Aleph had one hand pressed against his forehead as he glared irritably at the figure beside him.
Stelle sat comfortably, enjoying a mountain of desserts as if nothing had happened.
Aleph cursed the situation he found himself in.
"Basically, you sold me out for a plate of sweets…"
Stelle, completely unfazed by his reproachful gaze, finished her feast with a loud belch. Then, stretching lazily, she stood up.
"I'm satisfied. I'll leave the rest to you, Aleph. Have fun." She said with a smile, giving him an encouraging glance before leaving.
"Wait…!" Aleph tried to reach her, but stopped as he felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier.
Ruan Mei, standing to the side, watched him calmly.
"Sorry about this." She murmured softly.
At that moment, Aleph understood what had happened.
And he couldn't help but curse her and her stupid sedatives.
Wondering where they had been, he quickly concluded it was in the damn desserts Stelle had given him earlier.
His consciousness began to fade, and all he could do was grit his teeth in anger.
The last thing he heard was Ruan Mei humming softly, the metallic sound of instruments being prepared, and the sensation of skilled hands beginning to strip him of his clothes.
...
Classical music filled the room as the final preparations were made.
Ruan Mei began her work.
She extracted samples of blood, tissue, and fluids, handling each with the same meticulous care a painter would give the final strokes of a masterpiece.
With bright, curious eyes, she studied the delicate golden cracks radiating from the center of Aleph's chest.
"Fascinating…" She murmured, gently feeling the edge of one. Information flowed smoothly into her mind from the subtle patterns.
His body oscillated in a highly dissonant state, caught between decomposition and constant regeneration.
With a few more cuts, she collected tissue from the area; with a greenish glow, the wounds soon showed signs of accelerated healing. Even the previously collected samples displayed typical characteristics, reminiscent of those recorded from Shuhu.
"Extraordinary vitality. Like an Abomination of Abundance." She reflected, noting each finding that seemed worth recording.
Humming again, she picked up a jar containing a murky pink-purple liquid.
She hesitated for barely a second before injecting a dose into Aleph's inert body.
"If he complains later, I can create a new body from the collected material. Or at least a second Aleph in case the first one becomes irrecoverable." She thought indifferently.
...
The effects were immediate. Under her watchful eyes, Aleph's body reacted by expelling a dark fluid that hardened upon contact with air, forming an exoskeletal armor. Its texture reminded her of both the Void Explorers' carapaces and the Great Stinging Insects.
The effect, however, was short-lived. The armor cracked and crumbled into dark fragments.
Intrigued, Ruan Mei took another sample and soon discovered the truth.
The substance hadn't disappeared; it had integrated into Aleph's very skin, endowing it with new properties.
"Interesting. Very interesting…" She smiled lazily, gently stroking the hair of her unconscious subject.
"Thank you for your cooperation." She finally said, leaving his clothes neatly folded on a nearby chair beside a plate of more desserts as a gesture of courtesy.
...
Asta walked through the station halls, drawn by Arlan's insistent, urgent voice calling her.
"What's going on?" She asked as she caught up to him.
Arlan, frowning and breathing heavily, responded urgently.
"It's Aleph. He's out of control—I saw him strangling Ruan Mei. Security tried to stop him, but it was useless. He threw them all around like dolls."
Disbelief washed over Asta's face.
"W-What?!" She gasped in shock.
What could have possibly happened for things to escalate to that point?
"We need to contact the Express team. I haven't been able to reach them, but maybe you can. I'll handle buying us some time."
Asta froze for a moment, stunned. No matter how hard she tried to think it through, she couldn't grasp how the situation had escalated so quickly.
****************
Through his foggy consciousness, Aleph opened his eyes.
A strange sensation spread through his body as he sat up on the examination table.
[Master.] Burroughs' voice echoed in his mind. [You should see this.]
[Hidden Mission Completed: Say Goodbye to Your Humanity.]
[Description: Humanity is overrated. Pursue transcendence through monstrosity!]
[Reward:
Aleph's eyebrows twitched as he read, his expression caught between confusion and disbelief.
"What the hell…?"
[Warning: Principles of acquiring two non-human-compatible Paths have been detected in the host body.]
[Traces completed: 2/4.]
[Time to perform adaptation and ensure survival: 1D.]
"What the hell did you do to me, Ruan Mei?" he spat angrily.
[Compatibility with the Essence of Belzebub has been enhanced. Evolution within its power is expected.]
Aleph's expression darkened even further.
Once dressed, he left the room silently. But his anger was quickly overtaken by another sensation consuming him from within: hunger.
[Altered Status: Chronic Hunger.]
Aleph's face contorted at that familiar yet intensified pang.
"Damn it!" He shouted before rushing toward the cafeteria.
...
Station researchers watched in growing astonishment as Aleph devoured tray after tray, eventually consuming more than twice his own body weight.
Some stared, eyes wide as saucers; others whispered among themselves. Yet no one intervened.
After all, Stelle was a regular visitor to the station… and she was anything but normal. Compared to the eccentricities they were used to because of her, what Aleph was doing was merely a sideshow.
...
Once satisfied, Aleph wiped his lips and stood with determination.
He had unfinished business with someone.
Finding Stelle and taking revenge for handing him over to Ruan Mei so easily, as well as for her countless past offenses. But before he could begin, his plans were interrupted when a Herta puppet appeared in front of him, grabbing his arm with the same indifference one would use to drag a heavy piece of furniture.
"The preparations are complete." It announced flatly. "The beta of the Simulated Universe Expansion is ready for testing."
Aleph was escorted to Herta's office.
There, Stelle greeted him with a radiant smile.
Aleph said nothing. Calmly, he had Burroughs project a message in front of her.
It contained irrefutable proof that Stelle had been devouring March's new melon-flavored lipsticks. In addition, it fabricated evidence to frame her for stealing her companion's imported shampoo and special creams.
Stelle trembled as she read, her eyes widening in shock. Slowly, she turned her head toward Aleph, looking at him with indescribable horror, before grabbing him by the neck with force.
"Have you lost your mind?!" She spat angrily. "Besides, you're the one who stole her creams!"
"I like my skin soft and well cared for. Got a problem with that?"
"It becomes my problem when you blame me for it!"
Aleph simply let out a low chuckle, giving her an arrogant, disdainful look.
"You brought this on yourself."
She released him abruptly and began pacing in circles, clutching her head. Her breathing quickened as she murmured in terror.
"I'm dead… totally dead… I'm completely dead!"
"Don't exaggerate." Aleph said, shrugging. It was only March.
What was the worst she could do to him?
Stelle stopped abruptly and looked at him with serious, almost somber eyes.
"Aleph… no matter how cute and adorable March may be… that only makes her more terrifying when she's angry."
An uncomfortable silence filled the office.
Then Herta coughed sharply into her fist, glaring at both of them with crossed arms and a furrowed brow.
"Are you done with your circus act, you two fools?" She asked coldly. "Or do you plan on wasting more of my time instead of testing the beta?"
Aleph and Stelle lowered their heads in unison, almost as if choreographed.
"Sorry for wasting your time…" They murmured.
Herta huffed with annoyance, arms crossed.
"If you know what's good for you, you won't do it again."
Both nodded quickly, like two chickens pecking at corn. Without further ado, they entered the Simulated Universe.
...
Total darkness.
"Did it break down?" Aleph muttered, looking around.
Then Herta's voice echoed over them as a holographic figure of her appeared nearby.
"That's the audience device. You'll receive the basic explanation here. Try not to fall asleep." Herta clicked her tongue. "Stephen Lloyd really insists on turning my SU into a simple video game. Anyway… listen carefully."
Another hologram projected beside her.
"There are three planes. Each plane is composed of multiple paths. They all culminate in a boss fight."
She paused briefly, as if to give herself a moment of relief from boredom.
"You'll encounter different types of zones: common events, plague events, battles, elites, adventures—yes, ridiculous mini-games with rewards—reward zones, transaction zones, and finally… the boss. Got it so far?"
"Yeah." Stelle nodded.
"Sort of." Aleph said, though he had already lost the thread halfway through.
"Perfect, then let's continue." Herta ignored the irony.
"Before starting, you must choose a Path. The only available ones are: Destruction, Preservation, and Exaltation. If you want more, you'll have to unlock them. This is done by completing hidden missions or attracting the attention of a digital version of an Aeon. When it grants you a blessing, your Path will be unlocked."
Aleph raised his hand like a kid in class.
"That sounds way too easy."
"We'll see how long you last." Herta replied disdainfully. "Now, the dice. Each roll offers six possible effects, divided by rarity: blue for common, purple for rare, and gold for epic. The effect type depends on the Path you chose."
"And what if I keep getting blue?" Stelle asked, raising her hand.
"That would only confirm that your luck is as pathetic as you are." Herta replied with a sigh. "Then there are the resonance formations. The first unlocks after obtaining three blessings from your chosen Path. There are four in total. Every three new blessings unlock another resonance. There are also special resonances that arise from the synergy between different Paths, but you can only access them after the first basic resonance. Any other questions… or can we start now?"
Both stayed silent, and Herta nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Choose." She said as her hologram faded.
...
Stelle stepped forward and placed her hand on the audience device.
"Preservation."
Aleph followed, placing his palm without hesitation.
"Destruction."
Aleph's dice spun first. When it landed on blue, the effect was projected.
[Damage dealt increases by 50% in a random zone.]
"Bah, common…" He muttered, annoyed.
Stelle's dice spun next. When it stopped on gold, the message glowed brightly.
[Defense increased by 12% during boss zones.]
"Epic!" She exclaimed, sticking her tongue out at Aleph.
"Cheater…" He murmured, a touch envious.
With their choices made, both placed their hands on the audience device.
A flash enveloped them, pulling them into the First Plane.
...
When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in the middle of a devastated city.
Charred buildings, structures burning like torches, and a red sky swarming with enormous insects.
The air vibrated with the hum of their wings.
A floating alert appeared in front of them.
[Plague Event Zone Detected.]
Two options shone before their eyes.
[Destruction]: "These bugs are getting crushed under my boot."
Enter combat against the swarm.
Reward: Three random 1-star blessings.
[Nihility]: "Not my problem."
Flee to another zone.
Reward: 100 Cosmic Shards.
Aleph raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"So? You wanna run, little Stelle? I won't judge you if you do."
Stelle snorted and looked at him as if he had said something stupid.
"Hmph, run? Not a chance."
Both simultaneously pointed at the first option.
[Choice Confirmed.]
The roar of the swarm echoed through the city, as if the very air celebrated the coming carnage.
....
The ground shook beneath their feet as the swarm descended.
Dozens of beetle-like insects, the size of cars, with gray shells and red, ember-like limbs, crawled and flapped their wings with a piercing buzz.
[Battle Mechanic: Propagation Path enemies tend to multiply. Eliminate the carriers before reproduction begins. Time limit: 3 turns.]
Stelle narrowed her eyes as she read the notice.
"Reproduce? Don't tell me… it's these things again?"
Aleph gripped the ice bat tightly.
"At least it doesn't say how. I don't even want to imagine it."
The insects advanced en masse. One raised its front legs and slammed into Aleph with a shriek.
He swung the bat in a wide arc, releasing a freezing wave that split the beetle in half. The ice spread in blue fractals across the ground.
However, he soon noticed something strange—the strike consumed a portion of his own vitality, and the vibration in his arms was stronger than usual.
[Destruction Path Passive Effect: Damage increases proportionally to HP sacrificed.]
Aleph grinned with a wild spark in his eyes.
"Good. Blood for power. I like it."
Especially when he had excess vitality.
Meanwhile, Stelle summoned her flaming spear. Heat radiated powerfully, and as she drove it into the ground, it raised a wall of fire, forcing the insects to focus on her.
"Hey, ugly bugs, over here!" She shouted, enduring the impact of several that immediately attacked her defense.
Her energy shield crackled as the chitinous fangs tried to pierce it. The smell of burning filled the air as the beetles' legs began to char.
Aleph took advantage of the distraction. He leaped onto one of the insects and drove his bat into its chitinous skull, releasing another icy burst that froze three nearby. He coughed up blood, but the smile never left his face.
"This… is addictive."
[Turn 2: Reproduction Initiated.]
A disgusting sound spread through the zone. The cracked shells of two beetles released a tide of crimson larvae, which in seconds transformed into smaller yet equally lethal creatures.
Stelle frowned.
"Don't tell me they multiply mid-combat!"
The system notice glowed before them.
[Failure to eliminate carriers results in offspring release. The swarm keeps growing.]
"Fantastic, just like that blue thing back then." Aleph muttered, swinging his bat, soaked in ice and blood.
"Then we cut them off at the root."
Stelle nodded, surrounded by the flames of her spear.
"I'll keep them busy. You take out the breeders."
She charged forward, her spear tracing a circle of fire that swept several insects and forced them to focus even more on her. The ground cracked under the pressure.
Aleph charged with ferocity, sacrificing more of his own vitality. Ice crackled around him, becoming a storm that wiped out the carriers before they could release more larvae.
The swarm's screams faded into broken echoes as the remaining creatures retreated, destroyed by Stelle's fire and Aleph's icy wrath.
[Victory: Plague Event Completed.]
[Reward: 3 × 1★ Blessings Acquired.]
[Overflowing Wind (Nihility): Applies a random damage-over-time effect.]
[The Great Wall (Preservation): Grants a shield equal to 12% of HP.]
[Equivalent Exchange (Destruction): Regenerates 6% HP based on damage dealt to an enemy.]
Aleph stretched a little, brushing dust off his clothes.
"Ready to move on?"
Stelle, still holding her flaming spear, shrugged.
"As long as you don't puke on me, fine."
"Pff. Since when do I have such a weak stomach?"
The system interrupted with a notification.
[Advancing to next zone…]
The ruined city dissolved into flashes of data, pulling them toward their next trial.
**************
In front of them, the scene shifted to something resembling a typical room in the Herta Space Station, with a translucent blue wall blocking the way. To one side, a roulette wheel was embedded in the floor, glowing as carnival-like music played.
Stelle cracked her fingers with a grin.
"I'm going to show you once and for all who's the best at games!"
"That's exactly what I was thinking," Aleph replied, his fingers tingling to give the wheel a spin. "Only it'll end with me crushing you!"
Without another word, Aleph pushed the wheel before Stelle could reach it. The metallic buzz filled the room until it snapped to a stop.
[Adventure Event: Dimensional Piglet Chase.]
In front of the translucent wall, dozens of small black creatures began to scurry, a white stripe running from their heads to their tails. Some glimmered with a silver crest, and among them, barely visible, the ones with golden crests.
Stelle arched an eyebrow.
"Piglets…? Seriously?"
[Game Conditions:
Time Limit: 5 minutes.
Catch 15 Dimensional Piglets to complete.
Bonus reward for catching 30.
Golden specimens count as 5.
Winner is the one with the most points.]
The countdown began to flash.
[10… 9… 8…]
Aleph stretched his shoulders with a smile.
"Okay, little Stelle. How about we make this interesting? The loser has to grant a wish of the winner's choice."
He said it almost without thinking, convinced she would reject the idea.
But instead, he saw Stelle's eyes light up with enthusiasm.
"Deal."
That left him a bit puzzled.
"Uh… why are you so motivated…?"
Stelle just smiled, tightening her grip on her spear, as if she had been waiting her whole life for this moment.
Aleph swallowed.
"…This can't end well."
[3… 2… 1… Start!]
The blue wall shattered into shards of light, and the piglets scattered in all directions.
...
Five minutes later, the air was thick with frustration.
Aleph stared at the floating scoreboard in disbelief.
[Final Score:
Aleph – 40
Stelle – 41]
"…"
Aleph opened his mouth, but no words came out. He closed his eyes, looked at the numbers again, and finally exclaimed:
"By one point?! Just one?!"
Stelle laughed mischievously, giving him a strange look while making gestures in the air that annoyed him greatly.
Aleph immediately stepped back.
[Zone Completed.]
Fortunately for him, the system interrupted the scene with the appearance of the Audience Device. Both placed their hands on it, and the die began to spin.
The result was less glorious than the bet.
Blue for Stelle, purple for Aleph.
[Next Zone: Transaction.]
...
As they advanced, they found two familiar figures materialized as NPCs.
Tornillum stood behind a counter full of blessings, and Herta, looking bored, was selling strange artifacts.
Aleph grabbed his cosmic shards and tossed them onto Screwllum's counter with a grin.
"Give me two Destruction ones, the cheap ones."
Stelle, on the other hand, approached the NPC version of Herta. After calmly reviewing the options for a moment, she chose a faintly glowing artifact.
[Item Acquired: Strange Cassette.
Effect: Implants your type's weakness in the enemy with a 40% margin of error.]
"Interesting." She murmured, tucking it into her coat pocket.
Once again, the Audience Device appeared. The die rolled and displayed the next challenge.
[Next Zone: Elite.]
...
The environment cracked, and from the debris emerged a burning monster from the Fragmentum.
A Fire from Outer Space.
Aleph didn't wait for instructions. He leapt immediately, swinging his ice bat violently. A white storm rained down on the enemy, freezing every burning inch as he struck again and again without pause.
The Fire from Outer Space screeched, writhed, and finally crumbled into brittle fragments.
[Victory. Select one blessing from three options.]
The reward glow enveloped them as they made their choice.
Then, the final message appeared.
[Next Zone: First Plane Boss.]
...
The environment shattered into data fragments, and the space transformed into a vast metallic area, the floor covered with rusted plates and steaming pipes.
At the center, a massive steel figure waited motionless.
It looked identical to Svarog.
Its incandescent eyes ignited like furnaces, and the roar of its mechanisms echoed through the chamber.
[Alert: Plane Boss Detected – Steel Guardian: Svarog.]
Stelle tightened her grip on her spear.
"Fear the mighty, Stelle!" She shouted as she charged toward him.
Aleph yawned and followed behind her.
.....
Svarog immediately charged with a Hydraulic Fist, the ground trembled, and a shockwave sent them both flying backward. Stelle rolled, planting her spear to regain balance, while Aleph absorbed the blow with a grunt.
"That hurt!"
Svarog swept the field with a Detection Beam, a scorching laser that forced both of them to scatter.
[Mechanic: Summoned Automatons.]
Mechanical Spiders emerged from the ground, screeching with red lights, followed by Armored Soldiers advancing.
Stelle erected a wall of fire to halt the soldiers, shouting,
"The spiders explode!"
Aleph leapt among them, unleashing icy bursts that froze several before they could self-destruct. However, two managed to get close and detonated, hurling him against a wall.
He coughed up blood but got up, grinning.
"More… I want more." He muttered, feeling a surge of strength.
Stelle gave him a strange look, wondering if Aleph had finally gone masochistic.
Svarog deployed turrets in the corners, firing continuous bursts.
Stelle charged immediately, her flaming spear cleaving the first turret in two. Aleph covered her advance, sending out waves of ice to slow down the adds.
Gradually, the Guardian's armor began to falter.
Svarog took a step back, and the reactor in his chest started glowing a blinding red. The entire floor vibrated.
[Phase 2]
[Status: Rage Activated.]
With a roar, Svarog unleashed a shockwave, throwing both of them to the ground. The metal plates cracked under his weight.
His movements became faster, each strike imbued with brutal energy.
Stelle spat out a scorched strand of hair.
"This just got ugly…"
Aleph wiped blood from his chin, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he discarded the bat and coated his fists in ice.
"Just how I like it."
Svarog unleashed a Siege Fist, a flurry of blows that pierced Stelle's defenses and slammed her to the ground, stunning her momentarily.
[Mechanic: Enhanced hits break defense and apply stun.]
Aleph leapt to cover her, blocking a new strike with his fist, though the impact threw him several meters back.
The Guardian stomped the ground with a Seismic Stamp, the shockwave hitting both; Aleph lost ground momentarily and was stunned for a few seconds.
Svarog fired numerous missiles. Deep grooves marked the terrain.
Engineer Automatons emerged from the ground, repairing destroyed turrets and injecting red energy into his reactor.
"Great, now he heals too!" Stelle cursed, still reeling from the stun.
Aleph's icy attacks obliterated the repairers before they could finish, but the effort cost him more vitality.
The Destruction Path effect kept him on the edge.
************
The battle became a brutal tug-of-war: Stelle covering with fire to contain adds and break turrets, Aleph sacrificing life to deal direct damage.
Svarog, relentless, unleashed wave after wave, each strike capable of cracking the ground and breaking defenses that Stelle struggled to hold.
Svarog's reactor began to spark. His entire body glowed red, as if about to overload.
[Status: Imminent Overload.]
Stelle and Aleph exchanged glances.
Stelle raised her flaming spear.
"Let's finish this scrap."
Aleph grinned as red electricity began coursing through his body.
"With pleasure."
Svarog roared, the sound shaking the plane's walls.
Two turrets rose, and a volley of missiles rained down.
Stelle rolled to the side, planting her spear hard and forming a wall of fire that deflected part of the debris. Aleph leapt onto a mechanical engineer attempting to repair a turret, driving his fist into its chassis with a blast of ice and electricity, leaving smoking fragments.
Svarog fell, his reactor sparking intensely red. He raised an arm and unleashed a charged Siege Fist, breaking both their defenses simultaneously and sending them to opposite ends of the arena.
Stelle panted, leaning against a wall.
"Damn, he hits way too hard." She muttered, gripping her spear.
Aleph laughed as he dodged another missile.
"Time to finish this… all or nothing!"
With a shout, he charged at Svarog, focusing the full force of his Destruction Path.
Each punch consumed his HP, and each impact against the boss amplified his power. A frigid blast enveloped Svarog's arms, partially freezing his torso and slowing his movements.
Stelle advanced immediately, drawing the remaining Engineer Automatons away, forcing them to scatter. Each thrust of her spear released flames that pierced mechanical armor, keeping Svarog pinned in place.
The Steel Guardian fired one last missile volley. The impacts sounded like war drums, but Aleph and Stelle, synchronized, barely dodged most of them.
Stelle jumped and drove her spear into Svarog's right shoulder, while Aleph delivered a final overhead strike directly to the boss's reactor.
An explosion of light, fire, ice, and electricity engulfed the arena.
[HP Svarog: 0%]
The metal colossus fell to its knees, a final crash reverberating through the plane. Its systems shut down, turrets ceased firing, and the remaining automatons collapsed into smoking scrap.
Aleph breathed heavily, leaning his body against the ground.
"Ugh… that was… intense."
Stelle let out a huff, her spear's flames dwindling.
"You nearly made me sweat, scrap block."
The Simulated Universe system projected a golden glow before them.
[Victory: Plane Boss Svarog – Completed]
[Rewards: 3× 2★ Blessings Acquired]
A blue glow surrounded their hands as the system confirmed the activation of their first Path Resonance. Power flowed through both, enhancing their attacks and defenses, marking the end of the First Plane.
[Entry to Second Plane – Wings Unfolded.]
.....
The ground beneath their feet crumbled into fragments of data, and soon they landed in an entirely different environment. A heavy, damp, nauseating air filled the space, with walls formed by slimy cocoons that pulsed as if breathing.
[Event: Insect Nest]
[You have stumbled upon the resting place of the Sand King and his Swarm.]
[How will you proceed?]
- Move away carefully…
[The swarm stirs slightly.]
[You gain 50 Cosmic Shards.]
- Push forward fearlessly…
[You alert the swarm to your presence.]
[More battle zones against the Swarm appear.]
[You gain 50 Cosmic Shards and a Propagation Path blessing.]
Stelle read aloud with a grimace of annoyance.
"...These things are getting more and more troublesome."
Aleph clicked his tongue.
"I knew you'd say that." He commented, crossing his arms. "The faster we get through this place, the sooner we reach the next zone."
The environment flickered with a reddish glow, and suddenly they were walking through the center of an endless swarm.
Millions of insects crowded around them, their black, glistening bodies writhing. The air vibrated with an almost imperceptible hum, sinister enough to make the skin crawl.
At the center of the nest, an insectoid titan slept among piles of decomposing corpses. The stench of rotting flesh and corrosive acids forced them to hold their breath.
Aleph tensed. A chilling sensation, much like the one he had felt before Aha, ran through his body. The memory made him shudder, though he quickly gritted his teeth to keep it under control.
Stelle trembled slightly as well, though she tried to hide it.
"...It's ugly, but not that bad."
A sudden shriek from the insect colossus silenced them. Even asleep, Tayzzyronth emitted cries that drilled into their ears.
They moved carefully, avoiding alerting the dormant swarm. After a suffocating eternity, they finally reached the Audience Device.
The die rolled, and the golden face shone across the surface.
"HA! I knew luck was on my side!" Stelle raised her arms in excitement.
A deafening roar swept through the nest. Millions of wings unfurled in unison, and the entire swarm rose in a black, shrieking cloud. Tayzzyronth itself began to move, its cries now furious, shaking the sand and walls of the plane.
Aleph felt the air freeze in his lungs. For a moment, he wondered what it had been like for those who had truly faced this before.
The terror of staring at something so immense and realizing there was no escape.
"Move!" Stelle shouted, striking the Audience Device with her spear and kicking it. "Come on, react, damn machine!"
The swarm's shrieks intensified.
The insect titan leaned toward them, jaws wide open.
A beam of light enveloped them both, whisking them away from the nest at the last second.
Stelle landed on her knees on the other side, gasping.
"...Never again. Never again."
Aleph remained silent, staring at the notifications from Burroughs.
[Master. One of its essences is undergoing a significant evolution.]
[Do you have any idea why?]
Aleph blinked expressionlessly before closing the data windows.
"What?" Stelle asked, trying to regain her composure. "Now you're going to scream every time you see a cockroach?"
Aleph arched an eyebrow.
"I was calm. You were the one screaming."
She tapped him on the nose with a finger, looking at him seriously.
"No evidence, your words are slander. And what you saw was probably just a visual bug."
"I saw it with my own eyes. You nearly started crying."
"Optical illusion."
Aleph snorted, but before he could reply, Stelle grabbed his arm and dragged him forward.
The sand beneath their feet began to warp, revealing a new battlefield.
[Battle Zone: Elite.]
Stelle twirled her spear in her hands and huffed.
"Perfect. Just what I needed."
**************
After several battle zones—two elite, one adventure, and two transaction zones—they finally arrived once more at the Plane Boss area.
"…Seriously?" Stelle muttered, eyeing the second plane's boss.
[Cocolia, Mother of Falsehood]
"Next time it'll be Phantylia, huh?" Aleph wondered aloud as he advanced alongside Stelle.
"Who knows." Stelle replied. "Pff, maybe she'll have some weird title like 'Phantylia, the Immortal.' Can you imagine?"
...
In the center of a frozen field, Cocolia waited, standing tall with two ice spears in hand.
Her eyes glowed with an unnatural light, fixed on Aleph and Stelle.
"Great…" Stelle muttered, spinning her spear. "After this fight, do I officially qualify as a 'Milf hunter' now?"
Aleph looked at her, intrigued.
"'Milf hunter'?"
"Yeah, March was reading a novel on her computer with that word in the title. When I asked what it meant, she just said it had something to do with older attractive women."
"Interesting." He murmured, dodging a spear that came straight for his head.
Stelle took position as Aleph readied his bat.
Cocolia attacked instantly, crossing her spears in a sweeping arc that Aleph dodged while Stelle moved forward to intercept a side strike.
Cocolia lunged with surprising speed, spinning both spears in wide circles.
Stelle dodged as best she could, while Aleph searched for counterattack openings. Soon, the field was filled with ice spikes, as if the ground itself were sprouting them.
When her HP dropped to 50%, Cocolia raised a hand.
From the ice emerged Bronya's silhouette.
The sub-boss wielded her rifle with precision, supporting each of Cocolia's attacks with bursts that forced the duo to split their focus.
At 25% HP, Gepard materialized, his massive shield blocking some of Cocolia's attacks and forcing Aleph to focus on breaking through the enemy's defense while Stelle kept Bronya in check.
With Bronya covering from a distance and Gepard reinforcing the defense, Cocolia intensified her offensive.
Stelle seized an opening to attack from the side, knocking down one of the ice shards Cocolia had summoned as projectiles.
Finally, a frustrated Aleph unleashed a gust of wind charged with electricity, paralyzing all three.
Seizing the opportunity, Stelle landed a devastating strike that finished off Gepard while weakening Bronya and Cocolia's defenses.
With a sweeping blow, Bronya's HP dropped to 0, as did Cocolia's, ending the first phase.
The ground trembled. A scream echoed across the frozen arena as Cocolia encased herself in ice.
Her skin blackened, crystal wings sprouted from her back, and an icy armor formed around her body. The temperature plummeted, freezing the very air in their breaths.
At the same time, she began summoning monsters from the Fragmentum.
...
Finally, after a joint offensive, Aleph managed to create a breach in the icy defenses. Stelle took the moment, driving her spear straight into Cocolia's chest.
"Revenge, idiot!"
A piercing scream shattered the ice across the field.
Cocolia fell to her knees, her wings and armor shattered.
With one final icy glow, her body fragmented and dissolved into data, vanishing into the air.
***********
Herta frowned, something rare for her.
[Hm… this is strange. It seems an Aeon is trying to make its presence known.]
Instead of entering the third plane of the US: The Plague, Aleph and Stelle appeared in a boundless space.
A cosmic void stretching in all directions, dotted with asteroids floating in chaotic orbits around a massive blue whirlpool.
Suddenly, a sound pierced the calm.
A screech, like that of a newborn insect inhaling air for the first time.
Before them emerged a colossal figure. Black wings that seemed to cover the universe, countless legs extending in all directions, and swarms of new insect species sprouting from its body.
It was repulsive and majestic at the same time—beautiful and horrifying in equal measure.
Stelle raised an eyebrow.
"…It doesn't look anything like the one we saw in the event."
Herta's projection nodded.
"Naturally. That was a combat-adapted model. What you see here is its original form, the beginning of The Plague, Tayzzyronth's most prosperous stage the Propagation."
Before she could finish speaking, Tayzzyronth let out a shriek full of euphoria. One of its legs, black as the void, shot toward Aleph and sliced his chest multiple times.
The group fell silent as they noticed Aleph's blood.
It wasn't red—it was a murky color, somewhere between pink and purple.
Tayzzyronth's screeches multiplied with excitement as its wings and those of the surrounding insects flapped frantically.
[Traces Completed: 3/4]
[New Path Unlocked: Propagation]
["May your wings, humble moth tirelessly chasing the fire, rise toward the stars."]
[Status: Temporarily Disabled until adaptation process completes: 20h]
"Incredible!" Herta exclaimed, surprised and fascinated at once. "How did you provoke such a reaction? That seems outside its code…"
Her voice pulled Aleph out of the kind of trance he was in.
"I don't know what happened." He said with a serious expression, watching as Tayzzyronth slowly faded away.
Herta sighed.
"Well, this gives me enough material to confirm several things before releasing the official expansion version."
"And my rewards?!" Stelle asked.
"They're waiting outside." The genius replied, indifferent.
But before they could leave, another presence filled the space.
A blinding light emerged.
Before them appeared a white doll, adorned with gold details, suspended by golden threads. In its hands, it seemed to cradle a miniature world. Next to it floated a massive eye, staring at them intently.
Its mere existence was solemn, shining like countless gems. Empires would tremble before it; believers would roar in its name. Yet its massive body floated calmly, radiating a sacred hymn.
Herta's eyes widened with genuine surprise.
"Ena… Aeon of Order. One of the oldest. Records say it fell and was consumed by Xipe, the Harmony."
She crossed her arms, looking at them with a mix of mockery and respect.
"Two Aeons? For a couple of taste- and brainless fools, you seem excessively lucky."
Aleph's face twisted as if he'd been punched directly in the stomach. He knew well what his system record said—his luck was only 11.
Stelle puffed out her chest proudly.
"Obviously. Who wouldn't want to see me? I'm the most beautiful woman in existence."
Herta let out a soft laugh while Aleph burst into laughter, rolling on the floor.
Stelle pouted.
"You guys just lack vision." She said, crossing her arms.
"You could always work as a comedian if pathfinding doesn't work out." Herta said, still laughing.
Ena's voice interrupted the scene. Each word sounded vertical, somber, and elegant—at odds with her perfect appearance.
"Who rises at the beginning and the end? Who nourishes the tree that stretches to the ends? Who creates the dreams that influence the will of transmutation? I will maintain Order under complete control and eliminate the troublemakers."
Aleph shifted his gaze to the gigantic eye accompanying her. It stared directly at him. And he felt something uncomfortable in that scrutinizing gaze.
Analysis, recognition, and comprehension.
"The troublemakers will not endure. The greedy will not be spared. Treacherous chaos contaminates the universe and prevents it from flourishing."
After those last words, Ena vanished, just like Tayzzyronth.
Herta said nothing. She simply closed the simulation immediately.
When Aleph and Stelle opened their eyes, they were back in Herta's office.
**************
At the Herta Space Station, March and Dan Heng were walking down the corridors.
"Where could Aleph and Stelle have gotten off to? They've been with Herta for hours… She hasn't been using them as guinea pigs, has she?" March asked, looking a bit uneasy.
Dan Heng let out a sigh and slapped his forehead.
"What's wrong now?" March asked, curious.
Dan Heng pointed at a transmission screen.
There, in large letters, it read.
"Scandal at Herta Space Station: Aleph Avesta accused of attempted genicide. Neutralized by heroine Stelle after attempting to strangle Ruan Mei."
March's eyes went wide.
"…Ah."
What the hell had happened?
*********
A few minutes earlier, upon leaving the Simulated Universe, Aleph and Stelle received their rewards with shining eyes.
300,000 credits each.
A Herta-style dress, coat, and hat for Stelle.
And for Aleph, a refined outfit like Screwllum's, complete with hat and monocle.
Both were satisfied, especially with the outfits.
Stelle spun around, smiling.
"Kuru~ kuru~."
Aleph nodded, adjusting his monocle.
"With this, we can show March just how awesome we look."
They high-fived, imagining a jealous March.
It was at that moment that Ruan Mei entered the room, calmly greeting everyone.
Aleph clenched his teeth. He tried to contain himself.
But Ruan Mei approached, smiled, and said,
"It was a pleasure working with you. By the way, how did you like the desserts? I made them myself."
Aleph's vein throbbed.
Under the incredulous gaze of Herta, Screwllum, and Stelle, Aleph lost control and began strangling her on the spot.
Security personnel rushed in to stop him. Arlan tried to calm him down, without success.
"I'm going after Asta!" The boy shouted before running off.
But no further reinforcements were needed. Stelle raised her bat and, with a single crushing blow to Aleph's head, sent him crashing to the floor, knocking him out. Ruan Mei fell to her knees, gasping for air.
Herta blinked several times.
"…What the hell was that?"
Ruan Mei, still with the mark on her neck, tilted her head in confusion.
"I only asked him for help with a small experiment."
"Did you ask for permission first?" Herta asked.
"Permission? For what?" The researcher replied, genuinely confused.
Herta brought her hand to her face with a long sigh.
***********
Later, Aleph opened his eyes. He was in a bed.
Beside him, Himeko was calmly sipping her coffee. Noticing that he had woken, she looked at him seriously.
"So you tried to kill Ruan Mei… Did you really think you'd get away with attacking a member of the Circle of Geniuses? And in public, in front of witnesses, no less. Terrible timing."
Aleph frowned, confused.
Himeko raised an eyebrow.
"…You don't really think I'm on Ruan Mei's side, do you?"
He nodded silently.
The redhead sighed, then a faint smile appeared on her face.
"I don't approve of you killing her, but…"
She set the cup on the table and looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"…that doesn't mean there aren't ways to get revenge."
********
And so, over the following week, Ruan Mei's life turned into a nightmare.
Every night, her classical music was replaced by an endless loop of death metal.
Her desserts, usually perfect, lost all flavor.
Several of her notes mysteriously disappeared.
Even her underwear was burned without a trace.
Dark circles grew under her eyes.
She barely slept.
In silence, she frowned and wondered,
"What the hell is doing this to me…?"
********************************************************************************
Okay, since it seems like this isn't being fully understood, I'll lay it out clearly.
Here, I wanted to emphasize that despite everything, Stelle's mindset isn't much different from that of a child. She doesn't understand that what she did was wrong, much less realize that with her actions she completely destroyed any notion of closeness she could have had with Aleph.
The Astral Express crew didn't show much reaction to what Aleph went through for a simple reason: they don't actually know what happened with Ruan Mei. The only information they have is that Aleph tried to kill Ruan Mei. Welt and Himeko suspect that something bad must have happened to push him to that point, but they don't have anything concrete. Aleph won't say anything either—after all, what angered him the most was that it was done without his consent, and that Stelle betrayed him like that.
In the end, the only reason he temporarily settled for just making things difficult for Ruan Mei is because he understands that going further could bring retaliation from Herta or Screwllum. Aleph isn't an idiot—since Stelle exists as something similar to himself, he knows that his value as a research subject isn't that high anymore, which makes him expendable. That's exactly why Herta or Screwllum could easily get rid of him if the situation demanded it. Knowing that with his current strength he's not on equal footing to face them, he lowers his head for now and lets it slide.
I thought this was pretty much implied. But well, I guess with my limited writing skills I didn't make things clear enough in this regard.