The terrifying energy flow finally subsided several minutes later, leaving the Horizon of White Night utterly devastated. Even the trajectory of the sun above had shifted slightly under its influence.
"How's the situation...?" Juntan, who had retreated far into the distance, stared intently at the battlefield's centre and muttered.
Suddenly, a fierce wind blew away the dust and turbulence, revealing the scene within.
Riku, the Lord of White Night, and the Halloween Queen still stood in a triangular formation, none of them moving an inch.
However, compared to earlier, both the Lord of White Night and the Halloween Queen wore far more solemn expressions. Clearly, they had now grasped the rough measure of Riku's strength.
"Irregular three-digit..." the Lord of White Night exclaimed in astonishment.
"This time I truly am shaken," the Halloween Queen murmured with a shake of her head.
Originally, both of them had thought Riku's new form was powerful, perhaps merely stronger than Indra with his divinity unlocked, but nothing beyond that.
But an irregular three-digit was another level entirely. In all of Little Garden, only the Halloween Queen herself had reached that stage. As for the Lord of White Night, she only managed it by relying on her paradoxical field, the Horizon of White Night, the lost "Geocentrism" to temporarily reclaim part of her former power.
The difference between the peak of three digits and an irregular three-digit might seem small, but in truth, it was like heaven and earth. Indra was famed for having withstood a two-digit Authority wielder's attack, but it had been anything but easy; he had gambled his life, and only his special divinity allowed him to hold on.
By contrast, an irregular three-digit could confront a two-digit with relative ease and remain undefeated. That was the magnitude of the gap.
In Little Garden, it was said that only irregular three-digits could even step onto the stage of the two-digits. That fact alone showed what it truly meant.
"To be honest, I'm rather surprised myself," Riku said with a faint shake of his head, his own understanding of his power now clearer.
He had once assumed that the power of a God of Destruction equalled a typical two-digit of Little Garden. But after comparing, that didn't seem accurate. His Super Saiyan God state alone already counted as an irregular three-digit. Perhaps his form surpassed Goku's, even rivalling Super Saiyan Blue. But compared to a God of Destruction, it was still nowhere near enough that he would be obliterated in an instant.
By that logic, Gods of Destruction had to be two-digits, and not ordinary ones either. Among the two-digits, they likely ranked among the strongest.
And since they governed the law of Destruction, their power likely corresponded to Little Garden's cosmic truths themselves.
Of course, Riku thought, such musings were pointless. If he ever got the chance to visit the Dragon Ball world or if luck graced him with a treasure chest containing a summon card for a God of Destruction, then he would know for certain.
When Riku casually admitted even he was surprised, both the Lord of White Night and the Halloween Queen looked at him with complex expressions. To so easily shatter the very framework of Little Garden and then remark on it with feigned astonishment... was he boasting or mocking them?
"Crack !"
Just then, a sharp shattering sound rang out, unnervingly loud in the silence.
The three all turned their eyes toward it.
Suspended above, the Simulated Star Map's pseudo-star Tai Sui was covered in dense cracks. In the next instant, it shattered completely.
Golden lightning raged forth, sweeping heaven and earth, weighing the land down with fresh oppression.
Then, with a thunderous presence, Indra appeared before their eyes, lightning cloaking his body, a colossal vajra phantom looming behind him. He looked like the god of thunder incarnate, clutching in his hand the grey-toned Brahma, whose body was in the [Death] state, protected by Little Garden's system.
"Lord of White Night, Halloween Queen... and... Riku!?"
At his emergence, Indra immediately noticed the three standing in a tense triangle as if locked in a standoff. He froze. And when his gaze landed on Riku, his pupils contracted in disbelief, his expression mirroring exactly the shock the other two had shown earlier.
"Indra... so it was you sealed within the pseudo-star Tai Sui," the Lord of White Night said with surprise, unfolding her fan.
She had noticed Tai Sui's presence from the start, but with Riku and the Halloween Queen demanding her focus, she had ignored it. Never had she imagined Indra himself was imprisoned there. And now, to see him break free, this was no ordinary prison, but a Simulated Star Map pseudo-star, bane of both gods and star spirits!
"He got careless and was tricked by the Dragon King of the Star Sea," the Halloween Queen added with a lilting smile, laying bare Indra's humiliating history.
"..."
At that, Indra's face darkened, his lips twitching. Was she deliberately trying to strip him of all dignity?
"But I admit, for you to escape from the pseudo-star Tai Sui... I am impressed," Riku said with a slow shake of his head. "Even with Athena's ploy, leaving you in the [Death] state and only half-sealed by the Dragon King of the Star Sea, it should not have been possible for you to break free."
"That's true," Indra admitted bitterly. "The seal of the pseudo-star Tai Sui is not something I could break on my own."
He gave a strained smile. "I have you three to thank for this. The chaos you stirred outside shook the unstable defences of Tai Sui. Only then, with everything I had, did I barely manage to break free."
...
Yet though he had escaped thanks to their clash, Indra now faced an equally dire problem: his present situation seemed far from favourable.
He was strong, yes, but against these monsters? He felt helpless.
None of the three, Riku, the Lord of White Night, or the Halloween Queen, looked surprised at his explanation. They had already guessed as much; his words merely confirmed it.
"Riku," Indra said solemnly, his eyes flickering with doubt as they locked onto him. "I've answered your question. Now I want to know, are you human, or god?"
"Now?" Riku raised a brow. "I'd say god."
"What... impossible!" Indra's face twisted in disbelief, yet the truth before him could not be denied.
Seeing the great war god, master of Little Garden himself, reduced to such a stunned, almost comical state, both the Lord of White Night and the Halloween Queen burst into laughter. After all, they too had been floored earlier by Riku's revelation. Seeing someone else share that fate felt deliciously satisfying.
But their laughter only blackened Indra's expression further.
"Well then, Indra," Riku said suddenly, his tone sharp. "Enough chatter. I want to resume the battle we left unfinished. What say you?"
The air instantly grew taut at his words.
"Hmm?" Both the Lord of White Night and the Halloween Queen furrowed their brows, their sharp gazes fixed on Riku. After all, the three of them were in the middle of an intense battle, and for Riku to suddenly declare his intent to fight Indra it carried the implication that he was looking down on them.
"Don't misunderstand. I simply want to settle my unfinished feud with Indra before going all out against you two." Riku shook his head slightly, explaining.
That explanation made Indra's brow crease as golden lightning surged violently around his body. Riku's words clearly treated him as a foregone conclusion, and as the [War God], this slight stirred his anger.
"A feud? What feud do you have with Indra?" the Lord of White Night asked with a frown.
"Mm? Is that really all there is to it?" The Halloween Queen, however, gave Riku a playful look, speaking leisurely.
She had seen Riku and Indra's battle from beginning to end, so she naturally knew what had transpired. They had been fighting at full intensity when the Dragon King of the Star Sea, Athena, and Poseidon had barged in, cutting their duel short.
Riku's reason was reasonable enough, but the Halloween Queen wasn't naïve enough to believe he only wanted closure. More likely, he wanted to prevent Indra from fleeing during a three-way clash; if Indra escaped, Riku's companions would be in trouble. At the same time, it was also an opportunity to seize one of Indra's Solar Authorities.
Using "settling a feud" as his reason, while in truth there was indeed a feud, made it difficult for either her or the Lord of White Night to intervene without trampling upon Riku and Indra's pride.
"Interesting. So you're sealing off any excuse for us to intervene, hm?" The Halloween Queen's lips curved upward, her tone brimming with interest. "Well, if you want to finish your duel with Indra, I won't get in the way."
For opponents on the same level of strength, the Halloween Queen always showed due respect. She yielded a step, though mostly because she wanted to see how Riku would handle Indra to satisfy her own curiosity.
"Hmm...?" Seeing the Halloween Queen take this stance, the Lord of White Night frowned. It was clear that Riku and Indra truly had a feud. If so, then she had no reason to interfere either. Still, the sensation of being manoeuvred around left her displeased, so she merely cast a cold glance at Riku and the Halloween Queen without speaking further.
Naturally, Indra, being the one involved, understood perfectly well. His eyes sharpened, golden lightning surging skyward. Though his pressure did not match that of the Lord of White Night, it was still overwhelming. As the King of the Gods, the God of Gods underestimating him would carry dire consequences.
"Riku, you once said that treating others as though they were already defeated would end badly." Indra gripped his vajra tightly, his voice grave.
"Mm, I never said I'd already written you off," Riku replied calmly, shaking his head. "I simply believe it's necessary for us to settle things once and for all. Otherwise, I won't feel at ease. How's that for a reason?"
Those words made Indra pause, his expression easing slightly.
"Since you want to fight, then let's fight." Indra drew a deep breath and spoke solemnly. In truth, carrying Brahma away to regroup would have been the wisest course.
But as the [War God], being challenged so openly and then fleeing without a fight would tarnish his very name.
Though Indra usually acted carefree, lazy, and indulgent, his pride was second to none, only tempered after joining the Buddhist pantheon.
"Divinity Release!" Indra declared.
In that instant, golden lightning thickened and spread across half the heavens. Countless phantasmal images manifested, embodying Indra's legendary deeds and myths.
His power surged to its utmost. Though not equal to Riku or the Lord of White Night, it was undoubtedly earth-shaking, making one doubt that such a force should even belong to a three-digit. Within his Divinity, Riku also sensed a familiar attribute.
The same concept that accompanied the Disboard War God Artosh: the concept of war itself. The stronger the foe, the stronger he became.
"This Divinity... it has truly been a long time," the Lord of White Night murmured, shaking her head slightly.
"No wonder you could withstand a two-digit's Authority Domain, even fighting in the Dawn Era against the White Night Demon Lord, the 'Heliocentric Theory' as Humanity's Last Trial." Riku likewise voiced his admiration.
"To build the Little Garden, Solar Authorities are indispensable. I cannot afford defeat here..." After releasing his Divinity, Indra's demeanour grew cold and severe, his grip on the vajra firm, his power fathomless as an abyss.
"Not wanting to lose, huh? Same here." Riku smiled faintly, then his expression hardened. The golden-red aura around him flared, burning like an inferno.
"In that case... we fight!" Riku's eyes gleamed sharply.
The next instant, under the watchful gazes of the Lord of White Night and the Halloween Queen, Riku vanished from sight, his speed surpassing starlight as he charged at Indra.
Indra's expression turned grim as he transformed into golden lightning, disappearing from his place.
In less than a millionth of a second, Riku and Indra appeared at the midpoint.
Crack!
Riku's fist smashed against Indra's vajra strike. The violent shockwave erupted instantly, the vajra shattered under Riku's blow, and Indra himself was blasted away in a trail of starlight.
Yet the golden lightning woven into the vajra flowed like living serpents, wrapping around Riku to form a divine golden prison of thunder. Simultaneously, countless vajras rained down upon him as Indra reeled.
Unfazed, Riku unleashed blow after blow, hurling energy capable of obliterating god-forged stars, reducing the vajras to dust.
He vanished again, reappearing before the barely stabilised Indra, throwing yet another punch.
Indra's eyes narrowed. He instantly summoned more vajras to intercept Riku, while also condensing golden lightning for a powerful counterattack.
But at that very moment, Riku ignored the vajras and lightning altogether.
Indra's pupils contracted, a sense of dread rising within him. Riku's strength was already at the level of a three-digit irregular; even Indra found him difficult to handle. And yet even a three-digit irregular shouldn't have been able to outright ignore his attacks. Which could only mean Riku was preparing his next move!
Just as this realisation struck, Riku stretched out his right hand, pointing it directly at Indra. The War God's pupils constricted violently.