Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"That bitch!!"

Crusch gritted her teeth. "How dare you covet my Lord Hachiman! You've been dead for four hundred years, your body probably rotting beyond recognition. You should be guarding your grave, not pretending to be innocent and flirting with Lord Hachiman! Shameless!!!"

If it weren't so obvious that she couldn't beat Echidna, she would have really wanted to go to the Sanctuary and test her skills against this witch of greed.

Phyllis's ears twitched, and she said with a smile, "Don't worry, Lord Crusch, meow. Hachiman really hates Echidna right now, doesn't he?"

"That's true... but it's still annoying."

Crusch wasn't the only one who was unhappy.

In Roswaal's spacious mansion, the kneeling Roswaal slowly calmed his overwhelming joy. He looked at this so-called Echidna, "No... this isn't the same as Master... This isn't... No, but this is indeed Master's soul..."

He was caught in a dilemma and pondered: in his memory, was his teacher really that kind of person?

Something seems off.

At the entrance to the Forbidden Library, Betty, gazing at the sky, was far less perceptive and thoughtful than Roswaal. She puffed out her cheeks and said, "Ugh... this idiot, can't he just get along with Mother properly? Even if it's 'that person,' Betty will be unhappy if he ostracizes Mother like this."

"The Sanctuary is your grave, and you're merely an observer of the trials. In other words, whether or not you pass the trials is entirely up to you, Echidna."

Seeing that Echidna refused to compromise, and that she even knew about Return by Death, Hachiman Hikigaya, having no trump cards to fight her with, could only helplessly skip over that point and change the subject: "Have I passed the trial now?"

“If I were to grade it, it would definitely be a pass.” Echidna smiled. “However, the trial has three levels, so how about you proceed with the remaining two trials?”

""No.""

"Hachiman Hikigaya was overjoyed... To be honest, he was really afraid that he would pass the trial and break the barrier. If he broke the barrier, Emilia would definitely not take credit for it, but in that case, she would not be able to establish visible prestige and achievements in the hearts of the residents of the Sanctuary, which would be very bad. This credit must be left to Emilia."

"After giving himself some psychological counseling and no longer so deliberately resisting Echidna, Hachiman Hikigaya was willing to ask this woman who claimed to know everything questions. Of course, this was limited to questions that could only be answered by her."

"Will I remember the trial after I return to reality?"

"Hmm? -- Ah, you're worried that my appearance will erase all these memories? Don't worry, you will remember. Otherwise, the meaning of the trial would be only half there."

Echidna mischievously tempted him: "Well, remember I have my own way too, you just need to pay a little price—"

"I need to go back now. Please take me home, thank you."

"Gah—you really have a bad heart!" Echidna looked displeased after being rejected. She was indeed cute, but even disregarding the fake aura emanating from her, Hachiman Hikigaya felt nothing when he thought about her age.

"You're thinking some very rude things, hey, you silly little girl, that Emilia, she's over a hundred years old!"

"Hachiman Hikigaya looked at her with pity. "I understand your desire to act young, like Hiratsuka-sensei, but if possible, please don't try to use Emilia as a crutch. There's no need to use Emilia as a crutch. You should focus your efforts on other things."

Echidna gritted her teeth: "She really is over a hundred!!"

"Of course I know that, but things are different."

"Pfft!"

On the main street of the capital, Emilia covered her mouth, her face a crescent moon, her shoulders shaking as she laughed so hard she bent over.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, Echidna... but I'm really happy... Hmm, Hachiman, even though Echidna is really old, you shouldn't say things like that to her face."

At the same time, Crusch, standing beside Emilia, couldn't help but feel refreshed and beam with joy: "Beautiful! Well done, Lord Hachiman!"

"Watching Hachiman and Emilia is a real treat."

Kyosuke Kousaka, who was also standing next to Emilia, cheerfully opened a bottle of cola and toasted with his sister Kirino Kousaka.

"Echidna and all that fake stuff, get out of here! You green tea bitch!"

129. A prophecy fulfilled.

Before leaving the trial world, Hachiman Hikigaya asked Echidna one last question: Why did the light screen representing Emilia's qualification disappear even though Emilia was still undergoing the trial?

"Echidna didn't answer directly, only saying that the woman was alive and well. Hachiman Hikigaya realized from this that Echidna wasn't entirely a fake."

"Besides curiosity and concern about age, Echidna's dislike and disgust for Emilia was genuine... This made it even harder for Hachiman Hikigaya to believe Echidna's answer, and he stepped out of the trial with concern for Emilia."

"——"

"With great effort, I opened my eyes, my cheek pressed against the cold floor, my body collapsed to the ground unprotected. The first thing I saw was the stone ceiling."

"Hachiman Hikigaya was stunned for several seconds. He was receiving memories of his trial process and was filled with melancholy... After more than two months, seeing Komachi and the others, it was hard to describe how he felt about it."

"Yukinoshita... I'm sorry."

He sighed, "For Rem, for Emilia—Emilia?!"

"It felt like a year had passed. Hachiman Hikigaya came to his senses. He didn't come here to participate in the trial; he came to check on Emilia's safety."

"Emilia, Emilia!"

"He nervously scrambled to his feet and immediately spotted the silver-haired girl lying on the ground just like him."

His outstretched arm stopped midway... He thought of his marriage proposal to Rem during the trial, and the real thing he had prayed for...

"Hachiman Hikigaya, who had stopped, hadn't even had time to retract his arm when Emilia, who had finished her trial, opened her beautiful, deep purple eyes. She looked around hesitantly and saw Hachiman Hikigaya right beside her."

"Emilia's expression instantly revealed a sense of relief."

At the same time, fragmented memories of the trial flowed into her mind.

"She felt relieved for less than half a second before Emilia suddenly froze. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and her face turned as pale as a dead person. As if she had a nightmare, tears streamed down her face like a burst dam, filled with panic and fear."

"No, no—it wasn't me! Don't look at me, I didn't do it, I told you it wasn't me…—please, believe me! It wasn't me! It wasn't me!! Help me, Dad! Help me…Parker! Parker!…—Help me, Parker!!"

"Fragmented babbling, her slender, soft body trembling with fear, cold sweat beading on her forehead, shaking her head in resistance as if trying to shake something out of her mind, Emilia was in so much pain that she could barely breathe."

"That voice filled with fear and utter helplessness, that choked sobbing and wailing, Emilia curled up in a ball, her hands covering her head."

"Amelia, whose entire being, from the depths of her soul, is filled with fear."

"—Emilia, Emilia! Puck is here, Puck has always been inside the gem, Puck has always been with you, Puck will save you! I will save you too! Emilia!"

A chill ran down my spine.

"It felt like a hammer was hitting his head hard. Hachiman Hikigaya gritted his teeth, moved his body, put his hands on Emilia's shoulders, and shouted anxiously."

"Emilia! Parker, Parker, I'm here with you. We'll save you, Emilia! It's alright, Emilia!"

"Help me! Daddy! --Help me, Puck! Puck! Help me, Hachiman!! It wasn't me! I told you it wasn't me, I didn't -- I didn't!! Puck! Puck!!"

"I'm completely immersed in this nightmare."

"Emilia, living in fear, was in agony. She couldn't hear Hachiman Hikigaya's voice at all. She cried out so hard that her teeth chattered and her legs even convulsed."

"There was nothing Hachiman Hikigaya could do. He watched Emilia wail in pain with bitterness. All he could do was shout loudly again and again to comfort her and tell her that Puck was here and would save her, and that Hachiman was here and would save her too."

"But Emilia won't listen to anything."

"She was completely overwhelmed by fear, and only her body followed the instinct to seek security. When Hachiman Hikigaya approached, her whole body subconsciously nestled into his arms."

Emilia's fingers flailed wildly, scratching Hachiman Hikigaya's skin, and her tears soaked his clothes.

"Hachiman Hikigaya told her again and again, 'Puck is here, Hachiman is here...' until his throat was hoarse and sore. He gently patted Emilia's back repeatedly to keep her from choking on her sobs and wails."

"The whole process lasted about two hours. Finally, an exhausted Emilia cried and lost consciousness, lying in Hachiman Hikigaya's arms. Even after she had fainted, she still occasionally uttered panicked babbling."

"This is...me?"

Emilia, who had been delighted by Echidna's treatment, was now speechless. She took a half step back, her mind a jumble of thoughts.

I have low self-esteem... but I'm not afraid of danger.

Emilia knew it; she knew she was that kind of person. But she did cry like that, so much so that just looking at it made her afraid to imagine what kind of past she was witnessing, sending chills down her spine.

Because it's the same person, I know. Because it's the same person, I understand. That fear—even though I don't know anything now, I've already felt it to some extent; it's terrifying.

"Parker?"

A bewildered Emilia turned to Parker, hoping for her help.

Parker, his face grim, remained silent for a long while before letting out a sigh of frustration. "Lia...it's my fault. Although you'll have to face the past sooner or later, you weren't prepared enough...you shouldn't have faced it so soon...Rozwaal!!"

If it weren't for Roswaal's design, Lydia wouldn't have faced the past so quickly.

"I…"

Emilia opened her mouth, looking at her future self, at her miserable state. Even she couldn't bring herself to say 'It's okay'.

"I…"

The silver-haired girl touched her chest, feeling her heartbeat. She looked at her future self, at Hachiman Hikigaya who was embracing her.

“I…I’m okay, Parker!”

"Huh?" Parker was dumbfounded.

Emilia clenched her fist, trying to encourage herself: "I'm okay! Because Hachiman is right beside me, Hachiman will stay with me, Hachiman will definitely save me!"

"So, it's definitely okay!"

130. Emilia's Gradual Awakening (Part 1)

He said such shameless things that only caused trouble for others and shirked responsibility.

However, there was no other way.

Emilia…couldn't believe herself. Because her future self had already fallen to that state, hadn't she?

Her words, seemingly meant to encourage herself and comfort Parker, actually revealed her helplessness and heartache.

"I... I'll only cause trouble for Hachiman. But if I could be of any use, if I could be of even a little help like before... please, future me!"

The forgotten past...

Emilia murmured.

"..."

Wilhelm frowned. When he watched the trial of Hachiman Hikigaya before, he thought that the Sanctuary's trial was a good thing, a way to make up for regrets, and that it might allow him to see his wife. He wondered if he should try to find an opportunity to do so... But now it seems that the so-called trial may not be so pleasant.

"Looking back, should I say that it's fortunate that Lord Hachiman's longing for not being able to say goodbye to Lord Yukino overwhelmed everything else?"

Crusch whispered in fear. She was very intelligent and quickly figured out why Emilia had made such a disgraceful appearance.

"If Lord Hachiman's most unforgettable fear is of being killed by the Bowel Hunter or by Sloth in the past, then perhaps the trial he will face is to confront the Bowel Hunter again... Emilia is probably in that situation."

Crusch, Phyllis, Wilhelm.

No one would think that Emilia's embarrassing behavior was because she was too useless.