--Two Hundred and Eighty-Nine.
In the extra time after overcoming a major battle, the sudden assault by the hidden enemy was more ruthless than expected.

While Garfiel went to protect the girls, it was unclear how the hidden enemy, who was not with them, had managed to avoid that massive flood. However, the hidden enemy, who had achieved it on their own, repeatedly broke the neck of the person who descended to the lower floor, exhausted.

No questions asked. No hesitation. Truly, the actions focused solely on eliminating obstacles were driven by their awareness of being the last deterrent left in the tower.

"You’re quite something, young lady."

The mere thought of the grueling training endured to gain such skill at that young age inspires respect.

They say she has a twin sister, but one wonders if her sister is equally strong. --Even if not asked here, there probably will be an opportunity to confirm it directly.

After all, from now on, Aldebaran will make an enemy of the entire world.

--A faint gasp was heard as the hidden enemy’s slender hand failed to break Aldebaran’s neck.

Just before the hand of the girl, who had snuck up from behind, reached, Aldebaran covered his neck area with a stone cast, evading the blow meant to break his cervical spine.

However, the opponent was not so lenient as to back down with merely that. Realizing her ambush failed, she immediately slipped to Aldebaran's left side—a side without an arm—and struck with a knife-hand aimed at his flank.

That, too, despite its cute appearance, was a terrible 'Flow Technique' strike that could pierce the flank, slip through between the ribs, and tear into the heart.

A near-certain fatal blow, but near-certain means it’s not certain. Not fatal.

Though brief, an unbearable pain assaults. So--

"Ugh, ah!"

Reaching out with a clay prosthetic towards the girl slipping in, Aldebaran seized her double-braided hair and forcibly pinned her against the wall. He then transformed the clay arm into a large mud tape, pinning the girl to the wall.

The hidden enemy, restrained with her limbs tied and only her head free—Flam—and Aldebaran glared at each other.

"I am weaker than you, young lady. I am missing an arm. My helmet impairs my vision. I am exhausted from continuous battles. I have neither skill nor talent. —Therefore, I win."

"Al..."

"Shut up."

He snapped his fingers in front of Flam's face, sealing her mouth with a stone gag. It was something she could easily remove if her hands and feet were free, but being restrained left her helpless.
Only then could he say he had finally achieved the bonus track.

"——"

A long, deep sigh escaped.

It wasn't relief, not even a bit; it was a morose feeling, completely disconnected from any sense of accomplishment.

To begin with, if compared to mountain climbing, this was still the first station—no matter how positive someone might be, it's absurd to wildly celebrate at just the first station.

Moreover, this challenge was not something to be proud of in front of anyone.

"Even if you look at me like that, there's no excuse I can give you, young ladies."

Saying that, Aldebaran turned around to face the two girls standing quietly in the passage of the fourth layer, looking at him.

—One had narrow eyes filled with cold hostility, while the other had round eyes with a sincere look.

"Because she's angry, could you not come any closer?"

The girl with the braids—Meili—warned, turning her half-turned body to face Aldebaran. On top of her head, standing on her blue hair, was a beast that had repeatedly appeared throughout their journey and in the tower.

Its tail, with a faintly glowing tip, was surprisingly a formidable weapon. Of course, if it hit a vital spot unguarded, but still.

"Alright, I understand. I never intended to harm you ladies in the first place."

"For someone who descended boldly to search for us? How ridiculous."

"It's true that I came searching, but you're wrong about the reason."

At Meili's dismissive attitude, Aldebaran chose his words carefully while fiddling with the seam of his helmet. Meanwhile, the girl who had been silently watching their interaction softly muttered "Reason..."

"Then, what was your reason for coming down here, Al?"

――Petra asked her question firmly without averting her eyes, and Al kept silent.

「――――」

He understood that Meili, having once been an assassin and familiar with extreme situations, had nerves of steel. However, he was astonished by Petra, who had been merely a village girl and had thrown herself into maid training, showing such resilience.

Timing it when everyone's guard was at its lowest, Al initiated his action without anyone noticing. In other words, Petra and the others should have no clue about the situation.

Inside her small head, all sorts of doubts and anxieties and the confusion that would make her want to cry out loud must be swirling around. ――Yet she did not reveal any of it.

"I've accomplished my objective. I have no more business in this tower. So, I'm just saying goodbye."

"Even if you say goodbye…"

"Garfiel and Ezzo are sleeping at the top of the tower. If you treat them immediately, they should survive."

"――Ah"

For a moment, Petra stiffened at Al's self-centered declaration, preparing for combat. Meili, beside her, also spread her legs to follow Petra’s resolve, but the girls' fighting spirit was stirred by Al’s words as he pointed to the top of the tower.

And unfortunately, Al had no room for mercy even if his opponents were girls.

"What will you do? Will you fight me bravely here? You might win if you try hard… but if you lose, the two upstairs will be taken down with you."

"Coward…!"

"I know. It makes me utterly despise myself."

Insulted by Petra's sharp gaze, Al admonished himself for becoming such a despicable adult.

However, in reality, it seems that the vile and cowardly opinions of such an adult could prevail. ――Smart and brave Petra could properly calculate the risks of losing.

She couldn't take the risk of a barely winnable fight here and cause Garfiel and the others' deaths.

"What about Mr. Nii-san and Beatrice-chan?"

"They're both taking a nap together. They were so lovey-dovey and close. It would be cruel to separate them, and my heart aches too much to do that."

In response to Meili, who inquired about Subaru and the others' safety in place of Petra, he answered thusly.

Unfortunately, he had no intention of providing them with any more information here.

In any case, once they rescued Garfiel and the others, they could hear the same story from their mouths. He didn't want to carelessly provoke Petra and the others, who had made rational decisions.

Even the deployment of the domain, though he was shouldering the burden, was still tiring.

"I was told not to approach, but the exit's this way. So, let me through."

Raising his hand and saying that, Aldebaran slowly moved his feet towards the girls. To show he harbored no ill will, he kept his raised hand open and did not lower it.

"――――"

As Aldebaran approached, Petra and Meili silently stepped aside. When he passed between the girls who spread out to the sides, only the sound of Little Red Scorpion's pincers echoed emptily in the quiet corridor.

The threatening sound of the Little Red Scorpion seemed to exactly reflect their unreconciled hearts ―,

"In these three days, I really intended to help you properly, Al-san."

"――――"

"I hate you so much."

The tearful voice squeezed out from the girl became, without a doubt, the deepest wound Aldebaran had received in this Pleiades Watchtower.

△▼△▼△▼△

When Aldebaran descended to the entrance of the tower, a heart-wrenching battle similar to the one with Petra and the others on the fourth layer was unfolding.

Participating in that battle was a jet-black land dragon named Patrasche, who had contributed to bringing Aldebaran and his group to this tower.

And, facing Patrasche head-on was―,

'Yo, have you settled the unfinished business?'

A heavy, grim voice asked in an undignified tone, a giant creature speaking.

At the entrance of the tower, pushing the large main gate open effortlessly with one hand, stood 'Aldebaran,' also known as Volcanica, a 'Dragon' with shining blue scales, glaring at Patrasche.

"――ッッ"

Facing off against "Aldebaran," Patrasche neighed without retreating a single step.

To be honest, all of Subaru's female companions were mentally unstable. —No, looking back, the women Aldebaran had encountered were also mostly the same.

He could only think of one genuinely weak woman.

Whatever the case—

"Hey, as a dragon, stop picking on weaker things. You already look dangerous enough without needing to seem even more dangerous."

"Don't keep calling me 'dangerous.' If I'm dangerous, then you're pretty crazy too. Normally, people wouldn't even consider actually trying to take over a 'divine dragon.'"

With a voice and appearance he wasn't used to, "Aldebaran" spoke while moving his wings. In response to his words, Aldebaran shrugged.

Even if he was called dangerous or crazy, he did it because he had to—the strategy was born of desperation.

In the first place, since "Aldebaran" was also Aldebaran, he would surely do the same thing in the same situation. It was unreasonable to be criticized for it.

"Sorry, earth dragon. But it was the right move not to act. If you got hurt, no one would be able to lead our people out of this sea of sand."

"——"

"What is it?"

"I was just thinking, how typical of me. The way you threaten is exactly the same."

Looking down at Patrasche, "Aldebaran," the logic he used to avoid conflict was exactly like how Aldebaran had threatened Petra and the others, making the situation extremely complex.

Anyway—

"What about flying?"

"I think it's possible. Let's take it slow and get used to it."

"That's not very reassuring..."

Even though Aldebaran couldn't fully hide his unease at "Aldebaran's" less-than-reliable answer, he jumped onto his back, using the protrusions of dragon scales to hold on. "Let's go," he called out.

"—Lift off!"

In the next moment, with a shout and a flutter of wings, "Aldebaran" rose into the sky.

Scattering sand with the roaring wind it created, the "Dragon" rapidly ascended in altitude, approaching the top of the towering Pleiades Watchtower, before distancing itself from the tower.

Aldebaran looked back at the ever-receding tower and those left behind there—

"Could it be, are you regretting it?"

"I did. If I were to regret, it would have been four hundred years ago."

Aldebaran clicked his tongue, irritated by the sarcasm from the one who knew all the circumstances.

What "Aldebaran" wanted to say was that there is no time to look back, and that was correct. Just as he had once compared it to a mountain, this was still only the first stage.

Aldebaran could not afford to make a single wrong move, aiming for the distant star that they were determined to reach at any cost.

"Well, don't bear all the burden alone. From here on, I'm here too. It should be a bit easier, right?"

Aldebaran casually remarked as he sliced through the night sky of the sandy sea with his wings.

Even though they shared the same "memory" from the "Book of the Dead," perhaps the difference in the vessel receiving it caused the differing perspectives. Nevertheless, being excessively negative was no good either.

Actually, they had obtained immensely powerful backup that couldn’t be asked for more.
What remained—

"—That's enough."

△▼△▼△▼△

—At the moment they were about to establish the next course of action, they were pierced by light.

"——"

With force, they crashed into the cold sandy sea of the night, and the "Dragon" slowly raised its body. Aldebaran, who had been wrapped in the wings of the "Dragon," shook his head and descended onto the sand.

Then, in the separate visions of the one and the entity, something approached arrogantly.

"——"

With blazing red hair like flames, blue eyes capturing the clear sky, and clad in pure white attire embodying the knightly way of unwavering conviction, there appeared a presence chosen by the world—

"Flam, who was left in the tower, is under the blessing of 'Telepathic Protection.' Once a day, she can deliver words to her sister Grassis regardless of distance or time."

It was a very considerate response, explaining why he had rushed to the scene and empathizing with the other person's confusion in such an unreasonable situation.

"...Thanks for the explanation. Are you used to getting complaints?"

"I wanted to clear up any questions from my side first. — There are many things I want to ask you."

"------"

"I recommend you surrender. I don't want to cut you down."

Saying this, the youth — Reinhard van Astrea — touched the 'Dragon Sword' at his waist and declared confidently in front of Aldebaran and 'Aldebaran.'

"------"

With that dignified attitude, that heroic stance, and that dazzling presence even in the night — as someone born to be a hero, he wanted to say something as the bearer of a decayed heroic ideal.
He wanted to say as best as he could, but... —,

"Don't be pretentious, Hero. I'm going to win anyway. — The stars were bad"

In the vast ocean of sand overlooked by the countless stars, Aldebaran faced Reinhard.

— It was a conflict between one loved by the world and one not, a confrontation that would never reconcile.