— — — — — —
"Naive."
Mr. Mystery let out a cold laugh.
Then he sighed. "It's pointless. Since Arcadia managed to take back their flag, the current Asura will treat them as legitimate opponents."
"That's why she said she needed to think it over."
"She's weighing the pros and cons of taking action against Arcadia, and how to go about it."
"Then…" Kalki hesitated.
"You want to know whether she'll actually make a move?" Mr. Mystery's voice carried a hint of amusement.
"Yes." Kalki nodded. That was exactly what he wanted to ask.
"Why do you think the First Union intentionally told her they were being hunted by Indra?" Mr. Mystery's tone sharpened into a mocking snort.
"'This is the perfect chance for revenge.' That's exactly how a brainless race like the Asuras would see it."
"In their eyes, since Arcadia's former strategist was Indra's disciple, Arcadia is an enemy by default and deserves their revenge. And now is the best time."
He chuckled again, this time with open ridicule. "In the end, that crafty brat has been dumping blame on others for so long. It's about time karma caught up to him."
"??? The Asuras and Indra have a deep grudge?"
Kalki, still young, felt like he'd stumbled into some hidden history of Little Garden.
Mr. Mystery didn't deny him. He explained quite freely, "Heh, you're still young. You weren't around during the Dawn Era, so of course you don't know where the Asuras came from."
"In truth, the Asuras originate from Ahura Mazda. They're the result of that benevolent god's divinity being tainted… half-god, half-human."
"And the one who polluted Ahura Mazda's divinity… others might not know, but I know perfectly well."
Kalki's eyes widened. "Mr. Mystery… you mean Indra?"
"Who else? You think that old bastard was always a useless god?"
"Before he met the first moon rabbit, he was no different from the other dried-up fossils in the Upper Layers."
Mr. Mystery snickered, then added with a strange tone, "But that's ancient history. If you want something more recent, look at the grudges between the last few Asura Kings and Indra."
Kalki blinked. "Grudges? That doesn't make sense, though. The Asura Kings might be four-digit beings, but the difference between them and the Deva King is huge. How would they even start a feud?"
"Why not?" Mr. Mystery sounded entertained. "As everyone knows, the Asuras marry within their race. Their men are hideous, and their women are stunning."
"If you were the wife of an Asura King and had to look at a face that even ghosts would avoid every day, how would you feel?"
"And then along comes a big-shot with irresistible charm, someone women tend to fall for, and he starts pursuing you?"
"Since she's married, she should reject him, right?" Kalki asked in honest confusion.
"Heh. You really are a clueless kid." Mr. Mystery grumbled, then waved it off. "Forget it. You don't need to know the old folks' scandals."
"Anyway, the current Asura Queen won't be able to resist making a move. After all, her grandmother and Indra created quite the spectacle in the Upper Layers back then."
Kalki frowned. "That may be true… but from what I've seen, Ryo Yagami isn't someone easy to handle."
"Even if this Asura is the strongest of recent generations, her chances aren't that high."
Mr. Mystery clicked his tongue. "Idiot. That's exactly why I told you to take the delivery job."
"You mean…" Kalki's eyes widened slightly.
Mr. Mystery's tone turned playful.
"Heh. Isn't Indra chasing after the Ouroboros? If he wants to search, we'll hand him the tail ourselves and let him chase it."
"Everyone knows murky water is the easiest place to fish."
Kalki froze, then immediately understood. His expression turned heavy. "There's a mole in the First Union…"
"Oh? You think it's only the First Union?" Mr. Mystery drawled.
But before Kalki could react, he continued on his own, "Little Garden's been getting more chaotic by the day. Upper gods are turning into gods of disobedience, ambitious god-kings are descending as mortals. It won't be long before a true era of turmoil begins."
"This time, it might be bigger than the Seven Days War."
"And Arcadia's slippery new leader chose this moment to step onto the stage. That's unlike him. Someone must have tipped him off… which old friend would it be…"
Mr. Mystery's voice faded into silence.
"The Seven Days War…" Kalki looked a bit tense.
The Seven Days War referred to the rebellion led by the Seven Great Sages, including Sun Wukong, against the Buddhist and Taoist forces.
Unlike the Last Embryo, that conflict was an internal war among gods.
And from what Mr. Mystery said, the next war would also be between divine factions, but on a scale far greater.
"The age of chaos… is it really coming?" Kalki rubbed his temples.
He had recently taken the position of leader of the Ouroboros Third Union, but honestly, he had no affection for the organization.
Yet in times of chaos, groups like Ouroboros thrived. Sooner or later, he would have to use that advantage to start an uprising… to rebel against the mastermind pulling his strings.
For someone born from the spirit of a savior, it was a bitter irony.
"All right, enough self-pity." Mr. Mystery's voice softened slightly. "You're already the leader of the Third Union. Start acting like it."
"Kill when you need to, use people when you have to. Remember this: kindness is for companions. Toward enemies, all you need is cruelty."
"In the end, Little Garden is just a playground for gods."
"I understand." Kalki was silent for a long moment before nodding.
He looked eastward, as if gazing toward the end of the world.
After a while, he wiped away every trace of his presence, confirmed he wasn't being followed, then turned and disappeared into the forest.
---
Arcadia Headquarters
After sending off Shiroyasha and having Black Rabbit guide Unohana Retsu and Orihime Inoue around the grounds…
Ryo headed straight for the underground library. Between rows of towering shelves, he found a woman in a snowy white robe, silver hair glowing under the lamplight, sitting at a desk with a thick volume of Little Garden History.
Athena.
.
.
.