The slap to the face came out of nowhere; Karyō could only sigh helplessly.
"Forget it if it's this convenient, all the better. Let's keep sweeping up divine gear," Karyō said at last. Her smile returned, and her excitement bubbled up again.
After that, Karyō and Sun Wukong ransacked the treasure vaults of the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea.
Not only that at Karyō's suggestion, the three of them proceeded to rob the Dragon Kings of the other three seas as well. At last, they had pieced together Sun Wukong's mythic "set"—or rather, a set of divine armaments.
The Phoenix-Winged Purple-Gold Crown, the Chainmail Golden Armour, and the Lotus-Fibre Cloud-Stepping Boots as regalia; and, in Sun Wukong's hand, the Sea-Calming Divine Needle, which she named the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
Riku served only as a witness at most, offering the occasional, modest intervention. Even so, the successive robberies of the Four Sea Dragon Kings could not escape [Heaven]'s notice. They dispatched a legion of gods to seize the trio. But the oncoming [Heaven] host, the celestial soldiers and generals, were routed by Sun Wukong and Karyō.
In the running battle with [Heaven], the two's titles spread far and wide; they also made many like-minded friends.
For example, the future Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas, the Flood-Dragon King.
After that, they stumbled upon the Asura Prince incident.
The Asura Prince attempted to abduct and imprison Karyō, only to be pummeled senseless by Sun Wukong.
Riku went further, ordering the Human Final Trial, the Perpetual Motion Engine, to enact merciful annihilation upon the prince's entire community without further ado.
That, once again, made all Little Garden tremble; many suspected [Disboard] was about to make a major move.
It also diverted [Heaven]'s attention, turning most of their focus back toward the Perpetual Motion Engine and [Disboard].
With [Heaven] thus distracted, life grew easier for Sun Wukong and company.
Yet as if fate itself wove the web, events unfolded for Sun Wukong much as in the original legends, culminating in the underworld affair.
Because Sun Wukong had made such a ruckus, the Yama-deva of the [Twelve Guardian Devas], the god who presides over death, angrily wrote Sun Wukong's name into the [Book of Life and Death].
It did absolutely nothing; it could not bring about Sun Wukong's death. In the end, Sun Wukong learned of it.
Furious, she unleashed her kingly might in full, charged straight into the [Underworld], reduced the entire realm to rubble, struck Yama grievously, snatched the [Book of Life and Death] from his hands, and tore it to shreds.
Because the [Book of Life and Death] was rent apart, the beings recorded within it gradually became undying: ordinary means could not bring about their deaths at all.
Such beings were defined by [Heaven] as [yōkai] "monsters."
That enraged Sun Wukong. By what right could [Heaven] decide the lives and deaths of others at will? By what right could they label them [yōkai], call them monsters?
Thus, Sun Wukong set all Little Garden abuzz, gathering many who shared her cause. These were beings [Heaven] had branded [yōkai], and they too chafed at [Heaven]'s ways.
Under Sun Wukong's lead, the [yōkai] gathered at a stunning pace. Before anyone realised it, a force to shake the world had formed.
Among these [yōkai] were seven sworn siblings. Raising the banner of the [Seven Heavens], they led the [yōkai] and stood against [Heaven]!
Great Sage Equal to Heaven — the Handsome Monkey King
Great Sage Who Levels the Heavens — the Bull Demon King
Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas — the Flood-Dragon King
Great Sage Who Roils the Heavens — the Roc Demon King
Great Sage Who Commands the Winds — the Macaque King
Great Sage Who Drives Out the Gods — the Mandrill King
Great Sage Who Moves Mountains — the Lion-Tuo King
The [Seven Heavens] became the second Demon Lord alliance after [Disboard]; its members were mostly [yōkai] and Demon Lord beings who would not bow to [Heaven].
The birth of the [Seven Heavens] plunged the entire East District of Little Garden into chaos, making all of [Heaven] groan under the strain.
They already had to divert a great portion of their strength to watch [Disboard]; now another powerful "Demon Lord Alliance" had risen specifically against [Heaven], leaving them overwhelmed.
Sensing [Heaven]'s fatigue, the [Seven Heavens], under the seven great [yōkai] kings, seized the opportunity. They raised high the name of the [Seven Heavens], refused to accept the Ashura legions' lofty superiority, and led the [yōkai] in an unhesitating assault on [Heaven] to win true freedom. Why are we [yōkai] while you are "gods"? By what right can you strip away our lives at whim!
If that's how it is, then we'll smash this sky, shatter your arrogance, destroy all you claim, and seize true freedom!
Countless [yōkai] roared themselves hoarse; with undying bodies and a death-defying style, they surged forward, driving back legion after legion of gods!
Sun Wukong and the other seven great [yōkai] kings took the vanguard, crushing god-kings and raising their momentum to its peak.
By contrast, the legions of gods faltered, suppressed beneath the [yōkai]'s fervour and morale.
At last, the [yōkai] were halted at a critical chokepoint of [Heaven].
If they could cross it, they would reach [Heaven]'s true core, the seat of the [Buddhist Order] and of Taoism.
Precisely because of its importance, the [Twelve Guardian Devas] had mobilised in full. At their head stood the king of gods, the Lord of Little Garden Indra: clad in divine armour, vajra in hand, golden lightning rippling about him.
"Sun Wukong, this ends here. If you continue, there will be no meaningful result," Indra said with a sigh, gripping his vajra.
Had they noticed Sun Wukong's emergence earlier, perhaps things would never have come to this. But Riku's meteoric rise and [Disboard]'s ascendance had left them blind to the half–Star Spirit who had already set out on a path utterly opposed to the legions of gods.
"Heh. Indra, while you gods on high brand us [yōkai], you still preach from above that what we do is meaningless?" Wearing the Phoenix-Winged Purple-Gold Crown, the Chainmail Golden Armour, and the Lotus-Fibre Cloud-Stepping Boots, Sun Wukong gripped the Ruyi Jingu Bang, glared at Indra, and roared.
"Since that's how it is, I'll smash this sky and shatter your arrogance!"
With that, Sun Wukong's overwhelming divinity erupted. She vanished from where she stood and rushed at Indra, bringing the Ruyi Jingu Bang down without mercy.
Clang!
Indra's face tightened; he caught the staff on his vajra.
In the next instant, the vajra shattered, and Indra was hammered backwards.
"This divinity… this power… so overwhelmingly strong," Indra murmured, steadying himself as he stared at Sun Wukong in awe.
At this moment, Sun Wukong's divinity and might surpassed his own!
The instant Sun Wukong struck, the other [yōkai] kings roared and charged the god-kings of the [Twelve Guardian Devas].
Battle erupted anew.
Even before the [Twelve Guardian Devas], the [yōkai] showed not the slightest intent to yield!
As the great war continued to escalate, it finally drew in the immortals of [Taoism], even alarming Dao De Tianzun, one of the Three Pure Ones. Though Sun Wukong could keep Indra suppressed in battle, she still could not match Dao De Tianzun, who possessed Two-Digit might.
At the final moment, Sun Wukong strained every nerve to hold Dao De Tianzun back and let the [yōkai] withdraw.
Though the [yōkai] were bitterly unwilling, they also understood that to press on would mean total annihilation here. Thus, under the leadership of Karyō and the other [yōkai] kings, they retreated from [Heaven], fighting as they fell back, hearts aching.
Dao De Tianzun, for his part, clearly had no interest in the other [yōkai]. After expending some effort, he captured Sun Wukong alive.
In the end, Dao De Tianzun threw Sun Wukong into the Eight Trigrams Furnace, intending to refine her into an elixir!
"So that's how the first Seven Heavens War ends?" Riku had watched the conflict the whole time, with no intention of stepping in.
"You've been with those little ones for years now. You're not going to lend a hand?" asked the Queen of Halloween beside Riku, curiosity in her tone.
"We'd like to know what you're really thinking, too," said the Lord of White Night, shaking her head. No one knew better than she and the Queen of Halloween.
Before Sun Wukong had even been born, Riku had kept her company; later, even after leaving the community for so long, he'd spent a period playing around with the [Seven Heavens]. Now the [Seven Heavens] had been routed, and even Sun Wukong captured yet, Riku made no move. It didn't match the forceful temperament he'd shown in the past.
"Just wait a little longer, that will be enough," Riku said, eyes closing as he pondered. He had a hunch about the black treasure chest on Sun Wukong: it was the key.
The two remaining Angel fragments could be drawn from that black chest, provided Sun Wukong reached her peak.
And Sun Wukong's peak would be when she forged her Fiery Golden Eyes in the Eight Trigrams Furnace and gained a body of diamond.
"The time isn't right. When it is, that will be the moment to move and aid the [Seven Heavens] and at the same time, to take back the 'Heliocentrism' divinity," Riku declared, opening his eyes; a sharp light flashed within.
That made the pupils of the Lord of White Night and the Queen of Halloween narrow beside him.
...…
Next, the [yōkai] kings rallied their forces once more to rescue Sun Wukong. Unfortunately, without Sun Wukong, their main strength, they couldn't get past the barrier of Indra; they were defeated again and again.
Their fighting spirit gradually ebbed.
At the same time, Karyō thought of her Lord Riku. She had once sworn, out of pride, never to borrow Riku's strength lest she seem too weak.
But now was no time for that. Saving Sis Sun mattered more than anything.
So Karyō gritted her teeth and went to the Skyborne City to request aid.
Athena gave her only one answer: at the critical moment, [Disboard] would act.
At that news, Karyō, the [yōkai] kings, and the [yōkai] they led all felt their hearts settle; their morale surged.
They gathered every scrap of strength once more and launched another assault on [Heaven].
And on that day, it had already been forty-nine days seven times seven since Sun Wukong's capture!
Even so, though the [yōkai] had mustered all they had left, their performance was worse than before. They were stopped without Indra even needing to appear.
Clearly, in battle after battle, the legions of gods had felt out their bottom line and found easy counters.
As the fighting wore on, the gods counterattacked, broke through the [yōkai] line, and pressed them hard; casualties mounted.
Karyō burned with unwilling fury and could only pray that [Disboard]'s reinforcements would arrive quickly.
It was the only hope in the [yōkai] kings' hearts.
At that very moment, [Disboard] moved again on a grand scale, mustering the vast majority of its strength. Even God and the Son of God, Jesus, appeared in the Skyborne City.
Such a deployment could not possibly be hidden from the great communities in residence there.
But Riku had no intention of hiding it.
"It is time to take back 'Heliocentrism,'" Riku said, calm as drifting clouds.
Behind him stood the Perpetual Motion Engine, the Lord of White Night, the Queen of Halloween, the Son of God, Jesus, God, Athena, Poseidon, Juntan, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, who had now grown to three digits, as well as various god-kings and seraphim, all brimming with fighting spirit.
And behind them, a million-strong legion faces alight with excitement, battle intent soaring, killing aura unmasked!
Angels, phantasmal beasts, dragonkind beyond counting.
This battle would not only reclaim "Heliocentrism"; it would also establish [Disboard] as the sole sovereign of Little Garden! "Queen, if you please," Riku said, eschewing flowery speeches to stir the troops as he turned to the Queen of Halloween.
Anyone with a place in [Disboard]'s battle ranks was no fool; they all understood what this war meant and that they must give their all.
"Leave it to me." The Queen of Halloween smiled elegantly and clapped her hands.
At once, the power of domains activated; a vast Gate of Boundary opened.
Riku strode in first, at his ease.
Right behind him, the Perpetual Motion Engine, the Queen of Halloween, the Lord of White Night, the Son of God, Jesus, and the other senior officers stepped through as well.
After them, the million-strong army filed in, in good order.
Meanwhile, in [Heaven], the [yōkai] were once more on the brink of defeat.
The gods' fierce offensive left the [yōkai] increasingly helpless.
"This won't do, Karyō, we can't keep this up. We'll be wiped out!" cried the Flood-Dragon King, the Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas, with mounting anxiety.
Up ahead, the Bull Demon King and the other [yōkai] kings were already hard-pressed against the god-kings leading their legions.
Defeat was only a matter of time.
"Even if [Disboard] comes, it'll be too late!" The Flood-Dragon King's divinity surged like a thousand mountains and ten thousand waters as he blasted apart the god before him; he spoke in helpless frustration.
"No, Lord Riku wouldn't lie to me," Karyō said, divine fire surging as she burned through a god. Flustered as she was, her resolve remained firm.
That man would never lie to her. He hadn't from the very first years they'd spent together.
And Karyō knew full well that Riku had been quietly handling some of her loose ends; he had even exterminated the Asura clan that had molested her.
How could Lord Riku deceive her? Impossible!
Crack!
At that instant, ten thousand meters above the battlefield of [Heaven], space burst apart. Domain-force rippled outward, forming a colossal hole like a black hole devouring all.
All across the field, gods and [yōkai] alike froze.
In a heartbeat, both sides ceased fighting, eyes fixed in shock on the phenomenon overhead.
Under the gaze of every being present, a figure appeared, and a crushing kingly might descended!
"That's Lord Riku!!!" Karyō looked skyward. Seeing that familiar figure, joy blossomed across her face.
The [yōkai] likewise gazed up, eyes full of adoration and relief. The name Riku Dola was one that countless legions of gods and Demon Lords in Little Garden revered and feared, and these onlookers were foremost among those who worshipped him.
"Perpetual Motion Engine annihilate the legions of gods." Riku looked down over the battlefield and spoke in a level tone.
"My lord, leave it to me." No sooner had the words fallen than another figure stepped from the Gate of Boundary.
The instant this figure appeared, a second kingly might descended from the heavens. Unlike Riku's, which lorded over heaven and earth and commanded all things, this was filled with an evil chill.
The moment that might appear, every god's divinity trembled as if confronted by the deadliest of poisons!
Reason was blown away; courage was blown away; strength was suppressed. What remained was only fear. Not just the legions of gods, even Karyō felt terror rise from instinct. If she didn't know that this Human Final Trial, the Perpetual Motion Engine, was Riku's officer, she likely would have bolted.
"Heroes, gods and buddhas, the trial descends. Resist, and welcome death!" The Perpetual Motion Engine's voice rang across heaven and earth, chilling the legions of gods to the marrow.
In the next instant, a black parchment unfurled over the world, blanketing the entire battlefield. No sponsor, no participants, no game outline, only the purest game from the dawn of heaven and earth. The purest Demon Lord game!
Staring dumbly at the black parchment falling from the sky, the faces of the gods twitched; their bodies shook with fear.
A Demon Lord had descended! The Human Final Trial had descended! Little Garden's taboo had descended!
"Legions of gods, the trial has only just begun. This is no time to tremble," the Perpetual Motion Engine said, blood-red eyes frigid as an abyss.
Then the black wind of the end swept across the gods' shattering bodies, divinity, everything.
The legions on the field were slain in an instant!
Gulp!
Even the [Seven Heavens] couldn't help but swallow hard at the brutality of it.
Compared to the Human Final Trial, their title of Demon Lord felt like child's play.
If the Perpetual Motion Engine was this terrifying, what of the one who commanded it and defeated countless mighty foes, the master of [Disboard]?
He was the true taboo of Little Garden!
The [yōkai] looked up in awe at the figure standing calmly in the sky; their hearts surged, their minds churned like storm-tossed seas.
Karyō's gaze brimmed with boundless adoration. She'd been smitten with Riku since she was small!
Then, before the [yōkai]'s stunned eyes, an endless stream of beings continued to emerge from the Gate of Boundary.
The Lord of White Night, the Queen of Halloween, the Son of God, Jesus, God, Athena, Poseidon, Heavy Tank, Laplace dozens of [Disboard]'s officers appeared, their might shaking heaven and earth.
Right behind them, a million-strong host bearing [Disboard]'s banner descended upon [Heaven].
United, their collective aura sent shockwaves through all of [Heaven].
This earthshaking sight left both the [yōkai] and the newly arrived god-kings frozen where they stood, unable to move.
So this… is [Disboard]!? This is Little Garden's taboo!?
Those legions who had once fought [Disboard] alongside the Twin Goddesses and the Buddha, Shakyamuni, were struck with the deepest terror of all.
"Gods and buddhas, it is time you returned 'Heliocentrism,'" Riku said, arms opening, voice unruly with challenge.
His thunderous words resounded throughout [Heaven], startling innumerable gods, buddhas, and immortals.
Whether [Buddhist Order], [Taoism], or the [Twelve Guardian Devas] stationed in [Heaven], all turned toward this place, faces grave.
"Ravage to your hearts' content. Destroy all that is [Heaven]. Let the Ashura gods and buddhas taste true fear!" Riku's gaze was razor-sharp as he gave the order for a general offensive.
"OHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" In a heartbeat, [Disboard]'s million-strong army erupted, overwhelming pressures bursting forth like a celestial rain of flowers as they surged toward the depths of [Heaven].
The legions of gods could not stand.
Before [Disboard]'s army, the gods, unable to assemble in time, were crushed in an instant!
Even god-kings were as powerless as ants before [Disboard], drowned beneath its host!
"Kinsman Third Brother Jiao Liu leads the [yōkai] to coordinate with [Disboard] and press the attack on [Heaven]!" As the [yōkai] stared at the spectacle, Karyō came back to herself and called out to Jiao Liu. "Understood," he said after a brief start, nodding.
At once, the [Seven Heavens] kings led the [yōkai], elated, to follow [Disboard]'s ranks deeper into [Heaven].
Karyō, meanwhile, took to the sky and flew to Riku's side.
The officers at Riku's flank looked at her with interest, especially the Lord of White Night and the Queen of Halloween, who knew Riku best. Their eyes flicked between Riku and Karyō.
"Sorry for putting you to so much trouble, Lord Riku," Karyō said, abashed. Though she had long since grown past her child years, she still bowed her head like a child who'd done wrong.
"You all, advance with the army and press [Heaven]. Once the gods collect themselves and dispatch their god-kings, they'll become a real nuisance to our host," Riku said, giving orders to the officers behind him rather than answering Karyō first.
"Mm." The Queen of Halloween and the others offered no objection; they vanished on the spot.
"Karyō, there's no need to apologise," Riku said then, turning to her with a slight shake of his head. "I planned to attack [Heaven] long ago. I was only waiting for the right moment, and your [Seven Heavens] assault gave me that moment."
"…Thank you." Karyō blinked, then murmured it. She thought Riku was only saying it so she wouldn't feel guilty.
Seeing what she was thinking, Riku only shook his head. Explaining further would never end.
"Karyō, save it till after the war. Now is the time for killing," Riku said softly, eyes knife-sharp as they swept the distant battlefield.
"Mm!" Karyō nodded and rejoined the main force.
"It's time to greet Sun Wukong at her strongest," Riku murmured, as though his gaze pierced every barrier to see all within the Eight Trigrams Furnace.
As he spoke, Riku erupted into his Super Blue form. At a speed that eclipsed starlight, he vanished from where he stood and streaked into the distance.