I'll kill you after I finish this game!

Born as a human being, and died as a human being on the battlefield.

Then, for the second time, he was resurrected in an incomplete form as a war effort in Reinhardt's Demon Castle Arena.

The original intention of the Black Round Table was to select new Knights of the Round Table, so it adopted a method similar to raising venomous insects, making the reborn frontline warriors fight each other until only one remained.

Even though Rhodes and Magina, as war slaves in the arena, did not want to fight, they could not suppress the urge to destroy others.

Their second lives did not entirely belong to themselves, so they fought each other in the Demon City Arena until only the two of them remained.

Their final battle will determine who the new knight of the Black Round Table will be.

Ultimately, in the battle between Makina and Rhodes, Makina first unleashed his own "creation" based on his own desires, killing Rhodes and becoming the Black Knight of the Black Round Table, Iron Fist.

Makina understood his friend Rhodes's desires better than anyone else.

It could be said that the source of Fujii Ren's desire to cherish every moment can be traced back to Rhodes Reichhardt.

Therefore, the Mercury Serpent chose his soul as the base for synthesis. Rather than choosing the soul, it would be more accurate to say that it chose the 'desire' that it was more satisfied with.

Just like choosing seeds or gems, the Mercury Serpent was also thinking about what kind of 'jewelry' to give Mary.

Back in Reinhardt's Demon Castle Arena, besides Magina and Rhodes, there were quite a few others to choose from. In the end, only Setsuna and End, two people who longed to win the election, were favored by Mercury Serpent.

The Black Knight Magina had no attachment to life, and before his death, no words of clinging to life emerged.

As a human being, he had accepted his fate of defeat and death; he could not win forever.

Having never considered how he would survive after the war ended, he had probably already decided that the end of the battlefield would be his final destination.

That's just Makina's character; it's not surprising. Many people in war share this mindset.

At first, Makina didn't like fighting, and later he couldn't enjoy the process and feeling of fighting, so he was obsessed with finishing off the enemy with all his might. This kind of simple and emotional existence is Makina.

Even as a human being, Makina did not desire death, but if his battle would end in death, then he would accept that end.

Because he believed he had completed his life's journey, he wanted to close his eyes in peace with that pride.

For Makina, this was the way of life he had adopted, the way of a hero.

If he hadn't been resurrected and become Reinhard's war slave, this would have been how it would have ended...

However, as a reborn war slave, his will was confused and chaotic, and he couldn't even remember who he was or what his name was.

The broken war slave was neither a heroic spirit nor a demon, but rather a degraded version of the Eternal Demon. Therefore, Makina initially did not know who he was, but he could feel that he had lost something very important.

He felt that on the battlefield he was nothing more than a piece of steel, and even if he were reborn, he would be a man who had merged with steel and thus adapted to hell.

After being reborn, I don't know where to go, or rather, where I will be taken.

After dying and being reborn, even the beliefs one held at the moment of death, the principles, family ties, friendships, and even pride and dignity of one's life were all stripped away without explanation.

I am no longer myself, nor am I Michel Wittmann, therefore I am no longer human.

This absurd answer lingered in Makina's mind; he was acutely aware that he was a war demon, a Rakshasa, a slave.

This was definitely not the way of life he wanted. The sight of demons constantly battling at the edge of the cliff made him nauseous and disgusted. He was even more furious at his own ugly state and felt that he could not tolerate it no matter what.

That's why he desperately longed for it, not wanting his former pride and dignity to be stripped away, not wanting what he had as a human being to be taken away.

Therefore, one must pursue and reclaim the glory that belongs to them.

Give me back the ending I experienced after living my entire life as a human being and reaching the finish line!

Because that was proof that he, Michel Wittmann, had once lived a life of great passion and intensity!

As someone deeply influenced by Ren Fujii (Rhodes) during his lifetime, Makina cherished the moments of his own life just as his comrades cherished the moments of their daily lives.

However, after being stripped of his human self, Makina, who also loved Setsuna, made a different choice from Fujii Ren. He wanted to reclaim his own ending, which was that one moment of Setsuna.

Rhodes wanted to reclaim the fleeting moments of his daily life instead of choosing the end, so he was very satisfied with his ordinary life as Fujii Ren.

It was precisely because Rhodes and Makina both loved Setsuna, but their understanding of Setsuna differed, and their choices were different, that they achieved entirely different selves.

This is their third life, a choice they made themselves.

Rhodes, as Fujii Ren, lives a life of enjoying the everyday, cherishing every moment to the point of wanting to stop living.

Makina, as the Black Knight, constantly pursues his lost destiny, fighting endlessly in the Asura Path, yearning to fight his comrades and reclaim the ending he deserves.

After all, they died on the same battlefield and were buried in the same steel coffin.

Therefore, no one, absolutely no one, was more suitable than Fujii Ren to help Makina regain the glory of his former self.

He called his battle with Fujii Ren a holy war, saying that if the other could not finish him off, he would finish him off.

In any case, Makina could not tolerate his comrade living a false life as a toy of the Mercury Serpent, so he wanted to give the other the end he longed for, to liberate him.

This is proof of their friendship (Fujii Ren: Thank you so much!!).

...........

At the same time, standing atop the celestial magic array, they await the moment when the fruit called the enemy will fully ripen.

"Karl, Gray, what are your thoughts on this battle?"

Reinhardt, standing tall and imposing atop the magic square that was about to become the Ark of the New World, overlooked the three major battlefields below and addressed his friends who were not there:

"To be honest, although I didn't think Makina would lose at first, things are becoming uncertain now."

After saying that, Reinhardt chuckled and raised his hand to touch the left side of his neck.

Reinhardt, who had been wounded by Fujii Ren before the Eighth Altar was opened, now had a faint crimson line appear where he had been stabbed, and it was also slightly tinged with blood. Now that the full transmutation array was open and he could go all out, Reinhardt was able to do so.

It is painful.

This means that even though Reinhardt was ahead of Fujii Ren, he hadn't completely pulled away from him.

If things continue like this, will the opponent develop the kind of unreasonable breakthrough ability that Skadi possesses?

After all, the idea of ​​surpassing Superman can also be used to describe Skadi, and Fujii Ren, who inherited Skadi's legacy, should also have this characteristic.

That possibility cannot be ruled out.

Fujii Ren's growth and Reinhardt's power are mutually antagonistic. If the current situation continues, there may be a moment when the power relationship is reversed.

Was it unplanned, or part of the plan? Who is right and who is wrong?

However, it is precisely because of this deviation that the final battle with the Black Knight is so significant; without a doubt, it is a more dramatic plot.

"However, um... it is indeed a bit slow."

Reinhardt murmured, no longer feeling any sense of familiarity.

At least since the Valhalla outflow began, it is imperceptible, at least in this phalanx.

But at the same time, there's no sense of the unknown. The situation has reached an unpredictable point, and it's unclear how it will develop.

Why is progress so slow?

Fujii Ren's pursuit of growth in his own power can be described as quite abnormal.

Moreover, Reinhardt's own power increased, and he also had some indescribable feelings.

Reinhardt looked up at the sky, lost in thought.

"Could it be that Yzak has changed his mind, or has something unexpected happened to Theresa?"

Then, Reinhardt shifted his gaze downwards.

The voice that answered his question came from elsewhere; it was the mercury serpent of the singularity present.

"[Another powerful path is about to emerge.]"

"Oh?"

"【You will be surpassed, Beast Lord.】"

"Heh, is she the goddess you admire?"

"[Indeed, the woman we cherish, though seeking the Dao, has been constantly influenced and interfered with, thus accumulating resentment within her. The day you, Beast Lord, pierced her with your spear, you caused her to change completely.]"

Speaking of this, Mercury Serpent didn't blame his friend at all; on the contrary, he was quite happy. After all, this was part of his and Reiji's plan. So, his voice carried a hint of mockery, as if he were teasing Reinhardt for reaping what he sowed, and he continued:

"[And when your gun is pulled out, what has been pent up inside you will flow out, the inner depths of her deep-sea gem will reveal themselves.]"

This statement refers to the cause and effect of Reinhard piercing Mary with the Holy Lance and creating a hole in her heart.

Mary, who was seeking the God of the Way, had been accumulating knowledge. At first, she was influenced and interfered with by Skadi, and her inner nature was gradually changing. She, who did not know what she desired, gradually began to understand.

Reinhardt's shot that day was the decisive move; his action was actively guiding Mary from seeking truth to tyranny.

The pent-up emotions in my heart have been pierced, leaving a hole. The holy spear is still inserted, allowing only a tiny leak to escape, but once it's pulled out, it will erupt and flow out.

From that moment on, Mary would become a domineering goddess.

In that instant, not only Reinhardt, but countless viewers also recalled that the moment Mary underwent a significant change was after leaving the Demon Castle.

To become a domineering god, one must have a unique desire for the outside world.

Mary, who was previously indifferent and ruthless towards beheadings, did not meet this condition.

But nowadays...

"So that's how it is. Everything up to this point has had its purpose."

Reinhardt smiled wryly.

The enemy's determination to prevent the opening of the Eighth Altar of Transmutation should not be underestimated. Originally, as long as Reinhard did not use [Form] to materialize the Holy Lance, that lance would remain stuck in Mary's heart.

But when Skadi and the others died, and Reinhard used [Form] to pull the gun out of Mary's heart, what was meant to flow out would flow out impatiently.

So, in terms of the outcome, the goddess who should have been seeking the Dao showed signs of a domineering outpouring, and due to the conflict with that, Yzak's Heaven in the Pot came to a standstill.

Given all the factors at play, plus the fact that Himuro Reia hasn't completely melted, it's not fair to say that Reinhardt has an absolute advantage right now; Fujii Ren still has a chance to turn the tide.

In addition to Fujii Ren, there will be another domineering god.

"This is really a chaotic situation."

He said the situation wasn't good, but Reinhardt had a happy smile on his face.

This is great; things that don't go his way in life don't happen so easily.

"The more difficult the situation, the sweeter the wine of victory. Is that domineering? Perhaps that is indeed the case."

Reinhardt surveyed the three battlefields below the magic square, deeming it a battle worth watching, and remarked in a cryptic tone:

"Shall we place a bet?"