— — — — — —
Heracles woke up fast.
Tough as he was, he opened his eyes within minutes, sat up quietly, and began steadying his breathing (from the excitement)
Of course, while he did that, he kept part of his attention on the conversation happening around him.
...
…Damn~
Ryo finally let out a small breath of astonishment.
Uesugi Kenshin's little "fate" trick had been wild.
If his sixth sense hadn't stayed active the whole time, he might've actually believed he was Mithras just now.
That kind of ability—to literally alter someone's fate—he wasn't sure if it was Kenshin's specialty or some obscure side skill. But thinking about it, it was probably the latter.
Such a power...
Ryo couldn't help feeling a bit emotional. He didn't even know when he'd reach the Eighth Sense himself—he was still stuck at the Seventh, after all.
"..."
Once Heracles had finished stabilizing his aura, Ryo turned to the others and asked, "I'm still maintaining the portal back—do we head out?"
Uesugi Kenshin sighed. "I've got nothing else to do here in the lower world," she said. "But thanks to you two, I'll have a lot of reports to write when I get back."
She glanced between Ryo and Heracles.
Ryo accepting the King of End's destiny? Yeah, that was definitely getting filed.
In fact, she was already planning to drag down that useless god Indra as leverage, just to make sure the upper brass didn't give Ryo too much trouble.
He had, after all, helped her avoid undoing her seal, which gave her the chance to join the upcoming two-digit qualification battles.
A debt like that—Kenshin wasn't the type to forget it.
"I'll probably leave right away. Scáthach, what about you?" Kenshin looked over at Scáthach.
Scáthach shrugged, letting out a resigned sigh. "Well, this trip was kind of a bust. I didn't get much out of it—just cleared a small side quest."
"But hey, I did manage to buy that can of fermented fish the Queen wanted during my investigation. Still not sure how she even knew this world had that stuff."
At the mention of the surströmming, Ryo's expression twitched, his brow furrowing.
What the hell did Queen Halloween want with that stinky thing? Planning to prank someone?
While Ryo was still wondering, Kenshin said, "In that case, mind giving me a lift back?"
"Hm?"
Scáthach raised an eyebrow—then realization flashed across her face.
"Ah, I see. You used a three-digit power, and now the Central Core's flagged you, huh? Makes sense you can't just portal yourself back to Little Garden."
"Alright then, follow me."
She gestured for Kenshin to come closer, and the two stood side by side.
But before leaving, Scáthach shot Ryo a teasing wink.
"Hey, kid. Still the same offer—if you ever wanna switch sides, the Queen would love to have you."
"Yeah, no thanks," Ryo replied, deadpan.
Scáthach chuckled softly, and with a flash of light, she and Kenshin vanished.
Once they were gone, Highness led Rin over to Ryo.
They exchanged a brief glance—no words, but a quiet telepathic conversation began.
"Outer Gate 33454. Old Boys Bar in Yokai City. September 25th—three days after we're back in Little Garden. Meet me there, just say Rin sent you."
Ryo nodded. He understood perfectly.
Trading something like a Sun Authority in the lower world was impossible; Highness clearly wanted a safer, more private place for business.
And judging by his tone, there was something else he wanted Ryo to handle—something that needed to stay under wraps.
Well, the kid's situation in Ouroboros wasn't exactly great after all.
As for breaking their deal? Ryo wasn't worried in the slightest.
Highness's spirit was the tenth incarnation of Vishnu—the savior Kalki himself.
Once he swore an oath under that identity, breaking it would mean giving up his very divinity.
For someone born as a god, that was the same as death.
So yeah, Ryo could rest easy.
After their silent agreement, Highness gave Ryo a small nod, took out a crystal-clear shard of divine essence, and prepared to return to Little Garden.
Rin followed—but paused, turned back, and bowed politely to Ryo before leaving.
Then, the two disappeared.
...
Most of the crowd was gone now, and Ryo finally relaxed a little himself.
"Next time I pull off something shady, I'm making damn sure the forum blocks the whole world. Getting caught almost scared me to death."
He grumbled inwardly, then turned to Heracles by his side.
"..."
Heracles was silent for a moment, then spoke in his deep, gravelly voice: "I owe you my life."
"Whoa, no no no," Ryo said quickly, grimacing. "Let's not say things like that."
Everyone knew Heracles had twelve lives, so if he owed you one, that wasn't even really a favor — it was basically calling it even.
Nice try, buddy.
…Wait, no. That was the Fate version of Heracles, wasn't it? Never mind.
Completely unaware of Ryo's inner commentary, Heracles went quiet again—then said, "Forget our earlier deal. I've thought it over. I'll repay you in another way."
"Another way?"
Ryo blinked, then remembered what Heracles had mentioned earlier—something about divine authority and Sun Authority.
"Just the info on the Sun Authority is enough. I don't really need anything else."
"But which one are you talking about, exactly?"
Heracles paused, then answered, "Taurus. I heard that Minotauros recently got his hands on something related to Taurus."
"Taurus?"
Ryo's face went stiff.
That… couldn't be a coincidence. He just started looking for the Zodiac Sun Authorities, and now they were showing up one after another? Even Shiroyasha said they were all missing—except for the ones she had.
Was someone setting him up?
Things were going way too smoothly, and Ryo couldn't help feeling uneasy.
Heracles noticed his strange expression and laughed heartily. "Don't look so conflicted. If you want Taurus, just say it!"
He grinned. "To me, one Taurus is nothing compared to my own growth. If you want it, I can help you get it."
"Of course," he added, "that's assuming the rumor's true. If Minotauros doesn't actually have it, there's not much I can do."
"I see…" Ryo said, expression complicated.
He didn't quite get how Heracles had gotten this idea—but since it worked in his favor, he wasn't about to complain.
Then Heracles coughed—hard—and spat out a little blood.
He wiped it away like it was nothing, eyes burning with intensity as he stared at Ryo.
"I probably shouldn't be the one to say this," he said seriously, "But you need to know—Zeus is already watching you."
.
.
.