Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

If it weren't for Hachiman Hikigaya's intervention, Emilia might have met a terrible end with Elsa the Bowel Hunter, but she wouldn't have been without a chance to turn the tables.

However, at the Witch Cult, the sheer terror that practically overflows the screen is so overwhelming that anyone can see the gravity of the situation.

"Without external intervention, Emilia would surely die!"

This is no longer just a problem with Hachiman Hikigaya. Before this, Yukino Yukinoshita could comfort herself by saying that without Hachiman Hikigaya's help, Emilia would at most have a more difficult time, but it wouldn't be a big deal.

But now, she couldn't keep up the lie anymore; she couldn't fool herself any longer.

"These are more than a hundred precious lives..."

If they had no connection with Hachiman Hikigaya to begin with, Yukino Yukinoshita might have been able to endure her nausea and force herself to keep her boyfriend. However, Hachiman Hikigaya was indeed their savior even before they were born!

"If even this is going to be stopped, how can I face my past self, the one who created the Service Club? Will I become... someone who isn't the Yukino Yukinoshita that Hikigaya-kun loves?"

Her heart trembled, and her mind was a jumbled mess of images of angels and devils battling each other. She looked to her boyfriend for help, just as Hachiman Hikigaya was looking at her with the same conflicted expression.

The two looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

Yukinoshita bit her lip lightly, choosing to escape reality for now: "Let's finish watching it. After we finish watching the video, we can have a proper talk. I think I should... not stop you from making your decision."

A simple "thank you" feels too cheap and insincere here.

Hachiman Hikigaya nodded silently. He watched the video again, wondering if he would have committed suicide to save those people back then.

"This is something I myself cannot be sure of."

Of course, we should save lives if we can, but the return of the dead is essentially playing with the lives of people all over the world.

This ability is far too frivolous and arrogant; Hachiman Hikigaya would never like it, so it's hard to say he would use it to commit suicide, even though he has been saved multiple times because of it.

But this time, he still didn't have the chance to prove his ideas.

"Hachiman Hikigaya is going to die."

"At some point, the farthest point that could be seen from Roswaal's mansion was hit by a blizzard, and the normal temperature dropped to at least tens of degrees below zero in just a few minutes."

"The mercenaries, along with their armor, died in confusion and bewilderment, no longer able to hear Rem's mournful cry of 'Sister.' They hadn't even seen the enemy. Hadn't the Witch Cult perished together with Lady Emilia?"

"It's too late."

"In the gray world, there was no emotionless judgment, and oxygen was no longer present. Hachiman Hikigaya could clearly feel the process of his body freezing."

"Answer me..."

"In the final moments of his life, the man turned his head with all his might and saw the spirit that brought the world to its end. His voice was barely audible, and his face was devoid of resentment, filled only with reason."

"Answer me, Parker..."

"The faint sound drew the elf's indifferent gaze."

Hachiman Hikigaya stared, his reason compelling him to ask the unavoidable question: "Roswaal, where is he?"

"Hachiman Hikigaya knows how powerful Roswaal is. The legendary Witch Cult may be powerful, but unless they launch a full-scale attack, can they really kill Emilia under Roswaal's protection? Even if they can't win, can't they at least run away?"

"Roswaal's body is not here."

"The answer, Hachiman Hikigaya can imagine, is a highly probable answer that combines Roswaal's attitude during the previous reincarnation showdown, enough to cause a stroke and high blood pressure."

"He wasn't sure, he wanted to confirm it with his own ears—but Hachiman Hikigaya never got the chance to confirm it."

"..."

"Just before the merciless elf spoke, in this world dominated by white and devoid of warmth."

"Hachiman Hikigaya, frozen into ice, turned into white crystals, shattered into dust, and vanished into nothingness."

"—Hachiman Hikigaya, his fourth death."

60. Crusch: I hate that I'm not Liu Bei, but that traitor Cao Cao.

"?"

Priscilla was stunned. Even someone as proud as her was speechless with shock at Parker's outrageous move, and was slightly bewildered.

"The Witch Cult invaded Roswaal's territory. You have such great power, yet you couldn't protect your own daughter. And then your daughter's best friend and attendant rushed over to help, and you took your anger out on him and killed him?"

I've seen madmen before, but I've never seen one as disgusting as this!

"Why? Ah, why on what basis?" Crusch cried out in anguish. "I tried to do something good, and now I'm being turned on?"

"If you're angry, Parker, go raze the Witch Cult to the ground! Leave Lord Hachiman to me! Why did you kill him? Are you crazy?!"

“Felis agrees too, meow. If Felis were Lord Hachiman, she would definitely hate this great spirit to the bone after this return from death, meow.”

"Feel the same."

Not only Felix and Wilhelm, but at this very moment, Parker's outrageous behavior has immediately drawn countless criticisms.

A mix of emotions welled up inside her, and her mind seemed to be filled with the buzzing of a tsunami. Emilia bit her lip until it bled, clenched her fists, gripped the hem of her dress, and hesitated to speak.

However, the one to blame is Puck... Realizing this, Emilia trembled. She could neither ignore Hachiman Hikigaya's injustice nor could she bring herself to scold Puck, who loved her the most in the world.

All she hopes now is that the future Hachiman Hikigaya will give her a good scolding and take his resentment out on her.

However, the person most qualified to criticize him did not show the slightest inclination in this regard.

"——"

"Hachiman Hikigaya's pen fell on the table. He was busy calculating and suddenly paused. He staggered and seemed very stiff, even though he was not injured. He had forgotten how to control his muscles and made a childish mistake, falling down and landing on his butt on the floor."

"What Rem saw when she came in carrying a carefully prepared tonic soup was Hachiman Hikigaya, with a turbulent look in his eyes and uncoordinated movements, clearly indicating that something was wrong."

Rem's face paled with anxiety for a moment, but before she could express her burning concern, Hachiman Hikigaya calmly said first, "Don't shout, I'm fine, Rem."

"Immediately afterward, realizing that his soul and body were still lingering on the shocking aftereffects of his frozen death, Hachiman Hikigaya decisively punched himself in the head with great force, leaving his head buzzing."

"Hachiman?!" Rem was stunned. She put down the soup and rushed over to grab the man's hands.

"She thought that Hachiman Hikigaya had been subjected to a mental attack, which was why he suddenly tormented himself. But upon closer inspection, Hachiman Hikigaya's face was filled with two words: rationality."

Hachiman Hikigaya twitched his ten fingers to make sure they were functioning properly, then sharply and abruptly commanded, "Rem, this is my lifelong request. Go outside and stand guard at the door. Don't eavesdrop, don't let anyone in, and chase away any guests who come to visit."

"Huh? Hmm, Rem understands."

"Full of questions, Rem didn't pry. She could tell that Hachiman Hikigaya was even more anxious than she was, as if he was in a real hurry and couldn't afford to waste a single second."

Rem swallowed the advice to drink the soup while it was hot, along with her curiosity and concern, and left the room, closing the door so quietly that it didn't cause a ripple.

"Hachiman Hikigaya picked up his pen, sat back in his chair, and although his eyes were on the blank sheet of paper where he could write his plans, he was actually lost in his own thoughts through the paper."

"'The route taken by the Witch Cult members was one of relentless pursuit of Emilia. Their attack on Roswaal's territory was almost certainly for Emilia's sake, making this battle inevitable.'"

"'Ram, Puck, and Emilia—these are the only three types of attack marks found at the scene. Betty and Roswaal are nowhere to be seen. They either hid or ran away; in any case, they definitely didn't fight against the Witch Cult.'"

"'Puck... anyone could betray Emilia, but Puck is the only one I can trust. That behemoth form couldn't possibly fail to protect Emilia, yet she still died... Is there a power with conditions?'"

"The total number of Witch Cult members far exceeds the number of my mercenaries, but Crusch has also been hoarding earth dragons and weapons these days. Even if I could hire more mercenaries, I wouldn't have enough earth dragons to transport them to battle."

"The freshness of the villagers' dead bodies showed that I wasn't too late. The massacre must have happened a few hours to a day before I arrived. I had enough time to formulate a countermeasure because I acted relatively late, but with these things, the sooner the better."

"Let's rule out Roswaal being the mole for now, and assume he and Betty are just standing by—if Roswaal were also involved in harming Emilia, I alone have no way to break this situation."

"If I need to seek help from other royal factions, Emilia's dream will be shattered. Besides, I don't have any leverage to get other factions to lend me substantial assistance."

"'The enemy consisted of a large number of witch cultists, each as strong as an elite royal mercenary. At the place where Emilia died, there was also a leader who was different from the others, who did not bring the hooded figure. He must have been exceptionally powerful. In their normal state, Emilia and Puck could only fight and retreat, unable to fight back, and were eventually killed.'"

"Our fighting force consists of Ram, Emilia, Puck, Rem, and a group of mercenaries who are of decent strength."

"A direct confrontation is unlikely to succeed, but I now have intelligence support, which allows me to lead the mercenaries back to the territory faster than last time. By setting traps and employing strategic planning, we might have a chance of winning."

"'Before that, I have two things I must do!'"

"Tear".

"The sound of paper being torn rang out the moment the thought ended."

"Hachiman Hikigaya looked closely and saw that the white paper was covered with countless arrows and lines drawn unconsciously, making it a complete mess."

""call……""

"After realizing this, what followed was a splitting headache and exhaustion from overworking my brain."

He took a deep breath, stumbled to his feet, and opened the door. Standing there, he said to Rem, who had turned around, "Prepare the dragon scaffold; we're going to find Crusch."

"Rem was stunned and looked at the decisive Hachiman Hikigaya. She could sense the weariness hidden beneath his sharp exterior."

""But…""

"The stammering girl tried to refuse this unreasonable order; she couldn't stand by and watch the man she loved squander his life. But the next second, she knew she couldn't refuse."

"Please, Rem."

"The perceptive and insightful Hachiman Hikigaya once again uttered such an outrageous statement before she could act."

"...Okay, Rem, go prepare."

"Looking for me?" Crusch raised an eyebrow, beaming. "Looks like I've made a good impression on Lord Hachiman. Now, whenever he has something to do, the first person he looks for is me. If Emilia announces her defeat one day, and I go to ask him to come and assist me, he shouldn't be so heartless as to refuse me, right?"

Felix stammered awkwardly, "But I think Lord Crusch might have to lower his standing with Lord Hachiman this time, meow."

"Yes... I can roughly guess what he wants to talk to me about, but since I've been buying up so many earth dragons and weapons, it's undoubtedly for that matter... For that reason, even if it's Lord Hachiman, I won't give in."

"Please state your purpose, Lord Hachiman." When Hachiman arrived, it was already dark. Crusch was dressed in casual clothes, which, compared to her military uniform, gave her a more feminine charm that was quite captivating.

"Then I'll be frank."

"Kursh's charm is completely ignored by Hachiman Hikigaya now. Rather than looking at Kursh, he is actually eyeing the earth dragons under her command through Kursh herself."

"—Let's make a deal, Miss Crusch. I need to borrow your herd of earth dragons!"

61. Rem's Love

"..."

Crusch couldn't help but reveal a gloomy expression.

"Hmph, what a pity." Felix shrugged. "Lord Crusch was actually considering a dragon rental deal with you recently. You just happened to be the one to send him away, meow, Lord Hachiman."

Hachiman Hikigaya frowned, trying to sound confident: "I'd be happy to lend you the Earth Dragon, Miss Crusch, provided you lend it to me first, and not for too long—if you're not in a hurry?"

"Kurshu's refusal was decisive, leaving no room for negotiation. 'It seems I'll have made a wasted trip for Lord Hachiman.'"

"At the same time, Wilhelm, the butler of the Carlsten family, stepped in and reported that a new guest had arrived: the great merchant, Lysel Ferro."