Chapter 415. The Battle for Hachiman, Ignited
Everything went black and then brightened. In the blink of an eye, the surrounding scenery had completely changed.
Hikigaya Hachiman stood rooted to the spot like a wooden chicken. He stared blankly up at the sky of this world, where the light screen that had broadcasted the future was gradually fading—but he had seen it before it vanished.
"Guh..."
His throat moved as he let out a bitter smile, feeling toyed with by fate. He lowered his head and sighed deeply.
"What is this... So this side received the revelations of the future too? Then doesn't that mean a sentimental guy like me isn't needed at all?"
He actually wanted to feel happy about this fact.
After all, with the premise that the entire world now possessed intelligence on them, the Sin Archbishops stood no chance against Emilia and the others.
It would essentially be a "dynasty warriors" style slaughter tour for Reinhard.
However, the expression of awkwardness overshadowed all other emotions. It wasn't so much about being useless—he was actually glad to be idle—the problem was: how would Emilia and the others view the man named Hikigaya Hachiman now?
"Maybe I should just sneak off to find Reinhard and ask him to save a couple of Witch Factors for me, develop an Authority, and head straight home."
While watching the videos, he had been subjected to a very obvious mental "imprinting" from an external source. But now that the moment was here, Hachiman still felt the trepidation of a netizen meeting friends offline for the first time.
Having already entered a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with Yukinoshita, and coupled with the fact that he was no longer an "essential item" for their survival, Hachiman momentarily entertained the thought of retreating.
Just as he was considering how to cover his face and hide, a startled cry came from beside him: "It's Hikigaya Hachiman!"
That identification, like a bolt from the blue, caused everyone on the entire street to snap their heads around in unison.
First came a collective daze, then silence—an absolute hush. But two seconds later, everyone's eyes widened. Just like fans on Earth spotting a superstar, they began to clamor one after another. Their excited voices were so loud they reached the ears of the soldiers waiting in ambush in the distance.
"It's Hikigaya Hachiman!"
"Quick, catch him!"
"Don't let him get away!"
They were a crowd with no ill intent, but their excited shouts scared Hachiman so much that cold sweat poured down his back. Without a word, he turned to run, but the tide of people surging from all directions to intercept him was terrifying, blocking every path of retreat.
"This is a bit much, isn't it? Hey!"
Hachiman was already considering what posture to take for his surrender when, in the next second, the people in his field of vision all clutched their heads in pain, becoming weak.
He knew why, because he was receiving the same treatment.
...It was no longer just the perspective of a third-party observer being partially influenced; those "futures" were now being tangibly stuffed into his brain.
In the original future, everything Hikigaya Hachiman had personally experienced was, at this moment, becoming his memory.
These memories didn't feel abrupt at all, but they were slightly blurred and fragmented. Hachiman guessed that the reason for this was that if they were too vivid and fresh, the vast majority of people wouldn't be able to handle the mental strain.
He accepted the memories of the original future, but his current self remained the dominant personality. Those future memories were only there to allow a more realistic sense of empathy.
Influence was inevitable, but everyone remained grounded in their "present" self rather than being consumed by their "future" self.
Hachiman's expression became increasingly pained. No matter how small the amount, every time his affection for people like Emilia or Anastasia climbed even a little, he felt a sense of betrayal toward his girlfriend.
It was a case of "painful but happy"... mostly feeling sorry for Yukinoshita; otherwise, it would have been pure bliss.
While others only received the memories of the "self" from the final successful loop of each arc, Hachiman was special—he had to take in the memories of every single death loop plus the Sanctuary trials' timelines.
This resulted in a situation where he wanted to use the time others were processing memories to make a run for it, but everyone else finished their downloads while he was still stuck at the progress bar, rendering him unable to move.
And even now, Hachiman couldn't be sure if someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes... because according to Louis's description of the Hall of Memories (Od), that "center, origin, and end of the world" which lacked a self-will seemed capable of doing exactly what was happening now.
"Iron Fang Mercenary Group on official business! Uninvolved citizens please disperse to avoid accidental injury!—Don't block the way! There's money in it! Everyone who leaves gets paid! Go to the Hoshin Company shop three kilometers away to collect it! Please cooperate!"
Ricardo's booming voice stopped some of the people who had already closed in on Hachiman. His seven-foot stature was immensely intimidating, and coupled with the large group of demi-human mercenaries behind him, he instantly extinguished the attempts of some to fish in troubled waters.
It was easy to guess the Iron Fang's goal. Supporters of Anastasia immediately cleared the way, while those supporting other candidates or Rem also ran off to collect their money, lured by the Hoshin Company's "cash rain."
This was a strategy from Anastasia—a perfect blend of carrot and stick that easily opened a path for the Iron Fang toward Hikigaya Hachiman.
Ricardo grinned widely.
"Man, we've been waiting for you for a long time, haha."
A beaming Ricardo had just taken a step forward when he stopped again. His joy had to temporarily recede, replaced by a thick battle intent as he looked sharply at the elite troops of the Karsten House surging in from another street.
Wilhelm, who now knew his wife was still alive and that he could finally exact his revenge, felt a gratitude toward Hachiman that was beyond words.
Thus, he was absolutely determined to secure him.
His sword intent was cold as he said in a deep voice, "Shall we stop here?"
Ricardo felt immense pressure. He knew he couldn't possibly defeat the Sword Demon, but...
"Forgive my rudeness, Mr. Wilhelm." The "Finest Knight" Julius stepped up from behind, refusing to back down.
Wilhelm nodded slightly.
He raised a specially made, sturdy wooden sword—naturally, the weapons of Ricardo, Julius, and the mercenaries and elite soldiers were all made of wood.
These had been urgently crafted during the period they were watching the future.
In the battle to "claim" Hachiman, showing mercy was not an option, but if people died because of it, it would go against the wishes of Crusch and Anastasia—and Hachiman certainly wouldn't want anyone dying for his sake.
Therefore, they could only use wooden swords.
In this way, they could unleash their swordsmanship without restraint, without fear of killing anyone. They could restrain themselves to a level where the enemy was temporarily incapacitated, but the injuries wouldn't be severe—nothing a little post-battle healing couldn't fix.
Julius, finding no openings in the Sword Demon's stance, was the first to charge!
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