Little Garden 96-100

Title: Dilemma, Reward for Sajyou Manaka

The only problem with all this was that only beings deeply familiar with the Root could accomplish it.

Although Aslan could freely enter and exit the Root, there was one significant issue: with his current abilities, he couldn’t contact the Counter Forces—even though they were also connected to the Root.

Only Manaka, the Princess of the Root, could do that.

“I guess I’ll have to trouble Manaka again.”

Thinking this, Aslan felt slightly guilty. After all, he hadn’t done anything for Manaka yet, and already he was asking for her help.

It made him feel rather uncomfortable.

“How can I compensate Manaka?”

This was what troubled Aslan. Precisely because he knew Manaka would never refuse his requests, he felt the need to offer proper compensation.

At the very least, he should give her a carefully prepared reward.

He admitted he was a scoundrel, but he didn’t want to betray any girl’s feelings.

As for Busujima Saeko and Marikawa Shizuka—honestly, that was just arrogance right after his transmigration.

In reality, Saeko’s attitude toward him was more about loyalty and gratitude than romantic feelings.

And Shizuka merely treated him like a pleasant pet to care for.

Besides, they’d only interacted for less than three hours—what kind of deep feelings could possibly arise? Later interactions gradually turned them into friends.

The first person who genuinely developed feelings for him and pursued him relentlessly was Manaka.

Fundamentally, Aslan was quite relaxed and passive. At most, he’d flirt casually for fun.

Otherwise, he surely would’ve already won over Saeko and Shizuka.

Now, facing Manaka’s intense pursuit, after several days of chasing, her first kiss still remained unclaimed.

“What if I just give myself as the reward?”

Aslan almost laughed at his own thought.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

However, when Aslan returned to the Matou household deep in thought, Manaka seemed to sense his unease.

Curious, she set down her work, sat before him, and gazed at him with loving eyes.

“Prince, what troubles you again?”

“I’m thinking about what reward I should give you for helping me so much.”

Aslan propped his head on both hands, looked at Manaka, and smiled as he spoke.

“By the way, Manaka, what kind of reward would you like?”

After all, for him now, most things were easily obtainable. Even if Manaka wanted stars from the sky, he could pluck a few planets for her.

But that would feel too arbitrary and insincere.

Precisely because everything could be obtained so easily, sincerity had become extremely important.

Hearing Aslan’s words, Manaka’s heart pounded, and her face lit up with joy.

At that moment, she felt her life was complete.

“The Prince’s words are the best reward for Manaka.”

Manaka held her chest and spoke tenderly.

What mattered most in pursuing someone you love?

Positive feedback, the clear sense of growing affection, and mutual pursuit.

Now, Manaka felt she was in a mutual chase with her Prince. The distance between their hearts was slowly closing.

“But precisely because I know you’d answer like that, I feel uneasy.”

Aslan gently stroked Manaka’s soft, light blonde hair.

“But I don’t know what I truly want either.”

Manaka felt just as conflicted as Aslan. For her, Aslan’s response was the greatest reward.

“Just being by the Prince’s side is the best reward.”

Hearing her words, Aslan burst into laughter, then gently patted her head.

“You may choose not to accept it, but I can’t help giving it.”

It was a matter of attitude. Of course, he could accept her feelings anytime—even fully train her into his personal weapon.

But what would be the point?

Instead, it would only make her lose her identity and humanity.

Become a slave to desire.

Instead, like this—slowly, letting things progress naturally—it was harder to lose the pleasure.

“Then, Manaka will look forward to the Prince’s reward. Manaka will pretend to know nothing.”

Manaka stood up, placed her hands behind her back, spun around happily once, then calmed herself.

Yet afterward, she still didn’t dare look at Aslan. She feared that if she met his gaze again, she wouldn’t be able to control herself.

She didn’t want to leave a bad impression in front of her Prince.

Where Aslan couldn’t see, Manaka couldn’t resist spinning around like a child, overwhelmed with joy.

“La-la-la—Prince will give me a reward.”

Seeing Manaka so innocent, Aslan couldn’t suppress his smile.

He truly didn’t understand how Arthur Proto could let such an innocent girl grow into that.

He only needed to show a little kindness and guidance, and Manaka would become the most attentive and obedient girlfriend.

Yet looking at Manaka, Aslan might already know what reward he should give.

A reward Manaka could never refuse.

“Hey, what about Al-chan’s disciple Spirit Status?”

Suddenly, a bright, captivating voice rang in Aslan’s mind.

It was Algol.

“It’s settled. But by the way, why didn’t you respond when I called you these past few days?”

Aslan wanted to consult Algol about the Spirit Status issue.

Algol, who once challenged gods and buddhas across 3,000 worlds alone—her achievements in Spirit Status must far surpass his half-baked efforts.

“I was adjusting the seal. That ugly Athena is truly cruel. She even placed the most crucial part of the seal on my beauty seal.”

“That ugly hag must be jealous of Al-chan’s beauty!”

“So, Al-chan, you’ve been busy these past few days, but achieved nothing?”

Aslan said exactly as expected. No wonder Athena gave Algol up so easily.

“Of course not! I’m Little Garden’s number one beauty, Al-chan. How could I possibly have no way at all?”

Algol declared with supreme confidence. Although Athena’s seal was solid and involved many aspects, she wasn’t without countermeasures.

“You draw the Heroic Spirit summoning circle from earlier, and use Al-chan as the sacred relic. Then you’ll be able to see Al-chan’s true beauty.”

“Even though a Heroic Spirit’s body can hold less than one-billionth of Al-chan’s beauty, it’ll still be enough to leave you awestruck.”

-

Title: Algol, the Oldest Mary Sue

Although she couldn’t leave, it was easy for her to summon her doppelgänger in this world through the Heroic Spirit summoning system.

Even while sealed, every entity named Algol, Medusa, Gorgon, or Lilith would become her incarnation.

What about Ishtar? That avatar had been stolen by another bitch!

Stolen along with her identity as the Star Spirit of Venus.

Otherwise, why was she the only one among the three Problem Children to be a Star Spirit from outside the solar system—just one star among countless others in the sky?

As for the current Star Spirit of Venus, Ishtar, Lucifer, and the Golden Star from the Heavenly Court are all incarnations of Venus’s Star Spirit.

Together, they seized the Authority of Venus that originally belonged to her.

One could only say that Algol was a pitiful victim.

But the absurdly high HP possessed by Star Spirits truly was remarkable. Even after losing the Authority of Venus, she could still survive as a Star Spirit under the Authority of the Demon Star.

Just like Shiroyasha, who, despite losing her Original Spirit identity, could still endure as the Sun Star Spirit.

“Oh yeah, don’t you summon her—let Sakura do it.”

Algol said with disgust. Although Aslan wasn’t unattractive, she created this incarnation specifically to teach Sakura.

Why was Aslan interfering? If he wanted, he could directly channel his power through the Demon Star.

There was no need to go through such unnecessary trouble.

Then, Aslan took Sakura to the same underground chamber.

After drawing the Heroic Spirit summoning circle using his blood mixed with Sakura’s, Aslan crouched before her.

“Though I can help you decide, I want you to choose for yourself, Sakura.”

“Do you choose to summon Algol as your teacher? Or stay by my side and come to Little Garden?”

Aslan stroked Sakura’s head, then implanted information about Algol and Little Garden into her mind.

He left the choice entirely to Sakura.

Although Sakura was still a child, Aslan didn’t want her to make a decision she’d regret later.

So, Aslan explained everything clearly. Aside from some information that had to remain hidden, he thoroughly detailed their current situation, Algol’s identity, and what Little Garden was.

Given Sakura’s talent, her chances of thriving in Little Garden weren’t low.

“Tsk tsk tsk, this kid is playing with fire.”

Algol looked at Sakura’s Spirit Status and clicked her tongue in admiration. It was a Spirit Status unified according to the method she provided.

Yet Aslan had also done something unnecessary—even if it didn’t affect Sakura’s potential.

But how should he put it?

Saving herself across countless worldlines, transcending time and space.

When Sakura began digesting the Demonic Nature she had accumulated, she would surely realize what Aslan had done.

At that point, there would be plenty of “entertainment” to watch.

She hoped Aslan could withstand this heavy love.

Even Algol was deeply curious to see just how far Matou Sakura would grow under the influence of such intense, twisted affection and Demonic Nature.

Perhaps Al-chan could truly obtain a Subordinate God.

Of course, the Subordinate God she meant wasn’t a relationship like Aslan and Shiroyasha, but rather one like Queen Halloween and Scathach—a Vice-Monarch, right-hand enforcer, or something similar.

“In that case, Al-chan will help you.”

As she spoke, Al-chan quietly contacted Sakura.

After all, she was an Original Demon—she didn’t possess normal human values. Seeking amusement was the most natural thing for her.

She didn’t feel the slightest guilt in turning others’ suffering into entertainment.

Cruel and merciless—that was her truest reflection.

“Sakura, don’t you want to be able to help Aslan?”

“You know, the flow of time in Little Garden and this world is different. Several years might pass here, but only a few days in Little Garden.”

“Don’t you want to meet him again when you’ve grown up?”

“...”

Algol’s tempting voice echoed in Sakura’s ears.

She guided Sakura’s feelings toward Aslan. The weight of being saved countless times across countless worldlines was enough to push Sakura toward the “correct” choice.

Under Algol’s guidance, Sakura realized her biggest problem: she was too young.

If she wanted to fairly compete for Aslan’s affection, she needed to wait until she grew up.

Not now—when she didn’t even have the right to compete.

And most importantly, the only way she could truly help Aslan was by becoming Algol’s disciple.

Only then did she have a chance to defeat Ayaka Sajyo.

“Thank you, Al-sensei.”

Sakura silently thanked Algol in her heart. Her decision was made.

She chose to become Algol’s disciple, remain in the Type-Moon world, grow to a certain extent, and then go to Little Garden.

To stand beside Aslan.

As a veteran Three-Digit, Algol deeply understood Little Garden’s observation mechanisms—and of course, knew how to exploit them to the fullest.

Especially since this world was perfect for gathering concepts, condensing Authorities, and Divine Authorities.

Something like The Root was truly miraculous.

Yet Algol had never seen Star Creation. At best, she’d only glimpsed Another Cosmology, so she didn’t realize the vortex of The Root itself was also a form of Star Creation.

But she could guarantee that within this world, in less than ten years, she could train Sakura up to Four-Digit strength.

This was the confidence of an Original Demon.

Then, Sakura turned to Aslan, reached out her hand, and recited the Servant summoning incantation.

With a flash of white light.

A petite little girl appeared, wearing an off-shoulder leather jacket and belts strapped across her body. She placed one hand on her hip and spoke with supreme confidence:

“Are you ready to admire Al-chan’s unmatched beauty?”

Yet the underground chamber was filled with profound silence.

Staring at Algol, Aslan remained silent for a long moment before finally speaking.

“Al-chan… whose hair color are you copying?”

Algol casually flicked her head. Her multicolored hair fluttered in the wind like a beautiful rainbow.

“Of course, it’s Al-chan’s own idea. You’re stunned by Al-chan’s timeless aesthetic sense, aren’t you?”

Algol was supremely confident, while Aslan struggled to find words.

His instincts told him it was best to just humor Algol like this—but… he couldn’t.

This long-standing critique… he had to let it out.

Where did this come from—the ancestor of all Mary Sues? Hair colored like a rainbow.

Although Algol could perfectly control her appearance and aura, how should he describe it?

Aslan’s first reaction upon seeing Algol was: Mary Sue.

After all, even in two-dimensional worlds, characters usually had just one hair color—maybe slightly shaded, but multicolored…

Most importantly, Algol’s hair wasn’t just multicolored—it shimmered with radiant light.

Honestly, Aslan didn’t know how to describe Algol’s aesthetic.

Note: This is a description of Algol’s hair color in the original work.

Original text: “Her hair emits various wavelengths of light, appearing dazzling and beautiful.”

Unfortunately, the illustration was black and white, so it couldn’t be shown.

-

Title: Departure, Preparing to Return to Little Garden

“I think you should try to understand the concept of a Mary Sue, Algol...”

Aslan did his best to speak in the most polite and careful manner possible.

It wasn’t that Algol wasn’t beautiful—she was indeed one of the most stunning women Aslan had ever seen.

But after realizing... he couldn’t go back to how things were!

How could he judge fairly when all he could think about was “Mary Sue”?

Even a dog would shake its head.

As a Star Spirit, even while sealed, Algol could easily absorb basic common sense from Human History, just as the Holy Grail implanted it into Heroic Spirits.

The same applied in this Type-Moon world.

Algol briefly glanced at Human History.

She fell silent for three seconds.

Her multicolored hair instantly changed to pure purple in an instant.

Aslan waved his hand in front of Algol’s eyes.

“Al-chan? Al-chan?”

“Wait, let me calm down.”

“Okay, fine!”

Aslan stopped.

Algol took a deep breath.

Al-chan’s aesthetics were perfect, but others lacked Al-chan’s natural beauty, and their poor imitation could never convey the charm of sharing the same hair color as Al-chan.

Because those tacky Mary Sues misused the very hair color associated with Algol, Algol’s aesthetic had become embarrassingly cliché.

Wasn’t this an unforeseen disaster?

First, borrow a time machine… ah no, this is Little Garden, so she’d have to borrow Sun Authority from Shiroyasha.

Wait—wasn’t this an Unobserved Domain? Meaning no one had seen this version of Algol except the two people in front of her?

Silencing them seemed entirely possible.

As long as no one knew, it never happened.

This was Al-chan’s new hair color—only a few people had seen it.

Seemed doable!

But she was sealed too tightly—and one of them was Al-chan’s chosen disciple.

(That damn Athena! Did you plan for even this?)

(Al-chan doesn’t care. I’ve decided to blame Athena first.)

Once her seal was broken, she’d definitely make Athena adopt the same Mary Sue style and advertise it across all of Little Garden!

“You didn’t see Al-chan like that earlier!”

Algol glared sharply at Aslan. As for Sakura, she wouldn’t argue with a child.

And Aslan? He probably couldn’t hold back his laughter, right? He was almost bursting into hysterics!

Turns out Algol was surprisingly easy to talk to.

Aslan was slightly surprised. He’d braced himself for her to throw a tantrum.

But all he got was a sharp glare—which, combined with her current appearance, looked utterly adorable.

“Oh yeah, don’t bring Al-chan’s incarnation or Sakura back to Little Garden. Don’t let Little Garden’s Central Core observe this world.”

Algol warned Aslan. She could already imagine the chaos if Little Garden’s Central Core observed this world.

Even without mentioning the chaos, the mere existence of the Root alone would cause countless ancient entities to act.

When others gathered concepts and formed Authorities, didn’t it take at least thousands of years?

Even with prior experience, the time needed to rebuild them wouldn’t be much shorter.

As for traded Authorities, unless compatibility was extremely high, absorbing them fully would still take decades.

With the help of the Root and this world’s special rules that made gathering and intervening in concepts incredibly easy, Algol could guide Sakura to form an Authority within ten years.

Even under her guidance, that was astonishingly fast.

Ten years wasn’t long for gods and buddhas—it was just a blink of an eye.

If Little Garden found out, countless Pantheons would tear each other apart fighting for ownership rights to this world.

Of course, the fiercest fighter would be that Halloween Queen.

The mere existence of the Throne of Heroes was enough to make Halloween Queen descend personally.

But Algol didn’t care. Nothing mattered to her except her beauty.

So she reminded Aslan.

“I certainly understand the importance of this world.”

Aslan nodded.

Then Algol took Sakura away to begin her lessons.

“Wait… so when I return to Little Garden, will I only bring Artoria back with me?”

Sakura would stay to study under Algol, and Manaka would assist Aslan in anchoring the Umbrella Corporation.

For some reason, he suddenly felt like a scoundrel who flirted everywhere and then vanished without responsibility.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

The next few days were peacefully routine. Aslan spent each day deepening his bond with Manaka.

Occasionally, he and Manaka listened in on Algol’s lessons for Sakura.

After all, these were teachings from a Three-Digit entity—just listening would surely be beneficial.

Algol didn’t mind. To her, teaching one person or three was the same.

Yet after relaxing for several days, Aslan began to feel slightly bored.

After all, he’d accomplished a lot recently and needed to return to Little Garden to check the results.

Finally, Aslan made his decision and told Manaka he had to leave.

“Manaka, I must go.”

“Yes, Prince, safe travels~”

Manaka smiled and waved her hand, then gently released Aslan’s hand, letting him go.

Instantly, Aslan couldn’t smile anymore.

“Manaka, is there nothing more you want to say?”

Manaka grinned mischievously, touched her lips with a finger, and said:

“Didn’t I already say it? Prince, safe travels~”

The next second, Manaka lunged forward and hugged Aslan tightly, clinging to him as if she never wanted to let go.

“Prince, you’re cheating. You only thought about giving something to Manaka. Manaka also wants to prepare a gift for the Prince.”

“So the Prince must look forward to it.”

Then Manaka kissed Aslan on the lips.

Aslan’s gift to Manaka was simple—a single heart.

He extracted part of the concept of his own heart and merged it into Manaka’s.

This way, as long as they were in the same world, Manaka could feel Aslan’s heartbeat—and simultaneously, it greatly enhanced her physical strength and Mana reserves.

Though not strong enough to destroy planets barehanded, she could easily crush mountains.

Literally, a carefully prepared gift.

As for Manaka’s idea, she realized her help for Aslan would be limited if she went to Little Garden now.

After learning about Little Garden’s convergence mechanics, she decided to give Aslan something truly grand.

“Alright, I’ll look forward to Manaka’s gift.”

Aslan said with a smile. After all, he’d already given Magic: The Gathering cards to both Manaka and Sakura to contact him.

Whenever they missed him, they could reach out anytime—and he could return to visit Manaka and Sakura whenever he wished.

Then Aslan gathered the fruits of his journey in this world.

First, what was visible: the Holy Sword of the Star obtained under the name Arthur, and one Artoria.

And hidden beneath—the true danger: Angra Mainyu.

-

Title: Damn It! Winds of Decadence!

Outside Little Garden, having found a place to release Nyaruko, Aslan changed his avatar into [All the World’s Evils][Beast of Progress] Angra Mainyu.

He cautiously attempted to enter Little Garden.

After all, both [All the World’s Evils] and [Blacklight Virus] lacked self-awareness entirely.

They were fully under his control.

Thus, Aslan could use them as a Creature Card—or as a Planeswalker to serve as his new avatar.

Now, he considered it his new avatar.

However, it seemed Aslan hadn’t even managed to insert his hand into Little Garden—barely had he donned the avatar—When suddenly, an unseen wind began swirling around him.

“Damn it! Winds of Decadence (End Emptiness)! And at Two-Digit level too!”

Aslan nearly died of fright. No wonder no one had dared use the Mother of Evil Gods avatar all this time.

Turns out they were ruthlessly targeted by the Winds of Decadence.

Now Aslan didn’t dare move even slightly. A Two-Digit-level Winds of Decadence—he felt that if he touched it even a little. He’d die on the spot.

That aura of destruction and nothingness was too terrifying—no, far too terrifying even for a Last Trial of Mankind.

He guessed the Winds of Decadence were currently assessing whether he truly was the Mother of Evil Gods; otherwise, the wind would’ve already attacked.

More precisely, due to his identity as a Last Trial of Mankind and his ambiguous connection to Little Garden’s Central Core, the Winds of Decadence had halted their action.

But swirling around him like this was terrifying enough.

It was like a Two-Digit entity constantly watching over him, monitoring everyone who came and went.

The Winds of Decadence punish all disobedience!

“How about this, Brother Winds of Decadence—out of solidarity as fellow Last Trials of Mankind, could you let me pass?”

Aslan carefully extended his hand, preparing to cross space and slip past the Winds of Decadence.

Then his finger brushed against it slightly.

“Sss... It hurts!”

Aslan sucked on his stinging finger, then immediately spat it out.

“Disgusting!”

This aura of degradation and destruction was truly revolting.

Aslan still wanted to endure a bit longer, to see if he could pass without leaving a trace.

But the sensation from the Winds of Decadence was simply too unbearable.

Now Aslan was truly desperate. He couldn’t cross the Winds of Decadence, nor could he leave.

Was he forced to switch avatars?

(Hey, Little Garden’s Central Core, give me an audio signal!)

【Hmm… no way. We can’t interfere with the Winds of Decadence mechanism.】

Little Garden’s Central Core replied with utter resignation. If Aslan had merit right now, perhaps he could use it to act.

But currently, he had no merit—and he was surrounded by the Winds of Decadence.

Little Garden’s Central Core was powerless.

One could only say Aslan had been too reckless. After all, the Mother of Evil Gods’ offense level almost made it onto the Winds of Decadence’s blacklist.

Every time it appeared, a Two-Digit-level Winds of Decadence would instantly arrive.

Aslan sighed deeply.

If it had come to this, he had no choice but to use his last resort.

“Boss Shiroyasha, lend me Amano-Iwato!”

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

“Danger! Need protection!”

Ssoaking in the Thousand Eyes hot spring, Shiroyasha jumped in surprise upon receiving the message.

(Serious? You really weren’t joking when you said you wanted trouble.)

(At least warn me beforehand.)

(Why are you so efficient? You just left a few days ago.)

Kurousagi, Karyou, and the others also enjoying the hot spring noticed Shiroyasha’s odd behavior.

“Hm? What’s wrong, Lord Shiroyasha? Why do you look like that?”

They were currently relaxing in the Thousand Eyes hot spring. Shiroyasha had run out of money after buying erotic magazines and visiting the entertainment district.

So, without hesitation, she used funds from Aslan’s Planeswalker community account.

However, she accidentally spent it all and now felt slightly guilty.

Since Aslan wasn’t around to compensate him, Shiroyasha decided to treat the girls to a soak in the hot springs.

It was absolutely not to check out the quality of Aslan’s surrounding girls or inspect their bodies.

Absolutely not!

Shiroyasha swore upon Indra’s name!

If she lied, may Indra remain impotent for a hundred years.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Meanwhile, Indra, working overtime at the Heavenly Army headquarters, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

“Strange… I haven’t made any oaths lately. Where did this curse come from?”

Indra scratched the back of his head in confusion.

But the next second, his eyes sharpened. He raised his hand, and the golden Vajra spear materialized.

“I said, you Cthulhu Deities never get tired, do you? Coming to Little Garden every single day?”

With a roar, Indra hurled his Vajra spear, piercing Nyaruko.

“No! I haven’t even entered yet!”

Nyaruko was instantly killed by the Vajra spear.

“Yes! I can get subsidies again, and peace will return for a while.”

Eliminating Cthulhu Deities had become routine work for the Heavenly Army. They arrived once, the Heavenly Army sent them to “reload,” and they resurrected.

“But why did Nyarlathotep revive so quickly this time?”

Indra pondered briefly, then pulled back his Vajra spear.

“Ah, whatever, doesn’t matter.”

Then, skillfully, Indra transferred a large sum from the Heavenly Army’s public account to his private account.

“Just took action!”

Leaving those words behind, Indra happily went off to find his most beloved married woman.

“Damn it, who did this!”

This time, Indra was truly furious.

“Yo, long time no see. Why’s Indra, my neighbor, looking so weak?”

A handsome blond man stared directly at Indra and spoke.

Yet his movements were utterly unhesitating.

“You damn Zeus, let go of the married woman I’m chasing!”

Then Indra and Zeus began fighting over a married woman.

“Oh, is that so?”

Zeus licked his lips, staring at Indra.

“Get lost!”

In the end, no one knew what truly happened. All they knew was that Indra fled in panic.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

“Let me see what you’ve done, brat!”

Shiroyasha lent him Amano-Iwato, but she also curiously looked toward Aslan, who had sent the distress signal outside Little Garden.

“Damn it! Winds of Decadence!”

Seeing the invisible black vortex, Shiroyasha couldn’t help but curse.

What had Aslan done to provoke the Winds of Decadence?

Seriously, how could a Four-Digit kid trigger the Winds of Decadence?

-

Title: Shiroyasha, Do You Still Remember That You Were Once the White Night Demon Lord?

(How could you, with a Four-Digit body, provoke a Two-Digit-level Winds of Decadence?)

Shiroyasha was utterly baffled. For a moment, she considered passing her Problem Child title to Aslan.

In terms of causing trouble, Shiroyasha acknowledged that Aslan was the strongest.

The first time Aslan went out to observe another world, he became a Savior and surpassed the Last Trial of Mankind.

But this was only his second trip, and already he was dealing with a Two-Digit-level crisis?

What even bigger disaster would Aslan create on his third journey? Shiroyasha couldn’t even imagine it.

Yet, despite her anger and scolding, Shiroyasha didn’t stop acting.

She had finally found such a suitable underling. It would be terrible if he died now.

Even though Aslan could revive, dying at the hands of a Last Trial of Mankind was a different matter entirely.

In an instant, she changed her avatar and slipped into Amano-Iwato while the Winds of Decadence were momentarily “still.”

Once inside Amano-Iwato, Aslan clutched his chest, breathing heavily.

“That was intense. I can’t believe I survived.”

After all, he’d already prepared himself to die once.

But before Aslan could even begin to feel relieved, Shiroyasha—wearing a blue yukata—smacked him on the head with her fan!

“Intense?! I think you’re just trying to get yourself killed!”

Shiroyasha snapped angrily. If not for Amano-Iwato’s ability to block both Little Garden’s Central Core and the Winds of Decadence, Aslan would’ve been dead!

And even then, the protection was only temporary.

“Tell me—what exactly did you do to provoke the Winds of Decadence?”

Shiroyasha sat in front of him, crossing her legs and letting her smooth, petite feet dangle right before Aslan’s eyes.

Especially her feet, still steaming slightly from her hasty exit from the hot spring.

Aslan fell silent for a moment, forcing himself to look away, and met Shiroyasha’s gaze instead.

“I did it to save Little Garden!”

Aslan waved his hand proudly, speaking with full confidence.

“Boss Shiroyasha, how long do you think it’ll take before Little Garden reaches its End?”

He stared into her eyes and asked.

“Why are you suddenly so serious?”

Shiroyasha muttered quietly, then thought for a moment before replying.

“Maybe tens of thousands of years?”

After all, surely all the gods and buddhas in Little Garden wouldn’t just let it collapse when nearing destruction, right?

They knew their merit and Spirit Status came from Little Garden.

Still, Shiroyasha wasn’t sure of the exact timeframe—but she could guarantee at least tens of thousands of years!

Why worry about such a distant future? Better to think about which pretty girl to play with tomorrow.

“The answer is three years, Boss.”

Aslan said calmly. This was the timeline he had confirmed with Little Garden’s Central Core.

“???! You’re not lying??”

Shiroyasha instantly tensed up. Without thinking, she grabbed Aslan’s collar and pulled him close, face-to-face.

Apparently losing emotional control, Shiroyasha’s body swelled rapidly, reverting to her original form as the Sun God.

Her yukata, designed for her petite frame, ripped open, revealing much of her body.

But Shiroyasha didn’t care. Upon hearing that Little Garden would reach its End, she was truly panicked and had lost control.

“Of course I’m not lying. I swear upon Little Garden’s Central Core!”

Ironically, Aslan had confirmed it with Little Garden’s Central Core.

He even knew clearly that Kalki, the White Horse, had successfully been born.

But he only revealed that a Savior had been born.

“You damn parasitic bastards!”

Shiroyasha—no, the White Night Demon Lord—cursed furiously.

Had she trusted those gods and buddhas too much?

Without her knowledge, was Little Garden about to be destroyed?

Then Shiroyasha released Aslan’s collar and asked very seriously:

“What’s your proof? How can you possibly know?”

Though nearly convinced, Shiroyasha still wanted to fight. What if Aslan was lying?

After all, this concerned Little Garden—the biggest issue of all.

Shiroyasha was now completely panicked. She felt all the delays she’d caused until now were useless avoidance. Hadn’t they promised to build a better Little Garden together?

Why was Little Garden suddenly facing destruction?

And within just three years?

To Shiroyasha, three years didn’t even feel like three days.

Sometimes, playing chess with Sun Wukong took longer than three years.

Time was too tight. She didn’t even have time to investigate the factors leading to Little Garden’s destruction.

“Because the Spirit Status of Absolute Evil, Azi Dahaka, will expand to its limit in about three years!”

After all, Absolute Evil wasn’t like the Last Trial of Mankind known as Perpetual Motion Machine.

Perpetual Motion Machine faded over time as human knowledge advanced, because ancient people’s fear of the heavens disappeared.

But Absolute Evil was an absolute factor of destruction—an utter despair destined to destroy Earth and all humanity.

Absolute Evil was the Last Trial of Mankind symbolizing annihilation, guaranteed to trigger the Winds of Decadence once it reached Two-Digit level.

“How do I know? Because I myself was once the Last Trial of Mankind representing Absolute Evil.”

Upon hearing Aslan’s words, Shiroyasha was utterly devastated.

She had no idea how to overcome Absolute Evil within just three years.

All she knew was brute force. She was merely a lazy Star Spirit.

At that moment, Shiroyasha strangely began to understand why Indra always looked so perverted, as if he’d seen it all.

Perhaps it was despair—the kind where one instinctively knows what to do, yet remains trapped beneath layers of calculation.

“Aslan, what about the Paradox Game? I’ll host a Paradox Game and seal Absolute Evil!”

Shiroyasha clung to this last straw. She tightly gripped Aslan’s hand, hoping he’d give her a convincing answer.

If it worked, she’d immediately hand over all fourteen of her Sun Authorities, along with every other Authority she possessed.

Seeing her like this—Shiroyasha, who never dared slam the table, whose burning rage stemmed from deep disappointment—Aslan couldn’t help but feel pity.

“Shiroyasha, do you still remember that you were once the White Night Demon Lord? Where’s your pride as the White Night Demon Lord?”

“Why do you always want to run away?”

“I never said I didn’t have a way, did I?”

Aslan grabbed the remaining part of Shiroyasha’s torn collar, pulled her close, and whispered into her ear.