— — — — — —
Indra stared helplessly at the person sitting across from him — Shiroyasha, dressed like a man.
The moment he sensed her barrier sealing the area, he knew trouble had arrived.
Why did problems always come knocking when all he wanted was to drink and fool around?
Wasn't the life of the Chief of Heavenly Army supposed to be peaceful and boring?
"Cut the act," Shiroyasha rolled her eyes.
It wasn't their first meeting, and she knew exactly what kind of "god" Indra really was.
He might act like a washed-up, drunken womanizer, but behind that lazy grin was one of the sharpest minds in Little Garden.
Only the younger generation still thought of him as the "three-digit unit of measurement" — a useless god, a pervert, and a man running on empty.
Reality was another story.
This was a being who had survived from Little Garden's founding days to the present, still lively as ever, still sitting among the Twelve Devas — and still their leader.
Anyone who thought he was a "useless god" was an idiot.
His spirit rank was on par with Zeus, or even that two-digit being of the Cross. Who knows?
A spirit rank of that magnitude, paired with countless eons of experience and the authority he held across three major pantheons —
Even Shiroyasha had to admit she wasn't quite his equal.
Well, except maybe in pure combat power — by just a little.
She sat at the bar, drew a scroll from her Gift Card, pressed it against the counter, and asked calmly, "Interested in intel on the King of End?"
"Please," Indra scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"You think I don't know why Uesugi was sent down to that lower world?"
By his estimate, Uesugi Kenshin should've already returned by now. Maybe later than Thousand Eyes, but still ahead of most others by half a day.
He wasn't about to pay Shiroyasha's inflated prices for something he'd learn soon anyway.
Shiroyasha's tone stayed cool. "Base rate. I'll throw in a twenty percent discount… and an advance issue of next year's Blossom Girls."
Indra instantly straightened up, rubbing his hands together. "Well, when you put it that way, how could I refuse? Thousand Eyes always has the best intel. I'd be honored to buy a little. The Blossom Girls thing—just a nice bonus, really."
Blossom Girls was the Flower City's annual showcase of its top-tier entertainers.
The "advance issue" wasn't a magazine — it was a VIP ticket for pre-booking appointments.
And as a seasoned degenerate, Indra knew exactly how valuable that was.
"Take it from my credits account," he said as he unrolled the parchment and began reading.
He grinned — then his expression froze. "Mithras, huh… that's…"
"What, worried the Cross might come after you?" Shiroyasha teased.
Mithras and Bahram — both divine personas linked to Indra's past self.
During the early ages, when Mithras went missing, plenty of pantheons had suspected Indra's hand in it.
That rumor died once Mithras reappeared a few times later.
But behind the scenes, suspicion quietly shifted toward the Cross itself.
In fact, Thousand Eyes' own analysis had pegged Mithras as the "glove puppet" of that so-called Holy Son — a disposable mask for dirty work.
Both Shiroyasha and Indra knew it well.
"The two-digit being of the Cross isn't stupid," Indra said, flicking his fingers. The scroll burst into flame and vanished in the ashtray. "The King of End's spirit rank wouldn't tempt him. He's not that desperate."
He sighed. "No… what worries me is something else."
Shiroyasha raised a brow. "Something else?"
"You should've heard this too," Indra said quietly. "The investigation team the Cross sent after the King of End — they got hit by an unknown Demon Lord. Haven't been heard from since."
Shiroyasha's lips curved in a sly smile. She pulled out another scroll. "I've got the details. Even the attacker's identity. Interested in buying?"
Indra's eye twitched. "Pass. Get lost."
He exhaled through his nose. "You're seriously chasing your sales quota this hard?"
"What can I say? I like doing everything last-minute."
She grinned like a cat that had no shame left.
Indra groaned and rubbed his temples. "Fine. Put it on my tab."
He snatched the scroll, unrolled it, and the color drained from his face.
"Kalki… he's awakened? Someone brought him out early? Are those idiots insane? Do they have any idea what reviving him means?!"
(Kalki is the tenth and final avatar of Vishnu. He is the young boy known as Highness.)
Human history was destined to end someday — all the gods of Little Garden agreed on that.
But that "agreement" was just words.
For gods who depended on human history, true extinction was suicide.
They'd never let that happen.
That's why Kalki existed — a final safeguard built into that divine consensus.
If humanity's story ever truly came to an end, he would awaken — the ultimate savior who would rebuild the world from its ashes.
That was the meaning of "Savior" in his divine rank.
And as the current Deva Leader and former top god of the Hindu pantheon, Indra knew exactly what that entailed.
Awakening Kalki wasn't salvation — it was ringing the bell for humanity's demise.
No wonder his face had gone pale.
"No matter how you slice it, he's awake," Shiroyasha said, shrugging. "That's why I came to you."
Her crimson eyes met his. "You must have an idea who's behind it."
"You mean Thousand Eyes hasn't found them?" Indra asked, frowning.
"We've found traces," she admitted. "But someone's jamming the search."
Of course.
When you were the biggest intelligence network in Little Garden, you naturally drew every trickster's attention.
The higher-ups of the divine factions loved nothing more than messing with their scans — and they succeeded often enough.
"Interesting," Indra murmured, leaning back with a sly smile. "How about a trade, then?"
"Deal."
Shiroyasha nodded.
His expression turned serious. "So far, I've only managed to lock onto one thing — a shared name."
"They're united under a banner marked with a serpent devouring its own tail — the Ouroboros. The members call themselves the Demon Lord Alliance."
---
[No Name] HQ
Ryo had just returned to base when he spotted a white snake basking in the sunlight by the door. Without thinking, he gave her a light kick.
"Shirayuki, where are Black Rabbit and the others?"
"Ow!" The snake lifted her head, coiling and uncoiling before lowering it pitifully. "Miss Black Rabbit and the others are in the second-floor lounge."
"Got it." Ryo nodded and walked toward the entrance.
"Honestly… you could've just asked instead of kicking me," Shirayuki muttered, curling back up in the sunlight.
Ryo entered the castle and climbed to the second floor. He reached the lounge door, opened it, and called out,
"Black Rabbit, I need to discuss something with—"
He stopped.
Inside, several girls were midway through changing — some in maid uniforms, others half-dressed, frozen mid-motion.
For a long second, everyone just stared.
Then Ryo gave a polite little nod. "Thanks for the treat."
He shut the door.
Inside, Black Rabbit's face went crimson. Her ears twitched violently as she shouted,
"RYO. YAGAMIII. Ever heard of knocking?!"
.
.
.