The mechanical voice in his ear came and went swiftly.
Ryota fell silent for a few seconds, thoughts racing through his mind.
"...Destroy the statue?"
He repeated it internally, a hint of doubt in his tone.
The mission sounded absurdly simple.
And that—more than anything—set off alarm bells in Ryota's mind.
"No combat requirements."
"No boss battle."
"It doesn't even ask me to kill Freya."
But the more he thought about it, the darker his expression grew.
"Something's off."
This wasn't some midnight stealth mission where he could just sneak into the central plaza and smash a rock.
Ryota turned his head to look out the window.
His eyes landed on the towering structure that stood in the heart of Orario—Babel Tower.
Building a statue seemed like a ceremonial act, an honor.
But Ryota knew full well—that woman never did anything meaningless.
Suddenly, a jolt of realization shot through his mind.
The people of Orario were already under Freya's charm.
They'd fully accepted the idea that he belonged to the Freya Familia.
If the statue was just about reinforcing that idea, it wouldn't be necessary. She already had everyone under her spell.
But Freya still built it anyway.
Not for the people—for him.
Their encounter last night made one thing painfully clear to Freya: her charm didn't work on him.
She couldn't control Ryota—not even Ottar could.
So Freya needed a "nail" to pin him to the role of "Freya Familia."
And Ryota's system—it wasn't sentimental.
It was a cold, mechanical thing.
Every mission it issued had a clear purpose.
To the system, this statue wasn't just a structure. It was the physical manifestation of Freya's enchantment. A banner she planted in his name.
That's why this main quest branch had triggered.
Ryota had a powerful hunch: destroying that statue would complete the final fusion.
And activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
The moment he understood, a subtle smirk curved at the corner of his lips.
Hephaestus caught the cold glint in that otherwise calm smile and froze for a moment before asking:
"What are you going to do?"
The red-haired goddess furrowed her brow.
"Did Freya figure out you weren't charmed? So she staged this whole thing on purpose—"
"She wants to show you that even if you've broken free from her control, all of Orario already sees you as hers."
Her tone was calm, but each word cut like a knife.
A god understood another god best.
She'd seen through Freya's entire act at a glance.
Ryota nodded, not denying it.
"You're right."
"So I'll just get rid of that damn thing."
Hephaestus fell silent.
"Ryota, don't be rash. The central plaza is the heart of Orario."
"It's right under Babel Tower. Magic use is strictly forbidden. Even for you, there's no way you can—"
"Lady Hephaestus."
Ryota cut her off.
"I've made up my mind."
Hephaestus looked into his eyes—now faintly glowing with a purple sheen. She opened her mouth to say something but ultimately held it in.
After several seconds of silence, she let out a soft sigh and nodded.
"Once you decide something, no one can stop you."
There was no point trying to talk him down.
This boy was no longer the quiet newcomer she'd once seen in her forge.
The presence he carried now... surpassed even the gods.
"Ryota."
"When will you make your move?"
Ryota replied coolly,
"Tonight. When the moon rises."
…
Night fell quietly.
But Orario had yet to fall silent.
Since morning, the central plaza had been packed.
Adventurers and civilians alike swarmed in just to catch a glimpse of a statue unlike any before.
Dozens of meters tall, it towered beneath Babel Tower, gazing down over all of Orario, bathed in the light of dawn, like a divine messenger descended to earth.
And the most shocking part—it wasn't Ottar's likeness, or any god's.
It was Ryota's.
A Level 4 adventurer.
A "Freya rising star" who'd just steamrolled the entire Loki Familia in a War Game.
The statue was built in Freya's name. Its inscription read:
[The Messenger of the Goddess of Beauty, descended upon the mortal realm, protecting Orario with unmatched power.]
[A tribute to Freya's most perfect choice.]
The streets buzzed with chatter:
"This must be a divine recognition, right? Freya sees him as her envoy?"
"Is this kid gonna replace Ottar outright...?"
"Holy crap, this statue is insane—feels like the whole plaza is bowing to him!"
"But... why him? He's not even Level 5!"
"You don't get it. Did you even see that War Game? That fight was way beyond level-based combat..."
"Most importantly—he's hot."
"..."
More and more people began laying flowers before the statue, offering prayers, even copying its pose.
A quasi-religious fervor was spreading across the city.
"So unfair... this is just plain coercion…"
Far off in the distance, Lefiya hugged her knees, sitting on a bench with her cheeks puffed, glaring unhappily at the towering statue.
Ryota's expression carved into stone was deep and indifferent—perfectly capturing his usual calm demeanor. Even the intricate patterns of the Sharingan were etched with precision.
Lefiya pouted. "...They don't even know what Ryota thinks, and they just assume he belongs to Freya."
"Freya is just... way too much."
Ais, sitting beside her, said nothing.
She simply tilted her head back, staring up at the cold statue. Its face reflected in her golden eyes, her expression calm—yet inexplicably conflicted.
After a long silence, Ais spoke softly:
"...He probably doesn't like things like this."
At the top of Babel Tower, Freya looked down at the gathering crowds, a smile once again spreading across her lips.
"If you won't accept my charm… then I'll make the whole world fall for you."
"If you won't admit you're mine… then I'll make everyone else believe you are."
"Ryota, this is true enchantment."
Behind her stood the core members of the Freya Familia.
Ottar stood in silence, with Hedin, Hogni, and the others flanking him, their expressions somewhat strained.
Freya turned her head slightly and asked,
"Where is Ryota?"
"He's still at the Hephaestus Familia. Hasn't left all day."
Freya hummed in response, but her gaze never strayed from the statue.
Her eyes darkened for a moment.
Her mind involuntarily replayed the things Ryota had said the night before.
A sharp pain pierced her chest.
She was the goddess of beauty. Yet for the first time, someone had used the word "disgusting" to pierce through the divinity she was so proud of.
"Let's go visit him later."
Her voice softened again into a smile.
"At the very least, I want him to see the statue I made for him with his own eyes."
"I think… he'll be very happy."
The others lifted their eyes to look at Freya's back.
After a long silence, they simply nodded.
…
Night finally descended.
A silver moon hung high, casting a soft, dreamy veil over all of Orario.
The central plaza no longer bustled like it had during the day.
A few Ganesha Familia patrols passed by, giving the towering statue a respectful glance before moving on.
On a bench near the edge of the plaza, Ais and Lefiya had been sitting for some time.
From the moment the sun had set until now under the full moon, several hours had passed.
Lefiya clutched her staff, her initial anxiety having faded into fatigue, then into confusion.
"Miss Ais…"
"Let's go home."
Ais lifted her gaze slightly, stared at the statue for a while, then finally nodded.
The two stood to leave.
But the next second, footsteps echoed from the far end of the street behind them.
Both girls turned instinctively.
Under the moonlight, the black-haired boy slowly appeared, walking into the plaza against the light.
A glimmer sparked in Ais's eyes. Lefiya let out a reflexive gasp.
"Ryota!"
That figure didn't quicken his pace or say a word.
He simply walked, step by step, toward the statue that stood at the heart of Orario—born of worship, crowned by belief.
Atop Babel Tower, Freya and the others immediately noticed Ryota standing in front of the statue.
She blinked in surprise, then smiled.
"So he's finally come to see it..."
"Ryota must really—"
She didn't finish her sentence.
The next second—
Ryota lifted his right hand.
And casually curled his fingers into a fist.
No preamble, no chant, no overwhelming magical surge—just a casual squeeze.
But with that single motion—
Crack… craaackkk…
That towering statue, crafted by top artisans, emitted a sharp sound of fracturing stone.
Far above, Freya's smile froze. Her pupils shrank.
"...What?"
Crack—!
The second, deeper rumble followed.
The statue's proud upper half was torn apart by an unseen force. Cracks spiderwebbed across the stone surface before the entire upper body broke off.
"Ry... Ryota!?"
Lefiya's eyes went wide, her voice trembling.
Even Ais was stunned. What just happened!?
Under the night sky, Ryota slowly levitated into the air, the upper half of the statue floating before him.
But it wasn't over.
Ryota raised both hands again.
BOOM—!!!
A thunderous roar echoed.
The lower half of the statue wrenched itself free—base, pedestal, and all—soared skyward.
All of Orario jolted awake in disbelief.
"Isn't that... the statue Freya built?!"
"That guy... is that Ryota?!"
"What the hell is he doing—ripping up his own statue?!"
"…"
In the sea of stunned gazes, Ryota hovered in the air, his eyes calmly sweeping across the plaza.
"Let's end this."
With those words, he brought his palms together.
BOOOOOMMMMMM—!!!
The statue was instantly pulverized in midair, reduced to clouds of stone dust that rained down like ash.
It happened so fast.
Too fast for Freya atop Babel, Ais and Lefiya on the bench, or any citizen of Orario to even blink.
The Statue that had symbolized glory and devotion—
Was obliterated before tens of thousands of eyes.
Under the moonlight, it became a dazzling yet ironic spectacle.
"He's insane! That was the highest honor imaginable!"
"That's not the issue—he destroyed it right at the foot of Babel!"
"This is blasphemy! A rebellion against Freya!"
"A lunatic… a complete lunatic…"
"…"
Cries of disbelief echoed through every corner of Orario.
But Ryota ignored them all.
He shut out the noise, then lowered his gaze to the two girls on the bench.
Both Ais and Lefiya stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.
Then Ryota looked up again, toward the far-off Twilight Manor.
And finally—the familiar mechanical voice rang out:
[Ding! Main quest branch: Destroy the statue Freya is building in Central Square—complete!]
[Calculating rewards—]
[Reward 1: Special Nine-Tails Chakra +10%!]
[Reward 2: Sage Jutsu Chakra +10%!]
[Reward 3: Hashirama Cells +10%!]
[Reward 4: Kekkei Genkai unlocked—Wood Style: Wood Human Jutsu!]
[Reward 5: Chakra capacity +200,000!]
[Ding—Fusion progress +20%]
[Current fusion progress: 100%]
[…]
[Ding! All abilities of the Rinnegan—fully unlocked.]
As the mechanical voice faded—
Ryota's pupils shrank as the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan began to spin rapidly.
Faster and faster—one rotation, two, three…
Purple patterns bloomed from the center of his eyes, covering and reshaping them completely!
VMMMMMMMM—!
A sharp, buzzing roar erupted around him.
Waves of dark-purple chakra exploded from his body, coiling around him and distorting the night sky itself.
Atop Babel, Freya's expression turned to horror. That pressure—she had never felt anything like it.
It wasn't something a Level 5… or even a Level 7… could possibly wield.
It was power born from the very laws of existence. A force that made even gods instinctively tremble.
"The Rinnegan... is complete."
Ryota touched his eye sockets lightly, then lifted his gaze to the full moon in the sky and murmured:
"Infinite Tsukuyomi."