Chapter 404. Sin Archbishops of Gluttony, Utterly Defeated
「Bowels Hunter Elsa's kukri is freezing, but the blood flowing from the slit intestines is scalding hot. It hurts.」
「Twitching and convulsing while dying in a deep slumber, a hideous way to go. It hurts.」
「Struck by Rem's iron morning star—that experience of hard, blunt violence was unprecedented. At the brink of death, it felt as though every blood vessel was vibrating with a low hum. It hurts.」
「Puck's frozen world—the ice and snow flaying the body with agonizing pain until the senses were completely numbed by the sub-zero temperature. It hurts.」
「A single Invisible Providence hand from Petelgeuse holds no less power than Rem. Being twisted into a pretzel with comminuted fractures. It hurts.」
「Elsa the Bowels Hunter's blade is always that cold, and the blood from the severed intestines is still so hot. It hurts.」
「The Great Rabbit is gnawing—the hands, the feet, the chest, the back, the head, the face. Pitted and hollowed out. It hurts.」
「A sharp sword severing the neck. It hurts.」
「The head exploded, like a watermelon. It hurts.」
「Dying after joining Felt's camp, it hurts; dying after joining Crusch's camp, it hurts; dying to repay Priscilla's kindness, it hurts.」
「"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts... I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die—!!"」
「Guts sliced open, necks slit, skulls shattered, bones snapped, flesh and blood flying—the entire body constantly losing, losing, losing—」
「Screaming until the voice fails, overwhelmed by terror, by threat, by despair—」
「The Sin Archbishops of Gluttony were completely crushed by Death.」
「Eyeballs bulging as if to pop out of their sockets, total loss of bladder control, convulsing and twitching to the extreme. Every memory, every existence, every single thing was violently vomited back out amidst the spasms—all of it, everything, down to the last shred.」
「As the link between memory and soul neared its breaking point, Hikigaya Hachiman merely watched with cold eyes as Ley and Louis wailed with hoarse, shattered voices. He ruthlessly funneled into them even more deaths—the sum of all his failures from the Sanctuary trials and his journeys with other candidates.」
「Tasting memories and tasting death are two entirely different things.」
「In the moment of death, Hachiman thought: 'To kill so many innocent people... I really want to make this killer pay for their sins.'」
「As he died, he thought: 'What a shame, I didn't gather any intel.'」
「As he died, he thought: 'Luckily I cleared a hidden landmine; now I can resolve the friction with Rem sooner.'」
「As he died, he thought: 'I must interrogate Roswaal thoroughly and save Emilia and everyone in the village.'」
「As he died, he thought: 'I must kill Petelgeuse and save Emilia and everyone.'」
「As he died, he thought: 'I couldn't save Rem or Beatrice. If this is a parallel world, I'd be leaving Emilia waiting forever for someone who will never return. What an incompetent man.'」
「As he died, he thought: 'I owe Otto another life. He's a friend even stronger than Hayama Hayato. And... I've disappointed Emilia again. What a useless Hikigaya Hachiman. Hurry up and find a way out where everyone wins.'」
「As he died, he thought: 'I can finally understand Beatrice's feelings. I'm finally qualified to take her hand and lead her out of that Forbidden Library cursed by Echidna.'」
「As he died, he thought: 'You can't do that, Reinhard.'」
「That is Hikigaya Hachiman. Those are his memories. No matter the agony or trauma, it was always suppressed by thought and emotion. His memories consisted only of these things.」
「In the entire world, only this monster—at once incredibly rational and incredibly sentimental—could pull this off.」
「Tasting memories and tasting death are two different things.」
「...The third battle against the three Gluttony siblings: Hikigaya Hachiman, total victory!」
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"Phew, satisfying!"
Kousaka Kyousuke, who had been holding his breath and sweating since the battle began, finally couldn't hold back any longer. He slapped his thigh with a loud thwack, his face glowing with excitement as he cheered repeatedly.
But it wasn't just him. From Kousaka Kirino to the nearby houses and streets, cheers erupted one after another, echoing through the sky. The fervor surpassed even the roar of crowds watching the Olympics, international football matches, or horse racing.
It had been bottled up for too long. They had been suppressed for far too long!
Counting from the first time Hikigaya Hachiman was suppressed by the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony, it had been a year. Rem and Crusch had both been defeated—one losing her memory, the other falling into a coma.
In Priestella, Hachiman himself had his memories stolen, and in the Sage's Tower, he had even lost his existence.
Until now, Gluttony was undoubtedly the strongest enemy who had caused Hachiman the most trouble and damage while remaining at large the longest.
Until this moment. Everyone had been waiting for this: the third direct confrontation, the fourth "invisible" contact. Finally, Hachiman had found the method to judge Gluttony and reclaim everything lost in one fell swoop.
"How could anyone not be excited by this, damn it!"
The pent-up emotions were ignited. The celebration wasn't limited to Earth; the entire Otherworld fell into a feverish carnival.
"I see. Giving them a taste of their own medicine? Since it's impossible to avoid having one's existence and memories sucked away, he simply tampered with them, letting Batenkaitos walk into the trap willingly."
At the Karsten estate, Crusch's gaze was complex. Watching Hachiman's numerous deaths, she seemed lost in thought before letting out a long sigh: "As expected... he is truly worthy of being Sir Hachiman."
"There are two prerequisites for this method. First, one must have been eaten by Gluttony before but still retain the feeling and memory of it; with that experience, one can respond adequately."
"Second, one must have the capability to wholeheartedly mobilize the specific sensations and memories they wish to give Batenkaitos... this concerns how far the soul and will of the one being eaten can go."
In Class D of Advanced Nurturing High School, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka nodded slightly after his explanation. "It's exactly the same as the plan I had in mind."
Besides this method, there was actually a simpler way to break it: the "self" of the one being eaten being so powerful it transcends Gluttony, directly usurping the Sin Archbishop—the guest becoming the host.
But this second method was impossible even for Hikigaya Hachiman or Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
Batenkaitos was, after all, a neurotic powerhouse who had lived for over a hundred years and possessed a tenacious ego. To usurp someone of that level, the two of them were still too young; perhaps they could do it by the time they reached thirty, but at their current age, it was impossible.
Regardless, that wasn't important. What mattered was that Hikigaya Hachiman hadn't disappointed; he had indeed cleared it in one life.
"I want to see you so badly. I love you so much. I like you so much. I want to spar with you on the premise of life and death."
"There will surely be such an opportunity later, Hikigaya Hachiman~"
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