――289.

After overcoming the big match, the sudden attack from the ambushers was merciless beyond imagination.

While Garfiel rushed to protect the girls, I had no idea how the ambushers had managed to evade that great flood without being with them. However, the ambushers who accomplished it by themselves returned to us completely exhausted and kept snapping our necks over and over.

No questions. No hesitation. Their actions, aimed solely at eliminating obstacles, stemmed from their awareness of being the last deterrent left in the tower.

“Not too shabby, kiddo.”

To think that someone so young could have trained to this extent, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of respect just imagining the blood, sweat, and tears she must have poured into it.

I had heard they were twin sisters—was her older sister or younger sister just as strong? No, even without asking here, it was likely an opportunity to find out directly would arise soon enough.

After all, Aldebaran was about to make an enemy of the whole world.

“――っ”

I heard a faint intake of breath, and the slender hand of the ambusher almost broke Aldebaran’s neck.

Just before the girl’s hand, which had crept up from behind, could reach its target, Aldebaran covered around his neck with a stone cast, narrowly avoiding the blow that could have twisted his cervical spine.

But, this opponent was not someone who would ease up simply because of the near miss. Upon realizing the ambush had failed, she immediately slipped to Aldebaran’s left—his blind spot without an arm—and launched a hand strike aimed at his side.

And yet, in stark contrast to her cute hands, that blow was wrapped in a fearsome “Flow technique,” piercing through his side, slipping through the gaps in his ribs, and tearing right into his heart.

A lethal blow that would almost guarantee death; however, almost death isn’t quite death.

Even with short-lived agony, unbearable pain assailed him. So—

“Ugh, ah!”

The ambusher girl stretched out her clay-like prosthetic hand to slip in, and Aldebaran grabbed her hair tied into two ponytails, forcefully pressing her into the wall. There, the clay arm transformed into a large mud tape, binding the girl to the wall.

Her arms and legs were restrained, leaving only her head free. The ambusher—Flam—locked eyes with Aldebaran.

“I’m weaker than you, kid. I’m missing an arm. My vision is poor because of this helmet. I’m exhausted from all the fighting. I’m lacking both power and talent. —So, I win.”

“Ald—”

“Shut it.”

Aldebaran snapped his fingers in front of Flam’s face and stuffed her mouth with a stone gag. It was something easy to remove if she could use her arms and legs, but being restrained made it a different story.

Finally, one could say they had achieved the objective of this bonus track.

“――――”

A long, deep sigh escaped.

There was not even a trace of relief in it; it was a despondent thing, far from the actual sense of achievement.

In general terms, if this were compared to climbing a mountain, it was only the first step—no matter how positive a thinker one is, no one would prance about at the first stage.

Especially since this challenge wasn’t something to boast about to anyone.

“Why shouldn’t I make excuses when you’re looking at me like that, girls?”

Having said that, as Aldebaran turned around, he found two girls standing quietly in the four-layered corridor, watching him.

One of them had narrowed eyes filled with cold hostility, while the other sported round eyes, suffused with earnestness.

“This girl is angry, so would you refrain from coming any closer?”

The half-turned Aldebaran was being cautioned by the girl with braids—Meily. Above her head, the cheerful creature they’d encountered several times during their journey and in the tower was uplifting its tail against her blue hair.

That tail, faintly glowing at the tip, was actually no trivial weapon of attack. Of course, if she were to be careless and get hit in a vital spot, it would mean trouble.

“Well, I understand if you don’t want to get close. I initially had no intention of harming you girls anyway.”

“Coming down here so boldly to search for us? That’s utterly ridiculous!”

“You got my search right, but the reasons for it are where you’re mistaken.”

Due to Meily’s unfriendly demeanor, Aldebaran fiddled with the seams of his helmet while choosing his words. As he did so, the quiet girl suddenly murmured, “Reasons…”

“Then, what reason did you come down here for, Ald?” Petra asked, not averting her gaze.

“――――”

Aldebaran fell silent at Petra’s firm question.

“――――”

He could see that Meily, with her past as an assassin, had a strong backbone. However, he was equally impressed by Petra, an ordinary village girl simply devoted to her maid training, displaying such toughness.

Aldebaran had timed his actions, keenly observing when everyone’s guard was at its weakest, so they should have had little inkling of the situation unfolding.

Inside that little head of hers, there must have been a whirlpool of various questions, with anxiety and confusion screaming to break free. Yet she revealed none of it.

“I’ve fulfilled my purpose. I have no further business in this tower. I’m just here to say goodbye.”

“Goodbye isn’t something you can just—”

“Garfiel and Ezzo are sleeping at the top of the tower. If I attend to them right away, they should survive.”

“――Ah.”

For a moment, Petra stiffened at Aldebaran’s selfish declaration, preparing to take a defensive stance. Meily beside her also readied herself to join in that resolve, but Aldebaran’s words pointing towards the upper levels of the tower just complicated the girls’ will to fight.

Sadly, Aldebaran had no leisure to show mercy, even towards these girls.

“What will you do? Do you want to have a stylish showdown with me here? If you work hard, you might win… but if you lose, the two above will die along with you?”

“What a coward…!”

“I know, and believe me, I can’t stand myself for it.”

As Petra glared at him with fierce eyes, Aldebaran chastised himself for being a despicable adult.

However, the reality was that this unpleasant, cowardly opinion of his held weight. Petra, wise and brave, could accurately gauge the risks involved if she were to lose.

She couldn’t risk engaging in a battle with slim chances of victory and potentially leading Garfiel and the others to their deaths.

“What about you and Beatrice?”

“They’re both taking a nap together. After being so lovey-dovey, separating them would be too cruel. My heart cannot take such an act.”

In response to Meily’s inquiry about the well-being of Subaru and the others, Aldebaran replied.

Sadly, he had no intentions of providing them any further information here.

After all, once he rescued Garfiel and the others, they’d likely repeat the same story. He didn’t want to incite Petra and the others into any reckless behavior with careless remarks.

Even with the burden of the barrier, it was tiring.

“I was told not to come any closer, but that’s the exit over there. Let me pass.”

He raised his hand and informed them as Aldebaran slowly moved toward the girls. To demonstrate that he meant no harm, he kept his raised hand open.

“――――”

Petra and Meily wordlessly made a path for Aldebaran as he approached. As he walked between the girls, the only sound echoing in the quiet corridor was the hollow click of the red scorpion’s pincers.

That sound seemed to express their unresolved feelings, and—

“I really planned to help you properly over these three days.”

“――――”

“I absolutely detest you.”

The girl’s voice, strained with tears, undoubtedly became the deepest wound Aldebaran had received throughout all the injuries endured in this Pleiades Watchtower.

△▼△▼△▼△

When Aldebaran set foot at the entrance of the tower, a similarly heart-wrenching battle was unfolding there as well, just like his encounter with Petra and company.

The one participating in that fight was a pitch-black Earth Dragon named Patrasche, who had contributed to leading Aldebaran and the others to this tower.

Facing Patrasche directly was—

“Hey, did you finish what you left unfinished?”

The heavy, imposing voice without an ounce of dignity belonged to a colossal creature.

Opening the large front gate of the tower with one hand, the blue-scaled “Dragon” glaring at Patrasche was none other than the reformed “Aldebaran.”

“――Gh!”

In facing this “Aldebaran,” Patrasche neighed without retreating an inch.

Honestly, all of Subaru’s female companions were mentally off-kilter. However, recalling previous encounters, all the women Aldebaran had met had been quite something.

Only one weak woman came to mind.

Whatever the case—

“Cut it out with the bullying of weaklings just because I’m a dragon. I already look dangerous enough; don’t make it worse.”

“Don’t call me dangerous. If I’m dangerous, you’re pretty messed up too. Normally, you wouldn’t even think about carrying out such an action. —Taking over a “Divine Dragon” or anything.”

“With this unfamiliar voice and appearance, while flapping my wings, I’m telling you exactly what you need to hear.”

Patrasche looked down on “Aldebaran,” and the logic behind avoiding combat was disturbingly similar to how Aldebaran had intimidated Petra and the others.

Nevertheless—

“How’s your flying?”

“I think I can manage… sort of easing my way into it.”

“That’s a lack of confidence…”

Even though Aldebaran couldn’t hide his unease about “Aldebaran’s” inadequate confidence, he climbed onto his back using the tail as a foothold. Clinging to the horn-like spikes of the dragon’s scales, he encouraged, “You’re doing great.”

“——Lift-off!”

In the next moment, with that shout, “Aldebaran” flapped his wings and ascended into the air.

Kicking up a storm, sending sand scattering, the “Dragon” rapidly gained altitude, approaching the top of the Pleiades Watchtower, before distancing itself from the tower.

As the tower grew increasingly distant, Aldebaran looked back at those he left behind—

“Are you regretting what you left behind?”

“I sure am. I regretted it four hundred years ago.”

With a resigned click of the tongue at being mocked by someone who understood all the details, Aldebaran bristled.

What “Aldebaran” wanted to say was that there was no time to look back. And that was correct. As mentioned before, this was merely the first step.

From here on, aiming for the light of the countless stars that existed beyond this, Aldebaran couldn’t afford to misstep even once.

“Well, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I’m here with you from now on. That makes it a bit better, right?”

As “Aldebaran” soared through the night sky of the sandy ocean, he casually remarked.

Even with the “memories” installed in them from the “Book of the Dead,” such optimism surely stemmed from a difference in having things to lean upon. Still, being excessively negative wouldn’t do either.

In fact, they had acquired an incredibly powerful backup that couldn’t have been wished for more.

Now, all that remained—

“――That’s far enough.”

△▼△▼△▼△

In that moment, light pierced through as Aldebaran was about to establish the next course of action.

“――――”

Suddenly, he plummeted fiercely into the cold night sand sea, the “Dragon” slowly rising up. Aldebaran, wrapped in that dragon’s wings, shook his head and landed upon the sand.

There, both Aldebaran and the dragon met the gaze of—

“――――”

With fiery red hair like burning flames, crystal-clear blue eyes that contained the sky, and clad in an unblemished white attire embodying the very essence of knighthood—an existence chosen by the world—

“Flam, left behind in the tower, is protected by the ‘Prayer’s Protection.’ She can send words to her sister, Gracis, once a day, regardless of distance or time.”

That was an explanation of his ability to arrive at this place, a considerate response that aligned himself with the confusion of the one caught in the irrational situation.

“…Thanks for the explanation. Are you perhaps used to getting complaints?”

“I just wanted to clarify my doubts beforehand. —I have a lot of questions for you.”

“――――”

“I recommend surrendering. I don’t want to slash you.”

Saying this while touching the “Dragon Blade” at his waist, the young man—Reinhardt Van Astraea, said boldly before Aldebaran and “Aldebaran.”

“――――”

With an imposing demeanor and a courageous stance, standing brilliantly even in the night world—he was destined to become a hero. Aldebaran felt compelled to express one thing as a bearer of the decayed fantasy of heroes.

He had expressed quite a lot, but—

“Don’t act all high and mighty, hero. I’ll just win, anyway. —The stars were against you.”

In the vast ocean of sand, under the watchful stars, Aldebaran faced off against Reinhardt.

――It was a confrontation that would never intertwine between that which is loved by the world and that which is not.