Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

Otto's heart skipped a beat, and he almost burst into tears. "Run! Run! Run!"

"Beluga whale—"

Sword Demon Wilhelm's calm face suddenly twisted, and he roared with hatred to the bone. His hands clenched so tightly that they cracked. If this were not a scene from the future, he would have rushed forward even at the cost of his life.

"Calm down, Will," Felix quickly reassured him.

The appearance of the beluga whale has stirred up the entire capital, meaning that the capital may no longer be safe in the near future.

"That's that monster, that beluga whale!"

On the other hand, people on Earth couldn't help but think of the rumors about Emilia being a half-elf, rumors that it would bring disaster.

Even Kyosuke Kousaka subconsciously had a moment of doubt: "With everything going wrong and dangers lurking all day long, could Emilia really bring disaster?"

He shook his head. "No, that's not right. As long as it's not a natural disaster created out of thin air, even if it's a man-made disaster, the ones who should be hated and criticized are these murderers, witch cultists, monsters, and white whales. We must never support the victim-blaming theory!"

"Moreover, the most important thing right now is the safety of Hachiman and Rem!"

"Some unlucky mercenaries were caught in the crossfire at the beginning, but the flickering lights showed that there were still some earth dragons running in the fog, making them a lot of targets."

"But before Otto could even feel relieved, the buzzing monster appeared in the next second."

"—The beluga whale suddenly crashed into us!!"

65. The Witch's Caress

"The frightened earth dragon instinctively tried to stay away from the threat, but no matter how it changed direction, the earth-shattering monster would stubbornly follow it again and again, opening its blood-red maw that had devoured countless lives."

"The earth dragon and the three people in the car were on the verge of death, their lives hanging by a thread, their faint light struggling to escape through the fog."

"What's going on?! What on earth is going on?! Aren't there other people here? Why did they keep chasing us even though we've already run far away? Damn it!"

"Otto was clearly on the verge of collapse. Rem didn't care about the coachman, but to protect Hachiman Hikigaya, she silently gripped her flail and resolutely said, 'I'll stop the White Whale. Take advantage of that opening and run!'"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Hachiman Hikigaya felt a little flustered.

"He knew some things about the white whale. It was said that if someone was killed by a white whale, their name and memory would be erased. People would only know that someone died, but they wouldn't remember who that person was."

"To be honest, this kind of death worries Hachiman Hikigaya. According to his speculation, his Return by Death should be related to witches. Witches are indeed the strongest fighting force in this world, but he is not a witch after all, he only has the so-called lingering fragrance and 'gift' of witches."

"I'm essentially just an ordinary person. If I'm killed by a special being like the White Whale, can I return to life unscathed? And after returning to life, will Emilia and Rem no longer recognize me? I'm very worried."

"But at least I have Return by Death. If Rem dies, can I bring her back to life with me after Return by Death? Hachiman Hikigaya really doesn't want to test the limits of his abilities."

"Rem, this is an order! You and Otto retreat together. Once you're out of the white mist, coordinate with the remaining mercenaries. Protect Emilia and the villagers at all costs!"

"Hachiman Hikigaya shouted. He was now sincerely grateful that he still had some talent in swordsmanship and had trained hard for the past two months. Therefore, in this situation, he could at least be cannon fodder instead of being blown away by the White Whale's breathing."

He grabbed Rem's shoulders, trying to push her into the carriage, but—

"This is an order!" The most powerful weapon against this girl suddenly failed at this moment. Rem, with reluctance and determination in her eyes, not only disobeyed his orders, but also pushed him forcefully, bringing him closer to Otto and the earth dragon.

"...?"

Hachiman Hikigaya suddenly understood something. He hesitated for half a second, then suddenly looked up. "Rem, listen to me, you must live! You only have one life, but I will not die. I have the power of death—"

"Thump—"

"Boom-"

Inside and outside the video, Hachiman Hikigaya's heart skipped a beat, then he froze as if in fear, a hand lovingly stroking his heart.

Darkness, boundless darkness... capable of destroying the world, destroying all things, plunging people into a darkness with a fate more terrifying than death...

Even clearer than during Return of Death, that aura that could instantly turn a person into an ant seeing a tiger permeated beyond the screen!

Not only Hachiman Hikigaya, but also people on Earth and in the world of the Great Falls personally experienced the terror he would endure in the future!

Under such an atmosphere, aside from the ecstatic, laughing madmen of the Witch Cult, and the arrogant Priscilla and the cold-hearted Kiyotaka Ayanokouji who could still think, most people couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat that soaked their backs and foreheads.

Even the knights of the Kingdom of Lugunica felt a thorn in their side, deeply aware of their own powerlessness.

At this moment, Hachiman Hikigaya, gazing into the future, suddenly froze, his mouth agape, his body stiffening uncontrollably. The world seemed to have stopped in time, and they all felt the same way he did.

No one will blame Hachiman Hikigaya for not speaking completely at such a crucial moment; the mastermind behind the Return of Death clearly doesn't intend to give him the freedom to reveal this 'gift'.

Amidst the overwhelming and surging scent of witches, only Reinhard remained as free as ever. He could draw his sword and fight at any time, and even emerge victorious—provided there was no barrier of light between them, and that the mastermind, the witch, was standing right in front of him.

"What?" Rem was taken aback. She stared at Hachiman Hikigaya in astonishment. What was he trying to say? Why did he suddenly stop? No, there was no time to think about that now.

"Rem also wants to hear Hachiman's voice more, but there's no time now. Rem has to go! Only Rem can go!"

"Wait, Rem! Listen to me first, I have an ability, I can die..."

"It's true that it's painful for a witch to squeeze your heart, but Hachiman Hikigaya gritted his teeth. He could endure the pain to save Rem. He was just caught off guard."

""boom--""

"However, the white whale suddenly became much more aggressive than before. Hachiman Hikigaya was jolted and forced to stop speaking. Before he could say it again, Rem had already jumped out without hesitation, leaping towards the relentlessly pursuing monster, the white whale!"

"Her heavy last words still lingered in the air before quickly dissipating."

"—Rem said it herself, Rem would do anything for you!!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"The fog was thick, and Rem's mournful and indignant cries overlapped with the buzzing of the white whale, eventually mingling with the rumble of the earth."

"Hachiman Hikigaya really wanted to rush out, but he couldn't help at all. He could only anxiously look out of the carriage and watch himself and the earth dragon escape from the iconic giant tree."

"About six or seven minutes passed, six or seven minutes of anxious anticipation, when suddenly the view opened up and the earth dragon burst out of the fog."

Overjoyed to discover he still remembered Rem, Hachiman Hikigaya shouted to Otto, "Wait! Stop! Otto, stop here, wait for the fog to clear, then go back to find Rem!"

"Huh—?"

"Otto replied, bewildered, "Rem...who is that? That's strange, is there such a person among the mercenaries? It sounds like a woman's name, you must be mistaken, Mr. Hachiman?"

"Who is Rem...?"

"At that moment, Hachiman Hikigaya felt a chill run down his spine. His eyes widened, his limbs went cold, and an unbelievable thought popped into his head."

"You actually asked me... who Rem is?"

66. The hero who ventured deep into enemy territory alone

"Hachiman Hikigaya felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. He almost immediately realized that since he could retain his memories after returning from death, it seemed only natural that he would remember Rem being eaten by the white whale."

"But, but—he wished he didn't have this privilege; at least that way, if he still remembered Rem, it meant she wasn't dead!"

"You really don't remember? The blue-haired girl in a maid dress, the one with the gentle voice, the one who wielded a flail, the one who fought the white whale to protect us, Rem?"

"He trembled, and with a hoarse voice, he made a final plea for confirmation."

Even in this overwhelming state of grief and anger, he still did not lay a hand on Otto, who had forgotten Rem.

"Hachiman Hikigaya's logic, his rationality remained firm even at this moment, clearly knowing that he should hold a grudge against the White Whale, not vent his anger on Otto, who was equally innocent."

"He seems to be the embodiment of the word 'reason'."

"Rem... is dead?" Ram was stunned for a moment, then glared at the distraught Hachiman Hikigaya. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! How dare you let Rem...!!"

Rem showed no regret whatsoever, but she didn't know how to comfort her sister. All she could do was call out to her sister, indicating that she was still there and alive: "Sister."

On the other side, Anastasia tilted her head and analyzed, "Hachiman Hikigaya is a very sentimental person, and he also happens to have this ability. Would he commit suicide? Would he go to save his maid?"

“He wouldn’t do that,” her knight Julius said firmly. “A man like him wouldn’t so casually toy with life, wouldn’t be so arrogant!”

Similar dialogues are unfolding simultaneously on Earth.

"He's so rational, he must have known that he had completely failed this time. No matter how you look at it, the best thing he could do is commit suicide and start over, right?"

Horikita Suzune coveted the ability to return from death, "If it were me, if it were me..."

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji no longer looked at this ignorant woman with disdain or as if she were a fool. He chuckled and completely gave up on Suzune Horikita. This woman was hopelessly stupid.

"You not only don't understand Hachiman Hikigaya, but you also don't understand reason."

"Hachiman Hikigaya didn't cry or howl. He accepted reality with difficulty. His lips moved twice, but he was still able to give orders, telling Otto to take the earth dragon around and meet up with the rest of the mercenaries."

"He went back to the carriage on his own, his mind racing non-stop."

"The mercenaries suffered heavy casualties, and Rem lost her life. With that kind of strength, even with intelligence, they couldn't defeat so many witch cultists."

"'suicide……'"

"'Although I've always believed this was a return from death, there's absolutely no evidence to prove it. It might actually be a jump to a parallel world in an earlier timeline.'"

"'If it was a passive death, then so be it. I may feel ashamed, but there's nothing I can do about it. If it really is a parallel world, then I'm a complete coward who runs away from reality, leaving Emilia to bear all the mess of reality alone, and even making her face the mystery of her knight's sudden and inexplicable suicide.'"

"How could I possibly...do such a thing!"

"I can die, but I must die with meaning. At the very least, I must save Emilia and the villagers, and I must ensure that Rem's protection is not in vain!!"

"I will do what I can do, I will do what I should do!!!"

"'For this reason, even though I have the ability but don't save Rem, even so, even so—'"

"Otto's slightly pleased voice came from outside the carriage, "Mr. Hachiman, great! The mercenaries are just ahead!"

"When the two sides came together, the surviving mercenaries felt no sadness. Perhaps some of their comrades had died in the mouth of the white whale, but they had forgotten the relevant memories. All that remained for them was the lingering fear of surviving a catastrophe."

Looking at the defeated army, Hachiman Hikigaya made a decision: "Let's go, let's keep moving forward."

"We had no other choice, it was a decision we had to make... As long as we save Emilia and the others, that's enough... We'll move everyone to the capital as defeated soldiers—what's a royal selection compared to human lives!"

"However, nothing is going right."

"As they marched on, the monsters roaming the area seemed to have lost all instinct for survival, relentlessly attacking the exhausted group. This alarmed Hachiman Hikigaya, who pulled out his phone to check the time and calculate the exact world and location of the encounter with the white whale from the present moment."

"Although the monsters have been wiped out, the mercenaries are becoming increasingly terrified, complaining about why the monsters are so interested in them."

"When faced with the pursuit of the white whale, Otto's panicked words were suddenly recalled by Hachiman Hikigaya. At that time, Otto was questioning the air, asking why the white whale was only interested in his dragon frame."

"Yes, why?"

"These magical beasts and beluga whales seem familiar, they share commonalities, and their goal..."

"Stop!"

As they pondered, the group entered the forest. The forest was utterly silent, except for the sounds of the mercenaries. A familiar, eerie feeling arose within them.

Hachiman Hikigaya leaped out of the carriage, looked around, and amidst the bewildered glances of the mercenaries, shouted again, "Come out, all of you!"