The last emblem lit up, belonging to a community, more accurately, a religion whose place in the Little Garden was… complicated.
Flying the banner of [Irreconcilable Enmity], ranked among the three-digit powers, and wielding the ultimate principle of [Dualism of Good and Evil], the super-community of Zoroastrianism.
The one who appeared now was none other than Azi Dahaka, one of Zoroastrianism's Five Great Demon Lords.
The moment Azi Dahaka arrived, Indra's expression became strangely complex. The Lord of the White Night and the Halloween Queen also regarded him with thoughtful gazes.
Thor, the Star Sea Dragon King, and Athena showed no great change in expression.
Riku, however, furrowed his brows. Having just arrived in the Little Garden, his knowledge was sorely lacking, and that was a problem. He didn't recognise this person. But if he could cause the expressions of so many strong beings to shift, then his identity was undoubtedly special.
'Looks like I'll need to find an opportunity to expand my knowledge base.' Riku gave a small shake of his head.
"Former comrade… it seems you're living quite comfortably in the [Buddhist Sect]," Azi Dahaka said with a faint smile to Indra.
In the Dawn Era, Indra had also been one of Zoroastrianism's Demon Lords. But due to the [Betrayal] property within his spirit level, after losing to the [Buddhist Sect] in battle, he defected to them.
The tale of the Moon Rabbit throwing herself into the fire to save the old man was born from this history.
Later, Indra attained Buddhahood, becoming one of the founders of the Little Garden and one of its rulers. The Moon Rabbit race, to whom he owed a debt, was granted the title of [Little Garden Nobility].
"Azi Dahaka, spare me your mockery. Why is your side interfering in the Sun War?" Indra said heavily.
Azi Dahaka…
Hearing the name, Riku's eyes narrowed slightly, and he finally understood the strange tension.
Zoroastrianism's worldview principle, the [Dualism of Good and Evil] held that good and evil stood opposed. It divided the world into the evil of matter and the good of thought.
Thus, they proudly embraced the banner of [Irreconcilable Enmity], actively taking the side of "evil." Yet, paradoxically, their leader loved humanity more deeply than any other god, a contradiction.
More importantly, Riku knew that though this Azi Dahaka was now merely one of the Five Demon Lords, in the future he would inherit the [Absolute Evil] spirit level, accept the Demon Lord's brand, and become one of the Last Trials of Humanity capable of repelling a million gods.
"The Sun War is open to anyone who qualifies," Azi Dahaka said evenly, his eyes fixed on Indra. "But Indra, let me remind you of something."
"The Leader has said the Little Garden doesn't have much time left. Malice is swelling, disaster is spreading. Humanity must overcome its trials. If they cannot… There will be no future." His tone was heavy with meaning.
"What? The Leader foresaw something?!" Indra's face shifted slightly.
Until now, he had observed no sign of a Paradox Game being born. A Last Trial of Humanity should have been impossible at this time.
Others present also frowned in thought.
The Zoroastrian Leader loved humanity more than any god; if she spoke, it was no lie. If she said this, there was a good chance the prophecy was true.
"Heh, I don't know the details myself. Just… be on guard in the near future," Azi Dahaka said vaguely.
That left Indra uneasy, a faint weight pressing in his chest.
"This Little Garden really can't stay peaceful, can it," the Lord of the White Night remarked.
"You have some nerve saying that. I wonder who made the Little Garden such a mess in the Dawn Era," the Halloween Queen shot back without mercy.
"Hmph, that was the past. I'm a benevolent god now," the Lord of the White Night said irritably.
The two began bickering again, breaking the heavy mood and drawing faint smiles from the others.
Riku, however, was thoughtful. 'A prophecy… could it be related to me?'
The [Absolute Evil] Last Trial of Humanity would indeed appearbut not yet.
At that moment, the Lord of the White Night's gaze settled on Riku, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Of all those present, she alone knew Riku possessed the Third Perpetual Motion Machine, the very factor that could make one a Last Trial of Humanity. Coupled with Azi Dahaka's sudden words, she couldn't help but wonder.
'A troublesome brat, ' she thought with a faint shake of her head.
Suddenly, light cascaded from the sky.
One by one, parchment scrolls appeared before each finalist.
The finals of the Sun War were about to begin.
Riku refocused, reaching out to take the scroll before him and scanning the rules.
Gift Game: Sun War
[List of Finalists]
[Thousand Eyes] Lord of the White Night
[Queen Halloween] Halloween Queen
[Disboard] Riku Dola
[Twelve Heavenly Generals] Indra
[Norse Pantheon] Thor
[Twelve Olympians] Athena
[Zoroastrianism] Azi Dahaka
[Salamandra] Star Sea Dragon King
Entry Requirement 1: Possess at least one Sun Authority, regardless of zodiac.
Entry Requirement 2: Have origins or achievements related to a Sun God.
[Finals Rules]
Each participant may bring one companion from their community. Time limit: 24 days. Death results in the loss of one Sun Authority. If holding multiple, the participant revives after one day. Losing all Sun Authorities and dying means losing eligibility. Incapacitation at or above a certain level counts as death. At the start, participants will be randomly teleported to different locations. Each Sun Authority Gift may be used once per day.
[Victory Conditions]
Defeat your opponent. Uncover your opponent's truth. Cause your opponent's death.
Oath: The Sun Authority War Operations Committee guarantees the fair execution of the above game.
[First Sun Authority War]
Executive Officer: Laplace's Little Demon
"Simple and straightforward. With good luck and overwhelming strength, victory's practically yours," Riku murmured, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Not bad suits me just fine. Being new here, I'm still short on knowledge. If it were some high-difficulty game, that would've been a pain."
His eyes swept over the gathered opponents, considering his first target. The Lord of the White Night and the Halloween Queen are too tough to take head-on right away. Indra was also troublesome; not ideal as an opening mark.
Which left… Azi Dahaka, Athena, the Star Sea Dragon King, and Thor are prime starting targets.
--
As everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, the finals of the Sun Sovereignty War finally began.
In an instant, all participants were engulfed by blinding radiance and teleported to different locations.
High above a forested mountain range, Riku appeared, scanning his surroundings. A thought crossed his mind he suddenly remembered Juntan.
In the finals of the Sun Sovereignty War, participants were allowed to summon one companion from their community. While Juntan's combat power would be considered low for the finals, he could at least serve as a meat shield.
A smirk tugged at Riku's lips. He hadn't played a little prank like this in a while. Without hesitation, he summoned Juntan.
The next moment, bathed in the radiance of the sun, the figure clad entirely in black appeared before him.
"Boss, you made it to the finals!?" Juntan froze in surprise for a moment before his face lit up with joy.
"Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to summon you," Riku replied calmly.
"Uh, that's true… So, where is this place?" Juntan looked around in awe. The horizon seemed to stretch into infinity, leaving him stunned.
"This is the White Night's Horizon, the final stage of her Paradox Game, the End of Time, the Abyss at the End of the Stars," Riku answered casually.
"Huh!?" Juntan gasped, his expression full of shock. He knew well the stories from the Dawn Era; this was the forbidden land that had once sealed and slaughtered millions of gods!
"Enough gawking. Time to find and take out our opponents," Riku said, rolling his eyes before flying off in one direction.
"Wait for me, Boss!" Juntan quickly lightened his body with his gravity control and followed.
It was worth noting that Thor, Athena, and the Star Sea Dragon King each carried diamond-grade treasure chests. Azidahaka's was black, while Indra's was rainbow-colored.
Thanks to the minimap, Riku could track their movements. He couldn't tell exactly who was who, but that much was enough.
This was precisely why he hadn't tried to open their treasure chests earlier; using them as tracking beacons was far more useful!
The two rainbow chests belonged to the Halloween Queen, and Indra doesn't need to consider those for now.
As for the black chests carried by the White Night King and Azidahaka, they were also to be avoided. Encountering the White Night King here would force Riku to use his most powerful trump cards to win.
After all, this was the White Night's Horizon, her own Paradox Game domain. While it wouldn't boost her power to the level of her Heliocentric Theory state, it would still push her to terrifying heights, granting her the strength of a borderline two-digit nothing to take lightly.
Given all that, the targets were clear: use the diamond chest locations to take down Thor, Athena, and the Star Sea Dragon King first!
While Riku headed straight for the location of a diamond chest, the other participants also began moving in their chosen directions.
Although twenty-four days sounded like a long time, considering the sheer size of this world, bad luck could mean not meeting anyone at all.
Half a day later, deep within a certain forest, Thor suddenly stopped and raised his sharp gaze to the sky.
Seconds later, two figures appeared above him: Riku and Juntan.
"Hero of humanity… coming straight for me like that, you must have some kind of special tracking gift," Thor said in a low voice. "But setting your first target on me… seems I've been underestimated."
"Thor, the Thunder God, is it? I'm not underestimating you. I just can't precisely identify who's who yet," Riku replied, vanishing from the sky and reappearing on the ground a hundred meters away, spreading his hands casually.
Juntan landed beside him.
That answer made Thor's expression soften slightly.
"Showing your companion right away… not exactly a wise move," Thor said, glancing at Juntan and shaking his head.
"I prefer being upfront over skulking in the shadows. I'd suggest you have your companion underground come out as well. I'm not fond of sneak attacks," Riku said calmly, stomping the ground lightly and making it tremble.
"You noticed… Then there's no helping it," Thor admitted with a resigned look. "Sif, come out."
As soon as Thor spoke, the ground around him writhed, and a woman with radiant golden hair emerged before Riku.
Sif, the wife of Thor, goddess of the earth and harvest, was no weakling herself, standing at the lower tier of the three-digit omnipotence class, though still just an average three-digit.
"A husband-and-wife team in the finals of the Sun Sovereignty War, huh? Guess I'm in for a display of marital bliss," Riku said, his tone wry.
"We've had our reasons," Sif replied gently.
"Then enough talk. Let's open the first battle of the Sun Sovereignty War," Thor said sharply, his eyes hardening with fighting intent.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Sif struck without hesitation.
The ground and forest surged violently. The soil beneath Riku and Juntan writhed, trapping their feet. The surrounding earth, reinforced by Sif's divine power, rose like waves, crashing toward them.
Boom!
Riku and Juntan both frowned. Juntan instantly unleashed a surge of gravity, crushing the surging earth flat. The ground collapsed, and rocks shattered.
"Thor's mine. You handle Sif," Riku said coolly.
"Got it, Boss," Juntan replied with a grin and a firm nod.
"Now's not the time to discuss tactics, human hero!" Thor's voice thundered as his form turned into lightning, vanishing and reappearing before Riku. In his hand was a hammer crackling with lightning arcs.
This was one of the most famous divine weapons in the Box Garden, Thor's personal artefact, Mjölnir, the Thunder God's Hammer!
Wielding immense power and fierce divinity, lightning surged wildly as Thor swung the hammer down toward Riku's head.
Boom!
Riku's expression didn't change. In an instant, he erupted into his Super Saiyan 2 state, golden ki blazing wildly, electrical arcs dancing across his body as his power shook heaven and earth. His sharp gaze locked on Thor, and he met Mjölnir's strike head-on with a single punch.
A deep, resonating shockwave ripped through the area. The land for hundreds of kilometres around sank into a massive bowl-shaped crater. The surroundings lay in ruins, ravaged by lightning and golden ki like the end of the world itself.