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Arcadia City
Even though the current Arcadia City was only a small town on the seven-digit Outer Gate, and its energy density and environmental resources were nowhere near the level of Mount Olympus, Ryo finally felt at ease the moment he stepped back here.
"There's no place like home."
Ryo glanced back at the Boundary Gate and let out a quiet sigh. "The matter with Greece is only half settled, you could even say it's only just beginning."
What remained was the inevitable divine war with the Greek gods. That would be nothing more than localized conflict. Resisting it with Arcadia's current strength would be difficult, but at least the threat of complete destruction was gone.
That was exactly why he had chosen to strike first.
He couldn't allow Zeus to sit back comfortably and take his time deciding how to deal with Arcadia—how to deal with Ryo Yagami.
Better to cut through the chaos with a swift blade. Strike before Zeus could act and seize the initiative. That had been Ryo's plan all along.
It was always better for him to attack first. Greece could afford to fail countless times. But Arcadia could only afford to fail once.
The clash had been unequal from the start—but fortunately, Ryo had won this round.
Zeus had taken heavy losses and was forced to reveal part of his true strength, showing that he was already among those closest to the Two-Digit level. But that same revelation cost him the chance to act directly against Ryo.
Leaving aside Ryo's hidden trump card, the gods of the Upper Layers would never again allow Zeus to quietly accumulate power and grow stronger.
There were only so many seats at the Two-Digit level.
The other god-kings aiming for that position would never tolerate Zeus continuing to advance unchecked.
And Ryo himself had become a convenient banner.
A perfect weapon for irritating Zeus.
Even before the gods had taken any real action, Ryo could already imagine what would happen next: when the war began, a whole crowd of Arcadia's "allies" would suddenly appear to lend their support.
They would claim they were Arcadia's good brothers—people who had once received aid from Canaria.
But everyone would know the truth.
The god-kings at the top simply wanted to use the war to slow Zeus down, restrict his movements, and limit his chances of acquiring new Authorities.
Once the Greek pantheon's main forces were tied up in war, Zeus would have to gather and comprehend Authorities alone.
And that process would become painfully slow.
"See? Just like I said. Even after taking such a huge loss, Zeus doesn't dare do anything to you."
Algol's voice suddenly echoed in Ryo's mind.
"Getting poisoned again and again by someone he considered beneath him—and being forced to swallow the humiliation without retaliating. Heh. Zeus must be absolutely furious right now."
"Too bad I couldn't see it in person. That would've been priceless."
Ryo's expression shifted slightly when Algol spoke.
His gaze instinctively drifted toward the figure walking ahead—Shiroyasha.
"What are you scared of?" Algol scoffed. "You think that pervert Shiroyasha can sense me?"
Her tone was full of disdain.
"If she hadn't sealed her Spirit Rank and was still in her complete form, I'd stay as far away as possible. But now? She's only partially recovered to Three-Digit Spirit Rank, and she's still suppressing her power so she won't affect the lower layers."
"With that level of strength, if she can detect me, I—Algol—will smear glue all over my face!"
Hearing that bold declaration, Ryo immediately thought, 'Yeah… people who say things like that usually end up regretting it.'
"By the way, Ryo," Shiroyasha suddenly said, glancing back over her shoulder, "that dirty poison trick you used—Algol taught it to you, didn't she?"
"…"
Algol instantly went silent.
Only Ryo, who could faintly sense her breathing through their connection, could tell just how awkward she felt.
'Not just taught me,' Ryo thought. 'She's literally hiding inside my Spirit Rank right now…'
'Seriously though, you shouldn't set flags like that. Especially not in front of someone like Shiroyasha.'
Even if Shiroyasha had sealed her Spirit Rank, it was like how a blind person's hearing often became sharper. Though she had sealed her power, her awareness of things unfavorable to her had become extremely sensitive.
'See? Didn't that blow up in your face?' Ryo thought with a hint of betrayal.
"Shut it!" Algol snapped angrily inside his mind.
Being exposed right to her face—and then getting stabbed in the back by Ryo on top of it—left Algol absolutely fuming.
But the worst part was that she couldn't do anything about it.
Secretly chatting with Ryo through divine thoughts was one thing. But if she tried any tricks, Shiroyasha would immediately detect her presence.
And that would be very bad.
Considering the circumstances, Algol made a strategic decision.
For now… she would just swallow the humiliation.
.
.
.