I'll kill you after I finish this game!

I believe in your will.

No—Mary wanted her to believe in herself more than herself.

"Am I... in the way?"

Mary lowered her head slightly, looked at Fujii Ren in front of her, and asked in a slightly trembling voice.

It was Mary herself who introduced foreign objects into her daily life.

So Mary thought: Maybe... I'm the non-everyday thing she hates.

"It must hurt a lot, it must be very uncomfortable. You just want it all to stop, to pretend it never happened, right?"

With all her might, Mary struggled to organize her childish thoughts, and said in a very soft voice, "I understand, I finally understand..."

Lian and Titi each have their own place.

For Lian Guisu, her daily routine consists of school.

Her extraordinary nature is bloody—

Who is more popular or who is more important is no longer something we need to think about.

Because Mary also found Lian's daily life very charming.

After her extraordinary nature began to stir in my mind, I often felt fear.

I want to become the fifth person in Ren's life. I want to be part of the joyful community, and I want to win Titi back. Please don't leave me...

It was because of this intense feeling that Mary realized she was one of them, a poison to Lian and Skadi.

so---

"If it were me, I would cry. I would want to complain about you because it's too cruel."

Mary had also learned to put herself in others' shoes, so she wondered if her presence was an eyesore to those who were important to her and that it might cause them pain. That's why she spoke in a sad and timid tone at this moment:

"I don't want anything I do to have to do with you. What does it matter to you if I'm angry, complaining, or grumbling? That's perfectly reasonable and normal, but why is that?"

Why Titi, and Lianni...?

"Why... are you being so gentle with me?"

With a heart full of trepidation, Mary unconsciously clenched her hands together and asked the question that terrified her, a question whose answer was not what she was looking for.

Skadi and Ren Fujii, why don't you blame me?

"Why......"

I'm sorry I didn't hold your hand back then, Titi.

Lian, are you blaming yourself now?

Can you talk to me this time? I'm not a clueless child anymore. If you need me, I won't let go of your hand.

If you find me an eyesore and a source of pain for you, I will leave.

so......

“So tell me, Ren, I’ll listen carefully,” Mary said timidly, looking at Fujii Ren in front of her.

I'm afraid of blood, I'm afraid of fighting.

I cried because I was beaten, and I didn't want to be killed.

And I know that killing is extremely painful, so I feel truly sorry for those whose lives I've taken in the past...

Lotus... Do you feel like you can't go back to your daily life, and that you're going to become the non-daily life you hate?

And I turned you into that.

Fujii Ren pursed her pale lips, clenched and unclenched her hands, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say. Looking at Mary's appearance, she also had a contradictory look of wanting to say something but holding back.

“Ren, in turn, changed me.” Ren’s silence deepened Mary’s unease, plunging her into the same self-doubt Ren shared. She asked, “But did I make you like this as revenge?”

Because he knew about Lian's daily life, he realized that he was in pain because he couldn't be either of them.

Indeed, that is a kind of antonym.

"No."

Mary slowly took Fujii Ren's hands in her own and said sadly, "It can't be like that, can it?"

Although she was terrified that she really was like that, Mary was still grateful to Lin even if she were.

Tell her something wonderful, so that Lian is the best too.

Rez said that Skadi was a gift to him.

Cagliostro said that the lotus was a gift to himself.

But that's not how it works!

Skadi and Ren Fujii are not like that.

P.S.: Remember when Fujii Ren realized he was a relic of Mercury in the anime "The Wrath of God"? It gave me a real headache back then...

Chapter Six, "The World Where Only the Mercury Serpent is Wounded," is now complete.

Looking at Mary, who was also caught in self-doubt, the other woman felt that she was the reason why Fujii Ren had become like this.

When Fujii Ren felt panicked, he also felt heartache.

No, it wasn't Mary's fault...

He wanted to tell Mary this out loud, but his mind was in such a state of turmoil that he couldn't express his feelings freely.

"No, I..."

Wanting to comfort Mary, Fujii Ren lowered his eyes, at a loss, and then muttered to himself.

It was almost like making excuses; Fujii Ren couldn't say what she wanted to say. She wanted to comfort others, but she herself needed comfort too, so all she could say was:

"I...I didn't think about anything...I didn't have that much time, the situation changed too quickly, there wasn't a chance to think things through...But I couldn't just sit idly by and do nothing, so every time after that I..."

Some people don't want to die, and they don't want him to die either, so it's impossible for Fujii Ren to refuse given his personality.

Upon seeing this, countless viewers' comments disappeared.

The bewildered expression on Fujii Ren's face at this moment is exactly how a high school student should look.

Moreover, everything Fujii Ren said was an undeniably cruel truth.

She really didn't think too much about anything, because reality didn't give her even a moment's time to think.

Enemies arrived one after another, each stronger than the last.

When she has the first move, Fujii Ren is always in a passive and oppressive situation, and the danger of dying if she doesn't try is ever-present.

Fujii Ren was able to reach the Creation Rank in less than a month. Could it be that he relied solely on his talent and potential?

No! They were all forced into it!

Skadi completely shattered her naivety, revealing to her the cruel reality of what the world would bring next.

You can choose not to try, and you can choose not to fight, but what happens next will herald the arrival of the day of divine wrath.

Having no other choice, Fujii Ren had no choice but to actively enter the extraordinary and fight desperately.

To date, in every battle that Fujii Ren has fought, has he not faced an enemy stronger than himself?

It was an unfair battle from the start, and no one talked to her about fairness. If she couldn't become stronger in the battle, she would die, and everything she cherished would be destroyed.

She had no choice but to fight, become stronger, and fight again. There was no other path for her to choose from.

Ren Fujii believed that everything would change after the battle came to an end.

But now, she no longer has the motivation or courage to move forward.

"In the end, they still took advantage of it."

Fujii Ren looked at Mary with a sorrowful expression and said with a self-deprecating tone, "Maybe I'm only trying to please you because I need you right now."

"Liar!"

Mary pouted and loudly retorted to Fujii Ren, who was saying things against his conscience.

She could sense that their level of synchronization was already comparable to that of two different bodies sharing the same mind, and that was not the reason why Fujii Ren needed her.

"Is that so? Perhaps so..."

In response to Mary's rebuttal, Fujii Ren simply smiled indifferently, shook his head, and sighed, replying:

"I think I do have that plan. Without Mary's power and Skadi's protection, I would be completely powerless."

If we need them, we can't let them be disliked, right? That's the logic Fujii Ren was thinking.

She wouldn't say that she had absolutely no such thoughts.

The guidance and empowerment from Skadi, and the precious time they bought for her to grow while fighting on the front lines—Fujii Ren wasn't slow to react; she could naturally sense it.

The people at the Black Round Table could have easily destroyed her from the start. Any being at the Creation Rank was simply beyond Fujii Ren's control, and she faced utter despair.

Despite the pressure along the way, Fujii Ren's growth has also kept pace.

It's not just luck that she manages to escape danger every time. If you say that none of this has anything to do with Skadi, then Fujii Ren can be called a fool.

Mary may have been arranged, but Fujii Ren did need her strength.

Skadi shielded her from the dangers of the front lines, while Marie stayed by her side, giving her strength.

Therefore, Fujii Ren needs them and cannot do without them.

Mary, who shared the same feelings as Fujii Ren, naturally knew what Fujii Ren was thinking.

Putting aside all pretense of friendship, he now bluntly admits that he did indeed have the intention to take advantage of them.

Mary's face darkened as well. What Fujii Ren said was true, but those relationships and feelings were not fake either.

"but......"

But don't you care much about how I exist?

Mary looked at Fujii Ren, wanting to recall what he had said to her back then—a statement similar to Skadi's.

They don't see themselves as tools.