"The Church's motive..."
At Canary's question, the Queen Halloween paused, then looked to Su Mo with a slightly puzzled expression.
"Hmm? Even Your Majesty doesn't know?" Canary asked, a little surprised.
"I hadn't paid it any mind before," the Queen Halloween admitted frankly, shaking her head.
It wasn't that she couldn't have figured it out, but rather that it had been meaningless to her.
She only cared about who had dared to touch her subordinates. Their reasons, their strategic considerations—none of that mattered to her.
For any enemy who dared to offend her
, she would lop off their hands and feet without a shred of mercy.
Otherwise, how could one be a Queen?
However, now that the enemy's identity was confirmed, even she was momentarily at a loss for their motive.
As the most successful of the former problem children, the Queen Halloween had used the unique nature of her Boundary Authority to cooperate extensively with the pantheons in building up Little Garden.
Logically, even if she wasn't a friend to the gods, she certainly shouldn't have been a thorn in their side.
Why would the Church move against her subordinates, and at such a critical moment during the campaign against the Dystopia Demon Lord?
Weren't they afraid of failing to defeat a Last Embryo?
She knew that when all their preparations had been on the verge of collapse, if Canary hadn't had a stroke of genius and found an alternative path—interfering with Little Garden's central hub through her Sun Authority to rewrite the multiverse's Akashic Records—Little Garden would have been destroyed by that Last Embryo.
While one might imagine some of the Church's lesser angels holding back against the Dystopia Demon Lord, it was unthinkable that the Son of God himself would do so.
Why would he risk the destruction of Little Garden for something like this?
Or was the destruction of Little Garden their true objective?
Faced with their curious gazes, Su Mo spoke directly.
"On that subject, I'll let Shiroyasha explain."
"Lady Shiroyasha?"
Canary's eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't imagine how Shiroyasha would know the reason.
The Queen Halloween shot the white-haired loli a disdainful look but didn't object.
"That's right, it's Us!"
Shiroyasha planted her hands on her hips and stood up proudly.
"Speaking of which, We were the first one to... get this analysis from Su Mo. You all definitely don't know about it."
"The Church's goal is to use Theocentrism to completely negate Anthropocentrism. The reason they're doing this is to..."
Seizing the rare opportunity to show off, Shiroyasha eagerly began explaining using Su Mo's words.
In their little alliance, the Queen Halloween had joined purely for revenge, Canary to uncover the truth, and Algol was just tagging along with Su Mo for food, fun, and a chance to get back at the gods.
Only Shiroyasha was different. She genuinely cared for Little Garden and was thinking about its future.
As she spoke, her voice grew taut with anger.
"...So, the attack on the Queen's forces back then wasn't targeting her specifically. They were targeting every hero from the non-pantheon side who was a candidate for creating a new Paradigm!"
They were a bunch of lunatics who wouldn't allow humanity to save itself!
"Hmph. Now that the deed is done, whether it was intentional or not is irrelevant."
The Queen Halloween sneered after hearing the explanation.
She had no intention of forgiving anyone over this.
Then, she looked at Su Mo with amazement, a hint of genuine admiration in her tone.
"To deduce the answer to a question that has stumped me for a millennium from so few clues... you are truly worthy of your reputation, Lord Su Mo."
Even she had to admit she was no match for such perspicacity.
"It was merely a theory before. Only now has it been fully confirmed," Su Mo stated, neither boasting nor being overly modest.
Algol, however, remained indifferent to their conversation. She had no love for the pantheons and cared little for their schemes.
Only Canary's expression fell.
"As the largest pantheon in Little Garden, is this truly the extent of their magnanimity...?" she said, her voice filled with disappointment.
In her eyes, Little Garden was a refreshingly simple game where clearing it meant winning everything. For that, she was truly grateful to the gods and buddhas who created this world.
But she had never imagined that when she finally reached the truth at the top, when she touched upon the pantheons' true interests, the Church would reveal such a corrupt, backward, and barbaric attitude.
They wanted to establish Theocentrism (Creationism)? Fine!
Under the rules of Little Garden, as long as the candidate put forth by the pantheons could defeat the Last Embryo, the future would belong to them!
But not only had they failed to do it themselves, when a human hero emerged who could do it, they didn't help. Instead, they resorted to sabotage and assassination from the shadows.
If that kind of cheating and rule-breaking couldn't be called shameless, then nothing in the world could.
When it came to their fundamental interests, the gods were no different from humans.
Canary saw no noble spark in them.
Seeing her crestfallen expression, Shiroyasha wanted to offer comfort but couldn't find the words. She herself was furious at the Church's shamelessness and had lost faith in the pantheons as a whole.
Meanwhile, Algol, fiddling with Su Mo's hand, quipped, "That's just how the pantheons are. You human challengers only have to worry about defeating the Last Embryo. The gods have a lot more to consider!"
Her sarcastic remark was met with silence.
After a moment, Canary pulled herself together.
Having faced despair many times, she was deeply disappointed but not so easily broken.
Reviewing the reasons Shiroyasha had laid out, she paused, a new thought occurring to her.
"If the pantheons truly intend to do this, doesn't that mean that when the next Last Embryo appears, they'll just pull the same trick and target the heroes on humanity's side?"
"According to Our and Su Mo's analysis, that's highly likely," Shiroyasha confirmed.
"If that's the case, then I've lost all hope in them."
Canary sighed, then looked up at Su Mo and the Queen Halloween.
"If the destruction of the Knights of Avalon was merely a private grudge between the Queen and the Church, I could only offer my humble assistance in my personal capacity, for the sake of my former comrades.
"But if the Church's target is Little Garden itself, then we of Arcadia cannot simply stand by and watch."
"Oh?" The Queen Halloween raised an elegant eyebrow, intrigued. "What are you suggesting, Canary?"
Taking a deep breath, Canary stood up and bowed deeply to Su Mo, the Queen Halloween, and Shiroyasha.
"Lord Su Mo, please allow me to represent Arcadia in joining your alliance. Arcadia's purpose is to vanquish Demon Lords. If the entire Church pantheon has fallen to the level of Demon Lords, then we cannot turn a blind eye, however little power we may have!"
While the upper echelons of the pantheons prioritized their own interests, Canary valued justice and personal conviction more.
In her mind, the Church had become the greatest obstacle to Little Garden's progress.
And obstacles must be removed!
"Courageous," the Queen Halloween noted with a nod of approval. To dare to raise a banner of rebellion against a behemoth like the Church—truly a disciple worthy of her tutelage.
"Canary, don't be reckless!" Shiroyasha cautioned.
Compared to the Church, Arcadia was far too insignificant.
The title of Floor Master was Shiroyasha's least important one, yet it was arguably Arcadia's most significant.
In terms of combat strength, Arcadia might not even be able to handle the Asura King, let alone the fact that almost any three-digit Demon Lord could wipe them out.
An anti-pantheon alliance was too dangerous for them.
"Thank you for your concern, Lady Shiroyasha. But some things must be done," Canary said, her tone firm.
"But..." Shiroyasha started to protest again, but Canary looked at her gratefully, a teasing glint in her eyes.
"Don't you worry, Lady Shiroyasha! With the four of you here, I'm not foolish enough to actually have Arcadia go head-to-head with the Church. That would be suicide, wouldn't it?"
Before her stood a peak two-digit, a special-rank three-digit, and two top-tier three-digits.
Power was certainly not an issue.
Kasukabe Kōmei might be the strongest challenger among humans, but he was no match for this lineup.
Thus, she had no intention of sending Arcadia to fight the Church.
"We are Floor Masters, after all. The Arcadia Grand Alliance has good relations with communities throughout Little Garden's various districts. If it's just a matter of providing support or gathering information, we can certainly do that. Please, feel free to command us!"
As a community that had defeated numerous Demon Lords, including a Last Embryo, Arcadia held a dominant influence in the Lower Realms of Little Garden, from the fourth to the seventh digit.
While the pantheons had never paid much mind to the Lower Realms, it was a source of power nonetheless.
"That's true..." Shiroyasha seemed partially convinced.
Canary struck while the iron was hot.
"If the pantheons abandon Little Garden, we in the Lower Realms will likely be the first to be cast aside. By then, it will be too late to do anything. So don't worry about the danger; this is a battle we were meant to face.
"Besides," she added, her gaze shifting to Su Mo, "I don't believe this struggle is truly a matter of life and death.
"Lord Su Mo, since you understood the Church's objective from the beginning, I'm sure a man of your wisdom has already devised a plan to deal with them, haven't you?"
At her words, Shiroyasha and the Queen Halloween both turned to look at Su Mo.
Now that the initial test was over, they too wanted to know what his next move was.
Even Algol, nestled in his lap, tilted her head up, her bright eyes fixed on him, eager to hear the plan.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, Su Mo didn't keep them in suspense.
"The Demon Lord Alliance, Ouroboros."
Hearing this, Shiroyasha and Algol exchanged confused glances.
The Queen Halloween and Canary, however, looked at each other with expressions of delighted surprise.
"Are you saying... you have information on the Demon Lords who attacked the Knights of Avalon?" Canary asked in disbelief.
They had only just confirmed that the Church was the mastermind.
How had Su Mo managed to get his hands on evidence so quickly?
"Yes." Su Mo nodded, confirming their suspicions.
"I just used a little trick."
"A little trick..." Canary was speechless for a moment, her heart pounding with even greater excitement.
She had thought that making an enemy of the pantheons would be incredibly dangerous. But under Su Mo's guidance, why did it feel like she was about to be carried to victory by a pro?