— — — — — —
"...What?" Jason stared at Ryo in disbelief, utterly unable to follow his logic.
"What? You want me to do it myself?" Ryo looked at him in surprise.
He unrolled the treaty scroll, pressed his thumbprint onto it, then calmly rolled it back up.
"You came here to die, didn't you? Get on with it." He clicked his tongue. "Honestly. You could've kept hiding behind the Godslayer Treaty, but instead you insisted I sign it first. I didn't think anyone could be this stupid."
The thought amused him.
What was the Godslayer War, really? A battle over Authorities.
And what was an Authority worth? In Thousand Eyes, even the cheapest Authority sold to outsiders cost ten million gold coins. By Ryo's rough estimate, that was equivalent to around two billion USD in purchasing power.
And that was for the lowest-tier Authority.
So was the Godslayer War really about fighting over Authorities?
No. It was about fighting over money.
Living, breathing, walking fortunes. The most valuable resource in all of Little Garden.
Ryo had considered joining before. And not just for the Authorities. Even the coveted Two-Digit seat had tempted him.
Unfortunately, he had only been a Five-Digit when he returned from Campione. He hadn't even qualified to participate.
From the very beginning, eligibility had been limited to divines, dragons, and star-spirits Communities with Three-Digit status, along with their subordinates.
Ryo had met the requirements. In fact, no real human could.
But now... the qualification had practically been delivered to his doorstep. And by Zeus himself.
Of course Ryo knew it was a trap. But he also knew exactly how much profit was hidden inside it.
So what if it was a trap? The upper gods were terrified of true death. Because of that, the Godslayer War removed most of the real risks. It was essentially one enormous game for the divines.
If he had to compare it to something... it was basically a battle royale.
What could Zeus really do to him in a game like that? At worst, he might cheat enough to make things annoying.
But Ryo was cheating from the start.
And if everyone was using cheats, then nobody had an unfair advantage.
Besides, he hadn't even been eligible before. This invitation had probably cost Zeus a great deal of effort.
A sugar-coated bullet wasn't scary. You just ate the sugar and fired the bullet back.
Free profit.
...
..
Jason fell silent after hearing Ryo tell him to kill himself. Then a savage grin spread across his face.
"No. I'd rather send you to your grave!"
Lightning exploded around him.
Boom!
As he charged forward, his frame swelled rapidly until a three-meter-tall giant stood before Ryo, muscles packed tightly across his body.
His enormous hand, broad as a fan, came crashing down toward Ryo's head.
"..."
Ryo raised an eyebrow and casually swung his own palm to meet it.
But the instant he struck, his expression changed.
His figure flashed backward several hundred meters, landing at a nearby crossroads.
He stared at his own hand in surprise, "This is..."
For just an instant, he had felt his output forcibly suppressed. Down to the level of an ordinary Four-Digit.
And the force imposing that restriction had come directly from Little Garden's Central Authority.
Jason didn't pursue after missing his attack. Instead, he sneered, "So you've noticed. Heh! Anyone who signs the Godslayer Treaty, unless they're bound by the Heretic God version, has both the scale of their Spirit Rank and their total power forcibly limited to the minimum threshold of a Five-Digit rule-breaker. And on top of that, you're only allowed to use a single ordinary Authority."
His already ugly face twisted into a vicious smile. "In exchange, every enemy you kill grants you one of their Authorities at random. So even though you're still a rule-breaker existence, that advantage is greatly reduced. Ryo Yagami, the heroes of Greece will harass you endlessly until you're finally defeated. Only then will the treaty be lifted."
"You fell right into the trap. Hahaha. Lord Zeus sent me here for one reason only. To make sure you never know a moment's peace in the lower layers."
"I see." Understanding dawned on Ryo's face.
Then he smiled, "Interesting. So you're planning to drown me in numbers."
A Four-Digit rule-breaker was effectively unbeatable in Little Garden's lower layers.
But inside the Godslayer War... with the treaty suppressing everyone's strength to roughly the same level, Ryo could theoretically be worn down through endless battles.
That was Zeus's plan. Bury him under sheer numbers. Kill him.
Of course, death inside the Godslayer War only meant elimination from the tournament. Once defeated, Little Garden's Central Authority would automatically restore him, and he'd once again become the untouchable monster who ruled the lower layers.
But in the end... Zeus wasn't trying to destroy him. He just wanted to make his life miserable.
After all, the ultimate prize of the Godslayer War, reaching Two-Digit status, had nothing to do with Ryo. He wasn't even close to qualifying for that promotion.
But who said he needed the final prize to join?
Those countless Heretic Gods. Those Authorities practically waiting to be claimed.
"They really went to a lot of trouble." Ryo pulled out a roll of bandages and began wrapping them tightly around both hands. "It couldn't have been easy to draft a treaty that lets a real human participate in the Godslayer War."
"After all, the tournament was originally intended for the Divines. Humans were never meant to have a place in it."
Jason gave a cold laugh. "That place was indeed highly sought after. If Lord Zeus hadn't accepted every restriction imposed by the Godslayer War treaty himself in exchange for becoming one of the final participants, the upper gods would never have agreed."
Then his smile turned mocking. "Come to think of it... many divine kings are interested in you. Myself included."
"A year ago, you were nothing more than a Seven-Digit trash. And yet, in just a single year, you've become a Four-Digit rule-breaker."
"Most divine kings believe you're hiding a secret no one else can uncover. So that's why they let me in."
Ryo nodded in understanding. "They want to investigate me personally."
He finished wrapping his hands before narrowing his eyes. "By the way... you're from another Greek faction, aren't you? Or more accurately, you're someone planted inside Zeus's faction."
Jason's expression didn't change. But his silence was answer enough.
Ryo chuckled and shook his head. "You gods really do love your schemes. But that's fine."
A grin slowly spread across his face. "I've been wanting to have a chat with all of you too."
The instant the words left his mouth...
Buzz!
Ryo vanished. He appeared directly in front of Jason, his fist already driving toward the Greek hero's face.
Jason's pupils contracted.
He immediately tried to dodge.
But before he could move... Ryo's fist accelerated.
In that instant, the punch became light. And the light became rain.
A torrential storm of light swallowed Jason whole.
The Gold Saint's signature technique— Simple Speed-of-Light Fist.
A silent vibration rippled through the surrounding space.
Ryo calmly looked at Jason's body. His head and most of his chest had simply vanished.
"It still ended in one hit." He smiled thoughtfully. "It seems the physical body strengthened by my Seventh Sense Cosmo wasn't affected by the Central Authority at all. I suppose that's because a Five-Digit Spirit Rank is also capable of reaching this level."
Shaking his head, Ryo casually pushed Jason's corpse.
It toppled over with a heavy crash.
"I'm not sure which faction sent you to serve as my tutorial guide... But thanks." Feeling a brand-new Authority settle into his mind, he smiled. "Your sacrifice wasn't meaningless."
The corpse hit the ground.
Ryo rolled his shoulders before turning toward the other Greek envoy, the one who had remained silent behind a mask the entire time. "So. Are you here to play with me too?"
The masked figure let out a quiet sigh.
She removed the mask, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful face beneath.
"It's been a long time, Ryo."
Aishelia sighed softly, the mask hanging loosely from one hand.
"Oh?" Ryo's smile immediately grew warmer. "So it's someone I know."
.
.
.