Chapter 310. Emilia Was Not Stolen Away
"...Just what... is going on?"
The sound of lamenting. People, struck dumb with shock, could not help but let out bewildered whimpers, filled with a sense of helplessness and wandering.
In Pristella, the tens of thousands currently living peaceful lives trembled with terror. They had thought that with the five candidate camps gathered together, they could solve any opponent. Reality had even proven that the Emilia camp alone was enough to deal with the Archbishop of Wrath.
Though she seemed to be at a disadvantage, Beatrice's magic was already prepared in the distance, ready to support Emilia at any moment. Had Regulus not appeared, Sirius would have been the more likely of the two to fall.
However—that victory was predicated on the sacrifice that had already occurred! Furthermore, the victory was an illusion; Regulus's arrival had already placed that triumph far out of reach.
"That's me..."
"That's me..."
"That's me..."
"That's me..."
There were women, men, and people of all sorts—the citizens of Pristella. Watching themselves on the clock tower with their souls manipulated by Sirius, they clutched their heads, filled with resentment and pain.
"Sirius resents Lady Emilia, right? And from Regulus's words, he seems to be after Lady Emilia too, wanting to abduct her as his wife!"
Both of these Sin Archbishops had intense desires regarding Emilia. Could it be that they only followed her because she appeared in Pristella?
"In that case, aren't we just suffering a disaster we didn't ask for?!"
Bitterness began to sprout. For those whose safety was threatened by Sirius in that future, the rejection of Emilia in Pristella reached a fever pitch.
Not only them, but those currently safe were also living in fear... If these two Sin Archbishops weren't completely settled in this battle, no one in the entire City of Water Gates would ever be safe!
A state of panic spread across the city. Even if it was something that happened in the future, watching one's own head explode and seeing oneself turned into a walking corpse was a nightmare that made it impossible for anyone to process things calmly.
Moreover, seeing this future, the wickedly-minded Sin Archbishops might not refrain from departing early, turning Pristella into a bloody, wailing hell right now.
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「One wanted to take Emilia's life, the other wanted to take her as his wife. Sirius and Regulus, unable to reach an agreement, began a seemingly fierce battle.」
「But even with Sirius exerting her full strength, she was unable to cause Regulus even a microscopic bit of damage, not even as much as a mosquito bite.」
「Realizing the gap in their strength, Sirius's manic posture eased slightly. She stood in place, staring fixedly at the helpless Emilia, seemingly thinking of how to bypass Regulus to kill her.」
「"Finally, that woman with the broken brain has quieted down. Now then, come with me. Yes, you."」
「Regulus, looking gratified, turned and reached out his hand to Emilia. He paused, then asked magnanimously: "What is your name?"」
「"Miss Emilia!"」
「As Sirius quieted, the influence of her Authority weakened. Crusch broke free from the rage. Having become extremely gentle and soft after her memory loss, she shouted anxiously for the endangered Emilia.」
「Regulus nodded. "Oh! Your name is Emilia? A good name. It suits this pitiable little girl perfectly, doesn't it? Although your voice was so loud it violated my right to choose whether or not I want to hear the voices of others, considering your submissiveness in knowing your manners to answer my question, the perfect, excellent, and generous me can naturally respect your right to speak."」
「He acted as if he truly believed he was incredibly magnanimous, his face full of honest innocence. But in the next second, his hand met empty air, and his expression darkened.」
「Beatrice's teleportation magic had moved Emilia to Hikigaya Hachiman's side.」
「"I say, although I am not unwilling to communicate properly with barbarians who don't understand etiquette and violate my rights, all corpses other than my wife should honestly disperse. Because, you see, I have no time to play with you. If you must blame something, blame the Gospel. Otherwise, you might have survived, but—"」
「"The time for free activity is over."」
「Just as Regulus finished speaking, a bell resonated through the sky above Pristella.」
「Regulus's hand made a grasping motion, as if clutching the air. Though it was a comical gesture, it caused everyone to feel a fear stemming from their very genes, from their life instincts.」
「Instinct warned Hikigaya Hachiman that once this comical motion was completed, Regulus could take everyone's lives in an instant.」
「"The time for free activity has indeed ended!"」
「Radiant as a warm sun, accompanied by a shout of justice, Reinhard finally arrived from afar, breaking the sound barrier. He swung a hasty punch, sending Regulus flying over a hundred meters.」
「"That's far enough, villain!"」
「"Deal with that man, the Archbishop of Greed, Regulus! Don't touch that woman!" Hachiman shouted urgently. "That woman's Authority is shared damage! If she dies, we die too!"」
「"Two Sin Archbishops? Understood."」
「Just as Reinhard grasped the situation, he felt a threat approaching. He leaped, dodging an unseen attack. The spot he dodged was instantly leveled as if by an unparalleled bombardment, leaving only rolling dust and smoke.」
「In the smoke, Sirius had already followed the instructions of the Gospel and left. A hideously distorted Regulus returned unscathed. His pride had been intensely provoked by Reinhard; he would rather abandon the Gospel's instructions to kill Reinhard here first.」
「With Sirius's departure, the walking corpses that had been very close regained a degree of self-awareness, but at this moment, that was not necessarily a good thing.」
「As a humiliated and enraged Regulus threw out various irresistible and even invisible attacks, explosions thundered throughout the area near the clock tower. Obscured by dust, the panicked citizens were caught in the crossfire, suffering injuries as they fled.」
「Beatrice could have originally used teleportation to send everyone to safety, but Reinhard's presence caused all the mana to automatically converge toward him. As a result, Beatrice was suddenly left helpless, becoming nothing more than a fragile ordinary person.」
「In the dust, Hikigaya Hachiman and Emilia acted immediately. They grabbed Anastasia and Beatrice, called for Crusch, and each quickly retreated from the battlefield.」
「—Pshhh!」
「The sensation of air cutting into flesh.」
「Before that unstoppable attack could completely slice through his body and strike Beatrice in his arms, Hikigaya Hachiman threw her clear. Immediately after, he fell heavily to the ground.」
「The last thing he felt was the agony of his life hanging by a thread.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman, unconscious and near death.」
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