――Aldebaran knows what “Star Reader” is.

Once, the person who conveyed this to Aldebaran was an existence that knew everything in this world, yet still greedily devoured the unknown.

It was a complicated relationship.

It’s not something that can be described simply with like or dislike.

If I were to say whether I was grateful or not, I suppose I am grateful. But just as much as that gratitude, there are also resentments that are equally irreconcilable.

In any case, regardless of who taught the knowledge, I am aware of the circumstances surrounding “Star Readers.”

And that knowledge contributes nothing to the success or failure of Aldebaran’s lifelong wish. Being interested in “Star Readers” or their involvement is less important than the fact that I was able to involve that person.

At first, when Priscilla said she was going to Volakia, I tried various ways to stop her, but once she made up her mind, there was no bending her will.

So at least I decided to accompany her, doing my best to be as much of a safety net as possible—but encountering that person in this empire was a true twist of fate for Aldebaran.

Fate always intrudes very unpleasantly in Aldebaran’s life.

Thus, I’ve never had a good impression of fate, but this time I am thankful.

If that person is involved, then it’s a different story. If I could involve that person, the situation would change dramatically.

If that person falls into a situation where they cannot be abandoned and expands that frame broader and broader, to the point of being ungraspable, Aldebaran’s lifelong wish will be fulfilled.

Once, Aldebaran threw everything away.

Continuing to walk in the dark, relying on the faint starlight, I ended up giving up, thinking it was all pointless.

That’s exactly why the sun was dazzling. As if there was no darkness, the despair was burned away.

For the sake of protecting that brilliant sun, I would gladly lick the boots of fate. I would not hesitate to endure the ripping pain to gaze straight at that person.

Whether it’s a “Witch,” a “Star Reader,” or a “Great Calamity,” it doesn’t matter what stands in my way.

――Just, please, don’t get in my way.

⬛⬜⬛⬜⬛

――A total of twenty-two times.

That was the number of attempts Ald needed to grasp what had happened to him. A sudden whiteout so abrupt that he couldn’t even notice that his body had evaporated.

“――Huh? The cause is fire, not clouds or snow, so it’s a redout. Or I could call it a crimsonout since that sounds cooler!”

Letting out a deep breath, I spouted nonsense.

I can’t clearly say if my mind is sane, but at least I could dismiss the doubt that it’s not.

For now, that’s enough. If there’s a problem, it’s—

“When it comes to this level of battle, there’s no room for me to intervene!”

As Ald barked this, one of the roles he had to fulfill in the Imperial Capital—one of the five star-shaped walls—was conquered at one spot.

It had already vanished without a trace, a solid wall flaunting immense defensive power had been obliterated, so how could I not call this a success?

Nevertheless, at the second summit, where the tall wall and surrounding buildings had been wiped away, a greater obstacle loomed as the next barrier.

――A girl who dyed the overcast sky red, surrendering herself to some unknown laws in the sky.

The girl with short silver hair and red eyes, exposing much of her tanned skin, didn’t evoke awe due to her beauty but instead stirred an intrinsic sense of danger within those who beheld her.

Leaving the management of the thorned lord to Guruby, wearing a werewolf’s hide, Ald and Cecilis reached the second summit without alarming obstacles—no, they attempted to reach it.

Strictly speaking, the second summit had vanished, and in the wake of its disappearance, Ald had suffered unknowable damages while struggling to understand how to proceed ahead.

Yet, even if they asked him to do the same thing again, Ald didn’t want to think about how many extra rounds would be necessary to reach this outcome.

So—

“――Thought experiment restart, redefining the area.”

Whether it was several dozen seconds or even mere seconds, Ald updated the matrix and desperately observed for a chance to escape.

As I shouted earlier, there was simply no room for me to intervene. Even so, each time Ald received critical damage, restarting from the designated point meant the world wouldn’t progress.

If it were like that sniper incident, where Cecilis picked up Ald and escaped from that deadly zone together, it would be a different story—but—

“I’m sorry, Ald-san. However, my intuition is speaking to me. This is my stage, and if I keep worrying about you, it might ruin the performance!”

Saying this, Cecilis quickly abandoned Ald’s protection and challenged the girl in the sky—Arakia.

This wasn’t the first time Ald laid eyes on her. Looking back, they had teamed up in his days as a gladiator on Gladiator Island, then turned into adversaries in Castle City Gwararu, and now in the Imperial Capital, she had evaporated him—thus their relationship continued to degrade.

However, apart from his perspective as an old man who had met her multiple times, it was clear from Cecilis’s demeanor that Arakia was not in a normal situation.

“――――”

Arakia writhing in midair was obviously not in a regular state.

“Spirit Eater,” that trait was something he had heard a bit from Priscilla. He had witnessed her transforming into fire and water, but what he saw now was distinctly different from those precedents.

Unlike when she merged her body with water or flew through the flames with part of her body, the current appearance of Arakia looked as if she were being devoured from within by a massive white light.

Her slender brown body protruding from within were thin, yellowish transparent crystals.

High-purity magic stones are called magical crystals, and they enveloped Arakia’s entire being.

If she remained composed with that appearance, one could easily believe it was part of Arakia demonstrating her powers as a “Spirit Eater,” but—

“――Ugh!”

Arakia’s red eyes, which were unable to focus on the world, began to cry from her muddy left eye, and her lips gasped desperately for salvation.

No one would think this was normal or that Arakia wished for this situation.

It was like a child, wide-mouthed and crying, repeatedly hitting someone while streaming tears; no matter if eyes, ears, or skin were closed, one would still understand she was crying.

What Arakia was doing was precisely that.

“You’re not actually going to leave a crying child alone, right!?”

Gripping his head as he desperately tried to flee from obliteration, Ald shouted in frustration toward Cecilis, who was heading towards ruin.

Upon hearing this, Cecilis turned but didn’t bother to look back. Ald could only tell he was laughing based on the shaking of his shoulders.

“The tears of children and women can be the catalyst for moving stories. Therefore, it’s only natural for me to not ignore it, but this time is different!”

“Then!”

“But—there’s a use for those tears.”

Immediately after declaring that, Cecilis used melted rubble as a foothold, and his body shot forward at lightning speed.

The barricade built to protect the second summit was dissolving, turning into a manifestation of hell as if magma had been poured into it. Just stepping into the magma could result in instant incineration rather than just slip damage. The source is myself.

Nevertheless, Cecilis leapt into the magma garden, skillfully using the limited footing to approach Arakia suspended in the air.

It was beyond description how swift and bold his moves were—no, truly, the seemingly beyond description feat was achieved immediately afterward, accompanied by a melody.

“You’re kidding me!?”

In the air, Arakia’s entire body glowed white, and in an instant, a flash of light scorched the ground where Cecilis had been running.

The spear of light buried itself into the magma, and after a brief moment, a spherical area of several meters was compressed, then exploded. The power of the destroyed magma and its destructive force expanded outward, scattering over an area nearly ten times that of the compressed space.

Ald was left speechless as he involuntarily shielded his head with his arms, realizing full well the astounding power of that single attack that did not cease but continued to unleash.

One shot, two shots, three shots, four shots were rapidly fired, and with each, the appearance of the Imperial Capital transformed.

Streets were no longer streets, earth was no longer earth.

It chased after Cecilis running on the ground and unleashed one after another; even Cecilis—

“Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta—!!”

With magma splattering like searing saliva, Cecilis dodged the flashes of destruction, racing wildly through the space where death fell like rain.

Having lost even footing, the area was submerged in magma instead of ground, making him run in sandals that lacked fire resistance.

In that scene, a thought crossed Ald’s mind about the ridiculous water running of the Shinobi—stepping out with the left foot before the right sank, stepping out with the right foot before the left sank.

And it was precisely what Cecilis was doing, not on water, but on magma.

“That’s impossible!?”

“For those who think that, it will be forever!”

Cecilis cheerfully responded to Ald’s scream, embodying an outrageous act that scoffed at physical laws, barreling into a house that miraculously remained intact, and the next moment, that house collapsed, sending out a beam of debris like arrows flying into the air.

A thick arrow, miscalculated in size ratio, approached Arakia at a speed that could pierce through the body of a giant beast. However, it ignited before hitting Arakia and burned away in the air.

How much heat was generated around the glowing Arakia? Not only her figure but also the very sky appeared distorted, making it impossible for any close-range attacks to even approach.

Even Cecilis must have understood that. Yet—

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!!”

Producing thunderous noise, Cecilis smashed through one building after another, kicking the collapsing pillars, roofs, and furniture at breakneck speed, assaulting Arakia in midair.

Naturally, it wasn’t a matter of which would reach her; all of them vanished into the air without ever reaching.

Moreover, those futile attacks were returned with lethal light arrows that would surely inflict fatal injuries just by grazing.

“You idiot, stop! Don’t you realize?! If you recklessly draw her attention—”

“What are you saying, Ald-san! It’s the opposite! It’s all completely reversed! Rather, you need to draw her full attention toward me with your entire being!”

“This attention-seeker… no.”

Cecilis, autonomously demolishing structures, contributing to the destruction of the Imperial Capital’s scenery, Ald realized as he attempted to smirk at Cecilis’s usual showy declarations.

Cecilis’s positioning was always left placing Arakia within the interior of the capital, while he looped around to draw her attacks outward—essentially a battle that didn’t aim attacks into the capital.

Only upon realizing this did Ald finally understand what Cecilis truly meant.

“Currently, Arakia has no room to direct her consciousness outward.”

What Arakia absorbed, beyond Ald’s imagination, desperately sought to stay within without bursting out, reflexively attacking the threats that could hinder her.

And Cecilis deliberately placed himself at that critical distance, persistently provoking her in order to keep Arakia here.

“――――”

Cecilis’s aim and the peculiar situation Arakia found herself in.

The option of turning my back and running away while always flickering at the edges of my mind, was also applicable to Cecilis, who could lose a foot at any moment.

Just if Ald’s presence could nullify that possibility, he believed it was worth seeking.

“――Shall we?”

Ald slowly shook his head, exhaling deeply.

He had already drawn the short straw twenty-two times at the start; from here on out, there was no telling how many more would become necessary. The outcome, he did not know what it would do to his sanity.

But regardless of sanity or insanity, the sun was undeniably dazzling.

“Then, I’m fine with that.”

Flicking the fastener of his helmet with his finger to create a sound, Ald took a step forward.

And—

“――――”

The white light shot toward Cecilis detonated several meters ahead, and a blast of magma headed straight toward Ald, who couldn’t dodge it.

“――Next.”

In the redefined area, he decided to step onto a grand stage as an ordinary man.

⬛⬜⬛⬜⬛

――Once, Cecilis Segmunt had conveyed words to Arakia.

The clashes between “One” and “Two” that were considered trivial in the Imperial Capital.

While chatting with the defeated Arakia on the scorched earth, Cecilis, wielding his katana, sliced the clouds and called it street art.

In truth, Cecilis believed it served no purpose other than to surprise, a swordsmanship that Arakia, who directly saw it, also deemed useless.

That was the divine art of imperfection cultivated over the lifetime of Rauan Segmunt—only sufficient as a flashy trick for the monsters known as transcendent beings.

In short—

――A long leg cutting through the sky, a delayed gust of wind blowing the dust away.

Ald swiftly ducked to avoid the heavy kick, drawing his blade as he aimed to sever the waist of the opponent who had left themselves open to such a large swing—when a shock struck at his chest.

The air in his lungs was squeezed out, staring wide-eyed at the scene below. Multiple tails, sprouting from the hind of the girl who had delivered that kick, slammed into him.

“――Ugh!”

Fox tails, covered in soft beast fur, struck him with an unbelievable force, sending his body flying backward and causing him to bounce off the ground.

Once, twice, the world turned upside down in his vision, and when he waved a goodbye to the heavens for the third time, he forced his blade into the ground, halting his momentum. Shattering the ground with his heel, he clenched his teeth and quickly sheathed his sword, transitioning to a drawing stance—

“Now, do you understand?”

“――!?”

A flash of sword light—the initial motion that should have been released alongside the sheathing of his blade was halted by the hand of the girl who placed her hand on the hilt, interrupting his attack. Momentarily, frozen in place, the girl lowered her elongated, beautiful eyes, regarding him with pity.

“I am not a match for my master.”

“Oh, oh oh—!!”

Rather than drawing the sword that had been restrained, she restrained the hilt’s position and pulled the sheath, executing a half-turn as the beast’s bone sheath struck his face.

The strength, angle, and impact were all more than enough to shatter a human skull.

But—

“――――”

The shattered sheath scattered in pieces across the impact, while the girl—who introduced herself as Iris—showed no signs of pain or discomfort at all.

Just quivering her lips left with pity, she lifted the hand that had held back the hilt.

“I will not let you die, but it will hurt so much you may wish for it.”

A palm strike crashed into his forehead, and Ald’s body rotated backward, careening off the crush.

This time, without even the chance to brace himself or endure, he was tossed across the long, long Main Street before the Crystal Palace, flying without encountering any obstructions.

Bouncing, rolling, rolling into a sprawling position.

And then—

“――Ah!”

Half-killed from the mere scuffle, Rauan Segmunt gazed wide-eyed.

It was overwhelming, far too overwhelming.

An unbelievable strong opponent—Rauan was fully aware he faced a powerful enemy. Even so, he had somehow convinced himself that he would win in the end.

Just as it had been before, it would surely turn out this way again.

――Allow me to speak of one man’s misfortune—Rauan Segmunt.

Accompanying him was Heinkel Astrea, an unfortunate man who had been denied anything he would not have obtained without being chosen.

Rauan Segmunt, conversely, continued to be granted what he would not have had without being chosen, becoming unfortunate as a result.

Rauan had a wish, sustained by unyielding desires—a prayer he constantly hungered after.

To reach the “Celestial Sword,” he braved every hardship, addressing every necessity, enduring being branded a demon or a monster, yearning to achieve it.

There was no falsehood, no deceit behind that wish. It was free from compromise or resignation.

He had never once lacked sincerity for the sword or technique he sought to master.

Yet, Rauan Segmunt had not encountered—

A worthy rival to uplift each other, a formidable opponent to spur him on, a beloved person to elevate him to heights he couldn’t reach alone.

Instead, he cut down every foe he encountered, constantly crashing into opponents who only suffered under his sword, continuously losing opportunities to clash against countless transcendent beings of this world until he despaired of never reaching his goal and wished for death—at which point, fate granted him the “Star Reader.”

Given the opportunity, Rauan Segmunt could have roared his sword’s power across the world.

However, Rauan had remained solitary without any rivals, strong opponents, or loved ones.

He wasn’t cut off thinking that emotions were unnecessary to master the way of the sword; he hadn’t been betrayed by someone he had formed bonds with.

He merely hadn’t come across anyone who could provide either location or elevation from his current state.

The reason he was able to avoid Iris’s initial strike that descended directly from the Crystal Palace was that she hadn’t intended to strike someone who feared death.

The undead Balroi Temegurif had fled from “Cloud Cutting” because he feared the unexpected counterattack from Cecilis Segmunt and chose not to pursue deeply.

It was because he had only encountered enemies with whose swordsmanship he could clash that he had so far been unharmed amidst the “Great Calamity” incited by the undead legion.

It was once Rauan Segmunt, who had incited the assassination of the emperor, had not taken Rauan’s life because of his whims: “It would be thrilling if father really came back stronger to battle me!”

Until now, Rauan had survived purely because the scales of fortune had tipped favorably, notwithstanding how unfortunate or fateful each situation may have been.

And now, in a city transformed into a city of the dead, Rauan encountered once again, the one being who did not wish to take his life.

――The world does not grant Rauan’s wish, but it always keeps the path to his survival illuminated.

“――――”

“――Will you continue?”

Slowly lifting his sprawled body, Rauan raised an eyebrow at Iris.

Though the distance separating them stretched several dozen meters, her presence was so undeniable that she clearly heard Iris’s words.

――Or perhaps, was this a change brought on by confronting his very first formidable opponent?

The feeling of a shell that had continuously surrounded him being shattered by something outside may have been why. Thus, he finally could understand.

Powerful mana roamed around Iris’s entire figure—a scale that was distinctly discernable from the clashing they had just observed before.

Standing as the guardian of the Crystal Palace, likely the mastermind orchestrating the slaughter in the now undead capital Rupugana—this woman was the most formidable being in the Volakia Empire.

Even Cecilis, renowned as the “First” of the Nine Divine Generals, could not surpass this final existence molded by calamity.

“Haha, what a stroke of luck, what a lucky day this is…!”

Acknowledging that truth with every fiber of his being, Rauan laughed with a grin, feeling as if his son sang loudly within the confines of his skull.

To reach the “Celestial Sword,” he thought it would eventually mean severing his son, who had already reached it. But now, having confronted an existence that surpassed even Cecilis, the situation had changed rapidly.

Not eventually, but now.

In this moment, Rauan Segmunt would reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship, claiming his rightful seat as the holder of the “Celestial Sword.”

For that—

“――Swordmaster, Rauan Segmunt.”

Sheathing the blade he had managed to keep hold of, he opened his feet wide and assumed the stance.

Far ahead, Iris stood, the distance had widened—it was either luck or the fruits of his hard work, honed through days of sweating blood to reach this point.

All that remained was to claim the corresponding price from Iris’s slender neck.

“――Cloud Cutter.”

With the movement of sheathing, the flash of the sword was sent hurtling straight towards the still-standing Iris.

Slashing through the air along the way, severing leaves that obstructed its path, an unprecedented flash of the blade soared, the most refined cut of Rauan’s entire life.

It aimed to behead the beautiful woman, Iris—

“――That’s as far as it goes.”

Tilting her head, that simple gesture was all it took to evade Rauan’s best attempt.

As if she merely sighed, Iris forcefully planted her feet onto the ground, moving forward.

Rauan had not been afforded the time to swing a second blade against her, the final embodiment of the “Great Calamity” had not given him that moment.

⬛⬜⬛⬜⬛

The impact that slammed down from above buried Rauan deep into the street without a shred of chance.

“――――”

Looking down at the swordmaster’s forward-leaning form half-buried in the ground, Iris flipped her dress’ hem while turning her back on the man she had just fought.

He was surely left with no strength left to fight. Leaving her back turned to him posed no threats.

Yet, lamentably, even if he had retained his strength, he would be unable to deliver a surprise upon Iris.

“While you still have life, I suggest you leave the Imperial Capital.”

If one were weak, a mere finger would suffice, while a strong being would declare it after a deadly clash.

Delivering those words to such a troublesome opponent as Rauan was challenging—in other words, he was not weak. But strong he was not; one could only say he was the pinnacle of commonality.

And now in the Empire, that very reality was even more damning than merely being present.

“A crime, is it? Why must I—”

Gently resting a palm on her chest, Iris muttered as if cursing herself.

Yet, she had made her decision. She had acted upon it in an irrefutable form. Regardless of how many rushed toward her, all she needed to do was push them all back.

If so, Iris’s story with Yugaldo would—

“――Why do you stand?”

Stopping in her tracks, Iris questioned a presence behind her without looking back.

That presence heralded the approach to Rauan, the man she had believed she had felled with her prior blow. Perhaps her intention to reap his consciousness had been overly optimistic.

If she had exerted more force, she might just have crushed his skull. She had no intention of taking a life, after all.

Had her perception of power been insufficient? Even if one possessed a strength disparity, there would be times one cannot back down. Is this one of those times?

“There’s no intention to let her go free, and that’s what lends itself to a sense of desperation. However, I—”

“…… It’s not what I intend. That’s the problem here.”

“――――”

The response was weak and raspy, one that surpassed what Iris could comprehend.

If that was the warrior’s pride or a man’s inclination, it was beyond her understanding.

Iris thought about how much she valued her own things more than those ideals.

Therefore—

“If you aren’t inclined to give up just yet—”

Until that heart was broken, she would continue until she heard the crack of her resolve.

Just then, as Iris steeled herself to confront Rauan’s aspirations—

“……Huh?”

Turning around, Iris gasped in astonishment.

It wasn’t an extraordinary event where Rauan had closed the distance between them in mere moments, nor was it that someone else had come to replace him with a weapon against Iris.

Rauan remained there, but the surprise did indeed come from him.

――He had taken his blade to slice deep into his own neck.

“What?”

In a heartbeat, blood gushed forth with terrifying vigor from the severed arteries of his neck.

Instantly, the streets filled with the spurting blood, as the source of life from Rauan Segmunt bled into the ground, absorbed by it.

“Why…?”

The scene leapt beyond understanding, a breath escaped Iris’s lips as she gasped.

Visibly mad, Rauan—whose neck gushed with blood—held wide his eyes glowing with perilous light, and with the blood flowing from his lips, he laughed.

Laughing, he declared—

“Even should I perish, I shall—”

In the midst of his words, Rauan’s blue eyes rolled back, turning white as he collapsed.

Realizing that this was not merely conscious loss but that of his life, Iris rushed toward him, reaching out toward the man in a desperate attempt to save his remaining existence.

Yet that hand would not reach his body.

Why?

Because—

“――I shall reach the ‘Celestial Sword.'”

As Iris dashed to her, the freshly departed corpse of Rauan Segmunt was assaulted simultaneously from all sides by multiple undead.

⬛⬜⬛⬜⬛

―When the dragon’s breath surged toward the streets of the Imperial Capital, there was hardly anything Heinkel could do.

Driven purely by survival instinct, he swung his sword and dug a minimalistic hole into the ground. All he had time to do was slide his body into it.

However, that was no relief, for the dragon’s breath approached, deeply gouging the very ground he had stood on, rendering his efforts meaningless in an instant.

Thus, the life of Heinkel Astrea, the current head of the “Sword Saints” family that had long protected the Parent Dragon Kingdom, was ironically erased without a trace by the breath of a “Dragon.”

“――Hey hey, you can’t die that easily, old man!”

Gripped by the scruff of his neck, Heinkel was yanked from the hole he had forced himself into. Lifted with tremendous force, his nostrils were flooded with the burnt aroma as the dragon’s breath raged across the world.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa?!”

Spinning around, his sight blurring as blood poured down from his cracked forehead, stomach acid spilling from the corners of his mouth—Heinkel experienced weightlessness as his body dropped to the ground.

Unable to brace himself properly, he was ejected, managing to prop himself up and glancing around.

“――Ugh!”

A groan escaped his lips as he witnessed the devastating scene where he had just occupied moments prior.

That patch of land had been scorched by the dragon’s breath, completely obliterated while releasing white steam. Had he delayed even slightly in fleeing, he would have found himself transformed into vapor.

“My role was to stir things up in the south to catch the eye of the commanders… Huh! I’m seeing things!”

“Ah…?”

“I could have sworn you were about to run away, but it looks like you’ve got some guts, old man!”

Turning to the voice filled with rough admiration, Heinkel saw the figure of the person who had pulled him out.

Just bathed in backlight, the person was difficult to see clearly, and the echo of the dragon’s tail attack still resonated, twisting the identity of the voice beyond recognition.

Yet, the figure showed no concern for that as it advanced, baring its fangs.

Backing away as Heinkel knelt on the ground, a colossal “Cloud Dragon” faced him.

Then, with mighty fists pounding against each other resolutely in front of his chest—

“――I’m here to lend a hand, old man! ‘You can’t climb the Kweine Stone alone,’ you know!!”

Resounding like a beast’s roar, Garfiel Tinsel, the forefront of the “Team to Save the Volakia Empire from Destruction,” roared as he charged into battle against the “Cloud Dragon.”