Chapter 58: The Undying Hero
Just as the fierce battle between Hikigaya and the King of the End reached a temporary lull:
The battles between the other God-slayers and the deities continued. The duel between Doni and the masked God of Wind, as well as Uldin's clash with the Goddess, remained in a stalemate. Meanwhile, the "heavily endowed" Aisha was running around everywhere, putting out fires (or was she starting them?).
However, when the King of the End dissolved into ash with extreme cheerfulness, the stalemate was broken.
The defeat of the hero distracted the gods, causing them to show openings. Doni unleashed his swordsmanship like flowing water, the sharp sound of metal clashing against metal ringing out from the body of the unknown Wind God.
"So you're a Wind God with skin of bronze and bones of iron? I have no clue as to your identity. By the way, I once defeated Verethragna—I heard He was a 'Steel' with a wind divinity. Are you a relative of his?"
The opponent transformed into a whirlwind and flew away from the battlefield. Receiving no response, Doni could only watch helplessly as the deity departed.
Now, only the Goddess Artio remained. A goddess manifested in this world due to Celtic vengefulness, she had not yet given up on this duel. She summoned her Divine Beasts once more to break away from Uldin, then lunged toward where the Divine Sword of Salvation had fallen and reclaimed it.
The sword still shimmered with white-gold light; it had not yet reverted to its mottled, rusted state—the form known as the "Remains of the King of the End."
"Are you sleeping, Atis... no, warrior who annihilates the Devil Kings?" Artio spoke to the crystal-bright divine sword. "How can the hero who annihilates Devil Kings exit like this... Though I am wounded, I shall still grant you sufficient power to ignite the beacon of war."
The Goddess gripped the divine sword with a reverse hold and aimed the tip at her own chest. Then, she thrust the brilliant Divine Sword of Salvation directly into her majestic, heavy mounds.
Within the Goddess's grand chest, the divine blade once again absorbed sufficient power.
"O Sword of Salvation, let your master awaken once more and support me well!"
Seeing this, Hikigaya—who had already put away the Holy Grail—instantly sucked in a breath of cold air.
'Are you a ghost?! It's New Year's, let the man stay off the clock!'
Oblivious to her opponent's inner thoughts, the Goddess merely let out a soul-stirring cry and thrust the divine sword back into the earth at her feet. The sword erupted with brilliant light once more, and a sudden change occurred in the sky.
A giant white orb of light reappeared. Within the light of salvation, the King of the End—who had just clocked out—was back at work... no, He had been resurrected out of thin air.
But this time, His expression was slightly gloomy. As evidence, He glanced at the enthusiastic Goddess beside Him and let out a long sigh. Overall, however, this deity who favored the name "Rama" kept his face from twitching, maintaining a very steady appearance.
The God-slayers regrouped on the hill... or rather, what used to be a hill.
"This skill is so convenient! As long as it's shiny, he can resurrect!" Doni remarked.
Uldin, on the other hand, looked utterly unsatisfied, his eyes fixed intensely on the Goddess's... chest. That previous self-inflicted stab had been quite forceful, resulting in a wardrobe malfunction.
Seeing the Goddess's smug expression, Hikigaya felt a fire of anger rising in his heart.
"So what if he resurrects? I'd like to see how many more times she can stab herself."
Without hesitation, Hikigaya summoned the Holy Grail once more. Seeing that familiar golden jar, Rama's face visibly twitched.
"Don't worry, Rama!" Hikigaya shouted loudly. "I guarantee there won't be any slip-ups this time!"
Rama started, seemingly wondering why Hikigaya would say such a thing, only to see Hikigaya aim the Grail at Him once again.
,
,
.
A few dozen words later, all was calm. Only the Divine Sword of Salvation lay dropped on the ground. The God-slayers looked on with amused expressions; Artio looked on in shock.
After the air remained silent for a while, Artio spoke with a high-and-mighty posture.
"Interesting. Do you think you can stop me like this?"
The Goddess picked up the divine sword once again, held it high, and shouted: "As long as I remain upon this earth, as long as the Devil Kings who disturb the world are still rampant, the hero shall still descend!"
Then, with a "poof" sound, another thrust into her chest.
Amidst another burst of ten thousand rays of light, Rama appeared.
However, this time Hikigaya didn't even put the Grail away. He naturally turned the mouth of the Grail downward and slammed it over the head of the bewildered Rama the moment He appeared.
Thus, he successfully skipped several dozen more words. This time, the sky only had enough time to rumble with a single clap of thunder before falling silent.
Artio: "..." Doni: "..." Aisha: "..." Uldin: "..."
This time, the silence didn't last as long. The Goddess exploded.
"You! Audacious!" Artio looked like she was about to burst with rage. She stared at Hikigaya, her chest heaving violently, making the exposed area even more prominent.
In response, Doni quietly sheathed his sword, Uldin silently withdrew his bow, and Aisha... she actually looked at Hikigaya with a reproachful gaze.
Hikigaya said nothing. He simply placed the Grail by his feet, patted it, and looked at Artio with an extremely provocative gaze. The moment their eyes met, both sides understood the other's meaning perfectly.
'Bring it on! '
'Fine, I will!'
The field once again witnessed a bloody scene. This time, the Goddess stabbed herself with incredible force.
The familiar sound, the familiar angle, the familiar bust size, the familiar...
The sky... forget it, I won't describe it. In short, Rama appeared again. Upon appearing, He saw that damned jar pointed at Him once more.
"O God-slayer..." Boom! "Please wait..." Boom-thud!! "It's not that I—" Boom-thud-crash!!!
After a full dozen or so times, the God-slayers watching from the side wanted to go home...
Picking up the divine sword from the ground once more, Artio's hands were trembling. It wasn't just out of anger; she was on the verge of stabbing herself to death. After stabbing herself so many times, if her chest hadn't been large, she would have kicked the bucket long ago!
"Devil Kings, do not be so smug! Even if I discard this shell, I will ignite the beacon of war!" The Goddess glared at Hikigaya with a fierce gaze, her tone filled with determination.
"Hey now, I wasn't being smug..." On the side, Doni felt he was being wrongly accused and offered a weak rebuttal.
However, the Goddess ignored him and focused only on Hikigaya. Then, she exerted her strength and stabbed downward. The brilliant Divine Sword of Salvation completely transfixed
the Goddess. The massive amount of blood flowing from the wound was entirely absorbed by the sword.
"I am willing to become the key that unleashes the full power of the Strongest Steel! I offer my entire life! O Hero of Salvation, descend swiftly!"
Following the Goddess's long howl, her body crumbled into sand and stone. Conversely, the Divine Sword of Salvation grew brighter and more brilliant. When the Goddess finally collapsed and vanished, it erupted with a radiance far more powerful than any time before.
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