The moment word spread about the operation, Nyaruko and the others became incredibly excited.
One was more enthusiastic than the next.
After all, many of them still held grudges against certain individuals in Little Garden.
Now that they finally had a legitimate excuse to cause trouble, how could they possibly sit still?
Several groups even mobilized their entire forces.
...
When Shiroyasha saw the flood of applications arriving, she was completely dumbfounded.
"Uhh..."
"What exactly is this situation?"
For the first time in a long while, she found herself at a loss for words.
Beside her, Algol burst into laughter.
The delight on her face was impossible to hide.
Unlike Shiroyasha, she understood perfectly why Nyaruko and her companions were so eager.
Many of them had suffered losses at the hands of certain Little Garden factions in the past.
Now that an opportunity for revenge had appeared, of course they would come running.
The Halloween Queen was equally amused.
This was becoming far more entertaining than she had anticipated.
...
As time passed, powerful individuals continued arriving from every corner of the merged worlds.
One after another, Four-Digit-level powerhouses gathered to register.
Many participants even came from the world of High School DxD.
Among them was none other than Sirzechs Lucifer.
The various factions were naturally curious about Little Garden.
After all, it was another massive world comparable to the one Izumi had created.
Few people could resist that curiosity.
...
Once everyone had assembled, Shiroyasha, Algol, and the Halloween Queen exchanged glances.
Then they acted.
Using their immense authority, they opened a pathway and led the assembled army toward Little Garden.
At the same time—
Within Little Garden itself, the major pantheons had already begun gathering.
The leaders of various divine systems were discussing the impending merger.
Everyone knew that Little Garden's integration into Izumi's expanding universe was inevitable.
Over the past two centuries, the process had accelerated continuously.
Many subordinate worlds connected to Little Garden had already merged.
As a result, numerous gods had lost direct control over their lower realms.
More importantly—
Something alarming had begun happening.
Their faith was declining.
For many gods, faith was their foundation.
The weakening of that foundation was hardly a trivial matter.
...
Although everyone understood that resistance was ultimately futile, some pantheons remained deeply dissatisfied.
After all, they had spent countless ages standing at the top.
Now several beings vastly stronger than themselves had appeared overhead.
How could they possibly feel comfortable with that?
Among all the divine systems, one pantheon was especially displeased.
The Greek Pantheon.
Everyone present understood exactly why.
...
The Twelve Olympians had gathered together.
A heated debate was underway.
Yet despite the noise, many eyes kept drifting toward a single figure.
Athena.
The Goddess of Wisdom sat silently, her brows tightly furrowed.
She was clearly in a terrible mood.
Recently, an unsettling premonition had taken root in her heart.
And as the worlds drew closer together, that feeling only intensified.
Something bad was coming.
Very bad.
...
Finally—
Boom!
Athena slammed her hand onto the table.
"Enough."
The entire room instantly fell silent.
Her sharp gaze swept across the assembled gods.
"Stop arguing."
"Nothing will change."
"The merger is already inevitable."
"If any of you are dissatisfied, then go challenge them yourselves."
"And when you're crushed, don't come crying afterward."
The room immediately quieted.
No one dared continue.
Athena's strength and authority were unquestionable.
Furthermore, everyone knew she was right.
Even if they wanted to resist, there was little they could actually do.
The atmosphere became increasingly depressing.
Then—
BOOM!
A tremendous explosion echoed from outside the divine realm.
The entire domain shook violently.
Everyone's expressions changed.
"What happened?!"
Zeus shot to his feet.
The moment he sensed the situation outside, his face went pale.
"The barrier..."
"The outer barrier has been breached!"
"What?!"
The assembled gods immediately rushed outside.
...
The moment Athena stepped into the open sky, a familiar voice reached her ears.
A voice she absolutely hated.
"Oh?"
"Ugly girl."
"I finally found you."
"And here I thought Al-chan wouldn't get another chance."
Athena's expression instantly darkened.
Slowly, she raised her head toward the heavens.
There, floating in the sky, was a figure she would never forget.
Athena clenched her teeth.
"...Algol."
...
The former Demon Lord of Absolute Evil.
The monster Athena had once helped defeat.
Yet now—
Not only had Algol returned.
She was stronger than before.
Far stronger.
Athena's expression became increasingly ugly.
Then she noticed the figures standing beside her.
The Halloween Queen.
Shiroyasha in her prime.
And countless powerful beings gathered behind them.
For the first time in a long while, even Athena felt genuine shock.
This lineup was absurd.
Were they planning to destroy all of Little Garden?
Not only Athena—
Even Zeus and the other Olympians were stunned.
The force gathered before them was simply terrifying.
...
When Algol saw Athena's reaction, a cruel smile spread across her face.
"Ugly girl."
"Today, Al-chan has come for revenge."
The hatred in her voice was unmistakable.
She had never forgotten what had happened.
Never forgiven it.
Today, she intended to settle the score personally.
Athena snorted coldly.
"Algol."
"Have you forgotten the last time?"
The moment those words left her mouth, Algol exploded.
Veins appeared on her forehead.
Her smile twisted into something ferocious.
"Ugly girl!"
"Die!"
Without another word, she charged forward.
The long-awaited battle had begun.