"Seraphim, Archangels… so you truly created something forbidden." The Halloween Queen had already suspected as much, but hearing the confirmation still left her astonished, her expression caught somewhere between curiosity and disbelief. "You've just arrived in the Little Garden, so perhaps you don't fully grasp it yet. Angels, the Son of God, and the Almighty are all names steeped in taboo."
"To say nothing of how you managed to create angels equal in quality to those of Christianity but to flaunt them so openly, letting them serve you… you're the first to dare such a thing." She shook her head with a sigh. "If Christianity discovers this, they will surely come for you."
"I already know." Riku remained calm, shifting slightly on Spring's soft lap pillow to find a more comfortable position. "If they come, I'll just destroy them. What else is there to say?"
The Queen chuckled softly, her smile acknowledging his words. "True enough. With your strength and your temperament, Christianity is hardly something you would ever fear."
Even for her, though she avoided antagonising Christianity, if they attacked, she would never hesitate to strike back.
"Queen, as for you… I thought you would have come to me right after the Solar War to challenge me to that Gift Game you promised." Riku's golden eyes flicked toward her.
"That's hardly my fault. In the war, you bombarded me within the Golden Great Demonic Realm, drained my Divinity to its lowest ebb. It took time to recover." She smirked playfully. "Besides, that's not why I'm here today. I only came to watch the fun."
"Tch. Should I throw you out, then?" Riku rolled his eyes.
"If you can, feel free to try." The Halloween Queen's smile widened knowingly.
"Forget it. I've seen enough of your mysterious boundaries; driving you away would be far too troublesome." Riku waved dismissively.
"Ah? So that fool has come as well." The Queen's eyes glimmered, her playful tone cutting through the air.
"Leader, the Lord of White Night seeks you," Athena announced as she approached, followed by a familiar purple-clad figure with a folded fan in hand.
Athena glanced at the Halloween Queen in mild surprise before offering her a polite smile and nod. The Queen inclined her head gracefully in return.
Riku sighed. "One after another… you two really can't resist crashing the party, can you?"
"What, boy? Are you saying we're not welcome?" The Lord of White Night's sharp eyes narrowed on him.
"Of course you're welcome. It's just that" He broke off, exasperation flashing across his face.
If the Halloween Queen and the Lord of White Night had come separately, it wouldn't matter. But together? They were a keg of powder waiting for a spark.
"Well, well. Isn't this the foolish Lord of White Night? Surprisingly, you didn't get lost on your way here. Let me guess, you stumbled into Athena and she dragged you along, hm?" The Halloween Queen's lips curved as she pounced with mocking words.
"Oh? And here I thought you'd still be licking your wounds in some dark hole, White-Haired Idiot Queen." The Lord of White Night shot back coldly, unfolding the photo she had saved during the Solar War: the Queen, weakened, body shimmering with sweat, appearing fragile and uncharacteristically alluring.
The Queen froze for an instant. Her aura surged, her boundary waves shattering the image to dust.
"Don't bother. I've made countless copies." The Lord of White Night hid her smile behind her fan, her voice smug with victory.
"How petty. For your information, I also kept recordings of you, trapped inside my great secret, being pummeled by Riku." The Queen's tone sharpened, pride lacing her words.
This time, it was the Lord of White Night's turn to stiffen.
The two locked gazes. Pressure thickened, sparks crackled, and the air grew heavy. Even without words, their hostility was palpable.
The four Seraph daughters trembled under the oppressive tension.
Riku only sighed.
Women. Why must they wound each other so? He'd known all along that the Lord of White Night and the Halloween Queen together were a disaster. 'If they both joined [Disboard] someday, it'd be endless quarrels… headache upon headache.'
"You're frightening them. That's enough, both of you." He finally sat up, shaking his head.
"Hmph." Both Queens averted their eyes with identical scowls. Yet for Riku's sake, they grudgingly let the matter drop.
Only then did the Lord of White Night notice Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and the many angels dwelling within the palace. Like the Halloween Queen before her, she pressed Riku for answers.
And, as before, Riku gave a brief, candid explanation. The Lord of White Night could only shake her head in reluctant admiration at his audacity.
"You two didn't really come just to watch, did you?" Riku's gaze swept across them, the heavy atmosphere grinding at him until he changed the subject.
Within Skyborne City, he was aware of every powerful being who had entered. So far, they'd only watched, never daring to cause trouble. That was fine. He welcomed onlookers, but any who overstepped would be crushed.
The visiting powers knew as much and behaved. Still, Riku found it laughable. One after another, they gathered just to watch him.
"Not exactly." The Halloween Queen smiled gracefully. "Once you've crushed the Olympian host, I plan to challenge you to a Gift Game."
Her eyes shone brightly at the word. Against Riku's endless arsenal of hidden powers, ordinary Gift Games would be meaningless. She strongly suspected he possessed a Gift capable of piercing all phenomena, making victory nearly impossible.
So she had devised something simpler, an almost absurdly plain Gift Game, one fit for gods and demons alike.
"A Gift Game, hm?" Riku's expression sharpened. He looked directly at her, lips curling into a smile. "Then I'll be looking forward to it. Tell me, Queen, what kind of Game are you preparing, one we'll stake everything upon?"
"This one may disappoint you," she answered smoothly, her elegance never faltering.
Riku's interest in the Halloween Queen's Gift Game was genuine, but when she teased him with her cryptic answer, he only smiled faintly. Mystery, after all, was what drew curiosity.
"As for me, I only came to watch the fun. Disappointed?" The Lord of White Night fanned herself lazily, her tone sharp with mockery.
"A little." Riku curled his lip. "I thought you'd come to give me a definite answer."
"Now is not the time," she replied firmly. "Though you constantly drive me mad, I find you tolerable enough. If I accepted your invitation now, you'd suffer for it."
She snapped her fan shut, eyes hardening. "If I joined [Disboard] today, [Thousand Eyes] would never let it go. Not to mention, your creation of angels has already touched Christianity's taboo. And the Twelve Heavenly Protectors will not abide it. It could even stir the Buddhist Pantheon. To provoke so many at once, no matter your power, your community would be torn apart."
The Twelve Olympians, though dangerous, hardly mattered beside these true hegemonies. With stacks of Three-Digit God-Kings and even multiple Two-Digit beings, to face them all at once would be madness.
In her eyes, Riku's foundation was too shallow, his rise too swift. To join him now would only doom him.
Unexpectedly, the Halloween Queen didn't contradict her. Though she feared nothing, she acknowledged the weight of such enemies.
Riku only shook his head, golden eyes glinting sharply. "So what? Let the gods of all Little Garden come against me. If one lacks the courage to stand against the world entire, one is unworthy of the name 'Demon Lord.' Don't forget, Lord of White Night, once as the Final Trial of Humanity 'Geocentrism,' you crushed the heavens and suffocated the gods yourself."
His voice was defiant, arrogant, blazing with domineering resolve. He spoke as if the multitude of deities were dust.
The Halloween Queen, the Lord of White Night, and Athena all stared at him, eyes shimmering. Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter gazed up in unrestrained adoration.
"Hmph. Foolish Lord of White Night, you really have stayed too long in the company of the gods." The Queen's smile cut sharply. "You've had your edges dulled."
"Tch." The Lord of White Night clicked her tongue, annoyed. She did agree with Riku, but agreeing was not the same as choosing. Now was not the moment. At least not until Riku had dealt with Christianity—then the pressure would lessen.
Riku, seeing her expression, understood she'd already made up her mind. And he was content. For all her harsh words, her caution only meant she had tacitly decided to join, merely waiting for the right time.
"…Looks like those arrogant gods finally arrived. Kept me waiting long enough." Riku's gaze snapped skyward, lips curving with dark amusement.
"So it begins. Finally, something worth watching."
"Zeus really is courting death."
The Queens sensed it too, the vast tide of divine auras gathering outside Skyborne City. Both smiled, eyes bright with anticipation.
And within the city, countless communities and visiting powers felt the shift, their hearts thundering. The war between the two great communities was about to erupt.
"Athena. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Come time to swat a few pests." Riku rose into the air, his aura surging like a blade.
The Twelve Olympians were a perfect stepping stone. He would crush them utterly, spread the tale of the Solar War, and raise [Disboard]'s prestige across Little Garden. This was only the first move in his plan.
Originally, he'd thought to spare them for Athena and Poseidon's sake. But Zeus had overstepped, and so he changed his mind.
With him flew Athena, Poseidon, Juntan, the four Seraphim, and a host of angels from the palace.
Behind them, the Halloween Queen and the Lord of White Night trailed at leisure, still bickering but unwilling to miss the spectacle.
The sight of them shook the onlookers in Skyborne City to their core.
Angels.
In Little Garden, angels were forbidden. And yet Riku had birthed them openly, paraded them as [Disboard]'s members. To many, it was madness; to others, sheer audacity. Now he challenged Olympus, and by extension, Christianity itself. He was on a path to set all Little Garden aflame.
When they noticed the two notorious Problem Children, Halloween Queen and Lord of White Night, flying with him, many dared not even look directly, their hearts pounding with awe and terror.
Just what kind of existence was this man, Riku Dola, Leader of [Disboard]?
As they wondered, the eastern skies split with a storm of killing intent. Zeus himself stood at the head of a vast host, tens of thousands of gods arrayed in formation, their malice descending like a thundercloud.