Cold sweat dripped down Aleph's face.
Aha's laughter echoed once more in the empty space.
"There's no need to react like that! It was just a joke!"
The city's structures floated in the dark void as if gravity had been switched off. Buildings stretched and twisted, changing shape with every blink.
The sky was a swirl of vibrant colors, like a painting melting before his eyes.
And in the middle of it all… was Aha.
The shadowy figure hovered before him, its "body" composed of a collection of masks, confetti, ribbons, balloons, and other party decorations.
Aleph felt the weight of its presence sinking into his mind. It wasn't like facing a powerful opponent. It was like standing before something that existed on a completely different level of reality.
Aha tilted slightly, floating around him with erratic movements.
"Oh, how delightful! What a curious anomaly. What exactly happened to you for you to end up like this, with all those marks on your being?"
Aleph gripped his bat tightly, trying to ignore the dizziness that simply looking at Aha caused him.
"What do you want?"
Aha laughed, its voice distorting into multiple tones, as if a whole crowd were speaking at once.
"That's the beauty of it! I don't want anything! I'm just… curious."
A shiver ran down Aleph's spine.
Something about the way Aha said it, the way it looked at him, was worse than a threat.
"You know what I enjoy the most? Playing."
With a snap of its fingers—did it even have fingers?—the reality around Aleph shifted again.
He was now standing inside a moving airplane.
His breath caught in his throat for a moment.
The pilot's voice rang through the speakers.
"Dear passengers, we are entering the final phase of our flight. Please remain seated and keep your seatbelts fastened as we begin our descent."
Aleph's mouth opened in shock.
He saw a boy with black hair and glasses resting his head against the window, frowning as he looked outside.
Aleph moved closer to see what he was staring at.
It was dark.
Dark, as if the world beyond the airplane had simply ceased to exist.
The boy pulled out his phone to check the time.
3:07 PM.
The sun should have been at its peak.
He turned his head to look at the other passengers. Some were asleep, others engrossed in their screens, but no one else seemed to notice the anomaly.
—...repeating... anoma...or... er...or in the trajec—
A burst of static crackled through the speakers, interrupting the transmission. Then, the plane trembled.
Murmurs turned into screams as the lights flickered violently.
Panic spread like an infection.
Someone tried to stand up and was thrown off balance by the sudden jolt. The flight attendants attempted to calm the passengers, but even they had fear etched onto their faces.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm." The pilot's voice was tense. "We are trying to stabiliz—"
A loud impact.
Something invisible struck the plane as if it were a paper toy.
The lights flickered once more, and in the next second…
Everything went black.
Silence.
There was no sensation of falling.
No sound.
Nothing.
Then, cold.
It was the same scene from before the crash.
The last thing he remembered seeing before waking up in Jarillo-VI.
Aleph looked around, unease twisting in his chest.
"No… this isn't—why?"
Aha appeared beside him, now resembling a humanoid shadow wearing what looked like a black suit made of darkness.
"It's not real? But you remember it, don't you?"
Aleph felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
And then, he saw something he didn't remember.
The lights flickered again, illuminating the dark space. The passengers' bodies were torn apart—like sheets of paper in a child's hands.
He saw himself in a similar state… but to a lesser degree?
A figure walked among the corpses, dressed like a jester.
"Huhu, what a shame that you were unconscious during our first meeting, right, 'Aleph'?"
And when it opened its mouth to speak, Aleph heard Aha's voice come from it.
"His erosion is lower than the others? Interesting."
Aleph felt his throat tighten.
He saw a wide grin on the jester's dark face as thousands of arms sprouted from its torso, grabbing all the bodies—including small white orbs floating around.
The plane's trembling intensified.
The bodies of the passengers began to disappear, one by one, as if they had never been there at all.
Aha leaned toward him, seeming to savor his reaction.
"Does this satisfy your curiosity? Is this a clear answer to a question you had?"
Aleph felt his mind fracturing.
Then, everything shifted again.
Now, he was on a battlefield.
Fires burned all around him. The air crackled with energy. Explosions rumbled in the distance.
And there were bodies.
Arms, legs, heads of figures he didn't recognize… but felt like he should.
In the distance, he saw a shadow—his own shadow.
Laughter escaped his mouth. His hand pierced through a woman's chest, fingers visible from her back.
And then, the scene collapsed.
He was back in the "reality" of the Simulated Universe.
Aha floated around him, spinning like a mischievous child who had just played a prank.
"I love your head! It's an absolute mess. You should let me dig around more!"
Aleph clenched his teeth. His instincts screamed at him to run.
But… could he even escape this thing?
With all the rage and confusion boiling inside him, he lunged.
With a roar, he swung his bat with all his strength directly at Aha.
The strike passed through like air.
Aleph's heart stopped for an instant.
Aha simply tilted its head, its grin widening.
"Oh, no, no, no. That's not how this works, dear 'Aleph'."
Suddenly, the force of gravity seemed to reverse.
Aleph was flung upward without warning.
His body spun uncontrollably in the void, as if the concepts of "up" and "down" had become irrelevant.
Aha approached him, floating effortlessly in his direction, their voice dripping with pure amusement.
"You know what's the most interesting thing about all this? That you think you have control."
Aleph struggled to stabilize himself amid the chaotic movement.
Aha snapped their fingers again.
And then they said—
"After all… you're just a poor human, aren't you, ***** ******* *******?"
Aleph felt a sharp pain pierce his mind.
He tried to listen to what Aha had said, but he couldn't.
The name Aha had spoken never reached him.
It was as if his brain refused to process it.
Aha burst into laughter.
"Oh, but look at that! You can't even hear your own name. It's so funny—like someone just threw you at me. Nous wanted to experiment on you, Ouroboros ate a few, and had their eyes on you, but luckily, I took you in time. Isn't that wonderful?"
Aleph felt a knot in his stomach.
He couldn't stay there any longer.
He had to get out.
He had to escape.
But Aha wouldn't let him go.
The Aeon leaned in slowly, getting too close, their voice a whisper that made Aleph's skin crawl.
"Yes, you've been the most entertaining of them all. I won't break you, I promise. But when the time comes…"
Aleph felt his body tremble.
Aha twirled in the air as if considering something for fun.
Aleph's vision distorted even further.
Aha leaned in once more, and Aleph could feel something like a hand gently caressing his face, as if he were something fragile, something that could shatter at the slightest touch.
"You'll know. You're my favorite, *****."
And then… they let him go.
Aleph fell into the void.
Everything went black.
**********
Aleph woke up with a jolt.
His breathing was erratic, his heart pounded wildly, and a cold sweat covered his body.
For a moment, his mind was still trapped in the horror of his encounter with Aha.
But… he was no longer in the simulation.
He looked around cautiously and let out a sigh of relief when he saw where he was.
He was back in Herta's office, sprawled on the floor as if he had been thrown out of the Simulated Universe machine.
Aleph gasped, trying to steady his breathing.
His entire body trembled.
You're my favorite.
Aleph clenched his teeth, forcing himself to push those thoughts to the back of his mind. He couldn't afford to lose his composure.
"Finally, you wake up."
Herta's voice made him turn his head.
She was sitting in her chair, watching him with her usual bored expression.
Stelle stood beside her, arms crossed, watching him.
He was still somewhat disoriented.
"How… long was I gone?"
"Exactly three minutes and forty-two seconds since you disappeared from the simulation." Herta replied.
Aleph blinked in surprise.
Three minutes.
For him, inside the simulation, it had felt like hours.
"Now tell me." Herta continued. "What the hell happened in there?"
Aleph frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Herta turned her floating screen toward him, displaying an interface filled with errors and corrupted logs.
"The system indicates you had an encounter with a virtual Aeon. But here's the interesting part… no conversation was recorded."
Aleph couldn't help but tense at the mention of the encounter.
"There's no information on what was said to you. Not even the exact identity of the Aeon. The only thing the system registered is that you had contact with Ena, the Aeon of Order."
Aleph's expression darkened.
Ena, Order.
Not Aha, Exultation.
Why had the data been changed?
That didn't make sense.
The Simulated Universe was only supposed to generate projections of Aeons based on data.
As far as he knew, it wasn't possible for a real Aeon to invade it.
Mainly because they had no interest in doing so.
But if one did… why would they take an interest in him instead of Stelle, who carried Akivili's identity?
Was it a simulation error? Yes, that had to be it.
But then, Burroughs' voice echoed in his head, her tone much graver than usual.
[Master… what happened… was not a simulation error. That thing was really there.]
A chill ran down Aleph's spine.
Herta stared at him.
"I'm only going to ask you once."
Aleph swallowed hard.
"Which Aeon did you speak to?"
Aleph opened his mouth but didn't answer.
He didn't know what to say.
Then Aha had really been there.
And they had been watching him.
The air in the room grew heavier.
Herta sighed, looking back at her screen.
"Well… I suppose it doesn't matter. I'll look into it later."
Aleph felt a knot in his stomach at those words.
If Aha had really been there…
What kind of data could Herta possibly uncover?
Herta turned off her screen and looked at them with disinterest.
"You can go. If you survive another encounter like that, let me know. It might be interesting."
Aleph rolled his eyes, trying to regain his composure.
He stood up, still feeling his body unsteady.
His status interface opened automatically.
A floating display appeared before his eyes, showing a new unlock.
[New Path Unlocked: Exultation.]
With a slight tremor in his hand, he selected the path's description.
Only a few words were visible.
["Laugh, play, cry, scream. Chaos is the only truth."]
His expression hardened once more.
Aha had left him a gift.
And he had no idea what it meant.
Stelle noticed his change in expression and frowned.
"What's wrong?"
Aleph closed the interface abruptly.
He took a deep breath and looked at her, forcing a smile.
"Nothing."
But even he could tell his own voice sounded far too fake.
Stelle stared at him for a moment.
But she didn't push further.
Without another word, both of them left Herta's office.
But the weight in Aleph's chest…
Did not disappear.
*************
After leaving Herta's office, Aleph and Stelle walked through the station in silence.
Aleph clenched his fists.
"If you keep tensing up like that, you're going to break something."
Stelle's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
Aleph blinked and turned toward her.
Stelle watched him with a neutral expression, but her gaze was too sharp.
"I'm fine."
Stelle didn't reply right away.
She kept walking with her arms crossed, but eventually said,
"Sure. Because you look like you've seen a ghost."
Aleph clicked his tongue.
Not that different from a ghost, I guess.
He took a moment to look back at her, and she met his gaze without hesitation.
...Ugh, she really did look annoyed.
"I just… need to think for a bit."
Stelle didn't push, but the look she gave him made it clear that the conversation wasn't over.
The encounter with Aha had been peculiar...
And it left him thinking.
Zero… Did you and the others really try to face that thing and others like it?
What a fucking nightmare.
I think I respect you all a lot more now.
Aleph thought, his hands itching. What was this new desire for more training and essences he was feeling now?
But there was no time to dwell on it.
***********
Inside the Astral Express, Welt, Himeko, and Pom-Pom were reviewing the navigation logs.
Dan Heng and March 7th were also there, waiting for the decision on their next destination.
Himeko turned to them with a firm expression.
"Well, it looks like everything is ready."
Aleph and Stelle stepped forward.
"What's ready?" Stelle asked.
Welt adjusted his glasses and spoke calmly.
"Our next destination, Penacony."
Aleph blinked.
"Penacony? Isn't that the tourist planet?"
March 7th nodded enthusiastically.
"Yep! It's a planet built entirely for entertainment. A paradise for relaxation."
Aleph tilted his head.
"Then why are we going there?"
Before anyone could answer…
The lights in the Express flickered.
And laughter echoed through the speakers.
"Oh my, you're quick to make decisions."
Everyone turned, instantly on guard.
A hologram projected into the cabin.
A woman with lilac hair and a teasing expression appeared on the screen.
Kafka.
Himeko frowned in irritation.
"You again."
Kafka smiled elegantly.
"Does it bother you that I slipped into your conversation? It wasn't that hard."
Aleph noticed that Stelle's eyes had been locked on the woman from the moment she appeared.
A thought crossed his mind as he observed her.
"Kafka, huh? Now I think I understand Flynn a little more."
March 7th stepped forward, distrust clear in her stance.
"What do you want?"
Kafka narrowed her eyes in amusement.
"Just a small request."
Welt spoke, his voice calm but firm.
"Speak."
Kafka smiled.
"Luofu of Xianzhou. Ring any bells?"
Aleph tilted his head, not really understanding.
Wait… did the Chinese have their own planet here?
"What about Luofu?" Dan Heng asked, his tone tense.
Kafka rested a hand on her cheek.
"A Stellaron was released there."
Okay, now that was interesting.
The atmosphere in the room grew heavier instantly.
"And the Stellaron Hunters are being blamed."
March 7th clicked her tongue.
"And we're supposed to help you?"
Kafka's smile widened.
"It's not for me. It's for one of my companions, Blade."
Aleph could see that Dan Heng's expression was anything but pleasant.
…Well, now that was interesting. From what he knew of Dan Heng, he wasn't the type to react like that over just anyone.
Did they have history?
Welt crossed his arms.
"He was captured?"
Kafka nodded calmly.
"And if you don't do something soon, he'll be executed."
At this point, Aleph mentally checked out. The conversation was getting more and more boring.
Honestly, he just wanted to go to his room and properly check if Aha had done anything to him besides unlocking the new Path.
But what really made him stay in place—
It was the way Kafka looked at him for a second, the fleeting gleam in those eyes…
It felt as if she knew something about him—something he himself wasn't aware of—and he didn't like that feeling one bit.
His eyes narrowed as he stared at her.
"So, my dear passengers of the Astral Express," Kafka continued. "What do you say? Will you do me this favor?"
A tense silence took over the cabin.
The hologram vanished.
Himeko sighed and looked at Welt.
He nodded slowly.
And finally, Himeko turned to the others.
"Looks like we need to hold another meeting to decide our next destination."
…....
The Astral Express hummed softly as the engines prepared for the hyperspace jump.
In the end, the vote had been 5–1 in favor of going.
He felt bad for Dan Heng, but he was genuinely curious about this.
The stars blurred into streaks of light as they departed for their chosen destination.
Xianzhou Luofu.
…....
Aleph was walking through one of the Express's hallways, heading to his room, away from the noise of the main cabin.
There were too many things on his mind.
Kafka.
The Stellaron in Luofu…
And a question that lingered in his thoughts.
Blade.
But above all else…
Aha.
He tightened his grip as he glanced at his reflection in one of the windows.
"That damn Aeon…"
His gaze shifted to his status menu.
His main Path was still Nihility.
The Path of Destruction was still there, but now it was accompanied by Exultation.
A mere flicker—a reminder of his encounter with something he sincerely never wanted to see again.
The text shimmered softly under its description. He scrolled down, and his brow furrowed at something he hadn't noticed before.
A new Ultimate ability?
"Night of the Living Jesters?"
What kind of name was that for an Ultimate ability?
Burroughs had finally finished recalibrating.
Her voice was distorted at first, but then it stabilized.
[Master…]
Aleph took a deep breath.
"Tell me you have answers."
Burroughs took a few seconds to respond.
[Not all of them.]
Aleph closed his eyes in frustration, running a hand over his forehead.
"What the hell was that?"
[The Aeon… Aha… It wasn't a recreation from the Simulated Universe.]
"I know. That much was obvious."
[It unlocked its own Path within you. And from what I can tell, it even granted you an Ultimate ability and a derived one, similar to how the Essence system works. But different. I'd give you more information, but it seems I can't access its details until you unlock them yourself.]
Aleph remained silent.
He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes for a moment.
He took a deep breath.
The Astral Express shook slightly as it entered the hyperspace route.
He made sure to brace himself so he wouldn't end up like March 7th.
There was no time to keep worrying about Aha.
…Or rather, he didn't want to keep thinking about that thing.
**********************************************************************************************
*What do you think of the ending of this mini-arc? Was it better than Jarillo-VI's?
Anyway, I'll be taking a break for a while since my medical exams are coming up... Plus, I need to get back to playing Luofu.
************************
Omake: Herta is a Demon
Act 1: The Punishment Begins
...
The Astral Express floated majestically in orbit around Herta Space Station.
From the outside, it looked like a normal day, with no signs of impending chaos.
Inside the main car, however, three people were already on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
"This isn't fair! We're being framed!" March 7th protested, arms crossed.
"They literally saw us do it." Dan Heng stared at her blankly, eyes filled with resignation.
"But it was an accident!" Aleph insisted, raising his hands. "We couldn't have known that the giant red lever labeled 'DO NOT TOUCH' would activate the self-destruct protocol!"
Welt sighed.
"If it was labeled like that, then you clearly could have known."
Stelle, who had remained silent until now, muttered quietly.
"...It was worth it."
Everyone turned to look at her.
"...Stelle, we almost blew up the entire station," Aleph said.
"But it was fun."
"I see no flaws in her logic." Aleph nodded as if in agreement.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the group.
Himeko placed her coffee cup on the table.
"Either way, we can't stay here forever. If you're not going to apologize to Herta, at least try to negotiate your punishment."
Before they could respond, a mechanical sound echoed through the car.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"VIOLATIONS CONFIRMED!"
The Express' main screen lit up, displaying Herta's face in high definition. Her expression was that of someone who had calculated exactly how to reach this moment.
"Well, well. Look who it is." Her voice sounded almost amused.
Aleph felt a chill run down his spine.
"Herta, we can explain—"
"I'm not interested in your explanation."
Everyone froze.
Herta smiled slightly.
"I'm only interested in how you're going to compensate me for the damages you caused."
March 7th paled.
"Wait! We don't have enough credits!"
"I know."
Before they could protest, a series of mechanical arms extended from the ceiling and grabbed them on the spot.
"Hey, hey, wait, wait! We didn't do anything that bad!" Aleph yelled, struggling to break free.
"Yes, you did."
"It wasn't intentional!"
"I don't care."
"This is unfair!"
"Welcome to Herta Space Station, where my word is law."
Welt and Himeko didn't even try to intervene.
Pom-Pom, however, just crossed his arms.
"Can we bet on how long it takes them to mess something up?"
Herta blinked.
"I accept bets."
And so, without being able to resist, Aleph, Stelle, and March 7th were escorted to Herta Space Station... where their punishment awaited them.
*********
Inside Herta Space Station
The automatic doors opened with a futuristic hum as the three were unceremoniously thrown into the station.
The place had the air of an experimental laboratory… mainly because it was one.
Floating screens displayed incomprehensible equations and graphs, while small robots moved in all directions, carrying mysterious boxes.
Herta appeared on a giant screen in front of them, smiling calmly.
"Welcome to your punishment. From now on, you're employed at Herta Space Station."
March 7th raised a hand.
"I object!"
"I don't care."
Aleph sighed.
"Okay… and what exactly are we supposed to do?"
"I'm glad you asked."
Herta snapped her fingers, and the floating screens began showing images of their "assignments."
Assigned Tasks:
1. Aleph - Catalog Forbidden Artifacts
"Your job is simple," Herta said indifferently. "You have to organize, classify, and catalog a series of invaluable cosmic artifacts."
Aleph frowned.
"Wait… how dangerous are these 'artifacts'?"
Herta smiled.
"If you touch the wrong one, you could be teleported to another dimension."
"...WHAT?"
********
2. Stelle - Feed the Laboratory Creatures
"You have an easier task," Herta continued. "You just have to feed our... adorable test creatures."
A screen displayed an image of a creature with three red eyes, tentacles, and a mouth full of razor-sharp fangs.
Stelle stared at the image.
"I like it."
Herta sighed.
"Of course you do."
*********
3. March 7th - Maintain the Security System
"And you have to check the station's security system."
March 7th smiled confidently.
"That sounds easy!"
"Yes. Except if you make a mistake, the station will enter 'total defense mode' and release a homicidal AI."
"...Wait, what?"
****
The three stood in silence.
Herta watched them for a moment.
Then, she smiled.
"Have fun."
The transmission cut off.
March 7th: "This is an abuse of power!"
Aleph: "I can't believe they literally assigned me to touch cursed objects."
Stelle: (Looking at the cage of a giant alien creature) "Can I keep one?"
[Alert: High probability this will end in disaster.]
*********
Act 2: Why is everything here trying to kill us?
....
Aleph stared at the enormous warehouse filled with floating objects that clearly should not exist.
A book covered in green flames that whispered unsettling things.
A black mirror that reflected things that weren't in the room.
A cube with a red button, with a warning sign written in 47 languages.
Burroughs appeared on his interface.
[I recommend not touching anything, Master.]
"Oh wow, what a great idea, Burroughs. I never would have thought of that."
At that moment, a floating screen appeared in front of him.
"Welcome to your first task!" The robotic voice sounded ridiculously cheerful. "To catalog the artifacts, simply touch them and say their name out loud."
Aleph frowned.
"…This sounds like a terrible idea."
The screen flickered.
"Incorrect! It's a great idea."
"…Herta programmed this, didn't she?"
"Correct!"
Aleph sighed, crossing his arms.
"Alright… how bad can it be?"
He looked at the table full of artifacts.
A floating dagger covered in glowing runes.
Aleph examined it carefully.
"It doesn't seem dangerous. Let's give it a try."
He cleared his throat.
"Mysterious Rune Dagger."
In that instant, a black rift opened in the air.
A shadowy tentacle slowly emerged.
Aleph immediately took a step back.
"NO, NO, NO! CANCEL, DISABLE, CONTROL ZETA, SOMETHING!"
Burroughs appeared.
[Warning: You have activated an artifact of 'Extreme level, Asta please stop asking to destroy it'.]
"THAT IS NOT A SECURITY LEVEL!"
The tentacle stopped… and instead of attacking, it pulled out a floating sign that read:
"Would you like a power contract?"
Aleph blinked.
"…Huh?"
The tentacle extended a small piece of paper with terms and conditions written in an unknown language.
Aleph read it cautiously.
"If I sign this, what do I get?"
The tentacle made a dramatic gesture.
"I will grant you the power to rule over shadows and—"
Aleph interrupted.
"No thanks."
The tentacle froze.
"…What?"
"No thanks. I'm good."
The tentacle went silent for a moment… then seemed offended.
"What do you mean 'no thanks'? Who rejects a dark power deal?! Do you know how many people would be begging me for this?!"
Aleph shrugged.
"I'm a simple man. I don't need to be 'King of Shadows' or whatever, I'm not that Edgy... If you want, I can give you Dan Heng or Flynn's number. Maybe one of them would be interested."
The tentacle shuddered with frustration.
"Do you seriously have a better power source than infinite cosmic darkness?!"
Aleph grinned.
"Yes. It's called 'Holy Fist.'"
And before the tentacle could respond…
Aleph punched it with all his might.
BAM!
The tentacle screeched and vanished into the rift, which immediately closed.
Burroughs appeared.
[Efficient solution. Expected result.]
"Yeah, yeah. Next item."
**********
Meanwhile...
Stelle was in a room full of strange alien creatures.
In one corner, a giant lizard with six eyes.
On the ceiling, a furry bug floated slowly with bat-like wings.
And in the central cage, an amorphous tentacled abomination stared at Stelle with a neutral expression.
A floating screen appeared.
[Welcome to your assignment.
Task: Feed the Creatures.]
[Tip: Do not feed them raw meat if you want to stay alive.]
Stelle looked at the plate in her hand.
"…What if I do?"
[Then 'Hunt Mode' will activate.]
Stelle grinned.
"Interesting."
[Please don't.]
She sighed and gave the correct food to the amorphous creature.
It was expected to eat it immediately, but instead…
It raised one of its limbs and gave her a pat on the head.
Stelle blinked.
"…Did it just bless me?"
The floating monitor flickered with confusion.
"Unexpected interaction. The creature was not expected to show affection."
Stelle smiled and petted it like a dog.
"You're cute."
The screen exploded.
[Warning: You have accidentally tamed an intergalactic alpha predator.]
Stelle grinned.
"Great, now it's mine."
*******
Somewhere else...
March 7th was in front of a panel full of buttons and futuristic screens.
She had one simple task:
Check that everything was working without activating the Total Defense Protocol.
March 7th eyed the controls.
"What happens if I press this button?"
"DON'T."
She smiled.
"Okay, okay."
But then she tripped… and hit the button with her face.
ALARM ACTIVATED.
[!!!ACTIVATING TOTAL DEFENSE PROTOCOL!!!]
March 7th froze completely.
"…Oops."
A mechanical voice echoed in the room.
"Welcome, intruder. Preparing to eliminate you."
March 7th smiled nervously.
"Uh… what if we solve this with words instead?"
"NO."
The screen displayed a massive countdown.
10… 9… 8…
March 7th ran to the control panel and started pressing buttons at random.
"Cancel! Turn off! Safe mode! Emergency code!"
"Emergency code accepted."
March 7th sighed in relief.
"Oh, thank go—"
"Releasing emergency measures: ANNIHILATION LASERS."
"WHAT?!"
A giant laser beam fired from the ceiling, barely missing her head.
March 7th screamed as she ran in circles.
"THIS IS WORSE! THIS IS WORSE!"
************
Act 3: We Weren't Ready for This (But It's Still Fun)
...
Aleph was still processing what had just happened with the infernal contract tentacle when Burroughs appeared with a new alert.
[Warning: Multiple Artifact Activations Detected.]
Aleph went blank.
"…What?"
Suddenly, everything in the room started glowing.
The pages of the burning book began to turn on their own.
The black mirror trembled violently.
The cube with the red button flashed with a menacing light.
[Master, run!]
Aleph didn't need to be told twice.
But the moment he tried to sprint away, the cube opened.
And from inside came…
A hologram of Herta with a satisfied smile.
"Congratulations, user! You've just activated the 'Controlled Cataclysm' event."
Aleph froze in place.
"'Cataclysm'? What part of that sounds 'controlled'?"
"Now you must complete the challenge before the station collapses!"
Aleph closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.
"…You know what? This doesn't even surprise me anymore."
.....
Stelle ran through the station's corridors… followed by a group of interdimensional creatures.
Instead of chasing her…
…they were following her like she was their leader.
Stelle stopped and turned around.
"Well, guys, looks like we're a gang now."
The giant lizard let out a guttural sound.
The furry bug floated beside her with an empty smile.
And the amorphous abomination wiggled its tentacles… adorably.
[Employee, Stelle is about to cause a large-scale disaster!]
Stelle grinned.
"That means I did it right."
At that moment, an explosion echoed in the distance.
And Aleph was sent flying through a door, covered in soot.
He turned and saw Stelle with her army of cosmic horrors.
Aleph blinked.
"…Care to explain what the hell this is?"
Stelle shrugged.
"I have minions now."
Aleph rubbed his temples.
"Of course, you do."
But before he could complain further…
An alert blared through the speakers.
"EMERGENCY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED. CATASTROPHIC ERROR DETECTED. HERTA STATION AT RISK OF SELF-DESTRUCTION."
Aleph shut his eyes in frustration.
"…Who did it?"
March 7th came running as if her life depended on it.
"Don't ask! Just run!"
********
March 7th had just accidentally activated a lethal defense system.
The worst part? The security AI had decided that she was ENEMY NUMBER ONE.
An automated turret was chasing her through the corridors, firing laser beams.
"WHY IS EVERYTHING HERE PROGRAMMED TO KILL PEOPLE?!"
A notification popped up.
[Note: The station's AI was designed by Herta. Its sadism level is 93%.]
"Gee, you don't say!"
The hallway doors were shutting one after another, forcing her to dodge and pull off ridiculously absurd maneuvers.
Until finally…
She ran straight into Aleph and Stelle.
Aleph stared at her.
"Tell me you didn't do what I think you did."
"Depends. Do you think I accidentally activated a defense system that now wants to kill us all?"
Aleph exhaled.
"Yes."
"Then yeah, I did."
Before Aleph could yell at her…
An even louder alarm rang through the station.
"INITIATING TOTAL ELIMINATION PROTOCOL. ACTIVATING RESPONSE UNITS."
The three of them fell silent.
And then, from a dark corridor…
A massive army of giant robots with laser cannons emerged.
Aleph stared at them.
Stelle pulled out her bat.
March 7th tried to whistle, pretending it wasn't her fault.
Finally, Aleph sighed.
"…Okay. Who do we punch first?"
....
The three of them positioned themselves at the hangar entrance, ready for the horde of killer machines charging toward them.
Aleph cracked his knuckles.
Stelle raised her bat.
March 7th drew her bow.
Aleph snorted.
"I don't need stats. I just need my fists."
Stelle grinned.
"And I need my bat."
March 7th looked at her teammates.
"This feels like a final movie scene."
Aleph nodded.
"Then let's make it memorable."
*********
Act 4: Diplomacy is for People Without Bats.
....
Before Aleph, Stelle, and March 7th, an endless line of giant robots activated their combat systems. Their mechanical eyes glowed an intense red as their cannons spun with a menacing hum.
The leader of the robots, a four-meter-tall metal monster with Herta's logo on its chest, spoke in a monotone, terrifying voice:
"Targets identified: Intruders. Proceeding with total annihilation."
Aleph closed his eyes and sighed.
"Does it always have to be 'total annihilation'? Can't they be programmed to say 'peaceful expulsion' instead?"
Stelle cracked her neck.
"Are you really surprised? This is Herta. If it's not lethal, she's not interested."
March 7th raised her bow.
"Well, whatever… Ready to survive another catastrophic mistake?"
The three of them braced themselves.
The robots' cannons glowed with charged energy.
And then…
The first robot fired a plasma beam straight at Aleph.
He leaped to the side with impressive agility, landing in a roll before sprinting toward the enemy machine with a wild grin.
"Let's make this easy. One punch to the face, and goodbye."
His fist glowed with energy, and with an earth-shattering punch, he struck the robot's chest.
The metal crumpled like paper, and the machine was sent flying into three others, which exploded in a shower of sparks.
[Triple Combo!]
Burroughs materialized with a neutral expression.
[Master, I'm not sure if this is impressive or concerning.]
Aleph grinned.
"Call it efficient recycling."
....
Meanwhile…
Stelle dashed straight toward the largest group of robots.
One of the biggest ones raised its mechanical fist to crush her…
But before it could attack…
BAM!
Stelle jumped and slammed her bat into its head with ridiculous force.
The robot wobbled…
…and then fell backward, crushing four more in the process.
Stelle dusted off her shoulder.
"Hah, this bat is really versatile."
Two more robots fired missiles at her.
But Stelle jumped onto one of the missiles IN MID-AIR, using it as a platform to launch herself at the robot that had fired it.
BAM!
Her bat struck the enemy's head, destroying it instantly.
March 7th watched the scene in disbelief.
"How the hell…?"
Aleph shrugged.
"You really need to stop questioning how her physics work."
*********
March 7th wasn't going to be left behind.
She drew her bow and fired a rain of ice arrows, freezing the ground beneath the robots and making them slip around ridiculously.
One of the larger enemies tried to attack her with a plasma cannon…
But before it could fire, March 7th smirked and hurled a blast of ice at its face.
The robot shook, trying to recalibrate its sensors…
…and in the process, it fired its cannon in the wrong direction, hitting its own squad.
BOOOOOM.
Aleph whistled in admiration.
"Accidental sabotage. Beautiful."
March 7th crossed her arms proudly.
"I'm an expert at making things blow up in incredible ways. If you have doubts, just ask Dan Heng the real reason why he sleeps in the archive room and not his own quarters."
*********
Just when it seemed like everything was under control…
The leader of the surviving robots activated its last resort.
A terrifying mechanical sound echoed through the room as its body began to change, transforming into something even more menacing.
"ACTIVATING SURVIVAL PROTOCOL. INITIATING FINAL MODE."
Its torso split into multiple sections, revealing a core of pure energy.
Its arms extended into massive cannons.
And its voice became even more sinister.
"SELF-DESTRUCTION ACTIVATED. OBJECTIVE: DESTROY EVERYTHING."
Aleph was silent for a moment.
"…Do they always have to have a self-destruct function?"
Burroughs appeared with a bored expression.
[It's a common security cliché in Herta's systems.]
March 7th grabbed her head.
"HERTA, CALM DOWN WITH YOUR SECURITY DESIGN!"
Stelle raised her bat.
"So, we just hit it until it shuts down?"
Aleph shrugged.
"The usual."
The robot surged with pure energy, preparing for a massive explosion.
But Aleph, Stelle, and March 7th weren't going to let that happen.
With perfect synchronization…
Aleph charged his fist with energy.
Stelle raised her bat, glowing with blinding light.
March 7th fired an ice arrow straight into the enemy's core.
"FINAL ATTACK!"
All three struck at the same time.
BOOOOOM.
The core collapsed in on itself…
And the robot exploded into a thousand pieces.
When the dust settled, everything was silent.
Aleph brushed the dust off his jacket.
"Well, that was annoying."
Stelle turned to him.
"But fun."
March 7th flopped onto the ground.
"Definitely fun."
Aleph grinned.
"Of course it was."
******
Emergency lights flickered on.
And over the speakers, Herta's voice rang out.
"Wow, you destroyed everything way faster than I expected. I'm impressed."
Aleph shut his eyes in frustration.
"YOU WERE WATCHING THE WHOLE TIME?!"
"Obviously. It was entertaining."
Stelle gave her a thumbs-up.
"So, do we get our debt forgiven?"
"Not a chance."
All three of them groaned in frustration.
And so, another ridiculous adventure at Herta Space Station came to an end.
********
Act 5: If Herta Invites Us Again, We Run in the Opposite Direction.
....
The atmosphere was tense.
Aleph, Stelle, and March 7th sat in a row, looking like scolded children.
In front of them, Herta floated with her usual indifferent expression, reviewing a hologram that displayed the total destruction of the warehouse.
There were explosions. There were sparks. There was rubble.
There was… a pile of robots reduced to scrap metal, with the words "Property of Herta" still visible on them.
Burroughs appeared with a neutral remark.
[Master, according to my calculations, your debt has increased by 750%.]
Aleph buried his face in his hands.
"I want to die."
Stelle crossed her arms confidently.
"Technically, we already paid it off with the work we did."
March 7th pointed at the screen.
"Yeah, but then we destroyed everything again."
Stelle shrugged.
"Details."
Herta sighed and closed the hologram.
"Alright. Let me summarize this in simple terms."
"You came here to pay off a debt."
"You did a… moderately acceptable job."
"And then you destroyed the value of EVERYTHING you earned in less than five minutes."
The three of them lowered their heads.
Herta stared at them with a neutral expression.
"You know, I could keep making you work until the debt is settled… But I have a better idea."
Aleph frowned.
"That sounds terrifying."
"Oh, it is."
"…"
"BUT, you also entertained me. And fun is hard to come by in this universe."
Herta smirked with malicious satisfaction.
"So… I'll erase your debt if you accept one last job."
The three of them blinked at the same time.
March 7th narrowed her eyes.
"What kind of job?"
Herta spun in the air and pointed at a monitor.
"An important package is on its way to the station. I need it intact."
Aleph crossed his arms.
"And what exactly is it?"
Herta smiled.
"A coffee maker."
"…"
Stelle blinked.
"… A what?"
"Yes. And not just any coffee maker. It's a prototype for quantum coffee that boosts concentration by 200%. The kind of thing someone like Himeko would kill for."
Aleph tried to process the information.
"So, you're telling us all we have to do is receive a package?"
"Yes."
March 7th rubbed her chin.
"That sounds… too easy."
Herta's eyes gleamed with a sinister light.
"Oh, it will be. As long as you can keep space criminals from stealing it before it arrives."
THE END?