???
It was a boundless, colossal space containing a single round table.
The floor was blood-red, and overhead stretched an impossibly vast sky dyed just as crimson.
Seated at the round table were six Transcenders.
"Is it true that Hanbi's Pazuzu and Anra's right hand, Azi Dahaka, were both obliterated?"
At the words from the man dressed as a clown—
"Yeah, that's what was reported to me."
Hanbi, a monster bearing the head of a ferocious tiger, nodded with folded arms.
"Whoa, whoa, it hasn't even been ten years since the game started, and we're already on a losing streak?"
Shrugging his shoulders, a red-skinned, three-faced fierce god muttered in mockery.
"Yeah, yeah. Pazuzu was merely a major, but that three-headed dragon was a lieutenant general. Seriously, isn't getting taken down like that kind of a really big deal?"
In response to the question from a handsome red-haired youth with conspicuously long canines—
"Well, yes. He was, after all, a dragon that was virtually immortal. He was strong enough that even I would find him somewhat of a nuisance."
A beautiful woman with two long horns on her forehead and black wings lazily chimed in as she filed her nails, offering her own analysis.
"And? Anra, I assume you got at least a battle report from that useless three-headed dragon of yours, right?"
The red-skinned, three-faced fierce god questioned Anra—a boy etched with crimson geometric patterns all over his body, who sat crossing his arms sullenly.
"Nope, for some reason, nothing at all. The only thing I received was his final, overwhelming surge of absolute terror. Looks like he got beaten pretty brutally."
"Terror? You mean whoever did it completely overwhelmed Azi Dahaka?"
The clown frowned and asked, to which—
"I told you, that's what I'm saying!"
Finally losing his temper, Anra threw a childish tantrum, shouting as he turned his face away.
"I see..."
The clown simply interlaced his fingers behind his head and gazed up at the crimson sky, not moving a single muscle.
"In short, it just means those Heavenly Army bastards beat us to the punch, right? All we gotta do is slaughter whichever god subjugated that worthless dragon. Beating around the bush isn't my style! I'm going down there myself next!"
The red-skinned, three-faced fierce god stood up and cracked his neck, but—
"Foolish Ogre, small fry like Pazuzu aside, there's no way the likes of us can intervene on the game board so easily."
Exasperated, the black-winged beauty immediately shot down the three-faced fierce god's words.
"Nah, there's an interesting piece on the game board right now. Asura's manifestation in the mortal realm isn't entirely impossible."
The clown, who had been lost in thought, joined back in.
"Oh, it's possible!?"
Making no effort to hide his eager anticipation, the red-skinned, three-faced fierce god—Asura—pressed the clown.
"Yeah. If things go well, it might even be possible for all of us to manifest."
As the handsome red-haired youth with conspicuously long canines let out a whistle—
"Oho, now that sounds interesting! How do we do it?!"
To the three-faced fierce god leaning in eagerly, the clown replied—
"Well, you see..."
The clown's face twisted into a grotesque sneer. It was the very spitting image of an evil god straight out of a fairy tale.