Arc 9 - Chapter Nine 40 『Flash Remonade』

Arc Nine 『Light of the Nameless Star』
Chapter Nine 40 『Flash Remonade』

――At the hands of 『Gluttony』 Roy Alphard, Otto Suwen was swiftly removed from the battlefield.

As the bearer of the 『Blessing of the Word Spirit』, the man who mastered it more than anyone in history fought valiantly, as he declared, to brand Aldebaran's group as enemies of the world and caused them great suffering. Therefore, the conclusion of his solitary battle was brought about by a merciless suppression so thorough that it allowed no room for retaliation.

His words were sealed, his actions were sealed, his tricks were sealed, his wit was sealed, and every weapon he possessed was sealed away. Ultimately, even his 『Memory』, which defined him, was taken, leading to Otto Suwen's complete defeat.

Even Otto, when Aldebaran's group came at him with full force, leaving no time to devise countermeasures, had no means to handle it. Since he couldn't predict when or where the opponent would strike, forming a trap zone using his favored blessing was impossible. Hence, Otto Suwen, when attacked, had no recourse—his final strategy was merely a 『Desperate Struggle』 prepared in case of an assault.

――He had only left instructions for the Zodda Bug to take flight all at once, so that the location would be known if he was taken down.

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『Before Al became an acquaintance in the Empire... before 『Gluttony』 devoured his 『Memory』, he knew about Rem. There's no doubt about it.』

Imaginary Subaru voiced this opinion while they were devising a surprise attack plan. With arms crossed and sitting cross-legged in the air, Subaru's pensive face reminded Petra of the time in the Royal Capital when Al and Rem had a connection in his memory.

That was when Subaru had made a grave mistake at the castle and was desperately trying to make amends. From Petra's perspective, it was quite severe, though not enough to disillusion her with Subaru's reckless behavior. However, Subaru himself remembered it as an embarrassing blunder that made him squirm just thinking about it. In fact, everyone present at the time must have frowned at Subaru's recklessness, so aside from Petra, the only one who wouldn't have been disillusioned by his behavior was Rem, who was blindly devoted even back then.

Nonetheless, unable to escape from such a loop of negative emotions, Subaru once sought a way to save Emilia from an attack by the Witch Cult by visiting Priscilla's mansion. There, Subaru received an unimaginably harsh cold shoulder from Priscilla, but the crucial connection between Al and Rem was discovered as he was being chased away from the mansion. The specific reason was unknown, but――,

『Al mistakenly called Ram and Rem by each other's names and was extremely surprised by it. Even when asked, Rem said it was her first time meeting Al.』

"So, Al-san knew about the two of them one-sidedly? Because they were rivals in the Royal Selection, he properly researched them... or something?"

『Do you think Al was in charge of such proper Royal Selection strategies in Priscilla's camp? I can't say it's impossible, but that's not the point. The important thing is that Al knows Rem. In other words――』

"Just like all of us, when Al-san sees Sister Rem, his 『Memory』 gets confused."

『Exactly.――If I had to name it, Flash Remonade』

With a snap of his fingers that couldn't be heard, Subaru winked, and Petra gave him a thumbs up. Honestly, there was some resistance to treating Rem like a flash grenade, but Petra and the others had already confirmed for themselves that there was no countermeasure against the backlash of this 『Memory』. The deeper the relationship and attachment, as with Petra in Subaru and Ram, the greater the shock received, but even a slight gap is still a gap. Now, taking advantage of that gap――,

"Let's show Al-san. ――Just how angry we are."

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――Here, let's present the defense of Roy Alphard, the Archbishop of the Sin of 『Gluttony』.

Using his nature as the 『Gourmet』 and the authority of 『Gluttony』 that had caused many tragedies, Roy completely incapacitated Otto Suwen, who had tormented Aldebaran's group. His 『Devour』 not only rendered Otto powerless but also consumed the entirety of his twenty-two years of life, swallowing all his joys, angers, and sorrows in one gulp from the plate.

After finishing this intangible meal with a gulp, Roy savored Otto Suwen's life with precision and freshness beyond what could be gleaned from the 『Book of the Dead』, overcoming considerable hardships and experiencing a fair share of joys and sorrows, ultimately rating it as a somewhat heavily seasoned two-star dish. At the point of evaluating what he had consumed, there was already a sense that he had inherited the 『Gourmet』 spirit of his deceased brother, Lye Batenkaitos, but setting that aside, devouring 『Memory』 meant that he could understand the thoughts and philosophies of that existence, and even, if in the midst of battle, what they were planning and scheming.

Therefore, naturally, even if there was the euphoria of victory and accomplishment after defeating Otto, it should have been easy to detect the ambush planned immediately afterward. However, that did not happen. ――Because Otto had not shared the plan with his comrades about what they would specifically do after he was defeated.

Otto Suwen simply believed. That if he gave just the signal indicating the moment he was defeated, his comrades would not let it go to waste.

Because everything was wagered on that strong bond, which was not even a strategy――,

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

It was truly an event that occurred in the blink of an eye.

Closing his eyes and opening them, Aldebaran, as well as Yae and Roy, and even 『Aldebaran』 himself, could not react to the presence of the blue-haired girl who had intruded in that instant. An anomaly that shouldn't be there appeared suddenly without any presence. That fact alone was enough to steal a moment from the seasoned soldiers, but the one for whom it became a fatal wound, as it didn't end in a mere moment, was Aldebaran.

"――――"

Of course, Yae, who had no acquaintance, Roy, who was outside the target of his authority, and 『Aldebaran』, who shared 『Memory』 but whose soul was different, did not experience this phenomenon. The black-stained 『Memory』 engraved in his brain and soul was stimulated, and with a sensation as if forcibly wedging in what had been removed, Aldebaran's consciousness was dyed white.

Someone called it the flash grenade of 『Memory』.

"――Al-sama!!"

Called by a high-pitched, desperate voice, he grasped the hand reaching out from beyond the whitened consciousness. However, that did not rescue Aldebaran from his predicament.

"――――"

The soles of Aldebaran's feet, which should have been firmly planted on the ground, suddenly sliced through the air. He realized his body was being buffeted by a fierce wind, losing all sense of up, down, left, and right, as he began to spin uncontrollably.

With his body out of control, he noticed the dazzling sun floating in the blue sky above him, burning his dark eyes. Aldebaran realized once again—

—He had been somehow teleported into the sky and thrown outside the 『Domain』.

"—! 『Domain Expansion, Matrix Redefinition』"

As he reset the forcibly severed 『Domain』, Aldebaran ground his teeth. He had been caught in the opponent's scheme and had his matrix updated. —Now, there was no going back to before the ambush.

However, if he had delayed in making the decision to update, Aldebaran would have lost without a chance to act. Aldebaran's authority is invincible, but only within the set 『Domain』. If he dies outside of it, he won't be given another chance, just like countless other lives.

"——"

Accepting the given premises, Aldebaran's consciousness focused on reality. Since the matrix had been forcibly updated, everything that happened from here on would be both a treasure and a calamity, a tailwind and a headwind, good and evil for Aldebaran.

"The sky...!"

The sound of the wind roaring like a howl, the intense sensation of floating that pounded his entire body, and the fact that he was falling from a height without any memory of being launched—formal procedures had been skipped.

For a moment, the power of the strongest 『Witch』 flashed through Aldebaran's mind, but it was different. —If the opponent were that 『Witch』, different phenomena would occur. He wouldn't be thrown into the sky like this, and more importantly, Aldebaran would have been killed a hundred times over in the blink of an eye.

Therefore, he eliminated that possibility from the many worst-case scenarios. While reducing possibilities, he simultaneously picked up on the surrounding situation. The immediate anomaly near Aldebaran, who was being tossed by the wind, was—

"—Sir Al."

Clinging tightly to Aldebaran's single arm was the presence of Yae. Just before being thrown into the sky, she had leapt at Aldebaran, who was paralyzed by the flash grenade of 『Memory』, and she too had been flung from the forest into the sky.

Whether this was fortunate or unfortunate, Aldebaran mentally sorted out what could and couldn't be done with Yae there, and chose the first thing to do. That was—

"I'll adjust our position! Sir Al, don't let go of me—"

"Alright."

As Yae, who was clinging to him, tried to take some action against the fall, Aldebaran simultaneously opened a capsule in his mouth and ingested the contents. Yae's crimson eyes widened, and he could see her startled expression looking at him. But it was too late; he had already consumed a lethal dose.

"I'll explain later."

Feeling the blood foam spilling from the corner of his mouth and staining the inside of his helmet with the taste of iron rust, Aldebaran's consciousness was tossed about by the wind—

× × ×

"—!"

As expected, reality greeted him with the continuous roar of the wind. When he opened his closed eyelids again, there was still the hateful brilliance of the sun glaring down at him. After glaring back at it, Aldebaran took in his surroundings, realizing he was in the sky, hundreds of meters above the ground.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Teleportation, instant movement, teleport. ――No matter how you describe it, the effect is the same, but in the sense that it acts on space, it falls under the domain of shadow magic, requiring all sorts of conditions to be met, making it a super magic. If you meticulously construct the spell formula and firmly engrave it into your own field, it's possible to achieve a limited warp connecting door to door within that space. Alternatively, even without prior preparation, if you can visualize the coordinates of the destination and the caster is willing to expend the gate, you might be able to issue a one-time, one-way ticket.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　×　　×　　×

In short, the phenomenon that sent Aldebaran and the others flying into the sky is at a level impossible to achieve even with magic, indicating the involvement of some other kind of foul play. There is no record of any blessing that allows for such physical interference with others. Of course, there are beings like Reinhard who can master seemingly insignificant blessings in abnormal ways, turning them into formidable combat tools――,

"――This is different. But if it's an Authority, then..."

As far as Aldebaran knows, the existing Authorities are 『Wrath』 and 『Gluttony』 held by the Sin Archbishops, and 『Sloth』 and 『Greed』 held by Natsuki Subaru. If we set aside Aldebaran's Authority, which should be considered an exception due to its missing, extra, or plagiarized nature, the remaining possibilities are 『Pride』, and then 『Vainglory』 and 『Melancholy』.――Since the last two should be beyond anyone's control, the only remaining possibility is 『Pride』.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　×　　×　　×

"Is 『Pride』 here? Has it emerged? Joined? ――No, that doesn't matter."

Whether someone Aldebaran knows has been chosen by 『Pride』, or an unknown person has joined as 『Pride』, the consideration should be the possibility that the owner of the Authority has turned into an enemy. Excluding only Natsuki Subaru and Reinhard, if anyone were to threaten Aldebaran with their unknown abilities, it would undoubtedly be the owner of an Authority――those who are allowed to bend the rules of the world and trample at will, the destroyers of concepts.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　×　　×　　×

"――Alright, I've calmed down."

The time for being led by the enemy's schemes, flustered and panicking, is over. Feeling as if asked by the roaring voice, Aldebaran responds. To the extent that he can do so, Aldebaran has managed to organize the current situation in his mind. Of course, the situation of being thrown into the sky, the painful regret of having dragged Yae along, and the sensation of being mentally overwhelmed by the restored 『Memory』 remain unchanged in reality.

However, as long as he doesn't die, it's cheap. That's Aldebaran's creed. If he can exchange that for allowing his head, body, and heart to take a breath, it's a cheap deal.

"――Al-sama."

With Yae clinging to Aldebaran's single arm, her tied hair flapping vigorously like a happy dog's tail, Aldebaran's thoughts move to the next phase. He must reach the ground alive with Yae. For that――,

"Let's adjust our posture! Al-sama, don't leave my side――"

"No, that's my line."

With determination, as Yae attempts to act on her own judgment in the midst of being thrown into the air, Aldebaran forcibly pulls her to his chest to prevent her from doing so. Having used his right arm for that, he rapidly generates the rock prosthetic arm he's become accustomed to creating, raises it above his head――and in an instant, a powerful impact strikes the prosthetic arm from above, accelerating their fall.

It was a terrifyingly vicious strike from a massive iron lump, resonating heavily even through the crafted arm. Amidst the tremendous sound of the wind, the threat lay at the end of the chain that danced like a writhing snake.

Contrary to its name, it was a spiked iron ball designed to put people into eternal slumber—

"—Prepare yourself!"

Beyond the iron ball that was launched, a blue-haired girl descended as if bearing the sun on her back. The one who significantly diminished Aldebaran's advantage and sounded the horn of battle—Rem roared.

Slowly protruding from her forehead was a single horn. It was the mark of the Oni tribe, a testament to one of the decisive races created to eradicate the traces of the 『Witch』 from this world. But to Aldebaran, who remembered her existence, it held another meaning.

That was—

"To begin with, the story's different from the point where Rem-chan is alive!!"

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Leaping into the air as she had prepared, with the hem of her maid outfit fluttering, Rem tightly gripped the handle of the morning star in her hand, glaring down at Al and his group.

—Up to this point, the surprise attack strategy had functioned perfectly as planned. By exposing Rem's figure before Al, they snatched him away with 『Compression』 when he was paralyzed by the loss of judgment. This successfully separated Al from his allies and brought him to a place where his immediate movements were restricted—an early consensus to take him into the sky.

Regarding the crucial timing to initiate the attack, Otto, who had been persistently tracking Al's group with guerrilla attacks, had prepared only the signal for when he was taken down, which proved useful. That signal was synonymous with the moment when Al's group defeated the formidable Otto, and even a slight relaxation of tension occurred.

"I have been treated very well by Priscilla-san. As someone who holds Priscilla-san dear, I cannot overlook Al-san's reckless behavior any further."

These were the words Rem expressed when opposing opinions arose about her going to face Al directly. It was merely a mindset that served as the foundation of her resolve, but it was undeniably Rem's true feelings and the unwavering motivation core for challenging this battle.

Of course, right beside that core was the existence of Subaru, who had been captured by Al. Perhaps this was the real core. —No, after all, Priscilla-san is also a core, so there are two cores. I will apologize to Beatrice-sama later.

In any case, with such determination, Rem's participation in the direct confrontation unit with Al was decided. Strategically, there was also the fact that no special vision of Rem being particularly useful in other battlefields was seen, but besides the initial shake of the 『Memory』, there was enough potential for Rem to be effective against Al.

That potential was precisely—

"To begin with, the story's different from the point where Rem-chan is alive!!"

At the moment she struck with the iron ball from above, Al, who defended the fierce blow with an artificial arm made of rock, shouted this while capturing Rem's presence in his sight. Amidst the roaring sound of the wind, the words reached directly, and Rem was convinced that the unknown connection with Al, which she had heard from Petra, had taken effect.

"I can't think of any connection between the inadequate Rem and Al-san..."

Ram also confirmed, but her connection with Al was limited to a brief conversation in the Royal Capital before the Royal Selection began in earnest. It wasn't a memorable discussion, and even the details of what was said were vague.

Most likely, the connection between the sisters and Al was one-sided, initiated only by him. However—

"Such words are hurtful! When we were attacked by Arakiya in Guaral, it was Al and—"

At that point, Rem hesitated but swallowed her reluctance,

"—Priscilla who helped us, wasn't it!"

Deliberately mentioning Priscilla's name, Rem aimed to provoke Al. Rem felt self-loathing for employing such a despicable tactic, but she steeled herself, believing it necessary to stop Al's reckless actions, and fixed him with a stern gaze.

"――――"

In response to Rem's provocation, Al chose silence over raising his voice. His expression was hidden behind the faceplate of his pitch-black iron helmet, and his eyes were unreadable. Rem couldn't gauge how much her words had hurt him.

"――Here I go!"

Without waiting for Al's reaction, Rem resumed her attack, giving him no time to rest. Rem had already set her priorities. Unlike her sister Ram, who was exceptional and genius-like, surpassing all worldly beings, Rem was clumsy, ordinary, and inferior in every way. If Rem desired something beyond the ordinary, she had to pursue it with all her might. For the sake of high-priority goals, she was adept at ignoring those of lesser importance.

"Hyuma!"

With her incantation, mana interacted with the world, triggering magic as an impossible phenomenon. Unlike Emilia's Hyuma, which manipulated heat to solidify moisture in the air to create ice, Rem specialized in conjuring water from the void with magic and outputting it as ice from the start. Neither type of Hyuma was superior, but Emilia's version required less mana since it used existing moisture in the air and could be reused after serving its purpose. On the other hand, Rem's Hyuma required more mana to create new water and often converted back into mana after use.

At first glance, Emilia's Hyuma might seem overwhelmingly superior. However, Rem's Hyuma had its own powerful advantage: the ability to create ice in the desired shape and location, unaffected by the amount of moisture or water quality in the air.

"――Haaaahhhh!!"

Kicking off the ice foothold she created in mid-air, Rem fiercely charged at Al and his companions. By fixing the coordinates of the Hyuma, Rem could create a temporary foothold that wouldn't break even under her full weight. With even a momentary foothold, the power of her Morning Star, unleashed with her entire body twisted, was incomparable.

The iron ball, spinning thunderously as it hurtled towards Al, showed no restraint. If it hit directly, it would easily shatter a human body. In response to Subaru's daily care and affection, Rem's weapon, filled with joy, closed in on Al, closer and closer—

"I won't let you."

The love-infused iron ball was caught head-on by countless threads at the moment of impact. Upon closer inspection, it was the work of the crimson shinobi in Aldebaran's arms, who turned her body and glared at Rem—a formidable thread user who followed Aldebaran. The shinobi, embraced from behind by Aldebaran, spread the threads released from her outstretched hands into a net, gently cushioning the iron ball like a pillow.

While her skill was impressive, it wasn't what caught Rem's attention the most. The plan was to completely isolate Aldebaran from his allies by launching him into the air. The fact that she intervened was unusual. No, calling it unusual would be incorrect. Rem knew why she was able to do it.

Despite everyone being enveloped in a mental blank due to Rem's sudden appearance, she left enough room to reach into that blank and acted on it. What drove her to do so—

"—It's love!"

"No, it's not!!"
"That's not it!!"

In response to Rem's confident shout, Aldebaran and the shinobi yelled back almost simultaneously. In that moment, Rem forcefully reclaimed the morning star that was nearly taken from her, retrieving the iron ball from the shinobi who disliked being thrown off balance. She created multiple new footholds for her next attack, kicking off them to dive rapidly and catch up with the two. However—

"It's scary that you can catch up, but the longer it goes, the shorter it gets, right?"

The shinobi, who had once tensed up, regained her composure and smiled charmingly as she sent threads flying. The threads were aimed at the ice footholds Rem had created in mid-air. In the situation where Aldebaran and the others were thrown into the air with no choice but to free-fall, they intended to use the footholds Rem made to regain their posture. From what could be heard, the shinobi's skill surpassed Rem's. If the inconvenience imposed on the opponent was compensated for, the power gap that should have been somewhat closed would quickly reverse.

"Yes, I understand. I'm always on the shorter end."

Therefore, Rem wouldn't allow the opponent to compensate for that inconvenience.

"—!"

Upon hearing Rem's response—no, the sensation once grasped vanished like mist, and the shinobi's expression lost its composure again. The ice foothold she intended to use disappeared as if it were a dream or illusion. Of course, it wasn't a dream or illusion. It was mana. Rem simply reverted it to mana at will. This is the significant difference between the Emilia type, which remains frozen once frozen, and the Rem type, which freezes only when desired and is easy to clean up, even among the same humans.

"In short, Rem is more aggressive."

In front of Rem, the shinobi lost her balance, having lost the outlet for the power she intended to exert. Aldebaran, who was holding the shinobi, also nearly lost his balance, but he reinforced his cracked prosthetic arm with additional armor and managed to catch Rem's iron ball twice, thrice in succession. Then—

"—Take that!!"

—Emilia's long leg, armed with an ice boot, mercilessly struck the unguarded back of Aldebaran from diagonally below.

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—The division of Aldebaran's group.

This was an absolutely indispensable prerequisite for opposing a group that rivaled or, in terms of instantaneous wind speed, surpassed the Witch Cult in the world. The surprise attack to clear that condition went about ninety percent according to plan. The ten percent discrepancy—how the shinobi, who chose her own companion, would act was an uncertain factor that marred the operation, but excessive worry is poison.

Each individual fulfills their role to the utmost. Without that trust and determination, the plan to stop Aldebaran's group cannot succeed.

"――Well, everyone's got such an irresistible look in their eyes, it's enough to make you tremble."

As he spoke, Roy Alphard, the Sin Archbishop of 『Gluttony』, swung his loosely hanging arms back and forth, casting a sadistic smile at those around him. Surrounding him were figures who appeared one after another, replacing Aldebaran and his group immediately after they were sent away—warriors gathered to defeat Aldebaran's gang. Each one met Roy's gaze without flinching, prompting him to lick his lips involuntarily.

"Nice, isn't it? It's good, right? But hey, with so many gathered like this, the force meant to deal with us might just be wiped out in one fell swoop, don't you think?"

"――Hah. Why don't you show a bit more fear and hesitation? Unless you want to die the same way your brothers did at the Sand Tower."

"And you, are magical beasts within your strike zone? If not... I think I'm your natural enemy."

Among the warriors, a figure hugging their own elbows and another stroking their braid responded. Despite the unmistakable hostility, Roy didn't hide his shiver of excitement at the prospect of a feast.

"Y-you've got to be kidding... Can't you see the 『Divine Dragon』!? The Royal Capital was ravaged... There's no chance of winning!"

In stark contrast to the elated Roy, Heinkel spoke with a trembling voice and a pale face. True to his words, relying on the majesty of the 『Divine Dragon』, he stood at its feet, glaring at the enemies with a resentful expression and raising his voice desperately. His appearance was precisely that of a 'human borrowing the power of the dragon,' but in fact, Heinkel's claim was not wrong. If one were to stand against the absolute power of the 『Divine Dragon』 without a plan, what awaited was merciless destruction and an end.

"However, that's only if there is no plan."

"――Tch, the old giant."

"The old giant knows of the 『Demi-Human War』. I will not show mercy twice to those who direct hostility. ――I will have Felt returned."

Facing the breathless and wide-eyed Heinkel, a massive figure stroked its bald head and declared. Heinkel's cheeks tensed at the giant's declaration, but there was another figure that stirred. None other than the 『Dragon』 itself, which was called out.

'To be honest, I'm surprised to be on the receiving end like this. I'm really feeling the weight of what it means to turn the world against you.'

The 『Dragon』, with its imposing presence, placed a hand on its head in an oddly human-like gesture. While its mere presence was enough to make many in the Dragon Kingdom bow down, its demeanor seemed entirely different. At least, to those who knew the real 『Divine Dragon』, the discrepancy was obvious.

"Unlike the esteemed members of the kingdom, I won't panic about the image of the 『Divine Dragon』 being tarnished or its brand value decreasing. ――But, I wonder about the man next to me. Doesn't he have some thoughts on the matter?"

"No, sir, there's no need for concern, it's unfounded. It's ridiculous for me to string together words about a past I've already discarded. Feeble."

In front of the dragon shell that did not match his heart's stature, 『Aldebaran』 narrowed his golden eyes as he looked down at those who were unafraid. Among those who stood in his way, he focused his attention on a small figure slowly stepping forward. Naturally, Roy and Heinkel also directed their attention to that figure.

Though it was unclear why she had come to stand in such a position, it was strangely understood without words. ――She was the representative of the will of this place.

Drawing all attention to herself, she――Petra Leyte pointed her finger to the sky and declared.

"――It's an all-out war. It's okay to lose miserably, quietly," she said.