— — — — — —
In the Netherworld
Ripples spread across the air, distorting space itself. Colors deepened and flared—too vivid, almost blinding.
The first to change were the ancient stone tablets that recorded the history of Rama. Their once brownish surfaces darkened, shading toward black. And as that color spread, countless wills from parallel worlds began anchoring themselves through the ripples, as if drawn to these stones.
Was Rama's history resonating with the Kings of End… because they shared the same essence?
As that thought crossed Ryo's mind, he turned toward Liliana behind him.
They exchanged a brief nod. Then, with a wave of his hand, Ryo used telekinesis to tear open space-time, sending the priestesses who had conducted the ritual safely back to the hideout.
It wouldn't disrupt the ritual—it had already succeeded. If anything, it would hide the fact that Ryo himself had summoned the King of End.
At that exact moment, a powerful will found its anchor and began to project its strength through.
The rippling air burst with spatial energy.
Ryo didn't resist. The force engulfed him completely.
After what felt like eight seconds, he opened his eyes to find himself standing before a white palace.
It was massive—a grand central hall surrounded by seven tall towers, graceful courtyards, and shining waterways. The whole thing gleamed like something built from moonlight and marble.
Turning around, Ryo saw an endless desert of white sand, glowing with a cool, pale light.
Then he looked up. A huge blue planet hung above the horizon—and next to it, a smaller white one orbited lazily.
"A temple floating between Earth and the Moon?"
He squinted, focusing back on the palace.
Inside, he could feel a pulse of fighting spirit—strong, fiery, and waiting for him.
The corner of his mouth lifted into a faint smile.
Instead of walking straight into a head-on fight with the King of End, Ryo strolled to the fountain nearby, sat down, and waited quietly.
Whoever was inside noticed his presence, felt his intent—but didn't act rashly. The two of them waited, an unspoken understanding passing between them.
"Interesting," Ryo murmured, closing his eyes halfway. He maintained the link between this place and the Campione world with a steady thread of thought.
He was waiting for the Garden's investigators to arrive.
— — — — — —
Back in the Netherworld.
Wearing a white Greek robe, Heracles followed his instincts to the field of stone tablets that chronicled Rama's history.
There, by the sea-washed edge, he saw Uesugi Kenshin and Scáthach already studying the inscriptions.
"Didn't expect to be the third one here," Heracles said with a helpless shrug.
Not that it surprised him.
Even though Kenshin's current power level was only at the four-digit tier, her essence was still that of a three-digit being. Beating him here was only natural.
As for Scáthach—her strength was about the same as his, but being the subordinate of Queen Halloween, who Governs the Boundaries, gave her an edge in space-time travel.
Heracles glanced at the ripples swirling above but said nothing. Instead, he turned his attention to the tablets.
If both Kenshin and Scáthach were focused on these, then they must hold something more valuable than the shimmering portal nearby.
He picked one at random, placed a hand on it—and his eyes lit up.
"This is… a record of the King of End slaying Godslayers?"
Curiosity piqued, he sank his consciousness into the tablet.
A moment later, his expression froze, then darkened as he pulled most of his mind back out.
The record described a parallel-world King of End—Heracles himself.
"What the hell?! I'm the King of End?"
For a moment, Heracles was utterly dumbfounded.
Right then, Highness and Rin appeared beside him, silent as ghosts.
"Just thinking about a place lets you teleport here, huh? This 'Netherworld' is really something," Highness said, his gaze wandering. Soon he spotted Heracles, then noticed Kenshin and Scáthach still immersed in their tablets.
"What's this?" he frowned, an uneasy feeling crawling up his spine.
Rin, standing by another monument, suddenly called out nervously, "Your Excellency, you should take a look at this one!"
Highness glanced up at the rippling sky, then stepped over to her and pressed his hand against the stone. His mind dove in.
When he emerged a moment later, his face was completely blank.
"The King of End is Your Highness, huh? That's certainly valuable information."
Valuable? Valuable, my ass!
According to the record, Highness shared the same divine essence as Messiah, Arthur, Heracles, and the Egyptian god Atum?!
What kind of twisted world was this?!
Why did it feel like the whole universe was out to mess with him?
Or maybe this world's mythology was just broke—so broke that every god had to recycle the same identity with a different costume just to keep the story going.
If you're poor, stop pretending to be rich!
Who was this setup supposed to screw over?!
"Your Excellency," Rin said urgently, "these inscriptions… they're blasphemous! We should destroy them before they bring ruin!"
Her heart nearly dropped just from reading them.
Based on what they'd deduced about the Garden's core system, she was starting to think it was trying to murder Highness.
Look at what the tablet said! Could any normal being pull this off?
Highness—sharing the same godhood as Heracles, Atum, Messiah, and Arthur?
Arthur was dead, sure, but Atum was the Egyptian sun god Ra's incarnation, and Messiah was that two-digit being from the Cross pantheon.
And now those two were apparently just his avatars?!
Who are you people trying to kill?!
If the Cross decided to complete this divine connection, wouldn't everyone named on these tablets become their prey?
Their guy was two-digit level!
One of the Seventeen Sovereigns—the true power behind the Cross!
Being hunted by the Cross in the Garden was as good as a death sentence.
And to make things worse, Heracles was standing right there, watching.
What if he decided to climb a step higher too?
Rin risked a quick glance at Heracles. He noticed and smiled back.
Unfortunately, his square, rugged face made the smile look… terrifyingly violent.
She immediately regretted looking at him.
After a long silence, Highness finally said, "We'll report this once we're back. Let the higher-ups decide what it means."
"For now, focus on recording every tablet—everything about the King of End."
He was forcing himself to keep up his calm, clerical tone.
He didn't have much choice.
If his real identity got out, it could easily create friction with Heracles—and he wasn't ready to fight that powerhouse yet. Better to pretend he was the "Bishop."
Still… maybe revealing it might have its uses. His eyes narrowed slightly at the thought.
Soon after, Rin finished copying all the data into a crystal and nodded to him.
By now, everyone had completed their recordings. They exchanged silent glances—then, as if drawn by instinct, all turned their eyes toward the sky.
Something told them that up there… lay the final secret of the King of End.
.
.
.