— — — — — —
Inside a dimensional gap.
Algol raised a brow as she ended the transmission, glancing at the now-dull communication device in her hand.
"All the stored energy got drained in one go? Is the distance between here and Little Garden really that ridiculous?"
She tilted her head slightly, peering through the tear in space toward Earth. A faint smile curled at her lips.
"Interesting… Whatever Ryo's carrying can actually locate a place like this. Heh. Was it made by one of the Seventeen? Or maybe some unknown powerhouse from an unobserved universe?"
She shook her head after a moment.
"Whatever. As long as it doesn't harm him, it's not worth worrying about."
As someone who shared a Spirit Rank with him, Algol cared deeply about Ryo's safety.
Still, she knew her limits.
She didn't understand this so-called "Dimensional Forum," but something capable of probing other universes like that? Even she had to admit it was beyond her.
If even someone brushing the upper limits of three-digit power like her couldn't pull it off, then only beings in the two-digit tier could.
And from her perspective, Ryo having backing from a two-digit existence was completely normal.
If nothing else, Shiroyasha herself was a sealed two-digit being.
And since Shiroyasha clearly valued Ryo, it meant the Twin Goddesses behind her were watching him too.
Given Shiroyasha's awkward situation, there was no way she could help Ryo without their approval.
Algol understood that perfectly.
Her gaze shifted slightly as she glanced at the massive red dragon drifting nearby.
The Great Red.
The being hailed as the strongest Dragon God in this world was currently scanning its surroundings with a puzzled expression. Even though it had already drawn close to Algol, it still seemed to be searching for something.
"…Something feels off. What is it?"
Its deep voice rumbled with confusion.
Algol merely gave it a glance and said nothing, heading straight toward Earth.
In the blink of an eye, she breached Earth's atmosphere, intending to use it as a waypoint to slip into the underworld through a spatial transition.
But as she stepped onto a plain somewhere in Europe, she suddenly froze.
Her head snapped up toward the sky.
"This level of faith? This kind of divine power spread across the entire planet…"
"The Cross God?!"
Her expression changed instantly. Without hesitation, she turned to leave the world.
For a split second, Algol thought she had stumbled straight into the Cross's stronghold—one deliberately hidden from the Little Garden's central system.
'Ryo, you set me up!'
Cursing inwardly, she prepared to swap positions with the stone tablet in Ryo's possession and force her way back to Little Garden.
But just as she was about to act, she stopped.
Suspicion crept into her eyes.
Looking up again, her gaze pierced through layer after layer of barriers, reaching the heavens of this world—into the deepest part of Heaven, surrounded by countless angels.
There, she saw it.
A twelve-winged angel, struggling to operate a crude, almost laughably primitive world-management system, barely keeping elemental stability in check.
Algol's expression shifted from shock… to confusion… and then flushed bright red.
"…Damn it. I almost got scared by a five-digit."
Her face burned with embarrassment.
The one managing the system of an entire world was just a five-digit—and she, Algol, had actually been intimidated?
That was humiliating.
Good thing Ryo wasn't here, or she'd never hear the end of it.
"…Weird. If this really were Yahweh's hidden base, with his personality, wouldn't he station a few three-digit avatars here at least?"
Frowning, she examined the heavenly realm again.
After confirming multiple times, she realized there wasn't a single angel that even reached the four-digit level.
Twelve wings, ten wings—it was all just for show.
In Little Garden, the highest rank of angels was Seraphim, and even they only had six wings.
Did people here seriously think more wings meant more power?
To Algol, weak races with too many wings were just… ingredients. Pluck them, grill them, done.
"…Definitely not the Cross's style. But that overwhelming faith is his. A Yahweh from outside Little Garden? A counterpart?"
Her expression turned strange as she fixed her gaze on the angel at the core of Heaven.
Judging by the faith surrounding him, that angel should be Michael.
Heh. Just a five-digit, with enough raw energy but no real concept, no authority fragments—this was supposed to be Michael?
Comparing him to the terrifying blond war angel in her memory almost made her laugh.
"The glowing sphere he's controlling must be the world-management system. Pretty rough, huh? Feels like a primitive version of Little Garden's core—same idea, just way weaker in both nature and function."
"And yet… in a world at this level, someone actually developed something like this? Impressive."
"Was it this world's Cross God? Damn… even his counterpart can pull off something like this?"
Muttering to herself, Algol narrowed her eyes—and directly infiltrated the system in Michael's hands, reaching across space itself.
...
In Heaven.
Unaware that a certain troublemaker was peeking in from beyond space, Michael suddenly froze. Then his face lit up with shock and joy as he stared at the system core before him.
[Materials… Repair… Resurrection…]
Streams of information poured out as the core radiated brilliant light.
A vast will seemed to be struggling to awaken.
Before long, Heaven went into full lockdown.
All angels received orders to abandon the human world and retreat completely. The four great Seraphim secretly left Heaven in shifts, disguising themselves as they spread across the world to gather special materials.
The sudden flurry of activity left other pantheons baffled, yet wary. Fearing the possible return of the God of the Bible, they held back, choosing cautious observation instead.
---
Back on the plains.
Algol clapped her hands, having just finished impersonating the awakening will of the Cross God to command the angels.
"Well now, the design of this Holy System is actually pretty clever. I could probably integrate it into my Another Cosmology."
She paused, then broke into laughter. "Wait… the Cross God of this world is actually dead?"
Her laughter rang out, unrestrained. "This is the funniest thing I've seen in tens of thousands of years. His counterpart actually gave everything for humanity and died from exhaustion?"
Her tone dripped with sarcasm and disdain, clearly aimed at the Cross of Little Garden.
After laughing for quite a while, Algol finally calmed down, a satisfied smile on her face.
"Ryo really did find me an interesting world."
Still chuckling, she shook her head and stepped into the underworld.
.
.
.