— — — — — —
BOOM!
A violent tremor rocked all of Mount Olympus.
And before the horrified eyes of gods and mortals alike, the towering Temple of Zeus at the summit had lost its roof entirely.
"How is that possible…? That temple has been reinforced by the Twelve Olympians for tens of thousands of years…" a nymph gasped, her voice breaking.
"Enemy attack!"
The divine attendants finally snapped out of their daze and shrieked.
"Quick, summon Lady Athena!"
Mount Olympus descended into chaos.
---
Inside the Temple of Zeus.
Bathed in cascading starlight, Zeus glanced down at his robe. One sleeve had been completely blown apart by the explosion of stellar energy. Surprise flickered across his eyes.
"That move… an unactivated Another Cosmology?"
"How interesting."
Ryo looked at the half-destroyed sleeve and grinned. "I thought that strike would at least cost you an arm. Didn't expect you to block it."
Zeus shook his head. His exposed left hand clenched and relaxed, over and over. "Well done, boy. Among beings of the four-digit rank, your destructive power surpasses most."
"Damn it."
Behind him, Hermes couldn't help swearing under his breath.
How the hell did Athena manage to spot this kind of freak early and invest in him? Why did all the luck land in that woman's lap?
"Scheming bitch…"
Ares spat to the side.
You hide such a monster inside some declining community—who exactly are you trying to fool?
Where's your pride as a strong woman? Your dignity?
When it comes to shamelessness, I, Ares, concede you as number one!
"However…"
Zeus reached up and grabbed at the sky.
The stars trembled. The Twelve Zodiac Constellations erupted with divine radiance.
And then he seized the zodiac belt itself, tearing it down and forging it into a golden spear crackling with lightning.
"The Thunderbolt?"
Ryo's eyes widened at the weapon in Zeus's hand.
He'd hidden a divine artifact in the zodiac belt?
As the lightning spear manifested, waves of will descended from the distant upper layers, startled and curious.
"Strange. Zeus actually brought out his Thunderbolt?"
"Who's bold enough to force that old schemer's hand?"
"And on Mount Olympus itself? Someone stormed his front door?"
Divine consciousnesses whispered through the void. God-kings from across the heavens turned their attention here.
Then, in the void, a sharp female voice erupted:
"Damn it, what's that brat doing charging Olympus?!"
"ShiroYoruMaou, is that one of your subordinates?" Another woman's voice sounded, surprised.
"…"
Shiroyasha suddenly didn't feel like answering.
She used to be a Demon Lord. But now she was a law-abiding citizen. While one of her own was attacking Olympus?
Everyone knew Greece was a peripheral force under Thousand Eyes.
Great. Her people beating up her own allies, right in front of a crowd of familiar faces.
This was humiliating on a whole new level.
Then a hearty female voice burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Got guts. No wonder Canaria picked him as her successor. I've hated Zeus's smug face for ages. Come on, kid, aim below the belt. You won't go wrong."
"Monkey…"
Shiroyasha, still at the 3345 Outer Gate, felt her teeth ache.
That damn monkey was already a buddha, a Victorious Fighting Buddha at that, and still stirring trouble. Couldn't she see this was awkward enough already?
"Place your bets, place your bets!"
"Ryo Yagami pays two-to-one. Zeus pays one-to-one. A draw means the house takes it!"
More gods joined the spectacle. And a betting pool sprang up in no time.
"Two-to-one for Ryo? Is Zeus getting complacent, or are you, Indra?"
"What? You think I, Indra, don't know how to run a book?"
"Fine. I'll put a small wager on Zeus. Two divine sparks."
"Whoa, bringing out divinity fragments? Rough times up north, Odin?"
At that moment, a cold male voice cut in.
"I'm betting on Ryo. Ten authority-class divine artifacts, and one sovereignty-class artifact."
"Damn it. Big spender Hephaestus. This is a small operation. We don't take whales."
Indra immediately backed down.
Hephaestus's stakes were insane. Sovereignty-class artifacts were treasures even three-digit beings drooled over. And he tossed them around like candy.
Show-off blacksmith.
"Mad. This is completely mad…"
Shiroyasha muttered to herself.
Even Hephaestus was betting on Ryo?
If Ryo managed even a minor victory, that guy might defect from Greece on the spot and go serve Arcadia as a guest elder.
How was she supposed to explain that to her boss?
…Wait.
Wasn't that actually a good thing?
If Hephaestus moved to Arcadia, she could finally buy divine artifacts at a discount. Maybe even commission custom pieces.
Before, no one dared sell her weapons, afraid she'd grow too strong.
But now… maybe that would change?
"Indra, I'm betting on Ryo too. I'll book out the Pleasure District twice. You in? This casino doesn't take broke fools."
"Damn you!"
...
..
"Seems we've become the main attraction."
Zeus swept his gaze around. His smiling eyes made several hidden onlookers retreat instinctively.
Talking trash in secret was one thing. Challenging him head-on was another.
Ryo nodded seriously. "True enough. Though between you and a monkey, I don't see much difference."
"Hey! What did monkeys ever do to you? That discrimination."
A certain female monkey shouted from the void.
Zeus ignored the chatter. He looked deeply at Ryo. "Interesting."
"In all these years, you're the first human who has dared to provoke me like this."
"Well then, let me ask something." Ryo's grin turned mocking.
"Anyone ever try poisoning you?"
Zeus's expression changed instantly.
He looked down sharply. His arm had turned a sickly green.
"A poison effective even against me?!"
The watching gods cried out in shock.
At that moment, light bloomed at Ryo's fingertips. The vast starry sky rotated behind him. Among the glittering constellations, a massive violet scorpion emerged.
—Scarlet Needle: Antares.
Fifteen torrents of purple light erupted in an instant.
And Zeus was swallowed whole.
.
.
.