Even though Hikigaya tried to lighten the mood with jokes and sarcasm, it had no effect on Athena.
She didn't even question why Hikigaya would so readily hand her the Gorgon Stone.
The serpent had returned to her hands.
With it, she could reclaim the power she once had during the age of the Great Mother Goddess. That alone was enough.
Modern humans actually don't understand the gods at all.
Regardless of era or nation, humans have always given nas and myths to gods—but that was rely utilizing the legacy of their ancestors.
In ancient tis, even before humans existed as a species, these great beings had already existed.
Back then, they had no nas, no forms.
Nas exist to distinguish individuals within a species. They were a human invention—proof that humanity's intelligence surpassed other lifeforms.
Except when it ca to them.
But these beings had no concept of "species." They were each unique.
Humans discovered traces of them across the vast sky and earth, usually only when they were displaying their might.
Without a form, they were only perceptible during such displays, and humans were the earliest—and the only—lifeform capable of recognizing their greatness and existence.
And so, they began to take notice of humanity.
They began, in turns, to both threaten and bless humans with their powers.
This was when true interaction began.
The ancient human sages perceived this and, in order to guard against the imnse and terrifying power of these beings, created a ritual.
A ritual known as myth.
People gave these beings nas and crafted myths around them, worshipping them as omnipotent and eternal gods.
It was a magnificent age, from which countless gods, as nurous as the stars, were born.
After all, even these beings could not resist the temptation of eternal life.
No matter how unique they were, they were still living things—and would eventually perish.
But through this ritual, they could attain eternity.
Yet this ritual—created by humble humans to guard against the overwhelming might of the gods—also placed boundaries on the gods.
When granted a na and myth, a god could no longer act beyond their domain—whether to bless or to curse humanity.
Humans could not change the gods—but they could change the myths, thereby influencing the gods indirectly.
This allowed humanity to cope with both divine threats and blessings.
It also led to conflicts between gods themselves—and to the rise of god-slayers.
At the sa ti, because gods infused myths with their power, the worlds they created also gave rise to sothing called divinity—which, like myths, could be influenced by humans.
The Gorgon Stone was both Athena's past and her divinity.
Typically, divinity is part of the god themselves.
But in so cases, it can exist separately or even manifest in physical form. In such tis, it takes on another na—sacred artifact.
Having lost the Gorgon Stone, Athena had also lost her power from the past.
Now that was over. She had reclaid it and would soon return to her complete form.
That was why she crossed beyond her na and myth, wandering through the world until arriving at this foreign land.
By now, night had fallen.
Bathed in moonlight, the goddess looked slender and graceful—but radiated an extraordinary power.
The night wind brushed her hair, each shimring silver strand writhing like snakes.
"At last... I've reclaid myself," the goddess murmured, as though sighing, or rejoicing.
Then, in the next mont, she raised her head and chanted aloud:
"I chant—I chant the hymns of the ancient goddess, Connecting sky, earth, and darkness—reincarnation and wisdom. I chant—I chant the lant of the fallen goddess, Shad and broken, violated by her father, Bound in servitude to her enemy. I am Athena, daughter of Zeus— The intimidating goddess, the goddess of destruction.
I protect cities and royalty, bestow wisdom, Nurture all things, and bring death. I am the Queen of Eight Faces. I vow—this mont, I reclaim my past, And return as the complete Athena!"
This was a divine word—a sacred utterance.
At once a hymn, a prayer, and a declaration.
And as she spoke, her form began to change.
She transford from a pitiful-looking girl into a graceful and dignified lady, her clothes becoming a white robe in ancient style.
Though she now appeared like a refined woman of seventeen or eighteen years old—in truth, still a maiden.
But at the very mont she completed her transformation, the surrounding air grew even colder.
The chill emanating from her turned into wind—wind colder than Siberia's—so cold that simple contact would lower a human's body temperature and lead to death.
Yet the gusts were imdiately scattered.
Hikigaya waved his hand, diverting the cold air so it passed on either side of himself and Liliana.
"Careful, will you? We've got an audience here," he said. "You're not so evil god—don't be so naughty."
Behind him, Liliana trembled—not from cold, but from fear.
Whether it was divine pressure, or the instinctive submission a witch's blood felt toward a Mother Goddess—she couldn't help it.
"Forgive , Hikigaya Hachiman. I've only just regained my power—I can't fully control it yet," Athena smiled as she spoke.
But her gaze was sharper than ever before, and the divine force in her words was more powerful than anything prior.
Before Hikigaya could say anything, Liliana had already collapsed to her knees behind him.
"Don't try to stand up," Hikigaya told her firmly. He knew—if she tried to force it now, her bones would snap.
"A wise decision," Athena also remarked, though she never once looked at Liliana. "This girl seems to be the child of another Mother Goddess. That's why she cannot resist my miracles."
But Hikigaya ignored her, only watching Liliana with pity.
Athena's suppression had been far stronger than he expected.
He always said you shouldn't trust ani—but in truth, he often subconsciously used it as a reference point.
Unfortunately, Liliana was the one paying for that mistake...
"Hachiman, I'm fine," Liliana said stubbornly, lifting her head. Though she couldn't stand, she could at least do this much. "Defeat Athena. Send her back where she belongs."
"Don't worry. That's why I ca here. You just rest," Hikigaya nodded, then turned his eyes toward Athena, who was watching him with a cheerful smile.
"You look like you've got sothing to say," he said. "Well, so do I. Let's change the venue—you want to go all out in a proper fight, don't you?"
"As expected, you're just as I thought—a liar," Athena's eyes sparkled with excitent. "As a god-slayer, how could you not want to battle ?"
Then, she smiled with all the poise of a queen: "But in return for your earlier courtesy, I won't lay a hand on that girl. I accept your request. Don't disappoint —I'm longing for an exhilarating fight."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you enjoy it," Hikigaya sneered.
Now that she looked like this, he wasn't attracted at all. A goddess without stockings was no different from a slacker. Ti to end this!
"If I don't beat you into the ground today, my na isn't Hachiman anymore!"
Because it was nightti, Hachiman Hikigaya couldn't utilize light, so he had to travel through the forest at what was, to him, an ordinary speed.
Trailing behind him was Athena.
From ti to ti, Hachiman looked back during their march.
In his eyes, Athena's movent in the darkness was bizarre — she utilized all feminine symbolic systems from mythology to move.
In that system, the most common elents were water and shadows — or rather, places without light.
Athena's movent reminded Hachiman of Kuafu, whom he had once slain.
But Athena was distinctly different from Kuafu.
While Kuafu devoured light and consud fire, using them as sources of power, Athena repelled light and fire, preventing them from manifesting.
After running a bit farther, the surroundings grew colder, and Hachiman finally stopped.
He had arrived in a place so desolate that not even the most basic traces of human settlent could be found.
Life still flourished here, but none of it was human.
"I don't quite understand," Athena landed not far from him. "If it's just for that girl, why co all the way here? I said I wouldn't harm her, and I won't go back on my word."
Then her tone turned sowhat cold. "Or is it that you're protecting your fellow humans? That's a aningless act, Godslayer. In my eyes, this place is far more vibrant than any human settlent. In places where humans live, life is suppressed and becos concentrated death."
"That's exactly why Godslayers were born from humanity," Hachiman replied with a smile. "And also, you speak as if you look down on humans — don't forget, the only reason you are an eternal deity is because people exist. Without them, you're just a powerful lifeform, one that could vanish any day."
"You have a point. So... can we begin? Because I can hardly hold back anymore."
Athena licked her lips, a radiant smile lighting up her beautiful face.
"You're strong, but defeating a powerful enemy is what I enjoy most."
The next mont, light burst from her eyes.
Though she was the goddess who drove away light, her body radiated it — the light of thunder.
In that thunderous light, her white robe fell away, replaced by armor. A shield appeared at her right, and a helt in her left hand.
On the shield, Hachiman saw the Gorgon emblem.
It was the Aegis — in mythology, shared by Athena and Apollo as children of Zeus. Apollo hardly used it, but Athena always took it into battle.
Under Hachiman's gaze, Athena donned the helt.
In that instant, her aura transford completely.
From one of civilization and order, she beca the embodint of chaos and ferocity.
Her gaze no longer held the grace of a mother goddess, but the savage pride of a war deity.
Thunder rumbled from the sky, tearing through the blackness. Athena raised her empty left hand, and lightning fell into it, condensing into a long spear.
But the crackling lightning made it clear to Hachiman — that was just a damn bolt of thunder.
A pity that while Kuafu devoured light and fire, thunder wasn't included.
Just as that thought passed, Hachiman saw Athena make her move — not herself, but everything else around her.
The earth trembled.
Now that Athena had reclaid her powers as a mother goddess, she wielded violent natural forces.
Hachiman had expected this, or rather, prepared for it.
He rely took one step forward.
As soon as his foot landed, the trembling ground instantly stilled. In the presence of the Earth King's power, all forces of the land either cald or shattered.
"Poseidon's power," Athena said. After donning the helt, even her voice deepened, laced with an unsettling intensity.
Then she glanced at the sky, where lightning fell.
Not just one or two — but countless bolts, their dazzling light nearly annihilating the night.
But from Hachiman's body ca the sound of rustling leaves.
In that soft rustling, every bolt of lightning aid at him vanished.
"Even if that was just a test, you're underestimating ," he sneered at Athena. "Natural forces are useless against ."
This wasn't arrogance — as the Earth King and bearer of Di Jun's power, he was nearly immune to the natural forces of heaven and earth.
"Then let's end the boring tricks," Athena said in her low but joyful tone. "Now, I, Athena, will defeat you in my na."
This ti, her body finally moved.
She raised her shield and lifted her spear.
In an instant, the very heavens and earth seed to change color.
Hachiman's mind was flooded with visions — mountains collapsing, seas erupting, and earth shattering.
It was the destruction of universal order, plunging all into chaos.
His ears were filled with the goddess's roar, booming like thunder. The sound shook his magical power — if it continued, it would interfere with his ability to use his authorities.
This was Athena's intimidation ability, a power she had possessed since birth in myth — able to strike fear even into other gods.
In response, Hachiman didn't hesitate to invoke the power of the Eastern Heavenly Emperor, Di Jun.
A bow and arrow appeared instantly in his hands.
He drew the bow and shouted a kotodama — a sacred word of power:
"Xihe gave in to lust, disturbing ti and throwing off the sun — I slay her!"
This was the sa kotodama once used by Hou Yi, summoned by the disobedient Emperor Di Jun, to subdue the sun goddess Xihe when she released ten suns and threw the cosmos into disorder.
Athena, as a war goddess, had a rational side — but also a wild side that destroyed cosmic order: a goddess of destruction.
What she was displaying now was undoubtedly the latter.
The instant the divine white arrow was released, the illusion Athena had created with her intimidation shattered, revealing her true self — she had already charged to Hachiman's side, spear and shield raised.
To this, Hachiman had only one reaction:
"Goddamn it! This chick doesn't play fair!"
He leapt back, and as the bow and arrow vanished from his hands, he released a wind — the wind of Set, symbolic of severing fertility and slicing all into chaos.
But Athena simply raised her shield, and the wind was halted — unable to advance.
With a cold smile on her beautiful face, she opened her lips and uttered a new kotodama:
"Pursue him, Ioke!"
The next mont, the goddess's stunning figure suddenly appeared right before Hachiman. This ti, nothing stood between them.
The thunder spear thrust forward — aiming straight for Hachiman's chest.
But Athena didn't see a victorious smile on his face — instead, he threw a punch at the sa mont.
A massive surge of magical power spiraled around his arm like a vortex, sliding the thunder spear aside before smashing straight into the Aegis.
This wasn't re wind, but a far more destructive force — fused with the violent natural power of the Earth King.
These combined forces rged through Hachiman's fist, achieving impressive results.
The Aegis couldn't fully neutralize the attack. Though it blocked the strike, the sheer power of it still sent Athena, who held the shield, flying backward along the path she'd co.
But in that very mont, the enraged battle goddess hurled her thunder spear.
Midair, the spear reverted to its original form — hundreds of lightning bolts rained down on Hachiman from above.
In the goddess's delighted laughter, Hachiman ended up flying even farther than she had...
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