenkaitos had the whim to seek Regulus out for cooperation, his fate of death was already sealed.
This timely encounter was no coincidence. Everything, from the moment Echidna stopped being "unlucky," began to count. From that point on, the misfortune caused by Priscilla's "Strong Luck" followed this Gluttony Archbishop...
Like a shadow.
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