— — — — — —
Personifying the Sun Authority, forcing it into the form of a young girl, and slapping on a bunch of preset personality tags.
That was the main focus of the report they'd just written.
To put it in plain human terms—It was basically a step-by-step guide for making a "blow-up doll."
A doll made from the Sun Authority, courtesy of Shiroyasha's divine faction.
With something like that, how could Ryo not get labeled as a "corrupt official"?
Sure, some gods and Buddhas might see through it right away as just a smokescreen.
But the ones who knew Shiroyasha's personality? Yeah, they'd believe it.
If you want to sway a group, you don't target the elite few at the top—you convince the biggest chunk in the middle and bottom.
That was Leticia's plan.
Split divine opinion on Ryo down the middle. That way, there'd never be unanimous hostility toward him.
Once you pull that off, the so-called crusade falls apart before it even starts.
The collective arrogance of the gods would make them think there's no point in taking him down.
Even if some of the sharp ones saw through it, none of them would be dumb enough to pick a fight with Shiroyasha over it.
With her influence and maneuvering, this whole Sun Authority mess could be wrapped up neatly.
At worst, Ryo's reputation among the gods would take a hit—but Leticia knew he already shared her general disdain for them.
If you don't care for someone, why bother caring what they say about you?
So she'd put the plan forward, and after a moment's thought, Ryo had agreed.
No real downside, some upside—why not?
Which was why, when Shiroyasha asked just now, Ryo answered without hesitation, face calm as ever.
"If I'm turning this report in, then of course I'm ready."
"Good. I'd expect nothing less from someone bold enough to try and peek at the Sun Authority."
Shiroyasha snapped open her fan, waving it lazily as she added with a smirk, "Between this and your little stunt last time, the gods are about to get played twice in a row."
Ryo shot her a look. "Leticia knows."
Shiroyasha blinked, glanced at Leticia, and grinned.
"Look at you, telling people about tampering with the World War records. Your guts are getting bigger by the day."
"You do realize the Cross is practically rabid trying to find you right now? And here you are, just casually sharing secrets."
"I trust her."
Hearing that, Leticia's lips curled into a quiet smile.
"..."
Shiroyasha's mouth twitched—like she'd just been force-fed a mouthful of PDA.
She clicked her tongue, then looked at Ryo with mock annoyance.
"Alright, since we're all in on it, I'll be blunt."
"Go ahead," Ryo said, making a show of paying close attention.
Shiroyasha narrowed her golden eyes.
"You're still running it, aren't you? The Abyss Method for observing other worlds. The familiars you summoned came from one of those worlds, didn't it?"
"Yes." He didn't even think about hiding it.
Leticia stayed calm.
She and Black Rabbit had learned about it just yesterday evening, which had finally cleared up one of their longest-standing questions.
Ryo's power had grown at a ridiculous pace—going from ordinary human to a five-digit-class powerhouse in under a month. Without a reasonable explanation, it was unsettling.
If he'd used some shady shortcut with unknown risks, they'd have been worried sick.
The Abyss Method was dangerous, sure, but it had history. Even after the gods began anchoring human history, there were still rare cases of people observing parallel worlds.
In the Dawn Era, triggering a history shift in an unobserved parallel world was a common way to grow stronger.
Even now, some still triggered history shifts in worlds that were already under observation.
From Little Garden's perspective, that wasn't against the rules.
But the gods wouldn't just watch that happen.
Which was exactly the sort of dangerous thing Ryo was doing.
But with danger came reward—his insane growth made perfect sense.
Shiroyasha studied him for a moment.
"A high-impact world this time, right?"
Ryo's mouth curved slightly. "Maybe even bigger than you think."
"…Hah." She was silent for a beat, then burst into loud laughter.
"Hah! That's my subordinate. Gotta have that kind of ambition!"
She crouched on the tatami, golden eyes sharp.
"Yesterday, I contacted the bosses."
Ryo's expression tightened, and Leticia's eyes widened.
When Shiroyasha said "bosses," there were only two people she could mean:
The Goddess of the Beginning—Alpha.
The Maiden of the End—Omega.
The start and the end of the Little Garden, the primordial truths on which it was built. Even among the two-digit "Sovereigns of Authority," they were unique.
Ryo sighed. "So they're involved now."
"This isn't just your mess anymore. You're just the spark that lit the forest."
Shiroyasha's tone cooled.
"The debate now is—should the old human history be altered? For the parts approaching the End, should they be abandoned? If not, then new possibilities have to be introduced. Where would those come from? How many would be accepted?"
"The upper layers of Little Garden have been fighting over it for a while. Real combat isn't far off."
"It's gotten that bad?" Ryo frowned.
"Worse. Way worse."
She rolled her eyes and sighed.
"The Buddha and Jesus already had a match."
Ryo twitched.
The Buddha two-digit and the Christian two-digit… actually fought? That was world-shattering.
"It was in an unobserved zone, but yes. No winners, no losers—just a public show of where they stand."
Shiroyasha smirked.
"The Buddha wants to add variables, give human history possibilities again instead of waiting for the End of Humanity."
"Jesus wants to scrap the old history and recreate Little Garden from scratch."
"I get the Buddhists wanting change—they're on the decline. But the Cross thinking they can remake Little Garden is laughable. What, do they think we're fish on a chopping board? Over half the Sun Authorities are in my hands. Surrender without a fight? Not happening."
Ryo's thoughts drifted. Was Jesus done even pretending he wasn't backing Ouroboros? Or maybe this was just another layer of misdirection...
"And [Thousand Eyes]?" he asked.
Shiroyasha clenched her fist, her voice sharp.
"That so-called 'intelligence community' is just a bunch of fireproof trash clinging to outdated intel."
"Open the path. Create. Search for a new future. And watch the most beautiful apocalypse with a thousand eyes."
She laughed again.
"That's the boss's stance! The guts of someone who could beat me—those two goddesses never disappoint."
"This place has been too peaceful for too long. The Last Trial of Humanity has been stuck forever. Time for change."
Ryo smiled. "So, what do you want me to do?"
Her grin turned wicked. "Chaos."
"If that's the case, then I—"
"Ah-ah! Stop. Whatever you're about to say—no."
"I haven't even said anything yet," he muttered.
"I don't want to hear it. If it's coming from you, it's definitely something dangerous, and I'm not letting [Thousand Eyes] take the heat."
She rolled her eyes, but her smile stayed sharp.
"Do whatever you want in other worlds, I don't care. Just don't dump the dangerous stuff on [Thousand Eyes]. Cover your own tracks—I'll help a little if I have to."
"But want me to join? Nah~ I'm just a humble Star Spirit. All I've got is cash and looks~"
"That makes it harder for me to really cut loose," Ryo said, feigning a troubled look.
"You started a world war and messed with the Sun Authority without cutting loose. I don't even want to imagine you going all out."
She waved him off with a scowl. "Go, go. You're giving me a headache. What, you want me to be your scapegoat now?"
Ryo shrugged, and he and Leticia slipped out of the Thousand Eyes base.
...
Once they were gone, Shiroyasha chuckled.
"That brat's going to be a big deal someday."
She sipped her tea, then stuck her tongue out. "Bleh. Cold."
"Where is my sexy maid?"
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