— — — — — —
"If Arcadia shows any signs of growth—eliminate it immediately."
The instant those words fell, Leticia shot to her feet. Her gaze turned icy, killing intent surging like a storm.
Beside her, Ryo lounged with one leg crossed over the other, looking perfectly relaxed. A faint smile lingered on his lips as he watched Kalki, as if waiting to see what choice he would make.
'…This guy…'
A chill crept up Kalki's spine.
In Ryo's eyes, he saw it clearly. Greed.
At that moment, a voice echoed in Kalki's mind, "That terrifying little monster… he spotted the Pisces on you at a glance."
''What?!''
Kalki's expression changed instantly, shock written all over his face.
He hurriedly replied in his thoughts. ''Mr. Mystery, what do you mean? How could Ryo have noticed the Pisces on me? When that Lord granted it to me, it was supposed to be perfectly concealed.''
There was a brief silence before Mr. Mystery let out a quiet sigh.
''…I can't be certain. But one thing is clear.''
''What?''
''Ryo Yagami… is more compatible with Pisces than you are.''
''Be careful, kid. The man you're facing isn't a cub anymore. He's a young lion that's already bared its fangs.''
But Kalki barely heard the second half. Only the first sentence rang in his head.
More compatible… than me?
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
He was the holder of Avatāra, the Another Cosmology of Hinduism.
And because of Avatāra, his compatibility with the Sun Authorities tied to the ten incarnations had already reached its absolute peak.
In the entire Little Garden, only Shiroyasha and Queen Halloween surpassed him in that regard.
And yet, Mr. Mystery was saying Ryo was even better suited than him?
His Avatāra required ten Sun Authorities to fully awaken. If Ryo surpassed him…
…did that mean Ryo possessed an even stronger Another Cosmology?
Thinking about the fact that Ryo had already obtained Leo, Kalki's heart began to pound wildly.
Leo… Pisces…
Could it be one tied to the twelve zodiac signs? All of them?
That… that's impossible…
Even the Greek pantheon that defined the zodiac didn't possess anything that terrifying.
Cold sweat beaded on Kalki's forehead. Only now did he understand the greed in Ryo's eyes.
Just as Leo and Pisces allowed him to awaken his Avatāra, they could also awaken Ryo's.
Which meant…
Just like him, Ryo was definitely backed by beings of the two-digit level.
Could it be the Twin Goddesses…?
Kalki licked his dry lips.
If it was them, then Shiroyasha would surely be involved as well…
Three two-digit beings backing him.
And yet the higher-ups had suspected Ryo was part of the Tricksters and sent him to test and recruit him…
That guess was so far off it was almost laughable.
How could someone backed by three two-digit entities possibly be one of those opportunists trying to stir chaos in human history?
What, were the Twin Goddesses secretly leading the Tricksters?
Impossible.
They were among the biggest beneficiaries of the current order in Little Garden.
As he felt speechless, Kalki's vigilance toward Ryo rose to the extreme.
With that kind of backing, Ryo had every reason to be confident he could kill him. In fact, judging from rumors about Shiroyasha's favoritism, Ryo was probably even more valued than he was.
Kalki knew his own position well. He was nothing more than a chess piece for those higher beings.
Ryo might also be a piece… but more likely, he was something better. A key figure being carefully trained.
After all, if Kalki's guess was right, and Ryo's Another Cosmology required all twelve zodiac signs to fully unlock—
Then Ryo had a great chance of stepping into the two-digit realm.
A dormant seed of a two-digit being…
Even other two-digit entities would find that tempting.
That would form a natural alliance. And for the Twin Goddesses, who already stood as a faction among the two-digit beings, it would only make them stronger.
…This is bad.
Cold sweat streamed down Kalki's face, yet he didn't even dare wipe it away. That alone showed how much pressure Ryo was putting on him.
Just as he stood there trembling—
Maxwell spoke coldly. "Your Highness, I believe Arcadia has already met the conditions for extermination. I ask that you join me in carrying out the orders from above."
He was clearly invoking authority he didn't actually have.
The higher-ups of Ouroboros had indeed issued him orders, but not like that.
The real command was: "If Arcadia shows signs of growth, immediately notify the Countermeasure Bureau and gather intelligence on its allies. Without approval from three upper-level alliance leaders, no action against Arcadia is permitted."
This special directive had been issued after they learned that Ryo had fought Zeus to a standstill, even gaining a slight edge.
That was the deterrence of someone who broke the limits of the four-digit level.
Of course, there was an order a day earlier to exterminate Arcadia, but it was quickly withdrawn. Maxwell understood why. It was basic knowledge within the alliance.
But now that Willa was about to join Arcadia, he didn't care anymore.
In fact, he wanted to drag Ouroboros into this completely.
And the simplest way to do that… was to make Kalki act.
No one present understood Kalki's importance better than Maxwell, who had been monitoring him.
Seeing that Kalki still hadn't moved, Maxwell snapped, "Your Highness! Take action! That's our opportunity."
…Are you fuckin' insane?
No matter how gentle Kalki usually was, he couldn't stop himself from cursing internally.
If I make a move, he'll just take Pisces from me!
If he died, even the World Dragon Kurma who backed him wouldn't avenge him. She'd most likely just accept it.
Two-digit beings might ignore rules when dealing with those below them, but among themselves, they played fair.
Damn it… who sent an idiot like Maxwell to supervise me?!
"Your Highness!"
Maxwell shouted again, stepping forward and grabbing Kalki. "Please act immediately!"
Startled, Kalki instinctively tried to pull away.
"Don't come any closer!"
Thud.
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing sound rang out, like a blade punching through flesh.
Maxwell lowered his head, staring blankly at the gaping hole in his chest. Shock filled his face.
"How… is this possible?"
"Huh? You're still alive?"
Hearing the voice, Maxwell stiffly turned around.
Behind him stood a blonde girl in a red dress, her hair in twin tails. Her hand, tipped with razor-sharp claws, had pierced straight through his heart.
"It's you? Why…? I'm your subordinate." Maxwell's voice trembled in disbelief.
The girl shrugged, casually pulling her arm free. She wiped the blood off with a handkerchief and tossed it aside.
"I don't have subordinates who act on their own like that."
Then she turned away from him entirely, ignoring his rapidly fading life.
With a bright smile, she lifted the hem of her dress and gave a polite curtsy toward Leticia, who was still staring in shock.
"First time meeting you, Aunt Leticia."
.
.
.