Chapter 426. The Ending of the Seven Witches
To demonstrate her sincerity, Echidna deactivated the "backdoor" she had previously left within Beatrice on the spot, right in front of everyone. According to her, the ones left in Puck and Echidna-Fox back in the Royal Capital had also been simultaneously removed.
After a round of discussion, Hachiman Hikigaya relented and signed a contract with Echidna.
The conditions he set were extremely harsh, yet Echidna accepted them gladly. As long as she could continue to explore the unknown and harvest new knowledge, she was satisfied. If she could satisfy that one desire, everything else could be discarded—besides, she was currently in no position to bargain.
After all, the world-invincible Reinhard was truly too terrifying. Had Reinhard not been there, she wouldn't have had to be so humble.
Once the contract was signed, Hachiman had Reinhard immediately execute the Witch of Gluttony and the Witch of Pride. The remaining Witches—Wrath, Lust, and Sloth—were spared for the time being but kept imprisoned within the tomb.
The resurrection of the original Witch of Greed was postponed.
Hachiman intended to take Echidna with him first to find Pandora and grind her bones to ash. This mastermind, whose movements were unpredictable, needed to die as soon as possible for him to feel at ease. It wasn't that Echidna couldn't resurrect the original Witch of Greed before leaving—according to her, it wouldn't take much time—but the core issue was that Hachiman didn't trust her.
Who was to say if the "original" Witch of Greed she resurrected wasn't just a half-soul clone disguised by Echidna herself? He refused to let this resurrected Witch leave his sight or be alone with Beatrice without a thorough and rigorous vetting process.
While they went searching for Pandora, Roswaal, Beatrice, and Garfiel headed to the Royal Capital to explain the current situation to Emilia and the others.
Before Beatrice's trio could reach the capital, several new arrivals had already appeared. Vincent, the Emperor of Vollachia, having completed his rebellion and cleared his worries, arrived with Blue Lightning and several guards. Relying on the winged dragons provided by the "Sky Dragon General" of the Nine Divine Generals, they entered the Lugunica Kingdom at high speed for a visit.
Vincent wanted to test the waters and see the attitudes of the candidates holding the kingdom's future, the citizens, and Hachiman himself toward Priscilla. If she were so hated that her reputation was in tatters, or if many were calling for her head, Vincent would immediately declare: I have no such sister! I don't know anyone named Priscilla! Blood relation? Fake, all of it is fake! He wanted to avoid being hated by association and affecting the Empire.
...Upon his investigation, he was surprised to find that the situation was actually quite good.
Primarily because Hachiman was magnanimous; since crossing over, he hadn't shown any malice toward Priscilla, so others had more or less restrained their own dislike for her.
Vincent saw this as enough. He began playing the emotional card, hoping to restore their sibling relationship both publicly and in reality.
Though the probability was low, his sister might just pull off a surprise victory and end up with Hachiman—at which point, he would have a connection to exploit.
To this, Priscilla responded with a cold sneer, telling him: "If you want to take advantage of this, go kill that disgusting cat first. Otherwise, get lost and stay out of my sight!"
With a snap of her fan, Priscilla ordered Al to close the doors, shutting Vincent out.
By the time Beatrice's group approached the capital, the Kingdom's Dragon Tablet had already begun to shimmer, releasing a massive, earth-shaking announcement: This world is set to merge into one with Earth.
As a result, several girls—who had been sickly and listless ever since Hachiman left the Royal Capital—suddenly had their eyes light up with new ideas after a moment of reflection. Many people began to get busy.
Simultaneously, following Echidna's guidance, Hachiman and Reinhard successfully located Pandora's whereabouts.
She was the Witch who had lived for four hundred years—barefoot, draped in white hair and white clothing, petite in stature, yet possessing a beauty that was second to none. Her charm as a woman was as potent as Reinhard was in combat. She seemed to have anticipated this scene, smiling and clapping her hands gently.
...Unlike his treatment of Roswaal (who hadn't acted yet) or Echidna (who possessed great utility), Hachiman had no intention of talking to the most dangerous person in this world. The moment they met, he ordered Reinhard and Echidna to engage, striking with full force to kill Pandora.
He didn't want to talk, but Pandora rambled on quite a bit. She said her dream was to build a world without lies, where no one ever lied.
She suggested that Hachiman, who similarly cherished the "genuine," should be able to understand her dream—so why not walk hand-in-hand together?
Recalling the tragic scenes of Emilia's childhood in the Sanctuary that he had seen... the woman who could create such a tragedy with a smile.
"You're not fit to even mention the 'genuine' or dreams."
Hachiman's evaluation and response to her was that single, incredulous retort. Just like the young Emilia, he had only one thing to say to Pandora—the same words Emilia once said: "Go to hell!"
"My, what a pity."
Under Reinhard's crushing combat power and Echidna's targeted suppression, Pandora could not last long and truly died. She shattered and scattered like glass shards; even in death, a smile remained on her face. It was a very sincere smile, and precisely because it was sincere, it appeared all the more chilling and eerie, further illustrating her warped nature.
With the death of Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory, the Vainglory Factor entered Hachiman's body, taking root and sprouting, waiting for the day it would grow into a new Authority. Hachiman used his phone to record a video of Pandora's death. Once he returned to the Capital, he would show this video to Emilia to fulfill the wish she couldn't achieve as a child.
Before that, he still had one very important thing to do.
After scouring Pandora's residence and finding nothing, he ordered Reinhard to shatter the entire area with a single punch. Whether there were hidden objects or not, they ceased to exist under that blow.
Reinhard then used his Divine Protection of Broadcasting to announce to the world that the three siblings of the Archbishops of Gluttony and the Witch of Vainglory, Pandora, had been executed on the spot.
Upon receiving this notice, Geuse and Fortuna—having no more fears and seeking to atone for their sins—mapped out all the strongholds of the Witch Cult.
Knight Commander Marcus led his men to sweep them out, annihilating the Cult entirely.
Hachiman, bringing Echidna along for the purpose of surveillance, headed with the trio to the Sand Dunes toward the Pleiades Watchtower to find Shaula.
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