The pure white apocalyptic flames, carrying the unified Authority of Purification, surged toward the heavens.
The pure white holy light, carrying the equally unified Authority of Judgment, descended from above. Both were simultaneously intercepted and split in two by a pair of golden Buddhist rays.
In the next instant.
*CRACK!*
The judgment of the holy light blasted a massive fissure in the Buddhist light, nearly shattering it, but ultimately failed to break through its defense.
On the other side.
*SIZZLE!*
The pure white apocalyptic flames burned straight through the Buddhist light itself, continuing their upward surge with an all-consuming momentum.
It was only when they struck a hand seal shimmering with an incredibly dense and pure Buddhist light that their advance was finally halted, their power consumed in the ensuing struggle.
Seeing this, the gods and buddhas of all the heavens were shaken.
Though it was a pity they couldn't witness the two forces clash directly, it was clear that in the realm of pure destruction, Purification was superior to Judgment when the latter was not paired with Original Sin.
Having confirmed this, the spectators turned their attention to the third party who had suddenly appeared on the battlefield.
By now, Su Mo was also looking at this unexpected arrival.
"You weakened both Purification and Judgment through Reincarnation... If I'm not mistaken, you are the World-Honored One of Buddhism?"
Only a being in the Full-Authority Domain could stop another.
Only a unified Authority could block a unified Authority.
Even if the opponent's Buddhist light hadn't completely defended against the apocalyptic flames, it was undoubtedly an Authority of the same tier.
With this in mind, the opponent's identity was obvious.
"Gautama Siddhartha, head of the Buddhist pantheon. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Su Mo. Or perhaps I should call you by your name among the Solar Kings, Kalki?"
The Buddha, with his sixteen-foot golden body, smiled and nodded, confirming his identity.
There were few beings in the Full-Authority Domain in Little Garden, and even fewer who were still active. Of those, there were hardly any who would intervene in this dispute.
In Little Garden, the Hindu pantheon, like the Zoroastrian, had perished long ago, but it had left behind a considerable legacy.
As mentioned before, among the ten incarnations of Vishnu represented by Avatāra, the Kalki that Su Mo now embodied was the tenth, while the head of Buddhism before him, Shakyamuni, was the ninth.
Both were beings of the Full-Authority Domain.
"Just call me Su Mo. You might get confused with my Solar Kings names," Su Mo said casually. He wouldn't strike a smiling face.
Kalki was just a persona he had put on.
If he wished, while he couldn't borrow the identities of existing incarnations like the Ark or Kurma, he could freely use the spiritual essences of those yet to descend, like Rama or Parashurama.
"Very well, Lord Su Mo." The World-Honored One nodded agreeably. "As you said, the Authority I just used was Reincarnation. In this aspect, my achievements are not as great as yours. I have unified three Authorities in total: Reincarnation, Karma, and Karmic Obstacles."
At their very first meeting, his opponent was being incredibly forthright, revealing all of his unified Authorities.
In truth, even if he hadn't said anything, Su Mo could have quickly deduced the same answer.
But the fact that he did could be seen as a gesture of goodwill.
Therefore—
"What is your intention?" Su Mo asked directly, temporarily setting aside the idea of a forceful resolution.
On the other side, seeing the Buddha suddenly standing in the middle of the battlefield, the Son of God also held back for the time being, though his expression was somewhat hostile.
"Shakyamuni, don't tell me you're here to mediate."
Evidently, the two pantheon leaders were acquainted, but as leaders of the strongest pantheons, their level of mutual trust was not particularly high.
At this moment, both Su Mo and the Son of God were well aware of Shakyamuni's intentions.
If he had come to fight, he wouldn't have bothered with unnecessary actions and would have just joined the fray.
He could only be here to break up the fight.
Facing their gazes, the Buddha put his palms together and said frankly, "I am indeed here to mediate. Is there any reason why I shouldn't?"
"Look at the battlefield around you!" the Son of God's face darkened at his words, his cold eyes sweeping over the field littered with angels. The entire heavenly force of the Church lay defeated here. "Do you think I could possibly negotiate a truce with such an enemy?" he demanded, his tone icy.
As the head of a pantheon, as a being in the Full-Authority Domain, if he remained indifferent to such a humiliation, how could he command respect in Little Garden in the future?
Seeing the Son of God's anger, the Buddha glanced at the surroundings and said calmly, "Lord Su Mo didn't kill anyone, did he? For the Church, this is not an unbearable loss, is it?"
Indeed, at this point, the Church had only been defeated, not annihilated.
If one were to look at it purely on paper, the Son of God should thank Su Mo for his mercy.
But as a leader, he naturally couldn't think so simply.
"A god cannot be insulted! Even if he stops now, the damage cannot be undone!" the Son of God's stance was firm.
"What if Lord Su Mo is willing to offer an apology?" the Buddha suggested again.
"...That's still not acceptable."
"Absolutely not!"
The Son of God hesitated slightly. He was not unaware of their respective strengths. If the fight continued, he might lose, and if that happened, the Church would be finished.
If Su Mo was willing to apologize, compared to the risk of his own and his pantheon's demise, stopping here would make the Church's losses acceptable.
Su Mo, on the other hand, found the suggestion completely impossible.
With his power, he had never feared anyone in a fight between equals.
He wasn't even necessarily willing to accept a truce, let alone offer an apology. That was pure fantasy.
"...You two are quite in agreement on that point," the Buddha said, not discouraged by the simultaneous rejection.
"The terms can still be negotiated. It is nothing more than a matter of pride and practicalities. There is no fundamental conflict between you two. Why must you resort to violence?"
Hearing this, the Son of God sneered. "No fundamental conflict?"
Su Mo glanced at the trembling members of the Demon Lord Alliance not far away, also shaking his head. He retorted, "With the divine powers of Buddhism, you shouldn't be unaware of the current situation."
At this, the Buddha nodded slightly and spoke with extreme candor. "Indeed, I am aware of the origin and all matters concerning the Demon Lord Alliance. That is why I say there is no fundamental conflict between you two."
The Son of God's brow furrowed deeply. "Shakyamuni, what do you mean? Are you going to violate the agreement between us?"
At these words, the gods and buddhas of all the heavens were stunned and began to whisper among themselves.
What? A secret agreement between the World-Honored One and the Son of God? Sounds like there's some major drama behind this.
Hearing this, the Buddha shook his head slightly, then looked at the Son of God and asked calmly but forcefully, "Since Lord Su Mo is the wielder of the Kalki spiritual essence, he is naturally a Divinity-side Paradigm Candidate. Although the method differs from your plan, the result is the same... Son of God, are you truly willing to abandon the Church's years of struggle for a moment's pride?"
"..."
The Son of God was momentarily speechless.
As mentioned before, the Church's purpose in sponsoring the Demon Lord Alliance was to prevent a Humanity-side Paradigm Candidate from overcoming Eschatology, ensuring that a Divinity-side candidate would be the final victor.
The nurturing of the "Prince" in the original story was for this very purpose.
Now, although their plan had been intercepted by Su Mo before it could even begin, Su Mo was ultimately using the divinity of Kalki. Though the process was completely different from what he had imagined, the result was the same.
If Su Mo could overcome Eschatology as a Divinity-side Paradigm Candidate, then the future of Little Garden would become a universe dominated by mythological history, just as he had planned.
Throughout the entire infinite multiverse, the history of gods would replace the history of humanity, taking the absolutely dominant position.
Ultimately, Su Mo's existence was beneficial to their final goal.
Was he really going to act on a momentary impulse and give up a future that was within his grasp?
"If he can truly fulfill the duties of a Divinity-side Paradigm Candidate and overcome the Eschatology of Kali Yuga, then I suppose I'm not entirely unable to forgive him..."
As he pondered, the Son of God's attitude couldn't help but soften.
Now that Shakyamuni had put it that way, this damned fellow did seem to be the key to the success of his plan.
Even if he didn't want to let him go, it seemed he couldn't easily make a move against him. Otherwise, wouldn't he be extinguishing the hope of his own plan's success?
However, just as the Son of God was being persuaded by the World-Honored One, thinking he could endure the present humiliation for the sake of the greater cause, Su Mo suddenly spoke up.
"Tell me, have you two forgotten something?"
Having understood their meaning and confirmed the positions they represented, Su Mo slightly raised his hand, switching from a defensive posture to an offensive one, the pure white apocalyptic flames forming a pure white sword.
He hadn't been sure of the Buddhist pantheon's stance before, but the World-Honored One had just laid it bare.
To say such things, even if the Buddhist pantheon hadn't joined forces with the Church, they were certainly aware of the Demon Lord Alliance.
As pantheons, their core objective was the same as the Son of God's: they wanted the history of gods to replace the history of humanity.
The reason the World-Honored One wanted to mediate was that he saw the spiritual essence Su Mo represented and believed him to be a Divinity-side Paradigm Candidate—one of their own.
However—
"When did I ever say I was willing to serve as a Divinity-side Paradigm Candidate?"
Raising his longsword toward the two beings of the Full-Authority Domain, Su Mo's lips curled into a slight smile.
"Unfortunately for you, compared to the divinity side, I much prefer the perspective of the real humanity side!"