Editing Mondaiji-tachi ga isekai kara kuru soudesu yo:Volume 6 Chapter 6

==Chapter 6==

===Part1===

—On the stage of the arena hosting the [Duel of Creators].

 
<p style="text-align:center;">
<span style="font-size:120%">'''<<GIFT GAME: DUEL OF CREATORS>>'''</span></p>


 
<p style="text-align:center;">'''<span style="font-size:110%">Participating Communities:</span> '''</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">*'''*A total of twenty-four participants.  ※Listed in the attachment.'''</p>


<p style="text-align:center;">'''<span style="font-size:110%">Summary of the Game:</span> '''</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">*'''The preliminary rounds will be a battle amongst three participants.'''</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">*'''The last man standing will proceed to the next round.'''</p>


<p style="text-align:center;">'''<span style="font-size:110%">Winning conditions:</span> '''</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">*'''When your opponents have fallen outside the arena grounds.'''</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">*'''When you destroy your opponent’s Gifts'''</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">*'''When your opponent has not fulfilled the winning conditions (includes surrendering)'''</p>


<p style="text-align:center;">'''<span style="font-size:110%">Conditions for disqualification:</span> '''</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">*'''When the participant falls outside the arena grounds.'''</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">*'''When the Gift possessed by the Participant is destroyed.'''</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">*'''When the participant has not fulfilled the above stated winning conditions.'''</p>
 

<p style="text-align:center;">'''<span style="font-size:110%">Oath: Respecting the above stated content, based on our Glory and Flag, we<ref>[magrefnotes: we or our Community. Basically this is said by the host in this occasion.]</ref> shall host the Gift Game.''</span>''' 
</p>

<p style="text-align:center;"> ''“Salamandra” Stamp'' </p>

 

The rays of the setting sun and the glow of the chandelier splashed across the arena.

Due to the Convention of the Masters that would be hosted soon after, it has led to an unprecedented increase in the turn out for the [Duel of Creators] that is hosted monthly, and it was much livelier than usual.

The three contestants stood at the three corners of the arena as they awaited the gong that signaled the start to the game.

Kudou Asuka stood at the western edge of the combatant field while surveying her opponents with a sour expression.

(''Never did I think that the day that I would face Kasukabe-san as my opponent in a Gift game would come……On the other hand, Willa the Ignis Fatuus<ref>[magrefnotes: Ignis Fatuus means the Fool’s flames to burn the fools muahahaha puny humans….]</ref>, could it be……'')

That girl over there, the leader of [Will O’ Wisp].

Asuka could feel a devilish charm exuded from the contrasting luscious and cute characteristics of that girl. Her appearance was the epitome of immorality for it stole and fastened the gazes of Men with that seductiveness. Yet, it was clear that this girl was not aware about her charm; with those twin tails which were as smooth as the finest dessert that melts in the mouth to highlight her baby face. Whereas her curvaceous breasts and figure would cause others to cast their lustful looks in her direction for they were helplessly drawn towards it.<ref>[magrefnotes: author is using taste as his imagery from here on to illustrate….]</ref>

Asuka was looking at her and Willa who had noticed the gaze, turned to look at her.

“……?”

She gave a delightfully sweet movement of lightly tilting her head to the side. Most probably not understanding the reason for being the focus of Asuka’s gaze. Her every move was adorable and at the same time, it was infinitely ravishing.

—But Asuka was clear about a fact.

That gorgeous looking girl is the demon who commands the Jack o’ Lantern.

—and also one of the few participants, countable by the fingers of a hand, who represents the North Side.

“……”

As they met each other’s gaze, Willa suddenly drew out a cross shaped blunt weapon.

 

<nowiki>*Zugashu!*</nowiki>

 

“!!?”

A sudden welling of a throbbing pain came from Asuka’s forehead and struggling in the midst of all the stars that seem to hover in her sight. Hurriedly, she tried to assess her situation by looking around herself, only to find the cross-shaped blunt weapon that was supposed to be in Willa’s hand—No, to be precise, the hammer was over here at this very moment.

Incensed by the initiated attack that started before the official commencement of the Game, Asuka sprung up from her seat but Ayesha hurriedly stopped her.

“No, please wait, sorry about that! That’s Willa one-san’s bad habit……”

“A bad habit? Throwing blunt weapons on the heads of others?!”

“Ye, Yea! Throwing blunt weapons on the opponents whom she have taken an interest, to see the response of the target, that’s her bad habit! I will give her a stern warning about it, so please look over this matter for once!”

Ayesha scrambled to hold down Asuka by her shoulders. Although Asuka didn’t want to swallow her anger, for now, she decided that it was best to swallow it down.

After all this was the Game Stage and any debts owed can be compensated for in the Game soon enough.

(''That’s just how I would want it! I will not let you run after biting me<ref>[magrefnotes: biting and running…. The imagery of a dog/ wild animal….]</ref> like this, O’ strongest contestant of the North!!'') 

Asuka who was surprised by the blow earlier had now set her determination.

She looked at the new Gifts and comrade who resided in her Gift Card at the moment while feeling her anticipation bubble with excitement.

“I believe in you guys, Deen. And—Almathea.”

{“Don’t worry, be rest assured, my master”}<ref>[magrefnotes: copied this from Edenhall’s style of differentiating telepathic words….ok this is only seen in ch version of the book… NOTE: There is a goddess in Greek mythologies that is also a she-goat with the original name of Amalthea(yes that’s why I screwed up with wikia page name). Amalthea had used her milk to raise Zeus. During a session of playing around, Zeus accidentally broke off one of her horns and to repay the debts of her being like a motherly figure and the fact that he accidentally broke off the horn, Zeus imbued it with a miraculous Gift of aplenty that can provide any item the person wishes for. This horn was then called the [Horn of aplenty]/Cornucopia.]</ref>

===Part 2===

—South Entrance of the [Duel of Creators]’s arena.

Kasukabe Yō was quietly focusing her thoughts in the South corner.

She did not know why Asuka would want to join the Game.

But she did know that there’s now a reason for herself to win in this game of [Duel of Creators].

Yō gave a sidelong glance at Willa the Ignis Fatuus of the East Side while recalling the conversation they had earlier.

“Great. With this, I can complete the promise I’ve made to Koumei.”

It is still doubtful as to whether that girl knows anything about her father but from that sort of tone, it would seem like she had known him. If that is so, it didn’t matter which opponent standing in her way. Yō must obtain victory.

Moreover, Kudou Asuka is her friend. She cannot allow herself to lose in a humiliating manner in the battle.

(''Kuro Usagi and Jack are also in the spectator stands. I guess that would mean that Asuka have already received her new Gifts. So, I must make the result apparent in an instant before she can even get the chance to use them.'')

Yō gave a smile as the feelings of her strong fighting spirit, confidence, and expectations towards her comrade swelled in her chest. If Asuka could defend against the first strike, that would prove that Asuka has overcome her weakness from before.

As a friend, that would give the feelings of joy, dependability, a little threatening and amusement.

(''Moreover, just now…she…I’ve already figured out the Gift of Willa-san and have a good counter for it ……No problem. I won’t lose.'')

Yō held onto her absolute confidence and strategies.

Just as she heightened her concentration to the highest, the sound of the gong signaling the start of the Games reverberated within the arena.



===Part 3===

Kuro Usagi, Jack and Laius sat at the spectator stands where the voices of the crowd were rising to a crescendo. And the trio awaited the start of the Games.

“Uu……This…This is bad! Who would have thought that Asuka-san, Yō-san and Willa-san to be pitted together in the same preliminary round?!”

“Yahoho……likewise. That girl who does as she pleases, I’ve already told her many times to come straight to the workshops.<ref>[magref notes: omg…. I think workshops might be better than workrooms. Have been using workrooms all these while but it’s so direct translation… please comment.]</ref> But there shouldn’t be any problem for Asuka-chan!”

“Bu…But, Yō-san’s physical abilities are exactly the counter to Asuka-san. Once she falls out of the field……this game might even have a victor emerging in an instant.”

“Impossible.”

Jack sharply interjected and Kuro Usagi could only shut her mouth at that.

Jack had clearly seen the growth of Yō’s power in [Underwood] for himself and yet his voice contained such confidence and assurance.

“Yahoho……Kasukabe-chan is indeed a strong enemy but it is still possible for Asuka-chan to beat her. After all, Asuka-san has yet to comprehend her true abilities…. Though saying that, I’ve only understood from listening to Garol-dono’s explanations. But after listening to it would make one understand that her power isn’t about controlling the gifts bestowed to her but belongs to the faction that bestows it —similar to the bestowing of [Mock Divinity].”

“YES.” Kuro Usagi nodded her head in assent, she had also had a feeling of that.

In Little Garden, the thing called [Divinity] referred to the Gift that could cause a race or object to have its spiritual powers increased to the maximum. Among these there exist something called [Mock Divinity] that specialized in pushing Gifts to its maximum potential causing them to release power that was of a similar level to those of the Divine-classed Gifts.

But, as it only raises the output, there would be a possibility that it would destroy the Gift, after it has been pushed to its fullest, due to its inability to withstand the proportion of the spiritual enhancement.<ref>[magref notes: I think what the author wants to say is that durability of object spiritual vessel needs to be proportional with spiritual power. Asuka injects power but not reinforcing the objects ability to contain such an increase. Therefore like a balloon that has over expanded, it pops.]</ref> 

“It’s a terrifying ability and also very difficult to be handled. Especially that the method of bestowing happens to be that of ‘Conferring Divinity(language)’. Language being the medium by which spiritual power is dissipated instantaneously and it has the characteristic of deteriorating before reaching the intended target, not to forget that we have to factor in the spiritual power of the target that might be able to resist the influence. Hence Kuro Usagi-dono, mistaking her power as [Control] is quite understandable.”

“YES…… but thinking about it, no one should normaly think of it as the conferring of mock divinity from the start.”

Kuro Usagi’s ears quivered indignantly in protest.

Jack suppressed a wry smile as he extended his index finger.

“That’s why we have prepared the most suitable equipment for Kudou Asuka……the Gift that can bring out that absurd potential in her—For now I can even safely assert that Asuka-chan is on par with the power level of Faceless.” 

Jack said with confidence.

Seeing how he was so sure about that, Kuro Usagi could only hope for that to be true.

And swallowed hard as she took in the sight of the circular battle grounds.

“On par with—Faceless-sama?”

“Yahoho! Haven’t I said that? Asuka-chan might just win—”

“Impossible. The champion can only be Willa.”

The cold voice from the side had broken into their conversation.

Laius who sat beside Jack had mercilessly trampled on their hopes.

“Willa’s the strongest of the North Side. Just a mere no name can’t hold a flame to her. But if the person in question possesses the ‘Fortress’ that I’ve created, perhaps she might last up to five minutes or so.”

Laius’s words interjected into the duo’s casual conversation.

Jack gave a sigh, seeming to have lost some of his momentum in his upbeat voice:

“Haiz…… Looks like you really wish for Asuka-chan to lose eh? But that’s a weapon that can only be used to its utmost potential in the hands of Asuka-chan. Laius-kun, you know that more than anyone else right?”

“Hmph, so what? I don’t really care about that sort of thing. I only want that girl to be humiliated. And the materials for ‘Fortress’ is the Adamantium Ore and that fleece. Separating them into the refined metal and fleece to be marketed would still be quite lucrative won’t it?”

Laius gave a thin and annoying smile.

Kuro Usagi furrowed her brows at that, but the thing that she was concerned about for another matter.

(''The ‘Fortress’ must be the new Gift right? But what could those items, the Adamantium Ore and fleece be about?'')

“I say, Laius-kun, that fleece was borrowed from the [No Name]s and you cannot just sell it off just on a whim of yours. Moreover even if you want to sell them, there’s not much use for them—”

“Haha, you sure are a toothless bumpkin for not knowing about this. That piece of mountain goat pelt is actually one of the most exquisite items that can be used to aid agricultural Communities. It’s so important that they will even salivate at the sight of it.”<ref>[magrefnotes: the golden fleece(this story calls it Fleece of Mountain Goat to change the names) is said to heal the land and make it fertile. In story of Percy Jackson, it got a girl out of a tree…ok wrong information, it actually restored Thalia who was critically injured and assimilated into the tree back into her human shape… zzz when’s the next Percy Jackson book coming out?!!! XD]</ref>

“Agri, Agriculture? Fleece of a mountain goat?”

Wasn’t that Gift called a [Fortress]? Unable to figure out the connections between them, Kuro Usagi tilted her head in confusion.

Indeed, they had taken some of the suitable Gifts from the treasury of the [No Name] to be used for the creation of Gifts, but Kuro Usagi had not heard of their practical uses.

But since it was a Gift that was wanted for agriculture, it must be something beneficial to the rebuilding of the farms.

Lily and the other children would be very happy to hear this. It could be that Jack might have planned for that to have prepared such a Gift.

“……Ah! It’s starting!”

Kuro Usagi pointed at the centre of the battlefield.

As the sound of the gong to flag off the start of the Game reverberated through the air, the gazes of the spectators were all focused towards the circular playing field.

And shouts of anticipation coursed through the spectator stands.

After the three strikes of the gong to signal the start of the event, the girl who took on the role of Judge—Ayesha Ignis Fatuus, appeared at the centre of the playing field with her blue twin tails swaying behind her.

“Ay….Ayesha-san? Why is she the judge?”

“Yahoho! We of [Will O’ Wisp] have been in this Game as a regular! So, Sandra-sama has nominated Ayesha for the job in recognition of our long participation!”

Jack bobbled his pumpkin head as he gave a proud laugh.

His Community was already erected in the revered section of the [Tablet of the Sea of Stars].

And the reason for Willa being named the strongest Player of the North was precisely due to her countless records of championing the Game, becoming the invincible legend.

Choosing the judge from the Community of [Will O’ Wisp] that had performed well in the Birth of the Fire Dragon Festival was also something that shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

(''It’s finally starting. Yō-san……Asuka-san……'')

Kuro Usagi intertwined her fingers seemingly in a prayer.

Standing upon the stage of the battle field, Ayesha began to read out the names of the three contestants who were waiting at their respective corners.

“—Round one will start now!

From [No Name], Kudou Asuka!

From [No Name], Kasukabe Yō!

And the idol of everyone! The most popular candidate for obtaining the overall victory!

The Super lady who is unbeatable!

From [Will O’ Wisp], Willa the Ignis Fatuus—!”

 

“Woooooooooooooooooooooooh!” Hearing the introduction made for Willa, the entire stands erupted into wild and feverish cheers.

Although she wasn’t as approachable as Kuro Usagi, but Willa still had quite a sizable popularity. But the person in question had tilted her head in puzzlement over such an uproar in the stands.

Seeing the frenzy of the crowd, Ayesha had nodded her head in satisfaction as she raised her right hand to make the announcement.

 

“I hereby declare—- the official start of [Duel of Creators]!!!”

===Part 4===

In an instant—

An azure glowing wind was whipped up from the ground.

Kasukabe Yō who had rapidly entered her battle state had immediately assessed the phenomenon to be the wind released by Willa.

Her spirit name being the [Demon of Azure Flames] was partially due to the ability to call out flammable phosphorus gas from fossils. If it were that only, Yō only needed to whip up a whirlwind to dodge it.

But to be famed as the strongest flames of the North, it should not be only at the level of a natural phenomenon.

“—Summon, [Ignis Fatuus].”

“……!?”

A wave of heat was carried within those azure blue winds and the atmosphere was awash with a roasting sensation that was subtly hidden from the senses.

Although the color of the flames were different, but Yō was very clear of the dangers that such a flame posed. For she could sense that this was the same feeling as the other time when Jack had released the intense flames during their time in [Underwood].

The Wind of Purgatory Flames that have been summoned from Hell.

The Gift that just required a mere seven lanterns full to destroy an entire city with its flames.

(''What….What’s wrong with this person?! Is she trying to summon the Purgatory flames in the arena……?!'')

The Game had just started and Willa was already planning to use the strongest firepower. The first move was planned to be such a large scale attack on a wide area and such a bold move was unimaginable coming from one who had such a cute look.

Willa was planning to use the first strike to defeat the both of them right from the get-go.

(''Change of plans……! Since she’s using the Purgatory Flames of Hell, Asuka will also be in danger!!!'')

Less than a second into the Game, Yō had already shifted her target to be focused on Willa. The situation was already one that forced her to abandon her strategies.

Clutching her [Genome Tree], Yō materialized the shimmering plate leggings of the [Pegasus] while whipping up a dazzling wind to charge towards Willa. And just when she was skiing on the wind and about to land her kick—

The figure of Willa suddenly disappeared.

“This is bad—!”

Instantaneous teleportation—Only those who controlled the portals between worlds would be able to open that [Astral Gate].

This sort of unique portal activation method was fundamentally different from that of Jack’s ability to appear from flames.

Jack was able to move from flame to flame, a movement of point to point in a linear fashion, but her sort of teleportation was one that was instantaneous and without any forewarning or relation to any objects or obstacles in the path.

The previous encounter was also similar to this and Yō hadn’t been able to see through this teleportation trick of hers.

—Though it was heard of, but it sure is a Gift that exceeded the comprehension of the mind.

That sort of power was impossible to be matched by the speed and power of the five senses. To confront such a power would require a Gift of a completely different nature but now wasn’t the time for her to experiment around for the crafting of the new Gift.

(''The Azure winds have not stopped……If this continues……'')

Yō whipped her head to shout at the top of her lungs.

“Asuka!! Quick! Escape out of the playing field! “

“Eh—“Asuka’s face was one of surprise and shock and it was clear that she really didn’t understand the nature of the threat that was the wave of azure winds.

However, it was clear that there wasn’t enough time for Yō to rush to her rescue.

This was merely just two seconds after the start of the Game.

Willa the Ignis Fatuus had summoned [Ignis Fatuus] and caused an azure wind to whip across the arena grounds. Ayesha who had been nominated as the judge had also ran ashen faced towards the outside of the playing field, but was blown into the spectator stands as a wave of hot wind blasted her from behind.

“Oi, Willa-nee, that’s really too exaggerati……Yaaaaaaah!”

Her twintails were emitting green smoke as Ayesha fell into the spectator stands.

The spectator stands were replete with defensive Gifts to protect the audience and so her losses were only up till that point, whereas the centre of the arena had transformed into a gruesome sight.

Exceeding the Purgatory Flames that were summoned by Jack, these hungry flames lit up every single thing that existed in the natural world. The whole combatant area was alight with azure flames and instantaneously reduced the stage to crisp.

And the Azure pillar of flames extended up to the Veil of Little Garden.

The searing heat waves released at the peak were strong enough to scatter the sea of clouds in the sky.

The demon that existent in the cleft between life and death—Willa, had shown a power that was able to devastate everything within the pillar. Of which the spectators had gone silent at that performance.<ref>[magrefnotes: If I were the author, I would slide in part divider in this place for the next scene is from a different perspective.]</ref>

“How….How can……”

Kuro Usagi’s hands shook as she moaned mournfully.

Willa’s true strength had exceeded her predictions.

Precisely because Kuro Usagi knew what had been released by Willa, she was quivering from the brutal scene displayed before her. If Kuro Usagi’s guess is spot on, Asuka and Yō wouldn’t be a match for her.

Summoning the Purgatory Flames from Hell wasn’t a simple feat.

Willa had connected Hell to this world in that instant—This is not a figure of speech.

Just as how Shiroyasha is able to summon the Game board of [White Night Plateau], Willa had released her spiritual powers to destroy the portal between reality and the furnace of Hell to scorch the arena.

“How dare she…… to those two…… Kuro Usagi’s comrades……”

Kuro Usagi, who had already abandoned most of her logic due to rage, had already transformed to her fiery peach colored hair.

“Kuro Usagi-san, don’t worry. Look closely, those two aren’t hurt at all oh~!”

Jack used a cheerful tone to advise Kuro Usagi who was emitting red lightning while on the verge of rushing in with that murderous look.

“—EH?” Kuro Usagi gave a stupid cry.

That sound might just have been the signal for a counter attack, or perhaps it was just a pure coincidence.

<nowiki>*Ding Ling*</nowiki> The scorching azure pillar of flames—shattered under the sound of the melodious flute and chime of the bells.

===Part 5===

Percher who had walked to the arena location alone was stumped by the miracle before her eyes. It is precisely because of the dramatic changes in the arena that had caused her to have that sort of look on her face.

—That’s right. This is not a figure of speech.<ref>[magrefnotes: I realize that sometimes I’ve used it wrongly…. It is not metaphor but a figure of speech… oh well…. ]</ref>

The Flaming Azure winds that raged from Heaven to Earth —froze into a giant ice pillar before shattering into fine powdery snow.

“Freezing the entire pillar of flame…… Could it be Asuka—”

Saying that, she looked towards the pits and was surprised once again.

Asuka was no longer in the combatant’s ring. There was only Willa who stood in the midst of the whole field and Yō who had fled to the skies. And instead of what used to be the ground of the arena—An Iron sphere that did not seem to exist earlier stood in its place.

(''That sphere……Deen couldn’t have transformed into that big a sphere.'')

On the arena grounds where the purgatory flames raged on, the mysterious sphere was completely without a scratch from the onslaught. A faint electrical flow could be seen dancing along the surface of the Iron sphere and it gave off the feeling of being an impregnable defense against anyone’s approach.

The whole stadium fell into silence and from the centre of the arena—came the voice of Asuka, from the centre of the frozen winds.

“It’s okay now. Release the protections, Alma.”

[[Image:Mondaiji-tachi_ga_isekai_kara_kuru_soudesu_yo_v06_187.jpg|thumb]]

{“Understood, my master.”}

—<nowiki>*Plonk*</nowiki> The sphere gave a bounce.

The icy cold steel cage exterior seemed to pulsate before transforming together with a fizzle of lightning around it.

Long majestic horns, powerfully built four limbs and hooves, silvery fleece that continued to sparkle with electricity. A majestic looking Mountain goat Divine Beast stood by the side of Asuka, guarding her.

(''Mountain Goat……Divine Beast? And able to emit lightning? That can’t be just any ordinary Divine Beast!'')

This saying has always been passed down in the legends, that Gifts of ‘Thunder’ are the symbols for the highest of the God-class spirits. ‘Thunder’ was the last natural energy that Mankind managed to bring under control, and has been able to maintain the eternal respect and faith since the ancient times.<ref>[magrefnotes: this is word play again…. Thunder is雷, just another addition of a character would make it lightning… but yea, in card games, we also attribute thunder pokemon rather than lightning…. So anyways, just take all these explanation in stride, if you want to discuss it further, you can visit the forums.]</ref>

The Japanese pronunciation of ‘Thunder’ can also be written as ‘God’s roar’. Violent winds, rain and the roar of thunder were a collective of fears that wasn’t only limited to Mankind but many other races as well, being one of the oldest faith of all.<ref>[magrefnotes: not really too sure about what the author wants to say… my guess is that he’s saying that all the other animal kingdom, spirits and Mankind all revere the Natural phenomenon of torrential rains, hurricanes and lightning storms.]</ref>

God-class spirits of the Elder God’s end of the spectrum<ref>[magref notes: introduced the word spectrum to make it look more scientific and for ease of understanding.]</ref> will gradually find it more difficult to carry lightning as they get closer to the normal Gods end of the spectrum. 

(''That’s strange……That Mountain goat Divine Beast obviously has a greater strength than Asuka. How did Asuka manage to tame such a monster?...'')

“Percher! What are you doing in this kind of place?”

Percher who quickly returned her thoughts to the present turned her head hurriedly. The people who had called out to her was Jin and the others who had went their separate ways before the Corridor of Displays.

The trio ran towards Percher whom they had coincidentally met up and noticing that Rin’s nowhere to be seen, they had asked:

“Where’s Rin?”

“No, no idea. She said about having something urgent to do and so we went our separate ways. As for what the matter is about, I guess His Highness is the person you should ask right?”

“Hm? Oh, that’s okay. I know about that. Rin should now be trying to catch the culprit of the ‘Kamikakushi’ currently, am I right?”

“Is that so?”

“Because she did say something about finding some clues—Compare to that, take a look at the arena. I must say that this Game looks to be getting quite interesting.”

His Highness narrowed his golden irises as he gave a cheerful laugh.

Leaning on the rails, he seemed to scrutinize Asuka and the Mountain Goat Divine Beast with an assessing gaze.

“Seemingly like a puppet but yet not a puppet. After all it does have a conscious will of its own and it looks to be alive. I wonder who could have created such a masterpiece.”

“Um……It probably is the Gift created by Jack and Willa-san of [Willo O’ Wisp], I think.”<ref>[magrefnotes: this is how Jin speaks, I think. Lols]</ref>

Jin opened his mouth to give a casual reply and His Highness nodded his head in understanding.

“[The Demon of the Azure Flames]…… the demon who controls the portal between life and death? I see, that does seem likely. For that woman to bestow life wouldn’t be too difficult. That guy is probably the reincarnation of the Divine Beast.”

“Reincarnation?” Jin and Percher tilted their heads.

His Highness gave a smile as he pointed towards Ayesha who had fainted amongst the spectator stands.

“Take for example that gnome. She’s a gnome that has been implanted into the body of a dead person, to be born as a new life form. Most living bodies basically lose their spiritual attainment after death, but there are some that might even continue to live on after death and be reincarnated into the next life.”

“……Did you mean resurrection?”

“Of course not! How is that possible? A new life possess the inheritance of a new personality. Moreover, for the dead to completely return to life would require operating an independent cosmology. [The Demon of Azure Flames] has not reached that level of power yet. Although the spirit would more or less retain part of its memories, but what it really gets to inherit would be the appearance only. In that sort of reincarnation, the spiritual power would surely deteriorate—”

Suddenly, His Highness stopped his words.

The smile he had earlier was now wiped off his face as he took on a surprised look to stare at the Mountain Goat Divine Beast.

(''……if it is through the process of reincarnation, the spiritual power would surely deteriorate. Because the amount of spiritual power that will be passed down to the reincarnation would be dependent on the spiritual power of the next generation. In normal cases, Divinities of their past lives would also be returned……Then why is it that that Mountain Goat is still materializing as a Divine Beast?'')

His Highness was full of doubts as he stared at Asuka with his sharp gaze.

In the war at [Underwood], he had heard of the Gift held by Kudou Asuka.

According to Aura who had fought against her, she was of an unknown birth, but she was able to control a fire that could render [The Death Eye of Balor] ineffective.

Hence, His Highness had speculated that she had some sort of super powerful God killing Gift that was similar to the Garuda Phoenix lineage.

(''But, this guy isn’t of the same kind. To increase the spiritual power would require the bestowing of Divinity or an ability of a large area of effect sort—No matter what the matter might be, it’s all beyond the abilities of the Human realm of influence.'')

His Highness stared down upon Asuka and the mysterious Divine Beast.

Following that, he caught sight of Kasukabe Yō, who had fled to the skies, from the corner of his eyes. Yō had used the [Genome Tree] to incorporate the Gifts of the Salamander and Rat, wearing a ‘Fire Rat’ leather lamellar armor<ref>[magrefnotes: lamellar armor is just like scale mail, more on padding in this sense  since the main materials here are leather… rather than salamander scales.]</ref> that enabled her escape from the violent storm of the Purgatory flames. 

(''Oh? This one used the [Genome Tree] to escape death? Seems like the Purgatory flames of Hell are unable to kill the rat born from the placenta of the flames.'')

But using the Salamander and Rat to combine into the ‘Fire Rat’ wasn’t a very good plan for it was equivalent to announcing to others about your real powers. It is best to stick to simple combinations to not let the cat out of the bag about the fact that she controlled the Phylogenetic Tree.

(''Although it is a little rough and childish……but this [No Name] is quite the treasure trove that I’ve expected it to be. It would be best if I can pack them up and bring along as a take-away.'')

His Highness twitched the corners of his lips into a smile. Having the joyous smile like a child having gotten his hand on a new toy, he also started to have that scary look of wanting to snatch everything within his sight away for himself.

Jin gave a sidelong glance at His Highness before turning his gaze downwards quickly to scan the spectator stands.

“……Ah, Kuro Usagi! And Jack!”

Hearing her name being mentioned, the rabbit ears perked up with a swish.

Kuro Usagi looked around for a long time before finally spotting Jin in the spectator stands above.

“Jin-bocchan! What are you doing there?!”

“Yaho? Sandra-sama is also there!”

“I brought Jin around the city for a little walk. Nice to meet you, [Highborn of Little Garden]-san, it’s been some time since we met.”

Sandra was wearing a joker face smile while using a matured tone to casually tell a lie. Having gotten used to the role of a master, it might even be possible that she’s unexpectedly good at acting.

Laius was originally depressed but upon seeing the Master Sandra, he immediately stood up to reveal a sincere smile that was never seen before from him while making way for them to sit beside him.

“Well, isn’t this Sandra-sama of [Salamandra]? I didn’t expect to meet you in the common spectator stands! Come, have a seat!”

“That’s really gracious of you, thank you, Laius-sama. You have also arrived in the North side territories huh?”

“Yes. I couldn’t take the atmosphere of the East Side country lands and was attracted by the cultured civilization of the North. And currently we of [Perseus] have established a relationship with this Jack o lantern’s Community.”

“That sounds great. [Will O’ Wisp] is in the midst of ascension, obtaining the help of [Perseus]’s Gift bestowing techniques will surely be like a Dragon with the addition of wings to soar through the Little Garden. Please do impart to them your valuable techniques and skills in an exchange of cultures.”

“Um…..about that…Mah, I will handle it as best as I can.”

Laius gave a spasm-like smile in reply.

Sandra was subtly asking him to ‘pass all the valuable techniques to Jack and the others’. With that sort of request, Laius was unable to continue with his accommodating responses and could only give an ambiguous reply.

Having been teased by Sandra, Laius looked towards Jin and the others who stood behind her with displeasure.

Then suddenly, his gaze stopped on His Highness.

“Oi, that white haired brat there.”

“What?”

His Highness had calmly responded to the rude name calling.

On normal occasions, Laius would have been incensed by such an attitude from His Highness. He who had a high self-esteem would never have allowed just a teenager who looked around the age of twelve to use that sort of tone to reply.

But this was a different case.

He surveyed the white haired golden iris boy who was His Highness before slightly straightening his body to ask:

“You…. Have we met each other before somewhere?”



===Part 6===

In the middle of the blizzard came the crisp sounds of three azure blue gems shattering as they struck the ground.

Those were the empty shells of the Gift falling out of the hands of Asuka after freezing the Purgatory Flames,.

(Uu……Even though the Gems of Freezing are much more expensive compared to the Gems of Flame……)

Asuka was full of regrets in her heart as she lamented over her lavish usage of the Gifts.

However, being the Ojou-sama of a financial powerhouse, she could not allow such feelings to show on the surface.

—Just to mention it on the side, though it might be a little off-topic.

The reason for the Gems of Freezing being more expensive is definitely not due to the difference in practicality.

The real reason is because such Gifts are able to cause a reversal in the kinetic energy of an object and that defies the second law of thermodynamics; a blessing that is impossible for Mankind to replicate. If this sort of phenomenon were easily replicated, Mankind would be able to craft a Perpetual Motion Machine with ease. Hence, even if it were the world of Little Garden, the only existence that could defy these laws of Physics is only that sole Demon.

And this sort of expensive Gift could already fetch up to the ransom-like price of a Gold coin for a gem!

—Okay, end of the off-topic gossips.

Asuka had magnified the might of the chilly winds to create the large scale “Frozen phenomenon” that was before them.

It was a Gift that was on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Purgatory Flames that was supposed to be able to reduce all existence to ash. Even amongst the Nordic Gods, there’s only one God who can control such a large scale blizzard.

The clash between the two had caused the Game stage to melt into the ground, leaving not a shadow behind. But if one were to strain their eyes to look closely, the faint traces of its existence could be seen and moving out of that ring would be an immediate disqualification.

As Asuka was reaffirming the circumference of the battle zone, Yō dropped down beside her.

Cloaked in the ‘Fire Rat’ leather lamellar armor, Yō dabbed at her cold sweat as she approached Asuka with a smile.

“Asuka, that was great! But how did you make that flame……”

“Hoho, that’s a secret……Although that’s what I want to say, but our opponent doesn’t seem to be a simple one for me to joke around at this time”, Asuka cast her sharp gaze at Willa.

Not bothering to hide her hostility, Asuka went straight for the kill:

“It’s my pleasure to meet you for the first time, Willa-san. Your name is also famous in the East Side where I belong to.”

“……”

“But, I really didn’t expect for you to try kill the potential candidate for your Alliance. I hereby demand an answer from you, the leader of [Will O’ Wisp]. Please explain your motives.”

Asuka stood with her arms akimbo as she used a threatening tone to question Willa.

Yō also had the same thoughts as the [Duel of Creators] hosted by the Master would surely prohibit the killing of other opponents. It was a well-known rule that needn’t be written down on the [Geass Roll].

Having seen Willa’s release of that fatal strike, it was almost safe for others to assume that she did not want to play by the rules of the Game and or even lacked the basic common sense.

“Please give your answer. Why did you summon such a dangerous flame? Depending on your answer, we might have to reconsider our Alliance agreements.”

“……?”

Willa was stumped for a moment.

Tilting that face that could only be said to be sweeter than candy, she revealed a slightly troubled look as she asked:

“……dangerous?”

“Huh?”

 

“What. Is. So. Dangerous. About. That. Level. Of. Flame?”

 

—Kachi, the both of them stiffened at the same time.

Their thoughts and bodies were unconsciously bounded as if cursed.

Needless to say, Willa’s answer had shredded their pride into bits. That sort of emotionless reply could be better described as ‘Shredding their existence to bits”.

Never did they expect that her unsealing of the furnace of Hell would be described by her to be only at “That. Level.” For the tone of her words already implied that she had already been holding back.

Asuka reined in her anger while forcing a smile as she looked at Willa.

“Is…Is that so? Well, you’re right. That sort of flame is nothing to us.”

“Of…Of course. There’s totally no problem with that sort of flame.”

Asuka and Yō responded with a stammer. …… Those stiff sounding words were definitely not due to a problem with her hearing.

And pondering over what could have gotten into these two people, Willa cocked her head to the left and right like a small animal in confusion while her twin tails swayed with the movement. Then seeming to have come upon something, she lifted her head.

“—You guys, are strong.”

“Eh?”

“You guys have underestimated yourself by quite a bit. My words are definitely not in sarcasm. When up against you two, the Purgatory Flames of Hell are not even worth mentioning. Not even close to something that you guys have to fear about.”

“……”

<nowiki>*Hu.*</nowiki> Asuka had unconsciously relaxed her tensed atmosphere that was close to drawing her sword in that emotionally charged situation.

The violent storm of Purgatory Flames were really scary, or at least that was the case in the memories of Asuka and Yō. But after experiencing it first-hand, the both of them were still unscathed.

Every time Yō escaped the icy grasps of Death, she would become stronger.

Although Asuka was troubled by her talent, it would seem that she had finally obtained suitable Gifts.

Ever since the day that they had arrived in Little Garden, the both of them had been accumulating an ever-increasing amount of accomplishments and karma, causing their talents to bloom at an unexpectedly rapid pace. Those were the words that Willa was trying to say.

“Especially Asuka. I’ve heard about your situation from Faceless.”

“Did you? From her?”

“Mhm. Hearing it from her, I’d then created your Gift—[Almathea’s Fortress].”

Willa stretched out her finger.

Pointing exactly at the majestic-looking Mountain goat Divine Beast.

“[Almathea’s Fortress] is by me and Jack……and Lulu working together—”

“Lulu? Who’s that? Could it be that you are referring to that young Master?”

“Keho<ref>[magrefnotes: Keho is sound effect for cough.]</ref>, What was just said is not counted.” 

Willa started all over again, TAKE 2.<ref>[magrefnotes: Take2, like the director says NG to the TV show and they do the Take2]</ref> 

“[Almathea’s Fortress] is by me and Jack……and Laius working together to create a masterpiece. The current you, can now be on par with FeiFei<ref>[magrefnotes: FeisiLesi is how Face.Less is pronounced…. Nickname would be taking the first character… Fei and double that….FeiFei, my guess is she talks in a cute manner and it would be highly irritating to be told off by that kind of cute voice.]</ref>…Keho, Face.Less. So you should have more confidence.”

Willa tried her best to make her face taut with seriousness.

Although she did put in a lot of effort to lecture the both of them, the ending was still far from perfect, having made some slips in her act.

But it would seem that she wanted to continue with that serious act to the end as she spread her arms in a gesture to welcome the both of them.

“……I do not like to do battle nor participate in Games. But for the both of you to realize your true potentials— I’ve now participated in this competition as the North Side’s strongest Player. And I will put my best to make this a token of gratitude to you guys.”

“Token of gratitude?”

“Jack and Ayesha have been rescued twice from the hands of Demon Lords by you guys. This token of gratitude is for that”, the strongest girl of the North Side smiled.

Asuka and Yō looked at each other before shrugging their shoulders while feeling a little troubled.

“……How should I say it, I think the ones who felt that they were being helped were us.”

“Mhm. And we have never returned the favor too.”

Nodding their heads, the both of them took on a battle stance to prepare for the battle.

The both of them had finally decided on enjoying the [Duel of Creators] to the fullest.

She of the North Side’s strongest player to spread her arms in acceptance of the challenge, how could they suppress that feeling? The problem children of the East Side have never felt this happy and excited before.

“Although it might be tough on Willa-san, we will apologize in advance for doing it two-on-one.”

“No problem. I will also show my full powers in the subsequent fight. If you do not do it in a team battle, it would probably be dangerous.”

Saying that, Willa started to release Azure winds from her hands.

Although it was of a small scale, contact with [Ignis Fatuus] would undoubtedly cause a fatal injury.

Firstly, they would need to break through that Azure wind. And though the ‘Fire Rat’ leather lamellar armor might be able to defend, it was unable to launch an attack. Moreover, if they did not have a method to counter that instantaneous teleportation, everything else would be futile.

Yō was racking her brains over a plan to make an attack when Asuka leaned over to whisper softly.

“Kasukabe-san. I’ve a plan……What’s your take?”

“……What’s the risks?”

“It’s only possible to get high profits with high risks right?”

Asuka smiled mischievously. For Asuka to even mention a plan, it would already mean that there was a possibility of it going through. Understanding that part about her, Yō gave a nod in consent.

“Got it. Tell me about that plan of yours then.”

In the instant that Asuka nodded her head—

 

The situation had a dramatic transformation.

<noinclude>

===Translator’s notes===
<references/>

{{Mondaiji Nav|p1=6|p2=Chapter 5|n1=6|n2=Chapter 7}}
</noinclude>