"Surprised?"
Seeing Kalki standing there in stunned silence, Ryo smiled knowingly.
"…"
Kalki remained silent for a long moment. Eventually, his rationality returned, and after thinking it over, he understood what had happened.
"I see. You negotiated a truce with Ouroboros."
The realization left Kalki with a complicated expression. "That was probably the sensible thing to do."
He knew perfectly well that Ryo couldn't withstand the pressure of a Two-Digit organization forever, but seeing one of the strongest figures in the Lower Layers, a man who had so blatantly opposed Ouroboros, finally compromise with them still left Kalki feeling strangely disillusioned.
To be honest, he admired Ryo quite a bit.
With his own hands, he had held together the shattered remains of Arcadia, slowly rebuilding the fallen community and restoring it to its former position, and then taking it even higher.
That kind of achievement was enough to fill an entire heroic epic.
Strictly speaking, Arcadia was still only a Six-Digit community right now. But anyone with eyes could already see it as a hegemonic power of the lower layers.
And Ryo Yagami was one of the strongest Rule-Breaker beings in the history of Little Garden.
His personal deterrence in the lower layers was arguably even greater than that of the entire Arcadia Alliance at its peak.
One man alone was comparable to the Arcadia Alliance of old.
So hearing that Ryo had compromised with Ouroboros left Kalki feeling strangely bitter.
'Just how far are those Ouroboros higher-ups planning to push the people of the lower layers?'
With that thought, Kalki let out a regretful sigh.
"So, how are you planning to protect me?"
At that, the corners of Ryo's mouth slowly curled upward into a mischievous smile. "No. The real question is, how is Kalki going to protect himself? You're a man. It's time you learned how to protect yourself."
Kalki froze.
And then, without warning, a young man appeared beside Ryo.
He was bare-chested, with copper-colored skin, and both his face and physique possessed an almost metallic quality. His blond hair framed a youthful, baby-faced appearance.
It was the Machine God Hermes, whom Ryo had brought back from Arcadia City.
The moment Hermes appeared, his azure eyes reflected Kalki's figure.
Then that reflection began to expand.
It warped.
And twisted.
Suddenly, Hermes raised a hand and casually reached forward.
Authority: [Theft].
In an instant, Kalki forgot his own name.
Even his memories began to blur.
The only thing keeping him from losing himself completely was the Another Cosmology within his Spirit Rank, the one known as "Avatāra."
"You... Damn it..."
Kalki could only panic. He had no power to resist the force acting upon him.
Ryo had already activated a restrictive Saint ability, leaving him completely helpless. All he could do was cling to the tiniest fragment of his sense of self, sheltered beneath the protection of his Another Cosmology.
Everything else was completely beyond his power.
In his dazed state, the focus gradually disappeared from Kalki's eyes.
His mouth slowly fell open as he stared blankly ahead.
And right in front of him, Machine God Hermes expressionlessly transferred the stolen identity of "Kalki" to Ryo.
In his fading consciousness, Kalki clearly saw it.
Ryo's body gradually shrank.
His hair changed from black to white.
Just before he lost consciousness, Kalki vaguely seemed to see himself.
So I really am protecting "myself"...
With that realization, the last remnants of his consciousness finally gave out, and Kalki fell unconscious.
When everything was over, Ryo rolled his neck, the joints popping one after another.
Then came the caw of a crow.
"Heh heh. Looks like the plan is going pretty smoothly!"
A crow suddenly emerged from the rock in the ceiling, then hopped onto Hermes's shoulder and knocked against it with one wing. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Poor Hermes. Your perfectly good incarnation has turned into this thing. I have to say..."
The crow's voice dripped with delight, "...it's incredibly satisfying!"
"Hahaha!"
At that moment, the only coat rack in the room suddenly began to change shape.
It stretched and expanded.
In the blink of an eye, the towering figure of Heracles appeared, as massive as a mountain. He casually tossed the cloak that had been hanging from his arm aside and spoke in his deep, muffled voice. "I originally thought I'd need to help suppress the backlash from his Another Cosmology, but it seems that won't be necessary. The plan went surprisingly smoothly."
As he spoke, Heracles looked at Ryo.
He really wanted to crack open that little head of his and see just how many devious ideas were packed inside.
Ryo had actually come up with the idea of stealing Kalki's identity and taking his place as the target of the Heavenly Army.
Wasn't he worried that the Two-Digit existence behind the Another Cosmology had planted some hidden countermeasure that would bite back?
Yet what shocked Heracles was that Ryo had actually succeeded.
The Two-Digit hadn't stopped him.
They had simply allowed Ryo to steal Kalki's identity.
It was so absurd that absurdity itself had packed up, gone home, and decided to retire.
Just then, Ryo beckoned toward the former "Kalki" lying unconscious on the floor.
A faint light, like distant stars scattered across the night sky, rose into the air before sinking into Ryo's forehead.
Immediately afterward, an extremely unfamiliar power gradually enveloped Ryo's Spirit Rank.
It felt distant. Almost impossibly distant.
And deep within that power, something seemed to be continually collapsing and contracting, writhing like the core of an abyss.
"As expected, there's still a lock?" Ryo sighed in disappointment.
He had been hoping to use the Another Cosmology Avatāra freely.
But now that he looked at it, those Two-Digits had probably only lent him the Incarnation aspect so he could disguise himself as Kalki.
Still, that was enough.
With that thought, Ryo released his suppression over a certain power within his Spirit Rank.
A faint divine radiance gradually spread across his body, blooming into a gentle light.
It was the light of dawn appearing at the end of the world.
The compassion carried within the heart of the King who would save the world.
It was a Spirit Rank Ryo had kept hidden for so long.
King Who Manifests at the World's End.
The King of End.
A platinum-colored divine sword materialized, and Ryo grasped it in his hand.
It was the sacred weapon wielded by the King of End— the Divine Sword of Salvation
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
Loki, seeing this "loadout" for the first time and sensing the overwhelming presence of the Spirit Rank, blurted out, "Don't tell me you're actually the real Kalki?!"
"What are you talking about?" Ryo rolled his eyes. "I'm clearly impersonating him, okay?"
'How are you impersonating him so well that you look more like the Savior than the original does?'
Loki's single eye widened in disbelief.
Heracles, who was equally startled by the Spirit Rank Ryo had revealed, twitched at the corner of his mouth.
"Is that the godslayer Spirit Rank you obtained in that Campione world last time? I see. In that case, no one should question your identity as the Savior Kalki anymore."
'No one should question it?'
If Heracles hadn't personally seen the unfortunate Kalki lying on the floor, he would have suspected that the "savior" standing in front of him really was Kalki.
A counterfeit that looked more authentic than the original.
There really was no justice in the world.
"Seriously?"
Ryo looked strangely at the two of them, unable to understand why they were reacting so strongly.
Wasn't he just putting another layer over his identity as Rudra, the Vedic Storm God, and using the identity of the King of End Kalki as an additional disguise?
Did they really have to be this surprised?
Seeing that Ryo still didn't believe him, Loki rolled his single eye. "Don't doubt me. Aren't you supposed to be going hunting with that little girl in a bit? Go out there yourself and let that girl see you. If she can recognize you as Ryo, I'll write my name backward."
"Sure. No problem."
Ryo nodded.
Then, just before leaving, he glanced at Kalki lying on the floor.
After a moment, he said, "According to the original plan, I'm leaving this kid in your care. That's okay, right, Heracles?"
"Leave him to me."
Heracles patted his chest in assurance.
Before Ryo stepped outside, Heracles reminded him, "Be careful. The Heavenly Army isn't easy to deal with."
With his back turned to Heracles, Ryo waved casually. "Don't worry. I'm harder to deal with!"
With a laugh, Ryo walked out of the room.
The first person he saw was Rin, leaning against the rock wall and apparently lost in thought.
The moment he saw the girl, Ryo suppressed his usual expression and put on the slightly troubled smile of "Kalki."
And so, the new Savior slowly approached his temporary little secretary.
.
.
.