"It has to be a coincidence. I'm wearing the genuine Helmet of Hades. Even if he's a Demon King, there's no way he should be able to detect me!"
Rikuō—still cloaked in perfect invisibility—stared at the figure who had suddenly appeared in front of him.
Inside, panic was flooding through him in violent waves.
But he forced himself to stay calm.
It's just bad luck. He just happened to be standing here. That's all.
It has to be.
That fragile thread of hope snapped the instant Ren Kuroda casually extended his hand and blocked Rikuō's path—precisely intercepting the route he had been trying to sneak away through.
In that moment, Rikuō's last illusion shattered.
His face twisted in disbelief as he stared at the young half-demon standing before him.
"The invisibility Gift you're carrying is impressive," Ren said calmly. "But it's not invincible."
His voice was steady. Almost conversational.
"If you don't have any other tricks up your sleeve, then this Gift Game ends here."
He shifted his grip and slowly drew the long blade at his waist.
Moonlight-like steel gleamed in the darkness.
"As for the Gifts owned by that little vampire girl—and your Community's other assets…"
A faint smile touched his lips.
"They'll become mine."
He paused for half a beat.
"But like I said earlier, we don't share some deep, blood-soaked grudge. I have no interest in slaughtering your Community members. And frankly…"
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"I'm not particularly interested in your Community itself."
Seeing Ren raise his blade as if to cleave him in two—
Rikuō finally snapped out of his frozen stupor.
"Damn you!"
In a desperate motion, he drew his own crescent-shaped scythe and swung.
"Claaang—!"
The sharp, ringing collision of steel echoed through the Oni Realm.
Judging purely by spiritual rank, the scythe in Rikuō's hands was in no way inferior to Ren's divine blade.
After all—
It had once been bestowed upon Perseus by a chief goddess.
A weapon of myth.
Unfortunately…
The one wielding it was painfully mediocre.
The instant the two spiritually-ranked weapons clashed—
Rikuō's scythe was knocked clean from his grip.
It spun through the air and clattered across the ground.
And with it—
Came a blood-curdling scream.
A severed arm hit the floor.
"My arm! My arm—It's bleeding! It hurts! Damn it, it hurts!"
Rikuō rolled on the ground, sobbing, wailing, tears and mucus mixing as he shrieked hysterically.
For a pampered second-generation hedonist like him, this level of pain was something he had never experienced in his life.
Looking at him now, no one would believe he was descended from a hero.
Even his own subordinates from Perseus—ordinary members—had shown more composure.
Yes, this was a Game Space.
Even if you lost limbs—or even died—you would recover once the Gift Game ended.
But the pain suffered inside the Game?
That was absolutely real.
No discount.
No mercy.
The agony drove Rikuō past fear and straight into fury.
He forgot caution.
Forgot terror.
All he could think about was killing the bastard who had made him feel this pain.
With his remaining arm, he seized the necklace hanging around his chest—
And ripped it off violently.
The moment he activated the Gift—
A violent gale erupted around him.
"Awaken, Algal! Crush this rookie Demon King into dust!"
The necklace began to swell and distort, radiating a suffocating, oppressive aura.
Moments later—
A towering figure materialized.
Nearly two meters tall.
Long violet hair cascaded down like a mantle.
An eyepatch covered one eye.
Heavy restraints bound her limbs, iron shackles wrapped her body, and thick chains dragged from her ankles.
From her silhouette, Ren could barely tell—
She was female.
But whatever she once had been, her rationality was gone.
And most of her power was clearly sealed.
"ROOOOOOOAR—!"
The Star Spirit Algal threw back her head and let out a roar filled with rage and unwilling fury.
The shockwave from her voice rippled outward, making the surrounding ground tremble.
The moment Algal appeared, Rikuō's confidence returned.
Yes—she had been weakened since becoming a Gift.
Of course she had.
But even weakened—
She was still a former Demon King.
And more importantly—
She was a Star Spirit.
One of the highest-ranking races in Little Garden.
Algal had once been known as "The Most Vicious Demon Star."
Rikuō didn't know Ren's exact origins.
But since they were both Demon Kings—
Surely a Star Spirit would hold the advantage.
"Algal! Go! Grind that rookie Demon King into powder! Let him understand what happens when you provoke Perseus!"
Because Algal had lost her rationality, the only way to control her was through the pendant Rikuō had just activated.
Apparently, when Perseus had turned the former Problem Child of Little Garden into a Gift, they had erased her reason entirely to ensure obedience.
A broken will.
Easier to command.
Algal's massive foot stomped down.
The ground beneath her shattered.
In an instant—
She vanished from where she stood—
And reappeared in front of Ren.
Despite the heavy-looking shackles around her ankles, her speed was astonishing.
She extended her enormous hands, intending to seize Ren and crush him outright.
But at the same moment—
Ren stepped forward.
And raised both hands.
Their fingers interlocked.
Ten fingers clasped against ten.
There was nothing intimate about it.
Only violence.
Only power.
Terrifying pressure erupted outward as they strained against each other.
In terms of size—
Ren looked like a child standing before an adult.
Yet when they wrestled for dominance—
Algal gained not the slightest advantage.
Her true form was that of a Gorgon who embodied a Demon Star.
Though not a warrior-type, Gorgons were naturally endowed with monstrous strength.
She could crush most beings with raw power alone.
Unfortunately—
She had encountered the worst possible opponent.
The Oni race was also famed for physical might.
And Ren Kuroda stood among its very best.
"Algal! What are you doing? He's just a rookie Demon King! You were the Demon Star that once terrified Little Garden!"
Seeing the veins bulge along Algal's arms as she exerted every ounce of strength—
While Ren's expression remained utterly calm—
Rikuō began to panic again.
He couldn't understand it.
Even weakened, she shouldn't be this outmatched.
How could a rookie Demon King be this absurdly strong?
And if he was this strong—
Why was he in the weakest Outer Gate, the Seventh?
Why had he joined that pathetic Community with no banner—
"No Name"?
"So this is what they call a Star Spirit."
Ren's tone turned cool.
"A Demon King who's lost her reason… and had her power sealed layer upon layer just to make her easier to control."
He looked directly into Algal's single visible eye.
"You might be the most miserable Demon King I've ever seen."
His grip tightened.
"If that's the case…"
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
"Let me free you sooner rather than later."
With a sudden surge of force—
Ren wrenched Algal's arms aside.
Her balance broke.
And in one smooth motion—
He pivoted.
A powerful spinning kick connected squarely with her torso.
Her massive body was launched backward like a cannonball—chains clattering violently as she hurtled through the air.
..
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