— — — — — —
Greece
The Athena Temple stood in ruins, weathered and overgrown with moss.
A man over two and a half meters tall, broad-shouldered and dressed in a custom-tailored suit that somehow blended elegance with raw ferocity, lifted his head to look at the crumbling structure.
He let out a low sigh. "So, in this world… Greek mythology has already fallen?"
As the Hercules of the Greek pantheon, he couldn't help but feel something stir in his chest at the sight.
In Little Garden, Greece was still at its peak.
Zeus, using Metis's wisdom, had shrewdly exploited loopholes in the Little Garden's rules, allowing the Greek gods to remain in the lower realm despite being above their rank, seizing a massive share of faith.
Because of that, remnants of Greek belief still echoed through the universe within Little Garden's observational reach, keeping their vitality burning bright.
With the Greek gods' influence rising, Hercules had also reaped many benefits.
If things continued this way, it wouldn't be long before he himself broke into the four-digit irregular freaks and truly entered the upper echelons of the Greek pantheon.
He could already feel that threshold approaching.
And maybe… restoring Greece's former glory in this world could be the key.
Revive the myth of the Great Hero Hercules once more.
"Heh. Faded faith always needs a strong warrior to rekindle it."
Seated on the western side of the temple, Hercules rose, his gaze sharp as he stared at the shadows on the ground.
They were cast by the sun against the remaining stone pillars.
"This level of shadow manipulation? Leticia Draculea? Or perhaps… Scáthach?"
"Hercules."
From within the shadows, Scáthach's form slowly surfaced, emerging from the earth to stand at the northern edge of the temple.
She looked at him like a predator sizing up prey—playful, yet burning with excitement. "Didn't expect to meet someone like you in a lower realm like this."
"Hmph! I don't wish to clash with the Queen's butler." Hercules' voice rumbled like distant thunder, his towering frame radiating a crushing sense of pressure.
Scáthach licked the corner of her lips.
"See, that's where we differ. I enjoy picking fights with top dogs from female-discriminating pantheons like Greece."
Little Garden might be a melting pot of countless myths, but gender conflict was a timeless human theme.
The Celtic faction, ruled by Queen Halloween, stood for equality.
But Greece, even with its many goddesses, yet it deeply rooted male dominance—yeah, the bad blood wasn't exactly a secret.
"...."
Hercules stood like an iron tower, making no move, but his eyes were locked on Scáthach—ready for war.
And just then, an impatient voice cut in.
"You two, even with our restrictions, going all out in the lower realm will still get the Heavenly Army on our backs."
A slim figure appeared to the south side of the temple—Uesugi Kenshin.
Scáthach and Hercules both withdrew their aura at once.
Hercules even glanced at Kenshin with a mix of wariness and respect. "The Twelve Heavenly Generals actually came in person?"
The Twelve Heavenly Generals.
They guarded the borders of the Little Garden, preventing upper gods from descending into Little Garden's lower layers, while also carrying out demon lord suppression as part of the Heavenly Army.
In essence, they were a legion comprising martial gods from the Middle East, ancient India, and East Asia—considered the highest force of violence on the upper floors.
And among them, the strongest core twelve were known as the Twelve Heavenly Generals.
Standing before them was the incarnation of Bishamonten—Uesugi Kenshin.
So this slender woman was, in truth, a three-digit God.
Hercules looked a bit surprised. "Didn't expect you to manifest in human form."
Of course, this Uesugi Kenshin wasn't the true Bishamonten.
If a three-digit being descended in full, it would collapse the galaxy layer.
Even if they descended to the more stable lower floors of Little Garden, it would trigger anomalies and destroy dozens of outer gates.
Which meant—this Uesugi Kenshin had used a secret rite to reincarnate as a human.
A god-king who had fallen to earth. But why?
"Well, a lot of things happened."
Uesugi Kenshin brushed back her hair, one hand on her waist, speaking casually.
"My scatterbrained superior gave me orders, the Buddhist upper council has questions they want looked into, and there's that little 'troublemaker' who's been popping up lately."
Troublemaker?
Hercules and Scáthach exchanged glances.
Seeing their confusion, Uesugi scratched her cheek.
"Wait—am I even allowed to be leaking this much?"
A soft beeping sounded in the headset on her right ear—she seemed to be communicating with someone.
"…Ah? Assist in the investigation? Understood. I'll announce it when everyone's here."
Hercules looked around, then called out: "Still trying to hide? Or do you really think you can slip past my senses—or hers?"
Silence hung for a moment. Then a youthful male voice replied.
"Knew it'd be a troublesome assignment."
Highness and Rin appeared abruptly on the east side of the ruined temple.
As the leader, Highness stepped forward and gave a polite bow. "Pleasure to meet you all."
"A new face. Which faction are you from?" Scáthach asked with interest.
Another four-digit powerhouse.
But after a brief look, she clicked her tongue in mild disappointment.
With the way Highness was standing, she counted at least twenty ways she could send him to hell.
He probably wasn't even twenty years old yet.
A natural-born four-digit—clearly a big background.
As Scáthach mused over that thought, Highness smiled.
"You may call me: the Bishop."
The Cross, huh? Why do they always waste good seedlings like this… the three veterans thought in unison.
Scáthach even offered a rare piece of advice. "Kid, hurry and find yourself a good teacher. Wasting that talent of yours would be a damn shame."
"Thank you for the concern," Highness said with a mild smile, though inwardly he seemed a bit helpless.
A teacher… someone has to actually be willing to take me first…
Uesugi Kenshin gave him a brief sidelong look, then tapped her earpiece and swept her gaze around.
"According to the Heavenly Army's observation division, there should be one more group, right?"
"That's strange. For a situation like this, Thousand Eyes would normally send an observer. If they're not here, then they must be gathering intel already."
Just then, a male voice with a hint of amusement rang out.
"My apologies. We're not exactly professional investigators."
Space tore open, and Ryo Yagami stepped out—appearing right at the center where the five factions converged.
.
.
.