I'm just an ordinary person passing by.

"Gah!"

A painful sound came from his throat, and blood with a rusty taste uncontrollably gushed from his mouth.

It hurts so much... It feels like my body is about to split open.

Is this the power of the Zerg?

It was caught up in an instant, without even seeing how it launched its attack...

Is the Heavenly Dao... fighting against monsters like this?

Ordinary people really have no way to get involved...

Hachiman Hikigaya struggled to lift his head and saw the Worm making a mocking sound before slowly walking toward the old man who was also lying on the ground.

The pain that had just risen was instantly suppressed, and Hachiman Hikigaya couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"Hey!!"

He cried out, gritted his teeth, and struggled to his feet despite the pain, a mocking smile appearing on his disheveled face.

"Hey Zerg, haven't you eaten? I'm still standing here perfectly fine!"

The mocking smiles and provocative gazes enraged the alien insects.

These alien insects, capable of mimicking humans, possess thought processes and the ability to speak. They can also get angry and upset, and when provoked, they may even want to... kill that person!

The Worm abandoned its target, which was within reach, and roared angrily as it charged towards Hachiman Hikigaya without hesitation.

Without hesitation, Hachiman Hikigaya turned and ran.

Run...run out of here...

The old man could no longer stand up and run. I had to run myself to a safe place... to a place where the old man was safe!

The whipless scorpion didn't use its Ascendant transformation to attack; it simply swung its arm, each whip striking precisely at Hachiman Hikigaya's feet. The force, enough to shatter a fifty-meter-thick wall, easily shattered the earth. Faced with such an attack, Hachiman Hikigaya could only dodge in a sorry state.

His foot injury hadn't fully healed, and the biting wind tore at his skin. Every step he took felt like walking on a knife's edge, and pain kept emanating from his body.

—It's toying with Hachiman Hikigaya...like toying with a pitiful ant...

Hachiman Hikigaya ran, running with all his might.

He knew very well that the monster was mocking him; it was toying with him, playing with him, just like a hunter satisfying his inner emotions and desires before hunting his prey.

But... we can't stop. Even if we run until our legs break, even if we have trouble breathing, we absolutely cannot stop.

He knew very well that if he stopped, the monster would catch up with him and kill him.

The moving legs are life, the struggling breaths are hope, don't stop... don't stop!!!

The boy struggled with all his might; his breathing was erratic, his steps were heavy, but he did not stop, not even for a moment.

but......

What am I even doing...?

He kept asking himself this question as he ran.

Am I an idiot?

Why did I stand up? Why did I run away?

[Can't you just call the police for this?]

No one will blame me...no one will criticize me...no, I think they will...

[“Why didn’t you save that old man?” “Why did you stand by and do nothing?” “You murderer!”...They will definitely blame me for that.]

So...isn't the best approach simply to ignore it?

[Just ignore it as if I didn't see anything... No one will know I witnessed this, no one will know I discovered a monster. As long as I don't expose myself... won't I be safe?]

Just like before...

But why...why did I run down? Why did I save him? This was completely unnecessary! This isn't like you at all!

【Hikigaya Hachiman! 】

What are you doing?!

The whip lashed out again from the side. Caught off guard, Hachiman Hikigaya was struck hard at his feet. The cracked ground and scattered pebbles caused him to stumble and fall, tumbling several times over...

He crashed into a large tree, the impact of which sent a burning pain through his back.

He kept spitting out mouthfuls of blood... not just from his back, but also from his arms, chest, thighs, feet... every corner of his body was groaning.

He can't stand up anymore...

He didn't even have the strength to move a single finger...

It's all lies in TV shows. How can anyone survive several attacks from Zerg and still be able to stand up?

I only took one hit and I'm like this... The people in TV shows took so many hits and were fine... Clearly, you can't generalize about people...

No, is it simply because TV shows are filmed?

It doesn't matter anymore... nothing really matters anymore...

Isn't it too late to think about these things now?

Leaning awkwardly against the large tree behind him, Hachiman Hikigaya laughed miserably.

If I hadn't run down to save that old man... if I hadn't stood up and provoked that alien insect... I might be perfectly fine in the classroom right now, attending class.

How foolish... Hachiman Hikigaya... This is the fate of heroes.

Saving others may result in injury, and if one lacks the ability, it may even cost one's life.

That's what a hero is.

How foolish...so foolish it's laughable...

No, that's not right. If I were capable, I would at least have dealt with the dangerous monster, even if it meant risking my own life. But here I am... I haven't dealt with the monster, I haven't kept those guys safe... Haven't I accomplished nothing and just wasted my life?

I'm just an ordinary person who can't do anything...

Ha...it seems you're just an overconfident fool, not even a hero...

but......

It's okay, this is fine...

I didn't... stand by and watch someone die...

He gently closed his eyes. Even as he constantly complained about his actions and berated his body, facing this final end... Hachiman Hikigaya felt no regret whatsoever...

Chapter Ninety-Eight: I just want to be a hero! Any objections?

All around was silent; there was no sound of the wind or the crack of a whip. The world was so quiet that it felt like you were all alone... Is this what it feels like to face death?

So quiet... so dark... Even though I closed my eyes intentionally, I still have this feeling that I can't see anything anymore...

Ah, so this is what they call the world before death?

When facing death, the body becomes exceptionally sensitive, the flow of time slows down 'passively,' the surrounding atmosphere seems to stand still, and one's traces of existence in this world become exceptionally clear.

How amazing...

I never imagined that someone like me could experience this kind of world.

...I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die...I really don't want to die.

But isn't it too late to say all this now?

I... am going to die.

Since you're going to die anyway, can't you at least be more accepting of it? This is so unlike a hero...both in your actions and in facing death...

Hachiman Hikigaya has closed his eyes forever...

'Then why do you fight?'

A voice, a voice that arose without warning, seemed to gently emerge from the depths of one's heart.

It was a voice I'd never heard before, yet for some reason, it didn't feel unfamiliar...

Is it talking to itself? Or is it another personality?

Does your constant talking to yourself give you a different personality?

Such things are rare, but they do happen... Because he knew he was going to die, he came out to see everyone before he died?

'Why fight? Why bother with that old man? Wouldn't it be better to let that old bastard die?'

No one will know, no one will blame you, and you can live your life no different from before.

Whether it's talking to yourself, asking and answering your own questions, or keeping your distance from others... if you're willing, you can live your daily life quietly and peacefully, as if you know nothing.

'But why?'

Why do you fight?

'What is your reason for fighting? What is your reason for saving people? Is it because you admired him after seeing him? Is it because you became a hero because he saved you?'

'Aspiration is the furthest distance from understanding; heroes are the most illusory existences from reality.'

"You fight because of your aspirations, you show off because of your infatuation—is that your reason for fighting, Hachiman Hikigaya?"

'The false justice that comes from others is truly laughable and foolish...'

'So you're dead, Hachiman Hikigaya.'

Unarguable words, irrefutable ridicule... I searched through every word in my mind, but couldn't find a single word to refute them.

That voice was like the real 'Hachiman Hikigaya,' stripping away his actions and thoughts completely. It revealed only the most primal, purest truth, untainted by any other motives...

Because of the dashing figure of the burgundy knight, and because of his exposed heart, I want to follow in his footsteps...

Ah, that's right... that's my reason... that's my reason for going to save people, is that not allowed? Is it not permitted?

Even if it's not from my truest feelings, I still want to save people. Is that not allowed?

No one has ever said that false justice... so it's not justice, is it?

I just wanted to save him... I just wanted to be a hero... Is that not allowed? Is that not permitted?