I'll kill you after I finish this game!

[The Perverted Immortal]: The one upstairs is definitely a brat, but this girl who looks like a ghost is indeed beautiful.

[Meliodas]: Even prettier than Elizabeth, but... how should I put it, there's just... a certain astringent quality to him.

【The Sin of Gluttony - Marlene】: The sense of holiness and motherhood is too strong. Who would be so perverse as to have lust for their own mother?

[Blue Ribbon]: No, she's not a ghost. This girl seems to possess a divinity I can't comprehend... Could she be a god!?

【The Witch of the Gap】: Is it possible that Fujii Ren's trouble-attracting constitution has flared up again?

.......

The world of Dim Summoning, the highest level of the Tower of Babel.

This is a place where only the chief god of the strongest familia in all of Orario is qualified to reside. In Orario, only two familias are qualified to reside here.

One is Loki's family, but Loki prefers to live with his family children, so he doesn't live here.

The other is Freya's Familia. In an incredibly ornate room on the highest level of the Tower of Babel, an incomparably beautiful goddess, with her eyes tightly closed and tears of blood streaming down her face, is laughing wildly.

"Haha~~ Ah~~~ How can such a thing exist? I only saw a little bit and my eyes couldn't bear it. What an incredible brilliance!"

With long white hair and purple eyes, she is the chief deity of the Freya Familia, a "goddess of beauty" with unparalleled beauty.

As a goddess, she possesses a passive ability that cannot be sealed away: the ability to see through souls.

Through these eyes, while the gods sealed themselves away to play among mortals and forbid the use of their divine power, she saw many beautiful souls and souls with great potential through the bodies of others.

She is almost obsessed with anyone who possesses a dazzling and beautiful soul. She uses her abilities to frantically collect people with such souls. Once she sets her sights on someone, they cannot escape or refuse her, after all, she is the goddess of beauty.

She had previously taken a liking to a bright-hearted, inexperienced young man named Bell.

But now, through this system that can observe other worlds, after her eyeballs exploded, she saw the most incredible things in the world.

Normally, her ability to see other worlds through the system wouldn't be of much use, but when some people appear directly in the form of souls, her eyes come in handy.

But after using it once, all that was seen was a tiny, insignificant glimpse of the girl's soul essence quietly emerging from the guillotine, and my eyes exploded.

This is nothing to the gods of this world; bored gods in the heavens even harm themselves to pass the time.

As long as it pleases the soul, I'd be willing to explode, let alone make my eyes pop out, I'd even explode my whole body.

Freya didn't care; all she cared about was seeing that girl in the video, so dazzling that it had blinded her.

Compared to gods, no, even the gods of her world are insignificant compared to her.

"So beautiful~~~ I want it~~~" Freya lay half-paralyzed on the bed, her body burning with heat, blood and tears streaming from her eyes and face, speaking with intoxicated fervor.

She wanted a hug, or even just to get a little closer, but separated by the distance of the world, she could only look at the other person.

However, this also made Freya no longer bored. Curiosity and excitement drove her to want to understand the soul of the girl residing on the guillotine better.

...........

Not only the audience, but even Fujii Ren, who was closest to the girl, was attracted to her.

Her beautiful and delicate features, along with her twilight-colored hair that was even more gentle than gold, could not conceal her stunning beauty, even when her brilliant golden hair was disheveled and draped loosely.

Her emerald green eyes, brimming with inexplicable emotions, smiled gently and tenderly as she looked at Fujii Ren, revealing a mysterious feeling.

But on the other person's beautiful neck, there was a bright red thorn line, and the strong contrast captivated Fujii Ren's heart.

Although it looks like coral jewelry, it is undoubtedly a mark left by beheading.

Upon closer reflection, Fujii Ren felt neither unfamiliar nor resistant to her; a strange sense of familiarity welled up within him.

This is... a sense of having already known.

[So? How do you feel about her—Zarathustra.]

And so, through the arrangement of the "snake," Fujii Ren met her, and everything officially began.

"lotus......"

Gently calling out the name of the stunned Fujii Ren, the girl smiled at her and slowly flew towards her, opening her arms in mid-air as if to embrace her.

———Death death ...

I will die, I will die!

A strong intuition, as intense as if he were about to jump off a cliff, warned Fujii Ren that something terrible would happen if the girl touched him.

Even though I consciously want to move, my body simply can't.

The short distance was quickly traversed, but it felt like an eternity to Fujii Ren.

It was too late; the girl in front of them had already embraced Fujii Ren.

A soft touch, a warm embrace, and a sweet fragrance—that's how Fujii Ren felt.

Unfortunately, this feeling of happiness did not last long. The next moment, Fujii Ren felt a chill on her neck, her vision kept spinning, as if she had lost control of her body.

The last thing I saw was a headless corpse that seemed familiar even in my daze.

Is that... my own body?

With her last question in mind, Fujii Ren fainted.

At the dimly lit entrance of the passage not far away, strands of snow-silver hair drifted into the darkness as a figure turned and left.

...........

The video showed a sudden plunge into darkness and the scene of Fujii Ren losing consciousness as if his head had been severed, leaving everyone stunned.

What happened again? All I did was get hugged. Why did this happen all of a sudden?

Today, Fujii Ren's visit to the museum was quite bizarre.

Could the sudden fainting be due to an aversion to or allergy to swords?

That seems impossible; the focus should be on the girl who emerged from the guillotine.

Being hugged by the other person felt like my head had been severed.

The girl clearly didn't seem to have any ill intentions towards Fujii Ren, and there were no other negative emotions in her eyes.

Just as all the viewers were wondering, the dark screen lit up again, and then the sound of waves could be heard.

A beautiful beach scene at dusk, with the vast sea in the distance reflecting the golden light of the setting sun.

But on this beautiful beach at dusk, the most conspicuous thing is the all-too-familiar guillotine.

Then, all the audience members heard a soft, feminine voice.

"[Nice to meet you, dear Zarathustra.]"

"I am one of the directors of this opera."

"[He considers himself a lowly clown, an insignificant liar.]"

"As for my name—by the way, just call me Cagliostro."

Upon hearing this strange voice, the audience knew that it seemed to be addressed to Fujii Ren, since Skadi and Nanami had inexplicably referred to Fujii Ren as Zarathustra.

However, the moment you hear this voice, you get the feeling that it belongs to a cunning villain behind the scenes.

【Black Reading Princess】: Cagliostro? He was an Italian adventurer who called himself a magician and enjoyed studying various mystical arts, including spiritual healing, alchemy, and divination.

【Golden Fairy】: His reputation, which he had built among European royalty in his early years, persisted for decades after his death, but his reputation gradually deteriorated as he was regarded as a charlatan and imposter. He was also a Freemason during his lifetime.

[Bishop of Destiny]: Considering that Fujii Ren lived in the modern era, this name might just be a pseudonym.

[Dr. Tesla]: There's always a feeling of a scheming old fox behind the scenes. But many people call Fujii Ren, Zarathustra Tesla. Does she have any connection with Nietzsche?

The voice's true identity was unknown, nor was the mystery surrounding Fujii Ren. Yet, the voice seemed to be introducing itself, recounting its mysteries to Fujii Ren's consciousness.

"Tonight, I'm going to tell you the story of a girl I met when I used this name."

"【The beautiful princess of the guillotine.】"

"[Her origins, and how she met me and [unclear]."

"[Let me briefly explain these points.]"

"The initial outcome can be summed up in four words: bad luck."

"Birth" is something that binds humanity.

"Even with countless good deeds, evil deeds, and foolish acts, no one can overcome the nature they are born with; that's the gist of it."

"Few can comprehend the mysteries of this place, so please forgive me for beginning with a few complaints."

"Whether you're strong, a madman, or weak... it doesn't matter. When you encounter an individual who stands out from the crowd, the more ordinary a person is, the more they'll try to find reasons for that individual's excellence."

"[Is it because they work harder? Because they are more aware? Or because they have some kind of psychological trauma?]"

"[Extremely boring.]"

"[Emotional projection, self-projection; given the right opportunity, one might become like that.]"

"No, it's the subjective belief that 'it will definitely turn out that way.'"

"[A despicable act of self-comfort, attempting to drag heresy into a realm one can understand and access, forcing it into a category one can comprehend.]"

"A fool who cannot even appreciate others because he doesn't blindly believe their logic is the same as his own is better off talking to himself in the mirror."

"While her background may make you uncomfortable, your soul is not as vulgar as those mentioned above."

"[There exists in this world something special, pure and without any impurities, and that is her.]"

"Her abnormalities are unique, entirely innate, and not acquired later in life."

At this point, deep within the familiar guillotine, the audience saw even more thorns and blooming roses, and behind the guillotine, a blonde girl with her hands bound by chains.

She remained calm, her head bowed on the execution platform, exposing her scarred neck to the blade.

Everyone felt a sudden chill on their necks, a creepy sensation as if a blade were pressed against their skin.

This time, the girl brought no warmth or gentleness; instead, she amplified the ominous, chilling feeling of the blade.

The audience watching felt as uncomfortable as if they had stuck their heads under a guillotine.

All the audience members knew who the 'beheaded princess' the voice was referring to was, just by looking at the blonde girl who was no longer an illusion, and the very conspicuous crimson thorn scar on her neck.

The ferocity and conspicuousness of it made it look as if it had actually been beheaded.

"The slash mark on her neck will not disappear."

"[All the words spoken are curses.]"