Published at 20th of May 2019 10:49 pm

Volume 3, Chapter 7

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

A dreary sound of rain reverberated throughout the slums.

This was a region where storms rarely happened, though the heavy rain itself was the continent’s special trait.

With no money to rebuild them, the slum buildings had their paints peeled off and seemed to have severe roof leaks, and their residents running around to somehow deal with the heavy rain that would come any moment now. The abandoned building where Izayoi was currently taking cover was also wrecked here and there by the wind and rain. If he wanted to safely pass today's heavy rain, he needed to search for another abandoned building. This area that was close to the mountains also held the possibility of a landslide occurring.

He would've chosen to spend the night in a safe hotel somewhere in Rio, but he wasn't able to book the hotel when he had a girl of unknown origin with him.

While these slums had terrible public order for something being so close-by a Mega City like Rio, it was perfect for people like him who wanted to keep themselves hidden.

As the drug dealing and trafficking, much less weaponry, was a natural occurrence there, doubtful anyone would question him bringing a girl.

Prith and Izayoi wanted to leave before the downpour hit, since the weakened girl needed a doctor examination immediately.

However, the two became speechless by the disastrous situation that Ayato spoke of.

"......"

"......"

"U-Um... That's the current situation of Team Little Garden. Any thoughts on the matter?"

"Are you guys complete idiots or something!"

He immediately answered back. And mercilessly at that.

This dealt a critical damage to everyone involved.

Even though Ayato herself was not the target of those words, she still dropped her shoulders in dejection.

However, Izayoi's tone seemed to contain neither anger nor exasperation. Rather, he was just admiring Tokuteru for managing to create a situation like that.

(Hmm... Though it's just temporary, he managed to weaken 'Avatara's' fighting power and add it to his own side. Huh, I suppose he plans to use the pretense of the debt and those daily exhibition matches to train Homura and Suzuka since they lack combat experience. I'm not sure just how far he has thought this through, but it's quite a good development.)

Tokuteru was probably thinking of removing Arjuna from ‘Avatara’ with this as an opportunity if he could. That was why he had him tag along with Homura's group.

(He even went so far as to conspire with Shiroyasha. I suppose even a war god adores his kid, huh.)

He was a war god, who was a womanizer, a drunkard, a muscle-brain, and loved the goodness of people.

A more humane Divine Spirit than the modern humans themselves - that is who Indra was.

It was said that he was the fastest to take action against 'Dystopia' and 'Azi Dakaha' in the distant past, lending his power to secure mankind and the future.

For someone like him, who tried to associate with mankind like a sole compatriot, the Demigod child Arjuna must have meant a lot.

Sympathizing with such sentiments, Izayoi heaved a heavy sigh.

"Well, if you give it proper consideration, it's not so bad a situation. It would be good for Homura to take part in exhibitions and learn more about Gift Games. If you are having trouble with the current Game, it will get tough for you later on, you know?"

"......Oh, shut it. Then how would you have cleared it?"

"I would've summoned Asterius right from the start and beaten him down no questions asked."

"I was an idiot to even ask you!"

He heard a shout coming from the other end of the phone. However, Asterius was obviously left in the outer world for that exact purpose, no matter how he thought about it.

After all, in order to choose how you won a Gift Game, one had no choice but to become strong.

"...Now, let's stop the chit chat here. Guessing from the story so far, Kasukabe should be in the room nearby, right?"

"Hm? I'm right here."

You answered after her name was suddenly mentioned.

It appeared that she was sipping her tea in the corner.

Hearing the nostalgic voice of his companion, Izayoi's expression loosened a little.

"Oh, so you were in the same room. Rather sociable there, considering it’s you."

"That's not the case. If it weren't your siblings, I don't think I would've helped. And Suzuka-san didn't even bring me the box of cakes."

"Eh!? So you were angry, after all!?"

Suzuka jumped to her feet and You gave her a small laugh.

"I'm not angry. Just sad."

"Ugh, that raises my embarrassment even more. I'll definitely bring it with me next time...!"

"Hey now, don't tease my Suzuka there. And Suzuka, you don't have to mind that. When it comes to Kasukabe, I've cleaned after her mess more time than she did mine."

"I don't think that's true. Since you and Asuka haven’t sent remittance to the community, I've been working for my food all the time."

"Well, sorry about that. By the way, remember the present from the pumpkin forest that Kuro Usagi and I sent there? Well, I heard it suddenly disappeared one day without a trace. Maybe you have an idea?"

"......Well, it must've been the work of some fairy."

"Also, those headphones Homura made for me were stolen by Calico Cat and bro-"

"Okay, let's end this topic right here!"

Okay, stop, You raised her hands in defeat.

Coming out as the winner, Izayoi started laughing with his hands on his waist.

"Good grief... 'Food before romance' is still your motto, huh. Well, that's the kind of person you are. It's great that you haven't changed. So, did you become a bit more like an adult woman?"

"We haven't met for two whole years, of course, I've grown a bit. How about you?"

"Regretfully, I'm still the same. Only my height has changed a bit. If there's anything else that has changed, it has to be───No, let's leave that for later. I want to have a bit of a secret meeting. Everyone aside from Homura, Kasukabe and Arjuna, sorry but move somewhere else or enter a bath or something."

"That's fine... but Arjuna should stay, too?"

Homura glanced towards Arjuna.

"......Understood. I also had something to ask of Sakamaki Izayoi."

"Oh, now we are talking! I wonder if I should be delighted that I have the greatest honour of having my name known by the strongest Kshatriya of the Indian Pantheon?"

"You should stop with that fake humility. The achievements you have gained in the Little Garden have also reached my ears. In particular, the biggest of them was the achievement of defeating the 'Last Embryo', Three-Headed Dragon Azi Dakaha. After all, that was not a Demon Lord a human could have possibly defeated. I am curious as to what means you have used to achieve that."

Arjuna's words, mixed with slight cynicism, resulted in different responses from Homura and Izayoi.

Homura raised his head after hearing the name of the monster.

(......Three-Headed Dragon? 'Last Embryo'?)

The scene from his dream floated up in his mind.

The dragon that tore him to shreds and devoured him amongst the approaching blazing flames was also a three-headed dragon.

He pricked his ears to ascertain the relationship between the two, however, Izayoi's voice from the other end had completely erased his curiosity.

"...Hah. Of all things, you had to ask something so boorish. I shouldn't have expected much."

"What?"

"He was a Demon Lord that a human couldn't defeat? Stop bullshitting! Is there such a thing in this world? I thought you who was spoken in legends would understand that much... But yeah, I get it now. The Great Hero Arjuna was, after all, someone who triumphed by breaking an oath!"

Oathbreaker Hero───The moment he heard those words, Arjuna erupted with rage, the peaceful atmosphere in the room washing away like a tsunami pouring down on everyone present.

You instantly entered into battle mode, while Ayato immediately took out her linked sword and shielded Homura and Suzuka behind her. Even these two, who didn't have much battle power, were pressed down by Arjuna's boiling anger and their legs gave in.

This couldn't be compared to something like incurring your boss' wrath.

The intimidating air he now gave off made it clear just how unserious he was in the previous battle. If it was his current self, he could kill those Stymphalian Birds with just a glare.

Izayoi’s provocative statement was a forbidden trail he shouldn’t have tread with this calm young man.

"......You said something interesting there, Sakamaki Izayoi. If we weren't divided by worlds, I would have pulled the true meaning of those words from your mouth in exchange for your life."

"There's no other 'true meaning' to it. It's as literal as it can be, oh Great Oathbreaker Hero. That act which rose you up into the ranks of Kshatriya is considered the most despicable victory in the entire Little Garden."

"......Games and war are two separate things. If you can't even understand that..."

"No, that's wrong. Even if there are no rules on a battlefield, there definitely are in war. There are rules when competing for life! It's because justice is based on such rules that the losers can swallow the defeat along with the pain that follows. Obtaining a flawless victory, suffering an unquestionable defeat, without these, humans can't truly move on towards the future. Those rules exist to make that happen."

Conflict without any rules was no different from fights between animals..

Because they were humans, the primates, they had a path of duty they shouldn't stray from.

"After securing a victory by breaking an oath, what could you possibly say about Demon Lords? What can you even boast of? After causing the worst kind of outcome with your deceitful victory, you-...!!!"

"Izayoi. You are going too far."

You's calm voice interrupted Izayoi who had snapped beyond control.

While Arjuna trembled with rage, he clenched his fists and endured it with all he had.

It was a misfortune that they couldn't see each other's faces now. If it was the normal Izayoi, he would've held back a bit more. Or perhaps he would've spoken with fists instead of words.

Moreover, it was strange for Izayoi to condemn someone like this.

The heavy atmosphere made both ends of the call tense.

The first to speak was Arjuna inside the Spirit Train.

"......Sakamaki Izayoi. I understand your point now."

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it, Mr. Great Hero?"

"There's nothing to do about it. After all, what you said was the complete truth. I have certainly... Done something that makes me deserve to be called the Oathbreaker Hero."

Saying so, Arjuna headed out of the room with a self-deprecating smile on his face.

Seeing him off, Homura couldn't bear it and reproached Izayoi.

"Hey, Iza-nii. Why are you so angry?"

"Angry? Who, me?"

"You are definitely angry. Or at least irritated. I'm not really sure who he is, but he didn't seem to be that bad of a guy, you know?"

"You are right. Between good and evil, he is unquestionably a good guy. ......Ah, my bad, I really said too much. You guys are going to be fighting under the same Community from tomorrow on and here I went and thoughtlessly worsened the mood."

Izayoi apologized unusually obediently. In fact, Homura was more surprised about his apology.

Homura almost said that a devil succumbing to sunstroke was more realistic than Izayoi apologizing, but he held back.

"...Well, I'll leave dealing with that Arjuna fellow to Tokuteru. Rather than that, you have something to tell me right? Did you annihilate the organization in question by chance?"

"If that was the case, even I would be in a good mood. It seems that the situation has become more complicated than we originally thought──Uh, sorry. I want to move somewhere else before we continue this talk. Call me again after an hour."

Got it, Homura casually replied and ended the call.

The windy rain had started gaining strength with each passing moment.

Izayoi looked at the girl soundly asleep on the bed.

He lifted up the Albino he met at the forest and called out to Prith who was standing near the wall.

"Hey, Jiten-sama. Let's move somewhere else for the time. A landslide might happen here."

"That's fine with me... But, Izayoi. I've noticed something troubling."

"...Something troubling? More than this rain?"

"Depends on the situation. Please take a look at her chains once more. They have evidently been severed, right?"

Hm? Izayoi turned his head back and confirmed it.

"....Yeah, they've been cut. We've already discussed that earlier, didn't we?"

"Well, yes. But, just think about it, isn't it strange for the chains to be cut? This is the outer world we are in now, you know? Don't you find it strange that they haven't been ripped apart, but severed instead?"

When Prith pointed that out, Izayoi was taken aback. What she said was true.

This place was not Little Garden.

If there was a confrontation between organizations, it should've been a modern battle mainly with guns. If the chains were destroyed in the height of such battle, it made no sense for them to have been severed when she escaped.

On the contrary, this would've been quite natural if it happened in Little Garden...

"......Tsk, this is bad. We might've been beaten to the punch by someone from Little Garden."

"That's how it turns out. Even if we do find the facility, I don't think we'll discover anything in it. We were a step too late."

"That said, even if it was an assassin from Little Garden, just where did he come from?"

"I have no idea. Maybe he was from Sun Kings 'Avatara' or Demon Lord Alliance 'Ouroboros'... Or perhaps some other participants. ......Either way, we have no other leads anymore aside from what this girl has to say. So now we have a reason to prioritize her aid, right?"

Prith moved away from the girl and winked as she took out a black card from her wallet.

Her smile contained traces of sarcasm towards Izayoi.

He would've preferred to pay that back a hundredfold, but this was no time for that.

He put the girl on his back and started walking towards the building's entrance with a light shrug.

"Stop saying stupid things and let's go. Unless you are saying that you want to get caught up in a landslide."

"What are you saying. I'm a mother goddess. Do you really think I would choose a place where a landslide would happen? Of course, if you still want to move somewhere, let's go with some high-class hotel in Rio!"

"You 'Twelve Devas' are really materialistic. But what should we do about her visa?"

"No problems there. With the way things currently are, even 'Everything Company' will readily shelter her. They will get the information and provide her with a───wait, before that, we seem to have a guest."

The calm atmosphere suddenly vanished from the two like a mist.

There was a presence approaching them, as if cutting through the dreary sounds of the rain. A gaze mixed with both hostility and killing intent was directed at them like a sharp blade from outside of the building.

Since they didn't attack right away, there could've been a chance for discussion, however, with such a hostile intent coming from them, there was obviously no use to talking.

Izayoi and Prith sensed the opponent waiting outside practically at the same time and clicked their tongues.

"...They seem strong. Someone you know?"

"Their presence is close to us Divine Spirits, but I'm not sure. It should be physically impossible for any more Divine Spirits to appear in the outer world. Three of the Twelve Devas descended for that very reason, but..."

"But Tokuteru is back in Little Garden now isn't he? Doesn't that mean there are just two genuine gods left here?"

───Ah! Prith raised her voice.

"S-So that's how it is! That guy returned to Little Garden without even having someone from Twelve Devas take over for him!?"

"As expected of our Mr. President! The infamous Indra known for 'when he makes a move, he always does needless things'! Thanks to that, we've been fucking had!"

"You said it! Let's deduce whatever they cut off of our remuneration for this job directly from his salary!"

"And don't forget the hotel expenses!"

The two nodded in strong agreement.

According to Prith, it was only possible for three Divine Spirits to descend in a single world at the same time.

The Heavenly Army had summoned the Divine Spirits in order to steal those three seats in advance. Those Divine Spirits who couldn't grab a spot needed to send in a god's avatar instead, like how it was with Uesugi.

It was quite possible they had seen through Tokuteru returning to Little Garden back at the time of 'The Labyrinth of Minotaur'. It could be presumed that it was a perfectly planned offence.

Hearing about the situation, Izayoi sighed from vexation.

"It is hard to please both worlds I guess...Oh well, can't be helped. I'll leave this snow white to you. I'll play with that enemy."

"You sure you don't need my help?"

"Yup, leave it to me. I need the workout anyway. If the opponent is a Divine Spirit level, that's all the better. Time to have my long-awaited entertainment."

Izayoi passed the Albino to her and headed outside while waving his hand. Prith followed a step behind.

(Now then. Who would be waiting for us outside? Let's look forward to it.)

Thus, Izayoi left the building and proceeded to where the enemy waited.

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