Algol had already left.
Shiroyasha had departed as well.
Even the Halloween Queen had quietly slipped away without anyone noticing.
The only troublemakers still active were Nyarlathotep and her companions.
After thoroughly looting Thousand Eyes, they finally withdrew with satisfied smiles on their faces.
Only after the invaders had completely disappeared did the residents of Little Garden finally begin to process what had happened.
Everyone stared blankly at the devastation before them.
The entire Little Garden was in chaos.
The sudden attack had left countless people dumbfounded.
It made no sense whatsoever.
How had this happened?
Little Garden had actually been raided.
And not by some insignificant force, but by an overwhelming coalition that had struck several major factions simultaneously.
For a time, the gods and communities that had suffered losses wore expressions darker than thunderclouds.
None more so than the Greek Pantheon.
They had lost both face and substance.
Not only had countless treasures been stolen, but one of their chief gods had been devoured and replaced.
To them, it was an unforgivable humiliation.
"Damn it!"
"That damned Algol!"
Hades clenched his fists as he glared at Zeus.
"What do we do now?"
All the gods turned toward Zeus.
As the leader of the Greek Pantheon, the decision rested with him.
After all, Athena was gone.
Gone forever.
For a divine pantheon, losing a major god was an enormous blow.
And Athena wasn't just any deity.
She was one of the central pillars supporting the entire Greek Pantheon.
Combined with the treasures and resources stolen during the raid, the damage was catastrophic.
It wasn't merely a wound.
It was crippling.
...
Zeus' expression was just as grim.
After a long silence, he finally sighed.
"What can we do?"
"Can we even retaliate?"
His voice was filled with helplessness.
"Think carefully about where those people came from."
"The world they're from will soon merge with ours."
"If I remember correctly, that world's laws prohibit the unrestricted use of force."
"It's even stricter than Little Garden."
"Everything must be resolved through Gift Games."
The moment those words were spoken, everyone's expressions worsened.
Because they knew he was right.
After the merger, Little Garden's existing rules would no longer dominate.
The new world's laws would take precedence.
And those laws were backed by beings so powerful that resistance itself was meaningless.
Everyone had witnessed the strength displayed by Algol and her companions.
And Algol wasn't even the most terrifying among them.
That world was filled with monsters.
Double-Digit existences were everywhere.
Rumor even claimed that the world's ruler was a Single-Digit being.
And now those people had openly attacked them.
Which meant—
They had no way to take revenge.
Not now.
Not after the merger.
Perhaps not ever.
The realization left everyone feeling bitter and unwilling.
But no matter how angry they were, reality would not change.
The Greek Pantheon wasn't the only victim.
Thousand Eyes had suffered enormous losses.
Buddhism had also been forced into submission.
Every affected faction found itself in the same miserable situation.
They could only swallow their losses.
Whether they liked it or not.
Perhaps someday they might find an opportunity to strike back.
But that possibility seemed incredibly distant.
No one knew if such a chance would ever come.
In the end, all they could do was clean up the mess and move forward.
One by one, the leaders of the various factions left with gloomy expressions.
The battle was over.
The humiliation remained.
...
Meanwhile, the raiders returned triumphantly to Izumi's world.
The atmosphere was completely different.
Instead of despair, there was celebration.
Everyone happily counted their gains.
The profits from this operation were enormous.
Many people who had once been poor had become rich overnight.
Treasures.
Artifacts.
Divine resources.
Rare materials.
The haul was astonishing.
For many of them, it was the greatest windfall of their lives.
...
Upon returning, Kayo immediately became busy.
The items brought back by the raiders needed to be processed and registered.
As the administrator of Dimensional City, she oversaw the entire operation.
One by one, the treasures were evaluated and transferred into the city's treasury.
In exchange, the participants received contribution points.
The system was simple.
Everyone got rewarded.
And in the end—
Almost everything still ended up in Izumi's hands.
The city's treasury expanded dramatically overnight.
While everyone celebrated their newfound wealth, the biggest winner remained the same as always.
Izumi.
After all, all he had spent were a few points.
The profits, however, were immeasurable.
It was practically a business without investment.
Watching everyone excitedly count their rewards, Izumi couldn't help but chuckle.
"They're having fun."
Shaking his head, he stopped paying attention to the festivities.
Instead, his thoughts shifted elsewhere.
It had been a long time since he'd looked at his own status.
Although the System had completely fused with him long ago, he could still access the familiar status panel whenever he wished.
A translucent screen appeared before him.
His gaze moved across the countless abilities listed there.
Finally, it stopped on one particular authority.
Sacrifice.
The ultimate power granted to him by Azathoth.
A power capable of transforming offerings into entirely new creations.
Looking at it, a thoughtful expression appeared on Izumi's face.
Over the years, he had accumulated an absurd number of treasures and materials.
Countless divine artifacts.
Ancient relics.
Unique powers from innumerable worlds.
If all of those were offered as sacrifices...
What kind of existence could be created?
The thought alone was intriguing.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Maybe..."
"I should try creating something from another dimension."
The idea sounded surprisingly interesting.