Little Garden 101-105

Title: A Sigh Carrying Infinite Sorrow

“…”

Shiroyasha was at a loss for words. She seemed to have forgotten the feelings she had when she was the lawless White Night Demon Lord.

She seemed to have lost that pride.

“So, listen to me carefully, Shiroyasha!”

Facing an enraged Aslan, Shiroyasha instantly became meek, nodding slowly.

Aslan also calmed himself and prepared to pull his hand back. But it seemed the quality of this yukata wasn’t great.

As he tugged slightly, the last piece of fabric hanging around her neck tore.

Instantly, the only cloth left on Shiroyasha’s body fell to the floor.

The heart must remain calm, even if the sky collapses!

Right now, he had to stay calm. If he didn’t want to be beaten to death by a Shiroyasha who would later come to her senses, he couldn’t show any weakness!

Not at all!

But honestly, Shiroyasha’s onee-san form was… remarkable.

Especially the Shiroyasha now, showing sadness and vulnerability, compared to the usual White Night Demon Lord who was arrogant, valiant, and fiercely unyielding even against gods.

The Shiroyasha before him gave Aslan a more real, more human feeling.

This Shiroyasha was still a Problem Child, just on the verge of outgrowing her chuunibyou phase.

But the more she was like this, the more Aslan had to control his “lower head” and let his “upper head” take charge.

Fortunately, Aslan managed to make his “lower head” know who its “father” was.

But was Shiroyasha just as calm?

To find out, one only needed to look at the flush of red that had appeared on her face at some point.

Shiroyasha admitted she was a pervert and often went to the entertainment district to flirt with beautiful girls.

But she always played “clean,” at most getting close to pretty girls.

At most, she’d hold hands, stroke thighs, play telepathy, and the like.

Being openly exposed to someone outside a public bath—Aslan was her first.

Especially with a man.

One was fighting to save his life and his “lower head,” the other to preserve her dignity.

The atmosphere grew awkward and strange.

Then, in this odd situation, Aslan laid out his plan.

Namely, to divert Absolute Evil with All the World’s Evils, reducing the merit gained by Azi Dahaka.

To suppress the growth rate of his Spirit Status, then find a way to deal with him.

Overall, the first step was to buy time.

“But if that’s the case, what if Absolute Evil breaks free from its seal? That won’t hold for long either,” Shiroyasha asked curiously. When it came to Little Garden, she had to use all her brainpower and energy.

“Good question. What if Absolute Evil is no longer Absolute Evil?”

“Find a way to demote Azi Dahaka from the position of Absolute Evil and find a more suitable Last Trial of Mankind to replace it.”

“That way, Azi Dahaka will no longer be Absolute Evil or a Last Trial of Mankind.”

“As for the other Last Trial of Mankind, we can surpass it before it grows.”

Shiroyasha was speechless. After all, Aslan had already planned everything.

For a moment, she felt a bit grateful. She was lucky to have made Aslan her subordinate.

Otherwise, what would happen to Little Garden if those old entities wrecked it?

After hearing the entire plan, Shiroyasha finally relaxed, retracted her power, sealed herself back into her petite girl form, and put her clothes back on.

As for Aslan, he regretfully and discreetly averted his gaze.

But his small movement didn’t escape Shiroyasha’s notice. She only snorted coldly.

This time, for the sake of Aslan’s great merit, she wouldn’t make an issue of it for now—consider it a reward from her, as his boss, to Aslan.

“So, this is what you want from me?”

At some point, a sigh carrying infinite sorrow echoed, reaching Aslan and Shiroyasha’s ears.

A woman with a full figure and tears of sadness at the corners of her eyes, her face unrecognizable, appeared beside Aslan and Shiroyasha.

With Aslan acting as a catalyst, All the World’s Evils Angra Mainyu descended into Amano-Iwato.

Shiroyasha recognized the other party from that familiar voice and infinite sorrow.

Aslan breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, the other party had been lured out.

His plan seemed solid on the surface, but it was actually full of holes, only enough to fool Shiroyasha.

All his plans hinged on the Mother of Evil Gods’ willingness to cooperate.

Now that the Mother of Evil Gods had appeared, it meant she was definitely willing to cooperate.

“Yes, after all, Little Garden can’t escape anymore.”

“Little Garden doesn’t have the next Mother of Evil Gods.”

Dystopia relied on altering history to reduce its birth probability to zero.

But reducing Dystopia’s probability to zero didn’t mean the deviation disappeared. In fact, the deviation in Human History grew even larger.

On the contrary, if the Mother of Evil Gods hadn’t intervened back then, Absolute Evil would have emerged the moment Dystopia vanished.

Not Azi Dahaka, but as Aslan said, an Absolute Evil that was more extreme, more absolute, more ruthless, and flawless.

The destruction caused by such an Absolute Evil would be far worse than Dystopia’s.

And the price the Mother of Evil Gods paid was losing everything. Now, only her consciousness remained, sleeping in some unknown place.

Within the scope of Human History, the moment the Mother of Evil Gods appeared, the Two-Digit Winds of Decadence would act.

The cost of intervening in the birth of a Last Trial of Mankind, especially one as critical as Absolute Evil, was unimaginable.

“Ah~”

Another sigh carrying infinite sorrow echoed. The Mother of Evil Gods nodded slightly.

“I’ll cooperate with your plan, but this is all I can do.”

“Oh, and the issue of him (Angra Mainyu) facing the Winds of Decadence the moment he appears—I’ll handle that too.”

Then, the woman filled with tenderness and infinite sorrow prepared to vanish again.

“By the way, Mother of Evil Gods, don’t you think your way of guiding Human History forward is a bit outdated?”

Aslan didn’t want the easy-to-talk-to Mother of Evil Gods to leave so soon. He had to throw out a big promise to keep her.

Leaving contact information would be nice too.

As he spoke, Aslan shared information about the Counter Force and the Type-Moon world with the Mother of Evil Gods and Shiroyasha.

Though the Counter Force was quite foolish, that issue could be resolved.

But it couldn’t be denied that the Counter Force played a crucial role in advancing history.

-

Title: Little Garden is the True Dystopia

“That’s absolutely impossible.”

The Mother of Evil Gods fell silent for a moment before speaking.

No one understood the situation of these gods and buddhas better than she did. In the dawn era, even in Little Garden’s early days, there had still been a chance for a Human Counter Force to emerge.

But now, with 17 Full-Authority Domains (Two-Digit) and countless other Almighty Domains (Three-Digit), Plus a vast number of Four-Digit-level gods and buddhas, they would never allow such an existence as the Human Counter Force. Even if there were the slightest possibility of its emergence, they would instantly extinguish it.

Little Garden had already grown to a scale that could no longer be stopped.

“Perfect!”

Aslan waved his hand confidently.

After all, the worst-case scenario was that this Little Garden would completely collapse—and Project Second Little Garden would begin!

Somehow, he’d been appointed by Little Garden’s Central Core as Chief Designer for the Second Little Garden.

Though he himself didn’t yet know what kind of Little Garden he was supposed to build.

“Is it harder than when you founded Little Garden back then?”

Aslan countered, feeling quite justified. The worst outcome? Starting Second Little Garden.

“You must realize one truth, right?”

“That no matter what, humanity is doomed to destruction. No matter how hard they struggle, humanity will inevitably fall.”

This was the true source of the Mother of Evil Gods’ sorrow—just as the essence of the Beasts was human love.

As the Mother of Evil Gods, incarnation of Human Evil across multiverses, she loved all humans deeply, cherished every individual.

She was the being who least desired humanity’s destruction.

The Winds of Decadence swirling at history’s end were the best proof.

“Destruction is an unavoidable fate for mankind, like death—inescapable.”

“But we can delay it, not let it come sooner.”

“The Demon Lord Dystopia is dead, but the true Dystopia still exists.”

The true Dystopia wasn’t the so-called Last Trial of Mankind—The Closed-Off World—Dystopia.

It was this Little Garden—appearing beautiful, yet possessing a rigid hierarchy, “draining blood” from Human History across countless worlds. Once envisioned as a utopia.

Little Garden? A world in a box, originally founded with the beautiful vision of guiding humanity forward.

The founders of Little Garden had initially built it with noble dreams of helping humanity progress.

Yet, just like how utopias often end up becoming anti-utopias, Little Garden eventually took a wrong turn.

Or rather, Little Garden’s path had been flawed from the beginning.

Uniting Human Histories from countless worlds and letting gods and buddhas dictate their direction?

But one thing must be understood: the simpler something is, the simpler its ecosystem, the easier it collapses.

Human History, diverse and chaotic, might have many troublemakers—but it would also produce many who advanced rapidly.

Just as gods and buddhas increasingly couldn’t interfere in general Human History, humanity no longer needed their guidance.

They would find their own way. Little Garden should return the right to choose Human History’s direction back to humanity itself.

Now, even if Human History destroyed itself and took Little Garden down with it—there was no other way.

After all, if Little Garden fell, the gods and buddhas could just build another tool—more “scientific and professional,” right?

Within Little Garden, perhaps no one saw this more clearly than her—except Gaia and a handful of idealists.

This small Little Garden, once an Eden created to help humanity through difficult times, had now become a Dystopia restricting humanity’s future.

Thus, humanity was doomed to destruction—doomed to repeat it endlessly.

The Little Garden rebuilt by the gods and buddhas would no longer grant humanity the fighting chance called the Last Trial of Mankind.

“So, what’s your idea?”

“Anyway, I’m gone. It’s up to you young ones to handle it.”

The Mother of Evil Gods spoke with slight cheerfulness. In a future once filled with despair, she suddenly saw a faint glimmer of light called hope.

Unfortunately, her beloved child, Azi Dahaka, hadn’t yet understood this.

But that was alright. She had finally seen hope.

After all, this was already the worst possible ending. How much worse could it get?

Even dealing with the consequences of the Third Star Particle alone had exhausted them physically and mentally—let alone Little Garden, the true Dystopia.

“Anyway, I’m already dead. You may use all my legacy as you wish.”

The Mother of Evil Gods was dead. Most of her legacy—the heritage of Zoroastrianism—had been left to Azi Dahaka.

Now, the only help she could give Aslan was her divinity, worn thin and nearly vanished.

“This is the greatest help I can offer.”

Through unknown means, the Mother of Evil Gods transferred her fading divinity.

“As long as this divinity is truly destroyed, the Winds of Decadence will stop pursuing it.”

But she would die completely, along with her remaining consciousness.

Aslan’s Angra Mainyu would gain her original divinity—the name of an innocent person forcibly branded as the Mother of Evil Gods.

As for the issue of Absolute Evil’s merit, she had already handled it. At least, the merit from world destruction caused by viruses and biohazards would no longer flow to Azi Dahaka.

“Got it.”

Aslan gave a slight nod, then created a Magic: The Gathering card to store the divinity.

He gained one Mother of Evil Gods.

Though it was a heavily damaged Mother of Evil Gods, retaining only her consciousness.

As for the final destruction of her divinity—it didn’t matter. From Aslan’s research, Magic: The Gathering’s Creature Cards bore similarities to divinity.

Magic: The Gathering cards could indeed replace divinity—to house consciousness and revive others—and Aslan could strengthen the cards themselves.

It didn’t matter if the divinity vanished, as long as the consciousness remained.

With Shiroyasha—whose lack compared to Aslan wasn’t combat power, but rather, a “wise old woman” once a chess master with vast knowledge—Now, he gained a “wise old woman” who’d always stay by his side.

“You damn brat…”

Shiroyasha finally sighed. She still wanted to ask Aslan where he got secret information even she didn’t know.

Was Aslan a chess piece placed beside her by some entity?

But did it matter? With the information Aslan had just revealed, if he truly wanted to trap her, he surely would’ve succeeded.

Had Aslan hesitated even slightly, perhaps all fourteen of her Sun Authorities really would have become his. In this world, nothing was truly impossible.

-

Title: Definitely Didn’t Choose the Wrong Boss

After all, Shiroyasha only needed to know that Aslan wouldn’t hurt her, wouldn’t stab her in the back, and genuinely cared about Little Garden.

Too many twists and turns—her brain just couldn’t keep up.

Shiroyasha was only good at punching people with fists weighing as much as an entire universe.

“Oh yeah, Boss, after discussing all these big things, there’s one small matter I should mention first.”

Aslan hadn’t forgotten about his business with Halloween Queen. Right now, she might still be waiting for him to return.

But he had to go see Halloween Queen to complete his Spark.

It was extremely important—heavily tied to his own future.

“What is it? Just do whatever you want.”

Shiroyasha waved her hand casually. After all, this issue couldn’t possibly be bigger than Little Garden approaching its End, right?

“Just remember—I’m here to support you.”

After witnessing Aslan’s abilities—even a dead Mother of Evil Gods could be “revived” by him—Although saving Little Garden from crisis wasn’t that simple, at least now she understood the situation and knew how to act.

For her, since she couldn’t do anything, better to just become a mascot.

Leave everything to Aslan.

“Alright then, I’ll just say it straight, Boss.”

Aslan actually felt slightly awkward. After all, seen from a narrow perspective, this matter could be considered a student exchange program—but from a broader view, it was betrayal.

“How should I put it... Halloween Queen forcibly implanted Arthur’s Divinity into me, hidden within that Boundary Gate discount card.”

“Then, when I tried to cut away Arthur’s Divinity, Halloween Queen left a message inside it, saying she could help me complete my Spark—my Gift.”

“This is extremely important to me. Even if she’s lying, I have to investigate it.”

But upon hearing the words “Halloween Queen”, Shiroyasha instantly changed expressions.

From relaxed and confident, she became furious.

What the hell? Her newly recruited subordinate was already being targeted by someone else?

And under the guise of helping his growth? Wasn’t this making her, as a boss, look incompetent?

“No, I don’t agree...”

Yet Shiroyasha could only stop herself mid-sentence. After all, she had no reason to stop him. Though she saw herself as Aslan’s boss and Main God, for some reason, Shiroyasha felt like she wasn’t playing a significant role.

Whether in Aslan’s growth, helping buy Leticia, or even critical issues concerning Little Garden, she’d only given Aslan one Divinity and a bit of Sun Star Spirit body structure.

As for the flaws in Aslan’s Gift? Shiroyasha hadn’t noticed them at all.

In her eyes, Aslan was perfectly healthy, his Divinity complete, and his Gift—Magic: The Gathering Cards—was incredibly strong, already top-tier.

“No, I’ll personally confront that damn Halloween witch and ask what’s wrong with your body!”

Shiroyasha rejected Aslan’s idea. She decided to seek out Halloween Queen herself.

While searching, she’d see if she could trade for benefits—gain information about Aslan’s physical condition and its solution.

At worst, she’d only need to give up one Sun Authority and lose a little face.

In Shiroyasha’s heart, Aslan’s importance now far outweighed a single Sun Authority.

Both emotionally and rationally, Shiroyasha didn’t want anything bad to happen to Aslan.

“Calm down, Boss. Actually, I’ve got a good item to trade.”

As he spoke, Aslan pulled out a magnificent sword—Excalibur, or the Holy Sword of the Star.

“I obtained this from the previous world—the Holy Sword of the Star, King Arthur’s signature blade.”

“So Boss, trust me. Only if it truly fails will you step in.”

Shiroyasha nodded, her eyes instantly softening as she looked at him. She gave him a thumbs-up.

“Truly my man. Your preparations are thorough.”

Considering how vital Avalon was to Halloween Queen, this sword could even reverse the situation and give Aslan a huge advantage in negotiations.

Afterward, Shiroyasha and Aslan discussed in detail various information about Halloween Queen and her personality.

Even Shiroyasha optimistically believed she could gain an edge over Halloween Queen.

“Alright then, come on—I’ll treat you to the Thousand Eyes hot spring.”

Clapping her hands, Shiroyasha opened the Boundary Gate connecting Amano-Iwato to the interior of Thousand Eyes, letting Aslan—who had changed clothes—step out.

The moment he emerged, Aslan knew he definitely hadn’t chosen the wrong boss.

Shiroyasha had truly delivered this “benefit.”

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

“Hm? Where’s perverted Shiroyasha? Why hasn’t she made any noise for so long?”

Leaning lazily against a rock, tying her hair high, Karyou—who had submerged her entire body in water—asked curiously.

She’d been the loudest earlier; why couldn’t she hear Shiroyasha’s voice now?

“Who knows? Maybe something came up?”

Leticia, her cheeks flushed, had removed the black ribbon binding her body and returned to her onee-san form. Now lying by the hot spring’s edge, she enjoyed a back scrub from Lily.

“Shiroyasha’s a Floor Master. She manages the entire lower layer. It’s natural she’d have many duties.”

“But a spiritual bath this nice might not be available again next time.”

“I really don’t know where Lord Shiroyasha got this Jade Spring water.”

Jade Spring—a legendary spring where every drop was said to nurture all life and make it shine.

In Little Garden, it was a rare spiritual spring hard to find. Though it lacked healing effects, it was highly effective for skin beauty and removing scars.

Goddesses in Little Garden often bought it out entirely. Shiroyasha probably acquired it at a great price.

Only knowledgeable individuals like Karyou and Leticia recognized it, having enjoyed it several times before.

Meanwhile, Kurousagi, no longer harassed by Shiroyasha, finally relaxed and enjoyed the bath alongside Saeko and Shizuka.

But every time Kurousagi glanced at the “hearts” on Saeko and Shizuka’s chests, she felt frustrated.

Why were theirs so big? Were people from their world abnormal? Or was she underdeveloped?

She knew Shiroyasha always sought her out first. But this time, Shiroyasha was interested in those two “useless fat lumps” instead!

So where did Kurousagi suddenly develop such a strange competitive spirit?

Truthfully, she just felt slightly uneasy because Shiroyasha didn’t immediately bother her.

But Kurousagi grew increasingly irritated. Glaring at Shizuka, she stomped angrily forward and leapt directly at Shizuka’s “heart.”

Shizuka found Kurousagi’s actions odd.

“What’s wrong, Kurousagi?”

“Nothing.”

Kurousagi squatted beside her, looking frustrated, slipping into autistic mode. This couldn’t be real… yet it was.

Wasn’t this body cheating? And not sagging?

“Failure. In the part I’m most proud of, this perfect Moon Rabbit has failed.”

“Wait, why am I feeling autistic over this?”

For some reason, Kurousagi felt she was no longer pure!

“This is all Lord Shiroyasha’s fault! He made Kurousagi weird!”

“Kurousagi is no longer a pure rabbit.”

“Huh? Why aren’t you coming in?”

As Aslan suppressed his presence and lowered his aura, watching a group of beautiful girls play in the hot spring,

Shiroyasha’s voice suddenly rang out behind him, shattering the harmonious, affectionate atmosphere.

At that moment, all the girls realized Shiroyasha had returned—and seemingly not alone.

Feeling five murderous gazes, Aslan broke into cold sweat instantly.

“Pervert!”

“Bastard!”

“Master, I never taught you to be like this!”

“Die!”

“Aaaa!”

Alongside the screams came four different attacks: lightning, fire, a sword slash, and dark shadows!

“Switch!”

Aslan silently swapped places with Shiroyasha. By the time Shiroyasha realized, several attacks had already struck her face.

(Boss, time for you to hold back their fury!)

Aslan thought without guilt. Wasn’t this Shiroyasha’s fault?

Though he had thoroughly enjoyed the view.

Shiroyasha, hit by all the attacks and now dirty, realized she must’ve opened the wrong door.

She meant to open the men’s bath, but out of habit, she’d opened the women’s bath instead.

(Damn brat, he really took full advantage.)

Seeing the girls realize they’d hit the wrong target, Aslan prepared to flee.

(Sorry, Boss Shiroyasha, I’m truly not as strong as you and can’t endure their wrath.)

“Where do you think you’re hiding?”

Shiroyasha’s cold voice, like a darkened sun, echoed in Aslan’s ears. Her hand had somehow already landed on his shoulder.

“Face your consequences. Don’t drag me into this!”

Then Shiroyasha kicked Aslan straight toward Kurousagi.

Aslan’s face slammed directly into Kurousagi’s chest.

Kurousagi nearly got accused of murder.

But the next second, as Aslan regained consciousness, what he saw was Kurousagi—her hair somehow turned pink.

“Divinity Simulation—Vajra!”

Instantly, endless lightning erupted from the Vajra’s tip. Aslan suffered the worst shock.

“Hey! Kurousagi, we’re still in water!”

“Ah. Sorry.”

Kurousagi instinctively apologized, but then noticed Aslan had vanished.

“Huh? Where did Master Aslan go?”

As for Aslan, of course he hadn’t fainted and drowned… impossible!

He was hiding underwater, preparing to sneak away.

He didn’t want to drown in a hot spring.

But he was grateful. The hot spring was foggy, and the water below seemed to block vision. Aslan couldn’t see others, and others couldn’t see him.

Why didn’t he use Spatial Divinity? Well, when Shiroyasha kicked him, she’d deliberately sealed all Boundary-related abilities here.

To prevent incidents like this from happening again.

As Aslan crouched low, hiding underwater, ready to slip away,

“Huh? Why is this rock so soft?”

“Soft?”

Karyou’s cold laughter surfaced from above. Instantly, Aslan’s smile vanished.

Oh no~ Escape plan failed.

“Err, can you not hit my face?”

“What do you think?”

“Ouch!!!”

And the other girls, hearing the commotion, came to join in.

Even naive Shizuka didn’t forget to stomp on the already “corpse-like” Aslan.

Though Aslan hadn’t meant to, he quickly apologized.

-

Title: What’s a Planeswalker? Clearly a Mini Creation God

“Hey, you dead yet? If not, make a sound.”

Shiroyasha squatted on the ground with an amused expression, poking Aslan, who wasn’t even breathing.

Kurousagi and the others had already left. After all, they didn’t want to soak in the hot spring with a “corpse.”

Normally, Aslan would only have to endure disdainful looks for a few days, and the matter would be settled.

But who told Aslan to use her as a shield?

As his boss, Shiroyasha naturally had to teach Aslan a good lesson.

Though she still felt this kid came out ahead.

After confirming that Kurousagi and the others were truly gone, Aslan finally rolled over.

He opened his mouth and exhaled a puff of black smoke.

“Not dead, but I think I was pretty close to it.”

“They really didn’t hold back.”

Aslan rolled into the hot spring, letting the Jade Spring water wash over his skin, charred from lightning and fire.

Aslan only grumbled. Though they were angry and embarrassed, they still held back, even if their attacks looked ferocious.

Still, it hurt a bit.

“You’re lucky and still complaining, huh.”

Shiroyasha rolled her eyes. Today, they’d really given Aslan quite the advantage.

“Oh, by the way, what did you do in that world? Tell me the details.”

Shiroyasha wrapped herself in a long towel, sat beside Aslan, and asked curiously.

While grabbing a few bottles of alcohol and placing them on a tray, she started drinking with Aslan.

“Didn’t do much. Just participated in the Holy Grail War as a Heroic Spirit. Pretty interesting.”

The Holy Grail was still sitting in the middle of the Matou residence.

As for granting wishes? At least they didn’t have any wishes for the Holy Grail to fulfill.

Might as well keep it as a decoration and souvenir.

Then Aslan recounted his experiences over those few days.

Shiroyasha fell silent for a long time, staring at him, then glancing at the door.

“Your experiences are really ‘rich’.”

“Be careful. I don’t want to hear one day that you’ve been dismembered.”

Aslan thought of Sakura, Manaka, Karyou, Kurousagi, Saeko, Shizuka, and Leticia.

“It… shouldn’t come to that, right?”

The last few were fine, but the first two made him sweat a little.

Aslan seemed to understand what kind of “surprise gift” Manaka had prepared for him.

No wonder she left Draco behind.

Algol should be able to stop Manaka from doing anything crazy, right?

It should…

Aslan grew a bit uncertain.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Afterward, he continued enjoying the hot spring with Shiroyasha.

Aslan also returned to No Name. By now, No Name had changed significantly thanks to the funds he’d provided.

At the very least, the place was no longer as barren as before. Many abandoned buildings had been repaired.

The infertile land had been revitalized, and young vegetables were already planted.

At the very least, the standard of living, under the influence of various Gifts, was no less than that of a modern society—perhaps even better.

The only regret was that, throughout the entire community, only the children still greeted him.

Actually, Saeko and Shizuka still acknowledged him.

As for Karyou, she didn’t give him a single smile.

“I’m telling you, Karyou, isn’t this a bit much? It was just—”

“You still dare to bring it up! This time, I really can’t get married!”

Karyou was furious just looking at him. Though she couldn’t accept Aslan’s playboy nature.

Fine… she really couldn’t accept it.

Aslan could have his fun outside, and she could ignore it. But this was practically in front of her eyes—how could she not be angry?

Back at the hot spring, Karyou had been the fiercest.

There were so many outsiders there!

She was the proud Great Roc! In other words, she still had her pride!

“Hmph!”

Karyou didn’t give Aslan a chance to defend himself and turned to leave.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

In the southern region, the Three-Digit layer, within a European-style courtyard.

Scathach returned to a courtyard covered only by thin curtains.

She walked across the pristine white marble floor. Around her were flower beds filled with seasonal blooms.

Within the flower beds, pairs of beastly eyes flickered.

Those were the gazes of terrifying monsters hiding in the flower bed’s world.

“No matter how used to it I am, these gazes still feel unsettling.”

Scathach sighed and stepped forward.

Before her, at the center of the flower beds, was a gazebo.

Beside the stone table in the gazebo sat the Halloween Queen.

The Halloween Queen was sipping red tea with a bored expression.

Glancing at Scathach, she set down the half-drunk cup of red tea.

Scathach, dressed in butler attire, approached the stone table gracefully, lifted the teapot, and poured more red tea for the Halloween Queen.

On the stone table were snacks like matcha mousse, donuts, and slices of honeydew melon.

The Halloween Queen stabbed a piece of honeydew with a silver fork and asked boredly.

“Have you fetched the person?”

Scathach fell silent, not answering. This was a disgrace, her first failure since becoming the Halloween Queen’s butler, servant, knight, and head attendant.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, I failed to retrieve Aslan.”

Long before Aslan left, the Halloween Queen had tasked her with making Aslan her disciple.

She had to do this before Aslan returned to Little Garden and met Shiroyasha, ensuring Shiroyasha remained unaware.

Intercepting Aslan before he returned to Little Garden should’ve been an easy task for her.

But somehow, Aslan had slipped through her surveillance and returned to Little Garden undetected.

Scathach’s mission had failed.

She was now here to receive her punishment.

“Interesting.”

The Halloween Queen smiled, unbothered by Scathach’s failure.

It wasn’t beyond her expectations.

“Please, Your Majesty, deliver my punishment.”

Seeing the Halloween Queen show no intent to punish her, Scathach grew a bit anxious.

After all, if she made a mistake and the Halloween Queen didn’t punish her immediately, congratulations—she’d become the Queen’s new source of entertainment.

Scathach absolutely didn’t want to be the Halloween Queen’s new toy. Though nothing bad would happen, it would definitely be uncomfortable.

“I don’t blame you. It’s only natural you couldn’t stop a young Creation God.”

The Halloween Queen said casually. It had taken her a long time to confirm Aslan’s identity.

Aslan, a Planeswalker? Clearly a mini Creation God.

“A young Creation God? What do you mean?”

Scathach looked at the Halloween Queen in confusion. A young Creation God?

In Little Garden, only gods and Buddhas bore the title of creators, but she’d never heard of a god with the immense power to create a world.

Creating a few secret spaces the size of Earth or a solar system was easy for her.

Even creating a world that could sustain itself temporarily wasn’t difficult.

But such worlds would collapse quickly without energy.

Creating a world that could function indefinitely without external energy?

She couldn’t do it. Even Two-Digit entities might not be capable of it.

Currently, the closest thing to a complete world in Little Garden was Another Cosmology, but that was just a blueprint.

Scathach had never heard of anyone actually creating a world.

The only records in Little Garden might be of Pangu splitting the heavens or rumors of the World Dragon creating a universe.

Beyond that, Scathach knew nothing.

“Look at this.”

As she spoke, the Halloween Queen pushed a Magic: The Gathering card with a Planeswalker symbol toward Scathach.

This was a disposable storage card sold by Aslan, now the best-selling storage Gift in Little Garden.

“What’s this? It’s not an ordinary storage Gift.”

Scathach asked, puzzled. Looking at the Magic: The Gathering card, she couldn’t make sense of it.

“I saw the Boundary of a world in this card.”

The Halloween Queen only realized it after destroying over ten thousand of Aslan’s disposable storage Magic: The Gathering cards.

She’d even bought most of the storage cards Aslan sold.

How extravagant these Magic: The Gathering cards were, using world prototypes as storage tools.

However, these world prototypes were too weak, so fragile they weren’t sturdier or larger than some spatial bubbles.

If even a small item was stored inside, they’d shatter instantly.

But as the ruler of Boundaries, the Halloween Queen still saw the essence of these Magic: The Gathering cards.

They were tiny worlds.

Real worlds that could exist forever, as long as they weren’t damaged externally.

Even if a Magic: The Gathering card was discarded, given enough time, its world prototype might evolve into a real world.

The Halloween Queen realized that creating worlds was Aslan’s true ability.

The Magic: The Gathering cards were merely a Gift evolved from his true power.

They were the shallowest manifestation of his true ability.

Shiroyasha, she was truly lucky.

The Halloween Queen grew increasingly jealous of Shiroyasha.

Why was she so fortunate?

For now, very few people realized this. Even she had only guessed it after extensive verification.

As for Aslan himself, he was completely unaware.

She could “steal” Aslan now, if she could.

In fact, Aslan’s Spark didn’t need anything to be completed. That was just her earlier misjudgment.

The reason he felt incomplete was because he was too “young” and hadn’t yet developed.

If a fully mature Aslan was a Creation God who could casually create universe-sized worlds…

Then the current Aslan was just a cell, not even an embryo.

Though the essence of his ability was significant, its scale couldn’t be ignored.

Otherwise, while others wave their hand to create a universe, you wave yours and end up with a proton-sized world.

Even if a proton-sized world could birth a civilization-like existence…

For now, all Aslan could do was create empty world prototypes—without matter, energy, or rules.

Anything beyond that required him to grow slowly.

-

Title: Halloween Queen: Shiroyasha, What Do You Have to Compete with Me?

However, Aslan’s world creation was different from the Cosmogenesis or Another Cosmology pursued by gods and Buddhas.

Or rather, they were two entirely different paths.

More precisely, what all the gods and Buddhas in Little Garden pursued was the perfection of their Pantheon’s worldview. The true purpose of Another Cosmology wasn’t to serve as a blueprint for creating a world.

It was a prototype of a worldview.

A worldview is something more metaphysical, akin to a philosophy, like the foundation of a world.

For example, Zoroastrianism’s Another Cosmology, Avesta, is the ultimate manifestation of the duality of good and evil.

This extreme dualism defines itself as the right wing of good and evil, then mimics the worldview of its target, like a mirror reflecting itself.

In contrast, Aslan’s world creation appeared far simpler and more direct.

Just like Shiroyasha, who was also simple and direct.

No matter what her opponent played, she’d drop a few material universes to crush all disobedience.

“Scathach, prepare yourself. We have uninvited guests coming.”

The Halloween Queen set down her teacup and spoke to Scathach.

Snapping out of her shock, Scathach bowed respectfully to the Halloween Queen.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

She then cleared the snacks and tea set used by the Halloween Queen from the table, replacing them with the freshest desserts and an unused tea set. After brewing red tea, a Boundary Gate appeared out of thin air and slowly opened.

A petite white-haired girl in a kimono and a young man in casual attire stepped through.

Aslan had actually wanted to change into something formal to show respect to the Halloween Queen, but Shiroyasha wasn’t pleased.

Change clothes for what? A blind date with that wench?

Casual attire was enough.

Seeing the two figures, one tall and one short, the Halloween Queen’s mouth twitched.

She always paid great attention to etiquette and decorum. Even for uninvited guests like Shiroyasha, she intended to host them properly.

But now, she regretted it.

“Scathach, throw out this red tea. Get tap water from Fukushima. That’s enough to entertain Shiroyasha.”

The Halloween Queen said casually, not even glancing at Shiroyasha. She was far more curious about Aslan.

But where had Arthur’s Divinity gone?

She grew intrigued.

“Hey! Halloween, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Unhappy, Shiroyasha snatched the red tea from Scathach’s hands, poured a cup for herself and Aslan, then questioned the Halloween Queen.

“What’s it supposed to mean? My tea is for entertaining guests. Shiroyasha, are you a guest?”

The Halloween Queen stared at Shiroyasha, refusing to back down in terms of aura.

As for Aslan, after exchanging a glance with Scathach, he showed a sympathetic expression.

(Having a boss like this, I feel sorry for you.)

(Hmm, I feel sorry for myself too.)

Instantly, Aslan and Scathach felt a strange chemistry between them.

After some time, once the Halloween Queen and Shiroyasha finished their bickering, the topic shifted to Aslan.

“Come on, little Aslan, show the Halloween Queen what you’ve got!”

As Aslan sipped his fourteenth cup of red tea, Shiroyasha slapped his back hard.

“Cough cough, Boss, easy there.”

Aslan nearly choked on his tea, thankfully avoiding the food on the table.

“Next time.”

Shiroyasha said indifferently. After all, she didn’t come here to have tea with the Halloween Queen. Annoying her was enough to put her in a much better mood.

Then Aslan pulled out a beautiful sword and placed it on the table.

At that moment, this Excalibur was officially observed by Little Garden’s Central Core and granted Divinity.

【Assessment: This is a faith-based weapon with potential for growth.】

【Second Assessment: It has a heritage and protective connection to Earth, a Holy Sword of the Star.】

【Third Assessment: It has a heritage connection to Avalon.】

…

【Assessment Error: Excalibur’s Divinity already exists…】

【Reassessing…】

“Halloween, what do you think of this sword?”

Shiroyasha said with a hint of pride. This item might be worthless to other Pantheons, but for the Halloween Queen, its value was no less than an Another Cosmology.

After all, the Celtic Pantheon lacked an inherited Another Cosmology.

The Halloween Queen had a few copies of Another Cosmology, but none were from the Celtic worldview.

In the end, she couldn’t unleash the full power of an Another Cosmology.

But this Holy Sword of the Star, if the Halloween Queen was willing to grant it Divinity and integrate it into the Celtic Pantheon’s worldview…

With the status of the Holy Sword of the Star and its thirteen binding oaths, in the Halloween Queen’s hands, its power would be no weaker than the hard-earned Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.

Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi could only unleash its greatest power in Amaterasu’s hands. Even if an heir inherited Takamagahara’s Divinity and used it, its power wouldn’t surpass the Holy Sword of the Star.

Moreover, the Holy Sword of the Star was an offensive weapon, while Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi had stronger supportive functions.

“How much do you want for this sword?”

The Halloween Queen admitted she was indeed interested. A Two-Digit level Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi was powerful, but no sword was more suited to her and the Celtic Pantheon than this one.

Especially since Avalon was still under her control.

“No price. Just tell us about the flaws in his Gift, how to fix them, and the related resources.”

Shiroyasha said smugly. She’d been waiting for this moment for a long time.

She believed the Halloween Queen wouldn’t refuse. After all, if she did, this sword would be reduced to an ordinary Holy Sword.

The Halloween Queen didn’t have much time to think.

“Not enough. A Holy Sword alone isn’t enough.”

The Halloween Queen wasn’t too flustered and spoke casually.

“Halloween! I’m warning you, don’t get greedy!”

The value of this sword to the Halloween Queen was no less than an Another Cosmology. Was that still not enough?

After all, the Celtic Pantheon’s lack of inherited foundation under the Halloween Queen was common knowledge.

Even the entire Celtic Pantheon, without the Halloween Queen and Scathach, didn’t have a single decent fighter.

With the Holy Sword of the Star, it could be considered an exceptional Four-Digit or a permanent top-tier Three-Digit asset.

“But it’s really not enough, is it?”

The Halloween Queen shrugged. How could a treasure that could accelerate the growth of a young Creation God be traded for just a Holy Sword of the Star?

For that information, she’d have to pay a price too, right?

“Fine, I’ll just say it.”

Seeing Shiroyasha about to explode, the Halloween Queen stopped teasing her. Though she was very interested in the sword, compared to Aslan, it fell short.

After all, she was prepared to make a big sacrifice this time, treating it as an early investment.

“What Aslan needs is the Principle of Creation to grow.”

“???” x3

What? The Principle of Creation?

Not only was Aslan confused, but Shiroyasha was too.

Scathach nodded. After all, it was a young Creation God, so this was normal.

Simply put, the Principle of Creation was the entire understanding and process of creating a world, including the use of authority and the weaving of rules.

It could be considered a summary of all the accumulated knowledge of a Two-Digit entity attempting to create a world.

Like the entire body of knowledge possessed by a Two-Digit being.

“After all, Aslan’s essence isn’t that simple. I’m not even sure how effective it will be.”

The Halloween Queen sipped her red tea, smiling as she spoke.

Though this item was precious, she still had a few copies. As a Two-Digit entity, who hadn’t tried Cosmogenesis?

Coincidentally, her reputation was quite good, and her Boundary was highly effective in maintaining worlds.

So, whether it was Pangu, Nüwa, Siddhartha, or the World Dragon, they had invited her to observe and assist.

Naturally, she gained something from it. Unlike Shiroyasha and Algol, who made enemies everywhere.

Of course, having observed others create worlds multiple times, she noticed the anomaly in Aslan.

The Halloween Queen then explained her discoveries about Aslan and his essence.

“???! So I really got a Creation God subordinate?”

Shiroyasha stared in confusion, and Aslan returned an equally bewildered look.

He was confused too? So he was that amazing? But he didn’t feel it at all.

Even Little Garden’s Central Core had assessed him as a Planeswalker.

“So, Shiroyasha, you pauper, don’t waste Aslan’s time.”

“Hand him over to me. How about I take care of him?”

The Halloween Queen looked at Aslan, a sly smile curling at the corner of her mouth.

Honestly, if she hadn’t discovered Aslan’s true essence, she might have agreed to trade for the Holy Sword of the Star.

But now, sorry. She would use her true power to show Shiroyasha who the real wealthiest woman in Little Garden was.

Though she had fewer Sun Authorities than Shiroyasha, in terms of other wealth, did Shiroyasha know what it meant to be the Star Spirit of Gold and Boundary?

Every person in Little Garden using a Boundary Gate had to pay her taxes.

Even Another Cosmologies—she had several copies.

Not to mention the precious legacies and treasures from various Pantheons.

And the connections and strength of her subordinates.

Shiroyasha, what do you have to compete with me?