— — — — — —
The upper layers—
Before a massive stone round table, Zeus stared at the parchment in his hand, marked with the twin goddess insignia, and slowly frowned.
Then he let out a long sigh and set the report in his hand down.
"I never thought that Demon Star would take the first step ahead of us."
Whoosh!
The parchment bearing the twin goddess insignia burst into flame without warning.
The bright orange glow illuminated the face of the man sitting nearby.
He looked middle-aged, with long black hair flowing to his waist. Yet there was nothing gloomy about him. Instead, he carried an unmistakable air of heroic dignity.
He wore a black robe over armor the color of dark jade, giving him a strangely refined elegance.
He was Zeus's elder brother, the eldest son of the third generation of Greek gods. Hades, ruler of the underworld.
At that moment, Hades sat calmly in his stone chair and spoke of the latest intelligence he'd received. "Athena has disappeared."
Zeus's expression didn't change.
"Probably Algol's doing." As he said it, he frowned, already piecing together Athena's intentions. "So she struck a deal with that one from Buddhism?"
Compared to Athena's disappearance, Zeus was far more concerned about her connection to Shakyamuni Buddha.
Anything involving a two-digit being demanded caution, no matter how small it seemed.
Hades sighed at Zeus's reaction. "Trying to find something like family affection in you really was wishful thinking, wasn't it?"
Zeus burst into laughter. "I don't have weaknesses like that for my dear brother to exploit."
Though they were brothers, the tension between Hades and Zeus had never been small.
Before, Zeus ruled the lower layers of Greece while Hades controlled the upper layers. The separation kept things balanced.
Now that Zeus had ascended, the friction between them had only grown worse.
Still, both of them understood one thing.
Greece, as it was now, couldn't survive internal conflict.
Especially not after the lower Greek faction had been nearly wiped out by Algol.
If they didn't want to be swallowed by the other pantheons, cooperation was their only option.
Of course, that didn't mean they had to stop taking shots at each other.
Exploit?" Hades repeated flatly, his expression not shifting in the slightest as he added, "Oh? I heard you got beaten up in the lower layers and ran away."
Zeus's smile froze.
After a long pause, his lips twitched as he replied, "That was an accident. I misjudged that brat Ryo's strength."
"Oh? Enough to miscalculate you?" Hades sounded almost impressed. "So you really did get beaten."
He sighed with a bit of admiration, "I'm starting to think I should invest in him."
In Little Garden, it was common for three-digit powers to invest in lower-layer communities and collect returns once they grew.
But hearing that from Hades clearly irritated Zeus. "He's just some brat who's good at borrowing outside power. Aren't opportunists the type you hate most?"
Hades sat there calmly.
"Gods change, Zeus."
Then he added, almost lazily, "Just like how you got beaten by a human. Could you have imagined that happening before? Ah, almost forgot. You've been ridden by a human boy before too."
Zeus's face darkened instantly.
What used to be a glorious piece of his romantic history now came bundled with the humiliating fact that Ryo had beaten him.
It was impossible to boast about it the same way anymore.
"If you really wanted to invest," Zeus said stiffly, "you're too late."
Hades nodded. "That's true. It seems he's already received investment from the Demon Star."
Then he turned to Zeus and offered his congratulations. "Congratulations. You've gained yet another great enemy in the making."
Zeus frowned.
Outside the palace, thunder rumbled violently.
Enemies. That was a constant theme in Zeus's life.
Truthfully, he didn't have many. With his personality, if someone offended him, he usually dealt with it on the spot.
Anyone still alive and out of his reach fell into only two categories.
They either had backing too big to touch. Or power too great to challenge.
Ryo belonged to the first. With Shiroyasha behind him, the once-strongest in Little Garden, Zeus couldn't casually deal with someone like that.
And now there was another problem. Algol had just become a rule-breaker.
Thinking of that, Zeus muttered, "Algol's advancement this time wasn't normal."
"Agreed." Hades closed his eyes. "She moved too fast. Even accounting for the difference between external timelines and Little Garden's own time flow, it's still too fast."
Both of them knew this much.
While sealed by Athena, Algol's Spirit Rank should have weakened over time.
And yet, right after breaking free, she'd taken the crucial step forward.
Zeus narrowed his eyes, "Could it be the Trickster?"
Hades's expression grew serious. "If it really is the Trickster, then every assumption we've made so far has to be thrown out."
He spoke in a low voice, "Hestia and I originally suspected there was a two-digit being backing the Trickster. But now... it seems it goes beyond that."
"If someone was able to push Algol into advancement, then there must be a two-digit existence whose Authority Domain aligns closely with Algol's path. And there shouldn't be anyone like that in Little Garden."
"Could it be a hidden three-digit rule-breaker?" Zeus said, stunned.
"Possibly." Hades nodded. "Or perhaps a supreme powerhouse from outside. In this endless multiverse, everyone can't be in Little Garden."
If it was an outsider, things were dangerous enough.
But if it was a hidden three-digit rule-breaker, it was even worse. Anyone capable of hiding for that long was bound to be planning something.
"So that means the Trickster side has at least two two-digit beings…" Zeus's expression turned heavy.
Hades shook his head. "No point dwelling on it. At this point, all we can do is have Thousand Eyes keep watch."
Zeus sighed. "Unfortunately, the price for information on Algol's power is too high. Greece can't afford that right now."
"I can't. And don't bother asking Hestia either." Hades cut him off immediately, already knowing what Zeus was thinking.
Zeus paused, then smiled. "In that case, sell Athena's disappearance to Thousand Eyes. See if we can trade it for lower-grade intel. Maybe some useful hints."
"Do as you like."
Hades found Zeus's habit of selling information about his own daughter exhausting, but didn't bother objecting.
Instead, he changed the subject. "As for the outer world tied to Algol's advancement, you'll handle the investigation."
Zeus snorted, "Hermes just had to die now of all times. Looks like I'll have to revive him ahead of schedule."
Rising from his seat, he said, "I'll deal with it. Hades, use your intelligence network to check the other pantheons. There's bound to be something unusual."
"I will."
With that reply, Zeus vanished from the hall.
Hades sat there in silence for a long while before sighing.
...
..
Outer Gate [500] — Heavenly Army Headquarters
Mata waved a stack of parchment marked with the twin goddess insignia at Indra. "Thousand Eyes sent the intel back. Want to take a look?"
"Look at what? It's got nothing to do with me." Indra didn't even lift his head, buried beneath a mountain of paperwork.
"Suit yourself."
Mata spread out the documents, grumbling as she read. "This damn thing cost me a fortune. One Authority-grade divine weapon, no credit allowed. Thousand Eyes are robbers. Black-hearted bastards. I'm definitely reselling this a few times to make my money back."
She kept reading while cursing under her breath.
Then... she went quiet.
Indra noticed immediately. Something felt off.
He looked up and asked, "Why aren't you reading it aloud like usual?"
"Are you sure you want me to?" Mata looked at him strangely.
"...What happened?"
Indra's heart skipped.
A bad feeling rose in his chest as he asked in a low voice, praying it had nothing to do with him.
"You'd better see for yourself." She stood and handed him the papers. "Page six. The one about the outer world."
"What the hell happened...?"
Indra flipped straight to the sixth page.
His eyes scanned the text.
{It has been confirmed that the greatest difference between this observed outer universe and current human history is as follows...}
{Indra occupies the position of Lord of Mount Meru within Buddhism, while simultaneously holding the title of Heavenly Emperor in Daoism and Lord of Heaven in Hinduism. His status is eternally unique, far beyond all known Divinities within recorded human history...}
The papers slipped from his hand and hit the floor.
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