Chapter 316. We Must Win (Part One)
「"—Lye Batenkaitos!"」
A name that makes the heart stop. A name hated to the very bone, a name that inspires terror; a name people pray to see so they can end it, yet pray never to encounter because of the devastation it brings—such is the horror of this name.
"Four Sin Archbishops... four... four... ha, hahaha." In a small town, Kiritaka, who was with Liliana, let out a tragic, hollow laugh as he looked up. His face was pale, and his body swayed unsteadily. "Pristella... it's over..."
Liliana immediately pushed his shoulder, trying to dispel his despair.
"Eh? Pull yourself together, Mr. Kiritaka! Even if the enemy has four, we have four on our side too—no, a full five! We'll definitely win!"
Kiritaka continued to laugh bitterly. In truth, he had never doubted for a moment that the candidate camps would eventually achieve ultimate victory.
Even without the others, as long as Reinhard and Hikigaya Hachiman were both there, Hachiman would surely use his acquired wisdom and caution to enable Reinhard to deal with the Archbishops.
The thing Kiritaka feared was never the possibility of Hikigaya Hachiman losing.
"Hikigaya Hachiman won't lose... but just because he can win doesn't mean he can save Pristella!" The more Sin Archbishops there were, the more time it would take to resolve the situation, the greater the destructive power unleashed, and the more likely it was for accidents to occur.
"If Pristella is ultimately destroyed and you die, Liliana... then whether Hikigaya Hachiman wins or not becomes completely meaningless to me!" Gazing affectionately at Liliana, Kiritaka let out a breath and spoke his true heart. Liliana froze in shock.
"Mr. Kiritaka..." Seeing Kiritaka draw closer, realizing he intended to kiss her, Liliana found that she wasn't repulsed at all; her heart was filled with emotion.
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"If they had encountered the Archbishop of Gluttony at any other time, I would have supported it with both hands." At the Shirogane house, Miyuki Shirogane shook his head and sighed, feeling a profound sorrow for the hardship facing the candidate camps.
"Priscilla and Al have disappeared. Now it's effectively four candidate camps against four Sin Archbishops."
"Even though the candidate camps have the advantage in numbers, it can't withstand the fact that these Archbishops are just too strong!" Shirogane Kei and Miyuki looked at each other, deep sighs reflected in their eyes.
Beyond that, the most prevalent feeling was the thick hatred for the sudden appearance of the Archbishop of Gluttony.
With old and new grudges combined, everyone remembered the heartache of Rem being attacked by Gluttony and remaining in a slumber to this day.
They had yearned for Hikigaya Hachiman to encounter Gluttony early, kill him, and restore the many victims—especially Rem, the "Number One in the World."
This was the consensus not just of the Shirogane siblings, but of everyone; the shared wish of two worlds. But to meet him under these circumstances turned the greatest wish into the greatest nightmare.
"Troublesome..." At the Hoshin Company, Ricardo, Julius, and Anastasia were all intensely focused, scanning every detail of the battlefield. They needed to memorize all the intelligence regarding the three Archbishops to prepare for the future extermination of the Witch Cult.
Accompanying this acquisition of intel was not joy, but a heavy worry for the people in the future.
"It would be one thing if it were just four Archbishops, but there are also two high-level corpse soldiers, which instantly fills the gap in the Archbishops' lack of numbers..."
She didn't want to admit it, but Anastasia felt this battle could already be declared a loss.
"If Gluttony weren't there, there would still be a decent chance of winning. What a persistent enemy!"
"Lye Batenkaitos—" On the road to the Royal Capital, Ram's eyes were blood-red. If conditions allowed, she truly wanted to travel to that future point in Pristella, risk the pain to unleash her full power, and kill Batenkaitos in one go to avenge her most adorable sister.
"Hachiman..." Rem, however, was not focused on hatred for the enemy, but on concern for her beloved who was currently at the scene.
At the same time, on the roof of the Roswaal Manor, Roswaal and Betty both frowned: "Dangerous!"
"Roswaal, you bastard, why didn't you go along to Pristella!"
An anxious Betty glared fiercely at the innocent Roswaal, venting her panic. Roswaal smiled bitterly, unable to say anything. If he were there, it would indeed be much easier. At full power, he could at least solo either Capella or Batenkaitos, or go down taking Sirius with him. But having lost the Gospel, how could he have predicted that four Sin Archbishops would appear in Pristella all at once?
"How do they fight this?" In Advanced Nurturing High School, Horikita Suzune was somewhat stunned.
"The other two Archbishops and the corpse soldiers... with Sirius's 'Sharing' blessing, Julius and the others have to be careful not to hurt them while fighting. They might not have won to begin with, and now they have to fight with their hands tied. How can they..."
"—Heh." Before her thoughts could continue, she heard a laugh of supreme disdain. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka cast a sideways glance at Suzune and sneered: "Shut up, you fool. I'm surprised you have the guts to even attempt to 'think' in front of me. But a fool is a fool... Keep your mouth shut and watch closely. Watch Hikigaya Hachiman's thinking, Hikigaya Hachiman's methods, and Hikigaya Hachiman's command."
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「"—No need to hold back."」
「Unbroken by the rage and pressure, the second after the three Archbishops appeared, Emilia and the others immediately recalled the warnings and instructions Hikigaya Hachiman had specifically given before they set out.」
「"The Sin Archbishops are each extremely egoistic. Even if Sirius really is at the City Hall, Capella would never allow Sirius to link to her soul and share damage. Even if she knew it would be to her advantage, an Archbishop cares more about their own whims than rationality."」
「"As for those two corpse soldiers, their souls are already gone, so it's even less likely they can be linked by Sirius."」
「"But remember, unexpected enemies might appear when the time comes. So prepare yourselves mentally. Do not panic, do not freeze, and do not leave openings. Find the enemy you believe you can handle, and leave the rest to—no, trust your comrades!"」
「"In short... we must win!"」
「Hikigaya Hachiman's total caution, his warnings, his advance arrangements, and his psychological preparation all took effect in an instant at this very moment.」
「"That's right..."」
「We... must win!」
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