Riku's berserk energy pounded relentlessly within the Interstice of Boundaries.
The boundaries between the stars transferred the force endlessly.
Yet power was only being shifted elsewhere, not erased. Eventually, even this realm had its limits.
The Lord of White Night could only marvel at Riku's bombardment. This violent output should have consumed staggering amounts of energy, but Riku's Third Perpetual Motion Engine erased that weakness entirely. Combined with his countless trump cards, he was simply too overwhelming.
One day. Two days… in the end, twenty-three days passed.
The Golden Great Demonic Realm finally collapsed under Riku's onslaught.
The interstice rippled wildly before ejecting Riku and the Lord of White Night back to the Horizon of White Night.
Their vision shifted, and once again they saw the Halloween Queen.
But now, the Queen no longer held her graceful poise. Her voice was weak and ragged, her chest rising and falling as sweat drenched her body.
For someone who was always elegant and domineering, seeing the Halloween Queen so frail… even Riku couldn't help but take a second glance.
Of course, nothing more than that.
"Looks like I've lost." She smiled bitterly at Riku. "I thought you'd beg that idiot Lord of White Night to help you break the Golden Great Demonic Realm. I didn't expect you'd manage it alone."
"Idiot Witch, you've never been more humiliated. Hehehe, I'll make sure this moment goes down in history!" Before Riku could respond, the Lord of White Night spoke smugly.
She instantly used a special Gift to capture the Queen's present state in an image.
Just imagining showing this humiliating sight of her rival in the future filled her with glee.
The Queen's eye twitched at the action, but she held her tongue. At her weakest point, while the Lord of White Night was still at her peak, any bickering would only work against her.
Riku, meanwhile, almost asked for a copy of the picture, but he shook his head, pushing aside the thought.
"Queen, your secret art is formidable. Even a two-digit couldn't shatter the Golden Great Demonic Realm in so short a time. Unfortunately, your opponent was me." Riku shook his head, sighing.
"This violent state that surpasses the divine realm…" The Queen spoke softly, pausing mid-sentence. Her eyes glimmered as she looked meaningfully at Riku. "And your Perpetual Motion Engine Divinity."
Her words didn't surprise Riku; his expression remained calm.
The Lord of White Night, who had been smirking, grew serious and frowned at the Queen. "So you finally noticed."
"How could I not? After being trapped in my realm for so long, unleashing that kind of energy without the slightest decline, how could that be normal? To my knowledge, only a Perpetual Motion Engine could achieve such a thing." Though her body was weak, her eyes still shone brightly.
She then turned her gaze toward the Lord of White Night. "And judging by your reaction, you already knew?"
"From the moment we first met, I knew," the Lord of White Night declared proudly, folding a fan in hand.
Riku facepalmed. 'No, you only knew because I told you.' Still, exposing her now would gain him nothing, so he said nothing.
"Well, that makes sense. A Perpetual Motion Engine… and you, once the Heliocentrism itself. You could be called kin." The Queen's tone wasn't bitter, only contemplative as her gaze swept between them.
"I think I'm beginning to understand why Riku is so eager to recruit you. Perhaps what Azi Dahāka said, 'there isn't much time left', was for this reason as well."
Her words drew the Lord of White Night into silence, her eyes flickering.
"Hehe, let's leave that topic there. This time, it's my loss." The Halloween Queen looked at Riku, her expression suddenly serious. "When the Solar War ends, I will honour my promise. I'll face you in a Gift Game where I wager everything I have."
With that, she willingly entered the state of [Death], her body fading into shadowy tones as she collapsed to the ground.
"Congratulations, contestant Riku Dola of [Disboard], for obtaining the Solar Authority—Gemini." The voice of Laplace's little demon rang out right on cue.
"To think that idiot Witch would ever admit defeat on her own… this is a first in history." The Lord of White Night stared at her rival's [corpse], her expression complicated.
Though they were bitter enemies, no one understood the Queen's pride and power better than she did. And now, this man had forced her to yield.
Riku only smiled, saying nothing, though he did reach toward the rainbow treasure chest on her body.
But his hand passed through without contact. Without touch, he couldn't open it. He sighed.
This rainbow chest was far too difficult to claim.
"It's useless. Even weakened, she entered [Death] willingly. The remnants of her Divinity protect her with boundaries. Even if someone broke through, she'd instantly be shifted elsewhere by the boundaries. From the moment of her birth, no one has ever laid a finger on her. That's not exaggeration," explained the Lord of White Night.
"I know. I just wanted to try." Riku smiled faintly, shaking his head. Against this irregular three-digit who mastered boundaries, none in Little Garden matched her in self-preservation.
Finally, he turned his gaze to the Lord of White Night.
"With the Queen defeated, do you want to settle things between us now?"
She smirked at him without fear, locking eyes. Even knowing Riku's current strength, she would never flinch.
"Forget it. I'm not in the mood for another fight." Riku waved a hand, returning to his normal state. "Besides, I still have things to do before the Solar War ends. Until then, farewell."
Before the Lord of White Night could respond, Riku vanished from sight.
"The Solar War's almost over… what business does that brat still have?" The Lord of White Night murmured in puzzlement as she watched Riku depart.
Though curious, she had no intention of tailing him. Instead, she smirked and went back to gleefully taking more shots of the Halloween Queen's [corpse].
Elsewhere, Riku sought out Juntan first.
"Leader, you finally made it out," Juntan said with a heavy sigh of relief. When the Halloween Queen had dragged both Riku and the Lord of White Night into the Golden Great Demonic Realm, he'd known things had gone bad. But powerless to help, all he could do was hide.
Fortunately, the Queen hadn't paid him any mind; thus, he survived until now.
"Her secret art was indeed formidable, and it cost me much time. You did well to lay low and avoid exposure," Riku nodded approvingly.
"I didn't really have a choice. With you and the Lord of White Night trapped, only Indra and Brahma still held Solar Authorities among the remaining contestants. But the Queen was locked in battle with them, and I had no way to intervene," Juntan said with a wry smile. "Still, her Divinity weakened so quickly in the end… and even then, she couldn't finish off Indra or Brahma."
Riku wasn't surprised. If the Halloween Queen could trap both him and the Lord of White Night while still suppressing Indra and Brahma, then she wouldn't just be an irregular three-digit she'd already have exceeded even that.
"Athena and Poseidon really didn't have any Solar Authorities after all… Looks like I'll have to wait until the war ends to claim their payments," Riku muttered as he glanced at the two grey spheres behind Juntan, where Athena and Poseidon still lay in the state of [Death].
Though he could have inscribed [Disboard]'s crest onto them when the Gift Game ended, it was better to do such things face to face.
Above the Horizon of White Night, its brilliance grew ever brighter.
At the farthest edge, the twenty-four Solar Authorities shining along the horizon suddenly erupted with boundless light.
White sparks rained down upon the land. The First Solar War had reached its conclusion.
At the same time, a parchment scroll appeared in Riku's hands, the results of the war.
Gift Game: The First Solar War [Concluded!]
1st Place: Riku Dola, Solar Authorities held: 8
1st Place (tie): Lord of White Night, Solar Authorities held: 8
2nd Place: Halloween Queen, Solar Authorities held: 6
3rd Place: Indra, Solar Authorities held: 2
4th Place: Athena, Solar Authorities held: 0; Thor, Solar Authorities held: 0; Azi Dahāka, Solar Authorities held: 0; Star Sea Dragon King, Solar Authorities held: 0
The First Solar War has ended. The Horizon of White Night shall be sealed once more, and all contestants will be returned to the Little Garden. We apologise for any inconvenience.
—Administrator of the First Solar War, Laplace's Little Demon
Each contestant could only see their own ranking and the Solar Authorities. All other data was encrypted.
Once the war ended, the memory of Laplace's Little Demon would also be wiped, leaving nothing for its main body to recall.
Riku scanned the parchment and shook his head. Others might see only their own results, but with the [Star of Omniscience and Omnipotence], he could read it all. Still, such trivialities hardly mattered.
"Leader, you tied for first with the Lord of White Night!" Juntan exclaimed, amazed. Though he couldn't see how many Authorities Riku held, he could see the ranking.
The First Solar War had ended with Riku and the Lord of White Night as joint victors. In truth, it was Riku's triumph she had started with the most Authorities, while he had fought tooth and nail, seizing them from one opponent after another.
"A tie for first… acceptable." Riku was satisfied. After all, he was always determined to win.
Before he and Juntan could speak further, both of them, along with Athena and Poseidon, were wrapped in white light and transported back to the Little Garden.
"The Juntan Mountains… we're back." Riku exhaled. To think that upon his arrival in this world, he'd immediately been thrown into such savage conflict, forced to play all his cards. Life was unpredictable indeed. But to him, it had been exhilarating, a pure enjoyment of battle.
Soon, Athena and Poseidon revived from within the Fourth Perpetual Blessing. Their expressions grew complicated as they clutched the clothes Riku had draped over them before summoning their divine garments once more.
As they prepared to break the seal, Riku dissolved it himself.
"This isn't Olympus… Looks like the Gift Game's result scattered us."
"Hmph… We've suffered quite the loss this time," Athena sighed.
Her face was resigned. She had used her host privileges to drag Riku into her game forcibly and had paid dearly for it. Worse, she had dragged Poseidon down with her.
"Riku… what price must we pay?" Athena asked quietly, trying to stay calm, though unease lingered in her eyes.
Poseidon too watched nervously, anxiety clear on her face.
Losing such a game wasn't a small matter. In the past, even chief gods had lost their very Divinity in defeat.
"My demand is simple." Riku raised a finger, smiling faintly. "From this day forth, both your bodies and souls belong to me. From now on, you are members of [Disboard]."
"—!"
Athena and Poseidon's pupils contracted, their faces paling.
"You think Little Garden will recognise such a demand? Though the defeated host must pay, the terms cannot be unreasonable. The judgment must be fair for the Garden to uphold it," Athena said firmly.
"Fair or not… we'll see." Riku's calm reply rang out.
In that instant, on Athena and Poseidon's shoulders, the crest of [Disboard] appeared as a radiant Holy Grail etched upon their flawless skin.