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The instant the explosion rang out, Mount Meru shook violently.
Birds and beasts scattered from the forests. Dust clouds billowed from the palaces and pavilions atop the mountain. The entire summit temple sank nearly a meter into the ground, and countless buildings and structures collapsed under the sudden upheaval.
"Enemy attack!"
The guards' alarmed cries came a beat too late.
"Quick! Inform Lord Indra at the pavilion!"
Hurried footsteps echoed through the complex.
The pavilion doors were kicked open, and more than a dozen guards rushed inside.
But the moment they crossed the threshold, Indra's voice thundered through the room, "Everyone out!"
The guards froze.
Their eyes widened in fear as they stared at the figure surrounded by Indra, Shiva, Angra Mainyu, and Rizevim.
Several swallowed nervously.
Then, just as quickly as they had arrived, they retreated.
Among the four surrounding Ryo, one man behaved much the same.
Without attracting attention, Rizevim quietly shifted himself to the outermost edge of the group.
As the guards withdrew, Indra stared at the tall, handsome man standing amidst the rubble and spoke in a low voice. "Who would've thought that the Supreme Leader of the Three Factions, Satan Lucifer, the Governor of the Fallen Angels himself, would come here in person?"
"What are you wasting words for?" Shiva stepped forward, excitement shining in his eyes. "Let's fight."
"We hadn't even finished discussing the plan before he showed up." Angra Mainyu produced a wand in his hand. Black flames ignited within his hollow eye sockets.
"This is getting troublesome. One, two, three, four..." Standing amid the broken stone debris, Ryo raised a hand and counted.
"A few people are missing." His gaze swept over the group. "That's a shame. Which faction didn't show up?"
Indra's expression immediately darkened.
Was Ryo implying that the four of them weren't worth him showing up in person?
"Arrogant." The black flames in Angra's eyes flared. "There's nothing to discuss with a fiend like you."
He raised his voice, "Everyone, attack together!"
The words left his mouth.
Yet he didn't move an inch.
And since Angra wasn't moving, Indra naturally didn't either.
Rizevim, meanwhile, quietly increased the distance between himself and everyone else.
Only Shiva, who had already stepped forward, remained at the front.
"You..."
Angra's voice turned awkward.
At a moment like this, everyone was still looking out for themselves.
"Seems nobody wants to follow your lead." Ryo's gaze shifted to Angra. "By the way, who are you?"
"Impudent!" Angra cursed furiously. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Ryo Yagami. No matter how strong you are, you can't stand against the combined might of the gods gathered here and the deities of Mount Meru! How dare you… how dare you be so arrogant!"
Ryo blinked in surprise.
Then he asked curiously, "Why do you sound like you're reading from a Chinese novel? So much passion over 'how dare you'… what's next, are you going to say I'm courting death?"
He paused.
"Also, I believe I already asked." His eyes locked onto Angra. "Who are you? I'm asking sincerely."
"YOU!" Angra nearly exploded with rage.
He slammed his staff against the floor with a thunderous crack.
At that moment, sensing the atmosphere turning dangerous, Indra hurriedly intervened. "He's Angra Mainyu, Zoroastrianism's Evil God."
"Oh?"
Ryo gave Angra a curious look.
Seeing that reaction, Angra assumed Ryo had finally recognized his identity.
He snorted and lifted his chin proudly.
Then Ryo sighed, "So it's you, the unlucky one."
Angra Mainyu. The Mother of Evil in Zoroastrianism. And possibly one of Little Garden's mysterious two-digit powerhouses.
Information about that infamous Goddess of Evil flashed through Ryo's mind as he looked at the figure before him.
Then he shook his head, "You should treasure whatever time you have left."
Angra interpreted that as a declaration of death. His anger instantly erupted.
Cutting off Indra before he could speak, he roared, "Good! Very good! You really think you alone can suppress all the gods gathered here?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Ryo looked genuinely puzzled.
He glanced at the four gods surrounding him—well, three gods, since Rizevim was a devil—and chuckled softly.
"Because standing here right now…" His eyes swept over them one by one. "I don't see a single one of you who can actually fight. Is this really a trap? It feels more like a joke."
The moment those words fell, the expressions of all four changed.
They immediately understood. The situation was beyond salvaging.
Someone had leaked the information.
Whether it was one of them or someone else no longer mattered. The secret that Mount Meru contained a trap designed to kill Ryo had already been exposed. There was no turning back now.
BOOM!
The atmosphere exploded.
Shiva moved first.
His youthful figure blurred and dimmed.
His hands formed a seal as black flames surged across his palms. The power of destruction twisted around him like a black serpent biting its own tail, hissing and coiling.
Then he lunged forward. A devastating palm strike descended toward Ryo.
At the same instant, Indra attacked. Battle intent erupted from his body as he thrust his spear forward.
The weapon shot out like a dragon, carrying a sharp and unstoppable momentum straight toward Ryo's forehead.
Behind them, Angra Mainyu raised his wand. Layer upon layer of overlapping chants poured from his mouth.
Dozens. Nearly a hundred. Every one of them a curse or blasphemous invocation, all intended to lock Ryo in place and create a fatal opening.
As for Rizevim?
The moment the battle began, he leaped backward.
He smashed through the pavilion's viewing window and threw himself straight off the summit of Mount Meru.
"Bastard!" Indra roared.
But his attack was already in motion. Changing it now was impossible.
"My bargain-bin son really is well-behaved."
Ryo naturally recognized that Rizevim's position had originally been part of their encirclement strategy.
Clearly, the group had coordinated their roles beforehand. But now that Rizevim had run away, the formation was riddled with flaws.
Not that flaws mattered.
At that moment, taking advantage of his weapon's reach, Indra's spear arrived first.
The tip closed to within inches of Ryo's face.
Ryo narrowed his eyes.
Then he casually raised two fingers.
Clang!
The sound rang out like a temple bell at dawn. Indra's spear came to an abrupt halt.
Caught neatly between Ryo's fingers.
Unable to advance even a fraction further.
"Angra!" Indra shouted furiously.
From behind him came Angra's equally furious response. "I cast the damn spells! They just didn't work!"
At the same time, Ryo reached out and caught Shiva's incoming hand seal. The destructive force wrapped around it shattered instantly.
Then Ryo seized Shiva's clasped hands and squeezed lightly.
Drip. Drip.
Blood and fragments of shattered finger bones leaked from between Ryo's fingers.
He looked up at Shiva's suddenly pale face and slowly shook his head. "You don't understand destruction."
Releasing his grip, he revealed what remained. A mangled mass of flesh and crushed bone.
Then Ryo raised his hand, shaped like a sword.
"This… is destruction."
The next moment, his hand swept downward.
.
.
.