Several dozen Divine Spirit–class two-headed dragons attacking at once—what kind of disaster was that supposed to be?
The first generation of those twin-headed dragons were easily in the five-digit tier in terms of raw power. And factoring in their immortality trait? They weren't just dangerous—they were a nightmare to put down.
To put it bluntly, if No Name and the community Ren Kuroda belonged to hadn't happened to be stationed in the South District, the entire district would have fallen within minutes.
But in truth, it wasn't only the South District under siege.
The East, North, and West Districts were all suffering attacks to varying degrees.
Among them, the North and West were the first to collapse. The East was barely holding on thanks to Shiroyasha's presence, which allowed them to suppress the Azathoth-like split bodies of Aẕ Dahāka—at least for now.
The North District, however, fell the fastest.
Because the true body of "Absolute Evil" Aẕ Dahāka had originally been sealed beneath the volcano there.
Shiroyasha had long anticipated that "His Highness" and the Demon King Alliance might target the seal, so she had left a contingency with Sandora—a method that would allow her to teleport instantly to the girl's side in an emergency.
Unfortunately, the Demon King Alliance included a Demon King who possessed a Gift capable of controlling the minds of children.
Though Sandora held the title of "North District Floor Master," she was still only eleven years old. Under the influence of that Gift, she too was controlled—and cooperated in releasing "Absolute Evil" Aẕ Dahāka.
Ren and Izayoi had already left the North District. So had Vera and the others. And what appeared there was not one of the mass-produced split bodies—but the original, complete Aẕ Dahāka.
With the North's fighting strength severely depleted—and without even its Floor Master present—it was only natural that the district fell swiftly.
Even in the South, they had barely managed to repel the invasion. Only after Ren Kuroda and Izayoi finished their battle at the borderlands and rushed back did they finally manage to drive off the overwhelming number of twin-headed dragon split bodies.
Unfortunately, Aurora—who had been hiding safely in the rear—chose to flee the moment she realized Ren and the others were far stronger than anticipated. They never got their hands on her.
Soon after, every South District community with any real standing gathered at the headquarters of Dragon Horn Gryphon.
When Shiroyasha announced that "Absolute Evil" had been released—and that both the North and West Districts had already fallen—the atmosphere grew heavy.
The moment they heard the North had been the first to collapse, Sara and Vera both went pale.
Sara had originally belonged to Salamandra of the North District. Sandora and Mandara were her younger siblings.
Vera, meanwhile, was worried about the children left behind in Will o' Wisp—whether they were safe amidst Aẕ Dahāka's rampage.
"Sandora appears to have been taken away under mind control by His Highness's people. But her life doesn't seem to be in danger.
"The children of Will o' Wisp are safe as well. After breaking free, Aẕ Dahāka didn't remain in the North District for long."
The one who said this was Ren Kuroda.
As for how he knew—it was thanks to Wiese, whom he had left behind in the North, reporting to him.
And according to Wiese, after leaving the North District, Aẕ Dahāka had headed in the direction of—
The South.
"What?! Aẕ Dahāka is coming here?!"
"The Human Final Trial is upon us?! Why the South District?! That's not just a Demon King—that's a calamity beyond Demon Kings!"
The moment the possibility was voiced, panic spread through most of the assembled communities.
And it wasn't unreasonable.
Everyone knew what the title "Human Final Trial" meant.
And even among Final Trials, Aẕ Dahāka was considered one of the most troublesome types.
They had exhausted themselves just driving off his split bodies earlier. Now the true body was on its way.
Who could possibly remain calm?
"If he chose the South… could it be because he believes there's a human here capable of defeating him?
"Or perhaps because the majority of his split bodies disappeared in this region, making it the most 'worthwhile' place to destroy?"
Ever since Ren Kuroda learned that his advancement mission required him to duel Aẕ Dahāka, he had made a point of researching the monster.
And the more he learned, the more convinced he became—
This thing wasn't just a monster.
It was a monster among monsters.
Even if he exhausted every last card in his hand, victory seemed impossibly distant.
Aẕ Dahāka.
One of the Seven Evil Gods of Zoroastrianism, representing "malice" itself.
A born Demon King.
And each of his powers was more outrageous than the last.
Khvarenah — the Sovereign Light Wheel.A legendary force said to have once destroyed a third of the world. The ultimate flash-heat Gift. The very spark capable of igniting the apocalypse.
Thousandfold Sorcery.All techniques and concepts in existence contain a trace of malice. As the Absolute Evil who bears all malice of the world upon his back, Aẕ Dahāka possesses the authority to unconditionally acquire knowledge related to any game.
Dragon's Shadow.Though an evil god, he wields the giant dragon shadow possessed only by pure-blooded dragon species beyond the System Tree.Its usage is simple in structure but apocalyptic in effect—shadow blades of devastating power. The dragon shadow can also become wings, allowing the continent-mass three-headed dragon to launch high-speed assaults despite its overwhelming weight.
Avesta — Another Cosmology.A simulated creation star chart capable of imitating the inverse of an opponent's cosmology and integrating it into itself.It can perfectly replicate an opponent's abilities, use them with limitations, or neutralize opposing Gifts through mutual cancellation.Against any race other than humanity, the more enemies he faces, the stronger he becomes.
However—
It cannot replicate the cosmology of humans.
Because Aẕ Dahāka bears the destiny of being defeated by a "Hero Who Saves Humanity's Future."
He possessed top-tier three-digit Demon King strength.
The ability to mass-produce Divine Spirit–class split bodies.
The powers of a Zoroastrian evil god.
The abilities of the strongest dragon species.
And finally, the near-unsolvable Avesta.
It was no wonder all of Little Garden feared him.
In fact, because of his extreme hostility toward the Third Layer of Little Garden, the upper-tier pantheons had once considered eliminating "Absolute Evil."
But before Avesta, even gods—the strongest species—were reduced to a cruel joke. The more that came, the faster they died.
Numbers only made Aẕ Dahāka stronger.
But if they opted for single combat?
How many beings in all of Little Garden could truly claim top-tier three-digit power?
And as a Human Final Trial, no race other than humanity could kill him.
Ren Kuroda silently calculated.
Setting aside whether he even had the strength to defeat Aẕ Dahāka—
Even if, by some miracle, he did…
With the blood of the oni running through his veins—
Could he even be considered purely human?