"It's finally over."
Aslan happily withdrew Angra Mainyu and let out a sigh of relief.
That performance was truly too thrilling. Especially for a rookie like him, who'd only been "in the game" for a few months.
Deceiving the gods of Little Garden, and even many Two-Digit entities, was incredibly intense—akin to dancing on the edge of a blade. One misstep, or if he got caught, Aslan might have to truly abandon Little Garden and start over at a "second table" or flee to another world to grow.
Though risky, the rewards were immense. Aslan grinned excitedly, looking at the three Another Cosmology in his hands. Though he'd have to return Vasavi Shakti to Indra after returning, and Void Star · Tai Sui might only be borrowed temporarily, Avesta was truly his. That alone was already highly profitable.
Avesta was one of the strongest Another Cosmology. Once unleashed, it could instantly copy an opponent's Spirit Status, worldview, and Gifts, adding them permanently, not temporarily. That was its most terrifying aspect.
"It's just that unleashing an Another Cosmology in the outer world is too difficult, isn't it?" Aslan sighed, storing the three Another Cosmology and shaking his head helplessly.
As a secret treasure capable of destroying a universe when activated, in Little Garden, its range was limited to one outer gate, so the energy cost to unleash an Another Cosmology was low. But in the outer world… its range covered an entire worldview or multi-universe level.
An ordinary single universe couldn't withstand the shockwave of its activation. Otherwise, it wouldn't be considered a Pantheon's core. This was a true secret treasure used by Pantheons to counter Two-Digit entities, both inside and outside Little Garden.
Every fully unleashed Another Cosmology had the power to challenge Two-Digit beings.
Of course, the difficulty of unleashing an Another Cosmology was also immense. The energy required to activate it was naturally greater. In Little Garden, things like Sun Authorities or Pantheon achievements could charge an Another Cosmology. Full activation was impossible, but partial activation was feasible.
Even if only partial, an Another Cosmology was still an unimaginably powerful Gift. Its utility, however, was reduced.
For Aslan now, its usefulness wasn't significant. At best, it could help him face Three-Digit beings, and only the weaker ones. It was far from enough to challenge seniors like the Demon Gods in Toaru Majutsu no Index.
Normally, as long as Aslan's luck wasn't too bad, he wouldn't need to worry about meeting such seniors.
"So, return now? Or go to another world for some fun?" Aslan rubbed his chin, sinking into thought.
He felt it might be too soon to return. What if he waited for the dust to settle before going back?
[Don't forget, you still owe me one achievement.]
Little Garden's Central Core didn't forget to remind Aslan.
Did he really think his many maneuvers left no traces or suspicions?
Two-Digit entities and old-timers who'd lived for who-knows-how-long—erasing their suspicions about Aslan and removing him from the suspect list required subtle influence and significant energy from Little Garden's Central Core.
Little Garden's Central Core was the nominal "sky" of Little Garden. Naturally, it could guide others by sending various information and even subtly influence the evolution of Little Garden's fate.
In Little Garden, fate did exist. Since enough people believed in it, even if it didn't exist, it would manifest. Even Two-Digit entities would seek clues through prophecies or other methods when faced with unknown information.
It wasn't very accurate, very metaphysical. But combined with this metaphysics, vague fate, Little Garden's Central Core, divine history, human history, the Akashic Record, and the omniscience and omnipotence of Two-Digit entities, it often ended up highly accurate or at least provided some clues.
Some Three-Digit beings could even predict Two-Digit movements through prophecies. However, such Three-Digit beings were rare, and most didn't dare prophesy recklessly. Even if Aslan left no clues, there was still a chance he'd be exposed under these metaphysical methods.
But it was fine—Little Garden's Central Core could subtly interfere, influencing outcomes through achievement transfers and other knowledge authorities. This was the benefit of having an insider.
Of course, this service wasn't free. Aslan now owed another massive achievement, roughly equivalent to what he'd gain from saving the world once.
[So, young man, it's time to earn achievements.]
Little Garden's Central Core said with slight urgency. Honestly, it didn't like Aslan lingering in Little Garden. It was boring and left it with nothing to do.
To avoid detection by the Two-Digit group, it had to play dumb. Observing other worlds and gaining new information was also highly beneficial for its growth.
"Alright, then I'll head to another world to avoid trouble for a bit." Aslan stretched, happily making his decision.
He'd go to another world for fun and growth. He'd also see if there was a way to break Algol's seal without using Athena's method, forcibly breaking the seal she created.
Honestly, it was a bit challenging, but Aslan liked things that were slightly challenging. Consider it a breather after that big stunt.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Gozo Island, underground mausoleum.
Sleeping in an ice coffin was a girl with radiant golden hair, a beautiful face, and slender, delicate limbs, like a dream. She wore a tattered white robe. Her frail body was locked in the ice coffin.
"Is this… a sealed Vampire Primogenitor?"
Aslan looked at the golden-haired girl in the ice coffin, sensing a familiar aura.
Having interacted often with Leticia, who now belonged to him, Aslan was more familiar with vampire and Primogenitor auras. Though this wasn't a Little Garden Vampire Primogenitor, with similar concepts, he could still recognize her as a vampire.
"But what's in her body? A fairy? A beast? A ghost? Or something else?"
"A vampire, a monster in the blood? A Beast Vassal."
"So it's this world."
Aslan quickly realized what kind of world he'd entered.
Strike the Blood, a world dominated by vampires, a highly chaotic world. However, the vampires here differed from those in Little Garden.
Little Garden vampires were created by the World Dragon, coming to Little Garden from a distant future at the dawn of time, but they couldn't withstand sunlight.
Even a little sunlight could easily kill them. They could only stand under sunlight beneath Little Garden's canopy.
The vampire royal family led by Leticia was destroyed because someone attacked them and opened the canopy. Apart from immortality and the ability to turn others into vampires, they had no other abilities.
In contrast, vampires in this world weren't afraid of sunlight, only instinctively disliking it. They also had Beast Vassals in their bodies. Each vampire could summon a Beast Vassal to fight for them. However, their physical bodies were relatively weak. They were almost in the state most envied by Little Garden vampires.
As for the girl before him, locked in the ice coffin, Aslan also guessed her identity.
"Sealed within her body is the soul matrix of the twelfth."
"Looks like I came at the perfect time." Aslan couldn't help but smile.
It had to be said, his timing was impeccable—before the Fourth Primogenitor was born. If the Fourth Primogenitor had already been born, Aslan might've met Akatsuki Kojou, already a vampire. If that happened, Aslan might've needed methods to strip Kojou of that power.
Aslan planned to gift the vampire Spirit Status and the Fourth Primogenitor of this world to Leticia, while also helping Little Garden vampires break the curse of not withstanding sunlight.
But now, with the Fourth Primogenitor not yet born, Aslan had much more room to maneuver. If lucky, he could also obtain the twelve vampire maidens and their twelve Beast Vassals.
Even the possibility of breaking Algol's seal in this world wasn't small.
It was the Cleansing, the ultimate curse that could change the world and its laws. Perhaps it could break Athena's seal and free Algol?
Aslan then drew a strangely shaped dagger, a Gift he'd bought earlier: the All-Breaking Talisman. He gently stabbed the anti-magic dagger into the ice coffin.
*SHIIIII—*
In an instant, the ice coffin shattered, and mist rose. The girl lying in the ice coffin, like a prisoner, suddenly opened her clear, water-like eyes. But perhaps because the All-Breaking Talisman from Little Garden was too potent, Aslan not only broke the seal on the twelfth soul matrix but also the seal on the true Fourth Primogenitor's soul within the twelfth's body.
The moment she awoke, the true Fourth Primogenitor took over Aurora's body.