When they heard Az·Daka'ha's words, both Indra and Jiaoliu froze.
They stared at Ren Kuroda—his entire body cloaked in black, radiating an ominous, suffocating aura—and for a moment, neither of them could speak.
This was completely beyond their expectations.
Humanity's Final Trials were not Demon Kings. Even within the Little Garden, they were exceedingly rare.
Every existing Final Trial should have been known to them.
And yet the young man before them—
They were certain they had never seen him before.
Worse still—
A Humanity's Final Trial opposing another Humanity's Final Trial?
That was absurd to the point of being ridiculous.
Not only had they never witnessed such a thing—
They had never even heard of it.
—
Black mud spears shot toward them in a sudden ambush.
Indra raised the authentic Vajra in his hand. Lightning burst forth, forming a radiant barrier that electrocuted and vaporized the incoming sludge.
Jiaoliu initially intended to rely on his pure-blooded dragon physique and tank the attack head-on.
But his instincts screamed at him.
Something about that black mud was profoundly wrong.
Without hesitation, he withdrew, narrowly avoiding the corrosive spikes.
What had begun as a duel had devolved into chaotic melee.
Ren had no intention of attacking Indra or Jiaoliu.
But as a Humanity's Final Trial, he no longer possessed full control over himself.
Indra and Jiaoliu, for their part, were equally bewildered.
Their initial target had been Az·Daka'ha alone.
Now a second Final Trial had appeared.
Worse—
This new Final Trial had been fighting Az·Daka'ha moments ago—
And was now attacking them.
For the moment, neither Indra nor Jiaoliu could determine where Ren stood.
—
"As a Humanity's Final Trial, the fundamental issue I represent compels me to test the humans within my territory."
Ren's voice remained calm as he spoke.
"If you leave the area I occupy, you can escape my influence."
"I only wish to oppose Az·Daka'ha."
"Please—do not interfere."
With Divine-Blessed Blade in hand, Ren vanished in a blur and reappeared before Indra.
Black mud coiled around him like living serpents, ignoring the crackling lightning.
His swordsmanship was overwhelming—so precise and relentless that even Indra found himself forced backward step by step.
—
After ascending to Humanity's Final Trial, Ren had also gained his own Simulated Star Creation Chart.
Its name—
The Seven Deadly Sins.
It embodied humanity's seven fundamental negative emotions:
Pride.Sloth.Greed.Lust.Gluttony.Wrath.Envy.
During battle, Ren could absorb these emotions from his opponents, converting them into strength.
He could also provoke and amplify the negativity within them.
As long as a person carried even a trace of such emotions—
They could never kill him.
However, his Avesta-like authority functioned in the opposite manner of Az·Daka'ha's.
Az·Daka'ha's Avesta could target any being except humans and Zoroastrians.
Ren's Seven Deadly Sins—
Could target only humans.
That was the paradox of his existence.
As a Humanity's Final Trial, only humans could kill him.
Yet because of Seven Deadly Sins, only a human entirely free of negative emotion—pure, desireless, utterly unstained—could accomplish that feat.
In terms of difficulty alone—
Killing Ren was far harder than killing Az·Daka'ha.
To slay Az·Daka'ha, one simply needed to be human.
To slay Ren—
One needed to be a human without desire.
Of course, this also meant that against non-human opponents, Ren was at a disadvantage.
They could not kill him—
But overwhelming force could seal him away.
In short:
Ren was the natural enemy of humanity.
Az·Daka'ha was the natural enemy of everything else.
Each had their strengths and weaknesses.
—
When Ren and Az·Daka'ha had fought one-on-one, neither could use their respective star charts. As Final Trials, they were mutually exempt from one another's authority.
But now—
Because of Indra and Jiaoliu's intervention—
The balance had shifted.
Ren's Seven Deadly Sins could only draw upon Indra, who had descended and become human.
Az·Daka'ha's Avesta, however, could draw upon Jiaoliu and the numerous gods and Buddhas present.
Under these shifting conditions, Ren's power could no longer match Az·Daka'ha's.
That was why he had told them to leave.
They were only making things worse.
—
After understanding the situation, Indra's gaze toward Ren softened slightly.
He had believed that discarding his divinity and descending as human was the ultimate act of resolve.
Yet this young man—
Had willingly become a Humanity's Final Trial.
All to defeat Az·Daka'ha.
If that wasn't courage, what was?
Now that he knew Ren stood on their side, Indra wanted to order the assembled gods to retreat.
But—
It was already too late.
Az·Daka'ha was no fool.
And as a veteran Final Trial, he possessed far greater autonomy than Ren.
Without hesitation, he even inflicted wounds upon himself, allowing more god-level avatars to manifest and intercept the gathered deities.
His purpose was clear—
To keep Avesta active.
The gods present could not even choose death to escape.
They were reduced to unwilling fuel—
Power sources feeding Az·Daka'ha's ascension.
—
Though Az·Daka'ha could not kill Ren, he possessed the authority of the Thousand Techniques.
He could seal him.
Indra was restrained by Ren's involuntary aggression.
Jiaoliu, whose strength nearly approached the three-digit class and who was a figure of immense renown within the Little Garden—
Was now being overwhelmed in one-sided fashion by the power-boosted Az·Daka'ha.
If Jiaoliu fell—
Then even Indra, mighty as he was, would have no chance facing two Humanity's Final Trials alone.
And once Indra—the greatest threat to Az·Daka'ha—was eliminated—
Only Ren would remain.
As long as the divine "fuel" persisted, Az·Daka'ha was confident he could crush this newcomer with sheer power—
And seal away the final nuisance.
It was a flawless calculation.
Az·Daka'ha had maneuvered everyone into a corner.
Even knowing his scheme—
They had no clear way to break it.
Indra and Jiaoliu possessed the strength to retreat if they truly wished.
But even if they left—
The remaining gods would continue serving as fuel for Avesta.
Ren would still be outmatched.
And in the end—
Sealing would likely be unavoidable.