The basement of Hoozeyards Castle, its lowest level.
　The towering underground space of the World Tree, where the apostles are said to dwell, is a sacred place, and outsiders are not allowed to enter. Normally, only a select group of knights would be allowed to enter this place, but right now, all of them are probably being evicted.

　I don't need to check, but I can see that a burning fire is now swirling in the lowest level.
　At the center of the swirling flames, next to the blood-red World Tree, she is there.

　We fall toward it.
　Now, from the top of the castle, through the hollow, we land with a huge bright red liquid.

''--[WIND]!
Blood!

　Two magics shout out from the bright red liquid.
　One is my wind magic. The other is Fafner's blood magic. Both were intended to cushion the impact of the fall.

　The blood clots that fell from the upper levels of the castle exploded with a roar like a shell.

　The impact was tremendous, but it did not destroy the underground space.
　It was thanks to the blood being manipulated by Fafner into a soft cushion.

　A large amount of soft and sticky blood spread out and extinguished the flames in all of the underground.
　In an instant, it shifted from the realm of flames to the realm of blood. Then, I rise from within the pool of blood that was created in the center of space. I immediately toss the Reaper girl that I held under my arm to the hellish girl that was waiting for me here.

'Look, I've brought the Reapers!'
Tadaima. Hey, Maria.

　The Reaper jumps up and hugs Maria, making a fluent noise.
　Maria lowers her head slightly towards me as she strokes her head.

'Thank you, Ryner. I've been working with Reaper all the time lately, and I don't feel comfortable without her.
Mmm-hmm. Now, creep.

　The Reaper enters Mary's body in the same way that he did when he snuck into Christ's clothes. Then the clothes stained with Mary's blood turn completely black. The outfit becomes as if it was clothed in darkness itself, and finally the black magic power converges and the Reaper's beloved scythe is formed in his right hand.

''Preparations are now complete. The above is ...... It seems to have worked well.

　Maria confirms the flow of events while keeping her eyes on the ground. I sense a slight envy in her expression and I suggest, even after all this time.

Oh, it worked. ...... You really want to follow Christ, don't you?　You can go now, okay?　I'm the only one who needs to deal with the 'blood thief'.

　Basically, I'm a good one-on-one knight.
　I'm worried about fighting with this woman, even if it's Christ, but I'm worried about fighting with this woman. Honestly, I'm anxious enough to think that I'd be better off alone. In a misguided way.

　However, Maria rejects the suggestion with a shrug of her shoulders.

'It's impossible. To be clear, without me, we can't even fight the 'one who steals the reason for blood'.
...... Not long ago, I had a good match with 'The One Who Steals the Light's Reason' nosfies.

　I was distantly told that I was too heavy a burden to carry alone, so I tried to assert my own power with a bit of a straight face.

'Heh. Well, I was overwhelmed by that girlfriend, though. I mean, 'The One Who Steals the Reason of Light' Nosfi is an auxiliary specialized guardian (Guardian), you know?　Are you proud of being even with it?
Kook ......, this ......!

　But it was easily defeated.

　I didn't argue with her, and I kept my mouth shut.
　It's clear that Maria's strength flies in the face of all of us. A year ago, I had seen her turn one of the battlefields into scorched earth. If she has grown even more since then and has been assimilated with the magic that is the Reaper, even I don't see any way to win. Or rather, I doubt that even Christ can win.

'I'm the main one. Reapers and liners are assistants. Follow my instructions.
...... Got it.

　Without a doubt, Maria is the strongest person to fight as she pleases.
　I had no complaints about that formation.

　And it's also because I'm not in the mood for a real fight today. It's helpful to hear that you only need assistance because there are other things you want to pay attention to.

　I take a step back and let Maria lead the way.
　Out of the corner of my eye, today's enemy - 'The One Who Steals the Truth of Blood' Fafner was standing.
　With the bright red World Tree at his back, he is looking at me in a pool of bright red blood.

　Maria calls out to him in a friendly manner.

''Well then, nice to meet you. Mr. Fafner.''
...... Yeah, nice to meet you. I wanted to say hello to Kanami, but then I got dumped by these two. It's a good idea to have a good time with them. I'm sorry about that for Nosufi.
'I'm afraid I'm the one you're dealing with. Aren't you pleased?

　As we had talked about beforehand, the two seem to be quite close.
　Even though they are enemies, they converse with each other like kindred friends. And after Fafner finishes his greeting, he looks at me as well as Maria.

''My opponent is the three little ones or ....... Are you sure you're okay with all this?
'I have no intention of beating you today. We're just stalling until Kanami-san gets your 'scripture' or something like that back, so you'll probably be fine.
'Hmm. How long do you think that stall ...... will last?　I feel like I could get back to Nosfi's in a snap, you know?

　Fafner warns us that our strength is unreliable. He's listening to our earlier conversation and wants to tell us not to lick ourselves.

　Maria frowns slightly and checks with Fafner.

'...... Mr. Fafner. Unlike before, I'm going to talk to you today, leaning towards Nosfy.
'Yeah, actually, just a few minutes ago ....... I've heard a lot of 'honest' things from Nosfi and I've changed my policy (stance) a little bit. I'm trying to loosen up that guy's ordeal a little bit.
Loosen it?　You're a pervert who loves trials, ......?

　The man in front of me seems to have a personality that makes this arsonist call him a pervert. I knew from going out with Titi that guardians (guardians) are often perverts.

　I'm a little disgusted that I'm the only person with common sense right now, but I continue to watch their conversation seriously.

I'm not just loosening up, I'm even willing to lose it. That guy is a real idiot ....... I didn't know he was that stupid. A thousand years ago, if you'd said one word of weakness to me, I would have properly removed you from the list ....... I didn't know because I was playing the saint for nothing: ....... Oh, come on, ....... Already .......

　Fafner grits his teeth and feels frustrated, as if he is about to step on the ground.

　It's a shame that I was so deceived by the outer appearance of Nosufi that I failed to see the inside.
　In my opinion, Nosphy is a troublesome and evil woman both on the outside and inside, but not to Fafner, it seems.

　He mocks himself and begins to self-mock endlessly.

'Haha ....... It turns out I was wrong again ....... I found out later that I was wrong again ....... I can't help it again ....... Yeah, again. Failure upon failure. It's really a repetition of failure, my life. Hahaha--
Well, don't worry, there's a mistake or two that can happen to anyone.

　Unable to see the enemy who is so depressed that he is about to kill himself, Maria follows up with kindness.
　However, that would not be a kindness from the heart. This way, it's to prolong the time when we can have a rational conversation as much as possible - in other words, to prolong the stalling as long as possible.

'...... one or two failures? Yeah, maybe in this day and age. But in my day, that one mistake would have been fatal. It's a pretty rough world. Life was so cheap. There was no talk of human rights for slaves. Well, we were treated badly. There's no way you can be happy in one piece like you are.

　Fafner seems to know Maria's history.
　And I can see that they have a kind of camaraderie with each other, having been slaves to each other.
　But there seems to be a big difference in the treatment of them in different times. From the way they talk, I would guess that a thousand years ago, a single minor failure would have cost them any of their limbs, and a serious failure would have cost them their lives.

''It was ...... that, well, I was a bit rash in my mouth. I'm sorry.
No, no, no. ...... You're the only one who can speak indiscreetly. After all, you're 'in bed' with Alty ....... That headless Alty and .......
'...... Come to think of it, you've said that before in a meaningful way. Isn't it about time you told me about your relationship with Arti?

　Maria brings up the subject to buy time.
　Fafner agrees.

'Relationship or ....... No, we're not really friends. Or maybe they just don't like me in general.

　Seeing his leisurely demeanor, I slowly begin to doubt.
　Was this man really being ordered to fight with Christ? I don't sense any impatience or anything else from the conversation.

'What? Aren't you a friend ......?　I was so familiar with Alty. ......
'Hmm. I'm not friends with that one, but we're fellow failures. They're also friends who were saved by the Vortex Wave. It's the fellow who was captured by the ...... great nobleman-sama and kept getting his magic extracted.
'Magic extraction, ......?'
They failed: ....... They heard a rumor about "The One Who Stole Reason" and they caught him, cut off his arms and legs, experimented on him in various ways, and used him successfully as a source of infinite magic ....... Haha ......

　More self-mockery again.
　It's a self-mockery that reminds me somewhat of Snow, but unlike that one, Fafner doesn't drag it out. He quickly turns brighter and continues his story.

'Well, that's okay. It's okay, that's all right, because we "logic thieves" don't die. It's not a failure. However, the other guys are ....... The demons we were captured with died tragically. The rare slaves who were suited to the Demon Poison also died in vain. They all died and died and died and died at the end of their painful experiments. As it is written in some scripture. --Chapter 2, verse 2: 'Life is to join hands with pain and suffering. If you only seek mercy and withdraw your hand, you will only meet ruthlessness,' so the reality was really cruel.

　It's a pretty dark story, but the expression on his face remains cheerful.
　It's a story that doesn't feel real to me, living in the present day, but the man in front of me must have seen it all. And yet, he's still cheerful and positive.

That's why we who have survived must do our best for those who have died. ...... Yes, we have a responsibility to take care of them. Now that we've taken on that regret, we must never give up.

　It seems to be the way to feed off of misfortune and move on.
　He's just as much of a trialist as I've heard.

　The trouble is, that's what this guy asks for, not just from himself, but from others as well.
　I can see it in his eyes. Everything I just said is directed at me and Maria. He's putting pressure on himself and others to keep moving forward and suggesting that we keep moving forward.

　But as he speaks it, both of his eyes are slowly losing focus.

'Yeah, yeah ....... We need to move on for those who have failed ....... We have to move on, even the deaths of those we love, in exchange for power ....... It's a world-imposed test and a person's growth. It's never to be mourned. Yes, it's in the scripture. Yeah, everyone dies and dies and dies, but the survivors never weep ....... There's no weeping .......

　Despite the words, tears begin to seep from those empty eyes.
　It looks like he's putting too much pressure on himself, and he's just crying because of that pressure.

　Anyway, this man is not normal. Just by talking to him for a moment, his spirit is tattered on its own, all on its own.

　Immediately, I check my surroundings in preparation for the fight.
　Maria in front of me also glances to the side to check the battlefield.

　The ceiling is high, and the underground space is cut out in a circle. A pool of blood has formed on the ground, as if a slight amount of juice has been poured into a glass.

　There is a lot of water. And it's not exactly fresh blood. Clearly, it's not a good battlefield for burning enemies.
　It's not so much that it will affect Maria's fire magic, but it's something to consider.
　I'm not going to be able to say that the blood on our bodies right now is the enemy's weapon of choice.

　As we become more and more cautious, Fafner continues to speak.

...... Hey, juniors. Let me ask you something. Have you ever thought about death?　Have you ever thought about what death is?　Have you ever envisioned how the creature dies?

　Fafner's tearful appeal to me is so obvious and crazy.
　I can see that he's slowly losing himself. In contrast, Maria, the leader here, calls out my name in a small way.

''--Rainer. It's about time.
Yeah, I know. I've reached my limit.

　The stalling by conversation could end at any time.
　We tell each other that we are in a state of readiness.

"People die. Somewhere in time, they will die. They will become blood and return to this earth. ...... It must be ...... now!　Now, now, now, now!

　Fafner starts shouting alone with a teary-eyed smile as we clench our scythes and swords.

'Every time we count, one by one, people die!　More deaths per second, more than a hundred a day, more deaths per year than you can count!　Hahaha, if you put all the living things together, not just people, it's really a huge number, right?　Everywhere, everywhere, always, someday, you'll die an endless death!　Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead!　We're dead!　The world is filled with nothing but death!　After a thousand years of countless deaths, now the world is going to be flooded with 'blood'!　It could spill out at any time!

　Somewhere in the world, people are dying.
　Fafner is desperately trying to convey such a commonplace fact to us.
　He seems to want to say that this is the most important thing in the world, but the temperature difference between him and us is huge. I wanted to say that we can't stop thinking about the dead, but I didn't have the courage to say it in the face of their too strong cries.

''Can't you hear the regretful voices of those dead people!　The sorrows of the dead, their sorrows swelling in the depths of the earth forever!　And the onus is on those who can hear it!　Oh, we have a responsibility to fight this world!

　I think its a cry that is too true.

　Maybe ...... Fafner really does hear it.

　Is it the characteristics of the 'blood stealer' or some kind of magic? Or is it 'compensation'?
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future.

　So while I'm calmly analyzing 'The One Who Steals Blood's Reason', Fafner's voice gradually becomes less and less.

'Yeah, I had a responsibility to fight ......!　I just didn't have the strength to fight ....... All I could do was keep reading The Scripture in the depths of hell ....... I'm .......

　He was still eloquent, but the momentum was completely lost.
　He turned his gaze to the pool of blood, as if Maria, who was supposed to be talking, was not in his eyes, and continued to talk to his reflection in that red surface.

'So, I need ....... I desperately need Kanami ....... Kanami is all we have left. The only one who can save us is Kanami already. We desperately need the 'Great Savior (Magna Messiah)' in the world .......

　Once you see it like that, you can't help but think it's crazy, even if you know it's an insult.
　I can't help but feel sorry for him, that it's too late for many things.

　But it's not just Fafner.
　It's not just Fafner, it's all of the "Stealers of Reason".
　The image that comes to mind is that of the thieves I've encountered. Did they all become so mad because they were late in being saved?

'Yes. ....... We have to go see Kanami soon ....... Yeah, I know ......, you don't have to tell me that many times to know ....... I will live for Kanami and die for Kanami. And Kanami will be the 'Great Saviour (Magna Messiah)' in the 'Deepest' ....... And that's the end of my role.

　Fafner raised his face as the conversation ended against the pool of blood at his feet.
　Before I knew it, his hair had changed color. Instead of the dull blonde hair that resembled mine, it had become a murky, muddy color. The color of his skin and eyes have changed as well. It's as if dozens of colors of paint were mixed together - complementary colors that cannot be described.

　The eyes are turned on, as if all the countless emotions have melted at once, and Fafner takes a step forward.
　He knocks us down and moves to get out of this lowest level.

'--I'd better get going.

　One word.
　As war is declared, Maria releases her magic.

''-- 《Blindness》!

　A large amount of black smoke erupts from Maria's clothing and begins to surround Fafner.
　It's probably an attempt to close off her vision with the Reaper's dark magic and prevent her from heading upwards.

''--Fresh blood magic, "New Year Nine South (Revansies) Northern Border War Begins (Border First).

　In contrast, Fafner also uses magic.
　In just a few seconds, nearly a hundred blood puppets were generated from the pond and surrounded Maria.
　As I had heard, Fafner seems to knight and control the blood. Naturally, enemies sprang up near me as well, so I immediately run towards the stairs leading to the ground.

　Several blood knights slash at me, but I ignore them all. It would be more important to get away from the two of them first. It's not for the purpose of maintaining the stairs, which is the keystone, but simply--

Flame Flame Flamberge!

　It's to avoid getting caught up in Maria's magic.
　The black scythe in her hand blazes up, ignoring its L-shaped shape to complete the giant flaming sword. Maria spins like a pawn and swings it lightly.

　The visible sword is huge, but it probably doesn't weigh much. The flaming sword passed through the entire bottom level as if it had dispatched a feather broom.
　As a result, all of the blood puppets that should have been close to a hundred were evaporated. However, except for Fafner, who was the most targeted one.

''Kuhaha!　d*mn you, Maria!　After all, a knight at the start of the war is only a moment away!

　The darkness that had surrounded him with flames was dispelled, and out of it emerged an unharmed Fafner. Then, he praised its splendid magic.

''--《Flame Arrow, Scattered Flowers (Fall Flower)!

　Maria doesn't respond to the flippant talk, but forms the next magic.

　It's partly because she has a personality that doesn't waste words, but most importantly, she doesn't intend to let her guard down against Fafner. He generates a large amount of flaming arrows in the air and immediately throws them all towards Fafner.

''--That!　This is a lot of stuff!　Reminds me of the old days, man!

　Fafner moves lightly in time with his light mouth.
　Holding a blood-clothed sword in his right hand, he slashes away flaming arrows, sometimes dodging them with his entire body.

'Darkness, chase!　-- "The True Night of the Abyssal Dimension (De-Rivergent Night)!

　Maria probably doesn't expect normal magic like flaming arrows to hit her. While Fafner is handling the magic, he builds the next one.

　Apparently, dark magic is next.
　I've heard that the presence of the Reapers allows for close combat, but they are thoroughly engaged in magical warfare.
　Dark interference and fire attacks. It's a repetition of that.
　Seeing that, I speak my mind.

''...... Don't drag it out.''

　They're putting up quite a showy fight, but clearly neither side has gotten into the preliminaries or the small checks yet.

　Calmly, Maria is creating a slow-paced fight. What's more, the delay is working to its fullest because Fafner is a passive fighter.

　There's no doubt that it will take some time to decide.
　In the meantime, my role is to prepare the magic in case Maria makes a mistake. And, if Fafner changes his mind and abandons the fight and heads upwards, I'm going to use the wind to push him in from above again. These two things are strictly ordered by Maria.

　I've decided on a detailed magic sign, but Maria will only require me to perform the final sign, Tauschus Winding.

　--I'm not going to be able to get the best out of it.

　It's important to keep an eye out for the enemy's greatest strength. There's no doubt about it. But it's also a lot easier than the others.

　I use that margin to focus my attention on my nerves. With the skill "Evil Sense" that Tiara-san taught me not long ago, I can sense the entire castle with my skin.

　To put it simply, this skill is a skill to detect danger.
　And right now, the activation rate of the "sense of evil" is tremendous.
　It's no wonder that more than ten wizards who can destroy a city by themselves are fighting in a single castle.

　Here and there, alarming sounds sounded, telling us that there was a possibility of deaths. However, it's a lot less than before the raid. With my sister Snow against Glenn and Maria against Fafner, it's a lot quieter.

　The upper part of the castle, especially where Christ would be heading, is really quiet.
　It is likely that every 'bad outcome' has been erased and 'convenient outcomes' have been attracted by Christ, who can predict the future.

　The victory of the battle is no longer rock solid.
　As if to prove this, no warning sounds could be heard from the top of the castle where Nosfi would be.

　Even in Tiara's story of knowing a thousand years ago, there was never a single mention of a nosphy as a threat.
　To begin with, Nosfi was not obsessed with winning.
　He has a bad character, but his roots are probably cowardly. He chooses his methods carefully and always takes care to prevent deaths.

　Even in the Great Sacred City, he is only working to create a situation from start to finish.
　What can be predicted from this is that Nosfi's goal is 'to convey his feelings by losing'.
　That guy is only concerned with how to lose.

　Nosfi is a real jerk, but he's not the 'worst'.
　He's not an enemy in any sense of the word to Christ.

　Hence my other guardian (Guardian) Fafner is the one I should be paying attention to.
　The worst in this castle is undoubtedly this guy.

　Fafner, unlike Nosfi, is obsessed with winning.
　Having spoken to him face to face, I'm certain of one thing. Surely, this guy is not going to compromise. He's not a coward or a man of means. On top of his character's ability to lightly tolerate dead people, he is the craziest ever among the guardians (guardians).

　His vigilance level is lowered because he is a follower of Christ, but if not - this man is the 'worst enemy' that the entire human race must mobilize to annihilate.

'--Well, now, I'm getting warmed up good!　It's about time we used some of the late war!　Hahaha, when you're dealing with Maria, you can use your magic without hesitation, it feels great!　--Fresh Blood Magic, New Year 13 (Revansies) The End of the Civil Border War (Borderlust)!

　Fafner, who has been labeled 'worst enemy' by me, is fighting with great amusement.

''d*mn--!

　The relative Maria is in pain, but there still seems to be room for more.
　From earlier, she's only crushing the enemy's magic instead of crushing them. Thoroughly, he is slowing down the tempo of the battle.

　However, it is not possible to crush all of Fafner's magic.
　The pool of blood continues to wriggle, forming one blood puppet after another.

　And the quality of those puppets is slowly changing as well. The dolls that had taken on a knight-like appearance earlier had acquired new characteristics.
　Many of them had enlarged limbs like monsters and wings like birds. Furthermore, most of those dolls did not have four limbs. Five or six limbs are commonplace, and some have tentacle-like parts.

　For a moment, the recent trend of 'demonization' came to mind, but they are more impersonal than that.
　Is this a figure beyond 'turning into a demon'? At the end of the killing spree a thousand years ago, the warriors who had gained too much of the 'demon poison' and couldn't get it back could be summoned now.
　I watch the battle closely for later study.

　Along the way, I find a particularly odd-looking one among these deformities.

　Seeing 'something' far away from the human form - at the moment, my head turns bright red.

　I recognized the shape of it.
　At the same time, a warning sound rings in my head. The skill 'bad feeling' screams out.

　Oh no.
　Obviously, it's bad. Oh no, oh no, oh no.

　If I were to give you something close to that 'something', it would be grapes. The long and slender body, which can only be described as an offal, had many red eyeballs growing on it like fruit. All of its eyes met mine. Inside the red eyeballs are red-black pupils. Inside those eyes, there were countless more eyeballs packed in.

Oops. This one's too strong, so no.

　Fafner cut it in half with his sword.
　Instantly, like a broken water balloon, it turned into blood and returned to the pond.

　The "something" lost its shape and I let out a breath that had stopped with a gasp.

　My head and body almost stopped just looking at it. Instinctively, my brain refused to recognize the form and tried to stop the pollution that comes from understanding.
　A delayed nausea crept in, followed by fear and trembling.

　What the hell was that thing I just saw?
　Maria asks that question for me.

'Fah, Mr. Fafner, ....... Was that ......?

　She was the same as I was, and she was blue in the face at the sight of it.
　'That Maria,' she said.

'Oh, don't worry, I'll never use it. It just comes up occasionally, you know. It ignores my restraint and slows down like a scream from the depths of the earth--sometimes.

　Fafner didn't elaborate, declaring only restrictions on its use. As a fighting opponent, it would be a fool's errand to believe such words.
　But soon Maria nodded back.

''I believe ....... Then let's continue the fight.
'Oh, it's important to believe: ......!　I believe in Mary and the others too, man!

　The battle is resumed.
　As declared, the ones from earlier will not be used. The only ones created by controlling blood were the ones that were still in the category of humanoid.

　The blood knight and the flame witch clash head-on, openly and unapologetically.

　I watch it from afar and think about it instead of Maria, who is busy in battle.
　As I thought, Fafner is strong. He is strong in the sense of 'worst'.
　Perhaps the grape-like 'something' just now is part of what leaked out. Even though I'm stuck after seeing just part of it, Fafner has the potential to generate a large amount of that thing.

　There must still be a lot of depth to it.
　And what's most frightening is that this act of creating life with blood doesn't consume either magic or strength.

　All the time, Fafner has been keeping a cool face towards Maria, who is slowly sweating.
　When he uses the fresh blood magic he learned at the Eltralieu Academy - such as 《Blood》, he can see that his magic power fluctuates a bit. However, when he makes a knight out of blood, his magic power doesn't fluctuate at all. In other words, that's an 'innate power' or a 'skill'. Or just like the magic tools I wear, it's 'activated from another magic source'.

　As it is now a closed space, there are only enough to fill up this place ...... If it's outside, how far can the now spare faced Fafner make a blood knight?

　He should be able to produce all the dead of all the wars in all the ages at the same time.
　The number of wars in the last thousand years alone, as far as the timeline I learned at Eltralieu Academy, reaches three digits. Even if a thousand people died in a single battle, it would mean that they could lightly produce three hundred thousand knights. No, we should also take into account the possibility that the grape-like monster from earlier could be in the tens of thousands.

　The more I think about it, the more I think about it, there is no doubt that this 'thing that steals the logic of blood' is the 'worst' in Hoozeyards Castle.
　Unlike the peaceful magical tendencies of the 'Stealer of the Reason of Light', fresh blood magic is aggressive and dangerous.

　If this thing is left unattended, the castle will be destroyed. The city will disappear. The country will be destroyed.
　That's how much resentment I feel from the pool of blood that bubbles and bubbles.

　Among the memories Tiara-san gave me just the other day, there was a warning to be careful with Fafner alone.
　Fafner doesn't get the joke, and he often perverts the story and gets depressed on his own. On top of that, he has a personality for causing trouble by calling it an ordeal. You never know what you're going to get into.

　When I combined the information I see now with the information I had before and confirmed my own assessment of Fafner as 'most dangerous' - it happened (・・・・・・).

'--?
What--?

　The two people who reacted and noticed it were me and Fafner.
　I look up and my eyes widen.

　Maria and the reaper in them don't notice. My gaze remains on Fafner in front of me, wary of the enemy who has abruptly removed his gaze.

　A chill runs down my spine now - the skill 'Evil Feeling' has been activated to the maximum ever.

　He sensed something that could be described as 'the worst' from above. It was also multiple (...)?
　It was a 'bad feeling' as bad as Fafner, who I just rated as 'most dangerous'.

　Fafner seemed to feel that I was upset as well.
　He was as baffled by the direction as I was, and hurriedly distanced himself from the enemy and began repeating to himself.

'Why, why ......?　Is this the right thing for you guys to do as planned: ......?　Isn't it rather closer to the prophecies over there than to Noi's prediction: ......?　No, it's more than that--

　Even though we are in the middle of a battle, his face is busy moving right and left.
　Sometimes I look at the world tree, sometimes I scoop up blood from the pond with my hand and talk to it.

　Unlike me, who can't see the cause of any anomalies, Fafner may have the ability to find out what's going on.
　I remember the story of how Fafner teaches his enemies about his weaknesses, and I ask him openly.

'Ancestors!　Now you've felt it!　You've got some kind of skill, like Bad Feeling!　You seem to have more sense than I do!　Tell me what happened up there!

　Fafner looked at me in the distance and looked lost for a moment. Then he quickly replies with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes.

'Oh, tell me, ......?　Tell me, ......?　Kuhahahahahahahahaha ....... --Bah. There's no way I would be crazy enough to explain my skills to the enemy, right?　Yeah, that's too stupid ....... That's what idiots do: ......!

　I don't know what triggered it, but Fafner starts screaming and sobbing.
　It's not as light as the sobbing he did earlier. Large tears raggedly spill out into a pool of blood in unsettling amounts.

　Both Maria and I are speechless at the sudden and bizarre appearance.
　Fafner, on the other hand, continues to scream excitedly and takes a step forward.

''--It's more of a continuation!　Let's get back to it.　Yeah, we have to keep fighting no matter what happens, no matter what holds us back!　We must not stop fighting forever!

　Fafner's wariness overflows.
　His magic power, which was just waiting to be quietly converted into magic, changes drastically. It vigorously spreads into a pool of blood, causing ripples and shaking the underground space.

''Maria!　And kid!　Seriously, brace yourself!　Perhaps from this moment (or time) the 'more horrible than death' ordeal begins!　That ordeal will test your true souls!　It's as depressing and miserable an 'ordeal of blood and death' as we're going through!　To start off that ordeal, go over me first!　And learn!　What a Helvirshine is!

　It's not only Maria, but also me, who speaks to me.
　I'm not going to allow you to be lazy and just watch me anymore. And then the magic power that spread like a rampage is converted into magic.

''-- Blood Mist, Blood Arrow, Blood Field!

　With Fafner at the center, a mist of blood gradually begins to rise. At the same time, many blood arrows float in the air, and the blood knight also begins to move.

　Fafner, who had only produced his own magic and techniques in turn, used his magic at the same time. That would mean - now, finally, he had entered into tactics.

　He was all passive, but now he's about to start a battle like a battle. Hastily, he's trying to end the fight here and move on.

　What has changed his course is the unusual situation above the castle.

　--If I'm going to be honest, I want to head up now.

　A level of 'bad feeling' has occurred that will destroy the continent. There is no reason not to be concerned about it.

　Certainly, there are enough beings up there right now to destroy the continent.
　First of all, Snow and Dia. If for some reason the two of them were to lose their hoops and their blood was fully awakened, it would be quite possible.
　Then, the three 'Stealers of Reason'. The next three are Hitaki, the one who steals the reason for water, Nosfi, the one who steals the reason for light, and Christ, the one who steals the reason for dimension.

　Right now, Nosfi and Christ are probably fighting each other.
　Have they become serious?
　If that's what this chill is about, ...... it's still close to a schedule that I'm convinced I've already made in "Future Vision". It's fine.

　The problem is other than that.
　If it's a problem that wasn't in Christ's foreknowledge, it really is the 'worst'.
　The 'worst' that I've been avoiding for a long time is coming true and it's my turn.

　As far as Tiara's schedule goes, not yet.　
　Even for me personally, it's still too early.
　It's not supposed to be ready yet, but now something has been moved. I feel like something irreversible is happening.

I'm not the only one who's concerned.　If you're not careful, I'll seriously kill you.　You are the one who should understand the meaning of the word Helvillestein the most!　Learn not from the 'blood' that flows in that body, but from the 'blood' that has seeped into this land!

　But Fafner won't even allow you to check things out.
　He spouts fancy words as if to say that the real battle is about to begin now, and he doesn't even give you time to get in touch with the top, and he approaches you unceremoniously.

　If Fafner gets serious, the attack I feared earlier will begin.
　And of course there is the case that Mary and the two of them will not be able to withstand it and will die. The priority is Christ the Lord, but I'm not so ruthless as to abandon them here.

　Of course, if you ask him a word of himself, he will tell you that Mary will be fine. She would turn me up with a hateful remark.
　But I know that this dark-haired girl is nothing but a tough guy. And, like me before, I know that she will throw her life away lightly.

　Therefore, I'm worried and confused.
　What should be my first priority?
　But time is running out. The enemy is right in front of me.
　Whichever one he chooses, he will regret it for the rest of his life. I'm not going to be able to get out of it.

　--I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what I'm going to do with it.

　Just as I foresaw, the battle that I will regret for the rest of my life is now.