The world of Little Garden had finally completed its integration.
At the same time, the laws governing that world were completely rewritten.
Without exception, the powers of the gods were sealed away.
No one could freely use their divine authority anymore unless granted special permission.
Just like that, everything was settled.
When the gods realized there was no way to overturn these new laws, many could only force bitter smiles onto their faces.
Those who loved battle suffered the most.
To them, it felt as though the sky itself had fallen.
The frustration was unbearable.
Yet no matter how unwilling they were, they had no choice but to bow their heads.
After all, they were now living under someone else's roof.
...
As for Izumi, once Little Garden had fully merged into his world, he immediately went to seek out Hongjun Daozu.
Though Hongjun appeared to be nothing more than an elderly sage, the two found plenty of common ground when discussing cultivation and the nature of transcendence.
The conversation flowed surprisingly well.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Shiroyasha had already begun causing trouble.
Since the new laws prohibited violence, she knew there was no point in fighting.
So she went straight to the Buddhist faction and openly blocked their path.
The moment the Buddhist deities saw her, they wanted nothing more than to rush forward and beat her senseless.
Unfortunately...
They couldn't.
Even if Shiroyasha stood perfectly still and allowed them to attack, they wouldn't be able to inflict the slightest damage.
The laws of Izumi's world were far stronger than those of Little Garden.
In Little Garden, conflicts were settled through Gift Games.
In Izumi's world...
Direct violence itself was forbidden.
It was an even stricter system.
Looking at the furious expressions of the monks before her, Shiroyasha grinned from ear to ear.
"I just love seeing those faces."
"The way you want to kill me but can't do a thing about it."
"It's the best feeling ever!"
The notorious troublemaker laughed gleefully.
Across from her, Indra (Taishakuten) wore an expression dark enough to drip ink.
He genuinely wanted to strangle her.
...
And it wasn't only Buddhism suffering.
Over at the Greek Pantheon...
Algol had brought a group of companions and was practically camping outside their territory.
Every time Zeus and the other Greek gods saw her, their blood pressure rose.
It wasn't merely because they couldn't defeat her.
Now they couldn't even try.
That made it infinitely worse.
Just imagining Algol dropping by every few days with the newly reborn Athena was enough to make the entire Greek Pantheon tremble with rage.
Their reputation had been utterly destroyed.
Algol had stomped it into the dirt...
Then casually spat on it for good measure.
And there was absolutely nothing they could do about it.
The Greek gods wanted to scream.
They wanted revenge.
They wanted blood.
Yet all they could do was endure.
...
Of course, while some were miserable, others were thriving.
The integration of Little Garden had attracted countless visitors from worlds that had already become part of Izumi's realm.
Naturally, some clever opportunists immediately sensed profit.
Before the newcomers from Little Garden could reach the Dimensional City, merchants and traders had already started approaching them.
Using the world's point-based currency, they began purchasing Little Garden's unique treasures and specialties at suspiciously low prices.
Afterward, they planned to resell everything through Natsuki's marketplace for enormous profits.
This wasn't even the first time such a thing had happened.
Whenever a new world merged into Izumi's realm, these businessmen appeared like vultures.
They were experts at exploiting information gaps.
Many residents of Little Garden fell right into their traps.
Even if those victims eventually realized they had been swindled...
There would be little they could do about it.
After all, nobody had forced them to make the trade.
The merchants simply smiled and pocketed their profits.
In a world where opportunities appeared only once, hesitation was often more expensive than ignorance.
And so, while the gods of Little Garden struggled to adapt to their new reality...
The rest of Izumi's vast world welcomed them with open arms—
And business was already booming.