Outer Gate 500, Heavenly Army Headquarters—
At the Pantheon Hall (also known as the Hall of Arbitration)... One by one, shimmering figures began to materialize atop the twelve massive thrones.
Before long, five silhouettes had fully taken shape.
Kenshin, seated beneath the throne inscribed with the ancient divine script for "Bishamonten," glanced around the chamber. Dressed as always in a business suit with her hair tied into a single ponytail, she quietly surveyed those present.
Besides Indra and her acquaintance Mata, two others had answered the summons.
One was a dignified, golden-haired man in the prime of his life, radiating regal authority.
The other was a mature, strikingly beautiful woman dressed in flowing ancient eastern robes, her hair elegantly pinned up.
Surya, the Sun Deva.
Rakṣasa, the Rakshasa Deva.
The former belonged to the Hindu pantheon, while the latter was a member of the Buddhist faction. Both stood among the highest-ranking natural-born gods.
"Only five of us made it." Kenshin sighed softly.
She knew this turnout was already better than expected.
Among the remaining members of the Twelve Devas, some were still in deep slumber, with no one knowing when they would awaken.
And that was exactly why she found the situation so depressing.
'Has the Heavenly Army really been weakened this badly since the campaign against the Evil Dragon Azi Dahaka? To the point that even half of the Twelve Devas can't be assembled?'
"..."
Indra, seated at the head of the chamber, explained, "Brahma just managed to buy an alternate version of himself from a certain brat, and since he happened to be close to the incident, he went to investigate first."
"A certain brat?"
Rakṣasa lazily waved her fan, smiling knowingly. "You mean the up-and-coming Fourth Divine King of Greece? Hestia mentioned him a few times."
Her smile grew increasingly mischievous. "I'm more curious which path he'll ultimately choose when he builds his cosmology."
Mata took another bite of her apple. "No idea. But I guarantee it won't be that ridiculous 'three kings and one Queen' system. I imagine Zeus and Poseidon are getting pretty anxious right about now. Hera's probably making her move too."
"Enough." Surya let out a weary sigh. "Save the gossip for later."
The goddesses laughed quietly before dropping the subject.
There were times and places for private gossip. No one wanted these obnoxious men overhearing it.
Seeing the troublesome goddesses finally settle down, Surya turned back to Indra. "Has Brahma reported in? Has he confirmed it's really that dragon?"
"Not yet." Indra lightly tapped the armrest of his throne. "But it shouldn't take much longer."
After saying that, he closed his eyes.
The others didn't rush him.
For beings like them, the length of a meeting hardly mattered. Finding a solution did.
Without enough intelligence, waiting was often the best course of action.
Some time later, Indra finally opened his eyes. He slowly exhaled.
"Brahma has confirmed it. The Evil Dragon's seal remains completely intact."
A collective sigh of relief spread quietly through the chamber.
Such was the terror inspired by the Three-Headed Evil Dragon Azi Dahaka. Even though he remained sealed away, simply hearing that one of his avatars had become active was enough for the Twelve Devas to verify the seal before drawing any conclusions.
Kenshin, the youngest-ranked among the Twelve, visibly relaxed. "Then the disturbances in the lower layers are probably only being caused by one of his avatars."
Azi Dahaka's avatars were still Fourth-Digit monsters, and exceptionally powerful ones at that.
But without his greatest weapon—his Another Cosmology, Avesta—even the Floor Masters of the lower layers could handle them, let alone the Heavenly Army.
After all, Avesta was absurdly overpowered.It had transformed someone who had once merely been an ordinary Three-Digit powerhouse into a monster capable of defeating the entire Heavenly Army by himself.
It was simply ridiculous.
Indra nodded. "I agree. As long as Azi Dahaka himself doesn't move, his avatars are manageable."
Then he slowly added, "The real problem... is the one traveling with him."
With a wave of his hand, droplets of water floated before each deva.
The droplets expanded into crystal-clear mirrors.
Within them appeared the image of Yamata no Orochi walking beside Azi Dahaka.
Surya's brows immediately knitted together. The others looked equally grim.
Every one of them recognized him.
Indra sighed. "Yamata no Orochi. A former Last Embryo."
"He was supposedly killed during the Dawn Era by Susanoo."
"It's not impossible that he was resurrected. Or perhaps this is another alternate self possessing the same Spirit Rank. But according to Brahma..."
Indra folded his hands together. His expression grew unusually solemn. "The Babylonian gods who were killed... cannot be resurrected."
Mata's expression changed instantly. "The properties of a Last Embryo..."
Rakṣasa gently fanned herself. "A Last Embryo that's already been overcome appearing again... What an absurd joke."
Indra spoke immediately. "Orochi's Last Embryo originated from catastrophic flooding."
"The Nile. The Ganges. The Yellow River. The Yangtze... Ancient floods like these repeatedly destroyed early human civilizations and nearly drove humanity to extinction. The Cross circumvented it through Noah. The Greeks through Deucalion. And so on..."
"In doing so, we reduced Orochi's Spirit Rank to its smallest possible scale. Susanoo simply arrived afterward and finished the job."
Kenshin immediately caught his meaning. "So you're saying... because the method wasn't complete, humanity never truly overcame that Last Embryo. And Orochi has now returned?"
If those words became public, they would essentially amount to accusing Susanoo of shamelessly stealing credit.
Just as Orochi was on the verge of defeat by everyone, Susanoo swooped in to claim the finishing blow.
The whole story sounded rather disgraceful.
Of course, there was an even greater possibility... Indra was simply shifting the blame.
Takamagahara had already fallen. With no one left to defend Susanoo's reputation, pinning responsibility on him was convenient.
Dead men couldn't argue.
Otherwise, people might start asking why the Heavenly Army had once declared Orochi's Last Embryo permanently resolved.
Just then, rhythmic tapping echoed through the chamber. Rakṣasa was idly drumming her fingers against her throne.
Everyone looked toward her.
"Rakṣasa." Indra asked, "What do you think?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Could there be another possibility? For example... a brand-new Last Embryo has been born. And Yamata no Orochi merely serves as its vessel."
Silence filled the chamber.
Finally, Indra forced out a bitter smile. "...That's certainly possible. And it's also the worst possibility."
Since the fourteenth century... or perhaps more accurately, the year 2000... What kind of monsters had humanity's Last Embryos become?
There had only been two.
The [Closed-off World] Dystopia. And the [Absolute Evil] Azi Dahaka.
But the quality of those two alone was terrifying. Neither of them could truly be resolved.
And now another one might have appeared.
It was enough to give anyone a headache.
After a long pause, Indra spoke carefully. "Our immediate priority is to assemble an investigation team. They'll head to the lower layers and inspect the area around the attacks."
"But we can't send too many. If this new enemy possessed Another Cosmology specialized in being undefeated just like Azi Dahaka... they'd be walking straight into a massacre.
"I'll go." Kenshin volunteered immediately.
She might rank last among the Twelve Devas, but her injuries were the lightest. There was no reason for her to shrink back.
"I'm in too." Mata rubbed her temples. "I'm responsible for intelligence, after all."
"In that case..."
Indra had just begun speaking when Rakṣasa smiled. "Count me in as well. If things go south, I can at least make sure everyone escapes."
Indra glanced at the Banana Leaf Fan in her hand.
A woman capable of forcing even Sun Wukong to rely on tricks rather than brute force had more than earned the right to speak.
Seeing no opposition, Indra gave his final orders. "Very well. We proceed as usual."
"First investigate. Until we've confirmed the facts, inform only the Floor Masters."
"Keep everything else classified. We cannot allow panic to spread through either the upper or lower layers."
Every Last Embryo was more troublesome than the last.
And thanks to Little Garden's Central Core suppressing information about them, intelligence was always the deciding factor.
With enough information... even Azi Dahaka wasn't unbeatable.
Fortunately, the three Devas heading out all possessed avatars and incarnations. Even if they couldn't solve the problem immediately... they should at least be able to survive.
"The meeting is adjourned." Indra let out a tired sigh.
Then he added, "Mata, stay behind."
The projections of the others quickly faded away. Only Mata remained.
Still munching on her apple, Mata grumbled, "What? You think I did a lousy job gathering intelligence and failed to notice a new Last Embryo? Planning to make my life difficult? Honestly, I'd love that. I've been wanting to quit this job anyway."
"It's not that." Indra rolled his eyes.
'Trying to slack off again? Not happening.'
"Then what is it?" Mata took another bite of her apple while chewing noisily.
Indra hesitated.
Then, lowering his voice, he asked cautiously, "...Do you think... there's any chance this new Last Embryo... is somehow that little brat's doing?"
.
.
.
༺ If you're interested, you can read more chapters ahead on pat👉 patreon.com/_Coreal ༻