I'll kill you after I finish this game!

"That's true. To use a common analogy, it's probably like having television and radio playing around you without interruption."

With a slightly meaningful look in his eyes, he observed the priest's gaunt face and the faint dark circles under his eyes, and chuckled lightly, saying, "If you're always like this, you won't be able to sleep well at night. Your body won't be able to take it in the long run, will it? And Father, your dark circles are quite prominent too..."

"..."

The priest remained silent, or perhaps he simply didn't want to say anything more.

“But that person was lucky.” Seeing the priest’s expression turn silent, Anna said with a hint of sarcasm and self-mockery, “If it were before, he would have been burned at the stake without a second thought. It’s fortunate that he was born in this era that he was spared.”

Being special and different used to be a fatal thing.

She was once labeled a witch because she was too beautiful and didn't fit in with the people around her. She was also betrayed by her husband and parents.

Anna could never forget that feeling of despair, that when she cried out to heaven and earth, there was no response. Even after living for nearly a hundred years, she could never forget it.

Yes, I can't forget the mysterious guy who saved me, the man in a tattered white robe holding a little girl.

The other party granted him extraordinary power, which led him into the realm of demonic arts.

Now that Anna thinks back on how she became a witch, she has no regrets whatsoever. On the contrary, she is very grateful to the person who gave her the power.

In the wrong era, weakness is the original sin.

So what if she's a witch? At least Anna is now a powerful witch who can protect herself and also conquer cities and armies.

Compared to her previous weak and vulnerable state, where she was easily slandered and bullied, she prefers who she is now.

Anna did feel a little envious of the priest in front of her, but as times have changed, she has become more tolerant of these special individuals.

Thinking this, she looked at the priest in front of her, her eyes filled with a complex expression, and said:

"If you think about it that way, perhaps there was some reason for his existence that led him to be born in this era."

"Oh, for example?"

The priest was very interested in Anna's talk of luck and the reasons behind it, because he had never had much to call luck.

What's the reason for being born with special abilities? Does such a thing really exist?

"Being able to resonate with others means that you might be able to become them."

"He is very wary of this power, but there are people who need it from the bottom of their hearts. If their interests align, there is a possibility of an exchange."

With a seductive gesture, Anna twirled a stray strand of hair behind her ear, demonstrating her high regard for the priest and his abilities.

Little did he expect that his evaluation would later prove the truth of his words to be proven by the priest's fate.

"exchange?"

The priest repeated the word, clearly puzzled.

"Simply put, it's a brain transplant."

Anna spoke with such excitement and joy, as if she had touched upon the most important topic, but then she became disappointed again as she thought of something, and sighed softly, "Ah~, but current medical technology just can't do it."

"If the noise is tormented because the brain circuits are connected to strange places, then the noise will disappear when it's someone else's head—no! Why not just extract the soul directly and let someone else's soul reside there... Hmm, it's just like a fairy tale."

Speaking words that only a demon could utter, Anna's eyes seemed to overflow with demonic power, and she looked at the priest as if he were a precious treasure.

Then it moved forward with unusual steps, as if it were about to leave.

“…Hmm.” The priest’s expression turned cold, and he calmly followed Anna’s words, saying, “Fairy tales are indeed just empty and unrealistic concepts.”

The implication is that your theory is unrealistic and like a castle in the air.

However, at this moment, two unreal and extraordinary beings have gathered together in the church. Is this really a castle in the air?

"Yes, say whatever you want, and we've come full circle back to the topic we started with."

The unfathomable secret that had been hidden until now vanished from Anna's face, and the woman turned to the priest with a bright, girlish smile.

The priest couldn't help but smile wryly at her change of heart and her decision not to leave.

Even if he wasn't the one who understood her intentions, he probably already knew them immediately.

"A night walk...?"

"Yes, can you stay with me?" She looked into the priest's eyes with a triumphant smile.

"..."

The priest gave Anna a deep look, sighed softly, and then, with a polite smile returning to his face, replied:

"I understand. If I refuse, I feel like baseless rumors will start circulating again."

"Hahaha, you're so annoying."

Anna, whose plans after being rejected by the priest had been guessed, wore a sly smile that seemed to suggest she didn't care, and chuckled:

"Would someone really do that kind of thing?"

As she spoke, the woman turned and walked out of the chapel. Opposite the open door was a cluster of Christmas bells.

Although the temperature is low tonight, the night sky is bright, with a bright moon and several eye-catching stars shining in the night sky.

“Come on, Father.” Anna turned her head and smiled at the priest who followed her out. After exhaling a white mist of warm breath in the low temperature, she pointed to the sky and said, “The stars are beautiful tonight, especially those few that are the brightest and closest to each other.”

The priest who followed her out looked up at the sky and sighed, uttering a sorrowful whisper.

"Yes, indeed..."

The priest looked at the stars that shone close together in the sky with a confused and complicated expression. He felt a strange unease, but he wouldn't say something so out of touch with reality. He sighed ambiguously, "The night sky seems to suck people away."

He didn't say the stars were beautiful, but rather offered a very pertinent observation. Then, the priest added a sudden, spontaneous remark:

"I often think, this sky and these stars completely envelop the world, so why can't humanity stop fighting each other? If my wish could come true, I would hope that this war is humanity's last war... Perhaps such a wish is a bit ridiculous?"

“Is that so? However, if there is a way to fulfill your wish, there can only be one.” Anna did not mock him, but instead looked at the priest with a calm smile that had no hidden meaning.

Words are like fishing, waiting for the other person to take the bait and be attracted, and then to ask themselves questions.

The priest was indeed drawn in, but he asked with his eyes what this meant.

Anna then flashed a mischievous smile, and spoke in a detached tone that sent chills down one's spine.

"[As long as this war never ends, that's all, Father.]"

Yes, that's right. Struggle is one of the fundamental aspects of human nature that cannot be eradicated.

As long as there are classes, disparities, and differences, there will inevitably be struggle. The idea that there will be no war in the future is just a naive statement made by a child.

The only place where one could truly live without any struggle was the previous era, the "Heavenly Way of Sorrowful Thoughts."

The era that has been missed will never return, and the gods on their thrones will not allow the era they despise to reappear.

Deep within the Abyss of Doom, as the actors of a horror drama took their places, Raiji and Suigintou delivered their closing remarks, much like behind-the-scenes directors.

Mercury said this with a pleasant chuckle.

【that's all--】

The stars scattered throughout the capital are heading towards tonight's fateful encounter.

Even without realizing it, even in struggle, it's all about moving forward along the path of destiny—

Tonight, at this time, in this place, our meeting was inevitable.

【therefore......】

The two serpent deities, each seated on their own divine throne, cast their theatrical gazes across the boundless starry sky, landing on the present-day city of Berlin, Germany.

There, Eluneore and Beatrice were running one after the other at an incredible speed toward a certain direction.

Elunere felt a surge of excitement; with a slight movement of her toes, she seemed to be able to fly, leaving only a fiery red afterimage leaping across the city buildings.

Feeling the terrifying and explosive power within her body, Elunere couldn't help but want to get to the scene as soon as possible and show her strength and charm to protect the man she secretly loved.

However, her excitement caused some trouble for Beatrice behind her. Watching Elunere's figure running further and further away, she couldn't help but show an anxious expression and shout.

"Lieutenant, Lieutenant, wait for me! You're running too fast and acting recklessly!!"

Blue-green lightning crackled on her calves and military boots. Beatrice was actually quite fast, but she just couldn't keep up with Eluneore right now.

Besides aptitude, Eternal Destruction also depends on an individual's prayers and spiritual desires, and right now, Eluneore's heart is burning like fire.

She has already begun to merge with the artifact, and while her soul is merging with the artifact, it is also quietly exploring its own truth.

Even subconsciously, she drew closer to her inner self.

So even though Beatrice should have had the advantage in speed, she was still surpassed in cultivation by her childhood friend and superior.

"Too inexperienced and too slow, Kirsch Aisen." Elunere turned her head and glanced at Beatrice, whose calves were crackling with electricity behind her, and scolded, "You've already surpassed the ordinary, how come your footwork is worse than a commoner!?"

"Which commoners are you talking about?!" Beatrice roared, her face contorted in disbelief. "And our strides are different! You're so much taller than me!!"

Her current speed is unmatched even by Olympic champions in both long gowns and sprints; what ordinary person could possibly surpass her now?!

And then there's Eluneore, who's taller than her. That idiot Beatrice dumped all the responsibility on her.

"Sigh, those two are arguing again."

In the sky, two clouds, one black and one white, flew at high speed. Lisa Brenner, sitting on the black cloud, held tightly to the black cloud beneath her.

Even high in the air, you could hear the sound of some silly, lovable idiot breaking down and making a racket.

It was her first time flying on a cloud, and she felt both excited and a little afraid of heights.

She then turned to look at Reiji, who was flying alongside her and sitting cross-legged on a cloud, and Esther, who was sitting between Reiji's legs, and asked in a tone of doubt and curiosity:

"Your Highness Gray, what is this cloud? Is it the cloud that the gods ride on in the East?"

"It's just a cloud that can fly. Apart from a few minor limitations, it's just a tool for traveling and flying."

Lei Zhe held the soft, cuddly Esther sitting on his lap, his chin resting on the top of Esther's fragrant, snow-silver hair. With a slight smile, he turned his head to look at the dark cloud beneath Lisa beside him.

"Um, what kind of restriction are you referring to?"

Lisa Brenner glanced at the pure white cloud beneath Reiji and Esther, and the pitch-black cloud beneath herself, with some confusion, and asked in bewilderment.

Reiji smiled without answering, but Esther, in his arms, wore an innocent and guileless expression as she explained to Lisa Brenner:

"Well, only those with pure hearts can ride on the cloud beneath my brother and me. If you are impure and have many impure thoughts, you will only fall through it like a real cloud if you try to ride on it."

"Huh? Pure-hearted, Prince Gray, you?!?!"

With an incredulous and astonished expression, Lisa Brenner stared intently at Reiji. If Esther was truly pure of heart, she could tell and believe it just by looking into her eyes.

But this man, pure of heart? Him?!