A/N: I'll be using "Infinity" for Aleph's authority and "Limitless" for the actual cursed technique to avoid any confusion.
*****
Three minutes ago.
"I see."
Kurumi completely understood the assignment. Aleph did not directly hand out the three [Stella] to her but chose to give it in a roundabout way. It was due to the Cocoon's assumed ability similar to omniscience.
Aleph thought of it when he remembered Su's deeds of looking for other parallel worlds. Although it wasn't enough to know about matters beyond Earth, it was powerful enough. He feared that the Cocoon had an omniscience of sorts. The safest choice was to entrust it first to his ELF. It was special enough to be able to conceal things under its gaze.
Click-!
Click-!
Click-!
Though the three bullets did not match the musket, they passed through and merged with it. She then pointed the musket upwards, aligning with the twelve-o-clock sign.
Kurumi looked at the sky. She could not see any more disturbance on the Moon's side.
Still, she knew Aleph was fighting somewhere she could not see. All she could do now was to fulfill the role he entrusted her.
The moment she pointed the musket towards the sky, the translucent light surrounding her converged to her musket. The reiyoku requirement was also fulfilled by it.
The bullet that could send something to a different time frame was unleashed.
"Yud Bet."
Bang-!
A considerable amount of gunpowder came out of the nozzle. The three bullets were seen as a blue streak flying towards the sky. From where she stood, it emitted a bright glow that illuminated her surroundings, much like a flare.
The power of Infinity separated it and Kurumi's authority, making it so that the bullets themselves were the ones sent to the "future time frame", rather than their targets.
Unfortunately, things were more 'complicated' in this world. The First Spirit's authority was not absolute. Things like "time travel" that alters the course of history—in turn altering the Imaginary Tree's branches—has too much drastic effect.
That was why Kurumi merely used her authority to send the bullet to another time frame. Everything within "present" could not block the arrows she shot.
Coupled with Infinity, it was a sure-hit.
"Ain…"
*****
Hum.
The battlefield became peaceful. The boundless prairie slowly collapsed along with the pure white domain. Every single 'conflict' within the area struck by the arrow disappeared.
It was the effect of Stella, the arrow shot by Arash. It was capable of ending the concept of all conflicts within its radius.
As a low-level Servant, he was able to stop the attack from the Divine Spear, Rhongomyniad. It was a testament on how strong it was when it comes to stopping concepts and the likes.
With the third [Stella] that was far above its original power plus Infinity to enhance its capabilities, it was strong enough to become Aleph's decisive trump card.
'It disabled every single power. Even those two wills…'
{Reminder. The effect of Stella is estimated to last for two minutes.}
'Two minutes. To be on the safe side, let's say one minute.'
For a minute, he had to deal the decisive strike and end this battle once and for all.
"I will leave it to you."
Albion disappeared after saying these words. Moments later, his silhouette grew a pair of extremely sharp wings. Aleph remained covered by Infinity's light.
Zoom-!
His entire body blitzed through the dark void. It did not take a second before he arrived in front of the fourteenth herrscher.
Bzzt-!
Under her startled eyes, Aleph threw a punch straight to her face. It sent her flying more than three thousand kilometers at once. Numerous black slits appeared on her pathway.
"The fourteenth… or the Cocoon. It does not matter."
Bzzt-!
Bzzt-!
Aleph used his elbow to strike her next, followed by a roundhouse kick. Each solid strike made him feel lighter. The fourteenth herrscher was left unable to fight back. It was as if the influence of the Cocoon was frozen solid right now.
Bzzt-!
His right fist went through her chest. Nothing came out of it, not even blood. Her still-shocked look was reflected in Aleph's eyes. She could not believe what transpired under the next dozen seconds.
She watched helplessly as the translucent light seeped inside her body. It ruthlessly destroyed the Cocoon's link to her swiftly.
There was also an inexplicable feeling accompanied by that translucent light. She could not recognize what it was, but she knew it was bad. The bad feeling was so strong she could tell it was Aleph's main purpose during this fight.
Just as Aleph thought everything was going well…
Drip.
Everything went still.
'What..?!'
{Alert. A third party arrived within your two… one… three meters.}
His eyes widened as he tried to move his body before finding out he couldn't. His True Dragon authority could not help him move; neither could his Spirit King. He had a vague hunch World could not do it too.
They should be able to do so once he grows stronger, but not now.
Only his Infinity remained active. As the highest authority he held, it was strong despite Aleph's lack of development time.
Aleph urged it and was able to move his head.
The moment he looked back, he saw a sight he would never forget.
Buzz-!
A sharp sound assaulted his senses. His mind could barely process the complex information they bore. It took a while before he processed it.
It was a pitch black figure. Even Nihility's darkness could not compare to it. Their mere presence suggests how out-of-tune they were in this place—that they should not exist in the first place.
"..."
The pitch black figure "opened" its mouth yet no sounds came out. Aleph was quick to translate it.
{"A test."}
{"Surpass this trial and this world shall be yours."}
{"Fail and never return."}
{"This is the first and only chance."}
Aleph did not have any room to reply. He understood what they said, but that was as far as it goes. He did not have a chance to do anything else.
Soon, his consciousness descended into darkness.
*****
A/N: That concludes this arc. What comes next is the HSR arc; to be more specific, Aeons. Every question will be answered once Aleph 'returns' to Earth. As to whether Aleph goes into the Current Era, the answer is a yes. It'll be revealed later as to why a parallel world like that existed in the first place.
Anyways, writing this fight was a blast. I hope y'all find it a blast reading, too. There's still more fights that'll be as good as this one (based on what I envisioned), so do watch out for it ;)
See y'all in the next chapter~!