Chapter 643 — Arc 9, Chapter 55 – “Aggressor of the Territory”

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――Aldebaran’s Territory was an Authority linked to a Witch Factor.

However, Aldebaran was not the holder of a Witch Factor.

The Witch had called this “supernumerary” or “a special case”, but Aldebaran believed that instead of such sweet-sounding words, it ought to be declared as “appropriated” or “unenumerated”.

This phenomenon had a precedent; for instance, having once possessed Authorities, the Witches of Sin still retained the same powers even after being reduced to souls post-mortem.

On this matter, the Witch had likened Witch Factors to keys with the capacity to open the door that granted one the right to interfere with the world; she had conjectured that once the door was open, it would perhaps remain open even if the key was lost.

Albeit, in that case, even if it could explain the Witches of Sin, it would be unable to explain Aldebaran or even the Witch herself, so in conformance with this, she had proposed the theory of inheritance.

That possibly, a profound connection to a being who was compatible with a Witch Factor would innately open the door to the right to interfere with the world, to an Authority.

However――,

Witch: [Just as how a being with wings might find it difficult to explain the sensation of moving their wings to someone bereft of them, it is difficult to explain our Authorities, as they were not appended post-haste. You could say that our doors were half-open by birth.]

The reason why the Witch had worn a smug grin as she said that, was likely because it was her best attempt at humor. Unfortunately, Aldebaran did not laugh in the slightest, but he could at least assent to the point she was making.

Certainly, if the door had been fully open, the airflow would have likely been much better.

He was merely peeking through a gap in the door with poor airflow, trying to reach his hand through to the other side. Hence, the door would obstruct him, trapping his hand, and causing unforeseen consequences.

If, like the Witch, he could be satisfied without opening the door, perhaps it would have been better for him. However, Aldebaran was far too banal, and far too helpless for that.

If he did not keep the door open, Aldebaran would have had no chance of fulfilling the duty the Witch expected of him.

In that case, Aldebaran had no choice but to keep the door open, even if it was only ajar.

Ergo, just like a half-opened door, there were many opaque aspects to Aldebaran’s Authority.

From his hands-on experience with using it, as well as the Witch’s own inferences, he had a grasp on around eighty percent of the complete picture. Even so, Aldebaran faced no impediments to the use of his Authority, nor did he ever hesitate to use it.

That might be perceived as dangerous, but it was the same as how using a cellphone without fully knowing how a cellphone worked would not pose any threat to one’s life. But then again, Aldebaran’s Authority was intimately tied to life, so the circumstances might differ slightly to those of a cellphone.

In any case, although his Authority had accompanied him through a perceived time that spanned the length of over ten lifetimes, the Territory was largely a black box. ――The bug that would sometimes occur, was the utmost extremity of that.

The bug that would occur within the Territory was the phenomenon whereby the holder of initiative within the established Matrix would be transferred from Aldebaran unto a different target.

Normally, by creating a Territory of his own volition, Aldebaran would be permitted an unlimited number of attempts only within that defined space and time. During that interval, it was a given that Aldebaran would maintain his own continuity of memories, carrying out different approaches with each attempt as he searched for a breakthrough.

However, whenever some discrepancy in the starting parameters caused this bug to occur, the right to redo events within the Territory would transfer to another person within the Matrix, and until the Territory was lifted, they would be stuck repeating in an unending Matrix in perpetuity.

This bug, which had never manifested back during his days with the Witch, was something Aldebaran suspected had developed as a result of having lost faith in his Authority following his defeat in his first battle.

In fact, the bug invariably occurred at points when Aldebaran doubted his own Authority.

One such example was long ago on the Gladiator Island, when he had been pitted against a formidable enemy in a deathmatch he had nary a chance in a million of winning. Thereafter as well, when Aldebaran had wavered on his position in a clash against Leip Barielle, or when he had fought Yae after she was sent to assassinate Priscilla, this bug had occurred.

Above all――,

???: [――How fascinating. Transferring the initiative of an Authority unto another party, I have never heard of anything like it.]

When Aldebaran challenged the Witch of Greed who greeted him at the Castle of Dreams, that had occurred.

Witch of Greed: [It was quite the uncommon experience. I see, so that is the world you behold. Certainly, if you are unable to decipher what might be causing it, it would likely be a rather maddening phenomenon.]

He had slashed at the completely altered Witch of Greed, demanding that she return the Witch he knew.

Having launched attacks on her from every conceivable direction, when his creativity and trial and error had proven completely ineffective, what sprouted within Aldebaran was a skepticism towards his Authority, and as if to prove that, the bug surfaced.

Witch of Greed: [An alteration yielded from uncertainty towards the absolute nature of your Authority… that is to say, a power derived from your weakness. A pity that it seems to be completely ineffective against those already lost to madness. That goes for her, and for me.]

As Aldebaran stood baffled, the Witch of Greed spoke in depth of the hell she had tasted.

Certainly, that was the world of the Territory Aldebaran knew, while also something decidedly different at the same time; just how on earth the Witch of Greed had managed to endure it, he knew not.

As the Witch of Greed had said herself, was it because she was not sane?

Witch of Greed: [In the majority of cases when you exercise your Authority, you are the weaker party. You cling to the Territory in order to locate an infinitesimal chance of victory, wrench it open, and at last grasp onto it; the Victim, so to speak. Thus, if we declare the party who forces your use of the Territory as being the Aggressor, this would be an exchange of initiative between Victim and Aggressor.]

Watching as the Witch of Greed gleefully divulged the reality of hell, Aldebaran felt all the blood throughout his body grow cold, understanding that it was none other than a nightmare of his own creation.

The Castle of Dreams having been turned into a nightmare, the bug that had been yielded in the Territory, it was all the result of Aldebaran’s weakness―― it was a punishment born by the unforgivable sin known as weakness.

Witch of Greed: [The plan is still underway. The primary objective may be stuck at an impasse, but the secondary objective remains intact. The best we can accomplish with what little we have… that is the purpose for which both you and I are currently here. Is that not so?]

That sin was his cross to bear, yet as it weighed too heavy on his shoulders to carry it on his own, he had nearly abandoned it. And so, the Witch of Greed sneered at him, agreeing to drag it forward alongside him.

Indeed, at that smile, one he had longed to see, yet one he had not wished to see, Aldebaran resolved himself.

Aldebaran: [I, no matter what―― will definitely kill you.]

――The Territory’s bug: even that power derived from his own weakness, even that branding of his defeat, by putting it to use, Aldebaran would carry out his duty as the Following Star.

Witch of Greed: [――Why, must love fade?]

The Witch of Greed whispered such a musing, but the answer to it, Aldebaran did not know.

He had lost the Witch who sought love, lost the Sun Princess he had loved, and yet, still, he did not know.

――Neither did he wish to know.

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His thoughts, were accelerating.

Amidst the thoughts that had likely been condensed by the Authority held by Petra, Aldebaran was unable to establish a priority order for the flood of thoughts ceaselessly inundating him, pushing his mind to the verge of bursting.

Aldebaran: [――Shit.]

It was a fearsome Authority.

Unlike Divine Protections that could be a hit-or-miss in their effectiveness, most Authorities would invoke supernatural powers far transcending the norm, and Petra’s “Compression” was no exception. Authorities tended to be as powerful as the Witch Factor holder’s mind was flexible, but in that regard, her adaptability was far too high.

It was either the result of unnaturally strong convictions, or flexibility born out of weakness. ――The talent to draw out a powerful ability from a Witch Factor was greatly tied to one’s mentality. The Witches of Sin and the Sin Archbishops would have been the former, while Aldebaran and Petra would likely fall into the latter category.

Thus, whether it was people blessed with Divine Protections, people compatible with a Witch Factor, or even people with no abilities whatsoever, the ones who perceived Aldebaran to be formidable always fell into the latter category.

In fact, the attack that had aimed to Compress Aldebaran’s thoughts had been as immediately effective as his opponent had hoped. For Aldebaran, who wished to avoid mental exhaustion, it scored full marks on nastiness as it whittled away at his remaining strength.

Disregarding his Authority, Aldebaran was also on the weaker side. In a battle that necessitated moment to moment decision making, he fully understood the usefulness of a power that always allowed one to find the best course of action. But usually, no matter how much one endeavored during a battle, they could never hope for perfection. Ergo, it was necessary to eventually make a decision, cease one’s thoughts, and take the leap into action. Petra’s Compression forced the blank spaces in thoughts that would have originally been discarded to be filled, imposing over double the amount of exhaustion just to even reach the same conclusion.

Hence, in exchange for that enormous waste of his mental capacity, Aldebaran had to keep up the utmost extremity in responses, akin to threading a needle as he formulated the most optimal maneuver against the highly-motivated Aldebusters.

And then, right in the middle of that exhaustion――,

???: [――Rom-jii!!]

Just after tiding over the offensive of the Aldebusters, what struck his ears was a voice akin to a scream.

With that exclamation, Felt stood wide-eyed, watching as the large man of advanced age collapsed in the distance. That instant, not only Felt, but other members of the Aldebusters too, experienced a sense of unease tremor through their hearts.

Before they even knew what had transpired, Valga Cromwell had fallen.

Aldebaran: [――――]

Naturally, even if they did not know the method, there was only one person who could have been responsible. As a result, excluding the ones who went rushing to Valga’s side, the hostility of everyone else was concentrated on Aldebaran. While receiving their animosity, Aldebaran, unseen to them from within his helmet, was motionlessly widening his eyes with the same shock that the Aldebusters had received.

Aldebaran: [――He became the Aggressor of the Territory, didn’t he?]

It was not as though he had aimed to activate it. But, since he was the cause, he knew exactly what had transpired.

The Territory’s bug had occurred, causing Valga, one of the Aggressors, to be handed the initiative. Then, it was likely that the old giant had repeated these brief few moments enough times for his heart to be crushed.

Aldebaran: [Tch.]

At the arrival of a chance that could have been described as being rescued from the brink of death, or as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Aldebaran did not welcome it.

As mentioned previously, the occurrence of the bug was unrelated to Aldebaran’s volition―― at the very least, it was not something he actively invoked. Thus, the activation of the bug was something Aldebaran took no joy in.

After all, in the majority of cases, the bug would destroy the hearts of whomever it targeted.

Aldebaran: [On Gladiator Island, with Sir Leip, even with Yae…]

Facing off against Aldebaran, those who were engulfed by the Territory’s bug, caught in an inescapable loop of Death, had all ended up suffering some mental abnormality.

The gladiators whose hearts were shattered proceeded to have their heads chopped off by Aldebaran; Leip Barielle lost his sanity, entirely forgetting about his long-held ambition; and Yae Tenzen succumbed to dread, and was thus transformed into his loyal servant.

Having levied the condition of “no-killing” upon the execution of his plan, the way Aldebaran saw things, the Territory’s bug, distorting the hearts of its victims beyond recognition, could only bring about an end synonymous with Death.

Hence, Aldebaran took no joy in this conclusion. ――Was that really true?

???: [――There is nobody who can defeat you, you whom I created.]

The voice of the Witch he had once betrayed, her expectations, her ideals, now sounded within him.

Faced with the tenacity, strategy, and unity of his opponents, he exercised fear toward the one-in-a-million, uncertainty toward the one-in-a-billion, and doubt toward the one-in-a-trillion; in doing so, the conditions to invoke the Territory’s bug were met. ――Those were, so to speak, because Aldebaran had questioned his Authority, himself, and the Witch.

???: [――There is nobody who can defeat you, you whom I created.]

Once again, he heard the Witch’s voice.

――Then, he watched as the subsequent Aggressor collapsed to the ground, their eyes having gone white.

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――God, Buddha, Od Lagna. For as long as I live, I hereby vow to never cherish silence.

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Petra: [――Rom-ojiisan?]

The situation shifted. ――And in an unfavourable direction for Petra’s side, at that.

Watching as Rom-jii’s large body suddenly began to sway, collapsing to the ground, Petra greatly widened her eyes. Surging forth within her chest was a multitude of emotions, composed of shock, bafflement, incomprehensibility, and discomposure; they seemed as if they were about to overwhelm her entire body, but――,

“Subaru”: [――Petra!!]

Petra: [――Hk.]

A loud bark from the Imaginary Subaru was just barely able to keep Petra’s consciousness from going over the edge.

It was fine to be surprised by unforeseen circumstances. There existed not a single person who could remain unshaken after receiving a hit from outside their consciousness. However, as the Witch of Tristitia, there was something Petra needed to do before being surprised.

In response to the events that had unfolded, she needed to Compress every last reaction.

Felt: [This isn’t a joke, something’s happening! Someone get Rom-jii back up!] / Gaston: [Don’t be unreasonable, his eyes just went white all of a sudden! What the hell, what happened to him!?] / Camberley: [Oi, what’re we gonna do! Without the old man, who’s gonna…] / Garfiel: [Shit! It’s Ram! S’gotta be Ram!] / Ram: [――I suppose it can’t be helped. The queen will be leaving the board. Do keep that in mind.] / Doltero: [If we don’t move right away, we’ll be no better than pigs waiting for scraps. I’ll make the first move.] / Rachins: [Goddammit! We can’t lose after coming this far!] / Flam & Grassis: [Naturally!!]

Compressing the unrest that had spread around all into a single instant, Petra fulfilled her duty as the Witch of Tristitia.

The cause had yet to be identified. However, they immediately decided on how to respond, with everyone beginning to search for the best course of action in unison. ――Naturally, Petra was no exception.

Leaving the situation to Ram, who had taken on the role of commander from the collapsed Rom-jii, Petra invoked the Authority of Tristitia to Compress the traversal distance between herself and Rom-jii.

Petra: [Rom-ojiisan… hk.]

Having fallen flat on his face, Rom-jii’s large body could not be lifted by Petra’s slender arms. But, peering into the side-turned countenance of the old giant, Petra choked up at the evident abnormality. ――Rom-jii’s visage appeared lifeless, giving off a sense of fatigue as if he had aged a hundred years in an instant.

“Subaru”: [Though, he never really looked like he was bursting with lively energy to begin with…]

Petra: [He wasn’t like this up until a moment ago, that’s for sure. Besides, if he thought there was something strange with his physical condition, Rom-ojiisan would have surely done the proper reporting, contact, and discussion.]

Rom-jii was well aware that if he carelessly concealed the abnormality in his condition, it would only serve to benefit the enemy.

If the Authority of Tristitia had been placing an abundance of burden on him, and there had been signs he would faint like this, he absolutely would have informed them himself.

“Subaru”: [What about the unfunny theory that Rom-jii used up all his remaining lifespan due to the rapid firing of the Authority?]

Petra: [That’s really not funny, so theory rejected… still, I don’t think it was my Authority. Al-san had to have done something to Rom-ojiisan.]

“Subaru”: [But, what exactly?]

Ending up at the same dead-end question, Petra and “Subaru” puzzled for an answer.

Even now, since the Aldebusters were operating under Ram’s commands, fighting on in an effort to corner Al, Petra could not afford to divert all of her attention to figuring out Rom-jii’s collapse.

With that in mind, Petra was about to stand back up――,

Felt: [――You goddamn idiot! That’s the priority!]

Petra: [――――]

Indeed, with her back facing this direction, Felt corrected the order of priority without hesitation.

As Petra stared in wonder, Felt, with the Star Staff in hand as she flashed her sharp high canines,

Felt: [If you can’t somehow figure out what just happened, we’ll all be taken down with the same method.]

As if to prove Felt’s words as she grit her teeth in frustration, the members of the Aldebusters who ought to have been driving Al into a corner were decreasing. At a glance, several people had fallen to the ground, left behind by the fierce battle unfolding.

From how Felt had put it, the reason they had collapsed would have been the same as Rom-jii――,

Felt: [Rom-jii wouldn’t go down without a fight! Keep searching! There’s gotta be something!]

Having expended a few seconds in her interaction with Felt, Petra looked at Rom-jii’s large body. She also considered Rom-jii to be someone who, without any oversights, would live up to Felt’s expectations. Hence, if Felt believed that there had to be something, then there was undoubtedly something.

“Subaru”: [I mean, if you suddenly get hit with an Authority, there’s no way you’d be able to leave any clues behind…!]

Petra: […You think, it’s an Authority?]

“Subaru”: [It’d be strange if it wasn’t! Nee-sama would’ve realized if it was magic!]

Petra: [Right.]

Felt’s insistence × faith in Ram’s insight.

The multiplication of those two factors lent credence to the idea that it was Al’s Authority that had toppled Rom-jii. And so, if Rom-jii had truly left something behind――,

Petra: [――! Here!]

Upon thoroughly investigating Rom-jii’s body, which was lying languidly sprawled on the ground, Petra noticed that the old giant’s finger was covered in dirt. And what had caused it to be dirtied, was the mark he had scratched into the ground with his finger.

Falling, and using that impact to shift the giant’s body, Petra tumbled down and discovered the message that Rom-jii had left on the ground.

That was――,

“Subaru”: [A mark? Kanji… nah, some sort of map symbol…?]

Petra: [Not that, it’s more simple!]

At “Subaru’s” speculation upon witnessing the same thing, Petra put the brakes on his theorizing in a loud voice.

The mark that Rom-jii had inscribed on the ground―― it was a thick horizontal line, with four small vertical lines layered over it. It was not kanji or a map symbol, it was “tally markers” that counted up the number five in a single unit.

In other words, just before Rom-jii had lost his conciousness――,

Petra: [――He was… counting something?]

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――The Territory’s bug had begun to encroach upon Aldebaran’s plan.

Aldebaran: [Shit…]

Faced with that aggravating reality, a curse escaped through the gaps between Aldebaran’s clenched teeth.

The first one to fall had been the strategist of the Aldebusters, Valga Cromwell. Despite the loss of their commander, was it Petra’s Authority that had allowed them to recover so quickly? But, if its effect was just crushing the interval, then it meant that everybody had managed to collect their emotions through their own individual strength.

Each time he keenly felt the strength in each and every one of their hearts, Aldebaran’s own weakness was brought into focus.

Aldebaran: [Shit…!]

In that instant as he thought about his own immaturity, the Aldebusters suffered yet another dropout. A thug brandishing a large machete fell to his knees, fainting as he spewed yellow gastric juices.

Aldebaran made no counterattacks of his own. He could not. As a fundamental tactic, he was being repelled by Garfiel, whose base stats were on a much higher level, leaving him unable to mount a counteroffensive. Even so, his opponents had gradually been bleeding strength as the result of Aldebaran’s unintended bug.

???: [――There is nobody who can defeat you, you whom I created.]

Once again, he heard the Witch’s voice.

As soon as he did, the subsequent bug was activated, and another body hit the ground.

That was difficult for Aldebaran. It was painful. Unbearable. ――The mental abrasion produced by the Territory’s bug, the fact that it sometimes would beget an outcome more repulsive than Death of the body, was something Aldebaran had come to learn in his days since waking up on the Gladiator Island.

Hence, Aldebaran did not desire any such unintended conclusions to be brought about by the Territory’s bug――,

???: [――The hell are you doing blaming others for?]

Aldebaran: [――Ah?]

???: [It’s obvious even without needing to see your face. It also pisses me off when people like Reinhard wear a face that seems to say that everything’s their own fault, but… yours is way worse than his could ever be.]

Shaping a gap and forcing his way through the breach, Aldebaran found Felt glaring at him from across the human wall of the Aldebusters. Dwelling within her sharp crimson gaze was a stern, scornful ire directed towards Aldebaran, bereft of lie or falsehood.

This was an ardent fury, one that she had not even displayed when he had taken her hostage, nor when he had ordered Roy to eat her Memories, so he could not fathom what he had done in this moment to truly incur her wrath.

Neither the fall of the giant who was like family to her, nor the near robbery of the path she had forged until this point, the source of this ire that Felt now directed towards Aldebaran was――,

Felt: [When that princess was around you’d do whatever she told you, so now that she’s no longer among us, you’re just gonna do whatever a totally different person says like a puppet? Even though you’ve got the nerve to talk all big and declare yourself the enemy of the entire world, do you really have no personhood to call your own?]

Aldebaran: [――――]

Spoken with an expression of anger from the very depths of her soul, Felt’s words caused Aldebaran’s cheeks to stiffen ever so slightly, and following that, his rage began to well up at the jabs of this utterly ignorant teenage girl.

To say he had no personhood; even thoughtless declarations had their limits. Without even knowing the reason why Aldebaran could never call himself anything but Aldebaran, how dare she claim that Aldebaran had no personhood.

Indignation scorched his entrails, and he sensed a nostalgic pain in his arm bereft of its forearm.

This kind of useless rage ought to be cast aside. It was supposed to be his strong suit. To dismiss things, to scorn them, to ridicule them as being naught but obstacles in his way, and to cast them aside. Getting entangled with such things and losing sight of his objective would just be putting the carriage before the ground dragon; after all, avoidance of confronting his raw, genuine emotions was Aldebaran’s special skill―― no, it was a certain kind of worldly wisdom that he had acquired during the eighteen years since he had been released from that black orb.

And so this time, he would do the same――,

Garfiel: [‘S exactly as th’ amazin’ Felt told ya!] / Rachins: [Pay for what you’ve done, bastard!] / Gaston: [Drop dead, you moron!] / Camberley: [Nobody’s got your back anymore, bastard!] / Flam: [Al-sama, prepare yourself.] / Grassis: [The hour of judgment.] / Doltero: [Go ahead and cry like a pig.] / Ram: [――Truly a fool.]

Aldebaran: [――Hk.]

With the force of a surging wave, a torrent of abuse crashed into Aldebaran like a tempest of disdain. He attempted to ignore them like he usually―― with his thoughts Compressed, he was forced to confront them all. With his processing circuits shortened to speeds far beyond normal, he was left being made to process every last superfluous thought and emotion.

???: [――There is nobody who can defeat you, you whom I created.] / [――There is nobody who can defeat you, you whom I created.] / [――There is nobody who can defeat you, you whom I created.] / [――There is nobody who can defeat you, you whom I created.] / [――There is nobody who can defeat you, you whom I created.] / [――There is nobody who can defeat you, you whom I created.] / [――There is nobody who can defeat you, you whom I created.] / [――There is nobody who can defeat you, you whom I created.] / [――There is nobody who can defeat you, you whom I created.] / [――There is nobody who can defeat you, you whom I created.] / [――There is nobody who can defeat you, you whom I created.]

As Aldebaran felt an urgency to not allow such a progression, a voice drowned out everything within his mind. Loath to surrender himself to that, Aldebaran searched for the girl at the root of the situation.

To the Witch of Tristitia who had forced Aldebaran to deliberate over every last thing, he would――,

???: [――He was… counting something?]

Aldebaran: [――――]

Having spotted the Witch of Tristitia, Petra Leyte, in the distance, he could make out that she had muttered those words upon discovering some sort of message left by the collapsed Valga Cromwell.

That instant, a thick, blackish, ardent impulse began to brim over from within Aldebaran, taking on the form of words.

Aldebaran: [――Your stars, were bad.]

Felt: [Yeah, there you go. You’re nobody’s puppet. Now your true feelings are finally showing.]

Hearing Aldebaran’s words, woven by a voice tinged with torrid fury, Felt flashed her teeth.

Even though no part of that should have resembled her in the slightest, not whatsoever, not a single millimeter nor a single shred nor a single iota, it appeared to him as a smile of the same nature as the one Priscilla Barielle would often display.

A nightmare. ――As such, he must extinguish it.

Thus, for the first time in his life, Aldebaran willfully invoked the bug of the Territory.

Aldebaran: [――Expand Territory, Matrix Redefinition.]

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――God, Buddha, Od Lagna. For as long as I live, I hereby vow to never wish for kindness from anyone.

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Aldebaran: [――Expand Territory, Matrix Redefinition.]

As Al’s voice spoke those words, Petra turned around whilst sensing a certain alteration.

She had already heard that battlecry several times over the duration of this battle, and likely, it was some sort of activation requirement for Al’s Authority. In a Territory, with a Matrix; as Rom-jii had surmised beforehand, in exchange for the limitations on Al’s “Turning Back Time”, it seemed to be quite a powerful ability.

Its time frame was far shorter than Natsuki Subaru’s Return by Death, yet it was consciously activated.

“Subaru”: [If it was possible to manually save in a baseball game, then you’d be able to save and load for each ball in the batter’s box, remember what type of pitch it is, and then keep hitting homeruns every time.]

Petra: [I get it, but it’s tricky to understand. Can you really do that sort of thing?]

“Subaru”: [It’s a bit difficult to explain to a girl who only knows the concept of the game on a surface level…]

For having read Natsuki Subaru’s Book of the Dead, she had intended on understanding it past the surface level, but in the sense that they were Memories that did not come alongside firsthand experience, what the Imaginary Subaru was saying was correct.

Although she was peering into Subaru’s Memories, Petra’s sensibilities remained entirely her own. Though of course, as with her feelings toward Emilia and Rem, what mattered most in that regard was how large a portion those emotions occupied within Subaru.

In any case――,

“Subaru”: [――You can’t let him out of sight.]

Petra: [I know.]

With the change in his voice and demeanor, the battle against Al was likely advancing to the next stage.

All the while, he had been whittling down their combat strength using the same method he had used on Rom-jii, yet miraculously, the Aldebusters’ main force, centered around Ram, Garfiel, and Felt, still held strong. There was no doubt that the Compressed thinking and communications were proving to be a great help, so Petra found it worthwhile to extract the absolute most value out of utilizing the Authority of Tristitia, shutting her eyes to its many demerits.

Felt: [Let’s get him, you bastards!!]

Everyone: [――YEAHHH!!]

As if to substantiate Petra’s determination, the overall morale of the group erupted with Felt’s rousing cry.

The pressure being applied by the Aldebusters was certainly chipping away at Al’s reserves, abrading his mind as it drove his heart and body to a lethal point of exhaustion.

It would all come down to whoever’s willpower ran out first, a test of endurance until one side could no longer remain standing―― indeed, it had happened at the moment Petra clenched her teeth, with her body and mind roused to high spirits.

Petra: [Huh?]

In spite of herself, her tightly clenched jaw dropped agape, leaving Petra dumbfounded.

That was only natural. After all, it was only just a moment ago that the Aldebusters had fired themselves up, brimming with motivation as they triumphantly launched their all-out assault on Al. ――Those members of the Aldebusters, without any warning, suddenly began toppling down where they stood like dominoes, unable to do a thing about it.

Petra: [――――]

That included Ram, and Garfiel too. It of course included the members of the main force, Felt, Flam and Grassis, Rachins, Gaston, Camberley, Doltero, and even the rest of the members of the Aldebusters all lost their strength; not a single person was left standing. Some fainted, some had their eyes lose focus as a result of extreme exhaustion, and some were petrified like dolls, becoming unable to move.

Everyone, it was all of them. ――No, there was still one person who remained standing.

Aldebaran: [――It’s the stars.]

Climbing over the wall of collapsed Aldebusters, the person who had stepped forth, while fiddling with the metal fixtures of the black steel helmet on his head, spilled those words.

As they reached her ears, Petra felt as if a part of her brain had gone numb, unable to put her head to good use. She could not afford to cease thinking. Even if Compression could fill in the intervals between events that happened, it would serve no use in filling an expanse of void.

Aldebaran: [Your stars, were bad.]

Declaring so as he approached her, Al removed his hand from his helmet and reached out to Petra, standing motionless as she was.

Right this instant, she needed a way to deal with it, a response, a countermeasure――,

“Subaru”: [――PETRA! FALL BACK WITH COMPRESSION!!]

Petra: [――Hk.]

Reflexively following the angry-sounding plea, Petra Compressed space, retreating a great distance backwards. Having created a much greater distance between them than simply jumping backwards would have, Petra’s knee trembled as she gazed at Al across the rocky terrain.

Receiving her gaze, Al repeatedly opened and closed the hand that had failed to grab Petra and breathed a long sigh. Then, with that distance opened between himself and Petra, he glared directly right back at her――,

Aldebaran: [――Play ball.]

×　　×　　×

Al: [――Expand Territory, Matrix Redefinition.]

It was the moment she thought she had heard Al say the catchphrase that was typically used to declare the start of a ball game.

As if to overlap with that expression, a different declaration of Al’s followed just after. At that phenomenon of simultaneous utterances from the same person, Petra’s brain momentarily came to a halt as it attempted to grasp the situation.

But, as that stagnation would have been fatal, she immediately attempted to pull herself together――,

???: [Let’s get him, you bastards!!]

???: [――YEAHHH!!]

Petra: [Eh!?]

The very next moment, a courageous cheer and response shook the air, and she was stupefied.

Spread out before her, alive and well, were the figures of the Aldebusters, who were supposed to have been plunged into a catastrophic state mere moments ago. In a battle formation with Ram as the commander, Garfiel as the vanguard, and Felt readied with the Star Staff as the finisher, they were about to clash with Al.

But――,

“Subaru”: [Oi, oi oi oi, oi, this is…]

Astonished, the Imaginary Subaru floating beside her voiced his bewilderment. Even if she knew that bewilderment was the same sensation she was feeling, no peace of mind came upon Petra’s heart.

Only, receiving a tremendous discomposure, the situation moved faster than she could speak any words to stop it.

Petra: [――Uh.]

Undoubtedly, that was a replay of the scene that had unfolded just earlier.

The members of the Aldebusters all collapsed in unison, causing the exceedingly reliable group to crumble. As the powerful and brave Ram, Garfiel, and Felt keeled over, Petra once again crossed gazes with the last person remaining, Al.

Aldebaran: [――It’s the stars.]

Petra: [――――]

Aldebaran: [Your stars, were bad.]

That too was the exact same proclamation, followed by the exact same movements, so without needing to be prompted, Petra relied on the emotions in her heart, and leaped backwards through Compression.

Once again, glaring at Al across the distance opened between them, she heard his voice breathe out a sigh.

That was――,

Aldebaran: [――Play ball.]

――That marked the beginning of Petra Leyte’s unending hell.