Chapter 19 (214): Desperate Hell
[Ryuen: "If he didn't make a decision like this, he wouldn't be the guy I know."]
[Hirata: "Facing one's own death so calmly… who could really do that?"]
[Ike: "Why are you all so sure he's going to die? Isn't it possible he survives and runs away?"]
[Sudo: "Didn't bro just say it himself? This time, he's heading straight for death."]
[Ike: "Even so… that's unbelievable. Can anyone really face their own death so calmly?"]
[Sakayanagi: "From panic and unease to overcoming it, he only needed two chances."]
[Katsuragi: "But for him, there's probably a very troublesome issue as well."]
[Sakayanagi: "Indeed… he must have realized this. He's never died a third time before. Until he can confirm how Return by Death works, every death could be permanent. The first return point was the fruit stand, the second was that room, so what about this time?"]
[Horikita Manabu: "Hikigaya isn't a fool. Let's wait and see what kind of performance he puts on."]
Crusch: "Although I can't offer you direct help, Sir Hikigaya, this is repayment for the lesson you taught me. With the dragon carriage, your return should be much faster."
Hikigaya smiled faintly in gratitude: "Perhaps just as you said, Miss Crusch. When the Royal Selection ends someday, we might be able to sit down and have a proper talk."
Crusch: "I look forward to it."
Hikigaya: "Rem, how long will it take us to get back?"
Rem's expression was heavy: "I'm afraid it will take about two and a half days."
Hikigaya: "Didn't it only take half a day on the way here?"
Rem: "It can't be helped. On the return route, there's a thick fog blocking the road. We'll have to take a detour."
Hikigaya: "Fog?"
Rem nodded: "Yes. This isn't ordinary fog, it's the poisonous mist released by one of the three great mabeasts of legend, the White Whale. No one knows what will happen if you get caught in it."
At the mention of the "White Whale" Wilhelm's gaze behind them instantly sharpened.
The aura he emitted was distinctly different, and Hikigaya noticed it at once.
Hikigaya: "Just how strong is this White Whale?"
Rem shook her head: "No one knows its true strength. But even a former Sword Saint died at its hands."
Hikigaya: "A Sword Saint? Someone like Reinhard?"
Rem nodded.
As the two spoke, Wilhelm's emotions clearly fluctuated, as if he were reliving everything with his own eyes.
"Wilhelm-san, do you know something?"
Wilhelm shook his head: "Lord Hikigaya, I am already an old man. There's no need to dredge up the past. Still… I recommend that you follow Miss Rem's advice and take the detour."
'It seems there are still many secrets hidden within him.'
"Then, thank you again, Wilhelm-san and Miss Crusch. Rem, let's depart."
Compared to their journey there, the return trip was far more bumpy and anxiety-inducing. Even Hikigaya had no mind to admire the scenery.
'The most troublesome factor right now is Roswaal. His uncertainty only makes things worse.'
'Ram sending out a signal that broke through her instincts is proof enough that the situation has deteriorated beyond any hope of mitigation.'
'Including the White Whale Rem mentioned earlier, perhaps none of this is mere coincidence.'
'In the worst-case scenario, if it can't be resolved, then…'
Hikigaya activated his body's skills. Although his Gate hadn't fully recovered, using wind magic was still no problem.
He raised his fingers in the shape of a gun. Even with that level of power, if he aimed it at his own head…
He could reset everything.
'Prepare yourself, Hikigaya!'
[Manabu Horikita: "This guy even considered suicide… heh, what a spine-chilling man."]
[Koenji: "Such decisiveness, no one but Hikigaya could manage that. How beautiful."]
[Hiyori: "But still… Can his heart really bear it? He's only the same age as us."]
[Ryuen: "Once the arrow is on the string, there's no choice but to fire."]
After a full day of travel, the dragon carriage was thoroughly exhausted, so they decided to rest by the roadside for a while.
"Rem…"
"Rem is here."
"No matter what happens, we'll face it together. Understand?"
Perhaps seeing through his inner turmoil, Rem froze for a moment.
"I know that, in your eyes, I might just be a burden. If something happens at the mansion, going back would just mean throwing myself into death."
"But… I also know you're doing this for my sake. You want me to live. Still… Rem, that's impossible. Just like how you wouldn't be able to accept it if your sister died. If either of you were to leave my life prematurely, I wouldn't be able to go on either."
"So… don't leave me behind."
Rem stepped in front of him and spoke with an exceptionally gentle smile.
"Hikigaya-kun is mistaken. Hikigaya-kun was never a burden. From the moment you saved Rem and Rem's sister, you became an all-powerful hero."
Hikigaya gently ruffled her hair. Perhaps in this lonely night, only this mutual closeness could bring their hearts a bit of peace.
Their rest didn't last long. Before the sky fully brightened, the two of them set out once more.
Finally, by the evening of the second day, perhaps thanks to the uneventful journey, they returned to Roswaal's domain.
But… everything was far too quiet.
Although Rem continued to control the dragon carriage, she, like Hikigaya, was constantly observing their surroundings.
Bang!
In an instant, Rem felt a violent thump in her heart.
"Rem, are you okay?"
"Huff… huff… huff…"
Hikigaya had never seen Rem like this before. Her intense reaction made him realize that an unimaginable hell awaited them ahead. There was even the possibility that… Ram was already dead, or on the brink of death.
"I-I'm fine…"
"Rem, jump!"
An attack that left no time to react instantly severed the head of the dragon carriage. In that moment, the entire carriage lost its balance and was sent lurching through the air.
Hikigaya reacted immediately. Using wind magic, he wrapped his arms around the still-dazed Rem and leapt off the carriage in an instant.
At that moment, the curtain rose. Beneath the swirling dust, countless cultists gripping sharp blades slowly emerged.
An unprecedented look of disgust appeared on Rem's face. This was the Witch Cult she hated more than anything.
"The Witch Cult!"
'So this is… the Witch Cult?'
As the cultists before them advanced step by step toward Hikigaya, they calmly formed a circle around him.
'The stench on me… does it come from them?'
Rem was about to enter her oni transformation and carve out a bloody path, but Hikigaya reached out and stopped her.
"Don't act rashly, Rem."
"But my sister…"
"We need to go deeper. They don't have killing intent toward us right now. This is our only chance to see the one pulling the strings. Let them take us there."
Rem's tightly clenched fist slowly loosened. Hikigaya hesitated for not even a second. At this moment, he had to give Rem confidence.
He took her hand and said softly: "Let's meet this Witch Cult head-on."
As expected, the Witch Cultists did not attack Hikigaya. Instead, they guided the two of them along a path.
Led by the Witch Cultists at the front, Hikigaya soon arrived before a cave.
However, there was no one there, nor was there any sign of life. This made both of them heighten their guard, and Rem instinctively entered a combat-ready state.
"Now then, please allow me to introduce myself."
"That's right… I am the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop of [Sloth], Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti… desu!"
With a thunderous boom, Sloth came crashing down from the mountaintop. Yet in no time at all, he stood up as if nothing had happened, without the slightest injury.
Rem: "The Witch Cult…"
Hikigaya: "Exchanging names with someone like you isn't what I intended, but… My name is Hikigaya Hachiman. The one who invited me here was you, right?"
Sloth broke into an extremely satisfied grin, stretching his hands forward again and again as he gestured wildly.
"What a very very very very very interesting topic! It makes my brain tremble!"
He clawed at his own hair, like a madman completely beyond normal comprehension.
"Are you 'Pride'? Are you, are you, are you, are you?!"
"Hahahahaha! Such a delightful conversation, yet there's someone who shouldn't be here at all. This is sloth, sloth!"
As he spoke, he completely ignored Hikigaya and directly extended his Unseen Hands, intending to eliminate Rem first.
Rem had not yet realized what was happening, but Hikigaya reacted instantly. He scooped her up and used his blade to knock back the entire attack.
Sloth did not rush to attack again. Instead, he stared at Hikigaya in disbelief.
"You can actually see my… my [Unseen Hands]! Impossible! Sloth, this is truly slothful!"
He twisted his head at an unnatural angle. At that moment, Hikigaya became even more certain that the man before him was nothing more than a pure lunatic.
"What exactly is your reason for attacking us?"
"Oh? A reason? Of course… because I'm not attacking you at all. How slothful, hahahahaha! But… that little girl in the mansion is quite enticing!"
'There's no way to extract any useful information from him. I can only treat him as an enemy… and besides…'
'There's no reason to stay here any longer.'
Although they had not truly clashed yet, Hikigaya could clearly sense how terrifying the opponent's strength was. A direct confrontation would end badly.
Knowing that, there was no point in getting entangled with him.
What needed to be confirmed now was what had happened inside the mansion.
"Hello, Witch-sama!"
"Where? Where's the Witch?!"
With no Witch Cultists blocking them from behind, Hikigaya and Rem made their escape almost unhindered.
By the time Sloth reacted again, his expression had clearly worsened compared to before.
"Sloth… sloth… sloth!"
Countless Unseen Hands surged out from behind him in an instant, moving at terrifying speed, reaching Hikigaya in the blink of an eye.
"Whoosh!"
Hikigaya threw his dagger like a throwing knife, instantly pinning two Unseen Hands to a tree.
"Rem!"
As soon as he called her name, he picked her up. For reasons unknown, only he could see the Unseen Hands before them.
"Wind!"
Spirit particles gathered around his feet. The moment he kicked off the ground, a violent force erupted, instantly widening the distance between them.
Seeing that he could no longer catch up, Sloth behind them merely scratched his head repeatedly.
"To dare ignore me, to dare deceive me, to dare… dare, dare! How slothful, so very slothful!"
"Chase them, chase them!"
The Witch Cultists moved at astonishing speed, weaving through the forest. Even with the blessing of wind magic, Hikigaya couldn't outrun them.
In just a few minutes, his front, back, left, and right were completely sealed off.
Knowing there was no escape, Hikigaya gently set Rem down, prepared to reveal all of his remaining trump cards.
Before dying, he had to reach the mansion and confirm what had happened.
Rem: "Leave it to me, Hikigaya-kun."
"If it's you, Hikigaya-kun, then you'll definitely be able to save Emilia-sama…"
"I'll become your sun and light the road ahead of you."
"Leave the Witch Cult to me!"
"Just like I believe in you, Hikigaya-kun, you have to believe in me too!"
Rem had always been suppressing her hatred for the Witch Cult. This was the cult that had destroyed their past, and she had long wanted to strike back.
But throughout this journey, she had already devoted everything to Hikigaya, even if that meant death.
So…
Hikigaya did not hesitate. This was not the time for hesitation.
'Perhaps… this really is our last meeting.'
Hikigaya gently stroked Rem's head, and Rem showed him a radiant smile.
'Let me face the final hell alone.'
"See you later, Rem."
"See you later, Hikigaya-kun."
[Puck: "That's a resolute march forward."]
[Beatrice: "But just as he said, what awaits him ahead is nothing but hell, I suppose."]
[Emilia: "Nothing but hell? Even so…"]
[Hikigaya: "Even so, there's no right to retreat. Those who can't give up anything can't accomplish anything."]
[Priscilla: "Just a man who can do nothing at all. How disgusting."]
[Crusch: "I pay my respects to your resolve."]
[Julius: "As expected, you already possess what one would call the spirit of a knight."]
[Felt: "Hey… big brother…"]
Running alone along this eerily silent road, it seemed the Witch Cultists behind him had all been dealt with by Rem.
He didn't know how long he ran. The distance felt endless, and only when the stench of blood rushed into his nostrils did Hikigaya clearly realize… how much time had passed.
'Quiet… it's too quiet.'
As he walked through the village, rotting corpses lay everywhere, each of them pierced with short blades. This was unmistakably the work of the Witch Cult.
Familiar faces, scenes that had once been so vivid, were now reduced to ashes in this single moment.
Completely shaken by the sight before him, Hikigaya even forgot the physical nausea rising within him.
Faced with such a scene, even Hikigaya, who prided himself on rationality, found it utterly unacceptable.
At the center of the village, bodies torn apart and stacked like trophies formed a grotesque mound. It was his army. On their faces now, only fear remained.
They must have been so overwhelmed by the disparity in strength that they were unable to fight back.
Yes. A force with no real combat experience, how could it possibly resist a true enemy?
Like a corpse that had completely lost its soul, Hikigaya was infected by the horrifying atmosphere.
Step by step, he walked toward the mansion. But this place… had already become a land of eternal ice and snow.
Meili had been frozen into an ice sculpture within the dungeon. Ram's abdomen was pierced by countless blades. Petra's eyes had been gouged out.
With every step, his legs trembled. With every breath, the stench of decaying blood filled his lungs, making him want to vomit.
'Emilia… Emilia…'
Only Emilia, there was no trace of her.
The moment he stepped into this frozen domain, Hikigaya was certain his life had reached its end.
Even so, he wanted to confirm Emilia's condition in the final moments of his life.
He searched the entire mansion, but found no sign of Emilia. Beatrice and Roswaal were nowhere to be seen either.
Bang!
The collision with an ice sculpture shattered his legs. His life, like a candle flickering in the wind, finally lost its last flame.
'I will save… everyone!'
Hikigaya Hachiman, died.
[Reinhard: "A truly admirable resolve…"]
[Marcos: "To have such a man among knights would be our honor."]
[Julius: "Again and again, Hikigaya Hachiman… I truly wonder where your limit lies."]
[Emilia: "Puck, that storm was your doing, wasn't it?!"]
[Puck: "If things truly reached that outcome, then according to our contract, I would destroy this world."]
[Priscilla: "Hmph, an ungrateful fool. Death was inevitable."]
[Al: "Princess, saying that at a time like this really kills the mood."]
[Priscilla: "I'll say whatever I please!"]
[Anastasia: "Ara ara, what a shame. I was thinking of helping him too. Such a shame, such a shame."]
[Witch of Greed: "This is getting more and more interesting."]
[Roswaal: "Hikigaya Hachiman…"]
When he opened his eyes again, Hikigaya found himself standing before Rem.
She was smiling gently, trying to soothe his heart. Almost instinctively, Hikigaya hugged Rem tightly, and tears began to pour down uncontrollably.
"It's been a long time, Rem."
A flustered expression crossed Rem's face, but she soon patted Hikigaya's head and said:
"Hikigaya-kun, you've worked hard."
…
'Two and a half days was too long. By the time we returned to the mansion, it was already far too late. Even if I return to this point in time, starting from now, nothing will change in the end.'
'The disparity in combat power is so overwhelming that defeating Sloth alone is already a problem. And if I want to gather combat strength, the only path available is through the White Whale.'
'The White Whale… an existence that even Wilhelm-san fears. With our current forces, it's completely impossible to even step into that territory.'
'Even if I add Chin and the others, the result wouldn't change. As things stand now, the power I personally command is still far too little, far too immature.'
"Rem, what is Roswaal doing right now?"
"If nothing unexpected has happened, Lord Roswaal should be out visiting affiliated officials within the domain."
"I see. So that's his excuse for being absent yet again?" Hikigaya let out a cold laugh, clearly having no intention of placing his hopes in him.
'The only thing I can do now is to inform Emilia in advance by letter, unifying everyone's strength ahead of time. Maybe we could launch a counteroffensive… but…'
'Whether I can make it back by then is a huge question.'
'Death… more death?'
'Should I first uncover the truth behind the White Whale, or directly consolidate our forces?'
'No matter which option it is, there's absolutely no chance of a guaranteed victory.'
'This isn't what I originally intended. In that case…'
'Then I'll proceed with death as the premise once again, and carry out both at the same time.'
'Before that…'
Hikigaya moved quickly, first handing a note to a messenger.
Next came the task of consolidating combat power.
Chin and the others seemed to have long been looking forward to returning to the domain. Using the money Emilia had left behind, Hikigaya first rented a dragon carriage for them and explained the situation.
He did try to find Reinhard, but unfortunately, Reinhard had already left the royal capital.
Then…
Within the royal capital, the remaining combat power consisted of only the three Dragon Priestesses.
But… as a rival candidate with no value whatsoever, would anyone really be willing to offer Hikigaya help?
Obviously not.
So…
Before persuading them, he needed more information.
This time, it was nothing more than another trip toward death.
As for the so-called White Whale, Hikigaya had already made all the necessary preparations.
(End of this chapter)