Ren Kuroda's sudden voice echoing through the darkness sent a visible shudder through every member of 'Perseus.'
A heartbeat later, they realized something else—
The man who had just been speaking…
Was no longer making a sound.
In this pitch-black world where they couldn't see even their own hands, they wanted to retaliate—but hesitated. If they attacked blindly, what if they struck down their own allies?
They had no idea how vast this dark space truly was.
Ren might be somewhere nearby—
But so were their companions.
Panic pressed in from every side.
"This isn't good for us," the vice-commander of 'Perseus' said sharply, forcing himself to stay calm. "Everyone scatter in different directions! Put as much distance between yourselves as possible. If you can, find cover and hide your presence."
His voice steadied.
"One hour isn't long. As long as even one of us survives until the end, victory will belong to 'Perseus.'"
Compared to Lios, the vice-commander clearly possessed real leadership.
The moment he issued the order, the members of 'Perseus' tightened their resolve and bolted in all directions without hesitation.
The vice-commander himself grabbed Lios—who had nearly collapsed in fear—and dragged him away at full speed.
"Lord Lios, you must compose yourself!" he urged urgently. "You are our final hope for victory!"
"Yes… y-yes…"
"The terrain is disadvantageous to us—but it may also be our only opportunity. If you use that Gift… even he won't be able to find you, right?"
The order to scatter served two purposes.
On the surface, it bought time.
But in truth—
The others were bait.
Though 'Perseus' had declined, Lios still held several inherited Gifts left behind by the legendary hero Perseus.
Those Gifts were their final trump cards.
The scythe-shaped blade he had wielded earlier was one of them—the weapon said to have severed Medusa's head.
But there were two more.
A helmet.
And a pendant.
The helmet was known as the Helmet of Hades, manifested from the Perseus legend itself.
According to myth, Perseus had used it to approach the slumbering Medusa silently and strike from behind.
In Little Garden, the legend had been given form.
The Helmet of Hades granted perfect invisibility.
Not just concealing one's body—
But also one's scent.
One's presence.
One's aura.
True invisibility.
The vice-commander's plan hinged on that Gift.
In his mind, this so-called "Birth of the Demon Lord" Gift Game was nothing more than an elaborate game of tag.
If Ren couldn't find Lios—
Then they would win.
And even if the worst came to pass—
Even if Lios were discovered—
The pendant hanging from his neck was the most powerful Gift within 'Perseus.'
Though Lios couldn't fully control it yet—
For just one hour…
It might be enough.
The pendant around Lios's neck was none other than Medusa's head.
In Little Garden, it was known as Algol—the Demon Star.
A being representing the most malevolent celestial force.
Like Shiroyasha, it was a top-tier Star Spirit.
According to legend, after Perseus slew Medusa, he presented her head to a goddess, who transformed it into a Gift and returned it to him.
Algol, as a Star Spirit of the highest order, had once been a notorious Problem Child of Little Garden—
And formerly, a Demon Lord herself.
Her Gift carried the terrifying power to petrify the world.
Perseus had only succeeded in defeating her through divine tools and a surprise attack.
Even the weakest Star Spirit was far beyond what an ordinary human could challenge.
After the vice-commander's urgent encouragement, Lios finally steadied himself.
His hand gripped the pendant at his chest.
Confidence began to return.
Yes.
He had been shaken by the sudden title of "Demon Lord" and the abrupt start of the Gift Game.
But now he remembered—
They were not helpless.
Algol had once been a Demon Lord.
A far more illustrious one.
Combined with the Helmet of Hades—
They didn't need to fear a newly born Demon Lord.
In fact—
Their chances were excellent.
And if 'Perseus' won this Gift Game—
If he, Lios, claimed a second Demon Lord as property—
Who would dare say 'Perseus' had fallen?
He was already imagining it—
The glory.
The restored prestige.
The envy of other Communities.
Meanwhile—
Ren Kuroda moved.
And the gap between fantasy and reality could not have been wider.
In less than five minutes—
Every scattered member of 'Perseus' had been hunted down and expelled from the game space.
The vice-commander's optimistic projections had not merely failed—
They had been obliterated.
'Perseus' might once have been a mid-tier Community.
Their members were well-trained.
But compared to Ren—
They were worlds apart.
In this suffocating darkness, they lost their sense of direction within seconds.
They stumbled.
They panicked.
They breathed too loudly.
To Ren—
They were no different from livestock awaiting slaughter.
One by one—
They vanished from the Oni Realm.
Until only two presences remained.
Ren slowed.
And frowned slightly.
"Oh?"
He could no longer locate Lios—
Nor the vice-commander.
A faint smile curved his lips.
"Interesting. So you're using a Gift to conceal yourselves."
He tilted his head slightly, as though listening to something only he could perceive.
"But you're thinking too simply."
"I said it before, didn't I? Even if my eyes are useless here… I still have my sense of smell. My hearing. Plenty of ways to find you."
A quiet chuckle echoed through the abyss.
"What? Did you mistake me for Medusa?"
"Or did you decide you're the hero Perseus?"
—Clang!
A sharp metallic ring tore through the darkness.
Sparks flared briefly in the void.
Ren's divine blade, Shinyū, had pivoted diagonally behind his back at the last instant—
Perfectly intercepting a strike from directly behind.
Yet—
Though the weapon had clearly been swung at him—
There was nothing there.
No silhouette.
No breath.
No visible attacker.
Only the lingering vibration of steel against steel—
And the cold, silent dark.