Chapter 644 — Arc 9, Chapter 56 – “Petra Leyte”

△▼△▼△▼△

Translated by:

Machine-Translated by:

Proofread by:

Art Sources:

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

――Petra Leyte was a country girl born in Arlam Village, a village in the Kingdom of Lugunica.

She had been born with a remarkable appearance and a natural shrewdness, but other than that, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about her. Originally, there would have been no room for her to become involved with events that would be engraved into history, and she would have likely lived out her entire life as a mere villager, with any prospect of visiting a city being nothing more than a dream.

Ergo, having veered off her “original” route, becoming involved with several larger-than-life incidents that would go on to be etched into history, Petra’s current state of existence was a result that had been warped through interference.

The fact that her fate had been distorted, was something that even Petra herself was aware of.

“Originally”, Petra was a cringeworthy girl who prided herself on her cuteness, under the mistaken impression that she could lead all the nearby adults and children around by their noses. Surely, the “original” Petra would have never corrected that misunderstanding, instead spending her days selfishly acting like the ruler of her own miniature world.

She did not think that would have been a particularly bad life. She believed such a life would have been happy and enjoyable in its own way.

Only, now that she had strayed from the “original”, Petra’s values simply did not allow her to view that as happiness.

Petra: [After all, none of the people I currently love would be there, would they?]

Subaru would not be there. Frederica would not be there. Emilia would not be there. Beatrice would not be there. Meili would not be there. Ram would not be there. Rem would not be there. Ryuzu would not be there. Annerose would not be there. Garfiel would not be there. Otto would not be there. Clind would not be there. Roswaal, well, that could wait for now. ――But, everyone would not be there.

Petra: [That sort of thing, it’s horrifying.]

If her “original” self was the one who had never met the people she loved, and herself that was standing here now was the result of some collision of fate, then she was truly glad she had strayed off from it.

As the result of taking a route that was not the “original”, one after another, she had been subjected to difficult experiences, painful experiences, sorrowful experiences, bitter experiences, experiences that made her think she was going to die, and experiences that almost made death seem like the preferable outcome.

But, beyond even those tough experiences she had been put through, there were things she had been given, things she had managed to grasp for her own.

Hence, Petra Leyte believed this from the bottom of her heart.

Petra: [Even if I could redo my life over and over, I’d still choose to stray from the “original”.]

Then, I’d meet you again and again, just so I could tell you this.

That person who knows the same suffering as you, despite looking so pained and so anguished, is still wishing upon the stars, after all.

Petra Leyte would――,

△▼△▼△▼△

――God, Buddha, Od Lagna. For as long as I live, I hereby vow to never see off another’s departure.

△▼△▼△▼△

Petra: [――Hk.]

With a sharp exhale, she kicked off the rocky ground, running with reckless abandon.

Correcting her form, leaning forward, getting off to a start so ideal that it even amazed herself, she ran faster than she ever had in her entire life, and ran, and ran, and ran.

The sound of blood pumping roared through her body, her heart pounding out of her chest as if it would burst, and, leaving her own ragged breaths far behind her, she ran.

But even when she ran that hard――,

Aldebaran: [――Play ball.]

The moment that cold declaration reached her from behind, her vision completely shifted.

Before she knew it, the fastest sprint her legs had ever run in her life had come to a halt, leaving her standing frozen in astonishment upon the rocky terrain. Laid out in front of her was the familiar scenery to which she had assuredly turned her back, and within it, the man clad in steel helm muttered.

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

That was the signal that the man, with his face concealed behind the helmet of jet-black, had commenced some undertaking by use of his Authority.

This span of time would always commence with that declaration of his, followed by her allies within her field of vision, knowing nothing of that man’s undertaking, fiercely raising voices that shook the air.

Felt: [Let’s get him, you bastards!!]

Everyone: [――YEAHHH!!]

Centered around the battlecry of the courageous young girl, the group’s morale swelled to a zenith, and exploded. Spurred forth by that momentum, they all charged at the steel-helmed man in unison. ――But, it was no use.

The result was plain to see. Their outstretched hands could not reach the other party no matter what they did.

Petra: [――――]

As though a thread had snapped, all thirty-seven individuals collapsed on the spot.

It appeared as though they had all collapsed at once. But, by carefully observing the manner in which each and every one of them collapsed, she had long since figured out that the way they fell actually had a very precise order to it. But, then again, there was only a difference of around two seconds between the first and the thirty-seventh person to fall.

There was no room to interrupt in those brief few seconds, and any attempt to do so had ended in futility.

???: [It’s not like it was futile. Learning that a method isn’t going to work, isn’t futile.]

Harboring such a bleak sentiment, her eardrums were thus struck by a voice―― no, it was not her eardrums. This voice was not one delivered by vibrations in the air, so it was not her eardrums that had resonated.

If it was not her eardrums that had resonated, then, just what in the world had it been?

???: [That’s a given, isn’t it? It’s the heart.]

The heart. ――Yes, that’s it. That’s right. It was because her heart had resonated, that she had been able to hear it.

Her heart still had enough leeway to resonate. As proof of that, he was there.

And so, mustering forth that name of his――,

Petra: [――Subaru.]

“Subaru”: [Yeah, I’m right here, Petra.]

Petra; as those lips of his called out her name, she breathed a sigh of relief.

That was right. She was Petra Leyte, she still clutched onto that, refusing to let go.

After all, if that was the case, then, therefore, that was why, it would mean.

Aldebaran: [――Play ball.]

――Petra Leyte had no choice but to continue on this tour of hell.

△▼△▼△▼△

――God, Buddha, Od Lagna. For as long as I live, I hereby vow to never accept the charity of another.

△▼△▼△▼△

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

Aldebaran: [――Play ball.]

An interval, commencing with that declaration, and concluding with that proclamation.

Just how much time had Petra spent trapped in this loop exceeding not even a single minute?

Petra: […Though, not even a single second has passed.]

With such a riposte to the whisperings of her own heart, Petra exhaled a raspy “hah”.

Even she found it to be a terribly cynical mutter, one of self-ridicule that seemed to despair over the world. To think that she could utter a voice clouded by such deeply blackened emotions, it was a shock to even herself.

But, it was certainly neither some sort of mistake, nor a matter of having misheard the voice of another.

After all, in this place――,

Petra: [The only voices present are mine, those people’s, that man’s, and Subaru’s.]

Flopping down on her backside, Petra pressed her forehead against her knees and grumbled so.

Before her eyes, the group of thirty-seven people attempted to charge at the lone helmeted man, and once again did the moment unfold in which they were all dispatched with nary a sound.

Truly, they were all out of their minds. Why couldn’t they just understand?

Petra: [Are they all just slow in the head? Why do they keep charging straight ahead without any strategy, even when it’s clear they’ll be taken down…]

See, there it happened again. Everyone was falling down, one after another.

An all-too-familiar sight, one far more absurd than the figures of villains that would be defeated incessantly by champions of justice on the morning Hero Time on TV.

Over, and over, and over and over and over, and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again――.

Petra: [――How stupid.]

There ought to have been clever individuals in their ranks, yet, why, for what reason, did they have no strategy? Even though they had been defeated time and time again, why did they not consider trying out any different approaches?

She knew. Those people were unaware that they had already been defeated countless times. They had no idea that they were being defeated over and over again, nor did they understand that they would only continue to be taken down over and over again.

If one knew not what lay ahead, then there was no avoiding being engulfed by that predetermined progression. She was just venting her anger toward them. It was unreasonable. It was illogical. She knew that. She knew, but.

Petra: [Even so, you’re all grown-ups, so just do something about it already…!]

Upon her folded knees, again and again and again, she slammed her forehead.

It hurts. It doesn’t hurt. It hurts. It doesn’t hurt. It hurts. It doesn’t hurt. It hurts. It doesn’t hurt. It hurts. It hurts.

Petra: [AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Aldebaran: [――Play ball.] AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

×　　×　　×

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

Across both the terminus and commencement of the loop, she had succeeded in raising her voice. So what?

At the eccentricity of Petra suddenly raising that strange cacophony, a shift was born in everyone who had been about to charge at the man helmed in steel. They all turned their eyes towards her, aghast at the sight of Petra scratching at her head and clamoring out.

Felt: [Oi, what’s wrong!?]

Garfiel: [Petra! Th’ fuck’s happenin’, did he do somethin’ to ya!?]

Ram: [Fall back, Petra! You are the cornerstone for Ram and the others!]

Voices hurtled towards her. Worrying for Petra, who had raised a strange cry upon being subjected to some abnormality, everyone in that moment produced fresh voices and words, trying to comfort Petra.

That made her glad. Thank you. I love you all. Really. Truthfully. But, I’m sick of it.

Petra: […I already know all that, you know?]

What manner of voices everyone would raise if Petra broke down like this, she knew.

That they would all do their best to rack their brains if Petra earnestly tried to explain the loop to them, she knew.

The fact that everyone would lend an ear if Petra proposed that they all run away and scatter through Compression, she knew.

She knew. She knew all of it. She had seen it, heard it, referenced it, divulged it, imparted it, discussed it, pondered it, challenged it, strategized against it, tried to defy it, tried to abandon it, picked it back up, then cast it aside again.

Petra: [Say something different already. Show me something different already. Be different already. Different from just now, different from before, different from what’s next, different from this time, just do something different already…!!]

With a crumpled up face, the very visage of ugliness, Petra’s voice fractured with unseemly cracks, raising an incomprehensible string of words as she scratched at the ground to the point that her nails were starting to peel off. Beholding that, everyone was rendered speechless, but immediately pinpointing the cause to be the man in the steel helmet, they directed the brunt of their rage towards him, baring their fangs.

Ram: [Petra, stand up. Ram will lend you her shoulder.]

As the group charged towards the man in the steel helmet, one person had broken away from the crowd and extended her hand out to Petra.

How kind. Even in this situation, even with her sharp voice and steely expression, her hand was kind. I love you.

Petra: [But you see…]

Aldebaran: [――Play ball.]

×　　×　　×

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

Indeed, her disheveled face, her peeled-off nails, her worn-out voice: all were restored.

The concern they had shown her, their uproar of righteous indignation, that distress towards one’s protegee, all of it had been reset. ――Having been reset, they would savor the unspoiled beginning and end with brand new feelings.

Felt: [Let’s get him, you bastards!!]

Everyone: [――YEAHHH!!]

How nice it must have been for everyone. With feelings so fresh, they could still cry out in such high spirits.

But she could not. She couldn’t. She had tried to do her best with them, and had done her best with them over a hundred times. But, that would change nothing, everyone would still collapse so selfishly before her with their eyes gone white; it was truly unfair.

Petra: [Maybe I should also get a bit unfair.]

With a pout upon her lips, she blurted out such words.

As she did so, everyone had already gone beddy-bye, so before Petra, the man approached with disorderly steps as he fiddled with the metal fixtures of his helmet.

Petra: [――――]

Then, leisurely, the man reached the very hand that had been fiddling with those fixtures towards Petra.

This was just a passing thought, but did he properly take care of that helmet? He would need to make sure to oil it, wipe it with a dry cloth, and do all the proper maintenance, wouldn’t he? Realizing that this person had been fighting constantly without even the chance to bathe, she felt a bit of resistance towards the hand that was extending towards her. But, she would endure it. Enduring it and enduring it, she waited for the outstretched hand to reach her. It might be harder if she kept staring at him. In that case, she’d shut her eyes so that he could catch her while she did so. Alright, oooone, twooooo, threeeee…

×　　×　　×

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

Right. Thought so. Even getting caught is no good. Ahahaha, just die already.

△▼△▼△▼△

――God, Buddha, Od Lagna. For as long as I live, I hereby vow to never speak of my failures.

△▼△▼△▼△

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

When she initially realized that she had been caught in a loop that commenced upon that signal, Petra had managed to maintain her composure without being greatly perturbed, even in the face of such an aberrant situation.

She had naturally been a bit shaken, but it was far less than one might have expected.

That was because――,

“Subaru”: [Petra! We’re looping through a short timespan! It’s Al’s next trick!]

Shouting that out in lieu of Petra, was the sole entity who was sharing in the loop that Petra had been caught in, the only one who had experience with the flow of repeating time: the Imaginary Subaru.

The presence of “Subaru”, and the message left by Rom-jii that she had seen just before being trapped―― the marks etched into the ground as if tabulating something, had suppressed Petra’s discomposure.

Petra: [Rom-ojiisan was also put through what I’m experiencing now.]

One horizontal line overlapping four vertical ones; that was a method of keeping count known as “tally marks”, which, when using kanji, would typically be done by drawing the “正” character.

By leaving that engraved upon the ground, Rom-jii had conveyed the situation he had been placed in to Petra.

It was difficult to imagine that Rom-jii had ended up in that state after only the five times he had marked, so what he had intended to convey was not the actual number of times he had looped, but rather the fact that he was looping in itself―― having already fallen into the same predicament, the information might have seemed too late for Petra, but that was not so.

The message Rom-jii had left behind, was a clear warning to Petra.

In other words, that which Rom-jii had wished to say was this:

Petra: [If I keep on repeating this forever, I’ll end up like Rom-ojiisan.]

The collapsed Rom-jii had sustained no external injuries, and it was not as though he had ended up like this due to being tormented by wounds accumulated through the repetitions. ――No, in a sense, there was no doubt that it was a result of that which had been accumulated.

In other words, across the time that Rom-jii had repeated, his mind had been completely whittled away.

Without a doubt, that was precisely the same tactic that Petra and the Aldebusters had attempted to use against Al, so it could be said that he had turned it around on them as an act of revenge.

She did not think that Al had been aiming for such a revenge, but either way, if she had been caught in this situation without any preparation, Petra might have suffered the same fate as Rom-jii.

“Subaru”: [Nah, it’s not just Rom-jii. From the looks of it, the same thing happened to Ram and the others.]

Petra: […Right. Al-san is using his Authority on everyone who’s charging at him in the same way… but, the timing of when the loop starts, is when everyone is still conscious, isn’t it?]

“Subaru”: [Sure seems that way… It may be a repeating situation, but maybe it’s something like, it also reflects the real-time events outside the loop? So after someone gets taken down, it exits and moves onto the next, or something? In that case…]

Petra: [――I’m already the only one left.]

The meaning concealed within “Subaru’s” words was far too hopeless, causing Petra’s cheeks to stiffen.

Supposing that by the time Petra’s turn in this loop arrived, the fates of her allies in the Aldebusters could no longer be altered,

Petra: [Even if this loop were to come to an end…]

“Subaru”: [Wait wait wait wait, don’t be so pessimistic. Even… even if, even if that turns out to be the case, you know? We’ve got the Authority of Tristitia. With that, we could Compress their cooldown time or something…]

Petra: […Compressing the time that they’re fainted, so they can suddenly get back up?]

“Subaru”: [Yeah! It’s never been done before, but wouldn’t it be amazing if we did it?]

As Subaru snapped his fingers and proposed his idea, Petra’s breath caught slightly.

In truth, she could imagine that such a feat would be rather difficult. It was possible to use her Authority to Compress time for discussion or the interval it took to acquire a new skill, but it required a comparable amount of energy.

In a nutshell, if Petra were to Compress a single day for herself, it would consume a day’s worth of energy. For three days, it would be three days’ worth, for seven days, seven days’ worth, and so on. If it required a month, or even somewhere in the denomination of years, to recover a heart worn thin, then there would be no way to supply the energy necessary for Compression.

Compression was by no means omnipotent. ――But, even if that was the case,

Petra: [――Yeah, I think it would be really amazing. We might be able to do it.]

“Subaru”: [Right? That’s why, you’ve first gotta drill it into your head. Once you escape the loop, the first thing you need to do is get everybody back up on their feet. If you don’t, you’ll be overwhelmed in one fell swoop.]

As “Subaru” constructively planned for the events that would transpire upon the loop’s nullification, she nodded in agreement with him.

Then, looking back, she believed that Rom-jii had probably thought the same thing. Likely, even if it wore out his heart, the wise old giant had prioritized inscribing a message into the ground unconsciously; by accreting that motion over and over and over again, he had managed to lock in that action for when the loop had come to an end.

In that case, she ought to accept “Subaru’s” plan of deciding on the actions to take immediately after the loop concluded.

Only――,

Petra: […How many times did Rom-ojiisan need to reset to ingrain that into his body?]

Even with his mind worn thin, fallen into a state where he could not preserve even his sense of self, Rom-jii had successfully managed to scratch the ground right after his loop had ended. To memorize that action, engraving it into his soul so that he would be able to perform it even if his heart was shattered, just how much had he accreted?

Petra: [――――]

“Subaru”: [Petra, let’s do some testing. In the past, Beako devised a looping hallway that went on forever. If the rules are the same as that, then there’s gotta be a condition to end the loop.]

Petra swallowed hard, and “Subaru” informed her of their next course of action. Smiling back a “Yeah!” with a nod, Petra once again faced forward.

Felt: [Let’s get him, you bastards!!]

Everyone: [――YEAHHH!!]

Even during the conversation Petra and “Subaru” were having just now, the sequence of her fellow Aldebusters challenging Al, before toppling down before him, had been repeating.

In all honesty, as she had gleaned from his Book of the Dead, the way Subaru would cherish each and every loop, carefully storing the details of all the events within himself, was something she respected and thought of as cool; but, it would be difficult to pull off the same thing in this loop that exceeded not even a single minute.

“Subaru”: [I gotta say, even I think it’s unreasonable to expect you to properly mourn each time they all get taken out in a situation like this. But, there’s something you gotta make sure you remember.]

Petra: [The number of times it repeats?]

“Subaru”: [Well, that too, but for each of those times, Petra, you need to remember the anger you felt, the regret you felt, and the sorrow you felt. Remember that, no matter what.]

Petra: [――Mm, that’s right.]

In this world of repetitions, amidst the loop that only continued to go on and on and on, she was the only one who could carry these feelings forward, so just as “Subaru” said, she had to ensure that she remembered.

After she exited the loop, even if Al had no idea of what Petra and the rest had endured, she would never forgive him. No matter what, she would hammer into him exactly how much they had suffered.

With that vow in her heart, Petra nodded at “Subaru”, and faced to the fore.

Aldebaran: [It’s the stars. ――Your stars, were bad.]

Then, facing off squarely against the approaching Al――,

Aldebaran: [――Play ball.]

Petra: [――Play ball.]

“Subaru”: [――Play ball.]

Indeed, they bravely declared their intent to embark on this tour of hell.

△▼△▼△▼△

――God, Buddha, Od Lagna. For as long as I live, I hereby vow to never let anyone tie up my hair.

△▼△▼△▼△

――And so, her resolve having been steeled, Petra continued to wander the depths of hell into which she had plunged herself.

Petra: […What should I do?]

Grasping her knees, slamming her forehead against those knees, again and again, she questioned herself.

What should she do? What was it that she ought to do? How could she put an end to this loop?

Petra: [What’s the condition?]

There was a condition for this loop to terminate. ――That person had said as much to Petra.

And Petra was of the same opinion. It was standard practice for these types of situations, the kind where the same events would play out repeatedly without end, to have some sort of end condition that would serve as the trigger. A formula. A foregone conclusion. A rule, and since it was a rule it had to be kept. It just had to. Surely it was being kept. Because it was kept, there would certainly be a way to put an end to it. Yes, that’s all. This argument is over. Since it’s over, it’s time to think about the condition. The trigger to end it, what could it be?

Petra: [I tried all sorts of things, you know?]

Employing Compression to the fullest, she had surely attempted an array of methods much more vast than any ordinary person would have.

She had worked with her allies to defeat this man in the steel helmet, and when it was clear that taking him down was not a viable option, she had attempted to let everyone flee by means of Compression. Of course, Petra had also tried getting herself as far away as possible, tried deliberately letting herself get caught by the outstretched hand of the steel-helmed man at the end, and she had even tried leaping straight into the arm of the man in the steel helm on her own accord. It had all been for naught.

Considering the possibility that one of her allies might have possessed some method of breaking the deadlock, she had even tried discussing with each and every person, deeply probing all of their individual circumstances, laying bare their secrets, hearing all about their family situations, upbringings, and hometowns, and finally sharing the sorts of things that people would typically not even disclose to close friends of over ten years. It had all been useless.

Wondering if the correct answer was perhaps to approach the steel-helmed man, she had tried speaking to him, tried giving him the cold shoulder, tried winning and losing against him in a one-on-one fight with none of her allies, tried winning and losing against him in a fight without using Compression, tried running away, tried mocking him, tried lauding him, and had tried singing. It had all been meaningless.

Petra: [So then, what the hell should I even do!?]

She had done it all. She had, hadn’t she? She had done just about every last thing she could possibly think of, hadn’t she? Even though she did, had it not all been for naught? Even though she did, had it not all been useless? Even though she did, had it not all been meaningless?

Felt: [Let’s get him, you bastards!!]

Everyone: [――YEAHHH!!]

Petra: [SHUT UUUUP!!]

Even though they were unable to do anything at all, those spirited shouts pissed her off. If they weren’t going to help, the least they could do was to not get in the way of her thinking. Ahh, I’m just venting my anger on them. I hate this, I hate this, I hate myself. I don’t want to have these kinds of thoughts. What the hell’s that about, trying to act all goody-goody? This is the real me, isn’t it? Everyone there, I don’t even like them or anything of the sort. I just like the version of myself who seems so unprejudiced and tender and compassionate and big-hearted to be saying that I love all those people so so so so much, isn’t that right?

Petra: [SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP…!]

Right and left and up and down and front and back and past and future and present and today and tomorrow and yesterday and the day after tomorrow and the day before yesterday and last year and this year and next year and past life and current life and next life absolutely all of it everything everywhere all at once and all of everything just shut up.

Aldebaran: [――How many times has it been now?]

Shut up. Just die already. Or maybe, I should just kill you?

Aldebaran: [It continues.]

Thought so.

×　　×　　×

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

Back to the same place. Now wasn’t that a surprise? Sometimes he’ll even say something other than play ball.

During this loop, since all the others present here aren’t simply puppets, they’ll react if something is said to them, and they’ll respond accordingly if something is done to them. And that wasn’t just limited to them, it went for the man in the steel helmet too.

Maybe it was obvious, but it seemed the man helmed in steel could tell what she was going through.

Petra: [So what?]

Even if he knew, this world would end, and when the next one starts not even he as the instigator would follow her there.

Petra was always alone, constantly restarting in the same world without cease. Nobody could understand Petra’s struggle and suffering. She was all by herself, all by her lonesome. Completely alone. Was I completely alone?

Petra: [――Hk, Subaru! Subaru!? Where!? Where are you!?]

“Subaru”: [PETRA!]

The moment she remembered him, as if a flash of lightning, his figure suddenly appeared right before Petra’s eyes. Seeing that, Petra immediately knew that he was Subaru, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Everything had seemed to be on the verge of blurring and fading away, slipping from her grasp, but even so, it was not as if she had forgotten everything, nor had she been abandoned.

Petra: [Subahrhuu… hk!]

As tears immediately began to overflow and sully her disheveled face, she rushed over to him. She leapt towards him. He promptly held both of his arms out, and attempted to embrace Petra. ――He could not.

She passed right through him. Upon the desolate ground, she tumbled down without any attempt to catch her fall. It hurt. She fell flat on her face. Subaru―― no, “Subaru” did not catch Petra. Of course. It was always that way. After all, “Subaru’s” hands were always occupied with somebody else.

Petra: [In that case, don’t even bother reaching your hand out to me!!]

“Subaru”: [Petra…]

Petra: [Back then… back then, wouldn’t it have been better if you’d just left me there to die!? If in the village, if you had done nothing, if you had just left me to die to those Witchbeasts, wouldn’t it have been better…!?]

She knew. If Natsuki Subaru had not interfered, Petra would have died long ago.

Even though she had died, she was still alive. She had ended up living. Because she had ended up living, she was now going through such suffering, with such painful thoughts, and none of it would come to an end.

“Subaru”: [I’m sorry, Petra… I’m sorry! But please hang on! Don’t talk like that…]

Petra: [Hah, hahhh!? What’s that!? Even though I’m going through such a hard time, you’re scolding me!? Even though I’ve been hurting all this time, over and over and over again, crying like this… y-you’re s-s-scolding?? You’re scolding me? Hah, ahah, ahahah, JUST STOP IT ALREADY!!!!]

“Subaru”: [――――]

She exploded. She had done it. ――She had really gone and done it now.

There was “Subaru”, a look of sorrow and concern painted on his face, and Petra began wanting to vomit blood. Began wanting to gouge her own heart out. Began wanting to blow her own head off. Actually, why not?

Petra: [The most straightforward trigger, to end the loop…]

With those words, she formed a finger gun, and pressed her index finger against her temple. Concentrating Mana in that fingertip, a dim, white light began to illuminate.

Beholding this sight, “Subaru”, petrified, reached his hand out towards Petra. Even though he couldn’t touch her at all, see, it went right through.

“Subaru”: [Petra, wait! Don’t be so hasty! I get it, I really do, but please hold off on that sorta method! If the opponent’s aim is to make you do that, then…]

Petra: [Then, marry me already!!]

“Subaru”: [――Hk.]

Petra: [Make me your bride already! Become my Subaru already! Make me your number one! You saved me so marry me! Embrace me for the rest of my days! Claim my life for yourself already! If you do, then fine. But you won’t do that, now will you? In that case, my life is my own, isn’t it? If it’s my own life, then just let me use it as I please!]

Even she herself did not understand what she was trying to say.

Anyhow, everything was making her angry. Not a single thing was turning out how she wanted it to. She was angry at all the people who were not doing anything about the situation, and at the man in the steel helmet who had caused the situation. She hated it. Hated it, hate it. But I love Subaru. Hah. I don’t get it. He’s not doing anything for me, is he? But, he’s always been doing stuff for me, and even now he’s still trying his best to do something for me, isn’t he? He won’t marry me, though.

Petra: [What’s the deal with that, how stupid.]

“Subaru”: [Pet――]

Ah, I didn’t mean it that way, you know? I wasn’t saying that to Subaru, you know? I’m the one who’s stupid, after all.

Ah~hh, a head like this, I guess I don’t need it anymore. Bye bye.

With that thought, a white light shot out of the finger gun with a “bang”――,

×　　×　　×

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

――.

――――.

――――――――.

――――――――――――.

――――――――――――――――Right. Thought so.

Ahahahaha. Ahahahahahaha. Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

△▼△▼△▼△

――God, Buddha, Od Lagna. For as long as I live, I hereby vow to never hope for fortune’s favor.

△▼△▼△▼△

――The Witch of Tristitia, Petra Leyte, had confronted the battle with an unshakable resolve.

The Witch Factor she had received from Clind, and the possibilities of the Authority of Tristitia it invoked, were so extraordinary that it made her believe no power in this world could match this Authority’s efficacy in rigging the game in one’s favor.

So naturally, in order to wield such power, worthy compensation was required. ――As the saying went, with great power comes great responsibility. Maybe it was a bit different.

Either way, since she was deliberately taking on those enormous drawbacks, she had to make sure that the benefits would play their part to the fullest. If she could not manage that much, then Petra, having resolved to keep lying even to her loved ones, would never find peace.

Petra: [I’m glad Frederica-neesama isn’t here.]

If Frederica had joined the Aldebusters, Petra was not sure if she would have been able to keep up the lie. Rather than it being a matter of Frederica’s insight, Petra was simply weak to Frederica.

In Frederica’s presence, Petra’s heart lay bare; she owed her too much love and respect to be able to hide anything. Surely, she would have ended up pouring out everything she felt in her heart, crying, depending, and clinging onto Frederica.

If it were just a matter of keeping things hidden, the same thing could have been said about Ram and Otto when they were in top shape. Only, Ram was in a merry mood thanks to the restoration of Rem, and Otto without his Memories could not fully exhibit his natural insight, so neither of them had noticed Petra’s lie.

Petra: [I wonder exactly how much Clind-niisama knew about, and still chose to overlook?]

Age unknown and motives unclear, yet still believed to be an ally at the very least, it would not have been strange if Clind had entirely seen through all of Petra’s intentions, but on the other hand, perhaps it would not have been so strange for him to be completely blind to the subtleties of the human heart, given how close he was with Roswaal.

Either way, right at the beginning of all this, Clind knew that Petra had made an enormous sacrifice.

His position was thus one in which either outcome was conceivable: that she would offer up nothing else, having already paid such a huge price, or that she would easily offer up more, having already paid once.

In that case, it worked best for Petra to interpret it as a silent push of encouragement for her resolve.

Regardless of Clind’s true intentions, Petra had already rolled the dice.

Petra: [By now, how many have I done…?]

To never imbibe. To never pen a missive. To never clutch a stuffed toy. To never put needle to thread. To never sing. To never play with children. To never visit places of fond memories. To never hold beautiful flowers. To never partake of her favourite food. To never return to her hometown. To never shed a tear in the company of others. To never wipe the tears of another. To never speak of fond reminiscences. To never retell her favourite stories. To never call others by terms of endearment. To never invite another into her home. To never nurse the deathbed of another. To never hold the hand of another. To never desire reconciliation with another. To never display weakness to another. To never watch the morning sun in the company of another. To never be picky about anything. To never cry for another. To never wish upon the stars. To never rendezvous with another. To never walk in the sunset with another. To never tread upon the shadow of one who walks beside her. To never speak of her dreams to another. To never partake in celebrations. To never bestow a gift upon another. To never wave at anyone. To never pray before going to sleep. To never comfort the wounds of another. To never find joy in a clear sky. To never lament a rainy day. To never gaze upon a rainbow in the company of another. To never cherish silence. To never divulge this important secret. To never wish for kindness. To never see off another’s departure. To never accept charity. To never speak of her failures. To never let anyone tie up her hair. To never hope for fortune’s favor. ――There were a lot.

There would be no end to it if she began to count everything she had offered as compensation, and it could even be said that Petra had a very bleak life ahead of her.

Petra: [Even so, this is still quite a bit better than it could be.]

The trick to telling a good lie was to mix in a grain of the truth. ――That was a well-known maxim, and Petra’s lie had ended up taking on a similar nuance.

――The price for the Authority of Tristitia was being paid not just by its holder, Petra, but also by a great number of other people.

This was the condition Petra had proposed to gain everyone’s consent for her to take on the Witch Factor; however, this method could only compensate for Compressions focused on the Authority’s effective target.

If Emilia desired a Compression to move herself, it was possible for it to be invoked with compensation from Emilia, but if Petra thought Emilia was in danger and used Compression to move her, it would have been Petra who paid the compensation. ――This was something that only the holder could have been aware of.

Every little conference between the Aldebusters; when she tossed Al to the Agzadd Canyon together with Emilia and Rem; whenever she promptly withdrew her allies out of sticky situations; when she had Compressed everyone’s vehement pain into a single instant: Petra had been the one to pay the compensation for all of that.

She believed that the more precious a sacrifice was, the greater the capacity would be for the effects of the Authority of Tristitia.

Whenever it influenced the world, it also weakened Petra’s own ability to interfere with that world. If Petra were to ever simply offer up her entire life, the Witch Factor of Tristitia would likely bring about an even greater power.

Petra: [But, I won’t do that.]

Even if the Authority encroached on Petra Leyte, making her sell off her life bit by bit, diminishing her hopes for the future, and making her relinquish a great deal of happiness, Petra would never do anything like throwing her life away in despair or resorting to other such extreme options.

Petra: [That sort of thing, it’s uncool.]

She did not want to show him any part of herself that was uncool. She did not want to do anything that was uncool.

During her fight against the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, Roy Alphard, it was the same. ――So long as those feelings continued to sustain her, Petra would never compromise her sense of self.

After all, to the stars, Petra would, Petra Leyte would――,

△▼△▼△▼△

――God, Buddha, Od Lagna. For as long as I live, I hereby vow to never hold up the back of another.

△▼△▼△▼△

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

Why must I go through this sort of thing?

Did I do something bad? I’ve been a good girl, haven’t I? I tried to be a good girl, you know?

So why, and how, did things end up like this? Someone just explain it already.

???: [Let’s get him, you bastards!!]

???: [――YEAHHH!!]

What should I do? I’ve tried just about everything, you know? I’ve done it all countless times, you know?

I’ve tried every last thing that I could manage to come up with. I fought and won, you know? I fought and lost, you know? I fought and let him die, you know? I fought and died, you know? I died without fighting, you know? I ran away, you know? I shed tears, you know?

Aldebaran: [It’s the stars. ――Your stars, were bad.]

I tried dying so many times. I tried finishing him off so many times. I tried running away so many times.

I apologized to him so many times. I raged at him so many times. I cried to him so many times.

It was all so, so scary. It was all so, so painful. It was all so, so agonizing.

Aldebaran: [――Play ball.]

Thought so. It never ends, does it? He won’t let it end, will he? Even now, in this moment as he listens to my weeping, he refuses to show me any concern, and he’ll just end up forgetting after ten seconds anyway. Mm-mm, it’s not that he’ll forget. He’ll just cease to know. He’ll leave me behind. He’ll leave me, and only me, behind.

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

I’m sick and tired of it. I hate everyone. I hate them, I hate them, I absolutely loathe them.

Why won’t they try to help me? Even though I’m crying out as hard as I can like this, why won’t they?

It never ends. It won’t end. He won’t let it end. And he won’t let me end it. Even now, I’m still…

???: [Let’s get him, you bastards!!]

???: [――YEAHHH!!]

Even if I weep, even if I scream, even if I clamor, even if I curse, the same events will just endlessly repeat.

Amazing. I was mistaken. I was so conceited to think that I might be able to do something about this. My reliable… reliable? Even though they won’t do anything for me? Well, whatever. My reliable allies, just who were they again? That woman and the like, they’re all supposed to be amazing, so then why couldn’t they overcome this?

Aldebaran: [It’s the stars. ――Your stars, were bad.]

But here’s the thing, I know. I’ve known all along. After all, it can’t be helped. More and more and more and more, I’m becoming unable to think straight. I’m losing all interest in the things happening before my eyes. That’s not it. It’s not that I’m losing interest, I’m just trying to distance myself from it all. I even know the reason why.

Aldebaran: [――Play ball.]

After all, I don’t want to hate everyone or anything like that. But, whenever I think about everyone else, I just end up hating them all for not doing anything for me. So, I’ll stop. I won’t think. To make sure that I don’t end up hating them, I’ll stop thinking. I just won’t think about anyone. I don’t care about those people at all. Ah, that’s wrong. Sorry sorry, that’s a big fat lie, I love them all. Yes, loooove them.

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

Well, it can’t be helped, can it? I’m still a child after all. I can’t just grow up and become an adult all of a sudden. If I just stay here forever like this, repeating the same moment again and again, will I eventually become a grown up? Well, sorry to say, but I won’t. After all, it’s just the same moment in time that’s repeating. No matter how hard I try, it’s always the same. If it’s always the same no matter how hard I try, wouldn’t it be fine to just stop trying?

???: [Let’s get him, you bastards!!]

???: [――YEAHHH!!]

Yes, that’s right, trying my best had been meaningless. It was always the same. Haah, trying my hardest was all for nothing. Let’s just stop thinking about such difficult things. Haah, trying my hardest was all for nothing. It was all completely meaningless. I’ve been doing things for no reason this whole time. Right. That’s right. Thought so.

Aldebaran: [It’s the stars. ――Your stars, were bad.]

I tried my hardest from the start, so it can’t be helped, can it? Even if I try my best, it’s not like I can become king. It’s not like I’ll be cherished. It’s not even like I could get married to that person. So, it can’t be helped anymore. It simply can’t be helped.

Aldebaran: [――Play ball.]

It can’t be helped, so, let’s just end it already.

???: [――There’s nothing, that can’t be helped.]

Why?

???: [Giving up isn’t easy, is it…? But, it can be easy.]

Why? What for?

???: [When your heart folds, or even when you die, those are nothing but scratches.]

Why? What for? You’re really still saying all that?

???: [That’s why…]

Why? What for? You’re really still saying all that? What then?

???: [That’s why――]

Why? What for? You’re really still saying all that? What then? Then――?

???: [――We… can still do this. It’ll be a piece of cake.]

――.

――――.

――――――――.

――――――――――――.

――――――――――――――――Really, he is such a bad liar.

Thought so.

△▼△▼△▼△

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

――God, Buddha, Od Lagna. For as long as I live, I hereby vow to never bend the knee.

――God, Buddha, Od Lagna. For as long as I live, I hereby vow to never regret my choices.

――God, Buddha, Od Lagna. For as long as I live, I hereby vow to never cry bitter tears.

――God, Buddha, Od Lagna. For as long as I live, I hereby vow to never forget that which I have loved.

△▼△▼△▼△

――Petra Leyte was a country girl born in Arlam Village, a village in the Kingdom of Lugunica.

The “original” Petra was not a girl who would have ever participated in a battle to decide the fate of the world.

As a mere village girl, she would have either lived a somewhat good life with her cuteness and shrewd nature, or been engulfed in one of the world’s great billows, ruthlessly scattering her life to the waves. That was all she had been.

But, straying off the “original” route, and getting to know her current self, Petra had a thought.

Petra: [Even if I could redo my life over and over, I’d still choose to stray from the “original”.]

Yes, that was right. Straying from the “original”, Petra would always end up arriving here.

And so, Petra wished to say this. To you, the one who saved me, and steered me off my “original” path.

And, to you, the one who’s trying your best to lead me by the hand with those lousy lies and anguished expression; I have this to say:

Petra: [――It’s thanks to the stars, that I can be here today.]

“Subaru”: [――――]

Aldebaran: [――――]

With those words, Petra wiped her lips with the back of her hand, leaving both Al and “Subaru” at a complete loss for words.

Setting Al aside, she knew the reason for “Subaru’s” speechlessness. He must have thought that his own lousy lie and attempts at encouragement had gotten Petra so depressed that she would have not even been able to speak.

Certainly, it had been a lousy lie. The trick to a good lie was to mix in at least a little bit of the truth, she had even just mentioned it; this lie, however, had failed to mix in any fragment of the truth whatsoever, truly a lousy lie of the highest degree.

Petra: [But, I don’t want to let the person I love become a liar, after all.]

And so, she got back on her feet through her own efforts. He could rely on neither comfort nor encouragement, so he had kept watching over her with such worry, trying to pat her head and support her back, though he knew he could not touch her; and seeing his admirable, desperate appearance, she finally thought to herself that there was no helping it. Falling in love was her weakness.

Petra: [The person I love, isn’t a liar.]

After all, she had stood up like this. Petra had stood, so Subaru was not a liar.

The repeating world had been an agony. Revitalizing a heart that had come so close to dying was no easy feat. In fact, it was the most difficult thing she had ever done in her entire life up to this point. But, she stood. She had gotten back up. Because right by her side, there was a person who always believed in the weak, pathetic, and clumsy Petra.

Petra: [There’s not a single thing bad about my stars.]

Amazing. The fact that I have to try my hardest no matter what, is tough. Even though I’m usually pretty clever, even though I can usually succeed at anything right away, living up to this person’s expectations, is really tough. But, even when she found herself in a hell so terrible that it would have crushed the hearts of anyone else and left them unable to stand, a hell that made her go through the same moment however many hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of times, this person continued believing in her for no good reason whatsoever, saying “Petra won’t lose!”, so she had no choice but to push forward.

If Natsuki Subaru believed that Petra Leyte was a girl so tough that her heart would not break even after looping tens of thousands of times, then, she would make it so.

Petra: [You see, isekai girls need to at least be able to make miracles happen on their own, or else they won’t be able to get by.]

After all, if she had never strayed off the “original” rails of fate, she would have never even met the person she now adored from the bottom of her heart.

Petra: [――Al-san, no matter how many times this repeats, I think it’s pointless.]

Having interrupted his signature phrase about blaming the stars or whatever, Petra declared thus toward the silent Al.

This was no bluff or brave front, but rather Petra’s true beliefs―― even if this interval repeated far beyond the realm of tens of thousands of times, and entered the realm of billions or even trillions, it would not be able to wear Petra down.

After all, a girl’s love was infinite―― it was no fairy-tale solution like that either.

Petra: [This is a loop that repeats until your enemy’s heart is fully expended, right, Al-san?]

Even when she triumphed against Al, even when she killed him, even when she sent him far, far away, it did not end.

Even when she was defeated by Al, even when she was caught by him, even when she ran far, far away, it did not end.

Even when she killed herself, even when she was killed, even when she tried to abandon everything in despair, it did not end.

Simply put, even though it had repeated over ten thousand times, it did not end.

Petra: [But you know, the point that it’s cut off ought to be decided by you, right, Al-san?]

The way to put an end to an endless loop; she could not imagine it being anything other than Al undoing the Territory.

The loop was likely nothing so convenient that it would end on its own once the target’s heart was shattered. The timing to end it would always need to be consciously executed by the Al inside the loop.

Ultimately, if she got Al to throw in the towel, then this loop could have been ended on the very first go around without even needing to reach ten thousand tries. ――All that was needed was to make the cautious and cowardly Al of the initial loop decide to do so.

Petra: [So, I’d like for you to cut it off here. Other than me, everyone else has already collapsed, so your fruits of battle should be sufficient, Al-san. Even if you continue this, it’ll just be meaningless.]

Let it be said once more: this was no bluff or brave front from Petra.

Even if this loop repeated for the rest of eternity, Petra’s heart would not break.

After all, Petra had made her choice.

Petra: [You see, I’m no longer able to give up, I can’t have regrets either, nor can I cry tears of frustration, and I’ll never be able to forget all the people who I love so much. ――That’s the sort of Witch I’ve become.]

――After all, Petra Leyte had chosen to become the Witch of Tristitia.

Witch of Tristitia: [Hey, Al-san. ――How many more times are we going to have this conversation?]

Indeed, at the Witch of Tristitia’s question, a faint hum rumbled in Al’s throat.

It was apparent that his eyes, hidden under the veil of steel helm, had begun to smolder with emotions of dusky black upon discovering something inscrutable deep within the Witch of Tristitia’s own round eyes. By some chance, perhaps that might have been related to an unfading scar rooted in the very depths of Al’s heart.

Perhaps, in some time long past, he had peered deep into the eyes of a Witch, only to be wounded in the process.

On that trauma, she would――,

Witch of Tristitia: [――Compress Agony.]

Compressing the trauma Al carried, she forced it into him.

Boiling his brain, reversing the flow of his blood, then peeling the scabs off all his unhealed wounds of joy, lamentation, happiness, and sorrow, she rubbed it in: not salt, but trauma.

A stimulus of trauma so potent that he would go on to shed tears several dozens, hundreds, and thousands of times whenever he recalled it in his life here to come, in that instant, she made him taste it with a concentration of a thousandfold.

Aldebaran: [――Ah.]

That moment, with the dread he harbored towards the Witch of Tristitia, and the Compression of his stimulated trauma, Al reacted not with his body, but with his soul, reaching out for the relief most familiar and accessible to him.

That was to say――,

Witch of Tristitia: [――Game set!]

――The way to put an end to an endless loop, was to force the start of the next loop.

Arriving at that conviction, the Witch of Tristitia entwined her hand with the intangible hand of her beloved, smiling as their fingers overlapped.

Witch of Tristitia: [How uncool. ――If it was Subaru, he would have put up a brave front and said that a fractured heart’s nothing but a scratch.]

“Subaru”: [You, are just way too cool, Petra.]

With a sense of powerlessness, yet brimming with pride, her beloved spoke those words to her.

As those words filled the Witch of Tristitia’s heart, she continued to face forward.

――Now then, this was it, the final showdown.

Her wounded heart, the weakness that had made her wish to end it all, and the tears she had shed in regret; because she had offered all of those as compensation―― the Witch of Tristitia would not relent until victory was secured in the form she desired.

△▼△▼△▼△

――Undoing the Territory, and tying it up anew, he reconstructed his Matrix.

That was an admission of certain defeat for the imposition of the Territory that ought to have guaranteed a certain victory.

But, it could not be helped. There was a precedent. The Territory could not kill a Witch put in the position of Aggressor.

Of course, the term “kill” was not being used literally here, as the target was purely restricted to the heart, but――,

Aldebaran: [――――]

Having boldly proclaimed that she could endure Territory, was Petra―― no, he could no longer merely call her Petra. Without any exaggeration, she had undergone a complete transformation.

Aldebaran: [――The Witch of Tristitia.]

In the past, the one who had broken through Aldebaran’s Aggressor of the Territory, was the Witch of Greed.

Thinking back, regardless of whether it was the Victim or the Aggressor who took initiative over the Territory, a bad omen always lingered over Aldebaran’s Authority as a trace of his defeat in his first battle.

Regardless, even now that the Territory had been brushed off, Aldebaran still held the advantage in this battle.

Aldebaran: [――Hk.]

Aside from the Witch of Tristitia, the Aldebusters who heralded the subjugation of Aldebaran had been wiped out; unfortunately for them, the abrasions to the heart that came with using the Territory were absolute. It was not as though Aldebaran had decided to impose the Territory on them with a resolve so tepid as to allow them to escape it by acting or playing dead.

That was precisely why he would have been severing one or two of the target’s limbs as verification before he decided to transfer the Territory onto the next target. Since that continuity did not exist within himself, he had no way of knowing exactly how he had ascertained that, but if his current self could think of it, then the him inside the loop would have also drawn the same idea.

Hence, he could say it with certainty. ――Aside from the Witch of Tristitia, nobody would be able to stand.

Aldebaran: [But, that’s something she’d also be aware of.]

If she had stood up, then her other allies would also get back up; Aldebaran could not afford to underestimate the Witch of Tristitia standing before him as one who would commence action on such a naive assumption.

In that case, there had to be something. The Witch of Tristitia had a plan to still turn the tables on him.

――The girl, boasting of how the stars had allowed her to be here today even when transformed into a Witch, had a trump card.

Aldebaran: [――――]

With the Territory undone, Aldebaran and the Witch of Tristitia were in a momentary state of release, and while there was a distance of five meters between them, it was tantamount to nothing given the opponent’s Authority―― or rather, with an Authority like Compression, there was no peace of mind to be found at any distance whatsoever.

But, it was an Authority.

She was undoubtedly bound to make a move, playing the card in her hand known as the Authority of Tristitia.

Naturally, the most likely possibility, given the effect of her Authority, was to summon others forth using Compression.

The probable candidates were――,

Aldebaran: [――Lil’ Miss Rem, and Lil’ Miss Meili? Or maybe, her Margrave master?]

When he considered the potential personnel whom the Witch of Tristitia could assemble, and were not present here, the first ones to come to mind were those three. Rem ought to have been clashing against the highly admirable Yae, but since he had not glimpsed any discomposure in Ram, there was no taste of defeat that had been transmitted via their Synesthesia. It was difficult to imagine that Yae had been defeated, but he had now reached a stage where he had no choice but to consider it.

Meili was accompanied by numerous Witchbeasts, and Roswaal possessed monster-tier firepower that he had even let loose back in the Empire, so Aldebaran believed they were both highly possible.

But, none of them would provide anything more than being strong and formidable.

The fact that Aldebaran could not be driven into a corner with mere numbers or strength had been made very apparent up to this point. If that had been her aim, it could only be described as short-sighted――,

Aldebaran: [No――]

It was not any one of them, Aldebaran could intuit as much from the Witch of Tristitia’s eyes.

From the outset, this opponent had been Compressing her thought processes, giving her the ability to deduce conclusions while completely dismissing the concept of time. Any idea that Aldebaran devised and discarded, would have long been abandoned by the Witch of Tristitia during her preliminary review. ――In other words, it was something different.

He would need to alter his way of thinking at its very core in order to catch up.

If the Witch of Tristitia were to call someone here, it would be an entity capable of breaking this deadlock――,

Aldebaran: [――Don’t tell me!]

Gritting his teeth, his eyes widened. And in that moment, as if having waited to ascertain that spark in Aldebaran’s synapses, the Witch of Tristitia raised her hand overhead, and brought it down. ――Instantly, Compression took place.

Thereupon, the one who appeared between Aldebaran and the Witch of Tristitia, it was.

???: [――Wow. This is way more carnage than we thought~.]

――Clasped in handcuffs, his mobility constrained, it was Roy Alphard of Gluttony.

△▼△▼△▼△

The moment he saw Roy dropped there, Aldebaran was convinced of his opponent’s intentions.

He had estimated the probability of Roy not being dead to be around eighty percent.

To begin with, if they were attempting to save the victims of Gluttony, Roy’s survival was indispensable. With Rem’s Name having actually been regurgitated, the Aldebusters ought to have been all the more convinced of that fact.

Regardless of how they would get him to cooperate, they would have realized that no negotiations could take place if they took his life. ――The remaining twenty percent chance of him dying stemmed from two possibilities: the prospect of a situation in which they could not devise a solution in which they could let him live; and the worry of Roy tending to instigate far too excessively, angering his opponents to the point where being killed would have been unavoidable.

Either way, Roy’s survival was fortuitous―― but, his opponent’s aim was a problem.

Rather than counterintuitively acting to serve the interests of her enemy, the Witch of Tristitia would have naturally had a reason to go out of her way to summon Roy here. She would have had an objective. She would have had a secret agreement or something akin for Roy to work to her advantage.

And so, having made an inconceivable comeback after having read the Book of the Dead, she would have pieced together from Natsuki Subaru’s knowledge the reason as to why the Witch of Envy had taken action. If she could figure that out, then there was a chain of possible actions she would have unlocked.

That was――,

Aldebaran: [――Getting Reinhard!]

Supposing the Witch of Tristitia had colluded with Roy to have him use his Authority, if it was the Witch of Tristitia who had shattered her own heart to the point where even the Territory had no effect on her, it would not have been strange for her to opt for the ultimate self-sacrifice in order to recover Natsuki Subaru.

That was an idea Aldebaran himself had also come to, the world’s salvation via the Authority of Gluttony―― to take an individual who had read Natsuki Subaru’s Book of the Dead, and strip them of those Memories.

Then, the Witch of Envy would withdraw, and the deterring force of the world, who had been stuck keeping her at bay, would come.

The Sword Saint, whom he had successfully surmounted through numerous attempts and traps, would come.

――If the Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea, were to arrive here, that would be the end.

His plan would come crumbling down. Hence, Aldebaran poured the entirety of his soul into preventing that outcome.

To Roy Alphard of Gluttony, summoned to the scene via the Authority of Tristitia, he would――,

Aldebaran: [――You’re forbidden from devouring Memories! You’ll be scorched by the curse mark!]

Once again, he tightened the conditions that had previously been slackened.

Being the one who had applied the curse mark, the repeated modifications to the conditions also caused serious damage to Aldebaran’s soul, and he could feel his Od fissuring deep within his body. That was not a feeling of pain, but rather, a profound sense of loss; the sensation of one’s very core being undermined, something that Natsuki Subaru was also said to have experienced.

But with this, he averted the crisis of Roy eating the Witch of Tristitia’s Memories.

So long as the Witch of Envy did not withdraw, the Sword Saint would be hindered from――,

Witch of Tristitia: [――Al-san.]

Reaching this place; in that moment, as he subconsciously clenched his fist, before he could even finish that thought, it occurred.

The Witch of Tristitia had called to Aldebaran. Her plans derailed, he thought she surely ought to have been making a bitter face, and certainly, a painful expression adorned her countenance.

But, that was not a visage lamenting her own future. ――It was one that looked at him in pity.

Aldebaran: [What are――]

As a shudder ran down his body, Aldebaran contemplated the meaning of the Witch of Tristitia’s expression.

But, that had been a mistake. Thinking had been a mistake. Rather than thinking, he ought to have killed himself immediately. If he died now, then no matter what it was, he would have still managed to make it through somehow.

But once again, when it mattered most for Aldebaran, die he could not.

Just like when he had failed to keep the sun of this world from setting, once again, he could not.

Witch of Tristitia: [――Play ball.]

It transpired in that moment, as the Witch of Tristitia spoke the line that Aldebaran had intended to say, but had failed to get the chance.

――The natural enemy of Aldebaran, was now standing right behind him.

△▼△▼△▼△

Petra: [――I think I might know Al-san’s weak point.]

Before the Aldebusters had officially formed, during the strategy meeting held to approach the defeat of the Al Troupe, that was a realization that Petra, who would go on to become the Witch of Tristitia, had come to.

When she learned from Rom-jii’s testimony that Al’s Authority was a looping ability similar to Natsuki Subaru’s own Return by Death, Petra had reasoned that if its activation condition was also the same as Subaru’s, then there ought to be a way to thwart it.

But then again, it was not as though she could tell for certain at that point.

As for whether or not the method would be viable, there was a need to verify it with the person in question, but aside from a one-sided acquaintance through the Book of the Dead, Petra had essentially zero points of contact with her―― no, with him.

But, thinking that it might be possible, she had gotten in contact with him before the Aldebusters commenced their operation, and had promised that she would only call him to the pitching mound as the ultimate trump card when they had truly pushed Al to the absolute limit.

Thus――,

Witch of Tristitia: [――Play ball.]

While getting revenge with the declaration that had been spoken to her over and over again, the Witch of Tristitia looked at Al, lying beyond Roy Alphard, who she had situated between them as a decoy.

Alas, Al had acted exactly as the Witch of Tristitia had intended, in exact accordance with her wishes.

She imagined that if he saw Roy, he would presume that she was aiming to have him employ his Authority. ――This was Roy, who had cut a secret deal with Felt, harboring a rebellious spirit against Al. If he had come by the opportunity to learn of that fact amidst his “Turning Back Time”, then she predicted that he would foster doubt towards Roy’s intentions.

Sure enough, Al had acted just as she hoped, choosing to seal off Roy’s betrayal.

The fact that, at the same time as Roy, the Witch of Tristitia’s trump card had appeared right behind him, would have likely completely transcended the realm of his consideration. He had likely failed to even imagine that this person might have been here.

The sixty-one Aldebusters who had fought in this battle represented the total strength that the Emilia Camp and Felt Camp had managed to assemble; there was no falsehood in those words. ――Indeed, that was the total number of participants from the Emilia Camp and Felt Camp.

Hence――,

???: [You’re completely worn out, aren’t you nyow? ――Let’s heal it for you, kay?]

Even if one scoured the entire world, they would never find any greater healer―― that instant, the highest tier of healing magic belonging to the Blue, Ferris, wrested Death out from Al’s grasp.

△▼△▼△▼△

――The Blue, Felix Argyle. Better known as Ferris.

The one and only Knight of Royal Candidate Crusch Karsten, and the greatest practitioner of healing magic in the Kingdom―― nay, the greatest in the world. Thus, he was the last of Aldebaran’s three natural enemies.

He was the final barrier whom Aldebaran could not afford to encounter, having already set aside Natsuki Subaru and the Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea, for the sake of his plan.

And so, upon Aldebaran, he applied magic that was tender and merciful, yet undoubtedly cruel.

Aldebaran: [Ah, GAHHHHHHH――!!]

The moment all of the hairs on his body stood on edge, Aldebaran resolutely spun around, and, shoving the person who stood behind him―― Ferris, to the ground, he undid the package of poison within his mouth.

Instantly dissolving on the membranes of his tongue, it elicited a tremendous threat to Aldebaran’s facilities of life, and would deliver him unto death in a mere few seconds―― no longer. The tissue that ought to have been crumbling apart was thoroughly restored, and even the nosebleed that had begun to gush forth beneath his helmet had ceased within a single second.

Aldebaran: [FUCK――]

On account of this, he created an impromptu stone dao and, placing it against his own neck, he slashed with all his strength.

Having severed a thick artery, blood gushed out with terrific force, and with that, Aldebaran’s life was―― under no threat whatsoever. The wound healed instantly, and he felt no more pain than about the prick of a needle.

Aldebaran: [FUCK, FUCK, FUUUCK…!]

He had been played. As far as he knew, this was the most terrifying, most effective way to seal Aldebaran.

The method to seal Return by Death was nothing special. ――It was simply to prevent them from dying. That was all it took.

The very means by which to “kill” Aldebaran and Natsuki Subaru, lay in the gentlest hands this world had ever seen.

Witch of Tristitia: [This is the end, Al-san.]

Indeed, the Witch of Tristitia calmly apprised Aldebaran as he lost his composure in such an unseemly manner.

He could not die. He could not redo. Seeing Ferris on the ground beside him, he considered dispelling the healing magic, but――,

Ferris: [It’s nyot happening. Or do you really wanna try having a pointless contest of endurance with Ferri-chan?]

Ferris, whose expression did not budge even with sword thrust before him, was likewise an individual who had steeled his resolve to take on this challenge.

If Ferris was applying the same healing magic upon himself that he was currently using on Aldebaran, then no matter how he struggled, he had no chance of dispelling Ferris’s magic here.

In other words, right here and now, Aldebaran needed to decide on what to――,

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

Aldebaran: [――――]

Once again, he heard the Witch’s voice. ――Just then, it happened.

A ruinous shockwave was birthed from afar, and with terrific vigor, it swallowed Aldebaran, the Witch of Tristitia, and all others present at this final stage in one momentous swoop.

△▼△▼△▼△

――That assist was by no means something the Divine Dragon had intended to bring about.

With the battlefield having shifted, a clash against the rightful owner of the dragonhusk unfolded, and upon the perforation of its dragonhalo by the hyper magic of miracles manifested by the two magicians, the Divine Dragon had made a momentous choice.

Rather than pursuing its own immediate victory in that moment, it had opted instead to prioritize the purpose, the wish, and the long-cherished desire it had set out to fulfill together with its original self.

Divine Dragon: [――――HAAHRAAN!!]

The final breath unleashed by the Dragon aimed for neither the dragonkin nor the magicians, dashing straight towards a land far in the distance―― true to its aim, it landed a direct hit upon the ultimate destination that ought to be reached, the colossal hole that penetrated the land, said to be the deepest and darkest in all the world, tunneling down to its very bottom; the Grand Mogolade Geyser.

The cataclysmic devastation it had wrought, alongside the astonishment it had caused throughout the world, went beyond all description. Even upon this battlefield, it came surging forth as a great wave of earth.

Towards the battlefield of Aldebaran and the Witch of Tristitia, in the precise moment of their conclusion, the tremendous undulation surged forth.

Aldebaran: [――――]

Completely oblivious to those circumstances, Aldebaran was engulfed in a fierce torrent of water and plumes of dust billowing forth, widening his eyes at this arrival of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity―― in the truest sense of the phrase, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

There was no doubting that this was an opportunity beyond anything Aldebaran could have hoped for, his ultimate chance.

This was no scheme devised by the Witch of Tristitia, but rather a rare stroke of luck that had worked in his favor, something that ought to have seldom occurred in Aldebaran’s life―― a resource he ought to have fully expended when he had met Priscilla.

Aldebaran: [――Hk.]

His shock lasted for but a moment, yet as Aldebaran was buffeted by the wind and rain, he strained his eyes across the battlefield shrouded in fog, searching for that which he needed.

His target was neither the Witch of Tristitia, nor Ferris, nor the fallen Aldebusters.

Here on this battlefield, there existed the sole, final measure that Aldebaran could still take.

With Death obstructed, and all his allies lost, it was the final method by which Aldebaran could still fulfill the long-cherished desire he had strived towards alongside the Witch, someone who no longer existed anywhere but within himself.

That was――,

Aldebaran: [――Roy!! If you’re there, then come out! Come and… come and eat my Name!!]

Updating the conditions of the curse mark with reckless abandon, he once again tasted in the sensation of his Od fissuring under the enormous burden, and with the resolve to make his very soul spew forth blood, Aldebaran screamed.

To return this situation to zero, that was the one and only stratagem Aldebaran could still take with his Authority having been sealed.

By having his Name eaten, and vanishing from everyone’s memories, he would turn it all back around.

For that purpose, Aldebaran searched for the revolting form of Gluttony amidst the dense veil of dust, and screamed.

Aldebaran: [Eat me! My… my Name is――]

Christened Aldebaran, the one condemned to carry the fate of the Following Star.

By ridding the world of Natsuki Subaru, he would grant the Witch her wish long-prayed. Despite bearing such a destiny, he scorched with yearning for the sun, and as a result, he had lost everything, left as naught but a worthless wretch.

That person, his Name was――,

Aldebaran: [Rigel. ――Natsuki Rigel!!]

The foolish star who had betrayed the Witch’s expectations, and had plunged the sun into a neverending night; that was his Name.