— — — — — —
Did he, Indra, look blind to them?
These two brats were exchanging looks and passing silent signals behind his back, secretly making some kind of deal. Did they really think he hadn't noticed?
He might not know exactly what they'd traded, but one thing was certain: the one who leaked his whereabouts to that unfilial daughter of his had to be this punk, Ryo Yagami.
In this world, how could there be such a coincidence? He had only just arrived, and Asura was already lying in ambush. And they expected him to believe nothing was going on?
You little bastard. How can your heart be that black? I even played middleman for you, running around dealing with the Buddhist faction. And what do I get in return? You stab me in the back the first chance you get?
Indra's face darkened as he stared at Ryo, looking very much like he wanted to strangle him on the spot.
Ryo, however, completely ignored the glare. Pretending not to see it, he even comforted him. "Relax. No one will ever find out about this. As long as we keep quiet, you'll still be seen as a perfectly normal man."
Damn it. This guy really had no shame.
Seeing Ryo still twisting the knife in his heart at a time like this, Indra's face went even darker. He pointed around them and snapped, "You say no one will know? Are you sure? What about this whole crowd of bastards here? They're not people?"
"Right." Ryo nodded seriously. "They're not people."
Then he turned his head and looked at Uesugi Kenshin. "Are you human?"
'Wait… is he insulting me?'
Kenshin froze for a moment, then quickly realized what he meant and shook her head. "No."
She was a born divine being. The spirit rank granted by the Little Garden's central authority proved it.
Ryo turned to the other side and looked at the stiff, awkward-looking Dipankara.
"And you? Are you human?"
"This humble monk… is a buddha," Dipankara replied hurriedly, frightened by the threatening look Ryo gave him.
"Hm?" Indra shot him a vicious glare.
Dipankara immediately changed his answer. "A human!"
Ryo looked at him again, "Uhh… No, wait. I mean, I used to be human."
Indra glared again.
Dipankara went silent for a moment. Then, with a tearful expression, he said, "You might as well just kill this humble monk."
"Why would we kill you?" Ryo rolled his eyes. Then he glanced up at the sky and said, "See? There aren't any humans here, right?"
High above, the ancient old monsters who had snuck over to watch the show barely held back their laughter as they replied.
"Nope, none here. I'm a dragon."
"What a coincidence. I'm a ghost-god. Not human either."
"This one's a god. Also not human."
"Woof! I'm a dog! Definitely not human!"
"..."
Ryo listened, nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Indra with a grin.
"See? No one knows."
Indra stared at him blankly… then slowly raised his hand and gave Ryo the middle finger.
To hell with you!
Kid, you really aren't human!
No human could be this shameless!
Being glared at like that made Ryo—who considered himself rather thin-skinned—feel a little guilty.
"Indra, family matters aren't really something an outsider like me should get involved in."
"How about we talk business instead?"
'Now you're calling yourself an outsider? '
Indra's eyelid twitched violently.
Before he could respond, Dipankara—who had been dying to escape this situation—quickly chimed in. "I think friend Ryo makes a very good point."
"Shut up! This has nothing to do with you!"
Indra roared without even turning around.
Dipankara's eyebrows twitched wildly with anger.
So they were really just bullying him now?
Unfortunately… he couldn't beat them.
Then suddenly, Dipankara's ear twitched.
The people backing him seemed to be getting impatient.
Sure, Ryo knew Algol's whereabouts—but that didn't mean those whereabouts couldn't change.
What if Indra's nonsense delayed things and Algol slipped away?
With the powerful figures of the Buddhist faction supporting him, Dipankara finally mustered some courage. Straightening his face, he addressed Indra.
"Your Majesty, the Deva King. The intelligence my friend Ryo mentioned concerns an important matter for us. I ask for your understanding."
"Damn it, those bastards are also watching the show."
Indra cursed under his breath, clearly directing the insult at the people behind Dipankara.
If it weren't for those idiots stirring trouble, would he be losing face like this?
"When it's time for the transaction, tell Kenshin to handle it. Let her act as guarantor."
With a dark expression, Indra finished speaking, shot Asura a glare, and vanished.
He needed to go back and treat his injuries. More importantly, if he stayed here any longer, he might actually lose control and start hitting people.
These damn kids had gotten completely out of hand.
"Hmph."
Asura snorted and looked like she wanted to chase after him to mock him further, but Uesugi Kenshin grabbed her arm.
Good grief. Indra had already swallowed his pride and left, and you still want to rub salt in the wound? Did you think he had no temper at all?
…Well, toward you, he actually didn't.
Kenshin shrugged and held Asura back.
This kind of family dispute was as far as she could get involved.
"Friend Ryo… could we speak privately?"
Dipankara gestured politely.
Ryo nodded.
The two of them left Arcadia City and walked into the suburban forest nearby, along a tributary of the Tritonis Falls.
Standing beside the river, Dipankara's ear twitched slightly. After silently communicating with someone for a moment, he turned back to Ryo.
"Regarding the Limit-Authority… my grandmaster has already placed an order with Thousand Eyes."
"The type is the 'Destruction' Authority. Even among combat-type Authorities, it ranks in the top ten."
"Once the delivery is confirmed, we hope friend Ryo will reveal the demon star's location."
"Destruction?" Ryo raised his eyebrows.
Among the Authorities he'd requested, that one was the best.
It represented the full manifestation of a Cosmo trait.
Of course, something like a "Shatter" Authority would fit better—but no one refused a superior power.
"You've put some thought into this," he said.
"My grandmaster merely hopes to build a good relationship," Dipankara replied with a flattering smile.
If Ryo hadn't been so strong—and backed by such powerful forces—they would've preferred to offer something cheaper.
But when his grandmaster went to Thousand Eyes to purchase the Limit-Authority, the person in charge had said only the Destruction Authority was left.
And in the lower layers of Little Garden, the official in charge of transactions was Shiroyasha.
If she said only Destruction was available, then only Destruction was available.
A forced sale like that—what could you do about it?
The Buddhist certainly didn't want to offend Thousand Eyes, a transcendent power with three two-digit figures under its command.
Ryo and Dipankara chatted casually by the river for a while.
About ten minutes later, Dipankara's expression relaxed. He let out a long breath.
"The Authority has been delivered according to the agreement. Shouldn't you, my friend, provide the intelligence now?"
Ryo's eyes flickered for a moment. Then he smiled. "Of course."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"The target should currently be in the City of Pleasure, in Outer Gate 1028. It seems she's planning to contact a few people."
Dipankara's ears twitched again. A delighted expression spread across his face.
The great figures of the Buddhist sect had already confirmed it through divination.
The information was accurate.
Algol was hiding in the City of Pleasure.
.
.
.