One-way traffic

“Master, please forgive my bluntness.”

"You say it."

Even though Wesser didn't say anything, Pest herself could guess what he was going to say.

"...With your strength, you have no way to win against those two."

"..."

"You should know this yourself. Although they appeared in front of you without any reason, you did fight them."

The outcome of the two battles was clear to everyone present.

The second time was alright. Although Pest was not injured when facing the young man who could grow white wings on his back, the other party did not make a move at all.

But the first time was completely different.

Facing that human with white hair and red eyes.

Even the Black Death Demon King, who was serious about fighting, almost faced the crisis of destruction.

"That man with wings should also be stronger than you. He didn't make a move before only because he was doing so on purpose. If he wanted to, any one of them should be able to easily defeat you."

"Your strength is equivalent to a five-figure Demon Lord in this Garden of Shadows. If someone surpasses you, it proves they possess at least a four-figure, or even higher, level of power..."

"Impossible! What a joke! How could someone of that caliber appear in a place like this?"

La Ting had already rejected that idea.

"Regardless of whether it's to that extent or not, you should be clear about the gap between us and them."

"Woo..."

“Master, although my strength is far inferior to yours, I was still a familiar who had experienced countless storms before.”

In other words, even from the Demon King's perspective, Pest is still a newcomer, and her experience in handling affairs is not as good as that of Weser in the past.

He understood many things clearly.

"No matter what the opponent is, we... have no way to win head-on."

"What if we don't rely on direct confrontation?"

"Perhaps it's worth a try, but your strength is negligible and completely useless."

I've already tried it before, and whether it's a white-haired guy or a winged guy, Lating's abilities are completely ineffective.

However, Pest has already sown the seeds of the virus, which should instead become their last hope for a comeback victory.

Even so, Weser did not believe that the Black Death, which possessed divine attributes, could have any effect on the two.

"The game's time limit... is a little over a week and a day, I guess."

"Huh? Yes..."

"With these seven days or so, we can still come up with other ways to deal with the situation. Simply relying on the status quo is no longer an option."

"But... will that really work?"

Even if we can't, we must win.

Pest was resolute.

Their greatest enemy, the celestial spirit of the sun, the White Yaksha, has been sealed away; this was a hard-won opportunity and means they had managed to obtain.

If we miss even this best opportunity...

There is only one fate awaiting Pest, the Demon King.

"Master is right, at least there is still a chance to fight back."

Weser nodded in agreement.

"Although the chances are slim, those guys can't touch us in these seven days."

"Can't move... does that refer to the permissions of the sandbox?"

“Yes, ‘The Gift Game can only operate again after seven days, during which time each community must maintain a peaceful phase of non-interference.’”

"So that means those two guys won't be able to oppose us for the time being?"

Similarly, we also cannot do anything else.

Under these circumstances, whether it's Pest's side, or other community sides, or even those two unexpected people, no one can break the rules that the Sandbox has built between the various communities.

In this world, there is an ironclad order.

then.

Wesel and Ratine stopped in their tracks as soon as they thought of this.

Click click click click click click—! ! ! !

An even sharper aura than the one from the peak instantly and rapidly converged on them from all directions.

This is a sharper momentum than grinding one's own bones and muscles.

"Master, Master!!"

The two familiars each drew their own magic flutes.

Latine placed the magic flute to her lips, ready to play at any moment, while Weser swept the flute horizontally, his entire body surging with intense magical energy at its sharpest tip.

But faced with this sudden, sharper aura than a blade.

Everything was as sad as dust.

"Feelings hide in places like this."

pat.

Everything returns to the environment of nothingness.

A crisp sound of footsteps followed.

The three conscious members of the Demon King's faction each looked at the figure directly in front of them.

white.

At the end of pure darkness lies something beyond daylight.

White, and blood-red.

"Hello."

He recklessly opened his arms wide.

Even though he was the uninvited guest, it was as if he were warmly welcoming the people in front of him.

"The ghost-hunting game is probably coming to an end soon. Both you guys and I are probably running out of patience... right?"

grunt.

I could clearly hear the sound of saliva being swallowed.

Latine and Weser had clearly taken out their weapons, but the two of them were completely unable to move an inch. Their magic flutes remained suspended in mid-air, neither daring to move, or rather, unable to move at all.

Even the person on the other side.

He didn't even raise his hand.

"Owner?!"

Even under these circumstances, the two remained highly focused, doing their utmost to find a way to fight back against the enemy before them.

"...They actually appeared right in front of us?"

"how."

Pest and Accelerator were facing off against each other.

"You don't actually think I won't come after you after doing something like this, do you?"

"Oh...it was noticed so quickly?"

Latine and Wesel didn't realize what they were talking about at first, but they quickly understood.

It was about the Black Death plague.

"That thing was indeed released by you."

"I think even without verification, you would know the answer, right?"

"Thanks to you, the entire North District has become a mess... Hmph, but it doesn't matter."

Hmm...? Pest was puzzled by his words.

"Although it is said to be something imbued with divine power, in the end, a plague is just a plague, nothing serious."

"What do you mean by that?"

Latine and Wesel, standing next to Pest, also realized something.

'Could it be... that this guy doesn't even have one?!'

"Oh, judging from your pathetic expressions, you seem to be just beginning to understand? Idiots."

Even the Black Death, even the plague storm filled with divine beings—posed absolutely no threat to the number one in Academy City.

'From the very beginning, the master's plague had absolutely no effect on him...?!'

"I see. However, if you were the one who could do something like this, I wouldn't be surprised."

He knew that his plague had lost its effect on the people in front of him.

But Pest still didn't show any sign of panic.

"However, haven't you forgotten something?"

A serene smile instantly appeared on the demon girl's face.

"You surely know what kind of era we're in now, don't you?"

The game of grace was terminated, and both sides were in a state of peace.

In this state, even the judges of the sandbox or the hierarchical rulers cannot forcibly violate the rules; they must obey everything arranged by the rules.

This is the fundamental reason why the White Demon cannot participate in this game of grace.

Therefore, this same principle should also apply to everyone within this small garden.

That’s right…

Even someone as powerful as this guy in front of me could never violate the most authoritative thing in the entire Little Garden.

"…rule?"

But he laughed.

It wasn't a show of bravado or arrogant laughter.

Instead, it was a strange smile that even made the cruel demon king, Pest, feel uneasy.

"Didn't they just say something about the rules of a miniature garden, that prevents me from doing anything to you?"

After saying these words, Accelerator took a step forward.

It's just that simple step.

but.

As he took that step, something exploded from behind him in one breath.

--boom! ! ! !

It was like an invisible 'wing'.

No… at first it may have been colorless, but as time went by, a certain hue gradually began to appear on the wings.

What is it?

"you…"

Both the Demon King and the familiar were completely shaken.

Because when those wing-like things appeared, everything around them changed in the same way.

Traces, as if the world had been eroded, appeared behind OnePass.