— — — — — —
Six kilometers away, on the rooftop of a high-rise building.
Black Rabbit sat on the edge of the roof, legs swinging as the cold pre-dawn wind brushed past her face.
She grumbled under her breath, "Honestly, that Yagami guy… saying he'd go meet the contact alone. What he really means is he doesn't want me slowing him down."
She puffed out her cheeks. "What's his problem with moon rabbits anyway? Does he think we're only good for being the community's mascot or something?"
Kicking her feet idly, Black Rabbit kept muttering complaints to herself.
Knowing this was a night mission, she'd traded her usual outfit for warm long sleeves and pants, and tucked her rabbit ears under her hood. Around her, subtle concealment gifts shimmered faintly—rented at a ridiculous price from Thousand Eyes.
"Ryo said this was a critical backup position, but…" she frowned. "Doesn't really feel that way."
She turned to look at the three letters pinned under fist-sized stones beside her. Her expression turned doubtful.
"So all I have to do is burn these letters and it'll 'help a lot,' huh?"
She narrowed her eyes. "That sounds… sketchy as hell."
There's no way three letters could be more useful than her authority as a Judge Master, right?
Black Rabbit hugged her knees and sighed. "I just wanna help too…"
Then, from far off in the sky, a shout echoed through the air.
"Black Rabbit… Minx…"
Her face went bright red to the tips of her ears.
"Who's minx, huh?! I'm a respectable bunny!"
She yelled back—but then her pupils contracted. In one swift motion, she turned and ignited the three letters with divine energy.
Fwoom—fwoom—fwoom!
Three flames burst to life—white, black, and gold—flaring violently as they devoured the paper.
Seeing the flames rise, Black Rabbit spread her arms, activating her authority.
Vmm—!
Pillars of ethereal light appeared high in the sky.
Across the entire city, every Gift Game froze in place.
— — —
Meanwhile, Ryo's face stiffened as Mithras's hand came to rest on his shoulder.
He gathered his Cosmo around his body, bracing himself. Every cell in him screamed to prepare for the worst.
Because this wasn't just anyone.
This was Mithras—very possibly the one who'd become the Cross "Son of God" himself.
Ryo had to assume the worst-case scenario.
"Hmm?"
Mithras raised a brow, deepening the wrinkles on his forehead.
"How fascinating. Such a peculiar power. I can sense a vast, boundless force within you. So, you're one of the chosen as well?"
At those words, the crushing sense of danger that had been suffocating Ryo suddenly eased.
His instincts calmed, though his mind screamed trap. Still, he decided to stall for time.
"I'm curious," he said lightly. "How did you even know I'd infiltrate your base?"
Mithras chuckled. "I didn't. I only foresaw that someone would enter in the near future, so I prepared accordingly."
He continued in that same calm, almost gentle tone.
"I stood watch at the vault entrance. Followed everyone who went in. Observed their reactions when they realized the treasures were missing. And once I confirmed nothing was amiss… I edited their memories."
He smiled faintly. "After thirty-seven people, I finally found you."
"Damn it, he camped the spawn point…" Ryo's mind twitched in disbelief, but he kept talking.
"Not worried about my shout for help earlier? If Shiroyasha shows up, even you might not walk away from that."
"Oh? That's a bluff," Mithras said with a faint smile. "She's not your ace here, and besides—she couldn't stop me now."
He studied Ryo closely. "Crushing atoms right after entry? That power of yours… it's beyond the current Gift system. Deeper. Closer to the origin of all power. Has the core of Little Garden gone faulty?"
"He's analyzing Cosmo… of course he is." Ryo's mouth twitched, but he didn't move.
He couldn't predict Mithras' next move—but he didn't feel danger either.
Wait. No danger? His eyes widened in realization.
"So you noticed my psychic parasite?" Mithras said, smiling knowingly. "Impressive. Is that thanks to your… unique energy?"
At that exact moment, Black Rabbit's Authority halted every Gift Game in the city.
Even Mithras' own Demon Lord Game lost its spatial binding.
Ryo could finally escape.
He ignited his Cosmo—but suddenly, a strange resistance bloomed in his heart.
He couldn't bring himself to burn it. Couldn't force the exchange of lifespan for power.
"Damn it… he's tampering with my thoughts!"
Mithras chuckled softly. "It's pointless. If you'd tried to flee from the start, I could never have caught you. You just kept pulling in reinforcements."
He leaned closer, voice smooth and patient. "But I foresaw this too—that once you learned my true name, you'd be too afraid to act recklessly."
A warm, almost teacherly smile touched his face. "After all, my name still carries a certain… weight in Little Garden."
Suspected two-digit avatar.
That one fact alone was enough to make even the bravest opponents shake.
And Ryo had walked right into it.
"By now," Mithras went on, "even if you had a last-minute trick up your sleeve, it wouldn't matter."
He shook his head. "You should never have asked my name. Then you wouldn't have stopped running to play word games with me."
"At this point, not even a two-digit being would intervene for your sake. Unfortunately—"
He stopped mid-sentence. His eyes narrowed.
Ryo turned his head to the side.
Not far away stood a woman with hair like sunlight, dressed in a crimson gown. She radiated grace and quiet authority.
When Ryo met her gaze, she smiled faintly and said in a voice like a golden oriole, "Looks like I'm the kind of woman who turns the impossible into possible."
Mithras's lips parted, then curved into a smile. "Halloween… now that's interesting."
Before he could say another word, his body froze.
In that instant, his consciousness seemed to plummet into the end of time—into the silent stillness of death itself.
And there, Mithras saw his own death.
'Omega…?' he thought, stunned, as the darkness swallowed him.
Then, from some unreachable realm, a beam of pure white light shot forth and pierced his chest.
Spear of Indra.
The divine weapon of Indra—embodying victory itself. A strike from it guaranteed triumph.
The instant it pierced Mithras, his forcibly maintained Demon Lord Game collapsed and unraveled.
Ryo grinned. He raised a hand and pointed a finger straight through Mithras's skull, pulling out a glowing Gift Card.
"Sorry, old man," he said, smirking. "One of my trump cards just happened to be… sending official complaints to powerful beings."
.
.
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