I'll kill you after I finish this game!

Rai Zhe stood calmly before the two women, his tall stature giving him an air of utter indifference. He looked down at Tohka and Tenka and said:

"Just now, countless real lives within the multiverse labyrinth, countless Skadis and all those you care about, were reduced to nothingness, literally destroyed. How do you feel right now?"

These calm and indifferent words sent chills down the spines of countless viewers.

Look, I've casually created so many worlds where life exists, and there are countless people you care about.

But in the next instant, it was gone!

"..."

Tohka and Tenka trembled as their father erased everything that had just happened in the multiverse labyrinth in an instant.

Counting from the time they were born, it's only been a little over ten minutes, but they are real living beings, and another Skadi and the others.

How is she feeling right now? After unconsciously releasing her senses and being able to detect Skadi and Yoshino's presence, her first reaction wasn't guilt, but... relief!

"They are the 'only one' to you, aren't they?"

Speaking in a low voice, Rai Zhe raised his finger and hooked Tohka's head down, not daring to look at him. His azure divine eyes met his amethyst-like spiritual eyes.

No matter how many possibilities there are, there must be one that is irreplaceable to me, right?

The images of them from the very beginning flashed through Lei Zhe's mind constantly; to him, they were the only ones.

So, Yatogami Tohka, who claims to be grown up and independent in front of Reiji, don't you have anything irreplaceable and unique about you?

"!!!"

Tenka's figure instantly returned to her body. Yatogami Tohka gritted her teeth and ran away as if she were afraid, avoiding Raize's tall and upright figure, and leaving her father who had given her such a huge shock.

For a long time after Tohka left, Raize remained with his hand raised.

It wasn't until a petite, snow-white figure appeared behind the other person, reached out a small hand, pinched the hem of their clothes, and tugged at it that the other person's gaze was drawn back from its stagnation.

"Est..."

"Um..."

The snow-haired elf tilted its little head back, gazing intently with its pure and innocent eyes at the being that was one with it.

Rezhe stroked Esther's silky, smooth hair, looked down into her eyes, and whispered, "Am I disliked?"

"Hmm... Tohka isn't a child who doesn't understand anything anymore."

Esther let out a soft, kitten-like sound, nuzzling her head against Rez's warm palm, and said in a light, airy tone.

"Yeah......"

Reiji glanced into the distance, and even though Esther's answer wasn't direct, he already had his own conclusion.

Suddenly, Esther tilted her head back, looking at Reiji's thoughtful face, and delivered a message to him in an ethereal tone:

"If you continue to keep this from Sister Helseg and the others, you'll be exposed sooner or later. As someone who is, in a way, half of you, they are not someone who can be easily fooled."

"Well... I may be a bit of a chauvinist, but when it comes to doing something risky like this, I can't share the hardships with them. I'll keep the 'hardships' to myself. Just consider it... my stubbornness."

Upon hearing the message from Esther, and seeing the little guy's somewhat speechless gaze, Reiji immediately wore a wry smile.

If Xiaoyou and Xiaosheng find out that he did things behind their backs and even almost died in the past, he'll definitely be in big trouble.

In a fit of anger, he might ignore her for hundreds or even millions of years.

------

Meanwhile, Fujii Ren, who had unknowingly fallen asleep on Mary's lap in the academy, slowly opened his eyes in a daze.

What comes into view is Mary's gentle smiling face against the backdrop of the starry sky and moonlight.

"Good morning," Mary greeted Fujii Ren with a smile as he opened his eyes.

"..."

Fujii Ren rubbed her eyes; saying good morning at this time really wasn't appropriate.

Unexpectedly, she was so defenseless in Mary's arms. There was a voice in her head, or rather, deep in her consciousness, that wanted him/her to experience the touch of the goddess more.

"Lian must be tired? She suddenly fell asleep, it startled me!"

Listening to Mary's soft voice, he treated her like a baby from the moment he opened his eyes, staring into her eyes immediately.

"What's wrong, Ren?" Mary looked at the way Fujii Ren was looking at her and said with a smile, "That's a strange look on your face."

"Do not......"

Fujii Ren kept saying "No" while his gaze lingered.

However, it seems she had a very unpleasant dream... This random, inexplicable thought froze her.

A school where Kasumi, Shirou, and Himuro-senpai are all absent.

A fleeting glimpse into everyday life, with neither Mary nor Skadi around.

If Fujii Ren woke up to find himself all alone like this, he would probably be crying.

“Mary…”

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Mary replied with a smile.

I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a nightmare, and the response to my call made me happy.

She's been by my side the whole time... Fujii Ren was so happy he was shaking.

"Sorry... how should I put it, it was quite heavy, wasn't it?"

Mary's face looked very close from above, and her flowing hair shimmered beautifully even in the night.

Fujii Ren's body began to move and prepare.

How many hours did I actually sleep in that situation? I can only call myself an idiot.

"It's alright, Lian can stay here."

As Fujii Ren was about to get up, Mary gently pressed her shoulder, smiled, and told her to behave herself, saying:

"When Lian was sleeping, nothing changed. Everyone else seemed to have returned safely, so now, it's just the two of us here."

"go back......"

I glanced at the silent, dark school and realized that there was indeed no one there.

So, did all those sleepwalkers get home safely?

"I'll probably come tomorrow too," Mary said with a smile. "Isn't school a simple place like that?"

They do come here to school every day, but now Fujii Ren actually hopes they can stay at home, even though it's not absolutely safe.

After all, will they still be in the same state tomorrow and the day after?

That wasn't firing a shot, it was target practice; it was a state of complete lock-on and ready to be harvested at any moment.

Although Skadi has her own things to do, all she needs to do is do what she wants to do and what she should do.

At least tonight is over. Although she did nothing and it's just a matter of results, the girl felt that the school was unlikely to be stained with blood anytime soon.

That's great, it really helped a lot.

Although it's a bit silly, it's best if there's no so-called "battlefield" at the beginning.

"Ren... well, I'm a little confused."

As Fujii Ren was immersed in a moment of peace, Mary suddenly whispered:

"When I was separated from Ren... something pierced my chest, and the hole is still there. I hope you won't be angry... it's not that I'm heartbroken, it's not that I hate being separated from Ren."

"Because I... don't know much. That... Lian, do you know her?"

“…Ah, I know.”

Fujii Ren paused for a moment upon hearing this, but still answered truthfully.

Mary's words were rather clumsy, but precisely because of that, Fujii Ren could understand them.

This child wouldn't normally think, "Oh, is that so?"

Cagliostro, Karl Kraft, and another… but these are the only ones known to be able to influence her.

The former came to me only because of this request.

Looking into Mary's emerald green eyes, Fujii Ren asked, "So, what did you get stabbed in?"

"I...I'm not quite sure."

Mary pursed her lips and said apologetically, "What Reinhardt did to her, and what happened to her... neither of us knows the details."

I only learned from my senior that Reinhardt had given Mary something that was neither good nor bad.

Or......

“Mary, you actually understand, don’t you?”

"Huh?" Mary tilted her head in confusion.

“So,” Fujii Ren said, scratching his cheek with his finger as he looked at Mary, “just like before…”

Mary simply lacks language skills and isn't used to conveying her thoughts, so...

"If there's anything you want to say, just tell me. I'll listen."

"But right now... I don't know what I should say."

Mary, who was undergoing a subtle change at this moment, did not know whether the change was good or bad, but she just felt that she was becoming more and more out of control.

However, Fujii Ren didn't mind Mary's change; at least he didn't see any malicious tendencies in her, saying:

"It's okay, I'm used to it."

Kasumi and Shirou are probably both guys who get involved in all sorts of messy things.

Having grown up with someone like that is no joke.

Moreover, the same logic applies to the cunning of Senior Sister Lingai and Senior Sister Skadi.

"So I'll ask you one more time, what was pierced through you?"

"Hmm...mind? Soul? It feels like something is constantly overflowing."

As Mary spoke, she grabbed a lock of her hair and styled it into a stick shape.