Chapter 094: The Shocking Evil Scheme of the Dharma Master
Within the Akashic Records.
As the second eldest of the thirteen Valkyries, Hrist stared intently at the live broadcast window displaying the third round of Ragnarök.
At present, it appeared humanity stood a greater chance of winning this third round.
However, Ashiya Dōman's teasing behavior made her somewhat uneasy.
If he possessed the strength to defeat Zerofuku in one fell swoop, he should have ended this duel immediately.
Yet this constant provocation would only serve to continuously strengthen this peculiar god, Zerofuku.
At this rate, there was genuine concern the situation might completely reverse.
Suddenly, the Akashic system reacted, making Hrist tense up as she looked over.
After all, Göll had previously told her how during their two trips together with eldest sister Brunhilde, they'd been discovered by the kings of those eras, nearly causing disasters.
Then with the First Emperor, though eldest sister Brunhilde hadn't said anything, younger sister Randgriz's reaction showed something extraordinary had occurred again.
Thus, she couldn't help worrying something might have happened to their youngest sister.
With a flash of light, her sister's figure materialized before her.
The younger sister seemed to have been tossed out, clumsily landing hard on her backside with an "Oof!"
"Welcome back, Göll."
"Ah? Yeah, I'm back."
Göll exhaled a small sigh of relief—this time the danger had passed without incident.
Rubbing her sore bottom, she stood up and dusted herself off.
Speaking of which, how was the match progressing?
Was this still the third round? Or had they moved beyond that?
Just then, Heimdall's voice reached her ears. Looking up, she saw the live broadcast screen.
On one side was a god who appeared childlike, wielding an exaggerated weapon.
On the other stood someone in onmyōji robes who looked... strangely familiar.
Way too familiar!
"Eh? Wh-what's going on? Sister Hrist, isn't that Ashiya Dōman?"
Göll's mind spun into chaos. Why had sister Brunhilde allowed this evil sorcerer to appear? Shouldn't it have been Sakata Kintoki?
Could this no longer be the third match?
"Sister, isn't this the third match?"
"It is the third match."
"Then... what's with that person? Shouldn't it be Sakata Kintoki?"
"We changed fighters."
"Huh? Changed just like that? So casually?"
"Too noisy! Go ask Brunhilde if you have questions!"
"Eep~!"
Göll shrank her neck as her usually gentle sister snapped at her with uncharacteristic impatience.
The next moment, her sister's demeanor softened again as she gently parted her lips.
"On the other side is Zerofuku."
She introduced the god standing opposite.
But who was Zerofuku? She had never heard of him.
Yet Göll didn't dare ask again, afraid of being glared at by her sister, whose personality had shifted.
"Ah, you might not know, but this Zerofuku is actually the true form of the Seven Lucky Gods. The Seven Lucky Gods are, in fact, a single deity, not seven separate ones."
As the gentle-hearted Hrist finished speaking, the youngest sister's expression twisted in horror.
Her reaction was as if the sky itself was about to collapse.
"What? Zerofuku is the Seven Lucky Gods? No, no way—this is bad, the worst possible matchup! This is disastrous! We have to stop this match immediately! Ashiya Dōman is definitely up to his schemes again—we absolutely must stop him!!!"
Göll, who had witnessed history firsthand, inadvertently glimpsed Ashiya Dōman's grand conspiracy.
And this conspiracy required the Seven Lucky Gods to be exploited!
However, this scheme had been thwarted during his lifetime.
Yet now, here he was, standing on the battlefield of Ragnarök, facing none other than the Seven Lucky Gods.
The coincidence was far too terrible!
"A conspiracy? What conspiracy?"
"It's—he wanted to break the seal of Amatsu-Mikaboshi. But that was only the beginning of a nightmare."
This was what had Göll panicking.
"Amatsu-Mikaboshi? Who is that?"
Hrist frowned—she had never heard of such a god.
Though the prefix "Amatsu" hinted at something—this deity likely belonged to that pantheon.
"Look, never mind that—we need to contact Sister Brunhilde right away!"
"Understood."
Hrist immediately reached out to their eldest sister, Brunhilde.
"Sister, Göll says—"
Click. The call disconnected.
She tried again.
"Sister, it's urgent! Göll said—"
Disconnected again. After that, Brunhilde stopped picking up altogether, leaving Hrist exasperated.
Most likely, Brunhilde assumed Göll was just complaining about something again—or that whatever "urgent matter" the youngest sister had wasn't actually serious. To her, Göll was just prone to overreacting.
Like a total solar eclipse, the sun was obscured.
But upon closer inspection, the dimming of the surroundings wasn't due to the sunlight being blocked—it was as if the sun itself had turned black, emitting a dark radiance that made it seem as though night had swallowed the day.
Yet, this black sun hovering over the arena felt unnervingly eerie, almost as if it were alive.
"What in the world is that?"
"Humans always summon the most unsettling things."
"Hm? This presence—!"
"Could it be—?!"
Some from both pantheons paled as they sensed a familiar aura from the black sun.
It belonged to two dark gods who had mysteriously vanished a thousand years ago—presumed to have fled.
Why use the word "fled"?
Because as gods of misfortune, they were closely monitored, practically under semi-confinement, to prevent them from wreaking havoc.
Yet now, their presence radiated from within that black sun.
"Hmm?"
The Valkyrie Brunhilde also frowned—she had overheard the gods' murmurs.
But her concern wasn't for that reason. Instead, it was because, the moment the black sun appeared, the emotions of the spectators had suddenly shifted.
Some of the most obvious cases suddenly turned gloomy, whispering about their past misfortunes.
"What a misfortune..."
Just like Zerofuku, they too began to lament their own misfortunes.
This situation seemed almost contagious, spreading rapidly.
As for Zerofuku, he could absorb [misfortune] and turn it into energy and sustenance.
But the one creating this gloomy atmosphere was Ashiya Dōman—did he not know about Zerofuku's nature?
It didn't seem like ignorance. Rather, it felt intentional.
So, was he trying to make Zerofuku even stronger?
A sense of unease crept in.
Please don't let this turn into a mess caused by someone on her side...
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