Algal, like Shiroyasha, was a Star Spirit of the highest order.
While her spiritual rank wasn't as absurdly overwhelming as Shiroyasha's, she was still the embodiment of a highly symbolic star in the heavens—backed by the mythological feats of a Gorgon.
No matter how one looked at it, her true strength should never have been limited to the mere Five-Digit tier.
And yet—
In Ren Kuroda's eyes, the Algal before him not only hovered at the Five-Digit level… she wasn't even particularly impressive among that class.
Ren had crossed hands with Izayoi and fought Leticia before. Compared to them, the power Algal currently displayed was clearly inferior.
The root cause?
Ren's gaze flicked to the iron restraints binding her body.
Turned into a pendant-type Gift.
Her limbs wrapped in shackles.
Her entire body sealed with layers upon layers of restraints.
That was the reason.
As the leader of Perseus, Rikuō had naturally inherited his Community's legacy Gift.
But his personal caliber?
Painfully obvious.
With his level of ability, attempting to wield a former Demon King—let alone a Star Spirit like Algal—should have resulted in immediate backlash. The risk of being devoured by her power was enormous. And even if backlash didn't occur, he simply didn't have the capacity to control such overwhelming strength.
Ren was willing to bet that Rikuō had struck some sort of deal with Shiroyasha's Community, "Thousand Eyes."
Adding all those shackles and seals to Algal had likely been part of that transaction.
If Algal still possessed her full power—and her sanity—
Ren would have needed to take things a bit more seriously.
But as she was now?
Even without activating his Half-Oni Transformation—
He could crush her with ease.
Ren walked slowly toward the crater Algal had smashed into.
Her twisted arm hung at an unnatural angle as she struggled upright, roaring in fury and humiliation.
"Carrying the name of Demon King… and reduced to this."
Ren's voice was quiet.
"You're not satisfied with being a tool in the hands of some spoiled heir, are you?"
He drew his blade and burst forward.
Watching from the sidelines, Rikuō finally began to panic for real.
He had imagined Algal defeating Ren.
He had imagined them locked in a stalemate until the Gift Game's time limit expired.
What he had never imagined—
Was that the former Demon King Star Spirit Algal would be so utterly outmatched by this so-called rookie.
She hadn't even lasted a few exchanges barehanded before being overwhelmed.
This wasn't just losing.
This was domination.
"Algal!"
Rikuō screamed.
"As your master, I command you—use that Gift! Turn this rookie Demon King—and this entire world—to stone!"
If one were to ask what the Gorgon of Greek myth was most famous for, most people would answer:
Aside from beauty that even goddesses envied—
It was her eyes.
Eyes that petrified all who gazed upon them.
Algal, as the Star Spirit representing the Demon Star Gorgon, had inherited that petrification Gift.
And this—
Was her strongest Gift.
So powerful that even Shiroyasha treated it with caution.
A near-absolute authority capable of petrifying nearly one-third of the world.
Once activated, the destruction it caused was irreversible.
Even Perseus itself would struggle to bear the consequences.
But they were inside Ren's Game Space.
An independent realm.
Even if everything here were petrified, it shouldn't affect the outside world.
And even if it did—
Rikuō no longer cared.
If Algal fell, then Perseus would lose this Gift Game.
And losing a Gift Game hosted by a Demon King meant total forfeiture.
Everything Perseus owned would be stripped away.
If the Community itself vanished, what did anything else matter?
With violent force, Algal tore away the bindings over her eyes.
In the next instant—
A violet-black beam erupted from her gaze.
Everything it swept across—
Ground, stone, fragments of debris—
Turned to stone instantly.
No delay.
No resistance.
This was the ultimate Gift of the former Demon King Star Spirit Algal.
A grotesquely unreasonable ability that ignored defense. Ignored strength.
Absolute petrification.
Of course—
According to legend, such a powerful ability had a weakness.
A mirror.
Anything capable of reflecting her gaze could reverse the effect.
But in this situation—
There was no mirror.
And even if there were—
In the pitch-black Oni Realm, devoid of even the faintest glimmer of light, there was nothing to refract or reflect.
Watching the violet-black beam sweep across the ground toward Ren—
Rikuō's excitement surged.
He believed he had already won.
Yes, Algal's Gift was famous.
And precisely because it was famous, its weakness was widely known.
In many Gift Games, using it carelessly could backfire.
But here?
In this abyss of total darkness—
There wasn't even a single ray of light.
Without reflection—
Her petrification was invincible.
No matter how strong this so-called new Demon King was—
He would be turned to stone.
Ren didn't move.
"You people really never learn," he said calmly.
"First it was invisibility. Now it's petrification."
He extended one hand, palm open.
"Why do you keep assuming there's such a thing as an invincible power?"
The violet-black beam surged closer.
"The authority to petrify the world is indeed high-ranking."
His sleeve shifted.
"But that doesn't mean I lack a Gift of equal—or greater—rank."
From beneath his sleeve—
Black mud began to seep out.
Thick. Viscous.
Alive.
It flowed in writhing streams, coiling and layering in front of him, forming a circular barrier like a dark mirror.
When Algal's petrifying beam struck the surface—
It didn't reflect.
It didn't shatter.
It didn't even struggle.
It was swallowed.
Completely.
Like a stone dropped into an endless ocean.
Not even a ripple remained.
Yes—
It wasn't deflected.
It was devoured.
Ever since regaining control after his previous berserk corruption, Ren had been able to wield a portion of the power known as "All the World's Evil."
The black mud before him was precisely that power.
Within Little Garden, "All the World's Evil" had formed one of Ren's Gifts.
And its rank?
Absurd.
It represented the accumulated malice and negative emotions of an entire world's humanity.
If Ren could fully master it—
He had no doubt he could qualify as the next "Humanity's Final Trial."
And against a Gift of that magnitude—
Algal's petrification authority simply didn't measure up.
In terms of rank—
"All the World's Evil" far surpassed it.
And when conflicting Gifts collided—
Priority was absolute.
Her light of petrification never stood a chance.