Rule over all —Byakuya

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Just at the Edge of the Little Garden World—the place where all rivers converged into a colossal waterfall at the end of the world. After Ryo had passed his trial, Shiroyasha led him to the outer city gate.

"Kid, once you step through this gate, you're officially outside the city limits. From there, just cross the Forest and you'll reach the edge of the Great Waterfall. That's where the Water God's been training."

Shiroyasha pointed eastward, then fanned herself lazily with a sly smile.

"There's still time to back out, you know. Even among five-digit rankers, there's a big difference in power levels."

"The Water God at the Tritonis Falls has been training for centuries to become a dragon. She's no pushover—even among five-digit beings, she's considered top-tier."

"But don't forget—humans with divine authority are considered the gatekeepers of the five-digit class. So are you sure you want to go up against an ancient serpent god?"

There was a glint of amusement in Shiroyasha's eyes, and her grin had a mischievous edge. She clearly wanted Ryo to take the bait and go challenge the Water God—probably just for the fun of watching him struggle.

Ryo knew exactly what she was doing.

But he wasn't worried about losing. If anything, he was more curious—"how long will it take me to beat her?"

In the original story, Izayoi had barely tangled with the Water God before knocking her out cold with a single punch.

Sure, Izayoi's body was absurd—he entered the game already at a four-digit level.

But even so, the Water God's performance was... underwhelming. It didn't leave Ryo feeling even a little intimidated.

No matter how much Shiroyasha hyped her up, he figured she was just bluffing. He was itching to test his fists.

"Still... she's a water god who's trained for centuries. I should at least take this seriously if we're fighting head-on."

That thought sobered his expression.

Losing after giving it everything you've got is one thing. Losing because you got cocky? That's just unacceptable.

Noticing his change in attitude, Shiroyasha grinned like a fox.

"So? You accepting the challenge, or not?"

"I'm in."

With that, Ryo stepped forward and walked through the outer gate—leaving Little Garden's city limits behind.

Shiroyasha watched him go, her grin widening.

"Newbies always think they can ignore their seniors. Hope the kid doesn't get his face pounded in too badly."

Just then, her shadow stretched unnaturally along the ground, lengthening out until a small figure emerged from it.

A blonde girl, wearing a red-and-black jacket and a black ribbon tied at the back of her head, rose smoothly from the darkness.

It was none other than Leticia Draculea—hiding in Shiroyasha's shadow, as usual.

"Lady Shiroyasha, if I recall, isn't the Water God of Tritonis Falls one of your subordinates?"

"Ah, yeah. She's under my Yasha Authority—gave her Divinity a couple hundred years ago, I think."

Shiroyasha waved her fan casually, eyes gleaming with mischief.

"That little snake's the illegitimate daughter of the North Sea Dragon King. The old geezer left her in my care. Her bloodline's not bad at all."

Leticia sighed softly.

"For someone who only just gained Divinity, this trial might be a bit too much."

Among the dragonkin, a huge chunk of their power comes from their bloodline. And as a Dragon King's daughter—even a bastard—her spiritual potential would naturally far surpass any human's.

So a serpent god with royal dragon blood? That's definitely high-tier, even among phantasmal beasts.

Frankly, someone like that might be too strong for Ryo right now.

"But if the opponent's not strong enough, how else am I supposed to draw out his full power and see what he's made of?"

Shiroyasha fanned herself and chuckled.

"Besides, that kid went and used some Gift to make a fake daughter version of me! If I don't teach him a lesson, what's next? Is he gonna pop out a few grandkids for me?"

"I'm still a pure, untainted maiden, you know~"

Leticia gave her a side-eye but held back her thoughts.

For a high-ranking being in Little Garden, Shiroyasha was already unusually easygoing. A few petty quirks were something subordinates had to accept.

And compared to all the help she'd given Ryo, this little bit of mischief was nothing.

Shiroyasha closed her fan and looked at Leticia, smiling.

"So, what do you think? Will he pick the trial of strength, or the trial of wits?"

The Water God's Gift Game had two trial options—something most people in the outer gates were already familiar with. After all, challengers had been coming for hundreds of years.

"Strength," Leticia answered without hesitation.

"He just awakened Divinity and can already manipulate elemental forces. For a human, that's excellent combat talent. That kind of confidence will push him toward the strength trial."

"Ha! That's what I figured too."

Shiroyasha waved her fan again, and the space in front of them shimmered like a ripple across water.

A large circular portal appeared, projecting a view of the Phantasmal Beast Forest.

"He's just got a new Gift—it's almost guaranteed he'll pick a strength-based trial. Still, if he had chosen the wit trial, he might've had a decent chance at winning."

Leticia didn't change expression.

"You don't trust the serpent god's intelligence, do you?"

Shiroyasha was barely avoiding saying it outright—that the Water God was dumb.

She just nodded in response.

"Even if she's dragonkin, her mother's side isn't the brightest. And let's be real—humanity's greatest strengths are their intellect and adaptability."

"If the kid had played it smart and picked the trial of wits, he probably could've passed."

Leticia said nothing. She just stared at the image before her, and after a pause of a few seconds, sighed softly.

"...He picked strength."

— — —

Tritonis Falls

Riding the fire of his Divinity like a battering ram, Ryo cut straight through the Phantasmal Beast Forest and reached the lake beside the Great Waterfall.

His aggressive presence didn't go unnoticed. Beneath the surface, something massive stirred.

A giant figure slowly rose from the water—white serpent scales glinting, two black horns atop her head, golden slit pupils locked on Ryo.

"Hmph. Bold of you to throw around that kind of spiritual pressure in my domain—this is Tritonis Falls, and I am its master."

"A fledgling human god, huh? So... you're here to challenge me?"

Ryo looked up at the towering snake goddess—her upper body alone stretched dozens of meters into the air.

His gaze sharpened. "...Alright. I underestimated you."

The serpent god snorted, steam puffing from her nostrils.

"You know the rules, right? Trial of strength, or trial of wits?"

"Strength," Ryo replied immediately.

"Oho? Got guts."

Her golden eyes narrowed playfully.

"Well then, I hope when you die, you won't come back as some vengeful spirit."

"Relax," Ryo cracked his neck with a grin. "Even if I die, I won't haunt someone like you."

"Cocky little punk."

She yawned, jaws wide.

"I'll be fair—first strike is yours. You only get one shot."

"Oh?"

Ryo's body tensed for just a moment. Then, without hesitation, he drew his Zanpakutō.

Reiatsu surged, swelling to a boiling point. The atmosphere around him trembled.

"Shikai."

"Rule over all —Byakuya!"

In a flash, he transformed—white hair, black horns, demonic aura radiating like a storm.

"What?!"

The serpent god's eyes went wide—just before Ryo vanished from her sight.

The next thing she saw was a fist, rapidly growing in her pupils until it filled her entire vision—

BOOM!!

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