Chapter 445. Scum Should Not Try to Compare
In Advanced Nurturing High School, the most "underworld" figure was Ryuen.
Previously, he thought he was edgy and dark enough, but the Archbishops of Sin had opened his eyes. Now, the actions of the First Princess Flare and her soldiers caused his eyes to nearly pop out of his head.
The Archbishops were certainly evil, terrifying, and unpredictable; their upper limit for scaring or toyed with people was something Flare could never match. But the problem was that none of the Archbishops were "normal" people.
Their thinking was unique, possessed of their own bizarre sets of values.
Flare, however, was a perfectly "normal" human being! She understood what normal values and morals were—this was evident from her usual disguise—and her fundamental nature was that of a normal person.
For a normal person to commit such acts felt, to Ryuen, much "closer" to home than those madmen of the Archbishops.
Ryuen could never replicate the terror of the Archbishops, but he could achieve Flare's level of horror... and yet, even so, he would absolutely never do it!
"I, Ryuen Kakeru, enjoy playing with schemes, bullying classmates, and beating people until they spit blood. Threatening and bribing are my common tactics. But even someone like me can distinguish such nauseating evil!"
As these powerful words fell, Ryuen Kakeru slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
His statement drew agreement from the likes of Horikita Manabu and Sakayanagi Arisu.
No one standing at the top of this school was a "good person," but no matter how "not good" they were, they at least maintained a baseline of conscience. G
irls like Karuizawa Kei and Ichinose Honami had long since averted their eyes, not daring to look at this otherworldly realm that was darker than the actual Middle Ages. Only Horikita Suzune watched from beginning to end with piercing eyes.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was suffering a massive setback and severe humiliation.
Had this been her back during the screening of Emilia's world, she would have already jumped up to mock him. However, after being "face-slapped" multiple times and gaining a profound understanding of how formidable Hikigaya Hachiman was, she had undergone a transformation.
Viewing Ayanokouji—who could often predict what Hikigaya would do—with a humble attitude, she had matured. What she saw now was not Ayanokouji's failure, but his horrifying, almost god-like, resilient self-awareness.
Being drained by women, toyed with by men, having his "hot dog" crushed, his whole body becoming rotten and foul-smelling, and suffering from incontinence due to the drug cravings... Despite all this, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's self-awareness remained as calm as an ancient well, never sinking into depravity.
Even if his lack of emotions deserved half the credit, it wasn't as if he couldn't feel pain.
The physical pain of the body and the empathetic agony felt during "Heal"—being able to endure these had nothing to do with whether one had emotions or not.
Furthermore, the current disadvantage was not due to a mistake by Ayanokouji.
These errors were actually "bad debts" left behind by Keyaru. He was merely cleaning up Keyaru's mess, forced to choose between the only two limited options available. If Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had been the one facing Flare from the very beginning, things would never have degenerated to this point.
"Ayanokouji, just what are you..." Muttering in low voices, hundreds of students in the school, including Horikita Suzune, gazed at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka with eyes filled with a mix of sympathy and admiration.
Just like the "future" version of himself, the current Ayanokouji Kiyotaka remained indifferent, as if he didn't see himself suffering.
No one knew what he was thinking.
Only he knew that he was simulating in his mind what Hikigaya Hachiman would do if he were in his position, using it as a comparison for his own amusement. Thinking of this, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka unconsciously let out a faint smile, leaving the others even more bewildered.
...If even the "mobster" Ryuen Kakeru felt such a chill, let alone ordinary high schoolers like Shirogane Miyuki, Izumi Masamune, Oreki Houtarou, and Yuiga Nariyuki.
They had already covered the eyes of their sisters or female classmates. Only Uesugi Fuutarou, because there were too many people around him, couldn't do the same; instead, he shouted at the Nakano quintuplets to cover their own eyes with books.
No matter how "dense" one might be, they all knew this shouldn't be shown to them.
Many of the boys also turned their gaze away shortly after.
Even the adults felt that Flare was exceedingly hideous, wishing they could tear the participants of that otherworldly kingdom into a thousand pieces.
"Hero? Princess? Elite soldiers? King? They think they are worthy of those titles?"
It was an insult.
Seeing an incompetent King who turned a blind eye to a Hero beneficial to the nation and tacitly allowed his daughter's actions, Vincent felt insulted. Once the worlds merged, he
would be the first to send the Nine Divine Generals to slaughter this man who insulted the throne.
It was an insult.
Looking at those soldiers toying with Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's anus, the upright and honest Knights of the Lugunica Kingdom felt ashamed to be called "warriors" or "knights" alongside such people.
Once the worlds merged, they would be the first to cut off the hands of these ugly people so they could never again tarnish the name of "Knight."
It was an insult.
Watching the so-called "Heroes" who acted willfully under the title of Hero, being as rotten as one could be, Julius's eyes were practically spitting fire. "Hero" was supposed to refer to those who performed brave acts for justice and morality; now, the title was being defiled by such vermin. Even Reinhard could not remain calm, having already pronounced a death sentence on these people in his mind.
It was an insult.
Looking at the arrogant and triumphant Flare, Priscilla—who also held the title and status of a Princess—remained calm on the surface, but the killing intent deep in her eyes was thick enough to permeate the air.
How could such an eyesore be fit to live in this world? Where did she get the nerve? She was utterly decadent; even that nonsensical thing Puck wasn't as disgusting as her!
Crusch said passionately: "I have hunted down nobles who were a disgrace to humanity, but... even the most malicious and disgusting among them were not as atrocious as this Flare!"
Having fought her way up from the slums, Anastasia had seen more bastards than Crusch, yet Flare's actions still ranked in the lowest tier of people she had ever encountered.
The police, military, and many good officials who truly worked for the people on the side of the Five Powers also felt a chill at the top of their heads, issuing a death sentence to Flare and her ilk.
Without a doubt: Kill. While the opening of the second "Other World" was still in its early stages, the side of Earth had already reached a unanimous consensus on the basic tone: "Kill."
When the worlds merge, heads will surely roll!
Shirogane Miyuki sighed: "I was wrong, completely wrong."
He had previously tried to compare Flare with the likes of Emilia and Rem. Looking at it now, that was simply an insult to those unique "Genuine Things" cherished by Hikigaya Hachiman.
Forget comparing her to those girls—Flare wasn't even worthy of being compared to Shirogane Miyuki's little finger.
And not just Flare; the officialdom in that kingdom's capital, aside from the naive Sword Saint who was kept in the dark, were all birds of a feather. Added together, they couldn't even compare to a single ordinary person on Earth!
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