Chapter 20: Athena's Gift
Sayanomiya Kaoru and Amakasu Touma could not see a single thing.
The reason the thunderclouds over Tokyo Bay had completely dissipated was simply that Hikigaya Hachiman, Athena, and Sun Wukong had parted ways. It seemed Sun Wukong had sensed something was "off" between Hikigaya and Athena; believing that a fight should be properly balanced and orderly, he lost interest and was the first to fly away.
As for Hikigaya Hachiman, whose interest in god-slaying was already on the decline, he didn't bother chasing him. His attitude toward Athena was much the same as the monkey's—since she was about to "disconnect" from the world anyway, there was no thrill in it. He figured he might as well go home and play video games.
The three-way breakup was so swift that by the time Sayanomiya Kaoru and Amakasu Touma's eyes could finally perceive the scene, they saw only the same old sea as always.
Naturally, they remained unaware that there was a sequel to the plot: when Hikigaya Hachiman used Godspeed to dash back to Hinata Inn, he found that Athena had followed him.
Because they were at his own doorstep, he suppressed the urge to greet her with a "slam dunk" of power and simply asked, "Is there something you want?"
Hikigaya was genuinely perplexed. Someone about to drop out of the world should have the self-awareness of a dying person. If she wasn't rushing to save up points to refill her "life card," why was she still wandering around the map? Was she just bored with having too much health left, or what?
In Hikigaya's view, what Athena should be doing right now was finding a place to quickly repair herself. If the hole in her body really couldn't be patched, the logical course of action would be to track down the person who stabbed her and go down in a blaze of mutual destruction. Such a method would be very consistent with the impression Athena had always given him.
In fact, judging only by her face, the Athena before him was still very much herself. She was radiating an intense aura of bloodlust. While Hikigaya feared this the least—on the contrary, every time someone directed killing intent at him, he felt his life was quite fulfilling—just as he was considering whether he should use Godspeed to change locations and start a fight, he noticed her expression soften.
"To interrupt This One's sacred battle without a hint of shame... god-slayers truly are barbarians who understand nothing of etiquette."
The Goddess touched her left shoulder. The vitality of this physical form was still leaking out from there, but more of it was being devoured internally by that thing. The life force of a Great Mother Earth Goddess was its nourishment. Snatching it away from the Queen of Witches and taking it into her own body had only slowed the rate of her life's depletion.
Athena had thought of many ways to retaliate, but none felt satisfactory. However, meeting Hikigaya Hachiman reminded her that this Campione, whom she had once almost controlled through "Epiphany," seemed like a good focal point to work with.
Though a god-slayer, he had once served as her "Epiphany," so they weren't strictly in a total enemy relationship. Among the god-slayers on this earth, he might be the only one who could offer her a choice other than combat.
On the other hand, if this "container" fell into the hands of a god-slayer, things would get very interesting. For a God, the true irreconcilable enemy is not a Campione, but certain "kin" in name. For instance, the Great Mother Goddesses and the Heroic Gods who subdue dragons and snakes. After all, being defeated by a Campione just means logging out and respawning later; but if a Mother Goddess is defeated by a so-called Heroic God, she is very likely to end up as a "bed-warmer."
Take the witch she met earlier, for example—a former Mother Goddess who is now a loyal servant of "Steel." Athena had originally intended to send her home to "recharge," only to be stabbed by another hidden "Steel" hero. It was an absolute disgrace. She was Athena; she wouldn't suffer a loss without taking revenge.
If, as that witch claimed, that man was indeed on this island, handing the vital item for his resurrection over to Hikigaya Hachiman would be extremely entertaining. This guy seemed to have a talent for attracting large numbers of her kin. No matter which side won, it would be a good thing for her. She only needed to recover from her injuries and then happily beat the winner into a pulp to fully demonstrate her greatness as a Goddess of War.
"Hikigaya Hachiman, do you want something good?" the Goddess suddenly asked. Across from her, lightning had just begun to flicker around Hikigaya's body.
The Goddess's utterly abrupt "invitation" caused him to temporarily halt his plan to turn into thunder.
"What 'good thing'?" Hikigaya asked curiously. He looked the Goddess up and down. No matter how he looked at it, aside from being a "stocking loli," there didn't seem to be anything about her that could be called a "good thing." He wasn't a pervert; he could appreciate something beautiful, but he wasn't interested in collecting it. After all, no matter how beautiful a God was, it was just an appearance; they weren't even wearing human skin—they were purely the manifestation of power.
If it weren't for that whole "Epiphany" fiasco back then, he and Athena would probably still be trying to kill each other.
Then, he saw the Goddess across from him smile with a touch of bewitching charm. "Has your elder kin not told you of the existence of the Primordial Steel?"
"Primordial Steel?" Hikigaya ran the name through his mind and immediately reacted. Relying on his pleasant chats with the Black Prince, he instantly knew who that was.
The King of the End, the exterminator of Campiones. Also rumored to be the earliest Hero of Steel. But considering even a monkey could be called "Steel" in the original lore, the term "Steel" probably wasn't a strict definition but a code name; anyone who had slain dragons or snakes was likely counted as "Steel."
So, what was Athena's so-called "good thing"?
Then, he saw an object the size of a water vat emerge from the shadows beneath Athena's feet. Its appearance was honestly poor, but there was an intense magical reaction coming from it. Most importantly—Athena's life force was continuously flowing into this object, and the flow rate was actually increasing.
"This object is known as the Holy Grail. It is necessary for the awakening of the Primordial Steel. Now, This One grants it to you." Athena's face suddenly turned a bit pale.
Mr. Water Vat had quite the suction power.
Hikigaya placed his hand on it, feeling the object's "foodie" spirit. He found the whole situation quite absurd. Was this the "Magic Holy Grail" that the Black Prince had mentioned more than once, saying he had almost gotten his hands on it?
How does this thing look like a cup?
Speaking of which, the loli Goddess across from him truly lived up to her origin as a Great Mother Goddess; even with such an intense drain, she hadn't disconnected yet. Her life energy was incredibly abundant.
However...
Hikigaya glanced at Athena and then began to apply seals with a flurry of activity. He remembered the Black Prince saying that this thing could be summoned away by its original owner. In such a situation, "Seal Play" was necessary.
Ancient Egyptian witchcraft was incredibly effective for a Campione who had killed an Egyptian God; it was almost comparable to an Authority.
As Hikigaya worked, the magical reaction of the Magic Holy Grail began to weaken. Simultaneously, the force with which it sucked Athena's life energy seemed to fail in tandem. By the time Hikigaya had completely sealed it, its siphoning of Athena's life energy had stopped.
This was an absolute accident; Hikigaya hadn't thought about that part at all. Consequently, the way he looked at Athena became dangerous again.
"There is no need to look at This One so. I have not yet stooped to such a lowly level." A slight flicker of surprise passed through Athena's eyes, but it was only for an instant, replaced immediately by pride. "Moreover, you are still This One's son. If you do not believe me, you may try."
With that, her divine form sank into the earth. In less than a breath's time, her presence vanished completely.
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