Starting with No Game No Life: Infinite Chests

"Still not coming out? Or do you think a little Earth-Style Escape Technique will let you get away? Believe me, I can turn you into a pancake before you escape," Riku said, looking down into the giant crater with an indifferent expression.

"Wait, I'm coming out!" Hearing this, the person hiding underground was startled and quickly emerged from the earth. He had no doubt that Riku could kill him before he could escape. The difference in power was just too overwhelming; no matter how impressive his earth-style escape was, it wouldn't help.

Even Juggernaut Drive Vali had been instantly defeated; what chance did he have?

"Oh? Judging from your attire, I didn't expect a descendant of the [Victorious Fighting Buddha]—Sun Wukong to show up here," Sirzechs remarked, surprised as he saw the man dressed in ancient armour, wielding a staff.

Of course, though surprised, he wasn't truly concerned. Even if the real Sun Wukong himself showed up, he wouldn't be a match for Riku.

"As a descendant of Sun Wukong, the Victorious Fighting Buddha, what brings you here?" Riku said playfully. "Don't tell me you're just passing by."

"Uh..." Hearing this, even the normally fearless "Monkey" was drenched in cold sweat. Just being stared at by Riku's eyes, despite Riku not even emitting killing intent, made his whole body tremble.

"Haha, what if I said that's actually the case?" Monkey tried to force a smile, clearly awkward.

"Monkey, do you really think I'm so easy to fool? If you want to trick someone, you should at least work on your poker face," Riku replied calmly.

"As a member of Khaos Brigade, you're here to pick up Vali, right? Too bad, you didn't expect Vali to lose so quickly." Riku continued to look at the Monkey King's descendant with an amused expression.

"…!" Exposed so easily, the Monkey could only give a wry smile; he had nothing left to say. Looks like he was stuck here, too.

As for resisting? Even if his own ancestor showed up, it wouldn't matter. "Khaos Brigade?" Sirzechs and the others all looked over, frowning. Even a descendant of Sun Wukong had joined them, the Khaos Brigade couldn't be underestimated.

"Monkey, you have two choices: surrender quietly and I'll spare your life, or I'll flatten you into a pancake," Riku said in a calm voice.

"Well, there's no helping it," Monkey said with a sigh, spinning his staff.

Just as everyone thought Monkey was about to resist—

He merely shrugged, shrank his staff and stuck it in his ear, sighing, "I surrender. It's not like I'm afraid of dying, but going out like this is just too pointless."

"Seems you know how to make the right call," Riku nodded in satisfaction.

The others smiled as well, even the unruly descendant of the Monkey King surrendered so easily. If it were someone else, they'd be shocked, but if it was Riku, it was only to be expected. In today's slang: 'Standard procedure, nothing to see here!'

"What do you know about Khaos Brigade?" Riku instantly teleported next to Monkey and asked casually.

"So you want info about Khaos Brigade, huh?" Monkey met Riku's gaze with a helpless grin.

"Vali and I only joined because it seemed interesting, so we actually don't know all that much. But I do know the basics." Monkey began to explain.

Sirzechs and the others pricked up their ears, not wanting to miss a word.

If Khaos Brigade's aim is world domination, then they'll surely be a threat in the future. Today's attack had set both sides on an irreconcilable path.

"The official leader of Khaos Brigade is the Infinite Dragon God, Ophis. But Ophis doesn't have real authority; her only goal is to gather enough power to defeat the Great Red and return to the dimensional gap," Monkey explained. "Because of that, some ambitious people gathered around her, using her power to further their own goals."

This left Sirzechs and the others stunned; it was clearly not as simple as they'd thought.

"The true mastermind behind Khaos Brigade is Rizevim Livan Lucifer. Rumour has it he's the son of the original Lucifer and Lilith, the mother of demons, and he possesses the power to 'nullify Sacred Gears,'" Monkey said seriously.

Rizevim Livan Lucifer?! It's him!

That name sent chills down the spines of Sirzechs and the other top brass, especially Sirzechs, whose eyes flashed coldly. The reason he never let his servants have Sacred Gears was so he could eliminate Rizevim.

Never expected to hear that name here today.

Throughout all this, Riku remained calm, giving Monkey a nod. "Continue."

"The main forces of Khaos Brigade are the Old Satan Faction, the Magicians' Faction, and the Hero Faction," Monkey continued. "The Old Satan Faction and the Magicians' Faction need no introduction. As for the Hero Faction, they're mostly descendants of legendary heroes, all Sacred Gear holders."

Monkey's face turned sour as he spoke, "They're nothing but fake heroes. They're always causing trouble for us. But their leaders are quite powerful: descendants of Cao Cao with the [True Longinus], Georg with [Dimension Lost], and Leonardo with [Annihilation Maker]. I won't bother with the others."

Hearing three top-tier Longinus Sacred Gears at once, everyone except Riku looked serious. Three Longinus were definitely a threat.

But then they remembered so long as Riku was their leader, no enemy could possibly stir up trouble. All they needed to do was work hard under him.

"Interesting. You've been quite cooperative. Are you telling me all this because you know you're finished anyway, so you might as well drag them down with you?" Riku said with a hint of amusement.

"Heh, if I go down without causing any trouble, that's just too boring," Monkey laughed, clearly resigned to his fate.

"Oh, one more thing for you, Lord God," Monkey said with a sly smile.

"Khaos Brigade's next plan was to launch a terrorist attack in the Underworld, forcing the Great Red to appear for a moment. But after seeing the strength on your side today, I bet with Cao Cao's intelligence, they'll scrap the plan and move to the next phase."

This made Sirzechs and Serafall's faces change dramatically. Khaos Brigade had already set their sights on the Underworld, and they even planned to summon the Great Red!

Monkey's words made Riku narrow his eyes. 'Cao Cao, huh? Looks like the Underworld incident won't happen after all. But whatever. I've taken it easy for long enough—it's time to get back to business.'

"Your information is somewhat useful," Riku nodded at the Monkey King's descendant, then turned to Sirzechs. "Sirzechs, Serafall, Michael, Azazel, I'll leave the aftermath here to you."

As he spoke, Riku was already walking toward Rias and the other girls.

In response, Sirzechs, Serafall, Michael, and Azazel exchanged glances and all sighed helplessly. It was obvious this master just wanted to be a hands-off boss.

As for the Monkey, he looked unconcerned, as if he didn't care much about his fate anymore.

Soon, Riku led Rias and the girls away. Gasper, meanwhile, was entrusted to Yuuto Kiba.

.......

After the summit ended, the three factions, under Riku's orders, began preparing for war in an orderly manner. This immediately drew the attention of other powerful forces around the world, putting everyone on alert.

In an instant, the global situation became tense, and a solemn atmosphere swept across the world.

At this point, Riku's days of leisurely daily life finally ended as he set out to take action again.

Riku's first target was Fushimi Inari, the headquarters of the youkai in Kyoto, Japan, because there was a platinum treasure chest waiting there.

As soon as Riku arrived at Fushimi Inari, he was immediately surrounded by a group of youkai.

"Bring Yasaka, the Nine-Tailed Fox, to see me," Riku said calmly.

But his words seemed to go unheard. The youkai stared at Riku, their demonic auras flaring, filled with hostility.

"You want to see my mother?" At that moment, a pretty, kimono-clad, blonde fox-eared little girl stepped forward from the group, staring warily at Riku with anxiety and suspicion.

"Is there a problem?" Riku looked over the young girl, instantly confirming her identity as Kunou. He replied with a question of his own.

"My mother has disappeared. Was it your doing?" Kunou glared at Riku angrily. "And now you show up here, pretending innocence to get rid of suspicion?"

"Wow, your imagination really goes to the ends of the earth," Riku rolled his eyes, speechless. "And your logic is all wrong. A kid really shouldn't jump to wild conclusions."

"Besides, if I wanted to capture Yasaka, I wouldn't need such cheap tricks." Riku glanced at the youkai crowd, his tone indifferent. 'Looks like Yasaka really has been kidnapped. That Cao Cao guy sure moves fast and decisively.'

"You—!" Kunou was about to say more, but at that moment, a tengu rushed over and, upon seeing Riku, froze in his tracks before quickly restraining Kunou.

"Hurry up and disperse! Don't get in the way!" he barked at the youkai crowd.

The other youkai looked confused, but evidently, the tengu carried authority. The crowd quickly dispersed, and in an instant, the area was clear.

"Tengu, why are you so afraid of him?!" Kunou protested as the tengu held her back, her voice filled with indignation. "He might be the one who took my mother!"

"Oh, little master, don't stir up trouble! He's the God of Heaven, the master of the Three Factions!" the tengu said, his voice trembling with fear. He was terrified that one wrong move from this man could wipe them all out in an instant. Riku's power was just that overwhelming.

"Uh…!" Hearing this, Kunou was stunned, looking at Riku in disbelief.

"Lord Riku, what brings you here?" The tengu bowed deeply, his voice full of respect.

"I have some personal business. Looks like things are pretty chaotic around here," Riku replied calmly.

"My apologies for letting you see us in such disarray," the tengu said, full of distress. The sudden disappearance of Kyoto's eastern protector, Yasaka, had thrown the youkai into turmoil, and now they risked angering the god himself his heart could barely take it.

"Lord Riku, my mother disappeared, and before she vanished, I saw some figures and thick white mist." Kunou finally found her voice, rushing up to grab Riku's hand, her face full of desperation.

"Please, Lord Riku, save my mother!" Kunou pleaded, clearly having shifted her hopes to Riku now that the misunderstanding was cleared.

"In all things, there is give and take. If you want my help, what are you willing to offer?" Riku looked at Kunou and asked calmly.

"As long as you can save my mother, I'll agree to anything!" Kunou replied without hesitation.

"Deal. Just don't regret it later, the consequences could be serious…" Riku smiled slightly as he spoke. 'Cao Cao was already on my to-do list, so picking up Kyoto's eastern protector as an ally is a nice bonus.'

The tengu wanted to protest, but in the end, didn't dare to speak up. All the recent rumours about Riku were enough to scare him half to death.

"Yasaka was most likely captured by the Hero Faction. For now, she shouldn't be in any real danger," Riku said as he patted Kunou's head gently.

Upon hearing this, Kunou visibly relaxed, but was quickly replaced by anger.

"Why would the Hero Faction kidnap my mother?!"

"Probably to use her as a sacrifice to activate Kyoto's Dragon Veins and summon the Great Red," Riku said, utterly calm.

"——!" Kunou and the tengu both went pale at this. If that really happened, not only would Yasaka die the entire city of Kyoto, maybe even the whole world, would be in danger.

Those maniacs are insane.

"But for now, you can rest easy. They won't do anything to Yasaka until they actually move. That gives me more than enough time to round them up in one go," Riku shrugged, as if it were no big deal.

Both Kunou and the tengu breathed a sigh of relief. If it were anyone else, they might have doubted him, but if even Riku couldn't do it, there was probably no one in the world who could.

"Before that, there's something I need to collect," Riku said, gazing into the distance and striding forward.

Kunou and the tengu, though confused, could only follow behind.

Soon, Riku arrived deep inside Fushimi Inari, where the platinum treasure chest awaited. He placed his hand on it.

In an instant, the chest opened, and the familiar system notification echoed in his mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, master, for opening the platinum treasure chest. You have obtained a White Tiger Divine Beast Fragment. After youkai fusion, you can gain part of the Divine Beast's power.]

"Divine Beast Fragment?" Riku mused to himself as he heard the notification. He glanced at the curious Kunou, who was watching him intently. 'Looks like Kunou also has a Divine Beast fragment inside her. That's why even as a child, she has power at the level of a Maou. Not bad. This could make a good present for Koneko.'