This yearning was contradictory, yet not difficult to understand. Having already experienced loss, Raize's heart had long become jumpy at the slightest sign of danger—this was something that could not be changed.
The more one cherishes beautiful moments, the more the malice and rage on the opposite end swell and expand.
Sei and Eu had no right to hate this extreme side of him, because they themselves were the very "beauty" that Raize wanted to protect.
The balance line between beauty and ferocity was fragile, and the most important anchors of that balance were precisely the two of them.
Now that they clearly understood how Raize's heart regarded them, there would be no emotion of rejection or disgust toward that side of him.
Raize was like someone standing before them with a completely unfeigned smile, while behind his back lay countless shattered, perforated wounds.
If they were to show denial or rejection, that fragile balance would collapse completely.
To Raize, there was nothing more heartbreaking than being denied by the very beauty he wanted to protect.
This law had already been dyed with Raize's colors; it could be said to have become a part of Raize himself. The incomplete portion within the law had been filled by Raize's wish, as though an incomparably fitting, exquisite puzzle piece had been set into place.
With indescribably complex emotions, Eu and Sei finished comprehending the remaining two law essences.
That sacred loftiness—Sei acknowledged part of it. The idea of purifying karmic sins had crossed her mind in the past as well; it was only due to limitations of strength and reality that she had been unable to realize it.
She was no longer who she once was. Back then, her eyes tolerated no impurity at all. The God of Bible possessed great love for all beings, but also reason and personal emotions—otherwise, the war of the three races would never have erupted.
Eu had no negative evaluation of this crystallization of sacred aspiration. She merely regarded that existence as a kind of fastidious cleanliness—seeing even a single thread of lint as filth.
However, it was the law that Raize described as "troublesome" that made both girls marvel at its gentleness.
The tender affection within the law of Twilight Reincarnation made it very difficult to feel any aversion.
Except for certain people with particularly aberrant hearts...
Sei also understood why Raize was troubled—because this law was a counter to Raize's true nature.
He did not want to distribute his love selflessly to others. The grotesque, indescribable rage they had just felt was precisely resisting that gentleness.
Toward strangers, Raize felt only indifference and a malice coiled and ready to strike. Before entering Raize's heart, all existences were treated this way.
Already solitary by nature, after suffering blows his heart had partially shut itself away.
If Raize had never felt his heart stir, never had any beauty he wished to protect...
Sei was one hundred percent certain that Raize—who felt no sense of belonging to the world at all—would absolutely become, in the future, a wantonly malicious supreme existence that no living being would wish to see.
After clarifying everything, Eu and Sei both looked at the troubled Raize with complex gazes.
"Right now, I'm resisting that law deep in my heart... You probably understand the reason. Do you have anything you want to say?"
"...Is the power you obtain uncertain?"
Sei did not know why such a law of great love would appear within Raize, but that love existing inside him was not a bad thing.
At the very least, it could serve to restrain the rage in Raize's heart. With great love within him, Raize was like someone fitted with an extra layer of insurance—preventing him from sliding endlessly toward extremes.
Eu thought the same way. Although she did not dislike Raize's inner self, she also did not want to see her beloved become overly twisted and extreme.
"It's random. If I could get whatever I wanted, I'd definitely choose Remorseless Paradise of the Fallen or Eternal Mercurial Recurrence."
Since he had already opened his heart to those who mattered to him, Raize did not bother to hide anything. He spoke his thoughts without hesitation.
Both Eu and Sei felt headaches coming on. Of course they knew what Remorseless Paradise of the Fallen and Eternal Mercurial Recurrence represented.
Using evil to curb evil—it indeed suited Raize's personality. Kindness was reserved only for those he acknowledged.
As for Eternal Mercurial Recurrence, that power of dominating and toying with the destiny of all reality also aligned with Raize's heart. Things he hated should be strangled in the cradle; things he did not want should be prevented from ever happening.
Eu and Sei both knew that Raize wanted to make up for regrets. These two were indeed the laws Raize desired the most.
Gripping Raize's hand, Eu tightened her hold. Looking at her gentle gaze, Raize inexplicably felt at ease.
[Don't worry. I'll always stay by your side. We promised to be together forever.]
The most earnest words written in the little booklet expressed the girl's feelings.
In response to Raize's desire to protect beauty, Eu had to answer with her own heart.
Moreover, she did not want to remain someone who was only protected. She wanted to walk alongside Raize.
When he was hurt or exhausted, she wanted to give the boy a warm embrace and gentle words.
She could not allow him alone to bear wounds while she enjoyed the peace he brought.
"If your heart resists that law, then make your heart stronger. Meet it heart to heart—this is the only way."
Regarding Raize's distress, Sei absolutely did not want to give advice that would have him resist that great love.
That love was something even Sei admired and felt inferior before, yet she would not become such a god herself, because she had also seen the flaw within that law.
Although she too loved all beings, she had limits—she could not reach the level of reincarnation and rebirth.
That kind of selfless, unlimited love—even if carried out in the name of salvation and redemption—could still lead to good intentions producing bad results.
Excessive love could instead harm others. Sei understood this just as Raize did.
"Heart to heart, huh..."
Raize repeated the words softly, his gaze silent. Reincarnation was, by nature, the ultimate form of inclusiveness.
To accomplish a great undertaking that corresponded to it was by no means easy.
But it was not hopeless either.
Although reincarnation and rebirth conflicted with Raize's true nature, if he could surpass it in strength of will, that would suffice.
A certain Indian had shattered Twilight Reincarnation with an immeasurable, infinite magnitude. Raize had no intention of destroying Twilight Reincarnation—his heart was merely resisting it instinctively.
If he wanted to be true to his own heart, to act without betraying himself, then he could not do something that even he himself would deny.
"At the end of the day… is my love still not enough...?"
Thinking of a certain Golden Beast's love of destruction, Raize suddenly gained some insight and knew what he needed to do next.
The confusion and silence in his eyes faded. Having thought things through, he returned to his usual state.
Under the astonished gazes of Eu and Sei, Raize casually waved his hand and took out an ominous object from his backpack space.
A rust-covered guillotine abruptly appeared in the living room, and Raize as well as Eu and Sei beside him all felt a chilling sensation.
The moment it appeared, the guillotine seemed to devour light, casting a trace of gloom over the previously bright living room.
"This is..." Sei twitched at the corner of her eye as she looked at the guillotine.
[A curse—such a terrifying curse is contained within this guillotine!]
Eu's eyes narrowed slightly. To her, the guillotine looked like a vicious object that one instinctively did not want to approach.
This guillotine contained curses and divine aura at the level of a divine domain.
"Marguerite-Bois de Justice—also known as the Margueritte Pillar of Justice. It's the holy relic I intend to contract with, though it still has some flaws."
Raize stood up and walked before the guillotine, carefully examining the bloodstained blade. He felt no resistance toward the decapitation curse within; instead, he wanted to accept it.
[Margueritte Pillar of Justice]
Quality: ???
Type: Specialized Holy Relic
Description: A guillotine once inhabited by a Transcendence God. It contains a complete god-tier curse and a trace of divine aura, belonging to the highest-rank holy relics.
Effect: Its curse possesses a decapitation effect. Contact will immediately trigger the curse. Only through a specific ritual can its full power be unleashed. (Currently unnecessary.)
Note: As there is no soul within, this holy relic is an incomplete existence. If its curse cannot be controlled, it will decapitate indiscriminately. Use with caution.
Completion Methods:
1. Sacrifice a high-quality soul to the guillotine as a core.
2. Nourish the guillotine by sacrificing holy relics.
There was no existence named Marie within the guillotine, but its curse had been preserved intact and was also tainted with divine aura.
With the law of Twilight Reincarnation within him, Raize could directly contract with this guillotine and had no fear of its curse.
As for the two completion methods, Raize had his own solutions.
The first required a high-quality soul as a core to drive the holy relic—but this was not strictly necessary.
Why?
This required explaining the requirements of the Eternal Calamity Destruction ritual for holy relics.
When a holy relic is shattered, its user is shattered as well—the two are connected by life itself.
It is equivalent to a lich's phylactery.
However, there are exceptions. The soul inhabiting a holy relic and the soul fused with the holy relic are independent of one another.
That is to say, if both the contractor and the holy relic possess souls, then even if the holy relic is destroyed, as long as the controller's own soul is not destroyed, the controller will not die.
In the original Dies Irae, Ren had his holy relic destroyed by Reinhard yet did not die, for precisely this reason.
If there were a soul core, then it would have to share life and death with Raize. He did not need any existence besides Nep to do so.
As for Eu and Sei, that was even more unacceptable. They were the very treasures he would stake his life to protect—how could he allow such treasures to share life and death with an object?
The second method—using holy relics to nourish the guillotine—absorbed materialized accumulations of people's thoughts, not limited to sacred objects.
This was easier to obtain and could also be nourished and strengthened through devouring after the contract was formed.
However, just as the twin-caduceus patterns surfaced in Raize's eyes and the Eternal Calamity Destruction ritual within him officially activated, and he reached out to touch the guillotine—
A hand suddenly slipped between his fingers and grasped his hand from above, touching the guillotine together with him.
"Sei, you—damn it!!"
Having no guard against Sei at all, Raize was suddenly seized by the hand from behind. He was completely dumbfounded. Seeing the knowing smile on Sei's face beside him, Raize was furious.
Because the Eternal Calamity Destruction ritual had already begun—there was no way to stop it!
At that moment, both of them heard a somewhat indistinct song, humming detestable overlapping verses in a French style.
"Sang, sang, sang... (Blood, blood, blood...)"
The singing was vague, but the law of Twilight Reincarnation within Raize allowed him to hear it clearly.
The song was gentle, yet the meaning it carried made one's skin crawl—an innocent, pure, transparent killing intent, the most beautiful in the world.
A phantom of a blonde silhouette flashed before Raize with a healing smile and vanished. The law of Twilight Reincarnation within him began to emit resonant waves.
A sincere and benevolent blessing mixed with vicious curses. In an instant, black-red shadows spread over Raize and Sei.
First came a feeling of blissful satisfaction. In the next moment, they felt a chill at their necks, and the view within their consciousness began to spin.
Within their consciousness, both Raize and Sei saw familiar headless bodies. Strangely, the smooth severed cut showed not a single drop of blood spraying out.
But in reality, the two of them—eyes vacant—were unharmed. At the same time, a hideous scar appeared on both of their necks.
Under Eu's shocked gaze, a complex and profound magic array large enough to envelop all three appeared.
Looking down, the most eye-catching feature was the pair of mercury-silver serpent patterns.
The guillotine began to dissolve into shining particles of light, and the Sei beside Raize did the same.
Buzz—
A scepter array of twin serpents roaring toward one another appeared behind Raize. Inscribed with the truth of the cosmos and the entwined cycle of life and death, the twin-serpent staff shone brilliantly.
The [Serpent] representing life directly devoured the guillotine and Sei's purified light particles, allowing them to fully merge into Raize's body.
The other [Serpent] representing death revealed Eu's fate line within its mouth, resonating with Eu herself.
"..."
In an instant, Eu—the only one with awareness and agency—had her eyes wide open and then lost consciousness. Within her gemstone-blue eyes, the twin-serpent staff pattern flickered in her pupils.
The girl detested death, yet was closest to death. More than anyone, she understood death, and thus cherished life all the more.
The power of death manifested as pitch-black energy flames on the girl's body, beginning to echo and intertwine with the deathly power within Raize.
Whoosh—
From the girl's pocket, a fountain pen suddenly flew out. It was the pen Eu usually used to communicate through writing—but its essence was far from ordinary.
In a flash of light, it transformed into a gigantic scythe and flew to Raize's side, turning into light particles that merged into his body.
The pen's true nature was the giant scythe Eu possessed as a necromancer. This scythe was extremely important to her.
Back when she was alone, the girl would use the scythe as her pillow at night.
The "Hellscythe" in Eu's name meant "Hell's Scythe," clearly showing just how important this scythe was to her.
This Hell Scythe was an unquestionable divine artifact. In certain aspects, it far surpassed Sei's Longinus sacred gears, possessing special effectiveness against souls and the ability to devour souls to continuously strengthen itself.
During the long years in the underworld, although Eu would not actively attack others, she still possessed a terrifying scythe combat technique for self-defense.