— — — — — —
Hearing the name Algol, Ryo thought to himself, 'Just as I expected.'
If someone from the Buddhist Faction had dispatched a buddha to demand someone's whereabouts, then aside from Algol—the one who once challenged The Buddha himself—who else could it be?
(Note: since The Buddha followed his own path to two-digits, he created a system entirely separate from the gods. Figures within this system are recognized as buddhas, and this identity is acknowledged by the Little Garden Central Core and engraved in their spirit rank.)
Ryo didn't know how the Dipankara in front of him had learned that Algol might be connected to him. But judging from the way the monk behaved, there was a good chance he was just cannon fodder sent out by some big shot in the Buddhist Faction.
The reasoning was simple.
Because Algol had a poor relationship with the Buddhists, she had specifically warned Ryo about the truly dangerous buddhists and told him to stay alert around them.
Dipankara's name hadn't been on that list.
Anyone worth Algol's attention would be a three-digit powerhouse in the Buddhist Faction, or at the very least a special four-digit rule-breaker existence.
Since Dipankara wasn't among them, that meant he was probably below that level.
If Ryo weren't worried that this Dipankara might secretly be an avatar of some three-digit entity, he would have already asked where the guy got the nerve to come here and demand Algol from him.
Acting arrogant in front of him?
Zeus was still nursing a bruised arm up on Mount Olympus because of Ryo.
And the Buddhists sent this guy to hunt Algol?
More likely he came on his own.
Ryo hesitated for a moment.
Should he still use the lines he and Algol had planned beforehand?
After thinking it over, he decided it was better to stick to the script.
"Friend Ryo," Dipankara said calmly, though his gaze was icy, "let us speak plainly. The last person known to have seen Algol was you. Surely the two of you had some kind of conversation?"
His tone was polite, but his eyes made it clear that he had already decided Ryo was connected to Algol.
In truth, the Buddhist Faction had never reached a firm conclusion about the matter.
After Algol disappeared, several Bodhisattvas skilled in divination tried to track her down.
But every attempt was distorted by Algol's Demon Authority.
Whenever they tried to divine her whereabouts, the results somehow pointed them toward various extremely dangerous beings instead.
Thanks to that mess, five or six powerful figures in the Buddhist Faction ended up injured and went into seclusion.
Naturally, Algol's trail went cold.
Of course, that didn't mean nobody in the Buddhist Faction could track her.
At the very least, the Buddha himself, as well as several ancient buddhas and Bodhisattvas from the Pure Land Buddhism, were fully capable of locating Algol.
The strange part was that none of them seemed interested in capturing her.
And the Buddha had remained silent about the issue.
Dipankara and the school behind him didn't dare question the Buddha directly. In fact, part of their pursuit of Algol was meant to curry favor with him.
And it was from one Bodhisattva that they learned the information that Ryo was the last person to have contact with Algol.
That piece of information had been hidden by Algol using her Demon Authority.
Which raised a simple question.
If Ryo had nothing to do with Algol, then why would their meeting be concealed?
That was exactly why Dipankara had come knocking.
He was convinced that Ryo had something to do with Algol's disappearance. If not directly, then at least indirectly.
So he came here and demanded her whereabouts without much courtesy.
Ryo's expression turned strange as he looked Dipankara up and down.
The scrutiny left Dipankara feeling oddly uncomfortable.
Frowning, he lowered his head and checked his appearance. Everything about him looked perfectly dignified, a flawless image of a Buddhist.
Confused, he asked, "My friend? What do you mean by that look?"
"..."
"Putting aside the fact that I have nothing to do with Algol," Ryo said slowly, "are you really telling me you came here alone to capture her?"
The look on his face was… complicated.
'How drunk do you have to be to decide you can capture Algol by yourself?'
That woman had once gone head-to-head with the Buddha himself—and still roamed free for countless years afterward. If she hadn't provoked Athena and had been at her weakest, she might still be wandering right under the noses of the Buddhist Faction.
And this guy—a four-digit—actually dared to come hunt Algol?
"You misunderstand, my friend. This matter is far too important for this humble monk to handle alone."
Seeing that Ryo didn't look hostile and was even considering his situation, Dipankara relaxed a little.
As long as Ryo was willing to cooperate, things would be easier.
What he feared most was running into someone stubborn who refused to mention Algol at all and got in his way.
If he ended up delaying the plans of the powerful figures behind him, his already awkward position would become even worse.
Thinking about that, Dipankara hesitated for a moment, then gave a small hint.
He raised one hand and spread his fingers.
"Friend Ryo, allow me a rude question. How many fingers am I holding up?"
Five.
'Five three-digit beings?'
Ryo suddenly understood.
No wonder this guy dared to speak so confidently while demanding Algol.
If five three-digit buddhas were working together, Algol would indeed have trouble.
Even among three-digit beings there were differences in strength, but within the lower layers, they were all restricted to the same limit of power—the extreme limit of the four-digit scale.
Five against one would definitely be enough to stall Algol.
And the moment Algol made a move, she wouldn't be able to stay hidden anymore.
At that point, the gods and buddhas in the upper levels would swarm in. Old grudges would be settled, new grudges piled on. A massive siege by hundreds of thousands of divine beings wouldn't be impossible.
Algol wasn't like Azi Dahaka, who possessed the group-combat cheat ability Avesta.
With enough three-digit powerhouses piling on, they could exhaust her through sheer numbers.
Sealing Algol would only be a matter of time.
After thinking it through, Ryo lowered his head and secretly dabbed a bit of the Fountain of Life Water Hephaestus had given him into his eyes.
Then he looked up again.
His eyes were red, emotions visibly surging as if he'd just found a long-lost relative.
He reached out and held up five fingers.
"Repectable Dipankara… are you certain you have this many?"
His face was full of excitement.
"Have you reached some kind of enlightenment?" Dipankara asked with a gentle, benevolent smile.
Ryo sucked in a sharp breath and muttered in a low voice.
"Five Limit-Authorities… that price tag… now that's generous."
…Wait.
Something about that didn't sound right.
Dipankara froze.
.
.
.