— — — — — —
Inside a quiet little shrine
After leaving the Temple of Infinite Time, Ryo had come back here.
Sita, Asherah, and Pandora sat around a stone table, chatting and laughing together.
But when they saw Ryo, all three immediately stood up.
"Relax, no need for formalities."
He waved his hand casually, walked over, and sat down at the table. Pouring himself a cup of tea, he said, "The matter with the King of End has been more or less settled."
His gaze swept across the group before finally landing on Pandora.
"If nothing unexpected happens over the next few days, you're free to go."
He had kept Pandora confined because he was worried that the gods of Little Garden might send out a search party.
But now that everything was over, there was no reason to keep restricting her movements.
Still, a few warnings were in order.
"From a safety standpoint," Ryo continued, "I'd recommend leaving this world entirely. Head to a parallel world like Prometheus did. You might even regain your divine status there."
In this particular Campione world, mythology itself had gone dormant. Most gods were dead, asleep, or had fled—like Prometheus and his group of fae kings—to worlds where myth was still alive.
Back when Ryo had hunted the gods through the Netherworld, he'd already known that some escaped to other worlds. But his goal had simply been to leave Athena as the only surviving deity here, so he hadn't bothered to stop them.
Even a cornered dog deserves a way out.
"I do know a few passages to parallel worlds," Pandora said. The twin-tailed blonde goddess looked at Ryo with a touch of reproach. "But Prometheus probably destroyed all of them. He's not the type to leave trails behind."
Ryo didn't even lift his eyelids, just gave her a brief glance.
Yeah, that one was on him.
He'd gone too hard during the purge—wiping out the Netherworld almost daily. It was only natural that Prometheus, scared out of his wits, would burn every bridge he could find.
Calmly, Ryo pulled out a stone tablet.
It was Prometheus's divine tool—the Prometheus' Grimoire—that Athena had once retrieved from Godou Kusanagi.
"This should be enough for you to contact Prometheus."
He paused, then added, "Of course, if you'd rather come to Little Garden with me, I don't mind bringing you along. But the condition is five hundred years of service. After that, you're free."
Traveling into Little Garden from an external world wasn't easy. Without a powerful being of three-digit rank to open the way, one could only enter during a historical transition—a rare moment when worlds realign.
Even most four-digit gods found it troublesome, let alone outsiders.
Usually, those who made it in did so by sheer luck—being caught in the right era and achieving enough merit to be summoned.
For Pandora, Ryo estimated it would take at least three centuries to reach Little Garden naturally, so five hundred years of service sounded fair.
After all, those invitation scrolls didn't come cheap.
"Five hundred years, huh…" Pandora sighed softly.
Ryo waited quietly for her response.
If she went to Little Garden, she could probably regain the divinity of the Mother of Godslayers.
And if Omega's prediction was right, that title would be valuable to Ryo.
Once the godkings began descending to become Godslayers, Pandora's authority could play a critical role.
That was why he wanted to take her with him.
Unlike mortals like Erica or Liliana, who could only survive here, Pandora—at a solid five-digit level—had a real shot at surviving in Little Garden.
After thinking it over, Pandora shrugged lightly.
"Fine. Little Garden it is. At least it's more interesting than rotting away in the Netherworld, hiding from myth backlash and risking corruption."
After thousands of years of monotony, even a goddess could get bored.
Besides, having Ryo—a native of Little Garden—as her guide and protector was an excellent deal. Better than being randomly summoned by chance during a historical shift.
"Got it," Ryo said with a nod. "Once I'm back in Little Garden, I'll send out the invitation. Keep an eye out for any letters that show up."
Then he turned to Sita.
"As per our deal—I freed Rama, and you helped me craft the ritual to reach parallel worlds. I'd say our trade is complete."
He paused, studying her curiously. "So, you're here because you want to go to Little Garden too?"
"That's right." Sita, Princess with Glass Eyes, dressed elegantly in her juunihitoe kimono, smiled faintly.
Ryo blinked. "To look for Rama?"
Sita shook her head gently, smiling. "No. I've already repaid my prince's kindness. Now, I just want to see a wider world."
Ryo glanced at her thoughtfully, then said, "Seven hundred years."
She was valuable, too—a five-digit ex-goddess could be useful—but not quite on Pandora's level.
"Deal." Sita smiled, agreeing without hesitation.
Seeing that, Ryo sighed softly, then looked over to Asherah.
"I'll leave this world in your hands. You understand the situation here, and I'll be heading back to Little Garden soon."
Asherah looked up. "Can I come too? After I finish my duties here?"
'Why do all these goddesses want to go to Little Garden?' Ryo thought silently, then replied, "You can—but only after I confirm the intel on Little Garden's Leviathan."
"...Okay!"
Ryo exhaled in relief, glanced around one last time, and left the courtyard.
It felt a bit odd saying goodbye twice in one week, but this time he really did need to see Liliana before leaving.
---
Little Garden, Gate 3345
A massive Boundary Gate shimmered with light.
In the glow, Ryo's figure slowly took shape.
"Yo~!"
Standing before the gate, the Shiroyasha waved cheerfully.
Ryo said in disbelief, "Wait—you're actually here waiting for me?"
"Don't flatter yourself."
Shiroyasha rolled her eyes and grinned. "You were gone for, what, ten seconds? Ever heard of time-line manipulation, genius?"
Ryo blinked, his expression turning strange. "So you mean…"
She snapped open her fan, covering her mouth as her eyes curved into crescents.
"Exactly. You came back at least a day earlier than the other divine factions."
Ryo's mouth twitched. "Don't tell me this has to do with the intel…"
Shiroyasha chuckled. "Of course! Why else would someone of my stature personally escort you? It's all about information timing! Had to tweak the timeline a little to make sure we got first dibs."
So they'd literally manipulated time so he'd return early—just to sell intelligence "ahead" of everyone else.
Was this how Thousand Eyes did business? Seriously?
Ryo stood there with a bemused look for a few seconds before asking curiously, "So… what's my cut?"
"Unbelievable!"
Shiroyasha glared at him. "You should be grateful I'm not billing you for the trouble, and you're asking about profit?"
She gave an exaggerated sigh, then said, "Standard split is seventy-thirty—you get seventy, Thousand Eyes thirty. But since I had to get involved, you're giving me half of your seventy."
Ryo didn't even hesitate. "Deal!"
Free money was still money. No reason to say no.
.
.
.