I'll kill you after I finish this game!

After the priest said that, Fujii Ren also started to think about it.

"Do we need Sakurai too? I think Skadi-senpai is enough. You and she are working together, right?"

Skadi never hid her connection with the priest from Ren Fujii; after all, she openly stated that she had cooperated with him when fighting Starscream.

In the end, Fujii Ren entered the Formation Rank, while this time, the senior did not make a move, but she entered the Creation Rank.

It can be said that Skadi put a lot of thought into this, and Fujii Ren also felt it.

More than the help she has received, she needs powerful strength.

Ren Fujii knew this, and so did Skadi.

"Your senior is probably tied up right now. She has to deal with another force, and she has also said frankly that she can no longer help me."

Father Valyria shrugged, knowing what Fujii Ren meant, and explained directly with a sigh:

"The reason she needs the Lionheart Sword is because, like me, it's better to use incomplete gold to fulfill her wishes, although she herself doesn't realize it. As for communication, I can handle it."

"......"

Indeed, the relationship between Fujii Ren and that guy was like fire and oil; they even had a fierce fight before.

They care most about arguing, and there are also emotional conflicts; they are practically irreconcilable.

A ally without a sense of camaraderie is more troublesome than an enemy, that's what Fujii Ren thought...

However, if it's possible to avoid becoming enemies with Sakurai Hotaru, then it would save Fujii Ren from having to fight against her. It's better to have one less enemy than one more.

In response, Fujii Ren also handed the question to the priest in front of him, saying:

"Then I'll leave Sakurai's situation to you. You can decide for yourself."

Fujii Ren didn't completely trust the priest. The girl doubted how much of what he had said so far was true and how much was questionable.

Even so, there was only one thing... Ren Fujii's intuition told him that the priest didn't want Himuro-senpai to die.

On this point, the priest did not lie to her.

Therefore, the proposal to cooperate in dismantling one aspect of the three battalion commanders is very meaningful.

The reality is that Skadi and the others all have their own battles to fight, and the help they can give her is already the best they can do.

She was already in a helpless situation on her own. Her biggest gain tonight was entering the Creation Rank, which gave her the basic strength to truly confront the Black Round Table and the others.

After realizing what had happened, Fujii Ren was very grateful that Skadi-senpai hadn't intervened tonight; otherwise, she would still be the one being protected and would never be able to fight alongside them.

If Father Valyria is truly their lackey, then there's no need for a false alliance; if he's an enemy, then eliminate him. There's no need for so much hesitation.

Based on the practical and useful information provided by the priest, it is understandable that this was not a proposal to frame her.

In this case......

"We've made our conversation clear, let's go find Sakurai first."

Fujii Ren looked at Father Valyria and said, "If you can really recruit that guy, I'll consider an alliance. Do you have any leads?"

The girl judged that this was the best answer under these circumstances.

"It's okay, I know where she is."

Father Valyria nodded, then his expression turned serious. He glanced in one direction and said solemnly:

"Then let's hurry up and leave. The sixth altar has been opened, probably Schreiber's. The Grand Duke and the witch may already be dead."

After saying that, he walked ahead of Fujii Ren and led him in a certain direction.

Fujii Ren followed closely behind.

Rusalka and Wilhelm were the first anomalous beings that Fujii Ren encountered, and because of this, the two people who left a deep impression on her were actually killed.

One of the murderers is likely the last captain, the albino Schreiber, whom we've never met...

As for how the other person died, Fujii Ren didn't know.

Although the number of enemies had decreased, she felt no optimism whatsoever, because the situation had become so serious.

As Fujii Ren followed the priest leading the way, he pondered the future.

It would be great if the captain could eliminate the three colors; it would be even better if Reinhardt didn't come back.

If we could also save Himuro-senpai's life, then it would be an absolutely perfect "Banzai" (a grand finale).

but......

What should Fujii Ren do after that?

It was the first time she had formally considered things from a positive perspective, and she still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Moreover, the priest and Sakurai exchanged the many souls they had stolen for the resurrection of someone somewhere.

Should we simply ignore this behavior? Is that acceptable?

First, the transmutation altar still exists, although it's not large enough to resurrect Reinhard, but...

Since that's the case, we shouldn't let go of the dreams that came at the cost of these sacrifices. As a result, sooner or later we'll have to fight the priests again.

In any case, this is merely a conditional truce and coexistence based on mutual exploitation.

This kind of cruel interpersonal relationship is too much like war...it's both infuriating and depressing.

At least whoever it is, even if it's just one person... If there's a trustworthy, readily available fighter, they would make such a suggestion, but that's just baseless nonsense.

Only under the current circumstances can we find a way to solve this problem.

However, to dispel this anxiety, Fujii Ren consciously changed the subject, looking at the priest's back ahead, and asked:

"By the way, what was that big monster that took Sakurai away before?"

"You mean Cain? That one—"

Father Valeria Trifa turned to look at Fujii Ren with a slightly amused tone.

To be honest, Fujii Ren felt that her question earlier was somewhat inappropriate.

Perhaps I shouldn't try to find the answer to this question.

"This is Lionheart's wish; she wants to bring that thing back to life."

Father Valyria casually revealed the truth of what Sakurai Hotaru longed for.

To be honest, Fujii Ren raised an eyebrow in surprise, just like how he didn't let Kasumi and Himuro-senpai die... That guy wanted to bring back what was dead.

Father Valyria, as if sensing Fujii Ren's thoughts, gently corrected him, saying:

"Don't think that we can be redone just because we're truly important. I admire your lofty rhetoric, but we're more down-to-earth. As long as we have the means, we won't hesitate to do it. Well, no matter how much we discuss it, we're still two parallel lines. Ultimately, it's just the dream of a very few people who can succeed... It's only natural that people would call us twisted."

The contradiction between killing to pray for immortality and life is something that Fujii Ren cannot tolerate, nor does he want to do.

However, based on their love, they chose this crazy path.

What kind of sorrow was that, and what kind of realization? Fujii Ren didn't want to know, so in order not to lose her, she kept talking to Sakurai Hotaru. For her, meeting Sakurai again in the future was an extremely depressing thing.

The other person, Sakurai Hotaru... what kind of feelings have you been living with until now?

Because they are the same age, they hesitated because they were concerned about things like Sakurai's situation...

If reality could change even slightly, Fujii Ren had a foolish thought: if fate were to intervene, could that guy also become an ordinary student like us?

A dream that can be realized through mere naive sentimentality...

.......

.......

The perspective shifts, and this time it's a very familiar sentiment, only it's not the most frequently heard Fujii Ren, but someone else.

What exactly am I pursuing?

Following yesterday, and following today, and tomorrow, in the daily grind of contact, how many choices have I truly missed?

[For example, the breakfast menu, the type of clothes to wear when going out... even such trivial things can, in retrospect, signify a huge turning point.]

While somewhat extreme, traffic accidents are the most typical example.

[Due to differences of even a few minutes or seconds, a clear distinction between light and dark can indeed occur.]

[Simply tying your shoelaces or taking a little time to style your hair—such simple things can change your life.]

So, Hotaru Sakurai wondered if she could possibly have another life.

This time it's about Sakurai Hotaru's inner thoughts, and it's also about her memories, hidden memories from the past.

huh-huh-

Suddenly, the scene shifted from dark to light, and the audience was presented with a completely different image.

In the dimly lit room, bright firelight illuminated the surrounding gloomy and scorching environment, and a bellows was turning to fan the flames.

"Dang——dang——dang——"

Immediately following was the sound of rapid and rhythmic hammering. A muscular, shirtless Eastern man was seen forging something with a serious and focused expression.

The object held in the iron pliers resembled a sword, but its length didn't quite match; it looked more like the head of a Western-style gun.

"[The Sakurai family, during the Great War, my grandfather, Sakurai Musashi, was summoned by the German SS to forge the Black Round Table, a replica of the Holy Lance.]"

The voice belonged to Hotaru Sakurai, and all the viewers could recognize it. This scene was not from the present, but from a long time ago.

Through Hotaru Sakurai's explanations and memories, countless viewers came to understand the tragedy and curse of Hotaru's clan.

The Black Round Table and the Holy Lance refer to the castle in Fort Wilhelm, the birthplace of the Black Round Table.

[In order to create a replica, or a copy, of the Black Round Table and the Holy Lance.]

[This was forged by my ancestor, my grandfather Sakurai Musashi, on the orders of Heinrich Himmler, SS-Obersührer, leader of the Nazi Party, and Chief of the Gestapo, as a symbol of the Thirteen Knights of the Holy Lance.]

In 1934, Himmler, based on a proposal from Karl Calaf, purchased Wewelsburg Castle, an ancient city with a legendary connection to the center of the world, and proposed establishing the Thirteen Knights of the Holy Lance there.

Wewelsburg was founded during the Hunnic conquest and rebuilt in the 17th century.

In January 1933, Himmler visited the city for the first time and decided to purchase the castle.

Later, this castle became the SS's stronghold and was known as the Black Round Table Castle.

Here, symbolized by the holy lance Longinus, Himmler formally established the Thirteen Knights of the Holy Lance, with Reinhard as their leader.

However, the Holy Lance Longinus, the symbol of the Knights, only acknowledged Reinhard as its master; no one else could touch it.