Crossover: The Problem Human of [Arcadia]

"Ryo, it's not like I had a choice!"

The moment Ryo refused, Algol immediately put on a pitiful expression.

"When I abandoned the Ishtar Spirit Rank and converted to the Cross, I was supposed to inherit the name Mary. They promised me her Spirit Rank."

"But then they went back on their word and dumped Lilith's Spirit Rank on me instead."

"By the time I realized something was wrong and wanted to go back, the original Ishtar Spirit Rank had already been split into several pieces. What am I supposed to do?"

In Little Garden, it was perfectly normal for an abandoned Spirit Rank to be claimed by someone else.

People fought over incomplete Spirit Ranks, let alone complete ones.

Algol had resigned from her identity as Ishtar because the Cross Pantheon dangled the Holy Mother's position in front of her, along with the possibility of reaching the two-digit level.

Among the upper echelons of Little Garden, that wasn't unusual at all. The Greek goddess Metis had originally transferred over from the Egyptian pantheon.

Changing pantheons was basically the divine equivalent of switching companies. As long as everyone agreed, there was nothing morally wrong with it.

Likewise, once a Spirit Rank was abandoned, it was only natural for the old employer to lower its access privileges, split it apart, and sell the pieces for profit.

The only truly dishonorable part was the Cross' broken promise.

They had promised her the Holy Mother's Spirit Rank, which offered a chance at becoming a two-digit.

Instead, they handed her the Mother of Demons.

That betrayal was one of the biggest reasons Algol had fallen out with them.

Ryo sighed. "So now you're trying to reassemble the Ishtar Spirit Rank, you've hit a snag, and you want me to solve it?"

Algol nodded so enthusiastically she looked like a pecking chicken. "I've already taken care of most of it. I negotiated with Inanna. She agreed to step aside, and in exchange I'll protect her for two thousand years. That piece is already back."

"As for Astarte, the Cross returned it after my advancement as a peace offering."

"And the part currently held by Aphrodite... well, now that everyone's calling you the Fourth Greek God King, that's easy enough to deal with."

"So Anat is the only one left." Ryo finally understood.

Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty, now stood on Zeus's side. If Ryo killed her and reclaimed both her name and Spirit Rank for Algol, no one would object.

If he truly established the Fourth Greek Pantheon someday, Algol could even rejoin under Aphrodite's identity.

Which left only one real obstacle. Anat.

Normally, once people learned that Algol had advanced to the three-digit rule-breaker level, the sensible response would have been the same one the Cross chose. Hand the incomplete Spirit Rank back.

Gathering scattered Ishtar Spirit Ranks was a necessary step toward reaching the two-digit realm for Algol.

She was already effectively standing at that threshold. A being with fewer restrictions than most.

Anyone with common sense would realize they couldn't stop her. Better to earn some goodwill than make an unnecessary enemy.

Unfortunately, Anat lacked that common sense.

Just thinking about it gave Ryo a headache.

"What exactly is her situation?"

"What else?" Algol rolled her eyes. "Ouroboros. A three-digit true body hiding in the lower layers? Besides those snakes, who else is capable of smuggling people down?"

The rule forbidding three-digit true bodies from descending wasn't actually established by the Little Garden Center.

The Center merely enforced power limits within the lower layers.

The prohibition against true bodies descending came from the Pact of the Gods. And enforcing that agreement fell to the Heavenly Army.

And whenever rules were maintained by people... there would always be loopholes.

In Little Garden, no one exploited those loopholes better than Ouroboros. They secretly smuggled three-digits into the lower layers, disguised them as legendary four-digit figures, then waited for the perfect moment to strike.

The previous Arcadia had been destroyed by exactly that trick.

A three-digit disguised as a mere four-digit legend, such a monster was practically unstoppable.

The only reason any members of the old Arcadia survived was that they had scattered after sealing Azi Dahaka.

By that time, 80% of the Arcadia Alliance's members were already dead, while the remaining members had scattered to recover and heal their wounds. Ouroboros then sent a three-digit to seize Arcadia's flag and name, kicking them while they were already down.

"Ouroboros..." Ryo narrowed his eyes. "No wonder you want a Last Embryo to handle it."

Algol already knew that Ryo had received an invitation to join Ouroboros.

If Anat was attacked in the upper layers, it would be a direct slap in the Heavenly Army's face. That kind of provocation would be difficult to manage.

But if it happened in the lower layers... That was another story.

And if a Last Embryo did the killing... Was the Heavenly Army really going to investigate who had ordered an insane Last Embryo around?

At worst, they'd chalk it up to Anat's bad luck.

After all, she'd violated the Pact of the Gods by descending with her true body.

And even if Ouroboros figured out that the Tricksters, and therefore Algol, were behind it... What could they possibly do?

Report Algol to the Heavenly Army for harboring Last Embryos? Then they'd have to explain why one of their three-digit God Kings had illegally descended into the lower layers and gotten herself killed.

If both sides had broken the rules... Then neither side could expose the other.

Everyone would keep quiet.

No one wanted the other gods to seize the moral high ground and use public opinion against them.

After thinking it through, Ryo looked at Algol with newfound respect. "I take back what I said. You actually do have a brain."

Algol clicked her tongue in annoyance.

She knew perfectly well what Ryo had been worried about.

If the gods learned he controlled the Last Embryos, things would become troublesome.

But against Ouroboros... That risk became much smaller.

'You expose me for controlling Last Embryos. I expose you for smuggling three-digits into the lower layers.'

Nobody in that situation had the right to lecture the other.

The pot couldn't call the kettle black.

That left plenty of room to maneuver.

Even if Ryo openly killed Anat, Ouroboros would have to grit its teeth and cover up the death of its own member.

More importantly, revealing that he commanded Last Embryos would make Ouroboros believe they'd gained leverage over him. That false sense of security would make it much easier for Ryo to stab them in the back later.

Besides, in the original future, hadn't Ouroboros used Azi Dahaka in exactly the same way?

They were all cut from the same cloth.

The only difference... Ryo happened to own a few more "Azi Dahakas."

Thinking along the same lines, Ryo asked, "So. When do we move?"

"Tonight." Algol clearly already had a plan. "And once it's over, you'd better head to another world."

"Oh..." Ryo immediately understood. "So that's the play."

He'd leave for another world immediately after killing Anat, creating a perfect alibi.

And who was that alibi for? Ouroboros.

Even if they knew perfectly well it was fake, as long as the story held together, they'd have no choice but to accept it.

Algol continued, "Didn't you discover several worlds through the DxD side? Just observe one of those. Even if nothing comes of it, that's fine. It's only for appearances."

"No need. I already have a destination." Ryo thought of the world Aishelia had visited before.

Shakugan no Shana.

That world seemed... a little unusual.

After a moment's thought, he nodded. "The only people who know those coordinates work for Athena. Conveniently enough, I was planning to see her anyway."

"As long as you've got a destination." Algol had no objections.

A fake performance becoming real didn't matter.

The important things were killing Anat, reclaiming her Spirit Rank, strengthening ties with Ouroboros, and giving Ryo an opportunity to betray them from within.

Until the pressure from the gods became overwhelming... Ryo and Ouroboros could still play the part of "friendly partners."

After all, stabbing your brothers in the back twice wasn't unreasonable if it was for their own good.

At least, Algol certainly thought so.

Besides, Ryo already hated Ouroboros enough that she didn't feel the slightest bit guilty about helping him do it.

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