Chapter 308. The Battle to Subjugate Wrath, Part IV
「Rushing toward the clock tower like a shooting star, the original plan was to launch a preemptive surprise attack on Sirius to seize the advantage.」
「However, as the five of them neared the destination, they saw that Sirius had already thrown a boy of nearly ten years old from the top of the tower. Not only did the crowd below not stop her, they were actually clapping—their applause thundered as they praised loudly, calling the boy being tossed down a "brave child."」
「...Because Hikigaya Hachiman's deliberations and planning had consumed some time, the five arrived later than they had in the previous loop. This meant that what Sirius was doing now was her original objective.」
「She intended to plunge a young boy to his death in broad daylight. It was immediately obvious what would happen to the crowd whose applause carried such a clear abnormality; Sirius would never let them go.」
「"As expected, the Sin Archbishops are distorted and vile existences just like the Witches!"」
「However, there was no time for criticism. The moment Beatrice, who shared a heart with Hachiman, received his ocular signal, she immediately chanted Yin Magic and activated short-range spatial teleportation.」
「Teleported into mid-air, Hikigaya Hachiman caught the boy. Before gravity could pull them down, a one-meter diameter ice pillar created by Emilia shot through the air, providing him a foothold. Together with the pillar, he crashed violently into the clock tower.」
「A torrential rain of ice spears poured down upon the tower top. Amidst the clanging sounds of impact, Sirius—who had just been smiling with a gentle face—instantly underwent a drastic change in expression. Roaring, she leaped down, her flaming chains seeking to bind Emilia and strangle her alive.」
「On her way, any citizens obstructing her path were ruthlessly whipped aside by the chains. Yet even under these circumstances, the citizens did not avoid Sirius, did not flee in panic, and did not even scream; they were like numb puppets devoid of self-awareness.」
「"How can this be—"」
「The anomaly beyond their intelligence caused Emilia to falter for a moment. She wanted to shout for these people to run, but she no longer had that luxury. Sirius's chains had already sliced through the air, sweeping toward her.」
「Mana condensed into ice spears, ice shields, and ice swords. Disregarding everything else, Emilia exerted her full strength.」
「Perhaps her physical strength and combat experience were inferior to Sirius's, but in terms of endurance, she possessed absolute confidence. Her mana was so vast she could squander it without restraint—a quantity that anyone besides Reinhard would look upon with envy and jealousy.」
「The fierce battle between Emilia and Sirius blasted pitted holes into the plaza. Emilia intentionally led Sirius away, distancing the fight from Beatrice's side to avoid collateral damage.」
「"Something's not right..."」
「Crusch and Beatrice wanted to go and support Emilia, but just as Anastasia said, it was too strange.」
「The surviving citizens on the plaza, regardless of age or gender, were all surging toward the three of them like walking corpses. Inheriting Sirius's will, they viewed the three as enemies, a sight that caused a cold shiver.」
「In this moment, Crusch couldn't help but subconsciously remark: "Sir Hachiman really does have foresight."」
「"Don't resist, I'm teleporting us." Beatrice snorted. She didn't care about the lives of these commoners, but she knew her Hachiman certainly wouldn't want her to kill them. Therefore, her only option was to teleport the three of them away, far from these walking corpses.」
「"Hold on. There's one more thing to finish first." Anastasia, with her perfect memory, spotted Chin in the crowd at a glance.」
「Crusch switched to using her scabbard to shatter the leg bones of the nearest walking corpses, then kicked Chin over to Anastasia's feet. The item hidden in his clothes used to summon Reinhard fell out and was picked up by Anastasia.」
「Although her combat power was no longer what it used to be since her memory loss, Crusch still possessed crushing strength when facing these ordinary people.」
「In the next second, the three were teleported by Beatrice into the clock tower. Here, Hikigaya Hachiman and the boy who had narrowly escaped death were both safe and sound.」
「The boy's name was Lusbel. He had a younger sister who had also been kidnapped by Sirius to the top of the tower. The two siblings hugged each other; rather than fear, there was the joy of family at seeing each other safe.」
「"You're saying all their souls have been influenced?"」
「Hearing Beatrice, who possessed four hundred years of knowledge, make such a judgment, Hikigaya Hachiman knitted his brows. He hadn't expected that arriving just two minutes late would cause such a massive shift.」
「"That crowd... forget it, ignore them for now. In any case, we'll wait until Sirius is captured, then pry her mouth open."」
「Looking at the walking corpses below the tower, Hachiman made the most rational judgment. He comforted the Lusbel siblings and told them to stay at the top of the tower for now; he would return to save them once he dealt with Sirius.」
「The mana belonging to him and Beatrice had to be saved for the battle against Sirius. Every extra person teleported consumed mana, so this was the only way for now.」
「For the safety of the Lusbel siblings, before teleporting, Hikigaya Hachiman drew the attention of the walking corpses, leading the group toward Sirius's battlefield. The walking corpses were not fast, so they wouldn't enter the fray quickly; it didn't matter.」
「"—Heigh-ho!"」
「A clash of ice and fire. Beatrice teleported the three of them near the battlefield, only to see a stalemated combat situation.」
「"Eyes that seduce men! Skin that bewitches men! A lewd face that titillates men! Ahhh, utterly filthy! Growing up to look like that—do you want to use sex appeal on men that badly? Are you that impatient for men to violate you? Utterly filthy, impure and lecherous, obscene beyond shame! Going to such lengths just to steal him from my side, you obscene and lecherous slut!"」
「"Eek! Wait a moment, please stop saying such strange things!"」
「The burning rage within Sirius translated into constant verbal abuse, describing Emilia almost as the most lecherous woman in the world craving for mating.」
「Emilia was taken aback at first, but then her own anger flared as she glared at Sirius.」
「"My eyes, my skin, my face—they are all only for Hachiman to appreciate. Besides, these are things Mother Fortuna praised, so I like them very much too—I won't let you talk about them like that! Being described so strangely by you, I am very angry right now!"」
「Not just her; listening to Sirius's verbal abuse from the side, Hikigaya Hachiman also couldn't help but be consumed by uncontrollable rage. He drew his sharp sword and, alongside Crusch at his side, suddenly charged forward.」
「"Shut your mouth, you bastard!"」
「Bullying Emilia—bullying his Emilia. Such a scoundrel.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman's anger had completely hit the ceiling!!」
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