— — — — — —
The contents of the third envelope were simple: {The Holy Son of the Cross intends to devour Kalki.}
It sounded dramatic, but if the Buddha had any interest in Vishnu's spirit rank, this message would have been a strong reason to intervene.
Yet the one who actually acted was Indra?
Ryo stared at the third letter, his expression a little strange.
But after a moment, a likely possibility came to mind.
It was like this... Buddha borrowed Indra's hand to eliminate Mithras, concealing his own intentions toward Vishnu's spirit rank from the Cross.
Among the gods, Indra and Mithras were tied through related authorities. For the two to clash was perfectly normal.
So if Buddha made his move while wearing Indra's name, no one would question it.
Ryo let out a long breath. "I didn't expect all of them to take action."
At the start, the one he had counted on most was Omega. They had mutual interests. Ryo stirred up trouble in other worlds, threatening the faith influence, and Omega provided the necessary protection.
Raiding Ouroboros's base wasn't technically part of their agreement, but since Mithras was likely a manifestation of the Holy Son, Omega stepping in made sense.
She couldn't allow the Cross to get control of Ryo and discover the hidden changes in human history.
And if things had gotten any more desperate, Ryo would have fled straight to Bleach. He already had three tickets ready; all he needed to do was open the forum and spend the points.
But he hadn't expected all three to act. And Queen Halloween even sent a manifestation herself to intimidate Mithras.
Leaving aside the rumors this would spark—like "Ryo Yagami is under the Queen's protection"—the fact she personally appeared was the part that made no sense.
Does she have plans for me? Or maybe… she did it for Canaria's sake? That was the only guess Ryo could come up with.
It wasn't like he could just go ask her.
Beside him, Black Rabbit stared at the envelopes, dumbfounded. "But… weren't all these envelopes blank?"
Ryo answered without hesitation. "These are IQ Letters. Only smart people can see the writing."
In truth, any description directed toward a two-digit being would trigger their awareness. Once the being intervened, they would hide the connection, making the content invisible to anyone except Ryo.
"So that's how it is!"
Black Rabbit nodded with sudden understanding. Then her expression changed, her ears flushed pink, and she glared at him.
"Ryo! Are you saying I'm stupid?!"
Ryo looked genuinely surprised. "Have you ever been smart?"
Black Rabbit's teeth ground together. The cute bunny was about to turn into a fierce hound.
"Ryo Yagami! I haven't complained about you risking your life every day, and you're still insulting me?!"
"Want to argue? Come on then."
Ryo smirked in the most punchable way possible.
Leticia watched them bicker with a small smile.
After something that dangerous, to still be able to quarrel like this was lucky.
At least everyone was still here.
"Lady Leticia, look at him!" Black Rabbit grabbed her arm with tear-bright eyes.
Ryo shrugged and neatly gathered the envelopes, tucking them away. Then he took out the Gift Card he had taken from Mithras and fell silent.
Seeing this, Black Rabbit's voice hitched. The mist in her eyes grew thicker.
Leticia gently patted her shoulder, then looked to Ryo.
"Open it."
Ryo nodded and activated the Gift Card.
A large banner appeared on the coffee table, spreading across it.
On its surface was the image of a free young girl walking across hills and plains.
The banner of Arcadia. No Name's old name. Their true flag.
"The name and banner weren't separated. Looks like no deep tampering was done."
After examining it several times, Ryo let out a quiet sigh. "We got it back."
"Yes. We did." Leticia's voice was distant as she stared at the flag.
Black Rabbit wiped at her eyes, then grinned. "Should we hold a celebration tonight? Wake up the kids and party until morning?"
Ryo shook his head immediately. "No. I still need to check the spoils."
"That can wait!" Black Rabbit grabbed his arm and latched on stubbornly.
Ryo glanced at her, sighed in defeat. "Fine. You win."
"Hehehe!"
Leticia smiled faintly and leaned back against the wall, gazing out at the night sky.
We did it. Canaria, you really chose the right leader.
Her eyes slowly drifted closed.
— — —
In Ouroboros's underground base
After the Prophet's death, both Highness and Rin had their movements restricted.
But before that, during the brief chaos after Mithras' fall, they had used a secret art to seal away their memories of Ryo Yagami, to avoid detection.
So now, the only memories they retained were of an intruder attack and the Prophet being killed.
"Unbelievable. These higher-ups are ridiculous. They never show their faces, just throw orders at us."
"Find the culprit? Find what, exactly? Everyone saw the Indra's Gift. Who dares go after him?"
Rin complained loudly, clearly frustrated.
"Rin."
Highness, resting on the sofa, suddenly let out a cry and sat up straight.
"Your Highness, what's wrong? Did the First or Second Faction's interrogation upset you?"
Rin hurried to his side, her voice softening when her eyes fell on his missing right arm.
Highness squeezed her hand tightly.
"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.
Highness was silent for a moment, then spoke in a low voice. "I foresaw your death."
Rin's pupils shrank. Then she smiled. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm not going anywhere until I get married and have kids."
But her heart tightened.
Highness was Kalki, one of Vishnu's Ten Avatars. His spirit rank was extraordinarily strong. When he glimpsed the future, it was rarely wrong.
But she couldn't panic. She couldn't make things harder for him.
Highness touched her forehead lightly.
The memory seal was undone in that instant.
Rin's eyes went blank for a heartbeat, then her face darkened. "So we couldn't hide it after all."
She remembered her cooperation with Ryo. That explained Highness's prophecy.
Highness asked quietly, "Did the last resort work?"
Rin remained silent.
"So you canceled the ritual behind my back." Highness let out a small laugh. "So that's why I saw your death."
Rin hesitated, then asked, "Do you really want to go through with this?"
"Rin, I just don't want my life to be controlled by others anymore."
Highness smiled and ruffled her hair.
Understanding that he was only trying to ease her guilt, Rin sighed softly.
She stood, went to the bathroom door, opened and closed it three times.
On the final time, the space behind the door had changed.
A small 40-square-meter room lay beyond, the floor covered with complex golden patterns forming a ritual array.
Highness took out a small, milky-white horn about the size of two thumbs.
The Little Garden's evaluation of it: {A dragon horn of unknown origin. Seems to possess a summoning function.}
"Your Highness, must it really be this way?" Rin asked again, voice faint.
Highness stepped forward, placed the horn at the array's center, sliced his own artery, and let several drops of blood fall.
His voice was calm and steady. "Rin, I cannot win against them."
"Before the King of End's spirit rank appears, the Holy Son is the true bearer of the 'Savior' rank."
"And my greatest advantage, the avatar-based Miracle Constellation, was in the hands of a certain Buddhist before I was even born."
"From the start, my life was planned out for me."
"I refuse to be someone else's food. The only thing I can do is bring in a new variable."
Highness knelt and bowed to the dragon horn.
"O World King. O World Dragon. Please, hear my call."
"I, Kalki, holder of the Savior spirit-rank, ask to enter a covenant. I will act as your agent."
His voice fell.
A childlike voice echoed from a faraway world: "Contract accepted!"
Rin could only stand at the side and pray.
Pray that the World Dragon would keep its promise and grant Highness a chance at reincarnation after he gained Vishnu's spirit rank.
As the contract settled into his spirit, Highness exhaled in relief.
But then, an old voice, amused and weathered, spoke: "A wise choice."
The voice continued, gentle yet oddly profound. "Kurma is indeed the kindest among them. For you, choosing her was the best option."
"...Who?!" Highness's eyes widened. He looked around, but only Rin was there.
"No need to search, child. I am inside your spirit rank."
Highness shut his eyes, searching.
But there was nothing. No trace at all.
Impossible. Someone able to hide entirely inside his spirit rank. Someone who slipped past his senses.
Cold sweat ran down his forehead.
"Your Highness? What's wrong?" Rin's voice was small, concerned.
"No… nothing."
He answered while desperately trying to think.
The old voice chuckled. "Such a kind child."
"Someone like you, who cares so deeply for others, caught up in a battle of incarnations… no wonder you suffer."
"Who are you?" Highness asked carefully.
"I am the new variable you prayed for." The voice laughed, then spoke slowly, each word sinking deep.
"You may call me… Mr. Mystery."
.
.
.