Arc 9 -『Light of the Nameless Star』| Chapter 39 -『The Final Line』

Arc 9 -『Light of the Nameless Star』
Chapter 39 -『The Final Line』

『――Al-sama, shall we stop yearning for the sun?』

When she uttered those words, it was unclear what emotions or intentions she harbored. Aldebaran was in a position where he had subjugated her with fear, bound her with hatred, and used her desire for revenge as collateral. From her perspective, seeing him cornered must have been quite satisfying. However, it was also true that her reactions often didn't quite add up. So, what was the true intention hidden behind her contradictory attitude? Aldeberan stopped seeking that answer. ――One thing was certain.

"――Domain Expansion, Matrix Redefinition"

That advice from Yae Tenzen released a shackle within Aldebaran. It wasn't a conscious restraint, but an unconscious one—a shackle, a save, a hurdle—a mental chain that roughly put a brake on the overwhelming power of Aldebaran's authority. With that removed, Aldebaran's options expanded infinitely――.

"Target, from twelve to three o'clock. ――Do it, Alter."

"Alright, Origin."

Responding without hesitation to the command, the 'Aldebaran' standing just behind spread its wings. There was no confusion in the call to Alter. Through the 『Book of the Dead』, the update and sharing of intentions had already been completed. Being called Origin was a trivial matter. Without room to voice any opinion on it, a white light――the breath of a dragon was unleashed.

"――――"

The power of the breath, fully utilizing the specs of the 『Divine Dragon』's dragon shell, was tremendous, a force that even the 『Sword Saint』 Reinhard van Astrea could barely counteract. It was unleashed to sweep across a battlefield devoid of the 『Sword Saint』—no, less than a battlefield—erasing the nature, the man-made structures, and above all, the lives, including humans. The range of the true 『Dragon』's breath extended several kilometers, and anyone caught in the light of destruction that arrived without warning would vanish without even feeling pain.

――And now, Aldebaran commanded the 'Aldebaran' to do just that.

"――――"

As instructed, the area from twelve to three o'clock—aligned to the clock position—was partially incinerated, reducing everything in its path to nothingness. The number of lives lost likely numbered not in the hundreds or thousands, but tens of thousands.

"Hahaha, well done!"

Witnessing this devastation, which could only be called tyranny, where everything in this world was forcibly subdued, the suspended Roy Alphard laughed joyously. With his arms tied and suspended, Roy clapped his feet together in a mock applause. However, Roy was the only one making noise, and none of the members present criticized Aldebaran's actions. What existed was joy, understanding, subjugation, fear—all of them were accomplices, including those who had no choice. And under their gaze, Aldebaran looked up at the sky.

"――――"

The breath of the dragon not only scorched the earth but also affected the sky and atmosphere. The clouds were scattered, and the rain and wind that were supposed to occur were driven away, leaving the land marked with the vivid traces of the dragon, the scars of the dragon's wrath, so to speak.

Naturally, there is no creature that does not fear the wrath of the overwhelming presence of the 『Divine Dragon』. Since there is no existence that can resist the rampaging fury of the 『Divine Dragon』, it is a fundamental rule for all living beings to bow their heads to the tantrum of the 『Divine Dragon』, conceal their presence, and wait for the storm to pass. ――Therefore, birds and insects that approach the traces of that anger so quickly are extremely unnatural.

"Missed it."

Seeing the flock of birds gathering to check the area scorched by the breath, Aldebaran muttered a whisper that disappeared within his mouth. Most animals are straightforward and true to their instincts. If they behave contrary to their instincts, it is evidence that some unnatural interference is at play. In other words, it is proof that the existence causing that unnatural interference is still alive. Confirming this, Aldebaran――,

"――Next."

He dissolved a poison capsule inside his mouth and gulped down the deadly poison. And then――,

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　×　　×　　×

"Target, from three to six o'clock.――Do it, Alter."

Next, at the restart point where he had returned, he instructed the 『Divine Dragon』 to trample the next area.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　△▼△▼△▼△

"Target, from six to nine o'clock.――Do it, Alter."

"Target, from six to eight o'clock. Slight adjustment."

"Target, from six to seven o'clock."

"Fix target at seven o'clock. Adjust range, breath to eighty percent."

"Seventy percent."

"Sixty percent."

"Sixty-five percent."

"Sixty-five point five percent."

"――Sixty-five point five percent, confirmed."

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　△▼△▼△▼△

――Seven hundred fourteen.

Told by Yae Tenzen that he was doing it in a neat way, Aldebaran reconsidered his approach. He became aware of his unconscious arrogance and seriously examined what was truly necessary to achieve his goal, arriving at an answer.

――The vow of non-killing.

This was something Aldebaran had determined as the minimum line to uphold from the moment he decided to eliminate Natsuki Subaru and follow his own creation purpose. In a world where much had already been lost, and even the existence of someone as radiant as the sun had vanished, he decided not to allow any more losses. However, in his obsession with that vow, Aldebaran unconsciously shackled his own authority.

To uphold the vow of taking no one's life, he imposed the same restriction on his journey. With Aldebaran's authority――『Domain』, events that occurred in the repeatedly reset world would endlessly become nullified until a period was placed on that matrix. Therefore, if the final tally of 'non-killing' was balanced, he need not worry about deaths in the process.

The fact that he had placed this conclusion outside his consciousness was the shackle Aldebaran had unconsciously placed on himself. He continued to waste time removing it.――No, if not for Yae Tenzen's words, perhaps he might still be unaware even now.

"I knew that brother was using his blessing to chip away at us. The problem was brother's thoroughness and infinite hand, and the complete lack of means to prevent it, but..."

Al-sama, having removed his shackles, forcefully overcame the challenge with sheer power. It wasn't a complicated matter. The pursuers used the eyes and mobility of insects, fish, and small animals to track the movements of Al-sama and his group, launching a wide array of disruptive operations. However, considering the suspected range of the opponent's blessing, the command over animals wasn't as instantaneous as telepathy nor as absolute as brainwashing.

In any case, the pursuers must have been issuing verbal commands on the spot. To execute this, the pursuers themselves needed to maintain a close but not too close distance while continuing their pursuit of Al-sama and his group. ――The position of these pursuers was forcibly determined using the breath of the dragon.

"By narrowing down the area using clock positions and measuring the distance with the depth of the breath, if we do something unexpected, they'll have no choice but to reveal their hand to figure out what's happening. If they reveal their hand, it's proof that brother is safe. But if they don't?"

Revealing their hand ―― means that the forces allied by the blessing have disappeared from this world without a trace. Confirming this, Al-sama reactivated the 『Domain』, narrowed down the direction of the pursuers, measured the distance, and pinpointed their location as closely as possible. Naturally, in this process, many were caught in the crossfire, including mountains, forests, and even towns ―― but all of that was erased as if it never happened.

Thanks to the final adjustment by the 『Domain』, the number of casualties other than Al-sama was zero. ――No, since Al-sama's 'death' isn't counted, the casualties are zero.

"Combining with the selection of the tower members, thirteen hundred and forty-seven... they really gave me a hard time."

There is no greater exhaustion than being tripped up again by an opponent you thought you had eliminated once. In that sense, the pursuer ―― Otto Suwen, troubled Al-sama more than the 『Sword Saint』 or the 『Sword Demon』. In fact, if it was his doing that sent Emilia against Al-sama and Wilhelm against Yae in the royal capital, the damage suffered by their group would have been far beyond Al-sama's thirteen hundred and forty-seven 'deaths'.

Of course, it was precisely because he judged the threat to be that significant that Al-sama spared no effort in deploying his hand and succeeded in bringing down the formidable enemy.

"Al-sama, over here, over here~"

Waving her hand, Yae Tenzen beckoned Al-sama and his group from below. Following her call, 'Aldebaran' descended to the ground and leaped off his back. Midway up the mountain, where Yae had already reached the target point, she smiled. Behind her, there was a green civil official hanging from a tree and a ground dragon bound hand and foot, lying on the ground.

The ground dragon, having desperately resisted the steel wire restraints, had blood seeping from various parts of its pale blue dragon skin and was still twisting its body, breathing heavily in exhaustion.

"As expected, the loyalty of a ground dragon is quite something. Thinking back, Patrasche of this generation was like that too."

"I briefly considered making an example out of it, but I thought it might become more stubborn rather than breaking, so I decided against it. What do you think of Yae's judgment?"

"I think that's the right call. Besides, if you're going to make an example, it has to be visible, right?"

Al-sama tilted his head and greeted Yae Tenzen, who was met with a twisted smile inside his helmet. In Al-sama's view, Otto Suwen, the civil officer suspended above the earth dragon, was completely bound from head to toe with steel threads, rendering him utterly helpless. Normally, a single steel thread is so fine that you have to strain your eyes to see it. Yet, it was so clearly visible as a restraint that it was unimaginable how many threads had been used.

"No light can be seen. No sound can escape. Even a whisper, let alone breathing, could potentially communicate with the outside. So, I wrapped him completely with no gaps, leaving only one path for air through the ankle. This way, he's too focused on breathing to have any room for intent."

"...I get that it's a sign of caution, not just your grudge. After all, he's the kind of guy who could do anything if given the chance to speak."

"I don't act out of personal grudges~. Yae-chan isn't that kind of bad shinobi, right?"

Yae Tenzen, with a finger on her cheek and a charming smile, was in a very good mood. Having been tormented by Otto Suwen, who specialized in harassment, she claimed not to hold a grudge, but the resentment must have been significant. Originally, it was the shinobi's prerogative to harass and engage in attrition warfare against enemies.

"Finally getting him under control must feel good."

"Geez, Al-sama really doesn't understand a woman's heart. It's satisfying to subdue someone who attacked with such insidious, thorough, and persistent nastiness, isn't it?"

"That's more than I could say."

"But the best part is that Al-sama properly became a monster. Not clinging to some petty humanity, but fully embracing being a monster."

"――――"

"For that, being thrown with all his might by Bol-sama is nothing."

"You seem to have some dissatisfaction with the plan..."

Yae Tenzen corrected Al-sama's misunderstanding, adding that final comment. The change in the use of the 『Domain』 and the identification of the pursuer's location. After completing that, the method to reach the target before they could discern their intentions—having the flying Al-sama throw Yae Tenzen to the target's location. It was a rough strategy that put Yae Tenzen's life at great risk, but since the target was in a mountainous area with plenty of buffers, Yae Tenzen, who could create cushions with steel thread techniques, was deemed the most suitable.

"We can't leave this role to Heinkel-sama, who wouldn't die no matter how much he's thrown."

"Even if a hole opened in the mountain in the shape of my father, he'd be fine, but indeed, entrusting a major role to him in his current state is..."

A rather fatal rift had formed between Heinkel and Felt. While a temporary solution had been implemented to bring about a lull, it was something that displeased Al-sama and was merely a stopgap measure that couldn't be considered absolute. Since it was an issue that could reignite for any reason, the conclusion of the discussion between Al-sama and Yae Tenzen was to leave it untouched for now. Nevertheless――,

"――Finally, checkmate."

Otto, immobilized and unable to resist, looked up at Aldebaran, who had achieved victory in a long-standing match against a silver cocoon-like opponent. However, Aldebaran's opponent wasn't just Otto; he was engaged in multiple simultaneous battles on a kingdom-wide and world-wide scale. Just because he managed not to drop a single piece doesn't mean he can carry this as a triumph forever. Above all, he must ensure that there is no chance of his opponent returning to the board.

"Even if you take away my eyes, ears, tongue, and limbs, I can still follow Al-sama's orders, you know~"

"—Yae."

"Yes, Al-sama is so scary~"

Inflicting wounds that render someone unable to recover, leaving only their life intact to withdraw from the battlefield, is a deception. For Aldebaran, the constraint of not killing is not something so flexible that it can be considered upheld as long as the person isn't dead, nor should it be. It's akin to declaring that world peace can be achieved by taking away the hands and feet of every person in the world. Therefore, Aldebaran does not take Otto Suwen's eyes, tongue, hands, or feet. Instead, what he takes from him is—the reason to fight.

"—Roy, loosen the range of the curse mark. It's your turn."

△▼△▼△▼△

"—Roy, loosen the range of the curse mark. It's your turn."

Indeed, Otto Suwen, who was thoroughly restrained, heard the voice of the person looking down at him. There was one thing Aldebaran and the others misunderstood about Otto's 'Divine Protection of the Soul of Language.' The soul of language, or voice, is a vibration of sound. And vibration, even if Otto's ears are blocked, will reach him if he is within range, touching Otto's body. The 'Divine Protection of the Soul of Language' does not translate sound entering through the ears. It senses the vibrations of intent that touch Otto's existence and picks them up.

Therefore—,

"What a strange twist of fate, brother. In Priestella, both Lye and Louis failed to consume you, yet here you are, served up before us like this."

The voice of Roy Alphard, the Sin Archbishop of 'Gluttony,' who licked his lips, was something Otto could clearly perceive.

"――――"

However, much to his deep regret, there was nothing Otto could do anymore. Even though he continued to pick up the surrounding voices with the 'Divine Protection of the Soul of Language,' with his mouth sealed, limbs restrained, and his ability to express his will cut off, Otto was utterly powerless.

"What are you doing to the young master... please, please stop...!"

Hearing the pained plea of Furufu, struggling just below where he was suspended, was heart-wrenching. For now, it seemed Aldebaran and the others had no intention of causing further harm to Furufu, much less taking his life. If so, Otto wished Furufu could quietly weather the storm in this place. That was his greatest wish for now. And then—,

"――"

With a voice that couldn't be heard, he earnestly worried about his comrades who weren't present. He had heard that Emilia, Ram, Petra, Meili, Rem, and Clind, along with Roswaal and those from the Felt camp, were cooperating. Surely, they would come up with a brilliant plan. If possible, Otto wanted to deal a blow to the enemy himself, on behalf of Garfiel. And to rescue the captured Subaru and Beatrice—

"It's sad, brother. It's painful, brother. But! I'll embrace and love all of those mixed emotions and screams! After all, this world is nothing but excessive drinking! Excessive eating!"

Slowly, the tainted appetite of 『Gluttony』 approaches him. Otto has no choice but to accept it helplessly and be consumed.

Therefore, Otto Suwen continues to pray. Continues to wish. Continues to think.

That his final plan will succeed――.

"――Well then, let's dig in!"

△▼△▼△▼△

"Thank you for the meal!"

The power of 『Gluttony』's authority activates, and the suspended Otto Suwen is devoured. There were no flashy effects or magical displays accompanying the act. It was simply a quiet, ordinary meal where a delicacy served on a plate is unceremoniously swallowed by a rude eater. ――It was just a mundane meal.

"I just saw it, but it really feels like a cheat move. In an instant, the resistance I felt from the thread disappeared."

Without hiding the disgust in her voice, Yae mutters while touching the ring that spits out steel threads. Her words indicate that the resistance Otto Suwen was putting up to escape the steel thread's binding had vanished. This means that Roy Alphard's 『Eclipse』 had taken effect.

"On top of that, we still remember that brother. ――As promised, it seems he restrained himself to only eating 'memories'."

"Ahaha, what is that, not enough gratitude and emotion! Just so you know, it's pretty tough to separate 'names' and 'memories' and nibble on them separately, you know? It's like trying to pick out the ingredients in a sandwich without opening the bread."

"I don't care. If you can't do it, you'll just die. Pick and eat it properly."

In front of the motionless Otto Suwen, wrapped in steel threads, Aldebaran snorts at Roy, who talks about the difficulties of his authority. In reality, no matter how much Roy claims how advanced this is, Aldebaran has no intention of listening. ――If Roy fails, he will be consumed by the soul-burning effect of the oath's curse mark engraved on his body and die. Of course, Aldebaran, who would be troubled if Roy died now, intended to retry each failure and explore ways for Roy to succeed.

"Al-sama~, isn't that Sin Archbishop getting a bit carried away? If the curse mark can bind his actions, couldn't you have just made him obey more easily without the hassle of persuading him?"

"Engraving a curse mark isn't as casual as you think. In the first place, the oath's curse mark carries risks for the engraver as well. It's a trump card to make someone who truly won't listen obey, and you only get one chance in a lifetime."

Whispering in his ear, Yae, Aldebaran answers while pressing her forehead. As the name suggests, engraving a curse mark, a type of sorcery, has existed since before magic and sorcery diverged, and is closer to the origins of magic. If you start talking about the image of the word curse mark, the person who taught Aldebaran how to engrave and use curse marks would end up giving a long lecture for half a day.

"To think you'd use such a precious opportunity for us...! It's fine, it's okay, it's alright, it's good, it's great, it's wonderful, because I can believe it, binge drinking! Gluttony! That's already love, isn't it..."

"Hey! Are you seriously saying you'd prefer a crooked-toothed Sin Archbishop over the cute and charmingly devoted maid Yae-chan? Al-sama, you philanderer!"

"You shouldn't be teaming up so smoothly with a Sin Archbishop yourself..."

Aldebaran was exasperated by the banter between the ever-talkative Roy and the unyielding Yae. Although Yae likely had no intention of getting along with Roy, she was willing to use anything to sway Aldebaran's heart, a truly shinobi-like trait. On the other hand, Roy's demeanor could mistakenly suggest that he was a reasonable Sin Archbishop.

However, Aldebaran must not be mistaken. To him, both Yae and Roy were equally potential threats, to be used for his purposes and possibly treacherous enough to betray him.

And so—

"Roy, don't get too cocky. Hurry up and tell me what that guy you just ate was plotting. That's why I let you eat him."

Keeping Roy firmly within his range of attack, Aldebaran coldly warned him. Although Roy had been released from his restraints and his broken limbs healed by Aldebaran's healing magic, it didn't mean he was trusted or allowed free rein. It was simply impractical to drag Roy around while tied up for the next phase of the plan.

For instance, when the need arose to rely on Roy's 『Gluttony』 authority, it would be too clumsy to keep him as an unusable card. The key was to keep Roy in check without loosening vigilance and to prepare strategies to keep him compliant.

Fortunately, the curse mark was effectively serving its purpose.

"I hope we can hear something useful~"

Yae said, her fingers subtly flickering to reveal the presence of invisible steel threads, warning Roy. It was Yae herself who had been most opposed to using Roy's authority, and while she welcomed Aldebaran's decision to heed her advice and remove the restraints, she strongly insisted that if the restraints were to be removed, the 'non-lethal' binding should also be lifted.

Indeed, as she suggested, if Aldebaran were to lift the 'non-lethal' constraint and freely decide the fate of any opponent, the objective could be easily achieved. Simply spreading Aldebaran's breath in all directions to keep enemies at bay would suffice.

However, Aldebaran refused this, opting instead to accept the allowance of 'death' in the process and to incorporate the use of Roy Alphard's authority as a new option.

In truth, this was the release of a forbidden move, actively using the authority of a Sin Archbishop. It was fundamentally different from wielding the authority in Aldebaran's vacant position. It involved using an authority that had been passed down, one that had caused countless tragedies and sacrifices, simply because it was useful.

This was likely an evil act that only one other person besides Aldebaran had committed since the witch factors were born into this world.

In essence, it was an action that crossed a significant line. Without results to match, defying the sun would be meaningless—

"So, tell me. We went out of our way to ruin someone's life. If there's nothing..."

"Ah, wait, wait. Don't rush me. You seem to misunderstand, but we can't instantly understand everything about the person we ate. It's like how you can't suddenly recall something you knew from the start unless the situation calls for it. It's the same with this..."

"I won't say the same thing twice."

"......Alright, alright, I get it. I see, I see. This guy has more life experience than I thought, and it's a bit surprising for us too――"

Roy, who was about to start a long-winded excuse, focused on recalling the 'memory' he had just consumed from Otto. Roy's argument could be seen as a combination of the tumultuous days of Otto, the bearer of the 'Divine Protection of the Spirit Speech', and the extraordinary volume of voices he must have heard. However, Roy's sarcastic words abruptly stopped, causing Aldebaran to become suspicious. It was unmistakably proof that he had unearthed some kind of troubling 'memory'――,

"What is it, what's wrong?"

"Haha, it seems we were more thorough than I thought. ――There's a foolproof plan in case we get taken down."

"――――"

Foolproof――a safety device to prevent foolish mistakes. The moment Roy mentioned it, a tremendous chill ran up Aldebaran's spine.

It wasn't a countermeasure for when an attack was imminent, but a plan for after being taken down. If Otto Suwen had prepared that, now was precisely the time.

"Yae! Immediately――"

Thinking of the two options of escaping the scene and resetting the situation through self-sacrifice, Aldebaran acted without narrowing down his response. In a way, this both succeeded and led to failure. It was――,

"――Pleased to meet you, Aldebaran-sama."

A delicate girl's voice struck Aldebaran's ears like a surprise attack. It was literally an anomaly that appeared in the blink of an eye, and its sudden appearance left no time for his instincts to sound the alarm. He should not have seen the blue-haired girl who had changed her appearance and attire in the Volakia Empire.――He realized this the moment he visually confirmed her twirling the skirt of her maid outfit. Instantly, the name, existence, and nature of the maid girl rapidly threatened his mind.

"――――"

Once devoured by the authority of 'Gluttony', her 'name' and 'memory' were erased from the Od Lagna's registry of all life's names, but she was expelled due to the malice of 'Voracity' and left without causing any harm, now exploding in Aldebaran's mind. Struck by the shock of being forcibly reminded of her existence, Aldebaran, who was supposed to bear the fate of not stopping his thoughts, was left behind by his own thinking――,

"――Al-sama!!"

In an instant, Yae's slender arm reached out to Aldebaran, raising her voice. While capturing her white fingers at the edge of his vision, Aldebaran couldn't move. Unable to move, in the second his thoughts were stolen, the situation shifted.

――In an instant, Aldebaran's body was severed from the space it occupied moments before and was thrown into the air, fiercely battered by the wind.

"――――"

The brightness of the sun, which had ceased to burn, seared Aldebaran's black eyes as he danced in midair.――It was the unexpectedly begun ordeal for Aldebaran's group.

――The battle for the Mogoredo Great Vent, which would determine the world's course, had begun.