— — — — — —
"Sleep."
As Ryo spoke, a wave of crushing drowsiness slammed into the room.
Hermes and Ares forced themselves to stay alert, trying to fight it, but Ryo raised his right hand at the same moment, forming a delicate gesture like plucking a flower.
"Tenbu Hōrin!" (Great Heaven Treasure Wheel)
A burst of radiant Buddha light exploded outward, wrapping Ryo in boundless brilliance as if turning him into something holy.
Within a single second, Ares and Hermes lost their sight, then their hearing, then their sense of touch.
Panic hit—then their sixth sense was cut off as well.
Hermes felt it most: his Spirit Rank seemed to lose connection with Little Garden core system, and that vague divine "warning sense"—the crisis foresight granted by the Spirit Rank—began to lag and stutter like an ancient VHS tape slowly breaking down.
By the time the light finally drew back, both gods were motionless and silent.
They just stood there, limbs locked, faces empty, expressions numb, like puppets with their strings cut.
"Huh?"
Ryo blinked at their condition, then quickly understood the effect of sealing their sixth sense.
"Huh… it actually affects their Spirit Rank? Unexpected bonus." He muttered to himself.
Using his Cosmos, along with Sasha's cryptic notes on Tenbu Hōrin, Ryo developed this technique. He had also, of course, relied on the Dimensional Forum to obtain the final requirement the skill demanded.
Tenbu Hōrin was terrifyingly powerful. It was the ultimate technique of Virgo Shaka, one of the strongest gold saints.
Tenbu Hōrin trapped its target within a matrix of illusions, typically Buddhist in nature, and destroyed them through five sequential stages. Each stage erased one of the opponent's five human senses, stripping them away one by one.
Finally, the technique would sever the sixth sense, shutting down the mind itself. By halting the brain's ability to process thought, it reduced its victims to little more than living corpses.
But there were drawbacks.
Tenbu Hōrin was designed specifically around the Cosmos system; the sensory sealing was meant to restrict Cosmic senses.
But beings in Little Garden relied on Spirit Rank as their core and wielded Authorities and divine rights instead. In that kind of ecosystem, the technique performed poorly.
The only reason Ryo used it here was to condition Ares and Hermes' bodies—to make them adapt to future rituals and modifications with less rejection. The lagging Spirit Rank itself was just a bonus.
"But this is enough."
He glanced at the immobilized gods, then exited the game field, returning to the underground levels of the city hall.
He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, golden flames swirled inside, like a roaring lion trapped within his gaze.
"Byakuya. Stay here and maintain the barrier."
Invisible ripples spread through the air like raindrops landing on still water.
The world went silent. A hidden barrier domain veiled the space.
Ryo turned his head slightly to the right.
A white-haired woman stood there in a pale dress, black oni horns curled from her head, and gold eyes quietly fixed on him—slightly annoyed.
"You shouldn't make me leave your side."
That was the warning—spoken by the soul of the God Cloth.
Ryo chuckled, lips curling. "I don't remember you being the clingy type."
Byakuya said nothing. She just stared at him with those cool, quiet eyes.
Ryo sighed. "I'm heading to the Strike the Blood world next. You know nothing there can threaten me."
"And besides—" his smirk turned mischievous, "Lilith will be with me. If necessary, she can even die in my place once."
Ryo had two Zanpakutō: one infused with Shiroyasha's power—now transformed into Byakuya, the Cloth's spirit—and one forged by Algol as a communication vessel and a cosmetic tool powered by Hōgyoku energy: Lilith.
Different functions, different priorities.
To Ryo, Byakuya was family—his most important trump card. Lilith… was pretty much a disposable shield.
"..."
Byakuya finally gave a faint smile, then dissolved the hidden domain without a sound and vanished into the air.
A second later, Ryo could feel a vast and oppressive Cosmos blooming from the underground arena—Byakuya taking her post to maintain a suppressive domain.
Seeing her "obediently" take over, Ryo let out a tiny breath of relief.
With that, he turned and headed up the stairs.
Ryo didn't go all the way to the surface though. Halfway up, at a bend near the upper levels, he stopped.
"Well, look at that."
On the steps ahead stood three figures.
Leticia. Athena. And Kurousagi—who looked incredibly anxious.
They'd clearly been waiting there awhile.
Kurousagi glanced at Leticia, then at Athena beside her, then bit her lip. "Ryo… what are you planning now?"
She paused, realizing her tone sounded too confrontational, and hurriedly added, "I'm not accusing you. I just want to know what you need from me."
She pressed her lips tight again. "You don't need to carry the community's burdens alone…"
Ryo laughed, relaxed and amused. "Hey, relax. It's just the Greeks. What pressure?"
Kurousagi frowned, glaring at him—clearly convinced he was brushing her off as a delay tactic.
She had come to share the burden, only to get shrugged off. What nonsense was that?
'Idiot…' Leticia pinched the bridge of her nose.
Did this bunny really not understand? Three girls were standing here. Ryo was a man. There was no way he'd show weakness in front of them. A man had his pride.
'Oh, you silly rabbit. That's not how you do it.' Athena nodded, as though she could read thoughts.
'That's a chance to let the boy lean on you a little, get pampered a bit, and boom—relationship levels through the roof.'
Athena shot Kurousagi a side glance. She said nothing, but Kurousagi instantly felt an overwhelming sense of condescension.
'Wait… did Lady Athena just stop treating me like a rival? W-Why?' Kurousagi thought, dazed.
Athena ignored her and looked at Ryo. "So? What are you going to do?"
Ryo's smile turned sly. "Head to another world. Make some preparations."
"Get ready. Ares and Hermes will 'forgive' us soon."
.
.
.