I, the Lord of the Fifth Throne, am the source of all things!

His gaze swept over the Valkyrie Beatrice, the Death Eater Sakurai Kai, the Witch Rusalka, the Vampire Wilhelm, the Starscream, and others.

He finally looked at the person in charge of Red Spider, watching calmly and indifferently as this person, who played the clown and other minor characters, busied himself.

Red Spider was ordered by him to train Zarathustra after the great war.

Mercury Serpent was fully aware of the other party's underhanded tactics, but there was no need for her to bother with them.

Besides, what else could this Red Spider accomplish besides creating a Suwahara?

Mercury Serpent glanced at the Fujii Ren clone created by Red Spider, which was actually Duanmu Lian.

Hmm... a minor character who will quietly wither away in a corner.

Mercury Serpent felt no emotion or feeling whatsoever about Red Spider's attempt to replicate God's creation.

After all, it's all pre-existing knowledge.

He barely remembered the counterfeit product that the other party had made.

In the realm of humanitarianism, Red Spider is considered excellent.

But in areas outside of humanity, he is truly insignificant.

No matter how many times he reincarnates, this Red Spider will inevitably be the first training cannon fodder to die at the hands of his son, Fujii Ren.

He wasn't even worth a second glance from the Mercury Serpent.

...........

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of Suwahara School,

Duanmu Lian, who was eating her bento, paused slightly, a subtle, almost imperceptible emotion appearing in her eyes.

Just now, he felt an incredibly terrifying sensation.

How to put it? It's like a bacterium or a cell, as if someone has peeked at it under a microscope.

Although it was just a glimpse, it was like a dinosaur looking at an ant, making Duanmu Lian's hair stand on end.

However, he remained outwardly calm and continued doing his own thing quietly, as if he hadn't noticed anything.

"What are you thinking about?"

Suddenly, a calm and ethereal voice interrupted Duanmu Lian's thoughts.

Slowly turning his head, he saw a little girl with short silver hair staring at him with her crystal-like purple eyes.

Theresa, or rather Himuro Reia, is Duanmu Lian's surveillance target.

During his time at school, he never made any contact with the other party, after all, Red Spider only mentioned surveillance.

Despite this, things didn't go as planned, and he and Himuro Rei still ended up crossing paths.

"Eat slowly and savor the delicious food."

Duanmu Lian was already used to Himuro Reia's initiative in approaching her.

He knew it wasn't because he was charming enough to attract young girls, after all, Himuro Reia wasn't a normal girl to begin with.

"I'm so hungry. I forgot to bring my lunchbox today, and I only managed to buy a kimchi and plum sandwich. Can we trade?"

Himuro Rei calmly raised the plastic bag in her hand, then stared intently at the two lunch boxes that Duanmu Lian had placed on the bench.

Please don't assume that your culinary tastes are what everyone likes.

Duanmu Lian indifferently put down the bento box and reached out to take the bag containing the sandwiches from Himuro Rei's hand.

Then, under the other person's very unhappy gaze, he directly tossed the food into the trash can from a distance, and then handed the lunchbox next to him to the other person.

Duanmu Lian didn't care what others thought of her, so naturally she didn't care what Himuro Rei's feelings were.

"Fujii-kun will definitely not be liked by any girls in the future."

Himuro Rei took the bento box, pouted, and even made a sarcastic remark to the other person.

The sandwich that I like to eat was belittled and worthless by the other person, and then thrown into the trash can in front of me.

For a sensitive girl, this can be really hurtful.

Although this wasn't the first time Duanmu Lian had done it.

"For me, even growing old alone is a luxury."

Himuro Rei, who was about to enjoy the sumptuous and delicious food inside her bento box, paused slightly after hearing Duanmu Lian's indifferent words.

She glanced at the other person, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, and then silently began to eat her bento.

That's how they got along. Duanmu Lian, who had no friends, and Himuro Rei, who also had no friends, were mostly silent and reserved when they were together.

The only means of communication was the bento box in their hands.

Having appeared in food-themed anime such as Food Wars!, Cooking Master Boy, and Toriko, his culinary skills are extraordinary.

To pretend she's normal, Duanmu Lian plans to open a restaurant when she grows up, and then silently wait for her death to come, buying time for herself who is working hard.

"Fujii-kun... tell me, how can a person overcome their fear of death?"

Himuro Rei, who was eating her bento, swallowed the food in her mouth and suddenly spoke up.

At this moment, she lowered her face, as if she didn't want Duanmu Lian to see her expression and eyes.

Even without looking, Duanmu Lian could sense the atmosphere of fear and dread emanating from the girl beside her.

"It's simple: if you don't embrace happiness, don't experience beauty, and don't have expectations for anything in this world, you won't be afraid of dying."

Duanmu Lian chewed on the tempura in her mouth. Even though the supreme deliciousness was exploding in her mouth, the sense of familiarity made all the deliciousness turn into cloying taste.

He naturally knew the reason behind Himuro Reia's question.

"...Why?"

Hearing Duanmu Lian's answer, Himuro Reia was a little confused for a moment.

Does not seeking happiness or having expectations make one unafraid of death? What principle underlies this?

Let me explain it to you with a story.

Duanmu Lian slowly put down the lunchbox in her hand, took out a napkin to wipe her mouth, and said calmly, "Once upon a time, there was a prosperous village. The people in this village were very superstitious. So there was a rule in the village that the villagers had to offer a girl to the gods every eight years in order to ensure a good harvest."

Himuro Rei shuddered involuntarily, not because the story Duanmu Lian told was scary, but because she had directly put herself in the role of the little girl.

Furthermore, such stories are common in Japanese history.

After all, Japan has such a traditional belief.

That is to put living people into walls, pillars or other buildings as human offerings or sacrifices to the gods.

"The one chosen was a little girl who depended on her mother for survival. Her mother was heartbroken and wanted to save her daughter, but she was a woman who was completely powerless against the entire village and could not escape. The villagers chose them because they were an orphan and a widow."

Unable to resist, unable to escape...

Himuro Rei's gaze became even more strange, but she couldn't help but feel a little envious of the girl in the story.

After all, there were still people on the other side trying to save her.

And she... had none.

However, what Duanmu Lian said next left Himuro Reia completely bewildered.

"There are still two years before the offering to the gods. During these two years, the mother has imprisoned her child. Her former love for her daughter has turned into indifference and estrangement. The girl is in great pain. She doesn't know what she did wrong. She keeps apologizing to her mother, hoping that she can forgive her and become the loving mother she used to be."

"But the woman did not waver. Instead, she kept telling her suffering daughter about the idea that living in this dirty world would only lead to endless suffering."

“During those two years, the girl became completely numb and stopped crying. She felt no fear even when the villagers killed her and offered her to the so-called gods. After her daughter died, the mother also hanged herself.”

After finishing his story, Duanmu Lian ignored Himuro Reia's bewildered expression and began tidying up his empty lunchbox.

"Why, why?"

"what do you mean?"

Why would that mother treat her daughter like that?!

Himuro Rei didn't understand, she really didn't understand why the woman in the story had changed her attitude towards her daughter that way.

Ling'ai felt the whole story was full of contradictions.

If the woman no longer seemed to love her daughter, why did she commit suicide after her daughter's death?

"That was a mother's last act of pity and love for her daughter."

"...Compassion and love!?"

"Yes."

Duanmu Lian nodded, turned his head, his expression calm and indifferent, his eyes as still as a deep well, and looked at Himuro Reia, saying:

"She knew her daughter was going to die, but death is a terrifying and horrible thing for anyone. A girl who has seen too much beauty in the world, is happy, and has expectations for her loving mother will not want to die. So the only thing this mother can do is to numb the girl's mind, to make her fearless of death, and even look forward to it coming sooner."

"People who are always in a state of happiness and joy are bound to be unwilling to end it, which is why they fear death."

"People who are constantly in pain and misfortune will inevitably look forward to an early end, which is why they are not afraid of death."

At this point, Himuro Reia fell completely silent.

And from this story, I finally understood what Duanmu Lian meant when she said those words.

How can one overcome fearlessness in the face of death?

Simply put, if you have no expectations or desires for life, how can you fear death?

In the story of Duanmu Lian, the mother did that only to numb her daughter's mind so that she wouldn't suffer too much when she died.

To put it simply, it's like giving someone anesthesia before surgery so they can't feel anything and the surgery can proceed.

"You come to me every now and then to exchange lunch boxes. You want to taste the delicious food, and you are also experiencing the beauty of being alive. After all, dead people can't eat. There are so many wonderful things to experience while alive, so no one wants death to end those wonderful things."

After Duanmu Lian finished speaking, she turned around and left the rooftop with her lunchbox.

Only Himuro Rei remained, clutching her lunchbox, sitting alone on the bench.

A gentle breeze ruffled the girl's hair, slightly lifting a few strands of silver hair and revealing her sorrowful expression.