Lu Mingfei is transforming into the final boss.

For Fujimaru Ritsuka, this was the most tragic thing.

Unloved, merely existing as a vessel in this world.

It became a 'tool' born from the intertwining of countless interests.

"Mingfei..."

"What's wrong?"

The red sports car was parked under the shade of a tree, and every now and then a few large raindrops fell on the roof, making a louder sound than usual.

"Isn't that...?"

It's cruel, that's what Fujimaru Ritsuka wants to say. It wasn't born out of its own free will, but rather as a result of the interests of various forces in a power struggle.

"I don't mind," Lu Mingfei said, placing her hand on the armrest.

"Eh..."

"In fact, I'm grateful for this experience. It allowed me to step back from that height and look at the world I was born into from another perspective, observing the world from a human point of view. Observing the world from different positions reveals different things, which broadened my horizons and brought me joy."

From her current perspective, everyone in her original world was incredibly arrogant. Each of them considered controlling her as a basic requirement, without considering the problems that would result if she disobeyed. If things had continued according to the original logic, it would have inevitably led to Ragnarok, with everything turning into dust and ashes.

Although she didn't really care about those people's lives or deaths, whatever they did was their free will.

To love everyone means to not love everyone.

Love is a word that inherently carries a sense of emphasis.

But the destruction of the world is not what she wants; all of humanity does not need to be buried with them.

"Humans are unpredictable creatures, the most intelligent of all beings, whose creativity and initiative are beyond the comprehension of the gods."

In Fujimaru Ritsuka's view, Lu Mingfei sees humanity from the perspective of a god. Because she loves people, she is indifferent to their blasphemous acts, and even things like usurping her power and strength and putting her soul into a vessel are nothing and can be forgiven.

However, it could also be said that all their actions were in vain. Similarly, from Mingfei's perspective, when the moment of awakening arrives, all the plans and conspiracies will be shattered by that great power, becoming part of a vain fantasy. Meaningless conspiracies have no value whatsoever.

"Mingfei...is she longing for maternal love...?"

After some deliberation, she finally asked the question in this space where there were only two of them—a question that probably only she could ask in the world.

"You heard me."

"Um."

Lu Mingfei didn't care that Fujimaru Ritsuka heard these things. For some people, vulnerability is something that cannot be shown, and weakness cannot exist, but she didn't care.

"This is a very strange thing for me. The presence of parents is necessary for a person's growth; otherwise, life is incomplete, and they have always been absent from my world. Our race has love and hate similar to, or even deeper than, that of humans. Our souls, wills, and even lives exist solely for this purpose. We abhor loneliness and solitude, just like humans, we are social animals and cannot survive alone in the world."

To me, the Eternal Emperor, who reigned supreme over the world for tens of millions of years, is long gone, a remnant of the past. Humans cannot live in the past forever, and the same is true for gods and dragons. That is why the gods accepted the change in the laws of the world's surface and returned to the inner sea of ​​the star, the inner side of the world.

A mother's love is essential for everyone, including for my naive self in the past. It's the meaning of life. To say I didn't yearn for it would be a lie, and I wouldn't lie to you—it's pointless. So the answer is yes, I truly yearn for it.

She identifies with herself as Lu Mingfei, and of course she also identifies with her past as Nidhogg, the King of Armies. That is an added value to her existence, a part of the past, the history of the past. Combining all of this is her existence.

But in Fujimaru Ritsuka's view, Akemi had gone around in circles to avoid the issue. She was running away from it. Family held a significant place in her heart. The noble god of humanity had revealed her weakness and fragility to her. Her avoidance of a certain matter was undoubtedly proof of her humanity. Weakness is a human trait, and even the most upright and righteous man can be moved by emotions.

This is a change in a person's body, which reminds her of Ishtar. The same deity appears differently in different bodies. Just as Mingfei said, extreme love and hate are the main theme of her clan and an indispensable part of their lives.

"Just as you asked, I have an Oedipus complex."

She readily admitted it. There's nothing wrong with admitting it; after saying so much, insisting it wasn't true is just stubbornness, a classic case of protesting too much. Besides, she was avoiding the issue; one can lie to others, but not to oneself.

Rather, she used the excuse that she wouldn't lie to Fujimaru Ritsuka to make herself accept her own shortcomings.

Fujimaru Ritsuka wouldn't say anything like, "Why are you telling me these things?" or anything that would spoil the mood. Sometimes, even without considering the content, the conversation itself is meaningful; it's one person's recognition and acceptance of another.

Otherwise, she wouldn't say anything. When one person agrees with another, some things can be said. This is also true for Mingfei. She is like an emotional confidante, where Mingfei can vent her emotions without reservation.

It felt like a girls' club. The atmosphere at Chaldea was extremely tense, making her feel a little breathless and almost making her forget that she was still a seventeen-year-old Tokyo high school girl.

"By the way, how old is Mingfei this year?"

Fourteen years old.

Lu Mingfei said slowly and indifferently.

"Huh!? Isn't that younger than me?!"

Lu Mingfei is a typical person whose aura surpasses her height and whose presence overwhelms her age. People who don't know her might think she's an ice queen who keeps everyone at arm's length.

But those who know her won't think that way. Once you remove the filter of her being a deity, she's just a standard cool and cute person.

While most people can't let go of it, just like asking you to give up thinking, it's a classic contradiction. In fact, Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't completely let go either. Knowing that the beautiful woman in front of her could slice a continent in two with a flick of her finger, it was difficult for her to see her as an ordinary person.

"Unfortunately, I was born in 1991, while Ritsuka was born in 2000, so I'm still a bit older than you."

"How cunning! You can't calculate it like that at all."

"Hmm... then I'll choose another one, how about year zero?"

"They've become even more cunning."

But for them, the record of time is meaningless.

Being born at this moment doesn't mean they can't reach moments further in the past. What matters is how much time has taken away from them and what they have gained. That is what has more value and meaning for them.