Walking through the streets of Ro, Hikigaya admired the exotic atmosphere.
Speaking of Ro, of course one would think of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, but Hikigaya felt that the forr was more impressive.
At the very least, the Empire ended in a string of defeats, while in the Republic's final days, the Romans were fighting on multiple fronts and still dominating. This clearly couldn't just be chalked up to the increased power of the Germanic tribes.
Still, Hikigaya wasn't entirely lost in historical recollections.
The mont he touched the stone earlier, he had sensed it—the goddess had descended.
But at the mont he felt that divine power, sothing unexpected had happened.
Ordinary human bodies cannot withstand the corruption of divine power. But a God Slayer is different.
Their bodies, having undergone a fundantal transformation upon becoming a God Slayer, can handle such power.
And now, the divine power of the Gorgon Stone was within him, serving as nourishnt to further refine his life essence.
This was due to the power of Kuafu. Without a doubt, Kuafu also belonged to the lineage of the Earth Mother Goddesses. Although Hikigaya had rely coaxed her power into use, upon touching the Gorgon Stone, that divine force was absorbed.
As a result, the goddess would now be unable to trace the Gorgon Stone by following its divine energy.
Instead, it was more likely she would find Hikigaya himself—which was exactly why he had left the others so abruptly.
Because for Liliana, whose bloodline traced back to witches, encountering a Steel Hero God or an Earth Mother Goddess like Athena would be a disaster no matter what.
But truthfully, Hikigaya had no intention of clashing with Athena yet.
That goddess was not only super cute, but also super strong. He wasn't ready.
After thinking for a mont, Hikigaya began asking around for directions to Palatine Hill.
Ancient Ro was founded among seven hills, one of which was Palatine.
During the Republic, it was a luxury residential area; during the Empire, it housed imperial palaces.
But what it was most famous for was the massive Colosseum, built during the imperial era and still standing to this day.
Hundreds of thousands of ancient gladiators and beasts had died there.
If Hikigaya rembered correctly, in the original work, Kusanagi Godou had destroyed that building—and in return, got a kiss from Erica.
But now, in this world, there was no Kusanagi Godou, only him—Hikigaya Hachiman.
Maybe he should just follow the original plot and tear it down?
"Heh..." As the amusing thought crossed his mind, Hikigaya chuckled.
But in the next mont, he felt a chill.
An indescribable sense of tension tightened his relaxed body. Power surged from within, flowing into his limbs and fingertips.
"Don't tell my luck's that bad..." Though his body was tense, Hikigaya was more exasperated than afraid.
Because he saw her—
A girl walking amidst the crowd.
The first thing that drew attention were her eyes—pupils like those of an owl.
No doubt about it, even using his butt to think he could tell—she was Athena.
Those eyes were proof enough.
In mythology, Athena was described as having gleaming eyes, one of her epithets being Glaukopis, aning "bright-eyed," "piercing gaze," or "owl-eyed."
But those eyes weren't just imposing—they were also the key to Athena's combat form as the goddess of war.
To put it bluntly: the Athena in mythology really does have a freaking sacred cloth (like in Saint Seiya)!
Only when she dons her armor does Athena beco a true goddess of war.
From what happened in the original, Kusanagi Godou had only fought her as the goddess of wisdom and serpents.
Since he was now in the world of Campione, Hikigaya couldn't go around exposing narrative chanics, so he blad it on the director rigging things behind the scenes.
And as he inwardly grumbled, the girl-like Athena had already stopped in front of him.
Three-dinsional Athena—her beauty was simply incomparable to her 2D counterpart.
Her extrely pale skin did not give off a sickly vibe, but instead radiated a soft, tender glow. Though she appeared to be a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl, her features were strikingly beautiful.
Her silver hair fell to her shoulders, longer than in the ani. Though it was dayti, it faintly shimred like moonlight. Her owl-like eyes were deep black, like the night itself.
"I've heard that the enemy of this land wields a sword that can cut through all things—is that you?"
Athena spoke. Her voice was sweet, low, with a slight hoarseness that made Hikigaya's heart tingle just hearing it.
He hadn't t many goddesses—Kuafu was one—but Athena was clearly a different breed. Her beauty was more dazzling, more seductive, and, of course, more dangerous.
Hikigaya was almost drooling just from looking at her...
Damn, how is she so gorgeous?!
Yo, director! Cut! I need to fix my facial expression!
Wait... can you even date a goddess?
As he wondered what pose to strike, a fragrance wafted toward him. In the blink of an eye, Athena had floated right up to him, close enough to touch.
She rose slightly on tiptoe, her body lifting off the ground, nearly pressing her face to his.
"Clearly not ," Hikigaya quickly cald his inner ripples, and his body surged with magical energy. "I'm a foreigner, you see."
"Is that so... Then, like , you are a traveler from another land."
Athena stared into his eyes, her black pupils seemingly condensing the entire night sky. The space between them seed to shrink further.
And Hikigaya got excited.
Is she about to kiss ? She's gonna kiss , right?! Holy crap! After all this ti being a God Slayer, I finally get a reward!
Co on, kiss ! I'm right here! Not dodging!
But in the next mont, the fragrance receded.
Hikigaya looked up in disbelief—Athena had pulled away again.
What the hell?! This isn't how the script's supposed to go! Where's my kiss!?
He suddenly felt very wronged. Like he'd just been toyed with...
"What are you thinking?" Athena looked at Hikigaya with a hint of puzzlent. This God Slayer was truly strange.
"You carry the scent of 'serpent,' yet I cannot sense the serpent's presence. Thus, I see no need to fight you. However, should you desire battle, I will answer with all my strength."
"Hell no!" Hikigaya snapped. This owl-eyed girl was clearly just ssing with him!
This only made Athena more confused.
"Strange man..." she murmured. Then her gaze sharpened. "You're lying. One who slays gods cannot possibly lack the desire to fight ."
With that, she walked past him and disappeared into the crowd.
Hikigaya turned around, silently watching Athena's figure recede among the people, feeling a deep sense of loss.
After a while, he sighed.
"So now even gods wear stockings..."
He lingered for a mont, staring longingly in her direction. When she was finally out of sight, he reluctantly turned away.
Honestly, she really was gorgeous...
No, wait—that's not right!
What I ant was, Athena is terrifying. Super powerful. And the fact that she, as a goddess, wears stockings—those must be special equipnt! Yeah! That's it!
Those are definitely her war goddess armants! When we fight, I'll make sure to take those off first!
Hikigaya retraced his steps, walking back the way he ca.
His encounter with Athena had completely dampened any desire to visit the ancient Roman Colosseum.
Though their contact was brief, he had already deduced Athena's obsession with the Gorgon.
This Athena was not the one he knew from myths.
In this tiline, she wasn't rely the Earth Mother Goddess. Her origins could be traced back to the comprehensive prehistoric Near Eastern Great Mother Goddess worship system.
Within this system, animal imagery—serpents, birds, bears—often represented the goddess's incarnations. From a naturalistic standpoint, she wasn't limited to the earth but also encompassed the sky, the sun, and more.
In the Near East, this goddess system gradually differentiated into localized deities once writing systems erged in diterranean civilizations.
Mythologically speaking, Athena evolved from the bird and snake goddesses of ancient Europe.
The animalistic traits the Gorgon embodied were the closest to her essence.
Her owl-like eyes had already confird Hikigaya's hypothesis.
The owl was Athena's most iconic symbol, more frequently associated with her than serpents, doves, or diving birds. It represented her wisdom, warlike nature, and connection to the underworld.
Hikigaya could feel the chaos and destructive longing within Athena's gaze, but also sensed a lack of wholeness—sothing broken or incomplete.
This led him to a conclusion: Athena's "serpent" and "bird" aspects—her connections to animals—were damaged. The Gorgon Stone could restore this missing part and return her to a complete state.
Thus, her fixation on the Gorgon Stone was perfectly reasonable.
From this, Hikigaya also inferred Athena's current power status through her dependency on the stone.
With that in mind, he decided to head back. This was now a race against ti.
As he walked through the crowd, a glint of determination sparked in his eyes.
Soon after, the blue Roman sky was suddenly filled with birds.
Various species of birds covered the sky in a dense mass. Within a very short ti, they filled the heavens, blocking out the sun.
No one knew where they had co from, but when people finally noticed them, everyone in the city who looked up saw the overwhelming swarm.
Their wingbeats and cries drowned out all other city noises.
These birds were all now the "eyes" of the Eastern god-slayer currently in Ro—Hikigaya Hachiman.
After slaying the ancient Eastern Heavenly Emperor Di Jun and usurping the power of the sun, he had gained the ability, like the mythical Xuan Bird, to command all birds in nature.
Through the birds, Ro's layout and its people and objects were clearly mapped in Hikigaya's vision.
He did not see Athena, but that did not surprise him. Athena, too, was a goddess of birds.
It was only natural that the birds couldn't track her.
However, he did see Liliana and Erica. The two girls, with anxious expressions, had returned to the restaurant where they previously held a eting.
Hikigaya smiled faintly, then withdrew his power and ordered the birds to disperse, freeing them from their bond.
He then headed toward the restaurant himself.
Although he walked, his pace was no slower than taking a vehicle. Before long, he arrived at the restaurant.
This ti, no one tried to stop him. He walked straight in, returning to the sa eting room.
He pushed open the door and entered.
"Hachiman." A worried-looking girl at the table stood up with surprise and joy.
Who else could it be but Liliana?
Erica sat beside her. The room was otherwise empty—the other three must have already left.
"I've got bad news and good news. Which do you want first?"
Hikigaya walked up beside Liliana, gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and gestured for her to sit back down with him.
"Then let's hear the good news first," Erica spoke up before Liliana could respond. "Consider it a reward for the Italian magicians from our king."
"Not sure what you an, but sure, it's good news." Hikigaya shrugged. "The goddess won't be coming after you two anymore. She might've even left the city."
Both Erica and Liliana looked shocked upon hearing this. Then they asked in unison, "You've already t the goddess?"—though their tones were completely different.
Liliana's voice was tinged with worry, while Erica's held curiosity and excitent. She even added, "Which goddess was it?"
"Athena." Hikigaya didn't bother with hedging. He stated it outright with confidence. "So I don't think I need to say what the bad news is."
"Indeed..." Liliana swallowed hard, a bitter look on her face. "The goddess with many faces must be a powerful opponent—even for you."
"She has eight faces." Hikigaya took her hand, and as her eyes flickered with shyness, he continued, "Now that I've encountered Athena, you guys won't be able to keep that stone much longer. When her divine power fully recovers, she'll likely appear directly."
"Th-that... how long until that happens?" Perhaps because he held her hand, Liliana stamred.
A red blush spread across her pale skin, though she still tried to maintain a serious deanor.
Which only made her look even more adorable.
Hikigaya didn't point it out. He simply smiled as he admired her cuteness and continued, "You'd have to answer that. I only drained the power inside. As for how fast it recovers, shouldn't the ones safeguarding it know better?"
"We don't know either. We only discovered it recently," Liliana tried to pull her hand back, but couldn't.
Feeling Erica's teasing gaze beside her, her embarrassnt and frustration deepened, making her face even redder.
Just as she was about to erupt, Hikigaya finally let go.
Then, from Erica—who wore a smirking, almost laughing expression—he took the Gorgon Stone once again.
He rubbed the smooth surface of the stone with his fingers, and the magical power within him began to flow gently with the motion.
In the next mont, he activated the Authority of Osiris.
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