I'll kill you after I finish this game!

At the same time, Reinhardt, as the self-destruct factor of the Mercury Serpent, also cannot sever his connection with the other party. If the Mercury Serpent dies, the Golden Beast will naturally die as well.

Now, Nanami and Skadi have given Fujii Ren a great gift: the right to live independently, which is to complete her own life.

Similarly, it was also intended to completely separate Fujii Ren's existence from the Mercury Serpent, since Fujii Ren herself hated and loathed the Mercury Serpent.

With a will of anger and hatred toward his creator, in Skadi and Nanami's eyes, Fujii Ren is not comparable to Mercury Serpent at all, nor is he a tool controlled by the other party.

The source of power for the created being, Fujii Ren, is the Mercury Serpent. Now, Skadi and Nanami have each added their own mediums, and Nanami has even given Fujii Ren an independent source of power.

Her blood contains her divinity, and Skadi probably secretly bestowed her own divinity upon Fujii Ren long ago during her previous interactions with him.

Once the connection between life and will is severed, how one lives and how one acts is entirely up to Fujii Ren himself.

Whether the Mercury Serpent is alive or dead, it can no longer influence Fujii Ren's will through the master-servant relationship between the relics.

Since Fujii Ren is able to dedicate himself to others, he cannot be viewed as a tool without his own will.

Since Skadi has entrusted her with this, Nanami also believes that she can entrust her with this as well.

Anyway, if Fujii Ren can't win, Nanami will also face death, so it's better to bet on Fujii Ren.

P.S.: Please vote and recommend!

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Both Sides Go into Battle, the So-Called Victory, the Day of the Holy Spirit's Birth

Nanami completes Fujii Ren's sense of self and also provides some help to Shirou and Sakurai Hotaru.

Although they couldn't compare to Fujii Ren, everyone present knew that the only possibility of turning the tide and reversing this unfavorable situation lay entirely with Fujii Ren.

After undergoing changes at Tsukinosawa Academy, Fujii Ren definitely needs to confront Reinhard directly.

Meanwhile, Shirou and Sakurai Hotaru need to draw fire for Fujii Ren, or rather, deal with other enemies.

The three golden guard knights—they definitely need to overcome this hurdle.

As for what kind of enemy they would face, they already had the answer in their hearts.

The eighth Gold Altar is located at the tower in Suwahara City.

Strangely, the place where Fujii Ren and the others first took Mary turned out to be the same place where the final battle was decided. Is this a strange ending?

Nanami watched the three leave from the school. She could feel them suppressing their trembling and overcoming their fear.

Fujii Ren was determined to make a name for herself; her life carried far too many and too heavy a responsibility.

The audience could also sense that this was the final battle since Skadi and Matilda.

So, tonight, as Christmas Eve approaches, let's put an end to everything that has happened so far!

.......

Meanwhile, the remaining members of the Black Round Table, who were about to be challenged, along with their leader, the Golden Beast, were making their final preparations in the Golden Hall.

However, at this moment, in the final moments, a friend came to see him, or rather, to congratulate him on the upcoming leak.

Inside the Golden Hall, the throne position had changed slightly, and the Golden Beast Reinhard Heydrich was now playing chess with great interest.

He was playing chess with Gray Ncruff, also known as Reiji, who was sitting on the opposite throne.

It's clear that Reinhardt was in high spirits, no longer showing the boredom and silence he felt when he was alone; his eyes were brimming with joy.

At that moment, the three knights in the hall knelt on one knee in front of the two men who were playing chess, waiting for their lord's signal to send out his troops.

The game that Reinhardt and Rezer played was not ordinary chess or military chess.

Instead, it simulates a chessboard universe, manipulating a chess game that is no less intense than a real-world battle between armies.

Reinhardt was very enthusiastic about playing this kind of chess with Gray. After all, even if the universe on the chessboard was illusory, no one could say that they weren't real while they were in an illusion.

Just as artificial intelligence exists within the network, the armies in the hands of Reinhardt and Reiji also exist in a fleeting chessboard-simulated universe.

So what are Reinhardt and Rejer playing at?

It's nothing, just [Stars].

The simulated universe is home to various interstellar races.

The individual faction development model is just as free as in reality.

Pacifism, militarism, egalitarianism, authoritarianism, idealism (spiritualism), materialism (technologism), pro-foreignism, xenophobia, hive mind (Gestalt), mechanical consciousness (Gestalt).

After all, it's not a simple game; it's just a virtual universe created using game templates.

Reinhardt and Reiji need to single-handedly complete the development of their respective factions' entire civilization, both large and small.

With such a brain-burning level of complexity, others would be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information on the chessboard, let alone play it.

But for Reinhardt and Reiji, these two non-human beings, it was just a very interesting game.

As the head of the Third Reich's German executioners and the Gestapo, Reinhardt naturally chose the path of militaristic development.

Reiji, as his opponent, was skilled in everything, but he also chose the path of developing mechanical consciousness at random.

Because his opponent was Reinhardt, Reinhardt's faster-than-light thinking constantly clashed with the enemy's nation and army, while also needing to consider various interests, diplomatic issues, and so on...

Although it was mentally taxing and troublesome, Reinhardt was very happy and thoroughly enjoyed himself.

To some extent, this brain-teasing game allows Reinhardt to give it his all, not to mention that the opposing force is Reiji, so he can't afford to be careless.

"General—"

As Reiji smiled and casually uttered those two words, the entire simulated universe chessboard underwent a transformation.

Click——

The virtual universe chessboard collapsed, and Reiji's mechanical civilization clashed with Reinhardt's militaristic civilization. In the later stages of development, they directly began mechanical ascension, exploring dimensions and elevating their own civilization's dimension.

Razer had played even more outrageous 'games' with the King of Golden Nightmares before.

Lei Zhe was fully aware of the ever-changing developments of the world, and everything they knew and didn't know was within his grasp.

He possesses endless knowledge, yet he is not bound by it at all.

Reinhardt was able to outmaneuver him in this regard, and all of Reizer's moves were under control, after all, he knew Reinhardt very well.

The actions of the other party, whether as a leader or a general, were all calculated and anticipated.

This can be seen as a contest of ideas between the world's rulers or the masters of the throne.

In the development of the world, Reinhardt was an existence detached from the 'low-level human interests and emotional entanglements', stripping away trivial and useless aspects, abandoning all useless frills and adhering to moral principles.

Lei Zhe's first achievement of dominance was the Asura Path, which he knew all too well.

However, after reaching a higher level, he also conducted many experiments in the multiverse of the Spirit Warrior Blade Dance world, and he was very clear about its advantages and disadvantages.

The simulation game he played with Reinhardt could also be described as a "humanitarian" game.

It must be understood that the human world is a complex cycle intertwined with many causes and effects. The Golden Beast is simple, direct, and pure. If he tries to interfere with the "human way" using his own set of principles, he can only cause some trouble for Reiji, but he can never win against Reiji.

"I lost."

Reinhardt looked at the shattered simulated universe chessboard between the two, acknowledging his defeat with a sigh, but a pleased smile appeared on his lips as he looked at Reiji and said:

"But at this moment, I am filled with a joyful feeling. I am increasingly eager to snatch victory from your hands. This is what is meant by constant failure, but the greatest happiness comes with just one success. Ah... is this the mindset that the resilient yearn for? How delicious."

You absolutely cannot beat me.

To this, Lei Zhe simply smiled calmly, his tone devoid of any confidence or arrogance, merely stating his absolute certainty in a light and understated manner.

Reinhardt did not sense any contempt or disdain from Reiji.

It came from Reiji, just like when mortals look up at the sky, they can only see an endless expanse of "sky."

Or perhaps, it is also a deep and unseen "bottom," a chaos that cannot be touched.

It is too vast in some ways, or rather, from the perspective of an ant, it is not even possible to observe the entire human race, let alone observe the entire universe.

"Hmph, as expected of Gray, just like always..."

With a low laugh, a continuous stream of joy welled up from within Reinhardt. He felt wonderful, blissful, as if he somehow understood the unconventional relationship between Carl and Gray.

Because it is imperceptible and inaccurate, a constant stream of unknowns emerges, so how can one not be delighted?

Only when facing Lei Zhe could he vaguely feel that he was a tiny "human being".

Moreover, being unable to touch or observe it is just right, which suits Reinhardt's intentions perfectly.

He has stated frankly that he has been indulging in his desires to destroy things until he finds something that cannot be destroyed.

Now, he feels that there is one right in front of him, so why can't he be happy?

"Well... it's about time. Beast Lord, it's about time you set out for your campaign. If you still want to play around with me, my true form will be waiting for you, just like Karl."

Looking up at the sky and gazing at the distant battle, Reiji chuckled and stood up, looking at Reinhardt with a teasing expression, and said:

"I feel I should tell you that you've never been there even once. This is a gift to congratulate you, Beast Lord, on mobilizing the entire army."

"I do indeed have this sense of 'knowing,' but it is also the unknown that has not yet been achieved. It is a wonderful gift, and I like it very much."

Reinhardt also laughed, and the seat and chessboard opposite Reiji all disappeared and disappeared. Then, the throne beneath him slowly turned to face the front of the hall.

Reinhardt could clearly sense that he had received a gift of achievements he had never attained before, and this scene had been repeated countless times.

But it also represents the unknown, because Raiji's words clearly indicate that he has never reached Raiji's true form.

Therefore, this is an unknown that has not yet been explored.

If Reinhardt continues to win, he will eventually be discovered.

Reiji smiled and moved to stand beside Reinhardt's throne. This scene had happened before when the three of them met and chatted, back when Mercury was also present.

As the deputy leader, Karl quite liked being in the shadows. After all, he openly admitted that he was inherently dark and could not shine like Reinhardt, nor be as free as Rezer.

Reinhardt slowly lowered his head, looking at the three knights kneeling on one knee below the throne in the Golden Hall.

The Black Knight, the Red Knight, and the White Knight were silently awaiting their lord's next command.

"I ask you, what is victory to you?"

"Is victory simply defeating the enemy and overcoming one's own fear, choosing what one believes to be the best path and putting it into practice to achieve an ideal future? Is it simply obtaining a bright future? Then, my heroes, what do you truly desire?"

A solemn yet fluent and powerful male voice echoed throughout the golden hall. Reinhardt, supporting his cheek, looked at his three knights before him and slowly asked:

"Answer me, what is victory to you?"

First came a moment of silence.