Chapter 407. The Ingenious Use of the Authority of Lust
「Authority of Lust: Selfish Heart.」
「The prerequisite is that the target must love him. Whether it is romantic love, familial love, or the love of a friend, it matters not. As long as the other party loves him, Hikigaya Hachiman can control their body.」
「The deeper they love him, and the more heavy and profound that affection is, the greater the force with which Hikigaya Hachiman can exert control.」
「...Hachiman guessed that the derivation of this specific effect came from his subconscious.」
「The more someone loves him, the more likely they are to prevent him from committing suicide. If he encountered a situation where he needed to use Return by Death to save someone, but was stopped from killing himself by those who loved him, what would he do?」
「It was out of this anxiety that "Selfish Heart" was born. To satisfy his own selfish desire to save people, he would control others' bodies, ignore their will, and force everyone to make way for his methods. This was the Authority of Lust exclusive to Hikigaya Hachiman.」
「Incredibly malicious, incredibly selfish.」
「However, the effects of the Authority of Lust did not stop at one. Just as Regulus possessed both invincibility and the ability to "place" his heart elsewhere, and just as the Authorities of the Gluttony Archbishops and Capella were highly versatile in their expression, Hachiman had more.」
「Authority of Lust: Eternal Genuine.」
「The prerequisite is someone Hikigaya Hachiman deeply loves. Be it romance, family, or friendship, as long as it is someone he loves deeply and who is within his line of sight, he can envelop them in a 720-degree invisible shield with no blind spots—one capable of defending against any form or type of attack.」
「The more he loves the person, the stronger the defensive power of the shield. However, if used too many times in a short period, a price must be paid: he must randomly sacrifice mana, stamina, or blood until he actively deactivates the shield or can no longer sustain the burden.」
「To save Shaula, what was needed was not "Eternal Genuine," but "Selfish Heart."」
「"Selfish Heart" cannot perform fantastical feats like commanding a controlled subject to rise from the dead or making a curse vanish into thin air, but it can achieve anything physically possible.」
「For example, if Beatrice knew nothing of swordsmanship, Hachiman could control her to execute incredibly exquisite sword techniques.」
「If Otto only knew basic magic, but Hachiman possessed a high level of magical skill like Roswaal, he could control Otto to gather mana and cast high-end spells.」
「Bringing back Shaula's will and banishing the current command fell exactly within the scope of what was possible.」
「Because the instinctual command to "Exterminate all visitors to the Sage's Tower" was not a curse, but a part of the person known as "Shaula." Shaula loved Hikigaya Hachiman deeply, and that love allowed Hachiman to do as he pleased with her.」
「The intensity of control reached its zenith due to Shaula's extreme love; it had reached the very limit of the Authority, with no room left to grow.」
「"If you don't despise a self-righteous guy like me, and you're willing to accept me as your second Master—different from Flugel—then get the hell back here, Shaula!"」
「Accompanying Hachiman's call, the attacking scorpion suddenly froze. Following that, her six compound eyes gradually regained their clarity, losing the bloody aura of slaughter.」
「Under his witness, the massive scorpion transformed step by step, shrinking without suspense until she returned to the original form of Shaula.」
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"Hiss!"
The entire world was struck dumb; almost everyone stared with wide eyes, looking at this scene in shock.
Because they possessed a "God's eye" perspective as spectators, they were sometimes clearer about the combat chips Hachiman held than Hachiman himself.
However, a Witch Factor is an invisible, intangible thing. Back in Watergate City, right after Priscilla killed Capella and the Witch Factor entered Hachiman's body, his memories were devoured by Gluttony.
Thus, until a minute ago, neither the current audience nor the future Hachiman himself knew this thing even existed.
In Advanced Nurturing High School, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, with his superior memory, immediately recalled: "In the underground sand cave, when Shaula first met Hachiman, she said 'one'... so she was referring to one Witch Factor?"
"To think it would finish incubating at a time like this."
Atop the Roswaal Manor, the murmuring Roswaal and Beatrice—as well as the Witches in the Sanctuary tomb—knew of this, but no one could have predicted the Authority would be born at this exact moment.
"And to think it's this powerful..."
In the Yuiga household, Yuiga Nariyuki, as a top student with a good memory, made the connection immediately: "In the Sanctuary trials, when watching Emilia's past, it was mentioned that Geuse had poor compatibility with the Sloth Factor, so using it was not only weaker but had side effects."
"Since Hikigaya-kun's Authority of Lust is this powerful, does it symbolize that his compatibility with Lust is exceptionally high?"
Was Hikigaya Hachiman's Authority of Lust strong? Of course it was!
Crusch quickly thought of various applications. One could say that with this Authority, Sir Hachiman had leaped to become an instant powerhouse—he just needed a few allies who loved him to cooperate.
Forget having allies like Emilia, Beatrice, and Julius whom he shared mutual love with; even with just one of them, the current Sir Hachiman would be the undisputed second-strongest within the Witch Cult, even if all the Sin Archbishops were present.
However, what Crusch cared about most was not the power itself.
"Though it has other ingenious uses, the original intent behind Sir Hachiman creating these two effects was: one, to successfully commit suicide via Return by Death to save those already dead; and two, to properly protect those who are still alive."
"With something as powerful as a Witch Factor, he could have—like the Sin Archbishops—developed an Authority that directly made himself stronger. Yet, Sir Hachiman unhesitatingly made all effects like this."
"...Just when will you start thinking more about yourself, Sir Hachiman?"
Moreover, these two powers were born after he regained his memories. It was hard to say that "Selfish Heart" wasn't influenced by his subconscious desire to save Shaula. In other words, he was thinking of others once again.
"After all, that's just Hachiman!"
On the streets of the Royal Capital, Emilia clenched her fist. "That's why Hachiman's safety will be protected by me."
Her spirits were high. Along with Rem and Beatrice in their respective locations, their thoughts were identical, and they felt heartfelt joy for Shaula's recovery.
Julius, in the Hoshin Company, felt the same.
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