— — — — — —
Ryo froze for a second. When he snapped back to himself, his face darkened, the look on it utterly speechless.
"You—"
Before he could even finish, Algol shot up in protest. "Don't tell me it can't beautify its user. That's impossible!"
"I might already be too gorgeous for my own good, but I'm not stupid. You're not fooling me this time."
"I haven't even said anything yet." Ryo shot her a glare, his expression black as night.
The Zanpakutō floating in midair paused, then began circling him again, "...Heh."
"Heh, my ass…" Ryo's eyelid twitched before he said, "I'll try. But a power like the Cosmos… I probably can't just hand it over to you directly."
Among the Saints of Saint Seiya, every generation of Pisces Saints had been absurdly beautiful, regardless of gender. Strikingly so.
Ryo had long suspected something was off. Maybe Pisces carried some kind of appearance-altering effect. Add in the fact that Pisces' Gold techniques involved toxins, and he'd deliberately avoided researching that constellation's power.
Looks like he couldn't dodge it anymore.
"Deal!"
Algol had no intention of pushing him too far. If he were weaker, she'd have forced the issue without a second thought. But with Ryo's current strength, the approach had to be different.
The smart play was to get what she wanted without crossing his bottom line. Besides, she understood his temperament well enough.
"If this plan really does produce Another Cosmology, I'll share a copy with you."
Ryo looked up sharply at that, his expression turning subtle. "You're serious?"
"Of course. I'm not like those rotten types from the Cross or the Greeks. When Al-chan makes a promise, she keeps it."
She said it with complete confidence.
Ryo knew she was dangling bait. Fishing him in. Still… he was tempted.
With Algol's Three-Digit rank and her identity as a Star Spirit, if she used the Cleansing to convert a mainstream pantheon into demons, the chances of birthing Another Cosmology were very real.
And once properly developed, Another Cosmology could at minimum elevate someone to Three-Digit. A stronger one might even rival Two-Digit.
Just like Algol herself.
When she made enemies of the gods, there was no way she did it without Another Cosmology as her foundation.
At least, Ryo didn't believe so.
Would it be one tied to the Cross and Lilith? Or something rooted in the Mesopotamian pantheon? Or… was she planning to share the Another Cosmology refined from the Cleansing itself?
Most likely the third option. Another Cosmology built on the Cleansing would ensure I could actually use it.
Ryo narrowed his eyes.
He had to admit, the payoff was enticing.
He had always had a weakness for anything that made him stronger.
"So you're planning to use my resources to target the Greeks?"
Now that he was entertaining the idea of cooperation, he spoke more freely.
"You mean Hermes and Ares?" Algol's tone carried a hint of hesitation.
"Isn't that the obvious target?" Ryo countered. "Only a mainstream pantheon could support the possibility you're chasing. If your power stands opposed to the gods, then you need a corresponding host of gods to begin with."
"Greece is the natural breakthrough point."
"Impossible."
To Ryo's surprise, Algol rejected the idea outright. "I hate to admit it, but I'm not confident I could kill Zeus. And back then, when I fought Hades, I only won by half a move. He's no pushover either."
"And there's Hestia. I owe her a favor. I'm not interested in repaying it by attacking her."
"Out of the Twelve Olympians, I only really dislike Athena and Aphrodite. The others? I don't have that much hostility toward them."
"Besides, they're too strong. If I want this to work, it's safer to choose a mainstream pantheon that's already weakened but still has a solid foundation."
Hearing that, Ryo didn't look disappointed at all. Instead, he smiled. "Good. That makes me feel a lot better."
"…Tch. So you were testing me."
Algol caught on instantly.
He'd suspected she was eyeing the two Olympian incarnations in his possession. This whole exchange had been a probe.
"Before working with someone, I need to know how sharp my ally is. I have no interest in picking a petty fight and suddenly ending up against the entire host of gods."
There was a trace of mockery in Ryo's voice.
She'd just called him brainless. This was payback.
Algol fell silent.
She'd seen petty people before, but Ryo was on another level. All she'd done was call him an idiot a couple of times, and he'd gone digging into her old black history? That was excessive.
"Since you're not targeting the Twelve, I won't need to alter my Machine God plan."
Ryo's lips curved slightly, eyes narrowing.
"But don't forget, the Demon Primogenitor's Spirit Rank you want won't come easy. Unless you corrupt an entire mainstream pantheon, it won't happen."
Even if the corresponding Spirit Rank hadn't been born yet, just as Ryo could infer its completion conditions, Algol could too.
"It's fine. I already have a target," Algol said calmly.
"Which pantheon?" Ryo pressed.
He still didn't fully trust her judgment. When Algol got worked up, she really did lose all sense of restraint.
She had openly challenged Buddhism, Daoism, the Cross, Greece, and countless other gods before. Not through backroom schemes like Ryo. She'd done it head-on, blade to blade.
That was why she'd been beaten so badly in the end, reduced to her current state by Athena.
Algol hesitated.
She hadn't expected him to press for specifics.
After a moment, she gave her answer.
"Mesopotamia."
Your old home turf, huh…
Ryo's lips twitched.
Algol's earliest identity, her original name, had likely been Ishtar. The goddess of beauty in the Mesopotamian pantheon.
Mesopotamia had once been immensely powerful in Little Garden, filled with countless gods. In the end, it was stabbed in the back by the Cross and declined into weakness.
Still, it fit the criteria perfectly.
Once a mainstream pantheon. Now diminished.
If she turned them all into demons, there was indeed a slim chance she could complete a Two-Digit Spirit Rank.
On paper, it made sense.
But…
It wasn't Ryo's style.
After a brief pause, he narrowed his eyes and coaxed, "Have you considered an easier route?"
"What route?"
Algol sounded puzzled.
Ryo's lips curved, his tone playful.
"Why go up against the gods of Little Garden at all?"
"Aren't their counterparts in unknown worlds much easier prey?"
.
.
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