"Unrestricted?"
"By unrestricted, do You mean there will be no limitations on our actions whatsoever?" Zhongli couldn't help but ask.
In the past, every plan involving the annexation of worlds had come entirely from the Heavenly Principle. All actions had to follow His design—minor adjustments were permitted, but the core plan could never be altered.
But now… did unrestricted mean that even the core itself no longer existed?
Noah smiled. "Teyvat is already a true multiverse—the supreme world. No matter what you do, nothing you do can shake its foundations. Even if something changes, it will simply create another worldline—a parallel multiverse, nothing more."
"And besides—you are all gods whom I've personally guided. I trust you unconditionally."
Those words moved the Seven Archons deeply. Even Zhongli's heart stirred with emotion.
It was the profound, indescribable feeling of being truly recognized.
One simple sentence—'You are the gods I have raised'—was worth more than any grand proclamation.
"For the sake of all that is beautiful… we have always lived by that principle," Raiden Makoto said softly, pressing her hand to her chest as if to soothe her touched heart.
Venti nodded. "Indeed. Though our natures and ideals may differ, our purpose has always been the same."
Noah raised his hand, patting Nahida's head gently, then Furina's.
"Follow your own will. Pursue it freely. Use the Little Garden world as nourishment for your growth."
"At the multiversal level, strength can only come from within. If I were to grant it to you directly, it would be no more than a fleeting, rootless will—unable to withstand any true trial."
During the process of merging the two multiverses, the gods were to draw sustenance from the Little Garden world, laying the foundation for their future ascension as Primeval Gods.
Within the context of Little Garden, a Primeval God would be unquestionably ranked among the 1-Digit beings.
However, Little Garden had only unified a small fraction of its multiverse. Even the 1-Digit beings there were still incomplete.
In simpler terms, Little Garden's system had only reached the super single-universe level—and a rather weak one at that.
Teyvat's system, on the other hand, had already advanced directly to the multiversal level.
An incomplete multiversal framework versus a perfected one—even if both stood on the same conceptual tier, the completed system would always surpass the unfinished in sheer power.
For example, when Zhongli and the others entered Little Garden, their rankings would be equivalent to 2-Digit beings.
Even Lumine, who possessed the power of a thousandfold single-universe, would still be classified as a 2-Digit being within Little Garden.
In short, the 2-Digit rank in Little Garden covered a vast range.
The weaker ones were merely at the single-universe level; if significantly diminished, some might only display power comparable to a cosmic-structure being.
The stronger ones, however, could reach the super single-universe level—perhaps even its very peak.
Thus, the category of 2-Digit beings roughly corresponded to Teyvat's Super-God tier.
Venti's eyes glimmered as he glanced at Zhongli, who returned his gaze knowingly.
So that was it—Lord Heavenly Principle had fully released all restraints.
He had let go of everything, allowing them to pursue their own multiversal paths.
Although their ultimate mission remained the same—to merge with that multiverse—their actions would no longer be restricted, even if they sought to seize the authority of another multiverse.
...
At the same time, the Teyvat Nexus sent notifications to all Divine Collectives.
The Solar Sovereignty War had ended. Next to begin was the Stellar Sovereignty War.
However, because the Stellar Authorities were far more numerous, the Gift Games would be distributed across all Divine Collectives.
The referees would be the angels of Eden.
Currently, the angels of Teyvat were divided into many factions.
The most central among them were the Angels of Eden; next were those outside Eden, forming the Biblical Pantheon.
The Biblical Pantheon was led by Mio, and it did not participate in any Divine Collective activities. Its sole duty was to observe and record the conditions of civilizations across universes.
As long as no extinction-level crisis occurred, the angels would never intervene.
...
After the Solar Sovereignty Gift Game ended, all the Divine Collectives returned to their own realms.
From Celestia, countless beams of the Light of Truth descended, forming the arenas for the Stellar Sovereignty Games.
These arenas spread throughout the entirety of the Supreme Divine Realm.
Only after the proper conditions were met would the Gift Games begin.
The Stellar Sovereignty Gift Game would become a long-term competition, one that would span countless years.
In the short term, countless smaller divine collectives and pantheons were overwhelmed with excitement.
They hadn't been qualified to participate in the Solar Sovereignty War—but the Stellar Sovereignty War would certainly grant them a chance to take part.
Among the Eight Divine Collectives, the lower-ranked factions were especially enthusiastic about the Stellar Sovereignty.
Only the upper ranks showed less interest.
Their current focus was to accompany their Divine Lords in venturing into another multiverse.
What they would gain from that other multiverse would far surpass anything the Stellar Sovereignty could offer.
When the two multiverses finally merged, the rewards they would reap would be immeasurable. Even if they couldn't reach the multiversal level like their Lords, becoming super single-universe beings would be guaranteed.
Those eligible to participate in such a grand event were only the founding gods—those who had followed Lord Heavenly Principle, Noah, in establishing the foundation of Teyvat.
At present, the high-ranking members of every Divine Collective were these very founders.
Each of them had at least reached the level of Primordial God.
Within Little Garden, that would correspond to powerful 3-Digit beings.
While Little Garden had no shortage of 3-Digit beings, these Teyvat gods ranked among the strongest of that class.
After gathering their members, each Divine Collective opened its respective World Gate, descending into the neighboring Little Garden Multiverse.
Seven golden beams of multiversal light erupted upward, piercing through the barriers of the multiverse and crossing into the unknown beyond.
...
Meanwhile, within another multiverse—
In terms of scale, this multiverse was less than ten times larger than the former Tree and Sea, and its rate of expansion was relatively slow.
Even so, it remained vast beyond comprehension.
At its center lay a region so small as to be almost negligible.
Proportionally, it occupied less than one-billionth of the entire multiverse.
And within that fraction of space resided the Observable Worlds of Little Garden—the 2.5th Layer of its structure.
Even that tiny portion contained innumerable universes, parallel worlds, and alternate realities.
At the very core of the Observable Worlds was a divine-constructed universe—no larger than an ordinary great universe in size, yet with a mass far exceeding any of them.
At the center of this god-forged universe, infinite worlds, causal laws, civilizations, cosmic principles, myths, and legends all converged as one.
Its scale was no greater than the surface area of a single star—yet miraculously, it sustained the entire Observable World.
From its heart rose a single pillar of auroral light, extending endlessly upward, its peak reaching realms unknown.
At the same time, the entire lower layer of the Little Garden erupted in celebration.
For they were rejoicing—the long, grueling Last Embryo that had ravaged the lower levels of Little Garden for centuries had finally been overcome.
Little Garden, Outer Gate of the Eastern District.
At this moment, the first grand victory banquet in centuries was being held—a joint celebration by all Outer Gates of Little Garden.
It was a historic occasion, marking the unity of all four major regions—East, South, West, and North—under one massive alliance: the 4-Digit community Arcadia.
A massive, radiant banner hung high above the community headquarters, visible across much of the Eastern District.
The banner was of crimson cloth with golden edges, its emblem depicting a rising sun over a hill and the silhouette of a maiden.
Though founded less than a century ago, Arcadia was already renowned as the community that had slain the most Demon Lords in human history.
Led by its original founder, Canaria, Arcadia was created as a grand alliance to destroy one of humanity's Last Embryos—the Demon Lord "The Closed-off World," who sought to seal humanity's future and reduce mankind to mere livestock.
Even those of the upper layers—the 2-Digit gods forbidden to interfere with the lower realms—were awed by its success. Even the 3-Digit gods were shaken by the feat.
"Hahaha! As expected of Arcadia! They really did it—took down that dystopian Demon Lord!"
The leaders of the twelve regional ruling communities all raised their cups in honor of the undisputed heroes who had vanquished humanity's Last Embryo.
"Hic—No more, no more! I'm not good at drinking!"
"Hahaha! Koumei, you're still as weak as ever! Getting drunk after just a few cups—doesn't sound like the prodigy praised by the Lord of the White Night, does it?"
A man in a black tailcoat, his face bearing a smug, gentlemanly grin, teased loudly as he slipped a pair of small red shoes—clearly taken from some young girl—into his pocket.
"Cough, cough—Master, what did you just sneak into your pocket?"
A tall woman with shimmering golden hair—graceful and radiant like a fairy—stabbed her chopsticks sharply into the man's hand.
"Don't tell me you were planning to kidnap some little girl from one of the communities when I wasn't looking."
"Ow! That hurts!"
The man in the tailcoat leapt back in exaggerated pain as the red shoes flew out of his pocket. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he met the woman's sharp, mocking gaze.
"No way, no way! Canaria, you know I'm incapable of doing anything so wonderful and joyous!"
At the mention of that, Baron La Croix could only sigh.
After all, he had lost a Gift Game to Canaria long ago. As a defeated Demon Lord, he had become her property—and under her command, he was strictly forbidden from forming a loli harem, something he once called his "beautiful dream."
Sob sob…
Canaria crossed her arms. "Then why were you stealing little girls' shoes?"
Baron hugged the shoes close to his chest, sniffing them contentedly. "Ah~ bliss… Since I can't do those wonderful things, collecting a few mementos from cute girls is the next best thing!"
A golden lion wearing a suit and smoking a cigarette looked over and muttered, "Pervert. Even I, a lion, think you're disgusting. Guess your twisted urges couldn't be contained and evolved into something even creepier."
Canaria sighed, clearly exasperated. "As long as you're not actually harming anyone or sneaking off to do something worse, I'll tolerate it."
Baron protested loudly, "Canaria! You have to believe me! I didn't do anything wrong! With your orders, I can't do anything wrong, even if I wanted to!"
"I can't drink anymore…"
"Come now, our hero!"
Amidst a round of laughter and toasts from the ruling leaders, Koumei Kasukabe, the young alliance leader, finally fell backward onto the floor, completely drunk.
"Heh, you're all as mischievous as ever—throwing Koumei to the wolves like that. But I like it," said the golden lion, chuckling slyly.
"That's not true! Lady Canaria isn't like that at all—she's just not used to drinking," protested a small girl who approached them, holding a cup of fruit juice.
She was petite, with long golden hair, crimson eyes, and a large decorative ribbon tied behind her head. Her expression was emotionless, her delicate features resembling those of a living doll.
"Lady Canaria, please have some juice to quench your thirst," she said softly.
Canaria waved her hand casually. "Thank you for handling everyone, Leticia. Normally, I'd be the one doing all that, but today… I want to be a little selfish."
Negotiating with the various communities was one of her greatest strengths.
After all, without her, uniting most of the Outer Gate communities of Little Garden into an anti–Demon Lord alliance would've been impossible.
Light flickered in her eyes; the exhaustion and tension from confronting humanity's Last Embryo seemed to vanish completely.
She remembered those early days—
She had been born within the domain ruled by the Dystopian Demon Lord.
There, all humans were treated as livestock. They were forbidden from independent thought, their lives predetermined from birth to death. Every ounce of creativity and possibility had been stripped away. They existed solely as fuel for divine faith.
She had once gazed at the birds flying beyond the high walls—and that longing for freedom had ignited her rebellion.
She failed countless times, but her persistence made even the gods take notice.
Moved by her resolve, the gods offered her their aid and power. She began rallying communities one by one, and through relentless effort, the Arcadia Alliance was born.
The gods even intervened directly in the course of human history to support her.
She had poured every drop of her courage, imagination, and wisdom into the fight—until at last, the Dystopia was suppressed to near extinction.
She hadn't defeated the Last Embryo outright—but she had managed to suppress it.
Given enough time, the Dystopia would inevitably rise again.
"But that doesn't mean we can't pop the champagne for now," she said with a smile.
This victory celebration drew the attention of countless gods from the upper layers.
Most Pantheons rejoiced at Arcadia's success against the Last Embryo—it marked another milestone for human history, a triumph over another layer of existential peril. For the gods, it meant their own continuity could extend further.
But not all Pantheons shared the sentiment.
Some opposed it vehemently—those who had once supported the Dystopian Demon Lord from the shadows. They had suffered the most severe losses, some even facing the brink of annihilation.
After all, when humanity's historical cycle reached its turning point, the words that had once plunged the world into its darkest age echoed once more—
"God is dead."
Those words alone had caused Arcadia to incur the wrath of an entire pantheon.
Within the 2-Digit realm of Little Garden's upper gates, Jesus, the Son of God, watched the lower layer with cold eyes—focused especially on one equal to himself.
"White Night Demon…"
Shiroyasha snapped open her fan, her crimson eyes narrowing. "Son of God… what do you want now?"
Tch. What's this guy's problem? I've been a Buddhist convert for ages, and he still wants to pick a fight?
If he causes trouble, don't blame me for reporting it straight to the boss!
At that moment—
A blinding light burst from the very core of Little Garden, illuminating every layer of existence.
Rumble!
The entire Little Garden Nexus trembled violently as its very rules began to shift. Even the Observable Worlds of human history and the known universes were undergoing strange, inexplicable transformations.
Every god, every being across Little Garden froze in terror, raising their heads toward the radiant center.
Even Shiroyasha's expression turned pale, her pupils trembling.
"W–What? What's happening!? The rules of Little Garden—they're shaking!"
—
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