Alice: "Are you sure you're okay?"
Riku: "Don't worry about me!"
Alice glanced at him. Her face was full of smiles, but her beautiful eyes showed a flicker of concern.
Why wasn't Riku going with the mother and daughter? The reason was simple: the other universe was truly dangerous. Even a quick scan revealed an aura of extreme, terrifying power.
Because of this, Riku had to go. A powerful universe promised much greater rewards.
Ordinary, weak universes were best for "farming"—harvesting them slowly over time. To drain them dry in one go would be a waste, like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. But a powerful universe was like a secret dungeon; a single successful exploration could lead to a massive windfall.
"Daddy, we're off to play now," Alice said. She held Klee's hand as she stood before the [Gate of the Universe], waving her slender hand.
"Daddy, you have to come over soon, okay!" Klee chimed in happily, bouncing on her toes.
Riku smiled. "Go on, have fun. Daddy will be there before you know it."
The mother and daughter stepped through the [Gate of the Universe] hand in hand. Once they were gone, Riku straightened his posture. His body let out a series of sharp, popping sounds like firecrackers, and a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Alright then. Let's see what this is all about."
***
A fine drizzle fell under a dim, overcast sky.
A faint, flickering phantom appeared in the middle of the street. With long, black hair and a black robe, his handsome features seemed almost inhuman. This phantom was, of course, Riku.
However, Riku had not arrived in his physical body. He had projected his consciousness here, while his true form remained in his home [Longhuang Universe]. Better safe than sorry. Riku wasn't weak, but he had to be cautious. It would be a disaster if he arrived only to run into a monster, get captured, and be destroyed on the spot.
"The timeline of this universe..." Riku thought, scanning his surroundings. Based on the clothing and the general atmosphere, it seemed to be the era before the year 2000.
Of course, it was impossible to be certain. Riku had no way of knowing what kind of universe lay on the other side of the [Gate of the Universe] until he arrived. He knew that among the many universes in the Sea of Crystal Walls, some were familiar—the ones that existed in the "information streams" of anime, manga, games, and novels from his past. But the vast Sea of Crystal Walls also contained countless universes he had never encountered before.
He couldn't just jump to conclusions.
"Hm?"
Just as Riku prepared to scout the area, he overheard a conversation nearby.
"Did you hear?"
"You mean that thing? Of course I heard!"
"I know, right? It's just so..."
"Exactly! Exactly!"
As Riku listened, he felt confused. *What on earth are these two talking about? Did they say anything? Yes! Was it this or that? It was that!*
Riku decided he'd have to investigate himself. But just as he prepared to act, the pair finally got to the point.
"The head of the Graad Foundation has officially named her granddaughter as the heir."
"I remember her name was... Saori Kido, right?"
"That's the one, that's the one."
*Graad Foundation. Saori Kido.*
Riku stopped in his tracks, gazing into the distance. He narrowed his eyes, a thoughtful expression on his face. "This world, huh? It's truly dangerous. But then again, opportunity and danger always go hand in hand."
"Heh heh heh..."
With a soft, light chuckle, Riku's phantom vanished without a trace.
The [Saint Seiya] world. A place where gods walked the earth, creator deities ran about daily, and absolute gods lurked in the shadows. Above them all was the entity known as the "Super God."
Riku knew exactly where he was, and he knew better than to be careless. He didn't rush into action. Instead, he remained hidden, observing various nations across the globe.
The Saints were exactly as expected. He had already spotted several familiar faces. Riku primarily gauged their strength. He could confirm that Gold Saints, with their Seventh Sense "Cosmo," were truly capable of treating planets like glass marbles in the vacuum of space. As for the weaker ones, as long as they had mastered their Cosmo, moving mountains and tearing the earth apart was easy for them.
"Aside from the Saints belonging to the Sanctuary, I've also discovered many interesting entities."
In what was clearly a nursery, Riku sat cross-legged in the void, deep in thought. He could sense that special power—the sign of a slumbering god. And there were those warriors clad in various Surplices and Scales. Clearly, while the Holy War was primarily between Athena and Hades, other gods were descending upon the earth in human bodies. Those who wanted to play joined the fight; those who didn't, simply watched the show.
As for whether these gods in their human bodies had detected Riku? That would be a joke.
Don't underestimate him. While Riku was in a "weakened" state—perhaps unable to compare to the likes of Gaia—and might lose more than he won against a King of Gods like Zeus, he was more than a match for an ordinary deity.
Do you understand the weight of being a "Primordial Divine"?
*[Hands on hips.jpg]*
"Honey? Honey...?"
"Hello? Hello?"
"Can you hear me?"
Just then, Alice's voice resonated in Riku's ear.
A faint, blue glow shimmered beside him, and a device resembling the "Akasha Terminal" from Sumeru—though with a more sci-fi look—materialized like an earpiece.
This was something Riku had developed to communicate across universes via the [Gate of the Universe]. For now, it was limited to voice transmission. As for the future? Riku planned to keep upgrading it. Perhaps one day he could enable video calls, direct cross-universal teleportation, or even the shipping of supplies across the cosmos.