Chapter 409. The Return of the Blue True Love
"To be able to absorb Witch Factors and create new Authorities?"
Inside the Sword Saint's estate, Reinhard was deep in thought. He quickly recalled the specific locations where Regulus, Capella, and Batenkaitos had been annihilated by his own hand.
"When Hachiman comes over, I'll take him to reclaim those three scattered Witch Factors."
Although most of the threats had been resolved, there were still many masters lurking in the shadows of this world. Because of the broadcasted future, many people would certainly take an interest in Hikigaya Hachiman, and no one could be sure if those intentions were benevolent or malicious.
Reinhard was confident he could defeat anyone, but he lacked the confidence to protect Hachiman from every potential unknown, bizarre assassination method.
Even with the ability of Return by Death, a dear friend's death remained a tragedy that must not be allowed to occur.
If Hachiman could add three new Authorities, he would be able to handle the vast majority of the world's troubles even if he were alone. That was the only way to treat the root cause.
As for now...
Let the usually stoic Reinhard enjoy the well-deserved, satisfying deaths of the three Gluttony siblings.
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「"Ma... ster..."」
「Her face was the picture of astonishment. Having regained her sense of self and returned to human form, Shaula stared blankly at the Master who was reaching out his hand toward her.」
「Tears burst from her eyes as she realized this wasn't a dream. The next second, Shaula lunged forward, slamming into Hachiman's chest and sobbing uncontrollably. "Master, Master, Master! Master, waaaaah—I love you the most, Master!"」
「"Whatever you say. But I'm already a philanderer as it is, so there's no room left in this heart for you. From now on, I'm only going to work you like a powerful mule, so be prepared, my accidental disciple."」
「Stroking her head, the habitually insincere Hachiman acted just as he did with Beatrice. He felt not a shred of lust for Shaula, choosing not to view her as a "woman," which allowed for this kind of platonic physical intimacy.」
「Shaula radiated happiness. She clung to Hachiman like an octopus, legs and arms wrapped tight, wearing a look of pure adoration. "Ehehe, Master loves Shaula the most~"」
「This accidental disciple's total disregard for the ongoing battle and her focus solely on him drew Hachiman's displeasure. "Don't push your luck. Go help Emilia and the others quickly; we don't have time for your antics."」
「"Understood! If it's Master's request, Shaula will do anything!"」
「She nimbly let go. Switching from flirtatious to murderous in a heartbeat, Shaula sprinted forward, diving into the deadlocked battle. Her first move was a barrage of light needles that broke the sound barrier, causing the hearts of Batenkaitos and Ley to nearly stop in terror.」
「They looked at Shaula as if they were seeing a ghost, their teeth grinding audibly.」
「The two brothers were already struggling against the combined force of the restored Emilia and Priscilla, as well as Crusch—who was back in top form after regaining her memories—and Julius. They were already covered in wounds.」
「Now that Shaula—whose individual strength could rival all four of them combined—had joined in, the fight was effectively over.」
「"How is this possible... Damn it! Damn it, damn it! We won't forget! We'll remember! We'll come back! We—How is this possible!?"」
「Sensing disaster, Batenkaitos and Ley immediately tried to initiate a space-leap to flee, only to find themselves gaping in horror—nothing happened.」
「Beatrice let out a sneer. "Betty only stayed out of the fight because of her low mana reserves, but if you forgot Betty's existence because of that, you are gravely mistaken."」
「Possessing four hundred years of magical knowledge and the spatial mastery that had banished the Great Rabbit to another dimension, how could she not have prepared a specialized spatial lock after hearing about the leap Batenkaitos used to escape Priestella?」
「"Impossible! What's happening?! This is nonsense! Meaningless! It's the end of the world! Ah, ahh, AHHHH... You, it's you! It's all because of you! This was your calculation, Hikigaya Hachiman, AHHHH!"」
「His eyes bloodshot and veins bulging, a wheezing Batenkaitos lunged forward. He chose Julius's direction as his breakthrough point.」
「He didn't even dodge, willing to take a direct sword strike from Julius. This suicidal attitude caught everyone off guard; he actually managed to break through and charge straight at Hachiman.」
「"It's you! Everything is you! You, you, you, you, YOU! One more time! Even if we die, we're going to eat your memory and existence again! Even if we have to suffer that horrific death experience, we're taking you to hell with us!!"」
「Priscilla, Emilia, Crusch, and Shaula immediately tried to intercept, but Roy, sharing his brother's death wish, blocked them. Though he was beaten to the brink of death in an instant, Roy successfully stalled them.」
「Batenkaitos's face was a mask of malice. He grinned, mere inches from Hachiman to complete the ritual, when a piercing sound broke the air—a boom that shattered the sound barrier as something drew near.」
「"I won't let you! Hurt! Rem's Hachiman!!"」
「It was a morning star. A spiked iron ball connected to a rattling chain. Accompanied by a roar of absolute fury, it slammed into Batenkaitos's body. He was sent flying backward like a piece of discarded trash, flesh and blood spraying in his wake.」
「Landing on the floor of the fourth level with a heavy thud alongside her weapon was a girl.」
「Incredibly beautiful, incredibly dazzling, incredibly radiant. The horn on her head crackled with lightning, yet the rage in her eyes was replaced the moment she turned her head by an irrepressible love that surpassed all others.」
「It was that girl. After a year and a half, waking from her long slumber—the hero who protects Hikigaya Hachiman.」
「"...Rem..."」
「His voice was a mere whisper; even his breath seemed to stop. Hachiman's eyes widened, and he could hear the frantic pounding of his own heart.」
「The girl he had dreamed of, the hero who guarded him—the first thing she did upon waking was to protect him once again. She turned her whole body to face him, revealing that heart-fluttering smile that belonged only to her.」
「"Yes, Rem is here. Hachiman's Rem is right here—I've kept you waiting. To continue fulfilling my duty as a hero, Hachiman's Rem has returned!"」
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