At night, a bright moon hung in the pitch-black sky, illuminating the vast, empty plain without a single mound.
A teenager wearing a straw hat gazed at the plain, the corners of his mouth twitching twice involuntarily.
"Indra wouldn't be that petty, would he?"
Relocating Blazing Fire City was one thing, but what was with this flat, specially reinforced terrain?
Was he really not going to let him set up the battlefield?
Was that necessary?
And then there were the surveillance gifts around, the familiars, and one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals on duty in the distance—Bishamonten Kenshin Uesugi.
"What a headache. I was hoping to quietly set up the place and expand the Host Master Authority."
Though he said it was a headache, there wasn't the slightest trace of distress on Krishna's face.
But under the bright moonlight, on this empty plain, not a single person noticed Krishna's figure.
Even Bishamonten Kenshin Uesugi, who maintained a Four-Digit Spirit Status in the Lower Layer, was no exception.
Compared to Krishna, Kenshin Uesugi was still a bit immature. If Indra had come, he might have picked up some clues.
Then Krishna casually tossed his straw hat, and at the same moment, a gentle breeze lifted the hat into the sky, covering the moon.
"Wait? Where did that straw hat come from?"
Kenshin Uesugi instinctively drew his long spear, sharpening his focus as he stared at the straw hat blocking the moon in his view.
"I don't recall anyone here wearing a straw hat?"
"Who's trying to play god? Show yourself!"
*SWOOSH!*
The next second, Kenshin Uesugi hurled his long spear, piercing the straw hat swaying in the sky.
When he came to his senses, an ancient fortress, weathered by time, had appeared on the empty plain.
"When did that show up?"
Kenshin Uesugi retrieved his spear, holding the now-pierced straw hat that seemed perfectly ordinary, staring at the ancient fortress in disbelief.
He had been extremely cautious just moments ago, yet he still couldn't comprehend what had happened.
As for the other Heavenly Army members nearby, along with the various gifts and familiars used for surveillance, none detected any anomalies.
Or rather, at that moment, everyone's attention was drawn to the straw hat, and no one noticed the changes on the ground.
Even the electronic cameras, devoid of any mystique, were the same.
The footage showed only the straw hat and the spear thrown by Kenshin Uesugi.
"Forget it, Uesugi, it's pointless."
At some point, Indra had appeared here, stopping Kenshin Uesugi, who was preparing to blast the ancient fortress to find out who was behind it.
The stage was already set, and even if Kenshin Uesugi wanted to act, it would be futile.
Even if he let him act, he might not be able to destroy the ancient fortress, which had been granted Host Master Authority.
"The mastermind behind Ouroboros has made their move."
Hearing Indra say this, Kenshin Uesugi finally lowered his spear, sighing helplessly.
"I know, I'm just frustrated."
"Do those bastards still think the Heavenly Army exist?!"
As he spoke, Kenshin Uesugi threw the straw hat to the ground and stomped on it twice.
Using a straw hat to divert everyone's attention—the identity of this person was clear.
After all, there was only one significant figure associated with a straw hat: Krishna.
"At least now we can confirm that the financier and leader of Ouroboros is Krishna, right?"
Indra wasn't too angry. After confirming the true mastermind behind Ouroboros, he had also nearly determined the level of action needed.
A Two-Digit-level being had stepped in to warn. Would he still not stop?
Krishna's appearance this time was almost certainly to provide an explanation to the gods of Little Garden. An explanation from a Two-Digit being carried significant weight.
The only question was what kind of explanation Krishna would give. A single savior, Kalki, wasn't enough to justify Ouroboros's intent to destroy Little Garden.
"We just need to do our jobs."
As he spoke, Indra yawned and waved at Kenshin Uesugi.
"It's late. Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a tough battle."
Kenshin Uesugi nodded silently, unsure if he was listening or not.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
On the horizon, a faint light began struggling to pierce the darkness—a sign that the sun was about to rise.
A white-haired teenager, born less than two days ago, reached out, trying to grasp the dim light, only to be shocked when he realized he couldn't hold anything.
"His Highness, to grasp the sun, you'd need to be at least Three-Digit."
Jester, with a smug expression, gently reminded him.
"Huh?"
Kalki was stunned, unsure of what to say.
He wanted to say this was his first time seeing a sunrise.
"And, His Highness, we need to carry out the first task assigned by our superiors."
Jester spoke softly. Though gentle, there was a hint of undeniable authority in his words.
"Can't it wait a little longer?"
Kalki's mouth twitched. Employing child labor shouldn't be like this.
He was born just a few days ago. Already working?
No, did Ouroboros create me just to work?
"Sorry, His Highness, you should have seen the contract. The Gift Game has already started."
Jester said as much. Kalki sighed helplessly and tucked away the contract in his hand.
His first Gift Game? It felt a bit challenging.
Winning wouldn't be easy.
"Ready?"
Before Jester's words finished, a white two-headed dragon appeared out of nowhere and charged straight at Kalki.
"Let's begin! His Highness, go for it!"
Then Kalki was immediately struck and sent flying.
After all, he was born just a few days ago. Being able to control his power was already impressive. As for combat, he still needed to adapt.
Unfortunately, Ouroboros didn't have enough time to let Kalki grow; they could only accelerate his growth as much as possible.
Nearby, Rin saw Kalki get hurt and instinctively wanted to help.
But she was stopped by Jester.
Jester only said coldly, "This is his fate as a savior. He must learn how to fight, how to unleash his strongest power, and how to grow through battle."
Kalki was indeed worthy of being a savior; he grew remarkably fast in combat. Though caught off guard at first, he quickly fought on equal footing with the Four-Digit-level two-headed dragon clone.
He even briefly dominated the battle.
"But isn't this too fast?"
Rin said doubtfully. How old was Kalki now? No, more accurately, he was born just a few days ago?
Less than two days, to be precise.
Yesterday, after hurriedly burying his mother, he rushed to Little Garden.
Even Rin had many complaints about Ouroboros's arrangements. It felt like, "Don't make things hard for a newborn child."
What was the point of tormenting a kid?
Couldn't they wait a bit longer?
Wait for His Highness to grow.
"Not too fast. Time waits for no one."
Jester smiled, offering no further explanation, and continued watching Kalki grow through his battle with the two-headed dragon.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Meanwhile, at the border gate of Blazing Fire City, Aslan and Karyou walked out of the gate.
Of course, Karyou was currently wearing a magnificent, conservative Hanfu.
At Aslan's strong insistence, since her previous outfit was a bit too revealing.
If it were someone else, Aslan would've fully supported it, as it would be a treat for his eyes.
But for his own fiancée, the more conservative, the better.
Those outfits could be worn at home.
"By the way, where's Arcadia's flag? Don't tell me it's at the highest point?"
Aslan squinted, standing outside the game arena, looking at the fortress conjured by Krishna. At the highest point of the fortress, there seemed to be a flag fluttering.
But it was too far to see clearly.
No, it wasn't just the distance—it was as if a frosted glass layer covered it under the Host Master Authority.
He couldn't see the game arena's scenery at all.
Otherwise, with Four-Digit vision, there was no way he wouldn't see clearly.
"No idea, but don't we just need to go in and fight?"
Karyou showed a bloodthirsty smile, speaking with great excitement.
As a Demon King, she had been obedient for hundreds of years and hadn't vented her anger in a long time.
As for fighting Aslan? Forget it—the compatibility as opponents was too poor, making it impossible to fight enjoyably.
Aslan also glanced around at the other Four-Digit-level beings preparing to compete for the Sun Authority.
Under their expectant gazes, he quietly took Karyou's hand and walked into the game arena together.
Karyou resisted slightly, but after seeing her resistance was ineffective, she let Aslan hold her hand.
Then came the sound of countless discussions.
"Huh, I didn't expect the rumors to be true. Aslan, who took over Arcadia, really won Karyou over?"
"No, I heard he got angry over a woman and attacked Perseus for Aishelia? I heard even the Demon Star was taken from her."
"Huh, what version of the rumor is that? Wasn't the Demon Star a token of love?"
"No, it's clearly because Aslan and Karyou are in love!"
A fat monk in a monk's robe refuted. Seeing Karyou and Aslan holding hands, he was almost moved to tears.
Yes, indeed, the Roc King still wasn't at ease about his daughter's relationship and came to the Lower Layer to join in.
"Then where does that leave us?!"
"Where did this heresy come from?!"
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Aslan had no idea how much of a stir his actions had just caused.
He also didn't know what kind of gossip was circulating about him out there.
However, what was clear now was that, unexpectedly, his reputation didn't seem too bad.
After all, Arcadia's fall was too sudden, and Aslan's arrival was too timely.
In fact, Little Garden's attention on him wasn't low—it was just that Aslan rarely showed himself.