Arc 9, Part 55: "The Perpetrator of the Territory"

—Aldebaran’s "Territory" was an Authority rooted in the Witch Factors.

However, Aldebaran was not a holder of a Witch Factor. The "Witch" had referred to this as an outlier or a special case, but Aldebaran felt that instead of such pretty words, it should be insisted upon as a "theft" or a "missing number."

As a phenomenon, there was precedent for it. For example, the "Witches of Sin," who had once synchronized with Witch Factors and obtained Authorities, retained those same powers even after death as mere souls. Regarding this, the "Witch" speculated that a Witch Factor was a key that opened a door to the right to interfere with the world; once that door was opened, it might remain open even if the key was lost.

In that case, while it explained the Witches of Sin, it didn't explain Aldebaran or the "Witch" herself. For that, she pushed a "succession theory." The idea was that a deep connection with a being synchronized with a Witch Factor might have caused the door to the right to interfere with the world—the Authority—to be open from birth. However—

"Just as it is difficult for a winged being to explain the sensation of moving wings to one without them, our Authorities, which are not retrofitted, are difficult to explain. It’s like the door has been halfway open since birth."

The "Witch" had said this with a smug look, likely because she thought it was a stroke of peak humor. Unfortunately, Aldebaran didn't find it funny at all, though he could agree with the content.

Certainly, if the door had been wide open, the ventilation would have been much better. Because the ventilation was poor, he had to peek through the half-open door or stick his hand inside. That was why he was sometimes blocked by the door, had his hand pinched, or met with unintended accidents.

Perhaps it would have been better if he could have resigned himself to not opening the door, like the "Witch." However, Aldebaran was too mediocre, too powerless for that. There was no chance for an Aldebaran who didn't open the door to fulfill the role expected of him by the "Witch." If that were the case, even if it was only halfway open, the option of not opening the door did not exist for him.

Consequently, Aldebaran’s Authority—the halfway-open door—contained many opaque elements. Combining his sense of use, empirical rules, and the "Witch’s" speculations, he understood about eighty percent of the overall picture. Even so, it didn't hinder the use of the Authority, and Aldebaran did not hesitate to use it. It might seem precarious, but it was the same as how one doesn't need to understand the inner workings of a cellphone to use it without risking their life. Though, since Aldebaran’s Authority was intimately connected to life, the circumstances might be a bit different from a cellphone.

Regardless, despite having lived with this Authority for over ten times his perceived lifespan, the "Territory" contained many black boxes. —The "bugs" that occurred occasionally were the prime example.

A "bug" in the Territory was a phenomenon where the possession of the initiative over the set matrix shifted from Aldebaran to another target placed within the same matrix. Normally, Aldebaran created the Territory of his own will, and only within that defined time and space was he permitted to make infinite attempts. During that time, Aldebaran always maintained his memories, conducting different verifications with each attempt to find a breakthrough—that was the standard. However, when a bug occurred due to some sort of "buttoning the shirt wrong," the right to redo the Territory was transferred to someone else within the matrix. That opponent would then continue to repeat the endless matrix until the Territory was dispelled.

Aldebaran suspected that this bug, which never manifested back when he was under the "Witch," was triggered by his defeat in his first battle and the subsequent loss of trust in his Authority. In fact, the bug always occurred when Aldebaran doubted his own Authority.

Long ago, on Gladiator Island, when he was forced into a deathmatch against a powerful foe he hadn't a one-in-ten-thousand chance of beating. Even after that, the bug occurred during his clash with Leip Barielle, when he wavered in his own standing, and in his fight with Yae, the assassin sent by Priscilla. And above all—

"—How interesting. I’ve never heard of someone entrusting the initiative of an Authority to their opponent."

It happened when he challenged the "Witch of Greed," who had welcomed him into the Dream Castle.

"It was quite a rare experience. I see, so that is the world you see. Certainly, if one had no idea of the cause behind the occurring phenomena, it would be a madness-inducing experience."

He had slashed at the transformed "Witch of Greed," demanding she return the "Witch" he knew. He launched attacks from every possible angle, and when his trial-and-error and ingenuity proved completely useless, the skepticism toward his Authority born within him manifested as a bug, as if to prove his doubt.

"Doubt toward the absolute nature of the Authority, the change arising from that... it is a power derived from weakness. A pity that it is an effect that does not work on beings already mired in madness. Like her, or like me."

To the bewildered Aldebaran, the "Witch of Greed" described the details of the hell she had tasted. It was certainly the world of the "Territory" that Aldebaran knew, yet at the same time, it was decisively different. He couldn't understand how the "Witch of Greed" had endured it. Was it, as she said, because she was already not sane?

"When you exercise your Authority, in most cases, you are the weak one. You cling to the 'Territory' to find a microscopic chance of victory, to pry it open, and finally seize it. You are, so to speak, the victim. And if the opponent who forces the 'Territory' upon you is the perpetrator, then this is an exchange of initiative between the victim and the perpetrator."

As he watched the "Witch of Greed" joyfully expose the true nature of that hell, Aldebaran felt the blood in his body turn cold, realizing that it was a nightmare of his own making. Turning the Dream Castle into a nightmare, the bug in the Territory—it was all caused by Aldebaran’s weakness. It was a punishment born from the unforgivable sin of being weak.

"The plan is still alive. The first objective was thwarted, but the second objective is still intact. Just to achieve the meager best... that is why both you and I are here like this now. Isn't it?"

That cross of sin—a cross so heavy he felt he would throw it down, unable to bear it alone—the "Witch of Greed" offered to drag it along with him, smiling as she did. At that smile—one he wanted to see but didn't want to see—Aldebaran made his resolve.

"I will... I will definitely kill you."

—Even the bug in the Territory, even the power derived from his own weakness, even the brand of his own defeat... he would use it all to fulfill his role as the "Follower Star."

"—Why does love decrease, I wonder?"

He did not know the answer to the "Witch of Greed’s" whispered murmur. He had lost the "Witch" who craved love, he had lost the "Sun Princess" he loved, and even now, he still didn't know.

—And he didn't want to know.

△▼△▼△▼△

His thoughts were accelerating. Likely due to the Authority possessed by Petra, Aldebaran’s mind was being filled to the brim, unable to prioritize the miscellaneous thoughts overflowing without end. "—Dammit." It was a terrifying Authority. Unlike Divine Protections, which varied in performance, most Authorities activated powers that were outside the norm and off the charts. Petra’s "Compression" was no exception. The effectiveness of an Authority often depended on the mental flexibility of the Witch Factor holder, and in that regard, her adaptability was too high. Either possessing an unusually strong conviction or a flexibility derived from weakness—the talent to draw out the powerful strength of a Witch Factor was heavily related to that kind of mentality. One could say the Witches of Sin and the Archbishops were the former, while Aldebaran and Petra were the latter. And whether they were a Protector, a Witch Factor compatible, or even someone with no abilities at all, the type of person Aldebaran always found most formidable was the latter.

In fact, the attacks on Aldebaran while his thoughts were under "Compression" were perfectly effective, just as the opponent intended. For Aldebaran, who wanted to avoid mental exhaustion, it was a move full of spite that shaved away his remaining strength. Aldebaran, too, was on the side of the weak if his Authority was disregarded. In a battle where split-second decisions were required, he understood well the utility of a power that allowed one to always seek the best move. But normally, no matter how much one struggles, one cannot ensure perfection in the heat of battle. Therefore, it becomes necessary to make a decision somewhere, cut off thought, and move to action. Petra’s "Compression" forced him to fill the margins of thought that he should have discarded, forcing him to consume more than double the energy to reach the same conclusion.

Consequently, in exchange for a massive waste of mental power, Aldebaran continued to produce optimal actions and extreme answers—like threading a needle in a storm—against the highly motivated "Aldebusters." And in the midst of that exhaustion—

"—Old Man Rom!!"

Just as he slipped through the offense and defense of the "Aldebusters," he heard a voice like a scream. Felt, who had uttered it, widened her eyes as she looked at the elderly giant collapsing in the distance. In an instant, not just Felt, but the other members of the "Aldebusters" were shaken to their core. Without knowing what had happened, Valga Cromwell had fallen.

"————"

Naturally, even if they didn't know the method, there was only one candidate for who had done it. As a result, except for those who rushed to the fallen Valga, all other hostility concentrated on Aldebaran. Exposed to that hostility, behind the helmet invisible to the "Aldebusters," Aldebaran’s eyes were wide with the same shock as theirs.

"—He became the 'Perpetrator of the Territory'."

He hadn't triggered it on purpose. But he knew what had happened because of him. The bug in the Territory had activated, and Valga, one of the perpetrators, had been given the initiative. And the old giant had likely repeated a single, brief moment enough times to crush his heart.

"Tch."

Aldebaran did not welcome the arrival of this chance—one that could be called a desperate, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As mentioned before, the occurrence of the bug was unrelated to Aldebaran’s will—at least, it wasn't something he activated actively. And Aldebaran could not rejoice in the activation of the bug. Because in many cases, the bug destroyed the hearts of those it ensnared.

"Whether it was on Gladiator Island, or Old Man Leip, or that Yae girl..."

Those who had faced Aldebaran, been swallowed by the bug in the Territory, and pulled into a loop of "death" they couldn't escape, had all suffered mental abnormalities across the board. The gladiators whose hearts were broken had their heads taken by Aldebaran; Leip Barielle, who lost his sanity, forgot his long-standing ambitions; and Yae Tenszen, who succumbed to terror, became a loyal servant. The bug in the Territory, which twisted the very state of one's heart, brought about an ending that was almost synonymous with "death" for Aldebaran, who had imposed a condition of non-killing on the execution of his plan.

Therefore, Aldebaran could not rejoice in this conclusion. —Really?

『—No one can defeat the "you" that I created.』

He heard the voice, the expectation, the ideal of the "Witch" he had once betrayed. Because he had feared, guarded against, and loathed the opponent’s tenacity, their strategy, their unity, and the one-in-a-million, one-in-a-billion, one-in-a-trillion chance, the "Territory" met the conditions for the bug to occur. —In other words, it was because Aldebaran had doubted the Authority, himself, and the "Witch."

『—No one can defeat the "you" that I created.』

He heard the "Witch’s" voice again.

—He saw the next perpetrator collapse with their eyes rolled back.

△▼△▼△▼△

—God, Buddha, Od Lagna. I vow that for the rest of my life, I shall never cherish silence.

△▼△▼△▼△

"—Old Man Rom?"

The situation was moving. —And in a bad direction for Petra and the others. At the sight of Old Man Rom suddenly swaying his giant body and collapsing to the ground, Petra’s eyes widened. In her heart, she felt as if she would be dominated by the surging shock, lack of understanding, mystery, agitation, and countless other emotions—but—

『—Petra!!』 "—!"

Imaginary Subaru’s sharp shout pulled Petra’s consciousness back at the last second. It was fine to be surprised by an unexpected situation. No human wouldn't be shaken after being punched from outside their awareness. However, for Petra, who was the "Witch of Melancholy," there was something she had to do before being surprised. The "Compression" of all reactions to the event that had occurred.

"This isn't a joke, what the hell is happening! Someone wake Old Man Rom up!" "Don't be ridiculous, his eyes rolled back all of a sudden! What, what was done to him!?" "Hey, what do we do! Without the old man, who's gonna..." "Dammit! It's Ram! It's gotta be Ram!" "—It can't be helped. The Queen's piece will become unusable. Bear that in mind." "If we don't move now, we're no different from pigs waiting for fodder. We strike first!" "Shit! We can't lose after coming this far!" ""Of course!!""

In an instant, Petra "compressed" the spreading agitation into a single moment and fulfilled her duty as the "Witch of Melancholy." The cause hadn't been identified. However, a response was immediately concluded, and everyone began seeking the best move as one. —Of course, Petra was the same. Entrusting the field to Ram, who had taken over the role of commander in place of the fallen Old Man Rom, Petra activated the Authority of "Melancholy" and "compressed" the travel distance between her and Old Man Rom.

"Old Man Rom...!"

Petra’s slender arms couldn't lift Old Man Rom’s giant body as he lay face down. However, as she peered into the face of the old giant who was turned sideways, Petra’s throat tightened at the obvious abnormality. —The fallen Old Man Rom’s face was devoid of life, giving off a sense of exhaustion as if he had aged a hundred years all at once.

『He didn't exactly have a face bursting with life energy to begin with, but...』

"He wasn't like this just a moment ago, definitely. Besides, if he felt something was wrong with his condition, Old Man Rom would have reported it to us."

Old Man Rom understood well that carelessly hiding a physical abnormality would instead be an act of aiding the enemy. If the Authority of "Melancholy" had been putting an excessive burden on him, or if there had been signs of him fainting like this, he would have definitely self-reported.

『What about the not-so-funny theory that you used up Old Man Rom’s lifespan by spamming your Authority?』

"That's really not funny, so rejected... As I thought, I don't think it's my Authority. Al did something to Old Man Rom."

『But what?』

Entering the same dead-end of questions, Petra and "Subaru" wavered on the answer. Even during this time, the "Aldebusters" were continuing the fight to corner Al under Ram’s instructions, and Petra couldn't afford to devote all her thoughts to Old Man Rom’s collapse. Thinking that, Petra tried to pick herself up—

"—You idiot! Prioritize that!"

"————"

Indeed, her priorities were corrected from the start by Felt, who had her back turned to her. To the wide-eyed Petra, Felt, holding the "Star Staff," bared her sharp fangs and said:

"If we can't do something about that, we're all gonna get taken down the same way."

Felt bit her lip in frustration; as if to prove her words, the number of "Aldebusters" who should have been surrounding and cornering Al was decreasing. Looking around, several of those who had been left behind in the unfolding fierce battle were collapsed on the ground. Judging by Felt’s tone, the reason they fell was the same as Old Man Rom—

"Old Man Rom wouldn't go down for nothing! Search! There must be something!"

Spending a few seconds on the exchange with Felt, Petra looked at Old Man Rom’s giant body. Old Man Rom was shrewd, and she believed he was someone who would live up to Felt’s expectations. So, if Felt believed there was something, there surely was.

『Even so, if he was hit by an Authority out of nowhere, there'd be no way to leave anything...!』

"...You think it was an Authority?"

『It'd be weird if it wasn't! If it were magic, Big Sister would've noticed!』

"Right."

Felt’s plea multiplied by her trust in Ram’s insight. That combination confirmed that it was Al’s Authority used to strike down Old Man Rom. And if Old Man Rom really had left something behind—

"—! This."

After thoroughly checking the body of the powerlessly lying Old Man Rom, Petra noticed that the old giant’s large fingers were stained with dirt. The fresh stains were marks from scratching the ground with his fingers. Using her body to shove the giant frame that had shifted from the impact of the fall, Petra found the message Old Man Rom had left on the ground as he fell. It was—

『A mark? Kanji... no, a map symbol...』

"No, it's simpler than that!"

Petra cut off "Subaru’s" musings as he looked at the same thing, her voice high. The mark Old Man Rom had left on the ground—it was a thick horizontal line with four short vertical lines overlapping it. It wasn't a kanji or a map symbol; it was a "tally mark" where five makes one set. In other words, just before his consciousness was taken away, Old Man Rom—

"—Was counting the number of something?"

△▼△▼△▼△

—The bug in the Territory was beginning to encroach upon Aldebaran’s plan. "Dammit..." The irritation of that fact caused a curse to leak through Aldebaran’s clenched teeth. The first to fall was Valga Cromwell, the strategist of the "Aldebusters." Despite losing their commander, they were able to regroup immediately—likely the effect of Petra’s Authority. But if that effect was to eliminate the gaps, it was their individual strength that allowed them to regroup emotionally. Every time he felt the strength of each person's heart, Aldebaran’s own weakness was highlighted. "Dammit...!" The moment he thought of his own immaturity, another person dropped out from the "Aldebusters." A thug carrying a large hatchet collapsed to his knees, vomiting yellow gastric juice before fainting. Aldebaran hadn't counterattacked. He couldn't. As a basic tactic, Garfiel, whose base stats were far too different, was pushed forward, leaving him unable to even counter. And yet, the opponent’s forces were steadily being shaved away—the result of a bug Aldebaran hadn't intended.

『—No one can defeat the "you" that I created.』

He heard the "Witch’s" voice again. Immediately, the next bug occurred, and another person withdrew. That was painful for Aldebaran. It was agony. It was unbearable. —The mental wear and tear brought by the bug in the Territory... he had learned through the days since waking up on Gladiator Island that it sometimes brought about an ending more hideous than physical "death." That was why Aldebaran did not want an involuntary conclusion caused by the bug in the Territory—

"—What the hell are you blaming on other people?" "—Huh?" "I can tell even without seeing your face. It pisses me off when people like Reinhard act like everything is their responsibility... but what you're doing is even worse than him."

Felt glared at Aldebaran from across the human wall of the "Aldebusters" as he tried to pry open a breakthrough. What dwelt in her sharp crimson gaze was a harsh contempt and anger toward Aldebaran, devoid of any lies. It was a passion she hadn't shown even when he kidnapped her, or when he ordered Roy to eat her "Memories." He didn't know what had truly touched her nerve until now. It wasn't because the giant who was like family had fallen, nor because the path she had walked was about to be stolen. The source of the anger Felt felt toward Aldebaran now was—

"When that Princess was around, you were her puppet, and now that she's gone, you're someone else's puppet? You talk big about turning the whole world into your enemy, but don't you have a 'self' of your own?" "————"

At the words of Felt, whose expression showed she was truly fuming, Aldebaran’s cheeks stiffened slightly. Then, anger welled up at the nonsense of a brat who knew nothing. To say he had no "self"—there was a limit to such insults. How dare she say he had no "self," without knowing the reason why Aldebaran could only call himself Aldebaran. Indignation burned his gut, making him feel a nostalgic pain even in the arm he no longer had from the bicep down. He should throw away such useless passion. He should be good at it. Resigning, mocking, deriding it as a nuisance, and throwing it away. It was Aldebaran’s specialty—no, a kind of survival skill he had acquired in the eighteen years since being released from that black sphere—to not face genuine, raw emotions. So this time, in the same way—

"It's just like Lady Felt says!" "Pay for what you've done!" "Drop dead, you moron!" "No one's on your side anymore!" "Master Al, prepare yourself." "The time of judgment." "Squeal like a pig." "—How foolish." "—!"

A storm of abuse and contempt was hurled at Aldebaran with overwhelming force. He tried to let them slide as usual—but his thoughts were "compressed," forced to process them. The processing circuit, shortened to a speed incomparable to usual, processed the unnecessary thoughts and emotions.

『—No one can defeat the "you" that I created.』『—No one can defeat the "you" that I created.』『—No one can defeat the "you" that I created.』『—No one can defeat the "you" that I created.』『—No one can defeat the "you" that I created.』『—No one can defeat the "you" that I created.』『—No one can defeat the "you" that I created.』『—No one can defeat the "you" that I created.』『—No one can defeat the "you" that I created.』『—No one can defeat the "you" that I created.』『—No one can defeat the "you" that I created.』

The voice began to paint over Aldebaran’s interior as he felt the urgency that he couldn't go on like this. Loathing the idea of surrendering to it, Aldebaran searched for the girl at the root of the situation. The "Witch of Melancholy" who forced Aldebaran to ponder all things—

"—Was counting the number of something?" "————"

He saw the "Witch of Melancholy" he found in the distance—Petra Leyte—muttering that as she looked at some message left by the fallen Valga Cromwell. In an instant, a thick, black, hot impulse overflowed from within Aldebaran and turned into words.

"—It was the stars' fault." "Hah, that's right. Don't be anyone's puppet. That's your true feelings."

Felt bared her teeth at the words spun by Aldebaran’s voice, hoarse with passion. There shouldn't have been a single, solitary, microscopic shred of similarity between them, and yet, it looked like the same kind of smile Priscilla Barielle would wear. It was a nightmare. —He would end it. And so, for the first time, Aldebaran voluntarily triggered the bug in the Territory.

"—Domain Expansion: Matrix Redefinition."

△▼△▼△▼△

—God, Buddha, Od Lagna. I vow that for the rest of my life, I shall never desire anyone's kindness.

△▼△▼△▼△

"—Domain Expansion: Matrix Redefinition."

Petra turned around, sensing a definite change in Al’s voice as he said those words. That call, which she had already heard several times during this battle, was likely one of the activation conditions for Al’s Authority. "Domain," "Matrix"—just as Old Man Rom had speculated beforehand, Al’s "Time Leap" seemed to be a powerful thing in exchange for being limited. The span was shorter than Natsuki Subaru’s "Return by Death," and moreover, he was conscious of it.

『If you could manually save in a baseball game, you could, for example, save and load for every single pitch at bat, memorize the next pitch type and location, and hit home runs in a row.』

"I get it, but it's hard to visualize. Does he really do that?"

『It's hard to explain the concept of a game to a kid who only knows the surface...』

Having read Natsuki Subaru’s "Book of the Dead," she felt she understood more than just the surface, but in terms of "Memories" unaccompanied by actual experience, what Imaginary Subaru said was correct. She was peering into Subaru’s "Memories," but Petra’s sensibilities were ultimately Petra’s. Of course, as with his attitude toward Emilia and Rem, it depended on how large a proportion of feelings those memories occupied within Subaru. Regardless—

『—Don't take your eyes off him.』 "I know."

With the change in voice and atmosphere, Al’s battle had likely moved to the next stage. During this time, their forces were being shaved away by the same method used on Old Man Rom, but even so, the main strength of the "Aldebusters" centered around Ram, Garfiel, and Felt was miraculously intact. There was no doubt that the "compressed" thoughts and coordination were becoming a great power, and it was worth Petra using the Authority of "Melancholy" to its fullest while turning a blind eye to the numerous drawbacks.

"Let's do this, you guys!!" ""—Yeah!!""

As if to back up Petra’s determination, morale exploded at Felt’s encouragement. The pressure piled on by the "Aldebusters" was certainly shaving away Al’s remaining strength, wearing down his spirit, and pushing his mind and body to the point of fatal exhaustion. All that was left was a contest of endurance to see whose willpower would run out first—just as Petra grit her teeth and braced her mind and body.

"Eh?"

Unintentionally, her mouth, which should have been tightly shut, popped open, and Petra stood there dazed. It was only natural. After all, it had just happened. The "Aldebusters" had fired themselves up, their morale high, and had triumphantly set out for a total attack on Al. —Those members of the "Aldebusters" suddenly, as if in a domino effect, collapsed on the spot without any means of resistance.

"————"

Ram, and Garfiel. Felt, and Flam and Grasis. Rachins, Gaston, Camberley, and Dortero—the main members, of course, and all the others of the "Aldebusters" across the board, every single one of them lost their strength, and no one could remain standing. Some fainted, some had their eyes lose focus from intense exhaustion, and some became rigid like dolls, unable to move. Everyone, everyone. —No, there was only one person standing.

"—It's the stars."

The person who stepped forward, climbing over the enclosure of the fallen "Aldebusters," muttered that while fiddling with the metal fittings of the black iron helmet he wore. Hearing that, Petra, who felt a sensation as if part of her brain had gone numb, couldn't make her head work properly. Stopping her thoughts was bad. Even if "Compression" filled the gaps between events, it didn't help fill a void.

"It was the stars' fault."

As he spoke, Al’s hand, which was approaching, left his helmet and reached toward the standing Petra. Immediately, a countermeasure, a response, a strategy—

『—Petra! "Compress" straight backward!!』 "—!"

Reflexively obeying the shout that sounded like a roar, Petra "compressed" space and leaped far back. Petra, who had created much more distance than just jumping back, felt her knees tremble as she looked at Al across the rocky terrain. Under that gaze, Al opened and closed the hand that had failed to grab Petra, letting out a long sigh. Then, while maintaining the distance from Petra, they entered a straight-on stare-down—

"—Play ball."

×　　×　　×

"—Domain Expansion: Matrix Redefinition."

It was the moment she thought Al had uttered the password for the start of the match. As if overlapping with Al’s statement, a different statement from Al followed it. At that phenomenon, which sounded like a simultaneous pronunciation by the person himself, Petra’s brain, trying to grasp the situation, stopped for an instant. However, realizing that such stagnation was fatal, she tried to pull herself together immediately—

"Let's do this, you guys!!" ""—Yeah!!""

"Eh!?"

Immediately after, there was a brave shout and response that seemed to shake the space, catching her completely off guard. What was deployed there was the healthy appearance of the "Aldebusters" who should have fallen into a state of total collapse just a moment ago. With Ram as the commander, Garfiel as the vanguard, and Felt holding the "Star Staff" as the finisher, they were about to clash with Al. But—

『Hey, hey hey hey, hey, is this...』

Aghast, the Imaginary Subaru floating beside her voiced his confusion. Even though she knew that confusion was of the same nature as her own, no peace visited Petra’s heart. However, receiving a great shock, the situation moved faster than she could utter words to stop it.

"—Ugh."

It was exactly a refrain of the scene from just before. The members of the "Aldebusters" collapsed all at once, and the group that had been so reliable disintegrated. While the strong and brave Ram, Garfiel, and Felt all fell face down, Petra once again locked eyes with Al, who was the only one left.

"It's the stars."

"————"

"It was the stars' fault."

That, too, was the exact same declaration, and the following movement was also exactly the same. Without being prompted, Petra left it to the impulses of her own heart and leaped backward via "Compression." Once again, she entered a stare-down with Al at a distance and heard his sighing voice. That was—

"—Play ball."

—That was the beginning of Petra Leyte’s endless hell.