As Angra Mainyu spread his arms before all of Little Garden, a scene reminiscent of when Azi Dahaka broke his seal reappeared.
In the sky, countless black, wordless contract letters fell from the heights, announcing to the world the arrival of a new Last Trial of Mankind!
"Rejoice! The gods of Little Garden will finally meet your end!"
"The Iron Age, the end of everything, Kali Yuga has been born!"
"Um, isn't your name Angra Mainyu?" Aslan weakly raised his hand, asking like an elementary school student.
Honestly, this was beyond Aslan's expectations. He had suspected that the Last Trial of Mankind from Hinduism, Kali Yuga, might emerge early, like Kalki. But who would've thought his opponent would arrive in Little Garden under the alias Mother of the Evil God, Angra Mainyu?
Don't tell him that just as Indra could switch from Zoroastrianism to Hinduism, Angra Mainyu switched from Hinduism to Zoroastrianism.
"Talkative, why are you so curious?" Angra Mainyu stomped his foot in annoyance, pointing at Aslan's nose. "Planeswalker, do what you're supposed to do and let this guy surpass Absolute Evil."
"But what if I say no?" Aslan kicked Azi Dahaka, who was frantically trying to pounce on him.
He used Vasavi Shakti to knock him out, then employed Another Cosmology: Void Star · Tai Sui to temporarily seal him. He then curiously stared at Angra Mainyu. He even boldly stepped forward, pinched his cheek, and rubbed his chin for a moment.
"As expected, in an immature state, just like Kalki?"
"Sorry, if you want to obtain the Absolute Evil Spirit Status this way, I really can't agree."
"Because Little Garden hasn't reached its period of destruction yet, nor has it reached the Iron Age. This causes your birth, like Kalki's, to be incomplete."
"So you want to use the Absolute Evil Spirit Status, also a Last Trial of Mankind, to complete your Spirit Status early and achieve the goal of becoming more perfect than the savior Kalki?"
Aslan held Vasavi Shakti, confidently pointing its tip at Angra Mainyu. He was certain his guess was correct.
Of course it was—because he orchestrated it all. Even this performance was his solo act, so how could there be any mistakes?
Unlike Aslan's confidence, the gods, after painstakingly defeating Absolute Evil, were suddenly confronted with another Last Trial of Mankind, with black, wordless contract letters falling.
Many gods felt dizzy—literally—and didn't dare open their eyes. One Last Trial of Mankind was bad enough, and now another appeared.
"…Last Trial of Mankind." Athena took a deep breath. Her hands and feet felt cold despite the hot weather. "What's wrong with this world? Can we gods live in peace? Tears flow uncontrollably… ah, forget the rest."
In short, even the flower-crowned girl, who thought she was the mastermind of this grand drama, puffed out her chest and sank into thought. Who would've known she came to fish for information on Ouroboros's plans, only to create the savior Kalki?
And now Ouroboros had made it clear they summoned Kalki just to try completing Vishnu's Spirit Status. As an apology, they generously decided to share the achievements from surpassing Absolute Evil to silence Little Garden's gods.
This also showed everything was under Ouroboros's control, with no issues. But… damn it, what was with this new Last Trial of Mankind? Did they bring about the apocalypse while creating a savior?
Damn Ouroboros!
As for whether it was fake?
Try withstanding the Halo of the Supreme Ruler from that three-headed dragon. A Last Trial of Mankind has absolute God-Slayer traits. All tricks like Star Spirit immortality, gods returning through human history, or avatars still existing… none work against a Last Trial of Mankind. If it kills you, you're truly dead, and that Spirit Status is gone forever.
A Last Trial of Mankind will crush anyone who underestimates it. So, the only one who could survive the Halo of the Supreme Ruler is another Last Trial of Mankind. Though still in its infancy, it can't be compared to ordinary beings. Especially since it nearly gained the Absolute Evil Spirit Status and became perfect early.
At this moment, not only Athena but other gods thought the same.
Though Angra Mainyu's Last Trial of Mankind identity needed further verification, his ability to spread black contracts and the fact that he was killed by the Halo of the Supreme Ruler and revived was enough to confirm he was indeed a Last Trial of Mankind.
Wouldn't it be worse if he truly was the incarnation of the Mother of the Evil God?
In an instant, most gods believed Angra Mainyu was Kali Yuga. After all, the elite gods in the upper layers weren't easily fooled, but the lazy gods in the lower layers definitely were.
Aslan didn't need everyone to believe to control the Kali Yuga Spirit Status; he just needed the dumbest, most gullible lower-layer gods to believe.
When the gods believed, human history would observe that the gods' history believed, and Little Garden's Central Core would believe too. Then, the prototype of the Kali Yuga Spirit Status would form in Angra Mainyu's body.
This was the benefit of building good relations and paving the way early. With a good rapport with Little Garden's Central Core, everything would go smoothly.
As for what the Two-Digit seniors would think? Little Garden's Central Core playing dumb wasn't new. Wasn't it normal for bugs to occur sometimes? Two-Digit beings weren't omniscient or omnipotent. They couldn't predict every situation.
"That's right, but how are you so sure it's me—"
Before Angra Mainyu could finish, a lightning-filled spear pierced him.
It was Indra, or rather, Indra wielding Vasavi Shakti.
Guess why Aslan wasted time talking to him? It was just to stall. While conversing with Angra Mainyu, Aslan secretly returned Vasavi Shakti to Indra.
Indra seized the chance to injure Zarathustra and disable his movements. Then he delivered a fatal blow to Angra Mainyu.
"Kali Yuga? I've surpassed it once, what's wrong with doing it again?"
Indra's eyes were filled with worry. He hadn't expected even Kali Yuga to rise and surge. What about other Last Trials of Mankind defeated by gods who descended as humans?
Like Yamata no Orochi, Hanuman, or Angolmoa, King of the End of the Century?
This was truly an unsettling signal. Hopefully, Kali Yuga didn't have that disgusting trait of only being killable by humans, not saviors. That would be utterly repulsive.
"A sneak attack?" Angra Mainyu suddenly laughed. Then he said, "Mother of the Evil God Ahriman, I leave this fight to you."
Ahriman said nothing and didn't refuse. She gently extended her finger, stopping Indra's full-powered Vasavi Shakti. Then she reached out, a beating golden heart appearing in her hand, which she crushed.
In one move, Indra could no longer rise.
Instantly, all watching gods were shocked. Even the Full Authority Domain (Two-Digit level) in the upper layers.
What… what happened?
Indra maintained his position as the Heavenly Forces' leader not just through achievements but absolute strength. He was an invincible existence at both Three-Digit and Four-Digit levels.
When he was Three-Digit, his achievement was splitting his Spirit Status among Hindu gods fallen in the Last Trial of Mankind Kali Yuga, then defeating Kali Yuga himself while retaining top Three-Digit power.
After descending as a human, he also defeated Azi Dahaka, who had absorbed worldviews, Spirit Statuses, and Gifts from many divine groups. Even after a sneak attack, he still had the strength to save the Heavenly Forces and maintain their power.
This invincible history let Indra hold his position as the Heavenly Forces' leader. But now… Indra lost in one strike?
All gods felt it was unreal. More than that, they panicked yet felt relieved. Kali Yuga, still at Four-Digit, was already this strong—what about its perfect form after gaining the Absolute Evil Spirit Status?
Aslan truly saved Little Garden's gods this time.
"When did you show up? I didn't have the illusion I'd achieved my true goal?" Ahriman left, and Aslan took over. Angra Mainyu flicked the golden divine blood off his hand, looked at Aslan, and laughed.
Then, under Aslan's wary gaze, he walked step by step toward the unconscious Azi Dahaka. He reached out, directly extracting Another Cosmology: Avesta from Azi Dahaka's body.
After merging it into himself, Angra Mainyu casually explained.
"Absolute Evil Spirit Status? Of course, I knew the chances were slim. After all, I didn't expect you to guess the truth?"
"But since you guessed, why did I call myself Angra Mainyu?"