The smell of anger.
Intoxicating, mellow, high-purity anger. He could tell it would be unbearable—that it would scrape through this thin little body and send him soaring to new heights.
"Heh heh-ahh."
Facing each other on the spiral staircase, Rai Batenkaitos grinned viciously at
The girl whose pale crimson eyes burned with fierce emotion—he drew deeply into his lungs all the fury, hatred, and killing intent she directed his way, savoring a sense of exquisite ecstasy.
To put it bluntly, he might not be exaggerating to say he lived for this one breath.
"That's good, that's great, that's wonderful, that's marvelous, that's fine, that's perfect—faces like that, angry faces pointed at us, nobody usually wears them for us. It's an incredibly rare sensation, you know? Do you understand? Do you understand how happy we feel right now?!"
Expressing his buoyant mood by stomping his feet, Rai Batenkaitos licked his lips.
Yes, this encounter with genuine emotion was something the usual Rai Batenkaitos could never hope for.
The 'Memories' and 'Names' stolen by the authority of 'Gluttony' fell away from the world, becoming imperceptible to anyone besides Roy and Louie.
The grief of losing loved ones, the rage of being robbed, the hollow feeling of loss—all of it vanished completely, leaving nothing to be done about it.
"So naturally, that's just how it is. That's why I never really worried about it, but still—"
As a reviled member of the
That unshakeable law of nature, the inevitable consequence produced by the authority of 'Gluttony'—was overturned.
Because a third party had emerged who was unaffected by the authority of 'Gluttony.' "
Murmuring the name of the man Louie was fixated on, Rai Batenkaitos felt a sweet throb deep in his thin chest. It wasn't that he'd been influenced by Louie. Before that, he had already known of him.
For far longer than Louie had, he had been thinking of him—deeply, intensely.
That was— "—Big Sister, you understand too, don't you?"
The cause of that sweet throb in his chest, and the girl looking down at him from above—their connection ran deep. No, 'deep' didn't begin to cover it. They were one body, one soul; an irreplaceable person, a better half in every sense.
Surely she would understand. That sweet, faint, overpowering emotion. This feeling where love and hatred intertwined, and the chest-deep ache yearning for liberation.
So with that certainty and expectation, he split his lips into a crescent moon and called out— "I told you. —Die, squealing like a pig."
"—!"
In the next instant, Ram's preemptive strike as she kicked off the staircase and descended hard sent Rai Batenkaitos flying backward.
He pulled back at the last possible moment, but the tip of the staff thrust at him had been aimed precisely at his right eye. Had he been a fraction slower, it would have scraped through his socket into his brain.
"Big Sister, you're merciless! If that had landed, I wouldn't just be squealing like a pig—I'd have died without being able to do anything!"
"I reconsidered. If I were imitated by something below a pig, it would be quite the insult to pigs."
Rai Batenkaitos leaped back from the spiral staircase, his landing a beat late due to the drop in elevation. At that retreating figure, Ram's fierce assault pursued with terrifying momentum.
Spinning her slender body, Ram thrust her staff, unleashed kicks, and drove her elbow in. Rai Batenkaitos dodged them all with body movement alone, but the gale force that grazed his ear—if a single blow had connected, it would have definitively destroyed a portion of his physical capabilities.
"Hah-hah! Scary, scary! But you know—!"
Facing the onslaught without hesitation, Rai Batenkaitos laughed while dodging. It wasn't composure—it was exhilaration. No, perhaps a touch of composure as well.
Ram's martial skill was extraordinary. She showed no mercy, no hesitation when it came to killing. And yet, Rai Batenkaitos could still leisurely avoid her attacks. Why? Because it was simple.
"Because I understand perfectly well that Big Sister is capable of even greater things than this."
Stored within Rai Batenkaitos were the countless 'Memories' he had consumed. Among them was one from someone who revered Ram as an older sister and burned with passionate devotion to her infinite potential.
The unwavering trust and expectation toward Ram held within those 'Memories' conveyed to Rai Batenkaitos the gap between them and the Ram before him with heartbreaking precision.
In short— "—A Big Sister without her horn is nothing more than a cheap imitation that even
"————"
"Oh, are you angry? You're angry, aren't you? If you're angry, go ahead and be angry, Big Sister. Come to think of it, we never had a proper sister squabble, did we?"
Boasting about memories as though they were his own, Rai Batenkaitos watched Ram's cheeks harden. But her attacks didn't slacken.
How much she was enduring—Rai Batenkaitos marveled inwardly. He couldn't fathom the extent of it, but it was well-known that when an Oni lost her horn, her body could no longer properly handle itself. Ram had been suffering through that penalty for a long, long time.
How many times had he wished he could take that suffering for her?
But at the same time, he also thought—surely he could not endure the pain she bore.
If the agony of losing one's horn depended on the power the Oni originally possessed, then Ram's suffering must be the greatest of its kind—one no other Oni in this world could share.
So he admired the courage she showed in pushing through that pain and diving in headfirst. And he was grateful for the grimace she wore as she fought tooth and nail.
To be able to witness the moment when the finest, greatest, most exquisite delicacy had been aged to perfection and its mellow fragrance wafted through the air—who on earth should he thank for this?
—He was overwhelmed with gratitude and emotion at the miracle of encountering this feast.
"You really are! Big Sister, you're wonderful!!"
The dance of intertwined love and killing intent that played out on the spiral staircase—savoring every moment of it to the fullest, Rai Batenkaitos blessed Ram's existence.
And then, following the desires of his 'Memories,' he leaned, dodged, ducked away— "And now for my counterat—"
"Will you shut up."
Circling to the outside of Ram's outstretched staff, Rai Batenkaitos aimed for her pale neck. He was certain he had slipped into her blind spot, but when their gazes intersected— In that instant, a chill ran through Rai Batenkaitos. He aborted his attack and leaped wide to the side. But just after feeling the wind brush his right cheek, blood sprayed from it.
"——!"
Running a finger along his roughly torn cheek, Rai Batenkaitos caught his breath.
This was a wound he should not have received. At the very least, according to the 'Memories' within him—from the entity who knew the prodigy Ram best—there was no future where this wound occurred.
And yet— "I told you to squeal without dignity, but even your ugly voice was becoming grating. I can't put up with it any longer, so I'm going to kill you."
"Big Sister, this is..."
"If you were evaluating Ram based on those 'Memories,' then your assessment is still far too shallow."
Glancing at Rai Batenkaitos, his cheek slick with blood, Ram stroked her own peach-colored hair. She cast him an icily penetrating sideways look, and— "You thought you'd exposed Ram's true nature? How laughable. —Ram's potential is limitless. After all—"
"————"
"—Ram is Rem's older sister."
An assertion with no basis whatsoever—yet it resonated with an abnormal persuasiveness, for no other reason than that the 'Memories' within Rai Batenkaitos perceived the older sister's existence in exactly that way.
Recognizing this fact, Rai Batenkaitos erased his smile and twisted his cheek in bitterness.
This wasn't fun. This wasn't entertaining. He didn't understand.
"Anger and hatred are spices for the sake of even greater flavor. But if the spices are too strong or too overbearing, they ruin an otherwise fine dish. For a Big Sister who doesn't cook, that metaphor might have gone right over her head, huh?"
"Not at all. What you may not realize is that Ram's specialty dish is steamed potatoes."
A 'Memory' that vividly recalled that detail surfaced, and his stomach growled.
Intentionally ignoring the call of that hunger, Rai Batenkaitos abandoned his playful mood.
Ram still hadn't shown her true power. That meant she hadn't revealed everything—even to her other half, her own sister.
In other words— "—Big Sister is the ultimate individualist who doesn't even trust her own sister, huh?"
"...A shallow way of looking at things. I don't know how many lives you've tasted, but those people wouldn't be put at ease either. Everything aside from Rem is trivial."
Denying Rai Batenkaitos's view, Ram narrowed her pale crimson eyes.
Then, gently stroking her own flat chest— "Just do your best, Barusu."
She called out to the boy who wasn't here, her expression settling into cold, merciless resolve.
"Being fated companions—how disgusting."
--- Pulling a dust cloth up to his mouth to keep from inhaling sand, he took a deep breath.
Ideally, he'd want goggles too, but unfortunately that was asking too much. With the knowledge that grains of sand would fly into his eyes, he had no choice but to keep peering into the depths of the sand vortex.
"Beako! Meili! We've got to hang in there!"
"I know already!" "Honestly, you're so demanding!"
Cutting across the sand-hazed vision was a malevolent entity clad in jet-black carapace.
If it got close enough to land a blow with those massive pincers, it was curtains. If it gained enough distance to build momentum for its tail stinger, it was curtains. There were plenty of other conditions for death, too.
In terms of defeat conditions alone, there were honestly more than he could count.
"Still, that's nothing new...!"
Natsuki Subaru's fights were always a series of razor-thin tightrope walks.
Even knowing what lay ahead through 'Return by Death,' the suffocating pressure never eased—because the abilities he possessed and the overwhelming power of his enemy were grotesquely mismatched.
Never having enough cards to play was the norm. He fought keeping everyone's strength in mind, hoping they would improvise and adapt, while Subaru himself pushed hard to meet their expectations as well.
"This is less my fight and more the fight of me and my merry band of comrades!"
"Is this the time for that?! Honestly! Push through, Gomaō!"
At Subaru's pointless outburst, Meili—who was running alongside him—ordered the Mabeast.
The centaur-shaped Mabeast let out the cry of an infant as the two of them—Subaru with
And pursuing their dust-kicking backs was a giant scorpion, clawing the sand with its many legs and raising clouds of dust as it charged.
"———!"
Just as he'd sensed before—if he kept his distance, the tail stinger came; if he closed in, the pincers struck. He had to maintain that precarious in-between distance and deal with each attack as it came.
Compared to the many defeat conditions he'd counted, the sole victory condition permitted to him was a change that would come at the end of a protracted battle—waiting for
Whether that was even possible in practice was far from certain, but— "If it weren't possible, then having it built into the tower's rules from the start would be strange, wouldn't it?"
"Exactly, Beako. The fact that the rules specifically state 'you may break the rules' means this rule was designed with the premise of being broken."
And if it was possible, it would serve as a reward for the tower's conqueror. Thinking about it that way, it was a right granted only to those who cleared the challenge through legitimate means.
It was a tremendous relief that Emilia had fought Reid head-on and won fairly. If she hadn't won, there would have been no hope of saving
"That guy who harassed Emilia-tan, I'll never forgive him...!"
Retrospectively, it made his blood boil, but he'd already left Reid's punishment to Julius.
Trusting that Julius would beat that violent brute to a pulp, Subaru let his gaze settle on the towering
"Big Brother! It's hard to move around here! Wouldn't it be better to get further from the tower? The Mabeasts would have more room to fight freely!"
"Ggh...! I understand your point! I do, but I can't! I can't move away from the tower. If I get any further, I'll lose track!"
Turning down Meili's plea, Subaru clutched his chest and clenched his back teeth.
The effect of 'Cor Leonis' continued, and the positions of his allies still within the tower appeared as faint lights within Subaru's range of perception. But this ability still had too many unknowns—it could unravel at any moment, for any reason.
The most obvious limitation of the ability was distance.
In fact, Subaru couldn't sense the positions of allies who were outside the
The fear of losing track of his allies' locations—and their safety—was terrifying.
But the greatest problem wasn't confirming their safety—it was losing the ability to shoulder their burdens. Emilia and Julius, who threw themselves into brutal battles, naturally weighed on his mind, but what gripped Subaru's heart and refused to let go even more tightly was Ram, who was engaged in her vendetta.
"————"
He was confident he'd placed each ally in their optimal position, but from the start he'd anticipated that Ram's fight would be the most grueling. Her opponent was Rai Batenkaitos—the one who had put Rem into an eternal sleep—and there was also Ram's own condition to consider.
Only a fully restored Ram could stand against Rai Batenkaitos.
Beyond that, Subaru wanted Ram to pummel Batenkaitos to her heart's content. For that to happen, he needed to take over the burden that constantly tormented her.
That was precisely why— "I can't recklessly leave the tower! I know it's unfair to keep fighting handicapped, but bear with me!"
"Mmgh—! You're going to pay for this later, I swear!"
Pressing her lips together and flushing red, Meili shouted from atop the Gomaō's back.
Then, glaring up at the sky, the girl clapped her hands toward the entities circling high in the vast blue dome above.
"Wind Dragons! It's your turn!"
At the shrill command, small shadows circling overhead plunged down toward the sand sea. Seeing them dive toward the giant scorpion, Subaru instinctively called out— "Beako! Set them up for me!"
"—! Understood. 'Vita'!"
Sensing Subaru's intent, Beatrice raised her small palm toward the sky.
The incantation took effect—but its target wasn't the giant scorpion. It was the Wind Dragons hurtling down toward it.
The falling Wind Dragons' trajectory, and the faint ring of light that formed along it—the instant a Wind Dragon passed through that ring, it shrouded itself in light and accelerated.
"————"
The piercing impact drove into the giant scorpion's outer shell, and a violent sound rang out.
The giant scorpion, which had been brushing aside the Wind Dragons' assault like a gentle breeze until now, was forced to halt its many legs under the barrage of impacts it could no longer ignore.
"What just happened...? Beatrice, what did you do?"
"I made the Mabeasts you're controlling heavier right before impact. Their speed and hardness don't change, but an increase in weight alone changes the outcome."
Beatrice answered Meili's surprise.
Behind the Wind Dragons' sudden enhancement lay the answer—power was the product of weight and velocity.
With their tough horns capable of burrowing through earth, the Wind Dragons—Mabeasts that flew freely between sky and underground—delivered a life-or-death charge that halted the giant scorpion with unbelievable destructive force.
The giant scorpion's response capacity was magnificent, but even it couldn't handle everything thrown at it in a first encounter. And to surpass that reflexive response, Subaru drove his mind into overdrive.
"I hate to use the Mabeasts this way, but it's a trade-off between lives and time. The number and variety of Mabeasts at our disposal are plentiful, and with Beako's assistance, the possibilities are limitless...! This method can work!"
He felt the certainty of it—a definite grip—and it made Subaru clench his fist and grab a fistful of Beatrice's hair. In his hand, Beatrice protested, "That hurts, you know!" —And in that very moment.
"—Huh?"
Glancing up at the Pleiades Watchtower with the intention of buying more time, Subaru let out a sound.
Hearing his hollow voice, Beatrice turned with "Subaru?" but he couldn't answer.
What had seized Subaru's attention wasn't the tower's exterior, which was still visible—it was the interior. The faint lights he felt at various points inside the tower, the reactions of his allies.
Among the group that was presumably engaged in fierce battle, one reaction had vanished—Emilia's, who was heading toward the top.
"————"
In that instant, Subaru's heart slammed with a force as though it would burst.
The fact that Emilia's reaction had disappeared—it threw Subaru into profound confusion. There was no way Emilia could have been lost in that brief instant— "—Ggh, get a grip, you idiot."
His vision going dark, he snapped himself back with a verbal rebuke.
It was too early to despair. He should trust the ability of 'Cor Leonis' more. Even if its origin was the worst kind of man, even if the power was still budding, this authority was on his side.
Based on how 'Cor Leonis' had responded up to this point, the brightness and warmth of the faint lights appeared to indicate the condition of his allies.
When they grew intensely emotional, the color and intensity of the light changed. The reverse held true as well.
Then—did Emilia's reaction vanishing mean her 'death'?
"If that were the case, the speed at which the reaction disappeared was too sudden."
Even if Emilia had encountered a terrifying enemy capable of erasing her existence in an instant—even if that enemy had gotten to her—he couldn't believe she would vanish without resistance.
He couldn't believe it, and he didn't want to believe it. He trusted her. So this was probably a different issue.
Something had occurred within Emilia, who had been racing up the tower toward the first floor, that caused her to step outside the range of 'Cor Leonis's' influence.
That was why her reaction had slipped away in an instant from Subaru's perception.
He had to believe that— "Subaru!"
"Big Brother! Now's not the time to zone out!"
Clamping down on his back teeth so hard he bit into his cheek flesh, Subaru disciplined himself through pain as two young girls called to him.
Hearing them, Subaru answered so both they and himself could hear— "I don't know where she is or what she's up against. But I believe she'll come back."
--- Far below on the sand, at the very moment Subaru uttered those words of prayer.
He didn't know what she was facing, Subaru had thought, but even his imagination couldn't have pictured the situation Emilia was actually in.
Following Subaru's instructions, Emilia had headed for the first floor to rewrite the rules of the Pleiades Watchtower—what she encountered there was a massive presence draped in lustrous blue scales.
In the
If the
The name of this mighty and magnificent being was— "—The Divine Dragon,
Chewing on the name she'd been given, Emilia felt a chill wash over her entire body.
She would be the last to say this, but Emilia was essentially immune to nervousness. Of course, when thrust before the public eye or when she had to discuss something important, she sometimes felt a slight heaviness in her body, but once she actually moved into action, she quickly forgot those effects.
So she'd been praised by Subaru and Ram for being someone who could handle big situations.
But even Emilia—a person of that caliber—was frozen in place before the Divine Dragon.
She felt as though she shouldn't even breathe without permission. That was how overwhelming the presence of the true Dragon was—it dominated the entire world.
"————"
Holding her breath, Emilia took in Volcanica's full form once more.
The deep blue scales gleamed like jewels, and each individual one seemed sharper than a masterfully forged sword.
Her thick forelegs and hind legs bore dark, rock-like claws, and her face—reminiscent of an earth dragon—held golden eyes that radiated longevity and had witnessed unfathomable ages. Upon her head grew two massive horns, white as freshly squeezed milk.
The Divine Dragon's body must have been fifteen or sixteen meters long. She was neither standing nor stretching—her wings and tail were folded as she crouched in place, so the exact size was hard to judge. But if she was this large even in repose, it was only natural that she wouldn't fit inside the tower.
The first floor's open design must have been made precisely for Volcanica.
"...So the third floor had the 'Sage,' the second floor had Reid, and the first floor has Volcanica."
'————' "Could it be that all three of the ancient Three Heroes were involved in the tower's 'trials'?"
Looking back over the trials so far, Emilia found a common thread.
The Three Heroes—the three legendary heroes who had played pivotal roles in sealing the Witch of Envy and whose names remained in the history of the Kingdom of Lugunica. Shaula, Reid, and Volcanica.
Of course, Shaula claimed it was actually
Still, if all three of them were connected to this place— "Being on good terms after hundreds of years is super, super wonderful."
If a promise or a bond held those three heroes together, then to Emilia, it seemed like something truly beautiful.
Originally, Volcanica had entered into a 'Covenant' with the Kingdom of Lugunica, and records showed she had even exerted her power decades ago when a black dragon ran rampant within the kingdom.
Emilia valued beings who took their promises seriously.
She truly believed that keeping one's word was a very good thing. She treasured Subaru and trusted him completely, but she thought it was awful when he didn't keep his promises.
What if Beatrice started imitating that behavior?
Emilia didn't want to scold either Subaru or Beatrice for breaking promises.
"Oh, oh no. This is no time for that kind of thinking. ...Listen, Volcanica! I'm here to take the 'trial'! The first floor's 'trial'! I'm going to challenge it!"
'————' "I don't know how difficult the 'trial' will be... but please, make it quick! If I don't do my best, Subaru and the others will be in real trouble. So bring it on, whatever it is!"
Slapping both her own cheeks, Emilia steadied her wavering resolve.
It was actually thoughts of Subaru and Beatrice that had inadvertently given her the push she needed. Even if those two broke a promise and Emilia had to scold them, that was a matter for tomorrow or the days ahead.
To meet that future, Emilia needed to stand firm here and now.
'————' The silent Divine Dragon fixed her golden eyes on Emilia, staring with unblinking intensity.
No exaggeration—those eyes possessed a depth so profound one might be drawn into them.
She had fought the Witch of Envy and formed the Covenant with the Kingdom of Lugunica four hundred years ago—but the span of time this great Dragon had lived stretched far beyond those four hundred years.
Perhaps nearing a full millennium, those golden eyes had been watching over the world.
What Emilia's existence looked like to such a Divine Dragon, Emilia couldn't know. She couldn't know—but— "I'm used to being scored by others. There were people who hated me for being a half-elf, and there were mean girls like
As she spoke, Emilia touched the spirit stone at her chest with a finger.
Her precious family, still sleeping—those were the ones who had first affirmed Emilia, who had so often been viewed through colored lenses.
Starting with that family, in this tower, she had allies who acknowledged her.
"So it doesn't matter what kind of eyes look at me! I'm not fazed!"
Having nearly been overwhelmed by the Divine Dragon's presence, Emilia declared with fierce determination.
The soul that had nearly been crushed by the difference in their presence, the limbs that had trembled and threatened to shrink away, the being of Emilia herself who had nearly been swallowed by an entity that knew eternity—all of it refused to lose.
She absolutely could not lose.
'————' Clenching her fist, Emilia's indigo eyes blazed with fighting spirit.
Bathed fully in that gaze, Volcanica slowly blinked. Then, the Dragon majestically moved her jaw and— '—You who have reached the tower's summit. Petitioner of omnipotence who treads upon the first floor.' "————"
'—I am Volcanica. By the ancient Covenant, I shall question the resolve of those who seek the summit.' "...Huh?"
Having held her breath, bracing for a difficult question from Volcanica, Emilia heard the heavy words exhaled alongside the Dragon's breath and tilted her head.
Because the content sounded familiar.
"Um, that's what you told me just a moment ago, right? That I'm the person who came to the first floor, and you're Volcanica... is that correct?"
'————' "...Oh! Is it because I didn't introduce myself? I'm sorry. I'm Emilia—just Emilia. There are a lot of people who happen not to remember me right now, so it's hard to prove it when asked, but I really am Emilia!"
'————' "...Still no good?"
She worried that skipping the greeting had offended Volcanica, but even after introducing herself properly, the Dragon's response was tepid.
If this were Subaru, he'd have pessimistically concluded that skipping the initial greeting had revoked his qualification to face the first floor's 'trial'—but Emilia didn't think that way.
When something went wrong, she believed that apologizing would show the other party wasn't entirely heartless.
So at this moment, too, she didn't think her discourtesy had caused Volcanica's silence.
What Emilia considered was the possibility that Volcanica wasn't angry at all. And in fact, that might have been worse than anger.
Because— "Could it be..."
Staring back into those golden eyes, Emilia cautiously stepped forward.
One step, two steps—walking across ground near the sky, she closed the distance with the Divine Dragon Volcanica. Toward this being whose very breath was majestic, Emilia approached with composure.
And then, gently reaching out, she touched the scales on the Dragon's foreleg.
"...Cold."
The scales she touched were cold as ice—or like frigid steel.
How much time would one have to remain in stasis to lose heat to this degree?
This didn't signify biological 'death.' What prolonged stasis stole wasn't merely the vitality of the body.
'—You who have reached the tower's summit. Petitioner of omnipotence who treads upon the first floor.' "————"
'—I am Volcanica. By the ancient Covenant, I shall question the resolve of those who seek the summit.' Looking down at Emilia, who was touching its foreleg, Volcanica repeated itself once more.
Words of welcome, spoken at a frequency that could be called repetitive—they were not meant to rebuke Emilia for skipping her greeting.
Volcanica's deep gaze, fixed upon her, seemed to reflect Emilia without actually seeing her.
The reason was obvious.
"Could it be that you're so old you've... forgotten about the 'trial'...?"
Not biological 'death'—it was 'mental death' that had struck even this age-spanning Dragon.
And for Emilia, who had to overcome the first floor's 'trial,' that would prove to be a challenge far greater than the trial itself.
The Great Library Pleiades, First Floor: "Maia" Trial.
Time Limit: "The survival time of your allies." Number of Attempts: "Unknown." Challenger(s): "One." Trial Content: Unknown.
—Trial, begin.