Naturally, Lios tried to wrench his hand free.
Unfortunately for him, no matter how much strength he poured into it, the seemingly slender arm gripping his wrist felt like an iron shackle. It didn't budge an inch.
Humiliated and enraged, Lios stopped thinking altogether.
With his free hand, he summoned his weapon from his Gift Card, intending to chop off Ren Kuroda's arm on the spot.
The sickle-shaped curved blade that materialized in his hand was no ordinary weapon.
In Little Garden, everything could become a Gift.
So-called "Spiritual Armaments" or "Divine Armaments" were weapons with history—artifacts bearing the weight of legend and merit.
The blade in Lios's hand was precisely such a Spiritual Armament.
It was said to be the very curved sword the Greek hero Perseus had used to sever Medusa's head.
A weapon of immense pedigree.
A blade reputed to be unnaturally sharp.
And yet—
When it swung toward Ren—
Something happened that nearly made Lios's eyes pop out of their sockets.
Before the blade could even touch him, Ren calmly raised two fingers and pinched the edge of the sickle between them.
The blade stopped.
Dead.
Lios strained.
The muscles in his arm bulged.
But the weapon wouldn't advance even a hair's breadth.
Since the man had drawn a weapon, Ren saw no reason to hold back.
With both of Lios's hands restrained, Ren lifted his size-42 sneaker and planted it squarely into Lios's abdomen.
Boom.
Lios's body shot backward like a cannonball, skidding violently across the polished floor before slamming face-first into it with a resounding crash.
The members of Perseus, though privately dissatisfied with their incompetent young master, still represented their Community's honor.
Seeing their leader kicked across the hall, they immediately drew their weapons and surrounded Ren and the others.
Ren, however, remained utterly composed.
He glanced at Lios, who was scrambling to his feet in fury.
"We deceived you," Ren said evenly. "And you chose to attack first."
He tilted his head slightly.
"According to Little Garden's rules, when Communities come into conflict, the best way to resolve it is through a Gift Game."
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Well then? Young master of Perseus—care to play a Gift Game with the No Name you so despise?"
"As for stakes, don't worry. We may be 'just' No Name and unable to offer anything impressive… but you seem rather interested in this foolish rabbit."
He casually hooked a thumb toward Black Rabbit.
"If we lose, we'll present Black Rabbit to you with both hands. How about it?"
Ren had already assessed Lios earlier.
Violent.
Lustful.
Hot-tempered.
After being humiliated like this by a nameless Community—and with Black Rabbit as bait—he should, by all logic, accept the Gift Game.
And once Perseus agreed to a formal Gift Game, Ren was confident he could win Leticia back.
But—
Lios did not immediately bite.
"You want to initiate a Gift Game with Perseus," he said coldly, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "And you dare place a Boxed Garden Noble as a wager?"
His gaze sharpened.
"What you want from me… is that vampire."
He let out a short, humorless laugh.
"Even so, why should I agree?"
He straightened, voice turning mocking.
"Let's put aside the fact that I've already found a buyer for that vampire."
"And as for what just happened? Even if we don't settle this through a Gift Game…"
He gestured around them.
"Do you think you can assault the leader of Perseus inside the Perseus palace—and walk out unharmed?"
Lios was a spoiled heir who loved indulgence.
But he wasn't an idiot.
From the very beginning, Ren's actions—though seemingly impulsive—had clearly been designed to provoke him into agreeing to a Gift Game.
The goal was obvious: win the vampire through official channels.
While Lios did not believe Perseus would lose to a mere No Name—
He also wasn't going to let Ren have his way so easily.
Izayoi clicked his tongue softly.
"Ren-kun, looks like he's not completely brainless after all. Your provocation plan didn't land."
He stepped forward lazily, hands in pockets.
"But, young master of Perseus, what happened just now was self-defense."
"If you order your men to attack, the East District's Floor Master—Shiroyasha—won't ignore it, will she?"
From the start, Izayoi had seen through Ren's tactic of deliberate provocation.
And like Ren, he hadn't expected Lios to regain his composure at a crucial moment.
Right now, the smartest move was to withdraw and rethink their approach.
In terms of raw strength, Izayoi had no doubt they could forcibly snatch Leticia.
But once open combat broke out—
Shiroyasha would definitely intervene.
And in truth, they were the ones at fault for deceiving Perseus first.
Even if Shiroyasha favored them, as a Floor Master she had to maintain impartiality.
They knew too little about Perseus.
Yes, its current leader was incompetent—
But rescuing Black Rabbit's former comrade required a longer-term plan.
"Ha. Trying to pressure me with Shiroyasha's name?" Lios sneered.
"Even if you're on good terms with a Floor Master—even if Shiroyasha herself is powerful—she cannot violate Little Garden's laws."
He tapped his chest.
"The vampire's ownership rests with me. That makes her my property."
"Unless you win her back through a Gift Game, she remains mine."
"And if I refuse your proposed Gift Game, even Shiroyasha can do nothing."
He smirked, eyes glittering maliciously.
"Of course… there is a way to force Perseus into a Gift Game."
"In honor of my ancestor's legend, anyone who defeats the Giant of the Northern Sea and the Sea Witch, and retrieves the jewel from them, earns the right to challenge Perseus."
He spread his hands theatrically.
"But thanks to tonight's unpleasantness, I'm in a very bad mood."
"Though I doubt you could pass the trial of the giant and the witch…"
His smile turned vicious.
"I've decided I'll sell that vampire outside Little Garden tonight."
Ren and the others had already begun preparing to leave.
Lios, however, had no intention of letting them depart so easily after being kicked across his own palace.
Izayoi had been right.
Ren's earlier actions counted as self-defense.
If Perseus attacked now, No Name could legitimately appeal to Shiroyasha.
So Lios changed tactics.
If they wouldn't fall for provocation—
He would provoke them.
If No Name lost control and attacked in anger, Perseus could claim they were defending their territory.
Even if Shiroyasha arrived, she'd have nothing to say.
After all—
What was a little psychological warfare?
But Lios had miscalculated one crucial point.
Ren and the others only used provocation when they were confident in their own superior strength.
Lios, on the other hand—
Was operating under a fundamental misunderstanding of that strength.
What he believed was clever counter-provocation…
Was, in reality—
A death wish.
..
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