Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"The group of seven, after a brief reorganization, set off without hesitation and in silence, heading to the Slane Theocracy, the only place where they could be certain that the news would not leak out, to confront each other and form an alliance."

714. Pretending to be weak to fool others

"In the future, Kyosuke Kosaka has already learned that before the Slane Theocracy was destroyed, the highest authority was the High Priest, followed by the Priests, and then the heroes of the Dark Temple."

"Ze Shi Ze Mei is a trump card that the general public is not very aware of; only the higher-ups know a great deal about her existence."

"She doesn't actually wield any overt power, but as the strongest guardian of the Slane Theocracy, she can do whatever she wants, and everyone else has no choice but to obey her."

"The reason she hasn't sought revenge against the Elf King yet isn't because she was ordered to stay at home by the High Priest, but because she herself is considering the bigger picture. She knows that if she leaves the country, it will cause tension among the dragons of the Evaluation Kingdom, which could lead to friction and unrest."

"She did not do it because she cared about the people and cherished peace. Her own will was the main factor, rather than being hindered by the orders of the Supreme High Priest."

"Such a desperate act of certain death is essentially the king of the Slane Theocracy... no, it can be described as the living god of the Slane Theocracy."

"How could someone of such status be someone you could simply meet whenever you wanted?"

"Kousaka Kyosuke wouldn't be so presumptuous as to say he wanted to see Zetsu Shi Zetsu Mei right from the start. He first mentioned the impressive reputation of the Blue Rose Adventurer Group to meet the High Priest, and then frankly said that he wanted to see Zetsu Shi Zetsu Mei."

"Heretics! Using such nonsense to deceive!" The high priest's eyes were bloodshot as he slammed his fist on the table. "To mock me is a minor matter; I can forgive you because you are human. But to insult the Holy Kingdom, to dare say that the Holy Kingdom cannot defeat the heretics, cannot defeat the mere undead, is absolutely unacceptable!"

"You really think highly of our nation!"

"The High Priest has absolute pride and identification with the Slane Theocracy, and cannot tolerate anyone saying such bad things as the Theocracy being destroyed by the Undead."

"He immediately summoned the Black Scriptures, the strongest force in the theocracy, to give Kousaka Kyosuke and his gang a good beating and a lesson."

"I didn't intend to kill him, but if I didn't beat him half to death and break his limbs, let the guy who spoke rudely and insulted the Holy Kingdom enjoy the pain, and then treat him for a day or two before expelling him from the country, it wouldn't be enough to appease the High Priest's anger."

"Kousaka Kyosuke suddenly had a headache."

"He was already good enough. Because he was afraid of angering the Theocracy, he only said that the Theocracy lost, but did not mention that they were razed to the ground, or the specific tragic circumstances of Zesshi Zesshi becoming a slave of Albedo."

"But I never expected that even after going to such lengths, it would still anger the High Priest of the Theocracy."

"It's alright, it's not your fault," Ibiruai said softly. "They didn't intend to kill us, which is perfect. Let them see our strength. Only those who are strong enough have more weight and credibility in their words."

Lajus and the others nodded. In this world, the strong are respected. Only by fighting a real battle and demonstrating strength can one gain respect and a voice.

"Oh my~ I never expected this. There are actually people who dare to run wild within the territory of the Holy Kingdom. They really have guts. Hmm~ They're all formidable experts."

"The heroes of the Dark Codex have arrived. Each of them possesses strength and aura no less than any of the Blue Roses, and some may even surpass them. There are even strong individuals comparable to Evilue."

"They spoke with the high priest for a while and understood the situation."

"Amidst the tense atmosphere, both sides moved to the training grounds of the Holy Kingdom, preparing to engage in a one-on-one duel of heroes."

"They are all experts, and the newcomers, including Kousaka Kyosuke, only spoke rudely, which is not a capital offense. Experts have their pride and demeanor. With these two factors combined, the Theocracy has no intention of bullying the weak with numbers."

"All six people except Kyosuke Kosaka stepped forward and each chose a suitable opponent."

"Oh? What, are you going to back down from the fight?" The remaining heroes looked at Kousaka Kyosuke. "So young, and less skilled than others, it's normal for you to want to avoid battle. We'll allow you this exception."

A strange light flickered in Kousaka Kyosuke's eyes. "I have no objection, but... are you sure you want to fight?"

"Little brother, being arrogant and narcissistic isn't a good thing. With this attitude of not recognizing your own limitations, you'll run into trouble sooner or later." The heroes of the Dark Codex laughed heartily. "In that case, let us teach you a lesson!"

"They were all refreshed and eager to act as big shots, teaching those arrogant young people a lesson—of course, none of them intended to kill. After all, after being subjected to a brutal and relentless training, they still had their personalities, but they were no longer considered bad people."

"Given this, Kyosuke Kosaka won't go too far. He points one finger to the sky, magic power bursts forth, and a seventh-tier spell is unleashed."

"Back when he faced Albedo in the Sebastian territory, under that death threat and witnessing Albedo unleash a tenth-tier magic that affected the celestial phenomena within a certain range, with the help of his comprehension, Kyosuke Kousaka naturally broke through to the seventh tier."

"This seventh rank is already the peak of the seventh rank, just one step away from the eighth rank."

"W-what?! How is this possible?! What is this?!"

"Having been brutally beaten by the Deathly ...

"Boom!"

"Thunder and lightning, with immense force, like silver snakes dancing wildly connecting heaven and earth, struck the vast training ground in a series of crackling blows, leaving many scorch marks on the ground, almost setting it on fire."

"These thunderbolts avoided the stunned heroes, leaving them unharmed in the slightest."

"However, everyone, including the High Priest, gasped in disbelief, unable to believe that in this era, besides the Deathly Happiness and the Dragon King of the Council Kingdom, there were actually wild powerhouses at the peak of the seventh rank!"

"Showing off in front of others, so terrifying, haha! You all looked down on Kyosuke, now you're dumbfounded, hehe."

On the street, Kirino Kousaka let out a long breath, just like Puck back then, unable to contain her emotions, punching and kicking at the air, looking very smug.

She shook off her dejection and, unusually, became happy.

This was not only because Kyosuke had given the old man who looked down on young people a good slap in the face, but also because she realized that since Kyosuke was so powerful and would only get more powerful.

So, wouldn't Evilue, a mere fifth-rank being, have some self-awareness that he's not worthy of Kyosuke and withdraw from the relationship in the future?

As Kyosuke's sister, she wasn't afraid of not being worthy of his affections.

If you calculate it this way, everyone except yourself is at risk of being eliminated, haha!

715. New contestants, please enter.

The expressions of the people in the world of Evilua changed repeatedly, from anxiety and irritability to relief.

In the Slane Theocracy, the heroes of the Dark Scripture wiped the cold sweat from their brows. They knew that in the future, they had done something foolish to hinder Kousaka Kyosuke's great cause, and that people outside the Theocracy were probably cursing them now.

But they weren't really concerned; rather, they were relieved that an unbreakable barrier hadn't been formed. If their obstruction had prevented Kyosuke Kousaka from seeing Zetsumei, they would have wanted to die.

"Let me die, let me atone for my sins with my death!"

Unlike the Dark Holy Scripture, that high priest was already a reckless force, about to kill himself by crashing his head into the ground. He was filled with guilt and had no face to face the world.

“You did nothing wrong,” the High Priest stopped him. “Our principle is the supremacy of humanity. Kousaka Kyosuke couldn’t produce any evidence at the time, yet he made remarks that ‘defamed’ the Holy Kingdom. You were defending the honor of the Holy Kingdom. What wrong did you do?”

“But I…” The high priest opened his mouth.

The High Priest patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly, "To atone for your sins, stand on the front lines against the Sorcerer Kingdom and clear obstacles for the survival of humanity."

The high priest, his eyes often brimming with tears of emotion, nodded emphatically.

"...Hmm, how stingy, Kyosuke."

Thousands of miles away, her legs swaying, one hand supporting her face, Zetsu no Michi didn't blame the High Priest, because she knew it was no one's fault.

From the High Priest's perspective, he knew how powerful the World Items and the Six Great Gods were, but even such beings could not travel through time, so it was reasonable for him to conclude that Kousaka Kyosuke was just making fun of people.

From Kyosuke Kosaka's perspective, each time he travels through time, he loses a bit of his original essence. Every time he travels through time should be used wisely. Therefore, it is reasonable for him to keep it hidden and not take the High Priest directly to the future thirty years later, letting the facts speak for themselves.

Given this situation, fighting is actually the best outcome under the circumstances.

Since neither side intended to kill, a fight would subdue the rest of the Slane Theocracy and lure her out of the clutches of death. By a twist of fate, the outcome turned out just right.

Sometimes, meaningless infighting among companions may not be entirely without purpose.

"hehe."

Meanwhile, Aki Tomoya, who is incoherent, unrepentant, and refuses to apologize, makes a sarcastic and mocking laugh.

Al scratched his head, plopped down on his back, and asked with interest, "What are you mocking? Tell me, I'm quite interested too."

After trying various methods, Al realized that they were ineffective against Aki Tomoya and could not make him repent. So Al decided to try a different approach.

He wanted to chat with Aki Tomoya, to have some talk therapy.

Anyway, hitting him wouldn't make a difference, and Al is considered a decent and good person, so he wouldn't resort to harsh punishments or kill Aki Tomoya—after all, this man's crime doesn't warrant such a thing.

Since that's the case, why not try persuasion? He's got nothing better to do anyway, and he's been quite bored lately.

Aki Tomoya grinned and said, "I'm laughing at you people who always blindly protect your own people. I heard it all. All the people outside are worried about and encouraging Kousaka Kyosuke, but nobody cares about the bad things he's done."

"Tell me about it?" Al patted his butt.

Aki Tomoya shuddered and stubbornly said, "Even if Sebastian is a hypocrite, is there any benefit in angering him? And what about Evilue kicking Albedo and angering her? What will happen to the residents of Sebastian's territory after they leave?"

Al was surprised and looked Aki Tomoya up and down. He didn't expect that although Aki Tomoya's thinking was eccentric and bizarre, his IQ was actually quite good, and he could think of this.

“You’re right.” He nodded. “However, even if Kyosuke Kousaka and Evilue hadn’t done that, given Albedo’s personality, their fate was basically sealed the moment Kyosuke Kousaka didn’t take the whole town away.”

"However, this only means that he did not do well enough, not that he made any mistakes. The culprit who harmed people, whether subjectively or objectively, is ultimately that bitch Albedo."

"Heh, if it were me, I wouldn't make such a mistake at all," Aki Tomoya sneered.

"Oh?" Al glanced at him. "I didn't realize you had such a strong sense of justice, willing to save the entire town?"

"Uh, what are you talking about? What do those people have to do with me?"

Aki Tomoya frowned and pushed up his glasses. "If it were me, I would definitely kill Albedo immediately, no matter the cost."

"She's not bad looking, and she's the classic, most lovable loyal female lead, but! But! She's loyal to the enemy! A beautiful, good woman doesn't like me, the protagonist? What kind of clichéd, low-class plot is this?"

"In a game, this would be a piece of garbage that nobody would play! I absolutely cannot tolerate the existence of such a terrible thing. If you don't like the protagonist's loyal and beautiful girl, you might as well not have one at all!"

He spoke with unwavering conviction, becoming increasingly agitated as he went on.

"..." Al found himself at a loss for words. How could Aki Tomoya's thinking be so strange when he clearly had a pretty good IQ?

It seems like anime has taken over their brains. Sigh, anime is really harmful.

After thinking it over, he asked, "Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"As the protagonist, I can never die. If I'm about to die, a beautiful girl will fall from the sky and kiss me. Ah! To infuse me with life in this way is a perfect plot. Ah, so rich."

Aki Tomoya is already immersed in his own world, which is incredibly moving.

"Repent." Al shook his head, giving up on communicating with Aki Tomoya, and looked up to continue watching the future.

"Pat, pat."

"After the thunder struck, the heroes of the Dark Scripture, including the High Priest, fell silent until a light and lively footstep approached from afar, causing them to show expressions as if they had found their pillar of support."

"High Priest, you're being too polite. A new seventh-rank friend is coming over, why didn't you call me sooner?"

"The footsteps stopped abruptly. At the entrance to the training ground, a beautiful girl, whose looks were second only to Evilue, appeared. Her hair was half black and half white. She smiled lazily and looked at Kousaka Kyosuke at a glance."

“Good morning,” she waved charmingly. “Oh, you’re a person… Hmm, wanna play a game?”

"Zetsu...Zetsumei..." Kousaka Kyosuke stared back intently. Just as the atmosphere was tense and frozen, and Zetsushi Zetsumei was about to make his move, he raised his hands without hesitation.

"I give up."

716. You're next, you bastard!