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Upper Layers—
At the outer district of Gate 666, deep within the lawless zone, a secret meeting of Ouroboros's upper leadership was about to begin.
Inside a vast temple, one indistinct phantom after another materialized around a massive stone table in the center of the hall.
The senior figures of Ouroboros's three great factions had all attended in anonymous projections, their true appearances concealed.
(Kalki is the leader of a sub-faction within the Third Faction.)
Finally, when Lakshmi arrived as another faceless apparition, she looked around with a cheerful smile, "Ara~ Ara~ Quite a turnout for such a hastily called meeting."
A young-looking figure wearing a straw hat, his face equally obscured, fixed his gaze on her. "You're late, Lakshmi. Take your seat."
Lakshmi merely nodded and sat down.
Just then, a bald projection looked around curiously. "By the way, why exactly were we summoned? Does anyone know what's going on?"
Lakshmi smiled toward the curly-haired figure seated opposite her. "Then perhaps we should ask our Lord Poseidon. After all, he's the one who called this meeting."
She grinned mischievously. "Getting ambushed by a newcomer from the lower layers, nearly losing your incarnation, and then calling a meeting to figure out how to deal with him... I have to admit, that's pretty amusing."
Poseidon merely snorted. He didn't bother arguing.
Being ambushed by Ryo and nearly losing his qualification for the Godslayer War was humiliating enough already.
Besides, everyone would soon read the official report. There was no point in making himself look even worse.
If he hadn't been the one directly involved, Poseidon would have preferred not to attend at all.
Unfortunately, the meeting had actually been called by Krishna, using Poseidon's name to summon the leadership.
Skipping it wasn't an option.
"Hahaha! So you actually got beaten? Poseidon, you've really fallen low." A young girl with dragon horns laughed as though she'd just witnessed the funniest joke imaginable.
The instant Lakshmi heard that familiar voice, her smile stiffened.
Krishna attending wasn't surprising.
She normally handled the day-to-day affairs of the First Faction and directed many of Ouroboros's operations.
But... Kurma had shown up as well?
Hadn't she wandered off into the Unobserved Regions years ago? She had actually returned because of this?
That was totally unexpected.
Poseidon, meanwhile, didn't even dare snort in annoyance. He simply sat there with a dark expression.
He could trade barbs with Lakshmi.
But World King Kurma?
Even if she smeared filth across his face, he'd still keep his mouth shut.
Offending her meant spending the rest of his life hiding atop Olympus.
Meanwhile, Krishna glanced thoughtfully toward Kurma.
Even she found her appearance surprising.
The World King hadn't attended a single meeting in over three thousand years. Her presence alone made today's gathering extraordinary.
But Krishna only spared the thought a moment before sweeping her gaze across the twenty-two seats around the table.
Only fourteen were occupied.
Even so... it was the second-largest gathering in Ouroboros's history.
That alone showed how seriously Ouroboros viewed this incident.
Or rather, how seriously they regarded Ryo Yagami.
The man who had risen from Arcadia's ashes. The miracle-maker who had climbed to a rule-breaker Four-Digit in less than a year.
Seeing that no one else seemed likely to arrive, Krishna finally spoke. "Very well. Since everyone relevant is here, let's dispense with the idle chatter."
The spectators immediately stopped looking at Poseidon.
Embarrassing a God-King was entertaining. But they were far more interested in Krishna's position.
What did she intend to do about Ryo?
Erase him? Suppress him? Ignore him?
None of the assembled divine beings bothered hiding their curiosity.
"Now then, let us begin..."
Before Krishna could continue, she suddenly paused.
Her eyes shifted toward one of the empty seats.
A girl with brilliant golden hair, shimmering like ripe wheat beneath the sun, appeared there without the slightest attempt to conceal her identity, "Oh dear. I seem to have arrived a little late."
Silence filled the chamber.
Only the faint sound of restrained breathing remained.
"...The Queen..."
Cold sweat appeared on Poseidon's forehead. "Even she's paying attention to this?"
Queen Halloween. One of the strongest beings in all of Little Garden.
One of only two individuals capable of unleashing their full power without restriction in Little Garden.
The moment she appeared... the meeting fell completely silent. No one dared speak.
Krishna looked at her quietly before saying after a long pause, "It's fine. The meeting has only just begun."
Meanwhile, Kurma tilted her head curiously. "Hm? Halloween-chan, you're here too? What brought you?"
"Me?" Queen Halloween rested her chin in both hands, elbows on the table, and smiled brightly at everyone. "I came to be the mole."
"..."
An awkward silence instantly settled over the room.
But the Queen paid it no attention. "I still want to steal Ryo away from that shorty. I can't have you treating him like an enemy."
"..."
The silence somehow became even heavier.
No one responded.
Poseidon didn't even dare breathe too loudly.
Eventually, Krishna spoke in her usual calm voice. "I understand your position. But allowing that boy to continue growing... would be extremely disadvantageous for us."
Queen Halloween chuckled. "A Four-Digit rule-breaker is enough to worry you?"
"A Four-Digit rule-breaker alone isn't." Krishna narrowed her eyes. "But a Four-Digit rule-breaker who possesses a powerful Another Cosmology... and harbors hatred toward Ouroboros... is worth paying attention to."
The Queen's smile never faded. "So there's no room for negotiation?"
Krishna met her gaze without yielding. "Do you truly think... this is something that can be negotiated?"
That single exchange was enough to make every executive present hold their breath.
'Were they really going to fight? Krishna... against the Queen?'
A terrifying thought crossed everyone's mind.
'Since the Dawn War... was Little Garden about to witness another Two-Digit battle?'
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