— — — — — —
Ryo raised his hand like a sword and slashed horizontally through the air.
Everything within the path of that gesture vanished.
The enormous pavilion was split cleanly in two in an instant. Under the influence of the Authority of Destruction, the entire structure disintegrated into nothingness.
Realizing things had gone terribly wrong, Indra threw himself into a roll on the spot. He avoided most of the attack, but the lower portion of his left leg still crumbled into ash.
Shiva, who stood closest, had even less time to react. He forcefully redirected his divine power, twisting his head and body just a few inches aside. Even so, nearly half of the right side of his face, most of his right chest, and his entire right arm and leg disappeared from existence under that single strike.
Only Angra had any real luck.
As the rear support, and sensing danger the moment Ryo lifted his hand, he teleported away before the attack landed, barely escaping disaster.
Even then, when he looked to his right and saw the missing floor tiles, the vanished buildings, and even a section of distant mountains erased from the landscape, he cried out in horror, "What the hell was that?!"
There had been no gathering of energy. No magic, no spirit power, no divine power.
It was as if the destruction itself was a natural phenomenon, something that had always existed and simply manifested as it should.
Ryo ignored Angra. Instead, he tilted his head and looked at Shiva, who sat on the ground not far away, grievously wounded.
From this distance, Ryo could clearly see the exposed bones and sensitive organs inside the missing half of Shiva's face.
Those organs writhed frantically under the influence of Shiva's divine power, trying to regenerate through a god's formidable healing ability.
But the Authority of Destruction denied every attempt.
No matter how hard they struggled, recovery remained impossible.
Yet Shiva paid no attention to his injuries. Looking up at Ryo, his eyes shone with astonishment and delight, "Is that the true power of destruction?"
"No." Ryo shook his head. "It's Authority."
"Authority... Authority..." Light ignited in Shiva's eyes. Though his wounds remained unhealed and his aura weakened with every passing second, his gaze grew brighter and brighter.
In his mind, Ryo's simple strike replayed over and over.
Fragments of understanding gathered from years of meditation, training, and countless life-and-death battles began connecting together. For the first time, a complete path emerged before him.
"So this... is destruction..." He murmured softly. His presence weakened further. It became faint, elusive, almost unreal.
Then it dissolved into nothingness, merging with the world itself like air.
Nearby, the one-legged Indra stared in shock.
In his perception, Shiva had already been a terrifying existence before.
Now his danger level was skyrocketing, enough to make Indra's skin crawl and fill him with the urge to flee immediately.
"This guy... he actually became stronger at a time like this..."
Before, Shiva had already been second only to the Dragon Gods.
After today? Dragon God level. Shiva would step into the Dragon God realm—he just needed time.
If this were Little Garden, then one could say Shiva would soon go from a five-digit rule-breaker to a low four-digit.
"..."
Indra looked toward the serious-faced Ryo and suddenly felt hope.
There was still a chance. With Shiva's help, they might not win, but escaping should be possible.
Just as Indra's spirits rose, Ryo looked at Shiva and sighed, "What a waste. Comprehending the Authority of Destruction... given enough time, reaching the Four-Digit level is guaranteed. Three-digit, you also have a chance"
His tone carried genuine regret, "But of all names, you had to be called Shiva."
The Trimurti. An incomplete prototype of a One-Digit Spirit Rank. A supreme status coveted by countless God-Kings throughout Little Garden.
Ryo shook his head sadly, sympathy visible in his eyes. "Rather than becoming someone else's nourishment, it's better for you to die here. At least that'll be a glorious death."
As he spoke, he slightly raised his index finger. A dazzling golden light appeared at its tip.
Shiva glanced at him and let out a quiet sigh, "What a pity."
Only after grasping the concept of Authority did he finally understand the gap between himself and Ryo.
"If I'm weaker, then I deserve this."
A bitter smile crossed his face. Then he closed his eyes.
The next moment, endless light transformed into a net that covered everything.
In the span of a breath, every atom in Shiva's body was annihilated.
A pile of gray dust fell where he had once stood.
Then the wind blew. And nothing remained.
Watching this scene, the excitement that had just rekindled within Indra was extinguished, as though a bucket of ice water had been poured directly over him.
His entire body turned cold.
"This..."
Even a stronger Shiva had been utterly helpless before Ryo. Then what chance did he have?
His face turned pale with despair.
And the death of his old rival left him at a loss.
Though he still remembered the trap's ultimate trump card, the mindless beast Trihexa and the foreign evil gods behind it all, he could no longer summon the will to resist.
What good were backup plans? None of them could save his life.
What was he supposed to do? He was hopeless.
"Damn it!"
The moment Angra saw Shiva die, terror seized him.
He immediately activated a prepared teleportation array and leaped into it.
In the next second, he appeared directly in front of Ryo. And found himself lifted off the ground by the head.
Ryo gripped his skull with one hand and smiled mockingly. "Trying to play with space in front of me?"
"Wait! I—"
Crunch!
A series of sickening cracks rang out.
Then came a dull thud.
Ryo casually brushed bone fragments from his hand before turning toward Indra.
"Amitabha." Indra finally composed himself. Removing the prayer beads from around his neck, he held them in his palm and quietly chanted a Buddhist invocation.
His expression settled into calm acceptance.
He opened his mouth.
Countless thoughts passed through his mind, yet in the end he asked only one question, "I just want to know... why did Loki betray me?"
The reason Ryo had caught them completely off guard was because the attack had begun an hour earlier than planned.
Time coordination had been Loki's responsibility.
Clearly, something had gone wrong on Loki's end.
This was the final mystery Indra couldn't understand.
Why would someone he had worked with for thousands of years betray him so decisively?
Hearing the question, Ryo smiled.
Then, in Indra's eyes, his figure gradually blurred.
It transformed into someone else. Someone Indra knew all too well.
As he stared, Indra's mouth slowly fell open. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"You... How is that possible?!"
"Do you understand now?" The corner of Ryo's mouth curled upward. His tone carried a hint of amusement. "The Loki you knew died long ago."
"You... you...!"
Indra stammered for several seconds.
Then he suddenly clutched his chest and felt his vision darken. The shock was too much for him to believe. It was impossible—how could Ryo Yagami be Loki?
Seeing him like that, Ryo stepped forward and casually smacked Indra on the forehead.
The strike knocked him unconscious instantly.
"Compared to Shiva and Angra, whom it would've been inconvenient to deal with... you might be the real prize."
The Heavenly Emperor, Indra.
That identity alone attracted far too much hatred.
If he died here, Ryo's future father-in-law would have some trouble.
Shaking his head, Ryo stored the unconscious Indra inside a Gift item capable of holding living beings. Then he walked to the edge of the pavilion and looked down.
Below, Rizevim had just finished drawing the runic patterns of an interdimensional teleportation array.
Looking up at Ryo, he spread his arms and flashed a broad grin, like a clown taking center stage.
.
.
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