— — — — — —
High above the temple, the divine sword spun lazily, radiating a blinding platinum light.
But the people surrounding it looked like they were at a funeral — faces twisted in grief and disbelief.
Everyone knew what it meant. Once the Divine Sword of Salvation made its choice, that person would inherit the fate of the "King of End."
And now that the Little Garden's core had linked to this world, inheriting that fate also meant inheriting the divinity of the King of End.
And that — was basically a death sentence.
Whether it was Uesugi Kenshin, Scáthach, Heracles, or Highness, all of them were divine warriors, gods of battle in their own right.
If anyone among them took on the King of End's divinity, it would be like declaring war on every god in existence who coveted that same power.
Enemies, literally, everywhere. No surrender. No mercy.
How were they supposed to deal with that?
"Did that bastard… actually see a glimpse of fate?!"
Uesugi Kenshin's voice trembled slightly with frustration as she stared up at the still-glowing throne.
In his parallel world, Mithras had singlehandedly slaughtered all gods and godslayers alike, becoming the only true god — the final savior.
If he had entered the Little Garden, his rank would've easily broken into the four-digit tier, probably even higher. So for someone like him, glimpsing a strand of fate wasn't difficult at all.
And maybe because he had seen that future — understood the curse the King of End's title carried — Mithras had chosen to play this final, desperate card before dying.
A one-for-one trade. Extreme. Ruthless. Final.
Kenshin's expression hardened. She didn't have time to overthink it.
Suppressing most of her divine power to stay within the limits of her "Human Form", she released a fraction enough to twist the local flow of time and space.
She couldn't afford to do more. Any greater interference and the Little Garden's core would register it as a three-digit entity tampering with the lower gates— and punish her for it.
Still, she managed to slow time, giving them a few precious minutes to breathe.
"Everyone," she said quietly, "I've temporarily frozen the sword's selection process. We have about five minutes."
"In that time, we must choose who will bear the fate of the King of End."
Heracles' face contorted slightly. "Lady Kenshin, can't you just destroy the sword outright?"
"I could," she said with a pained look, "but the cost would be enormous."
"The sword draws its power from Mithras — and the god of fate behind him. Two overlapping divine forces. To erase it completely, I'd have to break my seal."
"But before you could even destroy the sword," Highness interjected calmly, "you'd be immediately recalled by the Core. And when that happens, we'd be left to play Russian roulette."
Russian roulette — the game where you load one bullet into a revolver, spin the chamber, and pull the trigger. Survive or die by chance.
That was exactly what this situation had become.
"Ahem..."
Ryo gave a low laugh from the side. "At least Lady Kenshin could bow out early and avoid becoming the King of End, right?"
The air went cold.
Aside from Scáthach — who was still smiling faintly, her emotions unreadable — both Heracles and Highness looked grim.
Sure, Kenshin could escape. But that just made them more likely to be chosen.
They all knew it — the sword would likely choose between two of them.
Because the King of End, by nature, was a "Hero of Steel." And both Heracles and Highness had the same bonus — each had once been the King of End in a parallel world.
Which made things even worse.
Finally, Kenshin's calm voice cut through the tension.
"My quota for descending to the lower worlds has already been used up for the next millennium. If I force a return, I'll be sent back to Little Garden immediately — which defeats the entire purpose of my descent."
"So, I'll stay," she said simply. "And face whatever comes."
'Of course you're not afraid,' Ryo thought sourly. With just a trace of her divine power, she can make sure the sword doesn't pick her.
He glanced toward Scáthach, who still wore that serene, unbothered smile.
No doubt she had some divine safeguard — maybe Queen Halloween's protection or something similar.
After all, the Queen did value Scáthach highly. It would make sense for her to grant her subordinate a few useful gifts.
Which meant… the sword's real candidates were him, Heracles, and Highness.
As for Rin, the human girl — barely five-digit, non-combatant, and completely unrelated to the King of End — she was out of danger.
Ryo himself wasn't technically a god of steel, but… he'd once slain a god and stolen fragments of the King of End's fate, turning it into his own power.
In other words, he had the power of a King of End — just without the title.
And this sword? It was basically the missing piece, the title.
Which made him an even better target.
Great. Just great.
"Yeah… I'm fucked," Ryo thought, grimacing as he noticed Heracles and Highness exchanging tense, wordless looks — definitely using some kind of secret telepathy to plot their escape.
And then, out of nowhere, Rin spoke up.
"What if...." She said softly, "what if I take it instead?"
"...Rin?"
Highness snapped his head toward her, stunned.
Everyone turned to stare.
"If you think about it," she said calmly, "I'm just a human. Even if I inherit the King of End's fate, I can't wield its full power — nor could I complete the unfinished divinity. I have no connection to any god."
She continued with chilling composure, "At best, the Core might temporarily raise my spirit rank a bit. That's all."
"And if we all strike together before the sword's choice is finalized, we could at least damage it — cripple it enough that when we return to the Garden, no god would bother trying to claim it through me."
"Because repairing a broken divinity might cost more than it's worth."
Kenshin narrowed her eyes, intrigued.
"A human carrying the King of End's fate… That does sound similar to the godslayers of this world."
"Your reasoning is sound. It would deflect most of the risk — especially from those of us already linked to the King of End's power."
"No! I refuse."
Highness refused instantly.
Heracles frowned. "Then suggest a better plan."
He actually agreed with Rin. Even if she was doing it to protect Highness, who cared? He'd survive too.
Highness's expression twisted. "You're all assuming too much! What if she does inherit the full divinity? How would she escape the gods who'd hunt her down to complete it?"
"Not to mention — we don't even know if we can interfere with the sword's choice in the first place!"
Kenshin's voice remained calm. "I can release a portion of my true power to distort fate. Make the sword believe Rin is the rightful successor."
Highness's jaw tightened. He couldn't argue — Kenshin could do it.
She wasn't an incomplete deity like him. She was the Three-Digit Valkyrie herself — Bishamonten.
And meddling with fate was child's play for her.
"Your Highness," Rin said, gently taking Highness's hand. "Please. Let me do this."
Highness clenched his fists, then turned to look at Ryo — who was watching like it was a stage play.
Of everyone here, only Ryo shared Rin's human nature. He could take on the King of End's fate without drawing too much divine hostility.
Even if he had a godslaying title, the Core still recognized him as human.
But Ryo just raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Sorry. Not interested in being the King of End."
Highness's expression faltered. He looked utterly defeated, lips parting soundlessly.
Was he really going to sacrifice Rin — the one who had pulled him back from eternal sleep?
His voice trembled. "There's… really no room for negotiation?"
Ryo met his gaze, completely straight-faced. "None."
Highness staggered back two steps, eyes dull — crushed beyond words.
And then Ryo added solemnly, "Unless you pay more."
.
.
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