— — — — — —
[Do you accept the "Soul King" divinity and ascend to the four-digit tier?]
The voice echoed from somewhere beyond thought, transmitting the message straight into Ryo's mind.
It came from the Core system of Little Garden itself…
"So that's how it works—use a fabricated divinity to earn the Core's recognition, turn a fake identity into something real?"
His eyes widened as he spoke in surprise.
It was like Omega had crafted a fake persona for him—a "Soul King"—complete with forged background and history, then submitted the entire package to the Core of Little Garden for certification.
And once the Core approved it, the fake identity became an officially recognized credential.
With that, Ryo could openly operate beneath the gods' noses as a four-digit "Soul King" and even pass whatever scrutiny they directed at him.
Simple in theory, but the most troublesome—and most crucial—part was fooling the Core itself into accepting this divinity. Pulling off something like that… only beings on the two-digit level would have the power.
"As expected, these big shots say the Core restricts them and they can't interfere directly, but who knows how many tricks they're still pulling behind the scenes…"
Grumbling under his breath, Ryo accepted the Core's blessing.
Two-digit scheming was worth keeping an eye on, but not now. The priority was securing a four-digit rank—stepping onto Little Garden's stage as a real contender.
In Little Garden's lower levels, the four-digit class was known as gods tier.
Most of the well-known, still-active deities were four-digit beings. And a four-digit entity was essentially a sovereign power, capable of ruling an entire outer gate—or several of them.
It was the level where people finally got to be called "experts."
But his community, Arcadia, was a little different.
This was the former dominator of the lower levels, the alliance that twice repelled the Final Trial of Humanity (Last Embryo), the one that had even pushed back the Evil God of Zoroastrianism—the three-headed demonic dragon Azi Dahaka.
In an alliance like that, a freshly minted four-digit leader was barely qualified. Whether he could actually inherit Arcadia's legacy was still up for debate.
But what could he do? The reputations Canaria and Koumei Kasukabe left behind were simply too overwhelming.
Back when Canaria served as Arcadia's chief strategist, the gods themselves had called her "humanity's hope."
Rumor had it that when Canaria was presumed dead, some upper-level gods publicly declared, "Human history can no longer be saved without her."
With a predecessor like that, Ryo felt the pressure. That was part of why he insisted on reaching the four-digit rank before announcing Arcadia's revival.
The other part… was his habit of keeping a few cards hidden. He didn't want his cosmos exposed too much, nor did he want anyone noticing how he was quietly siphoning faith from the gods. Better to conceal his real power.
Now, with a divinity of "Soul King," things finally became simpler.
In the blink of an eye, he felt the fabricated divinity solidify into something real, and an ancient force welled up from beyond.
The abilities that came with that force left him momentarily stunned.
The first was [Soul Body].
Under the divinity's blessing, his body became immune to many abilities and energy attacks.
The protection was strong enough to resist even parts of authority-class powers. To kill him outright, someone would need a planet-destroying force.
The second was [Historical Enforcement].
As long as the Bleach world continued to speak his name and recognized him, he could resurrect through faith even after death.
But the cooldown was huge. The faith required to revive him would take at least a million years to gather by his own estimate.
He just didn't have enough believers—too little faith, too slowly accumulated.
Worse, if someone wiped out his corresponding faith, he'd die permanently.
"…Not bad. Fine as a disguise at least." Ryo exhaled softly.
For someone who'd awakened the Seventh Sense, his cosmos already protected him from most harm.
How hard was it to kill a Gold Saint with the Seventh Sense?
Even the Galaxian Explosion, capable of shattering galaxies, had never managed to kill a single Gold Saint during their civil wars.
A Golden Cloth alone could tank a galactic explosion—so Ryo's true defense was absurd.
But that was his real internal defense. Outwardly, he'd present the defensive capabilities of a "Soul King," his [Soul Body].
"When they think a planet-buster is enough to kill me, but I'm actually tanking a Galaxian Explosion…"
"That's a pretty great way to screw with people."
The more he thought about it, the more he liked it. Misdirection like this could be priceless.
"But honestly, this is the real treasure."
He raised his hand. A roll of black parchment appeared in his palm.
—[Host Authority]
A privilege only gods and Buddhas possessed—the right to host Gift Games.
It was also proof of being a four-digit entity.
With Host Authority, he could create Gift Games, conceal their rules, forcibly drag others inside, and restrict opponents' actions.
And because it operated using the Core's own laws, even a two-digit being could be force-pulled into his game. Of course, they'd break free instantly.
But using Host Authority forcibly even once marked the user with the Demon Lord Brand, turning them into a demon lord feared throughout the lower levels.
And if a forced game was broken, the consequences were brutal.
Losing meant losing everything.
His little teacher, Leticia Draculea, had been such a former demon lord.
Her Gift Game was broken—temporarily suspended even—and she lost to Canaria, handing over all her authority.
Later, when Canaria was defeated during the demon lord attack half a year ago, Leticia's ownership transferred automatically to the victor, who then sold her to Perseus… and that was how Ryo eventually reclaimed her.
By those same rules, if Ryo lost a demon lord game, both he and Leticia would become the victor's property—prisoners.
"Forced Games, huh…" Ryo thought for a moment. He doubted he'd ever use one.
For him, the normal invitation-based Gift Game was more than enough.
With Host Authority, he would launch an invitation Gift Game—a Bleach-themed inheritance trial—and make his debut in Little Garden with style.
.
.
.