Whether a Gift burned away by those black flames could ever be restored, Az·Daka'ha did not know.
But he could clearly sense that the portion of power lost from Dragon's Afterimage would not be returning anytime soon.
—
Far in the distance, Sara and the others watched anxiously.
They had retreated out of fear of being caught in the crossfire, yet they dared not withdraw completely. The consequences of this battle were simply too great.
Az·Daka'ha's hundred-meter-tall body was impossible to miss. Even from such an extreme distance, they could still make out the colossal silhouette dominating the battlefield.
They couldn't discern every detail of the fight—
But the fact that the aftershocks of each clash continued to reach them despite the distance was proof enough of how violent it had become.
Among the forces of the South District were many who possessed long-range vision-type Gifts—"Hawk Eye" and similar abilities.
From time to time, gasps and exclamations rang out among them.
A Humanity's Final Trial versus another Humanity's Final Trial.
Even in the history of the Little Garden, such a spectacle might very well be unprecedented.
And when word spread that Ren Kuroda was actually suppressing Absolute Evil by his own strength—
Sara and the others could not conceal their excitement.
Even if Ren couldn't defeat Az·Daka'ha outright, he had bought them precious time—and even shaved off a portion of Absolute Evil's power.
If they regrouped and launched another subjugation while Az·Daka'ha was weakened, victory might not be impossible.
—
But not everyone was celebrating.
Leticia's expression remained clouded with worry.
Ren had once fallen into the role of a Demon King for her sake.
Now, for the sake of the entire Lower Levels of the Little Garden, he had fallen again—
Becoming a Humanity's Final Trial.
And through the Prince's omniscient authority earlier, they had already learned the true nature of the Final Trial Ren embodied.
It was, without exaggeration, one of the most difficult trials humanity could ever face.
Becoming a Demon King meant being feared—opposed by the Floor Rulers.
But becoming a Humanity's Final Trial?
It sounded grand and awe-inspiring.
In reality, it meant losing all freedom.
A Final Trial was fated to stand against the entire Little Garden.
They existed solely to seek someone capable of overcoming them.
That was their purpose.
That was their destiny.
Just like Az·Daka'ha.
As the embodiment of humanity's collective negative emotions—the Ultimate Evil—
Leticia could not help but wonder:
After resolving the crisis of Absolute Evil… would they truly be able to overcome Ren as well?
And even if Ren had become a Final Trial to stop Absolute Evil—
Would the gods and Buddhas of the Upper Levels allow such a being to live?
—
As that thought formed—
A massive teleportation circle suddenly ignited high above Ren and Az·Daka'ha.
Dozens of figures materialized in midair.
They were a select group of gods and Buddhas from the Upper Levels of the Little Garden.
Among them, two figures stood out.
Indra—who had descended to the mortal realm, relinquishing his godhood to become human.
And Jiaoliu, Third of the Seven Great Demon Kings.
Both were titanic figures among the Upper Levels.
Indra had even sacrificed his divine status to ensure that Az·Daka'ha could be slain for good.
As for why one of the Seven Great Demon Kings would appear alongside the gods—
That likely had something to do with Shiroyasha's arrangements.
—
Under normal circumstances, the sudden arrival of such powerful reinforcements would have been cause for celebration.
But now—
Ren's face darkened.
He was not purely human.
Yet a Humanity's Final Trial represented the essence of humanity.
Because of that, Az·Daka'ha's Simulated Star Creation Chart—Avesta—had no effect on him.
Previously, though he could not defeat Az·Daka'ha, he had managed to maintain a fifty-fifty stalemate.
But now?
These well-intentioned gods had just handed Az·Daka'ha the advantage.
Indra, having descended as human, was one thing.
The rest?
They were making things worse.
Their original purpose had been to handle Az·Daka'ha's god-level avatars.
But at Ren's current level—
Those avatars were little more than cannon fodder. Ignoring them would not have changed the outcome.
Yet the arrival of so many divine beings gave Az·Daka'ha exactly what he needed.
The chance to invoke Avesta at full power.
And just as Ren feared—
Az·Daka'ha's expression twisted into delight.
Behind him, a massive star chart flared into existence.
"Stand opposed to me—Avesta!"
The gods present were not all that powerful individually—most were in the five-digit ranks.
But there were many of them.
And among them stood Jiaoliu, whose strength approached the three-digit class.
As Avesta activated, it imitated and absorbed their cosmologies, merging them into Az·Daka'ha's being.
His power skyrocketed in an instant.
Even the arm that had been burned away by Ren's black flames regenerated before their eyes.
By all logic, a Gift incinerated by Wrath of the Greedy Wolf should not recover.
The fact that it had meant only one thing—
Among the gods present was someone with regenerative authority.
—
Jiaoliu wasted no time demonstrating why he was ranked among the Seven Great Demon Kings.
The moment he arrived, he unleashed a thunderous kick that sent the hundred-meter-tall Az·Daka'ha hurtling backward.
The dragon emerged unscathed—
But there was no denying it.
At the peak of the four-digit rank, Jiaoliu's strength was monstrous.
Only then did the assembled gods realize something crucial.
Someone had been fighting Az·Daka'ha head-on this entire time.
Indra frowned.
"It seems our timing was unfortunate. I never expected there to be someone in the Lower Levels capable of dueling Az·Daka'ha alone."
He clicked his tongue.
"This is not what Shiroyasha told us. Instead of easing the crisis, we may have just made things worse."
Before arriving, Indra and Jiaoliu had focused solely on Absolute Evil.
They had overlooked the figure battling him.
As the two turned their attention toward Ren—curious about his identity and intending to approach—
The ground suddenly churned.
Black mud erupted upward, forming countless spear-like spikes that shot toward them.
Az·Daka'ha threw his head back and laughed.
"Hahahahaha! I must thank you gods and Buddhas."
"If not for you, I would have had no way to deal with Ultimate Evil."
"But luck is part of strength, is it not?"
He glanced at them mockingly.
"As repayment for your 'assistance,' allow me to offer some advice."
"If you intend to join forces with that boy—give up."
"He is the same as I am."
"A Humanity's Final Trial."
"And now—"
"You have become part of his trial as well."