Whiteyasha ground her teeth as she stared at Ren Kuroda's supremely confident expression—and at Algor beside him, coiled like a drawn bowstring, ready to unleash the petrifying blessing of her "World of Stone" at any moment.
On the other side, Luos had already scrambled up from the floor the instant he heard Ren's proposal. He hastily waved his hands, urging Whiteyasha not to interfere any further and to simply let Ren and the others leave.
The speed of his complete reversal left everyone around them speechless.
But Luos's reaction wasn't hard to understand.
If Ren were to seize their Community's banner and name, then even if Whiteyasha later defeated him, according to the laws of Little Garden, the banner, the name "Perseus," and all the Gifts they once possessed would become the property of Whiteyasha's Community, "Thousand Eyes."
And if Luos wanted those things back after that, he would have to pay a price to "Thousand Eyes."
As the head of one of Little Garden's largest commercial alliances, Luos was far too pragmatic to believe that "Thousand Eyes" would return "Perseus's" assets out of goodwill.
Compared to that, Ren's proposal was an absolute bargain.
Yes, Ren would take the loli vampire and one of "Perseus's" core Gifts. But in exchange, they would retain their Community's banner and name—and most of their remaining Gifts.
Their strength would certainly take a hit. But even a starving camel is bigger than a horse. "Perseus" would still thrive in the lower levels.
Besides, for a Community attacked by a Demon King and defeated in a Gift Game to suffer only this much loss? To Luos, that was already a best-case scenario.
Just look at "No Name." After being attacked by a Demon King, they had lost almost everything.
Compared to the other Demon Kings, Ren's actions could practically be called merciful.
Whiteyasha snorted lightly.
"Seems I misjudged you. You've got the makings of a Demon King in your bones. Reading hearts. Controlling timing. You've played both to perfection. You seized on my unwillingness to let the lower levels suffer major damage and used it as leverage. And you caught Luos's fear of losing his Community's banner to pressure me further, didn't you?"
Ren didn't deny a word. He simply shrugged, as if to say: That's exactly right.
"So?" Ren asked calmly. "Are we tearing the net apart together… or does everyone take a step back?"
On the surface, he looked utterly composed.
Inside, however, Ren was a complete mess.
Whiteyasha had been willing to seal away most of her own power and descend to the lower levels as a Floor Master through some agreement with the upper echelons. That alone proved how much she cared about the lower strata of Little Garden.
So threatening to petrify the Eastern District's lower levels carried a strong chance she would back down.
But Ren had only met her once. He didn't truly know her.
He had no certainty what choice she would make.
And if she didn't compromise… would he really allow Algor to petrify the entire Eastern District?
Of course not.
But just as Ren didn't fully understand Whiteyasha, she didn't understand him either. Even if she wanted to gamble, could she afford to?
After a long silence, Whiteyasha let out a weary sigh.
"You win this round. Leave the Eastern Outer Gate with Algor before dawn tomorrow. If you're still here after that… I will not be so lenient."
She turned and departed.
Just as Ren had calculated—Whiteyasha couldn't afford the risk.
Before sealing her power, she could have subdued both Ren and Algor simultaneously—so swiftly that Algor wouldn't even have had time to activate her Gift.
But not now.
Having sealed most of her strength and taken on the Spirit Rank of a "Yaksha" through a Buddhist pact, Whiteyasha's current power hovered at the peak of the four-digit level—barely brushing the threshold of three digits.
Ren, during his Gift Game, had already demonstrated strength approaching the four-digit tier. And now he had ascended as a Demon King.
Whiteyasha could defeat Ren.
But she could not defeat Ren and stop Algor at the same time.
Thus, she chose compromise.
Of course, that calculation assumed Black Rabbit and Izayoi didn't interfere. Those two possessed five-digit-level strength. And Izayoi's ability to shatter Gifts was a natural counter to Algor's petrification.
Aside from them, though, within the seven-digit Outer Gate, finding someone capable of stopping Algor would be nearly impossible.
With Whiteyasha gone, and "Perseus" defeated in the Gift Game, Luos had completely lost his earlier arrogance. Standing before Ren now, he looked like a chastened grandson.
He finally understood.
The man before him might be a rookie Demon King—but he was no ordinary one.
There were scarcely any in Little Garden who dared challenge the White Night Demon King head-on. Yet Ren had not only done so—he had forced her to yield.
Petrifying the entire Eastern District's lower levels?
Only a lunatic would even think of such a thing.
Others might believe Ren had been bluffing.
But Luos, who had witnessed Ren's brutality firsthand within the Game field, was convinced that if pushed too far, this man might truly do it.
With excessive politeness, Luos personally escorted Ren to the underground prison of "Perseus" and released Leticia.
When the golden-haired girl was brought out, her expression shifted from anxious desolation to stunned disbelief.
Earlier, when she had been returned to the underground cell, she had faintly heard the name "No Name." She had feared her companions might come searching for her and clash with "Perseus."
Yet now Luos was voluntarily releasing her—and judging by his deferential attitude toward Ren, he seemed downright terrified.
Black Rabbit rushed forward.
"Lady Leticia! Thank goodness… Now we can finally return to 'No Name' together again!"
Seeing Leticia again, Black Rabbit's eyes shimmered with pain over what she had endured. But the sorrow quickly gave way to joy—Leticia was safe.
Ren folded his arms and glanced at the two embracing figures.
"Hold on. According to Little Garden's rules, this loli vampire currently belongs to me, remember?"
Black Rabbit froze.
"If 'No Name' wants her back, there's one final step," Ren continued lightly. "Challenge me to a Gift Game and win her from me."
He paused, a teasing smile forming.
"Don't worry. I'll deliberately go easy. 'No Name' will win, and her ownership will naturally return to your Community."
Izayoi suddenly snapped his fingers.
"Ahhh—I get it now. That's brilliant, Ren."
He grinned.
"Becoming a Demon King wasn't some impulsive move at all, was it? You planned to exploit a loophole in Little Garden's rules—basically bug the system—and bring this whole incident to a perfect close."
Ren merely smiled.
After all—
Sometimes, to beat the system… you have to become the final boss first.