— — — — — —
Before stepping into the Big Boys Bar, Ryo went over his preparations one last time:
Across the street, in a self-serve café, Leticia Draculea sat quietly.
Fifteen kilometers away, on the rooftop of a skyscraper, Black Rabbit was resting with the strongest gift under her command, the Spear of Indra, already within full throwing range.
Its strike radius could cover the entire Demon City.
At the same time, she held three sealed letters from Ryo, instructions to be carried out if anything unexpected happened.
He had also coordinated in advance with Aizen through the Dimensional Forum, arranging some targeted invitations.
Normally, less than two months had passed since his last trip to Bleach, so he couldn't return yet. But if Ryo was willing to pay 1,000 points, that restriction no longer applied.
As for why Bleach?
First, he chose it over Demon Slayer or Campione worlds for reasons of priority, secrecy, and safety.
Second, both the Campione world and Demon Slayer world had already been observed. There was a risk of being tracked by two-digit beings.
Meanwhile the Strike the Blood world and the Bleach world had no such observation, no direct contact with the Little Garden.
Finally, in the worst case, even if enemies followed them across worlds, the destruction of Bleach would be a much smaller loss than Strike the Blood.
...
The Dimensional Forum interface floated in Ryo's vision right now.
The screen displayed: {Spend 2000 points to transport 'Leticia Draculea' and 'Black Rabbit' to Bleach world?}
It was pre-programmed. The moment Ryo mentally confirmed it—or if the Forum judged his life to be in absolute danger—the transfer would trigger instantly.
Only after arranging every contingency did Ryo head to the Big Boys Bar at Outer Gate 33454, prepared to meet Highness.
Next, Ryo had barely taken a few steps when he saw a muscular man leaning against a support pillar, arms crossed.
Clearly a bouncer—though oddly stationed inside rather than at the entrance.
The man eyed Ryo and asked, "New?"
Ryo discreetly gauged him.
He was intentionally leaking his aura. Five-digit class. A bit weaker than Shirayuki.
Huh. So there really are five-digits weaker than Shirayuki… Ryo was a little surprised. But he nodded and answered, "Rin sent me."
At that, the bouncer straightened up, looked Ryo over again, then pointed deeper into the bar.
"Talk to the bartender. Order a Lion's Blood. Two silver coins' worth of matcha."
Ryo nodded and walked forward.
As he passed the pillar, he keenly felt himself cross through a boundary barrier.
Inside, he was greeted by the sound of cheering, clinking glasses, the heavy smell of malt beer, and the aroma of marbled Tajima beef sizzling on a hot iron plate.
Why did I come without eating first… he thought while weaving through the crowd.
A couple of flirtatious women almost tried to cop a feel on him on the way, but he dodged in time.
Passing a bronze sheep statue that seemed to be filtering the air, he took a seat at the bar.
"One Lion's Blood. Two silver matcha."
The bartender glanced at him, then began preparing the drink with practiced ease.
Lion's Blood was made from real lion blood—though specifically from a sphinx-beast hybrid.
It was known to provoke a hazy pleasure and a moment of mental release. Some saw the "side effect" as the main attraction.
Because of this, Lion's Blood was the Big Boys Bar's signature drink. After all, this place originally started as a gathering spot for lovelorn guys with no girlfriends.
Ryo, having investigated the place beforehand, naturally didn't drink it. He simply waited.
Soon, a sensual woman approached and tapped him lightly on the shoulder.
"Handsome, want to have a little fun on the second floor?"
The second floor was for private rooms sealed by gifts, popular among people looking to indulge certain urges at night.
Seeing Ryo get invited, the bartender simply gave him a small nod and said nothing.
Ryo left the payment on the counter, then wrapped an arm around the woman and let her lead him upstairs.
Once the room door closed, the woman immediately collapsed limp against him.
At that moment, the bathroom door opened, and Rin walked out.
"Put her in the bathroom."
"You're actually using regular civilians?" Ryo asked, surprised. The woman was just an ordinary beast-folk, clearly not affiliated with Rin or Highness.
"If she were one of ours, it'd be easier to trace. This way, tomorrow she'll just remember having a great night and getting two silver coins for her time. It happens here all the time, so no one questions it."
Rin sat down in the private room's lounge area—three sofas around a glass table, TV and karaoke setup—picking up a slice of watermelon as she spoke.
"His Highness can't meet you directly. So I'm speaking on his behalf."
Ryo stepped out after placing the woman carefully in the bathroom. "My item. Where is it?"
Rin looked at him, hesitated briefly, then said. "The Sun Authority is too important. His Highness cannot simply give it to you."
Ryo's lips curved. He stepped forward, lifting her chin lightly. "Is that your reason, or your Highness'?"
"It's my decision. His Highness agreed."
She bit her lip. "At the very least, there needs to be a fight between you two. It needs to look like you forced it away. If this displeases you, I'll take full responsibility. Including myself, if necessary."
Ryo blinked, then gently brushed her cheek before letting go.
"We can keep the payment in the ledger. But doing it like this means you want Highness' higher-ups to think it wasn't an intentional hand-off, right?"
"Yes." Rin exhaled in relief when she saw he wasn't angry.
Ryo narrowed his eyes.
"Then why should I agree? I want the Sun Authority. Why would I help protect your side and get marked by your backers?"
Rin raised a finger. "First, correction: because you carry the King of End's aura, you're already under observation. That became official the moment we reported it."
She raised a second finger.
"Second, we haven't secured Pisces yet."
Finally, a third finger.
"And last, you have to fight His Highness anyway. The [No Name] flag is stored in his base."
Ryo paused.
The flag was something that absolutely had to be taken back. It concerned their community's survival. And the Sun Authority was for his own future.
He could not give up either.
Rin continued. "Besides His Highness, myself, Black Percher, and Maxwell, there's also the person in charge of the base. Everyone else is six-digit level. They shouldn't be a concern for you."
"What's the deal with this person in charge?
"We only know he's called the Prophet, and that he's a four-digit. Beyond that, we don't know much. The Prophet rarely leaves his quarters and almost never talks. Information about him is scarce even inside our organization. Other than his codename, basically nobody knows anything else."
Rin shook her head, then continued:
"Originally, the base had two others on the same level as him. But because of some issues with upper management, plus the fact that they left to support another four-digit base, this is actually the best time for you to make a move."
"Yeah. Makes sense." Ryo nodded.
So the real opponent was the one called the Prophet.
His title suggested precognition.
But in Little Garden, clairvoyants lived miserable lives.
The tangled destiny of the gods meant anyone peeking too far risked attracting attention from beings far beyond comprehension.
Meanwhile Ryo himself, with the Dimensional Forum, was effectively a natural counter to prophecy.
Yes—this was doable.
As for the Ouroboros upper echelon—he could simply claim he intended to present the Sun Authority to Shiroyasha. That alone would deflect most divine scrutiny.
There was risk, but not excessive.
Ryo finally asked. "When and where?"
"2 AM tonight. Central Demon City, Building 666, Gem Tower, Basement Level 8."
.
.
.