Chapter 388. Echidna's Plotted Hand
At this very instant, the vast majority of people were struck with horror, slamming their hands on their desks as they stood up in shock.
Everyone's mind was in a daze—especially Reinhard. If there was more than one Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, it meant there were still fish that had slipped through the net; it meant he had not yet made the Kingdom of Lugunica truly safe!
The villagers in Roswaal's domain and the demi-human residents of the Sanctuary were the first to feel a chill run down their spines, but it didn't stop with them. This terror rapidly spread across the entire world, reaching even the brave and battle-hardened army of the Holy Vollachian Empire.
When it came to pure strength, no one could rival Reinhard or Reid, but death by the sword is just a moment's end; as long as one isn't afraid to die, it's nothing much.
But the Sin Archbishops were different. Every Sin Archbishop was so morbid—pathological to the point of making one's skin crawl—that people would rather fight Reinhard than face these lunatics!
"—And besides, why would a Book of the Dead take Hachiman to such a bizarre place? Why is this happening?"
Rem's hands shook with worry and her heart ached; Hachiman's painful encounters were continuing, making it difficult for her to breathe.
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「This was a white space that stretched on forever—truly without end.」
「Coming into view was a young girl about eight years old.」
「Different from the feeling given off by Beatrice, Mimi, or Petra, the moment Hikigaya Hachiman looked at her, he immediately understood that the title she used to introduce herself was no lie.」
「A Sin Archbishop is that kind of creature; a Sin Archbishop is that kind of existence. They carry a specific aura—when you see it, you simply know it is that thing.」
「But...」
「"There are two Sin Archbishop of Gluttony?" Surveying his surroundings and gauging the environment, Hachiman realized he didn't know how to escape this place and return to reality. He had no choice but to resign himself to patience and communicate with this "fake" child.」
「"Wrong, wrong! Not two, but three." Louis, dressed in white with golden hair, bared her teeth and giggled as she corrected him. "Gourmet Ley, Bizarre Eating Roy, and our Louis—three siblings. That is us; the complete Sin Archbishop of Gluttony."」
「"But unfortunately, only Ley and Roy have bodies. I can only live here in the Corridor of Memories, waiting for them to toss me the scraps they've finished eating. Sigh, how pitiful."」
「"But! Now! That won't happen anymore! A feast has delivered itself to the door! Although... I can't... eat it at all... still! Just! Sniffing this scent! Is enough to satisfy!"」
「The unique, erratic tone and this shocking answer made Hachiman knit his brows.」
「—He couldn't delay any longer.」
「Having obtained this information was enough; he had to Return by Death immediately. He absolutely could not allow his memories to be stolen again.」
「"Ta-da! Is Big Brother looking for a convenient tool for suicide? Heehee, useless, useless! There's no such thing here. Banging your head on the ground is useless too, because this is the Corridor of Memories, you see."」
「"Without external objects, humans can't commit suicide, and there are no swords for you to use here because this is the Corridor of Memories. Give up. Lose hope."」
「Louis's mocking taunts added insult to injury. She finally looked Hachiman straight in the eye, giggling: "Instead of thinking of those little tricks, Big Brother, you should—eh? ...Eh-eh-eh-eh!?"」
「"How! Possible! It's fundamentally impossible! Incredible! That... shouldn't be right!"」
「"But I'm not seeing it wrong! It really works, there really are!?"」
「Her eyes widened, and her fingers trembled as she pointed at Hachiman. She looked utterly shaken, her whole body shivering. She was like a starving wolf seeing a tempting lamb; her previously leisurely, regretful attitude transformed instantly.」
「"Once, twice, three times, four times, five times—one was eaten, and there are still five left?!"」
「Louis licked her lips with a shudder. Her covetous saliva dripped down; she was so excited she could hardly contain herself—or rather, she had no intention of containing it at all.」
「"Is this a benefit brought by Return by Death? No, no, no, for Big Brother it should be a side effect. And calculating by the number of Returns by Death, there shouldn't be only five!"」
「"Is it! Could it be! One should say!"」
「"Five times! The 'Present' trials of the Sanctuary! That's it! Five times!"」
「She had once teamed up with Roy to pressure Ley into transferring Hachiman's memories to the two of them so they could enjoy them. Although the memories eventually returned to Ley's stomach, Louis had briefly consumed them.」
「It was so delicious, so unique. Compared to those memories, of all the things she had ever eaten, only a mere few could be called high-quality flavors.」
「She originally thought she could never have it again, but he came here himself.」
「She originally thought even if he came it would be difficult, but he is special!」
「"Ley must have known! Ley knew all along! So! Eating it once wasn't enough for him! He wanted to... continue... over and over... two, three, four, five, six times! To hog it all for himself!"」
「"Hee, heehee, heehee—hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee!"」
「Louis talked to herself, her terrifying voice sending chills down one's spine. Unable to escape and unable to kill himself, Hachiman tore through the facade of peace and coldly interrupted her: "Stop acting crazy! If you want to do something, just get on with it!"」
「"Eh? Heehee, yeah, ta-da, you're right, oh right! Because it's so pleasant, I'm so happy. Because it's such a surprise, I'm so glad~ Sorry, Big Brother, for neglecting you, heehee."」
「Louis leaned in with mock concern. Hachiman didn't hesitate; he raised his leg and swung a heavy kick. Louis instantly transformed into a powerhouse she had eaten in the past, easily blocking his attack with a single hand using that strength.」
「"Don't be so irritable, Big Brother. I, you see, want to tell you a lot of information. So listen well, okay? Heehee."」
「Seeing the gap in their combat power, Hachiman stopped testing her. His mind worked frantically, but he couldn't think of any key to break the situation.」
「"Hey, Big Brother, did you know? You definitely don't know, and Ley wouldn't tell you—actually, a person can only be eaten once in their lifetime."」
「Louis's saliva flowed more and more; she was almost at her limit, but she continued speaking first: "Not just Ley—as long as someone has been eaten once by any one of us three siblings, the remaining two Gluttonies likewise have no way to eat him again."」
「She circled Hachiman, drooling so much she had to use her sleeve to wipe her lips before she could go on.」
「"We originally had a way. We were going to entice Big Brother to separate from the 'original' Big Brother, so that Big Brother wouldn't acknowledge himself and the pre-amnesia self as the same person."」
「"In that case, Big Brother would split himself, becoming a brand-new soul, and we could enjoy you all over again!"」
「"—That was the plan we intended to use, heehee!"」
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