Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

""Mr. Hachiman! ""

Otto initially looked unwilling, but he reluctantly nodded. Hachiman Hikigaya said in a deep voice, "Let's avoid it."

"The two people quickened their pace as they started walking again, but before they could leave the area, they were suddenly stunned... Rabbits, endless rabbits, rabbits that looked exactly the same and were the same size."

"Unbeknownst to them, in the short time it took them to exchange a few words, hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of rabbits had filled the surrounding area. Their eyes glowed with a crimson light, and they made countless chirping sounds, like a tsunami of natural disaster, rushing over the mountains and fields."

"—Rip!"

"First, seeing the closest rabbit reach his feet, Hachiman Hikigaya instinctively lifted his foot to move away. The next second, the muscle fibers and nerves of his calf were torn and bitten, exposing the white bone and spurting blood. Only after seeing it and realizing it did the unbearable pain spread through his body, causing his throat to twitch and emitting a sharp scream."

"Not only Hachiman Hikigaya, but also Otto... Blood stained the white snow, rabbits opened their mouths, they were biting, they were chewing, they were eating."

"Otto! Run! Go find Emilia!! I'll handle this—"

"Hachiman Hikigaya's sword had already been taken after Garfiel's sneak attack, so he could only grit his teeth and fight back with his fists, and then—"

"His right hand was bitten off at the wrist, surrounded by one, two, three, four, or even more rabbits—"

"Mr. Hachiman, let's go!"

"Otto, howling in agony, his cheek a bloody mess, leaped onto his left cheek as the rabbit devoured him. Even so, Otto stumbled along, using his pockmarked hands to swat away the horde of rabbits pouncing on Hachiman Hikigaya. 'I'll cover them! I can cover them! I'm coming—hurry up, Mr. Hachiman, ahhhhhh—!!'"

"Otto!"

"Hachiman Hikigaya was about to knock the rabbit off Otto's face when he raised his only remaining hand. His body was suddenly shoved by those two pockmarked, emaciated arms that had been gnawed beyond recognition. He staggered a few steps and turned to look at Otto in disbelief."

"One of his legs had been completely eaten away, his two arms were detached from his shoulders with chirping sounds, rabbits were crawling on his chest, his left cheek was a bloody mess, and only one eyeball remained on Otto's face."

"Hachiman Hikigaya did everything in his power—he ran and fled, he only glanced once and never looked back, never stopped, he abandoned Otto in a sorry state and ran away alone."

"He saw the other half of Otto's face, his lips were upturned, he was smiling—he was standing tall, smiling, without a trace of regret."

"Otto is shouting, he is shouting silently. He is telling him that if Mr. Hachiman can escape while he is holding the rabbit back, then Otto Sewol will be the happiest, most satisfied, and most worthy person to die in the world."

"There was no time to say goodbye, no time for sentimentality, no time to leave a last message. Even when he gave others his last look, his face was so ugly with tears streaming down his face. His hoarse screams and his most earnest wishes."

"...So Hachiman Hikigaya ran away without looking back."

"Ah ...

"Otto's wails, his screams echoed through the heavens and earth, and finally grew fainter and fainter until they could no longer be heard. His remaining eyeballs were no longer visible, but the image of Hachiman Hikigaya limping away remained in his mind."

"'That's good, that's good...'"

"'Besides my parents and my brothers, I've been wandering for so many years, Mr. Hachiman...'"

"I am lucky... I am the luckiest person this year..."

"You trust me, you value me, you'll stand up for me and argue with Miss Ram to stop her from looking down on me... You hug me, you apologize to me, you thank me."

"I can't understand it at all, I can't understand why you would do this, but... you trust me, you value me, you must... consider me an important person, right?"

"'So...that's good...ah, ahh...so, it hurts so much, it really hurts, it hurts so much I wish I were dead, ahh...'"

"'Mr. Hachiman, you must have run far away by now, so... so... even if I cry, I'm sure... sure you won't look down on me. In your heart, you're still someone important who can be entrusted with important tasks, right?'"

"'It hurts, it hurts so much... I want to cry, I want to cry out—'"

"..."

"I want to cry. But I can't feel my eyes or my throat."

"A rabbit chirping on the snow-white ground."

"Otto Sewol, dead."

146. Hachiman Hikigaya's Obsession

The horrifying screams were transmitted through the video, and the chilling pain of being torn apart alive was truly presented to everyone. Just listening to Otto's voice and seeing his miserable state was enough to make one feel horrified.

Even if they were still standing there unharmed, most people would immediately break out in a cold sweat and get goosebumps, and this would be their nightmare for a long time to come.

This is far, far more terrifying than any horror movie or ghost movie.

“Unlike the hell that Lady Emilia suffered…we can see the mental anguish that Lady Emilia endured, but it is hard for us to imagine and understand. But what Otto is going through now…it’s too terrible, really too terrible.”

Previously, they envied Otto for being able to appear on camera and be known worldwide. Now, their business peers are trembling with fear, looking at Otto with pity.

Otto stared blankly at his future self's death, his teeth chattering, his hands involuntarily stroking his entire body. Even after he was certain that he was perfectly fine, he could not shake off the fear.

"How terrifying, so terrifying..."

He swallowed, lowered his head slightly, took off his hat and held it in front of his face, his shoulders shrugging.

He was laughing, laughing helplessly, laughing with relief, laughing from the bottom of his heart, laughing so hard his shoulders were shaking. The merchants around him thought he was having a seizure from fright.

"That was really scary... But I did help Mr. Hachiman, didn't I? I... I!"

"Otto Suwen."

At the Carlsten residence, Crusch remained silent for a moment. She memorized the name of the Minister of Internal Affairs chosen by Lord Hachiman. "Finally... Lord Hachiman finally has a reliable ally. Otto Suven, you truly deserve Lord Hachiman's trust and high regard. You are an important person to him, without a doubt!"

"It's really not easy. It's not easy for anyone."

Wilhelm sighed; he was both for Hachiman Hikigaya and for Otto.

In the Sanctuary, Garfield clenched his fist, then released it, admitting defeat: "Tch... a man among men? This title... I should give it to you, Otto Suven, besides being a general."

He did it willingly. He could have done it if he were simply unafraid of death. But such loyalty, such courage… every resident of the Sanctuary was stunned and filled with sincere admiration.

"..."

Inside the convenience store, Hachiman Hikigaya quietly watched the video, saying nothing. But in the arms of Yukinoshita, his heartbeat seemed to change.

“Otto Suwen.” Hachiman Hikigaya murmured, repeating the name in his mind a hundred times… He wanted to remember this person, to remember him forever, just like he remembered Yukinoshita, Rem, Emilia, Julius, and Hayama.

At the Shinomiya family home, both Kaguya Shinomiya and Ai Hayasaka were stunned. Their worldviews were turned upside down: "How could a businessman have such a personality?"

"Can businessmen also have feelings and loyalty? No, that's not right... It should be said that Otto is a man of feelings and loyalty, but he happens to be a businessman, not a businessman who has feelings and loyalty."

"Capitalists and all that... hah."

The master and servant sighed and shook their heads.

At this very moment, both the Sages' Council of the Kingdom of Lugnica and Emperor Abel in the Holy Empire of Fola were showing great interest in Otto Suvin.

They had all been eyeing Roswaal's prophetic abilities and were eager to make a move, but they immediately backed down after discovering that it was related to the Witch of Greed.

“I have to admit,” Abel said with deep emotion, “that Hachiman has a really good eye for people. ‘The real deal’... What a pity. If this Otto were in my empire, I would definitely kidnap him, grant him an official title, and tie him to the empire’s war chariot.”

In Roswaal's mansion, Betty said worriedly, "But... can we really escape by sacrificing one person? Faster, faster, Hachiman... Betty absolutely doesn't want to, absolutely doesn't want to, and absolutely doesn't want to see you being eaten."

"Intense breathing, lungs deprived of oxygen."

"His legs should have felt as heavy as lead balls under the speed and endurance that pushed them to their limits, but Hachiman Hikigaya couldn't feel anything anymore... There was no dripping blood on his legs; that stuff, along with the flesh, had been almost completely eaten away by the rabbits that caught up with him."

"Two bones can't support a body... but it doesn't matter. The flesh in the waist, chest, and back has been reduced a lot, and the last hand was given to protect the eyes and ears to the swarming rabbits."

"—So, it's okay."

"Chirp chirp..."

"—So, you must live."

"Chirp chirp..."

"—Therefore, we cannot let Otto's sacrifice be in vain."

"Chirp chirp..."

"—So, at least I should see Emilia one last time before I die, and apologize for the mistakes of forcing her to undergo the trial and for my sudden disappearance."

"Chirp chirp..."

"—So, Aa ...

The chirping sounds suddenly disappeared, and Hachiman Hikigaya blankly touched his ears to see if they had been eaten, before realizing that he no longer had hands.

"It's the barrier of the trial..." He tried to laugh, then spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Hachiman Hikigaya dragged his slow body, pattering as he walked through the corridor, and in that familiar room where trials were held, he saw that beautiful silver-haired girl."

"How wonderful... how lucky..." Hachiman Hikigaya felt genuinely fortunate. If his eyes had been eaten, he wouldn't have been able to see Emilia. If his ears had been eaten, he wouldn't have been able to hear Emilia's voice. If his throat had been eaten, he wouldn't have been able to apologize to Emilia.

"...Heh, heh heh—"

"But my throat is all messed up. Luckily, if I try hard enough, I can still make a sound, I can still speak, and I can still apologize."

Chitanda Eru had already looked away; she couldn't bear to watch any longer.

Otto Sousen died a painful death... but at least he died quickly.

Hachiman Hikigaya now...

“The skeletons…are moving. The skeletons…are talking. The skeletons…are alive.”

It could no longer be called a corpse; it was a complete skeleton, a white skeleton, with vital organs like the heart and lungs almost entirely exposed to the air.

"What kind of will, what kind of obsession, could keep such a body alive..."

This is not living, this is suffering.

Houtarou Oreki's head buzzed, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. "To live up to Otto's sacrifice, to see Emilia one last time..."

The Classics Department fell into a stunned silence.

-

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147. Emilia's Confession (Part 1)

"Dragging along a body that should have been light, yet felt strangely heavy, we passed through a corridor stained with red liquid. At the end of the corridor lay a dimly lit stone chamber emitting a pale blue light."

""Hachiman? ""

"Amy... Hehe... Leah."

"Blood gushed out, and after uttering that name and fulfilling its final mission, the damaged throat anxiously urged Hachiman Hikigaya to die with it."

"It really is Hachiman, hehe... Yes, that's right, it's me, Emilia."

"Her beautiful, deep purple eyes shone with an ethereal charm in the dimly lit room. Like a lark, Emilia ran over with a smile. She looked at Hachiman Hikigaya, sizing him up, and then, still giggling."