When Ren Kuroda openly revealed the essence of the second Human Final Trial he carried, Az Dakahaka was visibly stunned.
Because this second Trial Ren bore was no trivial obstacle either.
Only through exploration and understanding of the unknown does humanity continue to advance.
And what Ren now embodied was humanity's awe toward all that lies beyond its comprehension.
A Human Final Trial was already one of the most insurmountable existences in Little Garden.
Now there was someone who carried two.
Would that mean any challenger would have to fulfill the conditions of both Trials simultaneously in order to overcome him?
A being who bore two Human Final Trials—
Even in all of Little Garden's history, such a thing had never existed.
Indra and the others stared at Ren's towering demon-god form, their temples throbbing.
They had yet to defeat "Absolute Evil."
And now, a presence even more troublesome had appeared.
From Ren's previous actions and words, it didn't seem like he harbored great malice toward Little Garden.
But he was still a Human Final Trial.
And beings like that were often bound by their very nature.
Now that Ren carried two Trials, his difficulty rating had clearly surpassed "Absolute Evil." Among all the Trials of Little Garden, he might now rank second only to the dreaded "Decadent Wind."
"I don't understand," the Dragon Demon King muttered, frowning deeply. "Becoming a Human Final Trial is no simple matter. Even the mightiest Demon Kings must possess a matching essence to bear such a burden.
"How did he manage to carry two human essences at once? Even beings like Shiroyasha and Az Dakahaka—three-digit existences—can only bear a single essence.
"And if I remember correctly, according to what you said before… that brat was only four-digit before becoming a Human Final Trial, wasn't he?"
He was genuinely perplexed.
In Little Garden, one did not simply decide to become a Demon King.
Becoming a Human Final Trial was even more impossible.
Even the Seven Great Demon Kings did not qualify.
And yet Ren—who had only recently arrived in Little Garden—had become something unprecedented:
A dual Final Trial bearer.
"It has nothing to do with strength," the white-haired noble replied calmly, golden light shimmering in his eyes as he gazed at the towering oni deity in the distance.
"That man truly carries two essences.
"Because even before arriving in Little Garden, he was not a pure race."
The others turned to him.
"The oni spiritual core within him was not obtained here. He was born half-human, half-oni.
"The Human Final Trial representing 'Final Evil'—the embodiment of humanity's negative emotions—is borne by his human spiritual core.
"The one he now bears—representing fear of the unknown—is borne by his oni spiritual core."
Silence.
So that was the answer.
Yet the explanation left everyone even more speechless.
You could… do that?
Yes.
The Human Final Trial of "Final Evil" originated from the "All the Evil of This World" that resided within Ren.
As for "Yokai Theory," it stemmed from the awe—the fear—that humanity felt toward yokai.
And as the lord of yokai, Ren naturally possessed the qualifications to bear that essence.
Earlier, deep within the meteor crater, just as he was about to take the full force of Az Dakahaka's enhanced Ruler's Halo, a flicker of fear had inevitably risen within him.
And by sheer coincidence—
He awakened his second Human Final Trial.
—
"Even if you've awakened a second Human Final Trial," Az Dakahaka said slowly, "it makes little difference between us. As you yourself said, the power representing 'Final Evil' has been heavily depleted in our earlier battle.
"But even so… with the blessing of two Trials, your overall strength is greater than before.
"So, 'Absolute Evil' asks you this—
"What do you intend to do? Flee?
"Or fight me?"
Earlier, Ren had answered every attempt at provocation or probing from Az Dakahaka.
Now it was Ren's turn.
And Az Dakahaka, staring down from the sky, had no intention of retreating in disgrace.
Just as Ren said, they were both Human Final Trials.
Their conditions were equal.
No matter how many Trials Ren bore, he could not kill Az Dakahaka.
At worst, he would be sealed.
And despite Ren's new power, Az Dakahaka did not believe himself without a chance.
Yes, Ren's aura was stronger.
But he had taken severe damage earlier.
At worst, the odds were even.
Four-to-six, perhaps.
And even if he lost, he wouldn't die.
There was no reason for him to cower.
Ren had openly revealed his trump card for two reasons.
One—Human Final Trials could not conceal the name of the Trial they bore.
Two—he was concerned Az Dakahaka might retreat out of caution.
If Az Dakahaka truly fled at full speed with Dragon's Legacy, Ren wasn't entirely confident he could catch him.
And if Az Dakahaka escaped—
Ren's mission would fail.
To leave this world, he had to achieve at least a draw in a one-on-one battle against Az Dakahaka.
Az Dakahaka did not answer verbally.
He answered with action.
His dragon wings beat violently as he ascended higher and higher into the sky.
But he was not fleeing.
When he reached an extreme altitude, he folded his wings—
And dove.
His colossal body, enhanced by Dragon's Legacy, combined with gravitational acceleration from high altitude—
Even simply crashing down like this would be enough to flatten an entire region.
Below, the six-armed oni deity gazed upward.
Black flames burned within its eyes.
There was no fear on its face.
Three heads?
He had three as well.
And six arms.
No reason to be afraid.
The demon god bent slightly at the knees.
Then—
The earth beneath its feet shattered.
Using the ground as leverage, it launched upward like a bolt of black lightning.
The two long blades in its hands seemed to enter a state of unity, their edges converging into a single piercing force.
And it thrust straight toward the diving three-headed dragon.
"BOOOOOOM—!"
A colossal shockwave tore through the heavens.
A violent storm followed, blasting away the surrounding clouds in an instant.
The blue sky itself split open—
Like a river parted down the middle.
On the ground, Indra and the Dragon Demon King hurriedly led the communities of Little Garden's lower levels farther and farther back.
The clash between two Human Final Trials—
Even the aftermath alone was enough to erase everything nearby.