— — — — — —
Algol paused when she heard Ryo's question. When she spoke again, her tone was sour.
"Who else could it be? That ugly woman who sealed me."
Athena.
Ryo narrowed his eyes, a heavy realization settling in.
No wonder the Athena of Little Garden had so casually split off authority and even portions of her name. That confidence came from here.
Pallas. Metis. Athena.
The conceptual authority behind all those names rested in her hands. For Campione Athena to turn around and devour her was practically impossible.
Ryo took a slow breath.
Fortunately, Little Garden's Athena still had designs on him, so they hadn't fallen out.
Even more fortunate, the few times he'd schemed against her, she had only come to settle accounts with him personally. She hadn't dragged Campione Athena into it.
In a way, her character was still trustworthy. She didn't take her anger out on bystanders.
If it were Zeus, he would've gone straight for the people around Ryo.
That old lecher was beyond redemption.
Ryo sighed inwardly. Then he thought about his current four-digit level and the path to future advancement. His mouth twitched.
"Racial concepts. Name concepts. Incomplete spirit ranks above three digits. Why does it feel like the upper layers of Little Garden are just one giant minefield?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Algol shot back. "The higher you climb, the narrower it gets. What world isn't like that?"
She sounded exasperated. "It's actually better now. The Center Core at least opened up an eighteenth two-digit slot. A few thousand years ago? You wouldn't even have had a door to knock on."
She continued, almost reminiscing. "The Takamagahara Pantheon was powerful in its prime. Three three-digit chief gods, plus a bunch of ancient ones. They all sacrificed themselves and still couldn't squeeze out a single two-digit position. In the end, they could only prop up Ame no Murakumo (Kusanagi no Tsurugi) into a quasi two-digit divine sword."
"And that was already lucky. If they'd mishandled even one step, there wouldn't have been anything left at all."
Ryo's brows jumped violently. His expression darkened.
Advancing from three digits to two was that difficult?
Did that mean his own future was bleak?
He quickly opened the Dimensional Forum.
'What conditions do I need to meet to advance to two digits?'
[Answer: When your spirit rank reaches the limit of three digits and your cosmo ascends into the Big Will (Divine Cosmos), you may ascend to two digits.]
"No special requirements? I don't need the Little Garden Center System to leave an open slot?"
[Answer: An agreement has been reached with the Little Garden Center. One two-digit position has been reserved for the holder. The Center can currently accommodate nineteen two-digit beings. The nineteenth slot has been concealed by the Forum.]
"…."
Ryo was speechless.
So this was what it felt like to have connections.
While countless three-digit beings were clawing at each other for a two-digit slot, one had already been reserved for him.
His cheek twitched as he forcibly suppressed a smile and put on a solemn face. "Looks like advancing to two digits is incredibly difficult."
"Difficult?" Algol scoffed. "How many people have been fighting over that position for who knows how long without success?"
There was a strange note in her voice. "When I challenged all three-digit beings back then, it wasn't just because I hated those ugly bastards. I was also competing for the final slot. In the end, though, it was snatched by that bald donkey from the Buddhist faction."
Ryo glanced at the Zanpakutō in surprise.
He hadn't realized that when Algol challenged the gods, it was also a bid for a two-digit seat.
But it made sense. No one picks a fight with the entire world without a reason.
And Algol hadn't merely opposed one world. She'd antagonized the gods across countless universes, unleashing malignant power everywhere, turning herself into the archetype of demon legends.
That was basically spreading belief in one final push.
Wait.
So this idiot actually had that kind of foresight back then?
At that moment, Algol let out a soft "hm?" Her tone turned sharp.
"Were you just insulting me in your head?"
"Absolutely not," Ryo replied without hesitation.
She gave a cold laugh.
"Still pretending? I can't quite tell who was cursing me, but in this world you're the only one who knows who I am. And you're saying it wasn't you?"
"…."
Ryo's lips twitched.
He'd slipped up.
He'd instinctively blurred his thoughts, shielding them from Algol's spiritual perception. But he'd forgotten a crucial detail. In this world, he was the only one who knew Algol's identity.
That narrowed it down to one suspect.
Caught red-handed.
His expression didn't change.
"I heard that Itogami Island has the most advanced and comprehensive cosmetics in this world."
"You think that'll work on me?" Algol snorted. "You really believe I'd be bought off by something like that?"
She paused. "… But how's the effect? Anything especially good for moisturizing? Asking for a friend."
"Yes. Definitely," Ryo said smoothly.
'If there isn't, I'll make the scientists invent it,' he added silently.
"I see. Fine. I'll let this slide. Call me when you're done."
Algol muttered something under her breath, and her presence gradually receded.
Ryo finally exhaled and shifted his gaze away from the blade.
"Back with us?" Natsuki asked. "You were talking to the one who devoured Lilith?"
"Yeah."
He nodded, then looked at Yume, "Lilith's gone. Completely."
Yume had already checked her mind over and over. She nodded frantically, joy written all over her face.
Seeing that, Ryo narrowed his eyes slightly. "Then let's settle the matter of your attempted terrorist attack on Itogami Island."
"What terrorist attack?" Yume blinked, stunned.
Right then—
A deep, drawn-out wail echoed from the distant sea.
Boom.
With a thunderous explosion, a colossal creature burst from beneath the waves. Four thousand meters long, wrapped in a black magical barrier, it resembled a hornless dragon-serpent.
Roaring, it slammed straight toward the skyscraper.
Crash!
Steel and concrete shattered.
The massive serpent bit through the building, snapping half of it clean off before leaping back toward the opposite side of the island. In a single bound, it crossed more than ten kilometers and landed on the artificial island in what could only be described as a monstrous frog jump.
Towering waves surged outward, smashing into the ring road along the coast.
Amid the chaos, chunks of falling debris slowed in midair, suspended by telekinesis before settling gently around Ryo.
He stood untouched.
"Natsuki, make a record," he said calmly.
"Kazuomi Kusuki, the founder of Kusuki-Elysée, controlled Yume Eguchi, colluded with the Bureau of Astrology and the Lion King Agency, and remotely directed Leviathan in a terrorist strike against the Dawn Empire, Blue Elysium Island."
"The perpetrator has been executed on the spot. The accomplices have been detained by Itogami Island authorities. The government of Japan is required to hand over the responsible members of the Bureau of Astrology and the Lion King Agency."
"If there is resistance, don't say we didn't warn you."
Yume stared at Ryo, dumbfounded, as he calmly spun an entire narrative out of thin air.
After a long, stunned silence, she finally managed one word.
"Damn."
.
.
.