Seeing that Kalki had not yet left for Little Garden, Aslan pondered for a moment. He seemed to understand what his, Aishelia's, and Merlin's mission was, as well as who they were supposed to welcome. Most likely, the person they were to welcome was Kalki, who was about to head to Little Garden.
"Interesting, but why would Kalki's return to Little Garden cause such a commotion, even to the point of ignoring our identities?"
Aslan's intuition told him that there must be a major change happening, but because his status wasn't high enough, he couldn't discern the specific details of this change.
"Forget it. If I can't figure it out, I won't bother thinking about it. After all, we're here to cause trouble, and the situation in Ouroboros is already chaotic enough."
Aslan didn't need to say anything more. The fact that Ouroboros had to mobilize him, Merlin, and Aishelia already indicated the state of Ouroboros's internal affairs.
Athena had acted swiftly. How long had it been since Athena started investigating Ouroboros? After gathering the information, she had already caused such a massive uproar.
As for whether it was truly Athena, Aslan wasn't entirely certain. But besides Athena, he couldn't think of anyone else with the ability to throw Ouroboros into such disarray in just a few days. Athena was indeed worthy of being called a renowned sage in Little Garden.
However, the one frustrating thing was that Aslan had no idea how Athena had caused this chaos.
If he couldn't figure it out, then he wouldn't dwell on it. After grasping the general idea of who was behind it, Aslan could leave. This wasn't a place he could linger in for too long.
"Well then, keep spending time with your mother. I'll be off." Aslan said in a teasing tone. He was greatly looking forward to the day he could see Kalki's expression when his mother was resurrected.
"Wait—"
But before Kalki could ask anything, Aslan had already vanished. Kalki's intuition told him that the other party had left extremely quickly.
After all, Kalki was fundamentally a Two-Digit-level savior, a naturally born god. He was born when the world was on the brink of collapse, and his essence was no less than that of a Two-Digit being. However, to allow his birth, Ouroboros had made him descend to earth as a human, even born from an ordinary human womb.
But even so, after undergoing various weakenings, Kalki still possessed a Four-Digit Spirit Status from birth.
Kalki let out a resigned sigh. He hoped this senior could tell him what a savior should do after saving the world. He now felt utterly lost, unable to find a direction to move forward or a reason to fight.
After some time, Kalki felt he had spent enough time with his mother and finally made a decision. It was time to leave, to depart from the world he had saved.
"Let's go, Rin, and Jester." Kalki said calmly. Perhaps only in this moment did he truly resemble a savior belonging to the gods.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"Hmph, you guys arrived way too late."
When Aslan, Merlin, and Aishelia arrived at the designated location—a hidden Ouroboros base—a clown-like man in a contrasting red and blue jacket folded his arms across his chest and spoke irritably.
"We've been waiting here for over an hour." Maxwell said with an annoyed expression. If they hadn't been late, forcing him to wait, he could have used that time to find Willa.
"Do you think we wanted to come this late?" Aslan retorted, displeased.
"You Ouroboros folks should consider the distance. We're from the Southern District, the Southern District!"
"Do you know how far the Southern District is from here?!"
This place was Outer Gate 456567 in the Northern District. Aslan and the others had practically crossed half of Little Garden to get here. Aslan snapped at Maxwell fiercely.
But Maxwell seemed not to hear, merely keeping his arms crossed and, at most, turning his head away, no longer speaking.
"So, who's this rude guy?" Aslan asked a petite figure in a cloak.
"If we're going to work together on this mission, at least share your information, right?"
"Otherwise, how can we cooperate?"
Though Aslan said this, he mentally raised the difficulty level of the mission. If he wasn't mistaken, this man's identity was likely Maxwell.
He was a paradox demon whose existence had been denied by science, lacking Four-Digit-level power because his existence was refuted by the second law of thermodynamics. However, he had obtained a Spirit Status from the Third Perpetual Motion Machine, which appeared during a transitional period in a parallel world's history in 2120, achieving Four-Digit status.
"Lamia Draculea II, holder of Leticia's former Divinity." Lamia said calmly. Exchanging information to build basic trust was perfectly normal.
"As for this man…"
As Lamia was about to introduce him, Maxwell snorted irritably.
"Maxwell, Paradox Demon."
Although Maxwell would lose his sanity at the mention of Willa's name, under normal circumstances, he was relatively calm. His earlier irritation was only because Aslan and the others were late, causing him to miss a chance to see Willa.
This Ouroboros mission was taking place in the Lower Layer of the Northern District. And Maxwell's beloved, Willa-the-Ignis-Fatuus, was in the Northern District.
Maxwell could have used the mission's free time to secretly use a Phase Gate to teleport to Willa's location, spy on her, and confess his love.
The reason Willa rejected this man was because Maxwell was genuinely creepy. Whether Willa was bathing or using the restroom, Maxwell never missed a single opportunity. Even the reason Willa came to Little Garden was to avoid Maxwell.
"Angra Mainyu."
"Merlin."
"Aishelia."
Aslan and the others also exchanged information, though it was hard to say how much was true and how much was false.
"So, what are the specific details of our mission this time?"
Aslan asked curiously. The mission information provided by their superiors was far too vague. They only knew they were here to pick someone up, but they didn't know who or what difficulties they would face.
"The future leader of the Third Alliance, Kalki, and also Jester, the current chief of staff of the Third Alliance in Ouroboros." Lamia said with a disgusted expression. If she had a choice, she wouldn't want this mission.
But for her mother's sake, she had to take it. Only Ouroboros knew where her mother was sealed. Though she despised Jester, the poet, she had to accept this mission, even if she wanted him dead.
Unfortunately, Lamia didn't know that Jester was the mastermind who caused Leticia to fall into becoming a Demon Lord, making vampires the target of everyone's hatred and causing her mother, Lamia Draculea I, to suffer a curse comparable to a Three-Digit level and fall into a Demon Beast.
If she knew, even if it cost her life, she would ensure this man's death.
"But we don't need so many Four-Digit-level fighters, do we?" Aishelia looked at Lamia and Maxwell.
The five present could be considered the cream of the crop among Four-Digit-level beings. Even Arcadia, before its collapse, might not have been able to muster so many Four-Digit fighters at once. This was already the full strength a major community alliance could deploy.
Even for an ordinary Four-Digit-level Demon Lord, there was no need to be surrounded by five Four-Digit-level fighters, right?
Don't forget, Angra Mainyu could summon Nyarlathotep. Adding one more would make them comparable to the Seven Great Sages of old.
"Because this time, we have to protect someone from the Heavenly Army."
"Sorry, I just remembered the laundry at home hasn't been hung out to dry."
Upon hearing the words "Heavenly Army." Aslan's body instantly turned into a black mist and vanished. He transformed into a conceptual cluster virus lifeform, with countless Blacklight Virus concepts disappearing.
"My nail salon discount coupon is about to expire. See you."
At first glance, Merlin seemed to still be there, but upon closer inspection, there was no Merlin—only an illusory shadow.
Even Aishelia didn't know when she had disappeared. She had quietly put on the Helm of Hades she brought from Perseus, preparing to slip away after hiding.
Mission? What mission? Sorry, Aslan and the others hadn't accepted any mission at all.
Fight the Heavenly Army? Sorry, forget it.
The Twelve Divine Generals, the twelve ancient martial gods, were almost all top-tier Three-Digit-level beings who had been fighting since the dawn of time. Even in the Outer Layer, they were unmatched Four-Digit-level fighters.
Twelve top-tier Three-Digit-level beings, plus Shakra, whose power was unknown but who had single-handedly defeated the Three-Digit-level Azi Dahaka despite being a Four-Digit human incarnation.
In any case, none of Aslan and his group dared to confront the Heavenly Army.
The Heavenly Army were the largest armed organization in Little Garden, and because of that, no one dared to challenge them.
Aslan now understood why this mission had fallen to them. If they really died at the hands of the Heavenly Army, they'd have nowhere to cry.