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[Crossover] Ch 130: Arcadia Flag
🕑 Added 2025-07-04 21:56:58 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
After hearing Maxwell's full explanation, His Highness ordered him to rest and recover. Then, he led Rin and the Demon King of Confusion out into the courtyard.
Sitting beside a bench under the setting sun, Highness frowned deeply, absentmindedly chewing on his fingernail.
"Can we really trust what Maxwell said?"
The Demon King stayed silent.
He knew he was still considered the "new guy" here—no one trusted him yet. Best not to speak unless spoken to.
Besides, he'd noticed something odd: Rin didn't seem to care much about Maxwell. If anything, she seemed amused by his recent failure. She hadn't tried to stop him from doing something reckless—and even chuckled when things went south.
This whole community had internal factions. It looked more and more like a ticking time bomb.
'This place is a mess,' the Demon King of Confusion thought, quietly criticizing the Ouroboros inner circle.
He'd seen a few other communities in the past, but the only one he'd really studied in-depth was Ryo Yagami's group—[No Name].
And based on his observations, the people in [No Name] all rallied around Ryo. He was the backbone of the group, and everyone—from Leticia to Black Rabbit—was working hard to support his vision.
Sure, the Demon King had privately mocked Ryo's dream of forming a double-digit community, but now?
Looking back, [No Name] seemed way more stable than [Ouroboros].
'At least they're not constantly backstabbing each other.'
While the Demon King of Confusion was silently grumbling, Rin glanced at him—then turned to Highness and spoke, since Highness had allowed him to be present for this discussion.
"Your Highness, honestly? Maxwell was talking complete nonsense."
She scoffed and continued, her voice laced with sarcasm. "An ordinary human points a finger, shoots out a flash of light, and bam! Maxwell nearly dies and barely escapes with his life? Yeah, no. That's ridiculous."
"According to the Demon King's intel, Ryo only has a five-digit spirit rank."
"And Maxwell is an entire digit above him! Even if there are some special cases among the five-digit tier, there's no way one hit could almost kill a four-digit like Maxwell."
'She's got a point,' the Demon King of Confusion nodded internally, 'but that "ordinary five-digit" also happens to be Indra...'
Highness chewed his nail a little harder, then muttered cautiously, his voice tinged with unease:
"Rin, I know you and Maxwell don't get along. But this time... I believe him."
"Your Highness…" Rin was taken aback, struggling to respond.
She wanted to say outright that Maxwell was a spy sent by Ouroboros's upper brass to keep tabs on His Highness—but knowing Highness's personality, she held back.
'He probably already knows… and just chooses to trust him anyway.' Rin sighed inwardly, frustrated.
Highness continued, still biting his nail.
"If that kind of injury really came from one strike, then it must've involved a highly specialized Gift... A four-digit Gift? No, wait. Based on the damage—maybe even a partially released three-digit Gift."
"In that case, we'll need to revise our assessment of the remaining Arcadia members.
"Leticia Draculea—formerly a Demon Lord and the Overall Floor Master. A pure-blooded vampire, one of the rarest to exist. And now Ryo Yagami, who might be on the same level, or even higher."
"And if we factor in that moon rabbit noble from the Little Garden aristocracy… [No Name] might actually outgun my entire faction."
"If you're really going to treat Ryo as a four-digit threat, then yeah... that sounds about right."
Rin nodded, fully agreeing—and she even thought Highness might still be wrong.
Based on her understanding of Maxwell's injuries, the kind of atomic-level destruction he suffered could only be defended against by incredibly rare, high-tier Gifts—even among four-digit beings.
Something like King Arthur's [Avalon], or Athena's divine shield [Aegis]. You'd need a Gift of that caliber to survive it.
Otherwise? Your only hope is to dodge. Don't get hit.
But based on Maxwell's report, Ryo's attack was absurdly fast. Most likely light-speed. Dodging that isn't something just any four-digit can do—it takes one of the top-tier elites.
Putting all the facts together, the only reasonable conclusion was: Ryo Yagami was even more dangerous than Leticia.
Highness, upon hearing this, actually looked relieved.
"There were some higher-ups who were thinking about launching a raid on [No Name] to snatch Leticia's ownership contract. But with this... yeah, they'll definitely reconsider."
Leticia Draculea had once been a Demon Lord. The only reason she could exist in her current form was because her Gift Game had been forcibly interrupted by Canaria.
Some Ouroboros elites had been extremely interested in acquiring her. When she was taken by Perseus, there had been talk of seizing her back by force.
But they had backed off—mainly out of fear of Athena and the demon star Algol.
Lately, however, Leticia's ownership had quietly returned to her homeland. That had reignited their interest.
'If Maxwell hadn't been a reckless idiot and picked a fight with Ryo Yagami,' Highness thought, 'we probably would've walked straight into that trap next.'
And with that kind of atomic-crushing Gift, they wouldn't have just taken a loss. They might've been completely wiped out.
"Wait a sec…" Rin suddenly realized something, her expression going strange. "Doesn't that mean Maxwell kinda… took the bullet for us?"
Highness gave a wry smile. "Yeah, pretty much."
He was Vishnu's avatar, sure—but he'd only been awakened for six months. His powers hadn't fully returned. If he'd ended up being the one to face Ryo...
Best case: Crippled.
Worst case: Dead.
"We really dodged a disaster."
"Maxwell, you idiot…" Rin muttered with a complicated expression. A part of her wanted to laugh, but she held it in—especially with the Demon King of Confusion standing nearby.
"Should we report this to the higher-ups, Your Highness?"
"Definitely. And tell them to send us some defensive Gifts—anything that can block atomic-level attacks. One-use or permanent, doesn't matter, we need both."
Highness answered without hesitation.
Now that they knew what Ryo was capable of, it would be suicide not to prepare for him. Especially since they were still holding the Arcadia flag—who knows when Ryo might come knocking?
"Report to the higher-ups, huh…" Rin smirked coldly.
"Those cowards? All they'll probably do is toss us a few Gifts or maybe mess with the flag to make it so no one can say 'Arcadia' out loud again. But actually fighting Ryo Yagami? Yeah right."
[No Name] now kinda had three four-digit-level powerhouses. That gave them enough strength to go toe-to-toe with any Ouroboros sub-faction from the lower levels.
Unless the higher-ups were willing to risk exposing Ouroboros as a whole, no one would stick their neck out to take Ryo down.
That's just how survival works. No one volunteers to die.
"What the upper brass does is their problem," Highness said calmly. "We just need to do our part."
Then, after a pause, his tone turned more serious.
"Rin. Pass down the order: If anyone from our faction encounters Ryo Yagami out in the field, they're authorized to abandon the mission. No punishment."
"Understood." Rin nodded, fully in agreement.
That atomic-smashing ability was no joke. She didn't want anyone in their community dying to a one-shot kill.
Not everyone's got Maxwell's freakish resilience.
Highness let out a long sigh, then turned to the Demon King of Confusion with a softer expression.
"By the way, I never got the chance to welcome you properly. Good to have you with us, Mr. Confusion."
"I want permission to act independently," the Demon King of Confusion replied bluntly.
Rin immediately glared at him. But Highness looked thoughtful, then smiled.
"Fine. Granted."
"Pleasure doing business," the Demon King of Confusion said, cracking a grin.
Highness extended his hand. The demon paused for a second—then took it with a sly smirk.
"Pleasure's all mine~"
— — —
That Evening – The City
At a property owned by the Demon King of Confusion, far from prying eyes...
Having parted ways with Highness, the Demon King of Confusion quietly returned to one of his private hideouts. Once there, he pulled out a phone and dialed a number.
Deet...Deet....
The call was instantly declined.
Undeterred, he muttered under his breath, "So, you got the message."
Just then, the air in front of him shimmered slightly, and a faint glow began to form.
Out of that light—Ryo Yagami appeared.
.
.
.
