— — — — — —
The courtyard wasn't especially lavish, but the way it wove the concept of "gold" into its design carried a subtle grandeur all its own.
Seated inside a pavilion was a blonde girl in a crown-like headdress and an ornate gown. She sipped tea gracefully while watching a glowing screen spread across the table, like a monitor displaying scenes from faraway places.
The moment she heard the sound of footsteps—Shiroyasha and Scáthach drawing near—she waved her hand. The light screen vanished.
"You're still holding that post down in the lower layers as East Area Floor Master, aren't you?"
The girl across from her—a star spirit born of the sun, straddling the boundary of life and death, Queen Halloween herself—spoke casually as Shiroyasha plopped herself into the seat opposite without the slightest restraint.
"You know what things are like in the Garden right now," Shiroyasha replied, picking up the cup of red tea Scáthach had poured for her. "A bunch of loudmouths who act fearless, but in truth they're all clever cowards. Barely half a year since that incident, and they're still too busy tucking their tails, terrified someone might pin suspicion on them. No one dares jump out and cause trouble for me."
She wet her throat with a sip, then leaned forward with a grin. "As for why I came today… take a guess?"
Queen Halloween didn't answer, only smiled faintly.
"Fine, fine. I'll cut to the chase. It's an invitation. There's a new community being founded soon. I was asked by its leader to send out invites to… suitable guests."
"A community that hasn't even been established yet?"
The Queen raised an eyebrow. "The divine-forging craft and rare materials you were collecting the other day—those were all for this future community, weren't they? And for the three of you to lend out your names, the leader of this group must have mastered a three-digit level craft, one that can be replicated on a large scale?"
Not long ago, the various god-groups of the Garden had investigated through their own channels. Once they confirmed that the "collection order" had truly come from Shiroyasha herself, along with the twin goddesses who had all but vanished from records since the Dawn of the Garden, everyone scrambled to show their sincerity.
Her own Celtic pantheon was no exception.
Though she hadn't handled matters directly, Scáthach had certainly consulted her before sending their pantheon's forging techniques to [Thousand Eyes].
Shiroyasha nodded cheerfully. "Heh, something like that."
After all, the "Path" born from the Soul Light benefited even someone like her. And the Saint Cloth that amplified that very light? Calling it three-digit level wasn't exaggeration—it might even be underselling it.
"So you admit it outright?"
The Queen's crimson eyes glimmered faintly.
No—she didn't think Shiroyasha would bother lying about something that could be confirmed with the slightest follow-up.
But still…
Could a craft truly on the level of three-digit Omnipotence really sway three two-digit Authority-wielders so completely?
"I accept the invitation."
Her thoughts churned fast, but the Queen didn't leave Shiroyasha hanging. She gave her answer directly.
Yes, she and Shiroyasha had clashed before, and not pleasantly. But Shiroyasha's face wasn't the issue. The twin goddesses' face was. That had to be given.
After a short pause, she added, "But let me see it for myself first."
"With the kind of relationship we have, I should probably throw something like "come or don't, it makes no difference to me" right in your damn face." Shiroyasha grinned. "But since I'm in a good mood today… why not? So, should we go to my arena, or do you want to open one yourself? Honestly, we could even do it right here—I don't mind."
"We'll use your arena," the Queen replied.
"Got it."
Shiroyasha tapped the table lightly, activating one of her Game Boards.
Thoom—
In an instant, the world shifted into a vast white tundra with frozen lakes and mountains stretching to the horizon.
Queen Halloween and Scáthach found themselves pulled into Shiroyasha's Game Board, where under the blazing sun that circled horizontally across the sky, she donned her Saint Cloth.
The three-day limit wasn't up yet, which meant its amplification still boosted her Soul Light by an overwhelming seven hundred twenty-nine times.
"So? What do you think?"
Without any unnecessary theatrics, Shiroyasha went straight to the question, her eyes fixed on the Queen and Scáthach.
"…"
Queen Halloween fell silent.
She could feel it—the way Shiroyasha's divine status, normally that of a three-digit star spirit, had swelled to absurd proportions. The sheer pressure was undeniable.
In that moment, the Queen half-regretted even bringing the subject up. But she knew better: even if she hadn't asked, Shiroyasha would've flaunted it sooner or later.
If Shiroyasha could've read her mind, she'd have given her a big thumbs up and said, "Bingo."
That was exactly why she'd picked the Queen as her first stop. Not only was the Queen the only one among the three-digit Omnipotence-level beings whose power could rival two-digits Authority holders—making her a natural first invite—but she was also an old friend. And an old friend was perfect to brag to.
And brag she did.
The spotlight should fall on the "Gene Lock," a system capable of granting explosive boosts in combat strength, awakening individualized soul light, and offering growth potential that rivaled even spirit rank itself. Or, just as easily, it could shine on the Saint Cloth—a perfect excuse to show off both at once since the Queen had practically walked into it herself.
...
Meanwhile, while Shiroyasha was off "dropping in on an old friend to share some joy," another matter concerning her was unfolding inside the chat group.
It all started when, before leaving, she'd casually posted a selfie in her Saint Cloth.
Designed jointly by several of the Little Garden's goddesses of beauty, the armor, unsurprisingly, drew unanimous praise.
Everyone marveled at how stunning it looked in the photo. Some even commented that if she looked this striking in a picture, they couldn't imagine how breathtaking it would be to see in person.
Naturally, the conversation drifted toward Shiroyasha and Esdeath's access rights to the chat group's shared space and the floating islands.
Sure, they could come and go as they pleased, but they couldn't bring in people from their world. They didn't have many of the privileges the old members did.
So...
『(Admin) Veyron』: Since we're already on the subject, and it's been a while since they joined, why don't we take this chance to settle it?
『Earth's Cancer』: Works for me.
『Catwoman』: Seconded.
『Ghost Spider』: +1.
『(Admin) Veyron』: Then let's put it to a vote. Should Shiroyasha and Esdeath get full access like the rest of us, or not?
[Group Notice: The Admin has initiated an anonymous poll—Should group member "Shiroyasha" be granted access to the shared space?]
[Group Notice: The Admin has initiated an anonymous poll—Should group member "Esdeath" be granted access to the shared space?]
[ Y / N ]
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