— — — — — —
Sunlight poured down over the Gobi Desert. Ryo tilted his head up, squinting at the blazing noon sun, then lowered his gaze toward the horizon.
There, in the middle of the barren sands, a colossal tree stretched thousands of meters into the sky, piercing the clouds. It stood like a golden pillar of flame, each leaf flickering with intense heat, glowing like molten gold.
This was the Roc Demon King's "game field."
This entire planet had been turned into her personal playground. And the game rule was simple: [Land a hit on Roc Demon King's finger].
Ryo stomped the ground beneath his feet.
Though the surface looked dry and cracked, it wasn't all that brittle—actually, it felt a little soft. Probably an underground river running somewhere beneath.
"The gravity feels right. Yeah, this is definitely a full-fledged planet… Using an entire planet just to play a game..."
He finally understood why some beings ranked in the four-digits were considered part of the "upper tier."
Making an amusement park out of a planet? Definitely elite-level entertainment.
Ryo narrowed his eyes, staring at the giant tree ahead.
"According to the rules of this game, I need to make it to that tree and land a hit—just one hit—on the Roc Demon King's finger. That'll count as a win."
A grin crept onto his face.
He rested his hand on his Zanpakutō, facing into the desert wind as he began his walk toward the tree.
...
No Name Base – Living Room
Shiroyasha had her chin in her hands, watching the crystal orb floating above the coffee table.
Inside the translucent orb, a live image of Ryo's surroundings was displayed.
"Well, well... Karyou-chan actually brought out her personal game field. Looks like she really is pissed off."
"Shiroyasha-sama!" Black Rabbit cried out, completely flustered.
Was this woman here to help, or to make everything worse?
"Relax, relax," Shiroyasha said, fanning herself playfully with a folding fan.
"Karyou's still just a kid. She blows up fast, but cools down just as quick. If she's not confronting Ryo face-to-face right now, she's probably up in that tree, sulking and regretting her little tantrum."
Then she burst into a sly chuckle.
"That little brat hasn't changed in a thousand years. Still falls for provocations way too easily. And now that she's gone and shot her mouth off, she's probably freaking out about how to backpedal."
Leticia sighed from her seat. "Calling it a win just for hitting her finger… that's practically an insult."
"No matter if Ryo wins or loses, it's disgraceful."
"Exactly why she's hiding in the tree!" Shiroyasha laughed, shaking her fan.
"She's probably racking her brain trying to figure out a way to make it up to him—without bruising her pride too much. Classic Karyou."
"And even if she does make it up to him, with her childish personality, she's gonna feel like she owes Ryo something no matter what."
"And once that happens… she'll start seriously mentoring the kid. And—"
Suddenly, Shiroyasha froze.
Her expression went blank.
Leticia blinked. "What's wrong?"
Shiroyasha jumped to her feet, clutching her head like she'd just realized something terrible.
"Wait a minute—if things keep going this way, aren't I basically helping Ryo romance Karyou?!"
"Not fair!"
"I already lost the rabbit to him, and now Karyou too?! Who am I supposed to mess with for fun?!"
Leticia and Black Rabbit watched Shiroyasha pacing in a panic, black lines forming on their foreheads.
So... you picked a fight with the Roc Demon King without even thinking it through?
Seriously?
"Shiroyasha-sama, please calm down," Leticia began, exhaling a long-suffering sigh—only to be stopped by Black Rabbit tugging her sleeve.
Black Rabbit gave Shiroyasha a disgusted side-eye, then spoke in a cold, deadpan voice.
"Lady Leticia, I suggest we don't engage with this trash-tier main god. It's contagious."
"Huh?" Leticia twitched a little, speechless.
Black Rabbit turned back to the crystal ball, ignoring Shiroyasha's meltdown.
"Do you think the Roc Demon King will go easy on him?"
"She might, but definitely not at the start," Leticia said, shaking her head.
"Karyou's too prideful to throw the match from the get-go. But if Ryo proves himself, shows he's got the strength to back it up… she'll use that as an excuse to gracefully walk it back and save face."
Black Rabbit nodded in realization. "So whether he passes or not… all depends on how seriously she takes the game?"
"Exactly," Leticia sighed.
Even if things played out the way Shiroyasha predicted—Karyou ends up feeling like she owes Ryo—it wouldn't change the fact that being looked down on like this, and not being able to fight back, would definitely light a fire under Ryo. He'd want to get stronger.
When you think about it that way, Shiroyasha's ridiculous antics might be on point after all…
Because her true goal from the start was to force Ryo to grow.
A true "stronger being" had to be forged in fire—a warrior with both strength and willpower.
So maybe Shiroyasha had deliberately pissed off Karyou to push Ryo into that crucible.
Was this Shiroyasha's way of showing Ryo just how big the gap was between him and the top?
Leticia stared at the still-pacing Shiroyasha, her thoughts hard to pin down.
---
The Game Field of the Roc Demon King
Ryo stood in the ochre sands, gazing up at the massive tree ahead.
High above, floating in the air with golden flames dancing around her, was the Roc Demon King—Karyou. She looked down at him from above, arms crossed, her voice dripping with arrogance.
"It's not too late to give up," she called. "If you admit defeat now, I can still consider this trial passed."
Her tone made it sound like Ryo losing was just a matter of course—an inevitability.
Ryo stared back calmly, hand resting on the hilt of his Zanpakutō. He smiled.
"I'd like to give it a try."
Karyou's brow twitched, and she repeated herself—this time more forcefully.
"You sure? You're just a human, and you want to challenge me—a direct heir of the strongest bloodline in the Garden?"
Ryo replied softly, without a hint of fear:
"Then show me what the so-called Phoenix-Garuda bloodlines are capable of."
Karyou's expression stiffened for a moment, but she quickly masked it.
"If you admit defeat right now," she said, "I'll still count you as having passed the trial for Outer Gate Supervisor. How about that?"
Winning would've made him a regional ruler—but if he loses, he gets promoted to a higher rank?
Could she make it any more obvious?
Ryo slowly drew his Zanpakutō and glanced at Karyou's slender fingers. "Nah~"
"You—!"
"Fine. Let's just start already!"
Karyou snapped, lifting her hand with a snort.
In the blink of an eye, golden flames rained down from the heavens.
But in that same moment—
Karyou's pupils shrank. She instinctively began turning around.
Too late.
Before she could react, a massive hand grabbed her outstretched arm.
Ryo, now wielding his fully-released Zanpakutō, had already closed the distance.
He yanked her wrist forward with his left hand, raised the blade high with his right—
And brought it down without mercy.
.
.
.