"Alright, now it's time for you to tell me the coordinates of the Domain of Immortality you mentioned."
In Pandora's domain, the defeated Sun Wukong was somewhat surprised to see Pandora and Aslan standing beside her.
"This is the Circle of Usurpation? Grandpa Sun was actually captured by the Circle of Usurpation after being defeated?"
Sun Wukong scratched his head in confusion.
If he remembered correctly, Aslan should be stronger than him by… how many times?
He couldn't tell, only knowing that even if the entire Earth were bundled together, it might not be a match for Aslan.
But now he was being told that the one who tore apart his fully enhanced self under The Great Ritual of the Old Covenant was a weakling?
"Ahem, ahem, don't mind the details."
Aslan coughed awkwardly. It was because he instinctively swapped the concepts of strong and weak, making the Circle of Usurpation think he was weak.
This way, the Circle of Usurpation could capture the dead Heretic Gods and prevent them from returning to mythology.
"What's more important now is the coordinate issue."
Sun Wukong glanced at him suspiciously. His instincts told him it was better not to dig too deep right now.
He chuckled while scratching his monkey head.
"You're a good kid, Grandpa Sun acknowledges you. As a reward for defeating Grandpa Sun fair and square, take these Domain of Immortality coordinates!"
A beam of golden light struck Aslan's forehead, instantly transferring a number of Domain of Immortality coordinates to him.
After that, Sun Wukong's body vanished. Having lost, he had no intention of lingering, let alone being confined by the Circle of Usurpation.
So, he promptly handed over the spoils of war, ended himself, and returned to mythology.
Only then did he consider himself to have the honor of a defeated warrior.
Watching this scene, Aslan didn't speak, but his eyes faintly looked forward. His gaze seemed to pierce through boundaries, seeing beyond the Netherworld.
"So, it's the Heavenly Palace and Spirit Mountain I couldn't find?"
"These two places… are a bit tricky."
Aslan muttered softly, rubbing his temples in frustration.
One was his hometown's Domain of Immortality, the other was Buddhism's Domain of Immortality. Headache… quite a dilemma.
However, a dilemma was still a dilemma; his hands didn't stop. He deftly extended the tendrils of the Circle of Usurpation toward the Heavenly Palace and Spirit Mountain.
For some reason, though, Aslan suddenly felt guilty. It was as if he were doing something bad.
Yet he was still in the Netherworld, with no one around, and he always acted openly.
So where did this guilt come from?
(Could I have been found out? No way, absolutely impossible!!)
Unbeknownst to Aslan, in the Domain of Immortality · Heavenly Palace, the Jade Emperor's eyes, seated in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, suddenly deepened as Aslan's tendrils reached in.
Above the Domain of Immortality · Spirit Mountain, the Buddha seated on a lotus flower became extraordinarily majestic at that moment.
It was as if they were possessed by a sublime existence.
At this moment, the Jade Emperor and Buddha exchanged glances, and the collapse of the Domain of Immortality · Spirit Mountain and Domain of Immortality · Heavenly Palace accelerated.
In mere seconds, Aslan devoured these two "toughest bones" to chew.
"Wait…"
His movements froze. He seemed to sense something was off.
"Damn, there's a ghost. Did I mess up?"
Aslan looked up. His gaze pierced the Netherworld and met the eyes of those two great figures.
For some reason, he saw a hint of mockery in the middle-aged man's eyes.
The next second, Aslan awkwardly averted his gaze.
"Sorry, I didn't see anything."
(As expected. Even Shiroyasha could know of the Saint Seiya world's existence, so other great figures must know of the Campione world's existence.)
(Is this still the Little Garden? This is already at the level of mythology, isn't it?)
At this moment, Aslan thought of one entity—Daluo.
[T/N: Daluo refers to Da Luo Jinxian, the highest level in the Taoist hierarchy of immortality—beings transcending time, space, and causality; often considered equivalent to supreme deities or cosmic existences.]
(No wonder the Chinese Pantheon is gone from the Little Garden. Why did such a massive base fall into my hands?)
At this moment, Aslan understood everything.
So, they all went off to pursue their Grand Path.
(Really, why wasn't I invited?)
A bit of resentment arose in his heart.
However, Aslan also felt more at ease. These two great figures didn't directly crush him and even helped him. This proved one thing.
What he was doing had their approval, and his style of causing trouble could be even freer.
(I don't just have Shiroyasha backing me anymore.)
But he didn't know the cost of all this.
And for some reason, Aslan saw a hint of schadenfreude in the Buddha's eyes.
It was as if an abandoned project had finally been taken over by a foolish youth.
And he seemed to be that foolish youth.
Could there be a huge trap in the Little Garden waiting for him to jump in willingly?
Instantly, his expression turned odd.
This was supposed to be a good thing, but for some reason, he couldn't feel happy.
His previously good mood was now clouded.
"Sigh."
Aslan let out a deep sigh.
Suddenly, a mysterious gaze pierced the Netherworld and landed on him.
This made Aslan frown and speak coldly.
"Heh, I haven't come looking for you, yet you came to me?"
He muttered, his body flashed, and he vanished from his spot.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In the Netherworld, inside a Japanese-style hut.
Three figures sat around a fireplace in the wooden house.
The aged Susanoo with a thick beard and a sturdy yet limited body.
The graceful and beautiful Divine Ancestor, Sita wearing a twelve-layered kimono.
The High Priest in Black Robes, who had transcended human life and death, thin as a skeleton.
The three masterminds behind Japan's History Compilation Committee rarely gathered, sitting around the fireplace.
They were awaiting the outcome of the battle between Sun Wukong and Aslan. In their view, there could only be one result: the false King of the End, Aslan, killed by Sun Wukong.
Susanoo calmly held a sake cup, speaking casually.
"It's about time. The fight over there must be over. Let's pull some historical records from the Netherworld. If possible, I hope the Monkey God can bury that false King of the End."
"You two, when checking, remember not to trace the current scene. Look at the past ones to avoid being noticed."
The Netherworld is a spiritual world that records all past information. Thus, magic can be used here to summon the world's records of the past.
Hence, investigating information by tracing the past using this feature is an endless method.
Susanoo and the others planned to use this trick to check the details of the battle between Aslan and Sun Wukong.
As Susanoo requested, the Living Buddha scratched the void, creating a circle.
Soon, an image appeared from the circle, showing Aslan holding a sword.
A voice sounded.
"Heh, I haven't come looking for you, yet you came to me?"
"Sōjō (High Priest), didn't I tell you not to trace the current history? Why did we still get caught?"
Susanoo frowned, looking at Aslan in the image.
"Looks like we need to change headquarters again."
Susanoo resignedly poured himself a glass of sake. He wasn't too worried about being found out.
They had manipulated Japan for thousands of years; they had some skills.
At least in terms of escaping and understanding the Netherworld, aside from youkai, no one was better than them.
The Netherworld, as a spiritual world, has layers. Even Gods would struggle to track someone in the Netherworld.
And they were even less likely to succeed.
Especially them.
Suddenly, Sita looked at the circle created by High Priest Sōjō with fear. The circle hadn't disappeared.
Aslan seemed to be using their technique to observe them in return.
"Your Highness Sita, what's wrong? Is there a problem with this technique?"
Sita opened her mouth, looking somewhat confused.
"He… he seems to see us?"
"How is that possible? Didn't I already turn off the technique?"
The Living Buddha said in shock.
"No way. Shouldn't he have been killed by Sun Wukong by now? It shouldn't be—The Great Ritual of the Old Covenant couldn't have failed?"
Just as the Living Buddha was shocked, a calm male voice sounded.
"The Great Ritual of the Old Covenant? You mean this?"
Aslan spoke, and behind him appeared a confused golden figure granting him power.
Though this boost meant little to him.
"That's The Great Ritual of the Old Covenant?"
Susanoo looked at Aslan using The Great Ritual of the Old Covenant. His expression was bitter and confused.
Why? Why could an Outer Demon God use The Great Ritual of the Old Covenant, but he couldn't?
"Yeah, the protection of the Gods. I just took it from Sun Wukong."
Aslan said calmly. After all, the so-called Great Ritual of the Old Covenant was merely gaining the protection of the Gods, the support of mythology.
Why could Sun Wukong gain mythology's support, while King Arthur couldn't?
Moreover, thanks to the loving contributions of two certain great figures, Aslan's progress in seizing mythology had surged past seventy percent.
In a sense, this could also be considered legitimate support (usurpation), the protection of the Gods (forced).
As for the distorted-faced figure behind him, it was the Goddess of Fate, the one who bestowed the destiny of the King of the End upon Rama, the representative of the Power of Historical Correction.
To seize the remaining mythology, the loving contribution of this Goddess was unavoidable.
Unfortunately, as the representative of the Power of Historical Correction, though Aslan could force her shadow to appear, capturing her was somewhat difficult.
"By the way, why aren't you moving? Have you forgotten how to escape?"
Aslan looked at the three still sitting dazedly, showing a wicked smile.