"Leader, are we going to take care of Indra?" Juntan asked eagerly. At this point, he feared no one. Riku's strength filled him with awe and worship.
"Of course." Riku nodded calmly.
From the finals up until now, he has already held six [Sun Authorities]: Leo, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Taurus, Libra, and Aries.
It sounded like a lot, but it was still not enough. To win the Sun War, one had to seize the greatest number of Sun Authorities.
Although he did not know how many Sun Authorities the Lord of White Night possessed, the bare minimum had to be seven or more. By comparison, his six felt insufficient.
"Has Aži Dahāka been eliminated yet? His Sun Authorities would have been a pity to waste."
Glancing at the minimap, Riku muttered regretfully.
Right now, Aži Dahāka was merely an ordinary three-digit Demon Lord. He was not yet the [Absolute Evil], the Final Trial of Humanity that would one day threaten to annihilate Little Garden. For now, he would have been an easy opponent.
"So, the remaining participants are the Lord of White Night, the Queen of Halloween, and Indra… and we should probably count Brahma as well."
Riku mused aloud.
To revive the required Sun Authorities. Since Indra had revived Brahma, he must hold at least two.
Lord of White Night with seven or more. The Queen of Halloween is unknown. Riku himself with six.
At that thought, Riku's lips twitched slightly.
If Athena had no Sun Authorities in her possession, she would be unable to revive, losing her qualification as a participant entirely. She would have to wait until the Sun War ended to return.
"Troublesome. I was waiting to collect my payment." Riku shook his head helplessly.
"Uh, Leader… so are we dealing with Indra or not?" Seeing Riku shake his head over and over, Juntan was left confused.
"Of course we are, hm?" Riku set aside his idle thoughts, ready to answer, when he noticed an anomaly on the minimap.
Shining rainbow treasure chests and a black chest had appeared nearby.
"That's… the Queen of Halloween and the Lord of White Night? But why are they together?"
Riku frowned, puzzled.
By all rights, if the Lord of White Night and the Queen of Halloween crossed paths, there could only be one result: a colossal battle. The uproar would dwarf anything seen so far.
Yet everything was unnaturally silent. He could not even sense their presence.
But sometimes perception alone could be deceiving. Riku's golden eyes flashed with divine light. The Star of Omniscience and Omnipotence pierced through past and future, seeing all things. It immediately revealed the distortion in space ahead and the Queen of Halloween hidden in a separate dimension.
And within that dimensional fold…
"Your Majesty, since you're here, would you care to step out?" Riku's golden eyes flickered as he spoke lightly, voice calm as drifting clouds.
"The Queen of Halloween?" Hearing this, Juntan flinched instinctively, his gaze sharpening as he scanned the surroundings.
"Not coming out? In that case, forgive my rudeness." Both the all-seeing star and the System map could not be wrong. Riku frowned, spreading his hand as his right palm aimed in the direction of the rainbow chest.
"Third-Type Stellar Particle Form!"
Without hesitation, Riku unleashed his strongest strike. The Pseudo Star Map manifested, unleashing a world-shaking aurora pillar that shot skyward, smashing toward the space ahead.
BOOM!
But in the next instant, space rippled. An unknown worldview suddenly burst forth, colliding head-on with the aurora pillar with divine might equal to its own. The heavens cracked, then split apart.
And the aurora pillar was cancelled out.
To neutralise the Pseudo Star Map, it could only be another of the same grade.
"Oh?" Riku narrowed his eyes and lowered his hand. "Queen of Halloween, a Pseudo Star Map? So this is the truth of your irregular three-digit power, the mastery of boundaries?"
"You really are reckless. To suddenly attack me with such a dangerous Pseudo Star Map…"
As space shattered, the Queen of Halloween appeared gracefully before him, her voice filled with disapproval.
"You were spying on me." Riku pouted.
"And I was curious about you. In manipulating boundaries, I am confident. So, tell me how did you discovered me?" The Queen of Halloween asked with childlike curiosity.
When it came to controlling boundaries, if she was second, no one dared claim first. Even the Boundary Gates of Little Garden required her power to function.
Her irregular three-digit strength meant not even a two-digit could harm her. That was the Queen of Halloween.
And yet, despite hiding her presence with her full strength, Riku had still seen through her. How could she not be curious?
"All things in heaven and earth, the myriad phenomena of the cosmos, cannot escape my eyes." Riku crossed his arms and replied leisurely.
"So confident. But I must admit, even just this perception ability of yours is remarkable."
The Queen of Halloween was stunned at first by his answer, then smiled faintly.
"Well then, one more question." She spoke slowly. "Can you tell me how you defeated Athena and Poseidon?"
Her eyes shone brightly as she spoke. With her mastery of boundaries, she could observe the scenes of Athena's trial. But in that instant, Riku, Athena, Poseidon, and even the heroes manifested from Athena's exploits had all vanished without a trace.
It was as if they had been completely erased from the Horizon of White Night itself. Not even she could sense the slightest thing.
It was the first time such a phenomenon had ever occurred.
"…Telling you is not impossible. But first, you'd have to join [Disboard]." Riku's lips curled into a smile, his eyes narrowing mischievously.
Since the Queen of Halloween had developed a genuine curiosity about him, luring her into his community would be far easier.
"Mmm… tempting. But I'll pass. To wager everything by joining an unknown community that's no small matter." The Queen of Halloween's expression hardened as she refused bluntly.
Riku wasn't surprised. He only shrugged.
Listening to their exchange, Juntan could only shake his head. If the Queen of Halloween could join, their strength would become unmatched.
"Well, I suppose that's enough talking. Thanks to your reckless Pseudo Star Map just now, it seems some fool has finally noticed and is trying to break free of my boundary." The Queen of Halloween shook her head, her face teasing.
At that, the corner of Riku's eye twitched. He could already guess what she meant.
"Damn Queen! You actually dared to trap me in that place!" A second later, the boundary shattered once more. From it, searing solar flames surged skyward, and a furious voice shook the heavens.
The violent aura directly disturbed the Horizon of White Night itself, making the very boundary tremble. Even the sun that moved steadily above shifted slightly off its course.
The raging flames of the sun surged without restraint, their heat overwhelming the sky. Juntan's expression darkened.
The Queen of Halloween, elegant as always, used her control over boundaries to easily sever the flames and stabilise the space. Riku, brows furrowed, once more unleashed his power, entering his Super Three state. The Phoenix Flame roared out, shielding both himself and Juntan.
Out from the inferno of solar fire emerged a figure clad in a violet robe, folding fan in hand, fury blazing across her face. The Lord of White Night.
"Hm?" As she stepped forth, her sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, glaring viciously at the Queen of Halloween before pausing at the sight of Riku in his Super Three form. A note of surprise escaped her lips.
Clearly, she was shocked by Riku's current power. After all, the last time she had fought him, although he had broken out this strange transformation, he had still been suppressed. His strength back then had been nowhere near what it was now.
"Damn Queen…!" But after only a glance, the Lord of White Night's fury surged back, her killing intent squarely locked on her nemesis.
"Lord of White Night, you really are nothing but a muscle-headed fool. A little manipulation of boundaries, and you didn't even notice." The Queen of Halloween dismissed her rage outright, even fanning the flames further with a taunting smile.
One of the greatest advantages of boundary manipulation was its extraordinary concealment. If one wasn't careful, they'd fall victim instantly. Neither the Lord of White Night nor Riku had detected her at first. Riku had only caught on with the Star of Omniscience and Omnipotence and the System map.
Truthfully, the Lord of White Night's failure to notice the shift in boundaries wasn't entirely unreasonable. Even without carelessness, there was still a strong chance of being ensnared.
Still, Riku was the only one present who understood. The Lord of White Night could not tolerate being toyed with by her eternal rival. And to have that rival sneer at her on top of it? Unforgivable.
"Queen, you've enraged me! Die, damn you!" The Lord of White Night's delicate face stiffened, then she roared.
In an instant, a brilliant star rose behind her, the Primordial Star, born at the dawn of the universe. She was its Star Spirit.
As the Primordial Star manifested, her power surged to its zenith.
Though she had lost [Geocentrism], this Horizon of White Night was her paradox domain, allowing her to reclaim part of her former might. Even if it was only partial, it was enough to push her far beyond normal three-digit limits into the realm of an irregular three-digit existence.
In Little Garden, even the mightiest three-digits could never step onto the stage of the two-digits. To them, a three-digit was but an ant.
Only irregular three-digits could stand unbowed before two-digits.
The Queen of Halloween achieved this by making herself untouchable, no two-digit able to lay a finger on her. Her strength in raw force was not supreme.
But the Lord of White Night, at this moment, was the opposite of an irregular three-digit whose power was rooted in overwhelming force.
Her wrath unleashed devastation beyond imagining.
The Primordial Star flared, its mass pressing down like the weight of the universe, while torrents of solar fire scorched everything.
Yet even before such destructive might, the Queen of Halloween merely manipulated her golden boundary, effortlessly neutralising it.
Riku, however, was not so fortunate. Bracing against the crushing mass of the Primordial Star, he felt his body drag as though under immense gravity. With difficulty, he summoned towering golden flames, the Phoenix Fire blazing to ward off the solar storm.
Juntan fared worse, his face pale. Against an irregular three-digit, he could not hope to stand. If not for his dominion over gravity and Riku's aid, he would have already fallen.
"Hey, hey, Lord of White Night, what's with dragging us into your spat with the Queen?"
Riku protested, thoroughly displeased.
"Hmph! Brats, you saw me humiliated today. The Sun War is secondary. I have to silence you; no one else can know! And besides, boy, I have an old score to settle with you."
The Lord of White Night's cold snort carried murderous resolve.
"Uh…" Hearing this, Riku's face darkened with exasperation. What could he even say? Was this extreme pride or childishness? Just because she'd been made to stumble once, she bore a grudge to this day, eager for revenge.
Now, because the Queen of Halloween had toyed with her, she was willing to abandon the Sun War altogether just to kill witnesses.
"You really are single-minded. A blockhead." The Queen of Halloween laughed sweetly, mocking her once again. "But killing me? That, you cannot do."
"Can't I? We'll see! Today, no one leaves alive!" The Lord of White Night bellowed.
Her power surged forth, lashing toward the Queen of Halloween.
In an instant, the two problem children clashed, tearing into each other in a world already riddled with scars. The scene exploded with cataclysmic force.
Riku tried to retreat to avoid being dragged in, but the Lord of White Night's violent strike swept at him, forcing him into the fray.
As for Juntan, a small fry in their eyes, she paid him no attention. Or rather, she had no time to.
The sky itself erupted. Divine might and thunderous detonations shook the Horizon of White Night, a harbinger of apocalypse.
In the battlefield's core, even a strong three-digit would be pulverised instantly.
Gulp!
Juntan backed away further, his lips twitching as he stared at the trio of violent titans above. Even here felt unsafe should he retreat more?
Meanwhile, none of the three noticed that the shockwaves and the presence of the Primordial Star had disturbed the Pseudo Star Map, the virtual world formed by the illusory star Tai Sui.
Ripples spread across the surface of that shining star, betraying instability.
Within that illusory world, sealed inside Tai Sui, Indra had just finished tending to Brahma's corpse. His eyes sharpened, golden lightning flickering around him as he sensed the disturbance.