"Kurma?!"
At the World-Honored One's words, Indra's eyes widened in surprise. He finally understood the plan.
The Dragon Sun Authority of Chen granted the power to summon Kurma—one of the seventeen Full Authority Domains, Vishnu's second avatar, the strongest of the Pure-Blooded Dragons, and the being known as the World King.
As a member of the Sun King Group and the dragon who carries the world in mythology, this Pure-Blooded Dragon was on par with Shiroyasha at her peak—the White Night Demon King—in both power and status.
And among the Full Authority Domains, the immortality of Celestial Spirits and Pure-Blooded Dragons far surpassed that of the God Species.
No God Species could withstand a direct hit from an Another Cosmology, not even the World-Honored One or the Son of God.
However, Pure-Blooded Dragons and Celestial Spirits, whose very beings were structured like universes, could endure the full might of an Another Cosmology.
When it came to defense and sheer HP, Pure-Blooded Dragons and Celestial Spirits were the strongest.
That was why Shiroyasha, even with all her Gifts and Skills copied, was still able to fight Azi Dahaka to a standstill.
It didn't matter if you couldn't win, as long as you couldn't be killed.
By that same token, Kurma would hold a similar advantage against Su Mo.
No matter how outrageously powerful Su Mo was, no matter if he wielded the power of an Another Cosmology, defeating Kurma easily would still be next to impossible.
Even the trump card he had once borrowed, the Another Cosmology: Virtual Star Tai Sui, would have no effect on a Pure-Blooded Dragon like Kurma.
Looked at this way, she was truly an unparalleled enforcer.
If she truly performed as the World-Honored One imagined, Kurma's existence would indeed become a vital bargaining chip for their side.
However…
"If I recall correctly, didn't the World Dragon leave Little Garden long ago to roam the sea of stars?"
Indra remembered what he knew of Kurma and wore a worried expression.
As a god who had been active since the dawn of Little Garden, he had not only crossed paths with Shiroyasha in the past but had also met this incredibly mysterious World Dragon. He had a rough idea of her disposition.
Indra's concern was not that the World-Honored One would be unable to summon Kurma.
Even a free spirit like her would most likely rush back upon receiving the summons from the Dragon Sun Authority. That wasn't the problem.
The problem was…
"If my memory serves me right, while Kurma was always bickering with Shiroyasha, she was never particularly close to the pantheons, was she?"
Indra looked up at the World-Honored One.
"Are you certain she will listen to you after you summon her?"
Kurma's race was Pure-Blooded Dragon. This was her advantage.
A careful study of Su Mo's fighting style revealed one thing: to even earn the right to stand before him, one absolutely could not be a pure God Species, not even a Full Authority Domain.
If only Shiroyasha weren't so close to Su Mo—who knows what kind of bewitching soup he fed her to make her defect completely—otherwise, their best strategy would have been to send that Celestial Spirit to face him.
But whether it was a Celestial Spirit or a Pure-Blooded Dragon, while they possessed immense racial advantages, they were not as obedient as the God Species.
To assume they would follow orders just because they were summoned was wishful thinking.
And with Kurma's personality... she was even more of a headache than the current Shiroyasha.
Hearing Indra's concern, the World-Honored One pondered for a moment before saying with some uncertainty, "She should, right?"
"...What do you mean, 'should'?"
Indra's face turned a shade of green.
Is your grand strategy really this flimsy?
"As the World Dragon, Kurma has a duty to protect the world, to protect Little Garden. The only reason she left before was that her time had not yet come. Now that Little Garden is facing a world-ending crisis, as the World Dragon, she cannot possibly stand idly by."
The World-Honored One explained as he thought, his reasoning becoming smoother and his tone more confident.
"Besides, she is a member of our Sun King Group, 'AVATARA.' We should all uphold the same will to save the world. Even if only for the camaraderie of being in the same group, she has no reason to refuse my request. Furthermore, Su Mo's inclinations are so dangerous, she could never support anyone but us!"
In the Little Garden where the Indian pantheon was absorbed by Buddhism, there existed a Community called the Sun King Group (AVATARA).
As mentioned before, AVATARA means "incarnation" and generally refers to the ten avatars of Vishnu.
A definitive Vishnu Divinity as person does not exist in the world of Little Garden, only the Divinity's of his ten avatars.
Among them, Kurma, the World Dragon, is Vishnu's second avatar. Shakyamuni, the leader of Buddhism, is Vishnu's ninth avatar.
Both were members of the Sun King Group, both were Full Authority Domains, and both shared the mission of continuing the Solar Calendar—that is, the future of Little Garden.
As a colleague, it was only logical that Kurma would stand on his side.
Hearing the World-Honored One's argument, Indra blinked and raised an objection.
"World-Honored One, if we are only considering camaraderie, have you perhaps forgotten... that the Kalki Divinity Su Mo holds also makes him a member of your Sun King Group? As Vishnu's tenth avatar, the savior, he might just garner even more of Kurma's attention."
The World-Honored One's reasoning was sound, but the fatal flaw was that Su Mo met the exact same criteria.
From what Indra knew of Kurma, in her eyes, the ninth avatar and the tenth avatar were likely one and the same.
Moreover, just as she had left on her own accord when the infighting among the gods began years ago, this World Dragon did not want to get involved in the internal disputes of the pantheons.
If the clash between the World-Honored One and Su Mo was seen as internal strife, she might very well refuse to help.
"..."
At these words, the World-Honored One's expression stiffened slightly.
That did seem to be a problem. Su Mo's unique status might even outweigh his own.
But his confidence quickly returned.
"There is no need to worry. Just as you said earlier, Su Mo is an incredibly proud man. Such a person disdains lying and scorns hiding his true intentions. Therefore, he will not conceal his position from Kurma."
At this moment, the World-Honored One desperately hoped that Su Mo would remain true to his pride.
"If that is the case, Kurma will surely know that I speak the truth. She only needs to understand the situation in Little Garden to know she must support my view and stop Su Mo's dangerous actions!"
As he said this, everyone in the hall, including Indra, nodded in agreement.
Even with a personality like Kurma's, she wouldn't gamble with the safety of Little Garden. Like Shiroyasha, she was the type to care deeply for this world.
"It's naturally impossible to make the World Dragon completely obedient, but it shouldn't be difficult to reach a consensus with her, to have her stand with the billions of gods, and apply pressure on Su Mo!"
The Buddha announced his plan, brimming with confidence.
No matter how strong Su Mo was, how peerless his might, even he couldn't just ignore an opponent he couldn't kill, right?
Whatever future Su Mo wished to build, with Kurma's advantage and the billions of gods' deep infiltration of human history, they could checkmate him from angles beyond the battlefield.
A Pure-Blooded Dragon plus billions of gods—the advantage was theirs!
"If Su Mo is willing to negotiate, willing to use the safest method—the mythological cosmologies—to overcome the apocalypse, then all will be well," the World-Honored One stated his intention, earning vigorous nods from the Twin Goddesses.
If Su Mo were willing to become the master of Little Garden and the king of the gods, they would welcome it with open arms. They had neither the ability nor the reason to refuse.
However…
"If Su Mo refuses to negotiate and insists on gambling with his human cosmology, then he shouldn't blame us gods for being merciless!"
At this, the World-Honored One's eyes grew cold, and his voice rang out like steel, like the wrathful glare of a Vajra.
"Do not underestimate our power! If we billions of gods and the Pure-Blooded Dragon all charge at once, even with Su Mo's strength, he might not be able to kill us all before the deadline arrives!"
"..."
The first part of his speech had stirred the hearts of the Twin Goddesses and Indra, igniting their fighting spirit.
Solving problems with force was so much simpler than scheming!
If they truly had a chance of winning, they wouldn't mind putting Su Mo in his place with a show of force, making him see the glory of the gods and forcing him to change his mind.
If they weren't pushed into a corner, who would resort to selling out their own family to pry for information?
However, when they heard the last sentence, their surging battle intent froze solid, leaving them utterly speechless.
It was infuriating, but they couldn't refute it.
The reality was, even if they summoned Kurma, at most they would only gain another bargaining chip.
Kurma could only buy them time; she had no chance of actually winning against Su Mo.
If Su Mo was willing, given enough time, he truly could slay the billions of gods with a single sword. After all, with Avesta, he had no concern of his Divinity ever being depleted.
After all that talk and all those preparations, the best the World-Honored One could do was simply get them a seat at the table.
The greatest threat they could pose was not to Su Mo's life, but to act like an unkillable cockroach, threatening to bog him down in a fight until the deadline arrived. At that point, under the threat of the Wind of Decadence, both sides would just perish together.
In other words, while the billions of gods lacked the ability to succeed, they certainly had the ability to make things fail.
It was just that saying it out loud didn't sound very good.
Even they themselves felt a little ashamed hearing it.
Yet, with no better option, they exchanged a silent glance and collectively approved the decision.
The Omega Goddess took out the Sun Authority, preparing to summon the great being. Just then, a clamor erupted from outside the hall, followed by the imposing voice of a young woman.
"Tathagata! Why did you lead the gods in retreat? Why did you confine me? Are you afraid?!"
The powerful tone and the unique Divinity made everyone in the hall exchange a look of surprise.
"Sun Wukong?"
Indra stroked his chin.
"What's that female monkey doing here all of a sudden? Don't tell me she wants to challenge Su Mo to a duel? Wait! That's not it!"
As he was pondering the reason for this problem child's outburst, Indra suddenly remembered something, and his eyes lit up.
He looked up and saw the same joyous surprise on the others' faces.
"It seems you all have thought of it as well?" Indra said, his tone now a little lighter and more cheerful.
"Only Celestial Spirits and Pure-Blooded Dragons can serve as viable bargaining chips. For Pure-Blooded Dragons, we have Kurma. Among the Celestial Spirits, Shiroyasha is unreliable, but we still have the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal!"
"A Half-Celestial Spirit is still a Celestial Spirit!"
"Indeed!"
The World-Honored One nodded in agreement. He smiled toward the entrance and immediately sent a telepathic message for the Vajra Arhats to stand down and stop taking a beating.
"Do not stop her. Let her in!"
Before his voice had even faded, a golden light flashed, and a golden-haired girl appeared in the center of the hall.
"No need, I let myself in!"
Behind her, at the main entrance, the Vajra Arhats were all sprawled on the ground, having been completely incapacitated in an instant.