— — — — — —
Mount Olympus
A handsome man with short golden hair stood bare-chested, his expression dark as he stared at the red-haired, sharp-featured man before him.
"Apollo, why are you stopping me?"
Apollo didn't answer. He simply looked at Hermes with cold, unyielding eyes.
"Tch." Hermes clicked his tongue, his face sour, and stepped forward again.
"He's just a human. Not worth this. Step aside, Apollo. As long as you leave my temple, I'll pretend none of this ever happened."
He spoke as he continued walking, keeping a wary eye on Apollo, afraid this god might strike without warning.
One step. Two steps.
When more than half his body had passed Apollo, Hermes finally let out a breath of relief.
Losing an avatar to Ryo after backing down made his blood boil, but Apollo's stance was something he couldn't ignore.
In all of Greece, the god of light stood second only to Zeus. Even Hermes had to show him some respect.
"I'll only break one of his arms," Hermes said as he prepared to leave.
Hermes fully intended to teach that man, the one who dared provoke him, a lesson he would never forget.
Just as Hermes was about to step out of the temple, Apollo finally spoke. "Athena has left the Temple of Wisdom."
Hermes' raised foot froze in midair.
Athena left her temple? Was she heading to Arcadia for the leader's debut battle?
"As one of the Twelve Gods, why would she…"
Hermes' face filled with shock.
As a dominant force in the lower layers of Little Garden, every move made by the Twelve Gods was watched and analyzed by countless factions.
Athena lowering herself to personally go to Arcadia was clearly a signal of something extraordinary.
Was she planning to protect Ryo?
Hermes hesitated.
He didn't dare provoke Athena.
That woman was called the Goddess of Wisdom, but in Hermes' eyes, she was more like a berserker. The kind who, once enraged, never stopped.
He had no desire to end up like the Demon Star Algol, sealed away for eternity.
"…"
Hermes fell silent.
At that moment, Apollo let out a soft sigh. "Want a drink?"
"…Sure," Hermes replied stiffly.
He understood. At least until Athena returned, he couldn't lay a hand on Ryo.
'But Athena's reckless move wouldn't just affect me…'
As that thought crossed his mind, Hermes couldn't help glancing toward the peak of the mountain, where Zeus' temple stood.
Thunder rolled endlessly there.
---
Noon - Arcadia City, the temple district.
This temple had once been dedicated to Shirayuki-hime, the Snake Water God. But after she was forced into joining Arcadia, it became Arcadia's property.
The banquet welcoming visiting communities was being held inside.
Hotel staff temporarily hired from the City were laying out exquisite cold dishes on long tables covered in white cloth.
Wine brewed by phantom beasts, magical fruits purchased from spirits, and master chefs preparing Japanese-style cuisine on the spot.
Add to that the members of countless communities, of every race and appearance, gathered from all corners of the world to participate in the Gift Game. The scene looked like a lively masquerade.
Yet strangely enough, the atmosphere was heavy and stifling.
Several well-dressed beastmen clustered together in small groups.
"You got the news too?"
"I did… but is it real? Arcadia actually offended the Greek Gods?"
"Offended? That's putting it lightly." One beastman lowered his voice deliberately, fear etched on his face. "I bought intel early this morning. Lord Hermes' avatar was killed."
"And the one who did it was a subordinate divine beast of Arcadia's leader."
"..."
"Hiss… how did he dare?"
"Maybe he's still living in the glory days of Arcadia Alliance."
"Idiots who cling to past glory and can't see reality are everywhere in Little Garden."
"But even at their peak, Arcadia wouldn't dare offend the Twelve Gods, right?"
"Maybe he thinks he needs to surpass his predecessor?"
"Surpass her? Lady Canaria? Don't joke. Who could compare to the one who cleared the Last Embryo?"
"Yeah. Arcadia's leader really made the worst possible decision."
...
Listening in on those conversations through his Gift, Mandora Doltrake's face looked awful.
At that moment, his younger sister, Sandora Doltrake, the candidate for the next leader, curiously surveyed the surroundings and asked in confusion,
"Mandora-nii, why aren't we going to Arcadia's headquarters to see Lily and the others?"
Half a year ago, Arcadia and Salamandra had been allies. Both sides' upper echelons wanted the next generation to build friendships.
Because of that, Sandora, Salamandra's future leader candidate, had gotten along very well with Arcadia's younger members.
At seven years old, Sandora had met Jin Russell, Lily, and the others back then, and they became friends.
This reunion, after half a year apart, was something she had been looking forward to.
"..." Mandora hesitated.
The decision to sever ties with Arcadia had been made privately by him. Sandora knew nothing about it.
To avoid affecting her training, Mandora had even ordered community members to avoid the topic so she wouldn't overhear.
But after Arcadia's revival, he planned to let Sandora continue bonding with the reborn Arcadia. At the same time, he himself would come here to shoulder all the blame, apologize in person, and hand over authority early to Sandora, who was destined to become Salamandra's leader anyway.
But now, he regretted it.
If he'd known Ryo would be dumb enough to headbutt Olympus, he'd have to be insane to walk into this death trap.
What was Arcadia's leader thinking? Did he believe that just because he was some four-digit, Greece wouldn't dare act?
Was his brain lost? Even if he was strong, so what?
The stronger and more obnoxious the enemy, the more the God of War, Ares, loved tearing them apart. That madman didn't care who you were. Show hostility toward Greece, and Ares would personally come down to slaughter you.
Aside from Athena and Zeus, almost no one could rein him in.
And Ryo didn't just show hostility. He stomped Olympus' face into the dirt.
These small, clueless communities might not understand, but Salamandra, once a four-digit community, certainly did.
Ares might already be on his way.... This wasn't some proxy fight. This was the God of War entering the battlefield himself.
Who the hell could survive that?
Damn it. Why did I cheap out last night and not buy some intel? If I had, how would things have come to this?
Mandora looked around at the crowd, mostly made up of newly risen communities. Of course he knew the old, established ones had already gotten the news and fled.
It was just a leader's debut battle. Who would stay and be buried with Arcadia? At least Salamandra wouldn't.
Mandora's mouth twitched as he grabbed Sandora's hand.
"Sandora, we're going somewhere else."
"Oh!"
Sandora's eyes lit up. She thought Mandora was finally taking her to Arcadia's headquarters, and happily let herself be led away.
The moment they stepped out of the temple gates, they ran straight into a group approaching them.
From within the group, Leticia said in surprise, "Huh? Isn't that the kid from the Salamander family?"
Mandora stiffened.
Staring at the people blocking the entrance, he felt like he was looking straight at the god of death.
.
.
.