— — — — — —
"That's a surprisingly honest answer."
Athena lowered her head a little, tilting her face as she studied Ryo's expression. "If you're worried I'll run off and tell Black Rabbit, you don't need to."
A soft smile played on her lips as she spoke gently. "To me, whether this community is Arcadia or anything else makes no difference. I only care about the people I choose to care about."
That line hit a bit too directly… Ryo couldn't help glancing at her, then coughed to hide the awkwardness.
"When it comes to something like this, I don't see a reason to hide anything."
He took a moment to settle his thoughts, then smiled. "You might think someone like me would always try to maximize my own gain."
"Say I'm looking for Canaria, but secretly drag my feet because I'm worried she'll take my seat."
Ryo let out a short, sharp laugh. "But isn't that stupid?"
"After the fall, when even the name Arcadia was lost, what power was left to fight over? Why did I stay in Arcadia?"
"I indeed stayed because of the lives Black Rabbit and Canaria saved. But after taking the flag back, I've paid back most of what I owed."
"I'm not afraid of Canaria returning. I'm not even worried about the gods who'll want her to seize the reins."
"Because if she comes back and actually wants a power struggle…"
His lips curled into a vicious grin. "Then we can settle it the real way. Let's see whether her brains kill me, or my fists shatter her down to atoms."
"Of course, that's the worst-case scenario. No, I should say impossible scenario."
"From what I know of Canaria, things wouldn't even get that far. She'd probably grab me, share a few drinks, and laugh it off."
"Heh, her alcohol tolerance is what—maybe 150 ml? One glass and she's done."
"That woman has zero dignity as an elder. Smart as she is, she insists on acting like an idiot in front of the community."
"Thanks to her, Black Rabbit inherited the same fake stupidity and turned into the airhead she is now."
Athena made no comment, just listened quietly while his grumbling continued. And yet, the more he spoke, the brighter her smile grew—until her whole face looked like a blooming flower.
"Should I say… this is exactly what I'd expect from my Saint?"
Her eyes narrowed as she gave him a sly, amused look. "Knowing your personality, you clearly prepared thoroughly before making any move. But to me, having that level of resolve is something only a true hero has."
"If you want to call me scheming, just say it." Ryo rolled his eyes. "For the record, my life comes first. If things get truly dangerous, rest assured—I'm absolutely ditching you and running for it."
"I, Ryo Yagami, am a real scumbag."
"What an unpleasant thing to say. You could've just lied." Athena muttered, then moved on. "Anyway, how's your preparation for the debut battle?"
"You mean the product showcase in seven days?"
Ryo raised a brow, looking a little helpless. "I already stockpiled most of the Shinigami-related Gifts. The problem is the gods who'll come to cause trouble."
"A simple test of the zanpakutō won't satisfy those busybodies."
He could guarantee it.
Those gods weren't coming to enroll in his academy like normal spirits and learn how to become Shinigami.
They wanted drama. They wanted a show between him and Shiroyasha. They wanted some flashy performance from Arcadia's new leader.
And Ryo, being a Yagami, wasn't giving them any of that.
Treat him like some circus monkey? Not a chance.
With that thought, he shrugged. "Honestly, I don't like the coming of lower-tier gods."
In Little Garden, the gods had rankings.
Those who reached three digits and above were the core—main gods, god-kings, the center of entire pantheons.
Seated alongside them were the higher four-digit gods, major figures in the divine factions.
Below them were the ordinary four-digit gods of the outer gates, and then the five-digit demigods who had some worship.
But the ones who worried about Ouroboros, about the order of Little Garden, about the completion of Last Embryos… the ones who actually did anything… those were the three-digit gods.
They were the ones who did real work.
The lower-tier gods? Aside from a few officers, most were just freeloaders.
Drifters inside the system who loved gossip, shows, and snacks. A bunch of divine layabouts.
And the audience for his debut battle? Mostly that entire crowd of "divine hooligans."
Honestly, Ryo disliked the lower-tier gods far more than the upper-tier ones.
The lower bunch hogged resources, caused problems, loved showing off, spread rumors nonstop… a whole pack of spoiled brats. And to be honest, Ryo doubted most of them even knew what kind of turbulence had rocked the upper layers recently.
He sometimes suspected the reason certain gods sealed themselves off without fear of being hunted by rogue deities and descended as mortals was because these lower-tier idiots existed.
With this many pigs around, becoming a godslayer wasn't that hard.
"They've been fattened for years. Time to harvest."
Ryo was sure at least some upper gods thought that way.
Hearing all this, Athena remained calm. "Same, steel gods everywhere are deeply unpleasant to me."
She clearly didn't want to stay on that topic, and immediately continued, "Forget them. What matters more is the counterattack Ouroboros might prepare."
"They'll probably send a Demon Lord. A strong one—at least legendary-class within the four digits."
Ryo frowned. "So I'll probably have to face a Demon Lord Authority?"
Athena let out a small sigh, speaking seriously. "About that, I suggest you make flexible use of your Host privileges."
"From what I know, Gift Games under a Host's control are very effective at countering Demon Lords. They can give you home-field advantage, and the gods themselves find them entertaining."
"You could use that to pull the gods into participating, reducing the damage they'd otherwise cause Arcadia."
"And if a Demon Lord attacks, you'd have proper tools to respond."
Ryo's lips lifted into a grin. "Funny you say that. I came to you for exactly this."
As he spoke, he reached into the air and pulled out a roll of black parchment.
"Take a look. What do you think of this Host Game I designed for the gods?"
Athena blinked in surprise, then slipped on a pair of black-rimmed glasses, took the parchment from him, and looked at the first line.
[Gift Game: Bleach]
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