Act 4, Scene 4
"Like Hieda-no-Are said, the first job is to scout the trials we've got ahead of us," Romani says from my communicator as the familiar environs of the Tower materialize around me again. Behind me, I can hear Shaula mutter some complaint about being imprisoned again, but the rest of our party are silent for the moment. "We've got two available, right? The one in the basement, and the one on the third floor."
"Nope, those are floors six and three! The floors of the Pleiades Watchtower are counted from top to bottom," says Shaula as she pulls glasses from somewhere and prepares to start a lecture.
"Well, ignoring Flugel's idiotic numbering conventions, you're right, Romani," I answer. "There wasn't a trial in the basement before, so I don't know what to expect there… as for the third floor, though-"
"Need I remind you, Natsuki Subaru, that you have already re-entered the TATARI? Do not go conjuring up insurmountable figments to face," Recorder's voice echoes from the side of Romani's holographic display. "I am doing my best to suppress the rumors from outside, but that man is precisely the type to slip through my grip."
Ahhh… he's totally right. If anyone would be inexplicably immune to [Puppet Playground], it'd be Reid.
"Alright! For the time being we'll just skip the Sixth Floor trial since it's not required to get further up," I say, stretching as I lead the way to the stairs. "The plan is pretty simple. We just gotta all go in at once, and jump whoever pops out while they're still spawning."
"It's a little unsportsmanlike, but I don't think anyone here will complain," says Pepe with a snicker.
"I'm complaining! If Master breaks the trials, I get to spend less time with him!" Shaula says with a raised hand.
"Shaula-sama has no right to give input on this matter, since her goals are opposed to ours," Rem says with a little snippiness.
"Eh!? Even though I'm a '-sama'?"
***
The doorway at the top of the stairs opens into a wide, white expanse. A featureless room, with no perceptible exit - and yet it's familiar. Not from my previous time in the tower, but rather-
"It looks a bit like the simulator, doesn't it?" Pepe asks.
"-No, from our readings here, it is the simulator!" Romani says. "It's been directly instantiated into the TATARI, andI'm locked out of the controls!"
What? I blink in confusion. "What's the point of that, though?"
"Mmm… I might have some ideas, but I can't tell for sure until the trial starts," Pepe mutters. "How long do we need to wait for that, by the way?"
"I couldn't get it to turn on either," says Shaula with a shrug. "That's why I've been stuck downstairs."
I think for a few moments, while the other members of our group file in. Finally, Romani speaks up again. "...Alright, I've got it figured out, but I don't really like how it looks. Looks like the simulator is trying to start, but it's bugged out on the assertion that only one person can participate."
"Ah…" I mutter. "So we're stuck just throwing our strongest at it? Then, the rest of us should walk out while Shaula stands at the spawn point, right?."
Romani shakes his head. "That's no good. You've all got to exit, and then the participant enters - and given the way space works in the simulator, I'd wager we won't be able to just attack the moment they appear. It's going to be a straightforward fight."
So, with a bit of annoyance we start to file out of the room - though I'm careful to bring up the rear. What exactly is the plan for a straightforward one-on-one fight? To my understanding, Gogh is a support-type, Miyako and Pepe are front-liners, Rem can do medium range, and Shaula does long range. We've got a pretty solid variety, all things considered, but… any way you look at it, the strongest opening move is still Hell's Snipe, right? But can she even be trusted to complete-
As I step out, Pepe slips past me, straight back into the room, and the door vanishes.
-!
"Ah!?" Romani shouts.
"...Crazy," mumbles Miyako.
"What the hell is he-!?" I start to ask - but I'm interrupted, as with a sudden blast of force, the door reappears, and Scandinavia Peperoncino is launched back out. His feet shoot out in a split, catching the walls on either side to arrest his momentum, and the man prevents himself from being sent tumbling down the stairs.
"Well! That's quite the first battle!" He says with wide eyes and pursed lips. His legs snap together a moment later, and he lands on the ground. Giving a quick glance at our shocked and outraged expressions, Pepe gives a wry smile. "It's the simulator, sweeties, it's not like it's going to be lethal. Besides, one of my abilities is to detect the moment of my death. I knew that it wasn't now, so I figured it was safe to check what we were up against."
"...And?" I ask. "Seems like it blasted you right out of there, so it's gotta be tough, right?"
"To be honest, I don't think it's an enemy I can win against," he answers with a frown. "Go take a look for yourself, words can't really describe it. In fact, let's just all take turns going in, okay?"
…If there's no danger, I guess there's no reason not to. "Alright. One of you-"
"Your Rem will be ready to catch you, Subaru-kun." One of the usual suspects pounces before I can even finish my request.
"Eh!? Wait, catching Master was on the table? No way, do-over! Let me call dibs first-!" Shaula protests, and I roll my eyes.
I breathe deeply, and sigh. "Let's do this."
The environment shifts, and I find myself standing under a blue sky. The ground, however, remains white; an endless desert of white dust, stretching as far as the eye can see. Instinct finds me turning to greet a newcomer as he begins to materialize.
"Face, the one who shattered seven worlds," Wallachia's voice echoes from somewhere as I lock eyes with a spiky-haired Japanese of about my own age, wearing a clearly Chaldean uniform - though its design is a bit different from the standard.
His eyes are completely empty as he holds out a hand, red command spells blazing on its back. His voice, older than the one I cannot remember, does not echo. It falls, dead as a corpse, upon the endless bleached landscape.
"-Ivan."
A vast shadow fades into existence between us - I only briefly see it. A vast humanoid form, with elephantine legs and horns stretching from its shoulders. He raises his staff, a twisted golden thing, without speaking - and then, lightning arcs through the air, faster than I can react to. For a brief moment, the implication of pain hits me - and then I'm launched out of the simulator room, where Rem catches me.
"Seriously…?" I mutter, knowing full well that Wallachia isn't here to hear my complaint about the unfairness of this very first obstacle.
TATARI Watchtower
Third Trial: Fujimaru Ritsuka
Number of Participants: 1
Number of Attempts: Unlimited
Begin