"Queen?!"
Seeing the sudden change, Scáthach, who was unaffected, her expression changed. Although private fights outside of Gift Games were forbidden in Little Garden, there were ways to circumvent the rules. Even though the other party didn't seem to have any ill will, she couldn't afford to be complacent. The Halloween Queen was the last hope of the Celtic pantheon.
A crimson long spear appeared silently in her palm, and the spiritual rank of the Three-Digit Queen of the Land of Shadows was revealed. She took a step forward, about to close in on Su Mo. Regardless of whether the other party had ill will, it was never wrong to seize the initiative first.
"Whoever you are, I advise you not to look for trouble!"
After a warning, Scáthach prepared to make a move. Her body bent like a bow, alluring and taut, with the streamlined beauty of a female leopard.
"Oh? Abyss-level martial arts?"
Sensing the dangerous aura, Su Mo glanced at Scáthach with great interest.
God-level martial arts were basic operations for Su Mo. But in the mythological history of Campione! and even the Nasuverse, the "Skill of the Abyss" did not exist. Therefore, Scáthach was the strongest martial artist he had seen to date.
"To increase the density of one's spiritual rank through self-observation... interesting..."
Roughly discerning the principle of the Skill of the Abyss, Su Mo showed an eager expression. This was a power model completely independent of the pantheons' cosmology, and it was related to the existence of pure-blooded Dragons, making it extremely valuable for research.
Seeing Su Mo's fearless appearance, Scáthach's heart sank, confirming that the other party was by no means ordinary.
However, the arrow was on the bowstring, she had to—
"Stop! Scáthach!"
At the nick of time, before Scáthach could make a move under the pressure, the Halloween Queen's cold shout stopped her subordinate's actions.
"Do not be rude to Lord Su Mo!"
"Queen?"
Scáthach turned her head in surprise, noticing that the Halloween Queen had regained her clarity. Although the twenty Solar Sovereignties were still visible and circling around Su Mo, out of trust for the Queen, she suppressed her worries, withdrew her long spear, and bowed to Su Mo.
"My apologies. It was I who was impudent."
"..."
Su Mo nodded slightly, his expression looking somewhat regretful. He really didn't mind a fight, it would have been a good way to adapt to the environment of Little Garden.
Just then, Shiroyasha also finally came to her senses.
"W-wait! Su Mo, what was that just now? Why did I feel like I was seeing my parents when I saw you?"
"Strange, Solar Spirits are born of heaven and earth. Why do I suddenly feel a sense of closeness to you? I didn't have this feeling before."
She sensed the change in Su Mo's spiritual rank, but she didn't know what had happened.
Faced with her puzzled gaze, Su Mo looked at the Halloween Queen beside him.
"The Queen should have already guessed the reason, right?"
"Is this a test?" the girl's thin lips parted slightly as she asked softly.
"No, I just think it would be more convenient to explain the situation to Shiroyasha this way," Su Mo shook his head.
"I see," the Halloween Queen understood.
"...Hey! What's with you two acting like you're on the same wavelength? I was here first, and you two have only just met. Why do I still not know anything, while you two already have a little secret!"
Seeing the two of them acting like riddle-makers, Shiroyasha's eyes widened, a little confused. Had she missed some crucial plot point?
Seeing her frustrated look, Su Mo and the Halloween Queen exchanged a glance. Su Mo shook his head, and the Halloween Queen paused for a moment before looking at Shiroyasha.
"Do you still not understand after seeing the state of these Solar Sovereignties? Unlike us, the one before you is the true Solar Spirit who originated from the sun."
"In the presence of the genuine article, the spiritual ranks of the two of us who have borrowed the name are naturally unstable. In a sense, our situation is a bit similar to the Yaksha divine status on you. In the domain of the qualification of a Solar Spirit, we are subordinates of the one before you."
As a fellow Solar Spirit, the Halloween Queen's insight and wisdom were clearly more outstanding. She immediately perceived the truth of Su Mo's current spiritual rank. Of course, just as Shiroyasha was not completely subordinate to Buddhism, the two of them were not truly subordinate to Su Mo. It was just a karmic connection in their spiritual ranks.
"What did you say? Su Mo? The true Solar Spirit?"
What was an exceptionally clear fact in the Halloween Queen's eyes seemed like a fantasy to Shiroyasha. She stared with wide eyes, looking back and forth several times, unable to understand what the Halloween Queen meant.
"If he's a Solar Spirit, then what am I?"
No matter how you put it, that was too absurd.
"You are, of course, also a Solar Spirit! It's just that, unlike before, you and I are now probably just the daughters of the Solar Spirit," the Halloween Queen answered Shiroyasha's question calmly.
"Of course, I know that with your intelligence, you can't understand this step yet. But for now, just remember that the Star Sovereignty of the sun belongs exclusively to the existence before you. You and I are just temporarily borrowing the spiritual rank."
Evidently, she had a clearer understanding of the essence of her own spiritual rank than Shiroyasha. No wonder she was the best-off of the Three Great Problem Children, the only one who hadn't been put on the pantheons' blacklist.
"Easier said than done! How am I supposed to remember that!" Shiroyasha said in a shocked voice.
After complaining, she looked at Su Mo again.
"Su Mo, what's going on? You were fine just now. How did you suddenly become the true Solar Spirit? What did you do just now?"
Knowing that Su Mo was from another world, she naturally couldn't accept the fact that the Halloween Queen had observed. How could an existence from a universe outside of Little Garden become the Solar Spirit of Little Garden? And even surpass her and the Halloween Queen in status as a Celestial Spirit? That was too unreasonable!
Faced with Shiroyasha's questioning, Su Mo had no intention of hiding anything.
"Do you remember the Taurus Solar Sovereignty you lent me?" he asked, hinting at something.
"I remember!" Shiroyasha immediately nodded. The moment she finished speaking, her eyes widened as if she had thought of something.
"Wait! You don't mean—"
"That's right! It was precisely through the small achievement I obtained from the Taurus Solar Sovereignty that I was able to comprehend the method of interfering with the Central Hub of Little Garden, and then research even more achievements, including my current identity as a Solar Spirit."
Su Mo said these appalling words in a calm tone and even offered a polite thank you.
"...You used one Solar Sovereignty to comprehend the method of interfering with the Central Hub of Little Garden?" Shiroyasha was dumbfounded, her eyes filled with regret.
If it were any other power, even if Su Mo had comprehended a stronger realm, she wouldn't have thought much of it, at most sighing at Su Mo's awesomeness. But this time, Su Mo could be said to have snatched the position of the Solar Spirit right from under her and the Halloween Queen's noses, turning her from a direct-line Solar Spirit to an adopted daughter in an instant.
Looking back, wasn't this a case of lifting a rock only to drop it on her own foot?
"Don't worry. I was just trying out the confirmation method for a Star Sovereignty. It won't interfere with your essential spiritual ranks. It's less that I'm a Solar Spirit, and more that I've just obtained the Star Sovereignty of the sun, becoming the Lord of the Solar Spirits," Su Mo comforted them.
Neither Shiroyasha nor the Halloween Queen's essential spiritual rank was that of a Solar Spirit. So, rather than saying Su Mo had picked the peach, it was more like the peach wasn't theirs to begin with.
"Even if you say so, this is still too ridiculous!" Shiroyasha still couldn't understand.
You're an otherworldly person, at most you could have created an Earth Celestial Spirit. How did you suddenly become the Lord of the Solar Spirits? No, wait, creating an Earth Celestial Spirit is already heaven-defying enough.
"...Shiroyasha, what did you say just now?"
Before Shiroyasha could continue to complain, a cold voice suddenly sounded from behind her. She turned her head to see the Halloween Queen looking at her with a sullen face.
"Wh-what's wrong?" Shiroyasha turned her head in surprise, her expression a little puzzled.
"Although I don't quite understand what Lord Su Mo said just now, from what I gather, his awakening as a Solar Spirit has something to do with you?" the Halloween Queen gritted her teeth slightly as she pressed the question.
She knew this Shiroyasha was a jinx. She could cause a big disaster if you weren't careful. Although the identity of the Solar Spirit didn't originally belong exclusively to her, and it was understandable for the original owner to appear and take back the leading role, if it weren't for Shiroyasha's meddling, the other party wouldn't have appeared at this time.
She hadn't even advanced to the Full Authority Domain yet! How could she fall behind in the spiritual rank of a Solar Spirit?
"Ahaha, if I said it had nothing to do with me, would you believe me?"
Being questioned like this, Shiroyasha's expression stiffened, and she guiltily averted her gaze.
Seeing this, the Halloween Queen's face darkened. She didn't even need to ask to know the answer.
"Do you think I'd believe you? You idiot!"
"Who are you calling an idiot! I came to save you out of the kindness of my heart, and even asked Su Mo for help. Don't be ungrateful!"
"And then you made such a foolish condition on your own accord? As expected of a brainless fool. You're so embarrassing, you should just withdraw from the ranks of the Solar Spirits!"
"You're the one who should withdraw! And speaking of which, why did you say our spiritual ranks aren't that of a Solar Spirit? Don't stop halfway through."
"Heh! An idiot like you wouldn't understand even if you heard it. Why waste time?"
"Say that again!"
The two Solar Spirits, one large and one small—no, the two daughters of the Solar Spirit—glared at each other fiercely, their words a fierce exchange of offense and defense, their gazes as if they could set the entire planet on fire.
Seeing this familiar state of being on the verge of a fight at a moment's notice, Scáthach sighed on the side, seeming to be used to it.
A few minutes later.
"So, I'm not actually an orthodox Solar Spirit?" Shiroyasha, who finally understood the situation, showed a thoughtful expression.
Naturally, she and the Halloween Queen hadn't actually fought. On the contrary, in the familiar back-and-forth, the two of them had quickly exchanged information and clarified the situation.
"Although it's true that an unawakened half-Celestial Spirit wouldn't know their own mission, to be as stupid as you is truly rare."
The Halloween Queen took a small sip of her black tea, lightly mocking Shiroyasha before looking at Su Mo.
"So, Lord Su Mo, as the orthodox Solar Spirit, why did you suddenly seek me out?"
"Unlike a certain idiot, I believe that with your wisdom and resourcefulness, you are more than qualified to be an ally. But I don't understand why you would be an enemy of the pantheons. Can you give me a reason?"