The battle raged in the plaza before the temple, with both sides constantly shifting positions. But shaking off Quetzalcoatl to reach the Axe of Marduk—standing at the temple's side—was no easy task.
She had no intention of allowing Shiomi and the others near the top of the temple, where her trump card, the "Piedra Del Sol," was enshrined.
That massive stone, a relic from the ancient Aztec world, depicted the past, present, and future of the world. It was also the source of Quetzalcoatl's divine power.
Her ability to retain such high divinity and authority in this foreign land was thanks to the stone's presence in the temple.
It was one of her Noble Phantasms.
"Getting close to the temple is the right move. If the Solar Calendar Stone is destroyed, even I would be powerless." Quetzalcoatl drove an elbow into Shiomi, sending him stumbling back nearly eight meters before he managed to brace himself. "So don't even think about climbing it~!"
"Unfortunately, I'm not interested in your temple at all!"
Shiomi launched another offensive, opening a path for Artoria to advance.
Though their tactic relied on him approaching the temple, since they hadn't revealed their real objective, Quetzalcoatl naturally assumed they were trying to destroy the Solar Calendar Stone.
After all, that would be the most effective way to take down such a powerful foe.
But as Shiomi had said, he wasn't interested in the temple—or the Solar Calendar Stone.
That Noble Phantasm looked like nothing more than a weathered stone, and whether it could be destroyed swiftly or reliably while under pressure was uncertain.
So, instead, he chose a different path—one that suited him better: to seize the Axe of Marduk and deliver a decisive blow to Quetzalcoatl with it.
"Not interested? That's an amusing claim~!"
Whatever he said—truth or lie—Quetzalcoatl would treat it as deception. Claiming no interest in the Solar Calendar Stone was just another feint to her.
The power of the Divine Spear, Holy Sword, and Magecraft clashed with Quetzalcoatl's might across the battlefield.
The heavy stone pillars that had once stood in symmetry on either side had already toppled one after another in the chaos. Of the once-sacred and untouchable temple, only the Solar Calendar Stone at its peak remained undamaged.
And as the fight pushed further, Morgan quickly realized another problem.
Though her attacks were the only ones among the three that could injure Quetzalcoatl, the damage wasn't meeting expectations. Her status as a god of "Good" meant that even a direct strike from the magic spear, which should have pierced her shoulder, only barely embedded into flesh. Quetzalcoatl shook it off with ease, and the wound healed almost instantly—barely an inconvenience.
Could it be…? Morgan silently speculated.
"You've caught on, haven't you? Just because you're not 'Good' doesn't mean you can kill me so easily!"
Sensing the change in Morgan's gaze, Quetzalcoatl suddenly closed the distance and lunged straight for her vitals with her macuahuitl.
But this too was part of her strategy.
Pretending to target the Magus, she turned mid-charge and struck at Shiomi, who was moving in from behind.
She sidestepped his thrust, grabbed the shaft of his spear before he could pull away, and then—
The obsidian-edged blade of the macuahuitl drove straight into Shiomi's abdomen.
The sheer force made him feel like his organs were about to be blasted out of his body.
"You care too much about your comrades~!" Quetzalcoatl said with a grin.
The spear slipped from his hand, and Shiomi was sent hurtling like a cannonball, crashing into the side of the Sun Pyramid.
Amid the rising dust and debris, he lay buried under broken stone, unable to move for the moment.
"Master!"
Artoria knew this strike wouldn't kill Shiomi, but she still cried out.
Yet she couldn't leave—she had to stay and keep fighting Quetzalcoatl.
The opponent discarded Shiomi's spear and charged forward. The macuahuitl and the Holy Sword clashed again and again. Though shrouded in Invisible Air, the length and form of the invisible blade had clearly been grasped by Quetzalcoatl—her evasions were flawlessly timed.
"So be it!"
Having made her decision, Artoria drove the Holy Sword into the ground and dodged Quetzalcoatl's next strike. The Holy Lance suddenly appeared, forcing back her increasingly exhilarated foe.
"Oh... so that's the shadow of the Tower at the End~! It actually looks quite beautiful from here." Quetzalcoatl smirked.
She could tell Artoria was planning to switch weapons—but the Holy Sword had been left behind intentionally. The purpose was obvious.
"If you don't need it, then let me use it." Morgan picked up the magic spear in her left hand and drew the Holy Sword with her right.
"You won't be able to use it effectively one-handed," Artoria warned. The Holy Sword was a two-handed weapon.
"Don't overthink it. Just a bit of flourish, that's all."
As she spoke, the magic spear suddenly transformed into a long black sword—a mirrored shadow of the radiant golden Holy Sword.
Dual wielding.
Morgan reinforced both arms and charged Quetzalcoatl first, unleashing a torrent of mana with each swing of her blades.
The battle intensified. Seeing even the witch abandon Magecraft for melee combat, Quetzalcoatl's joy surged to a boiling point.
This was the kind of opponent she adored.
Witch, goddess, or human—everyone who had come here today was among the finest warriors.
Quetzalcoatl was now ablaze with excitement.
"At this point, I might as well show you a bit of my Noble Phantasm."
She launched a series of fierce counterattacks. After knocking away Artoria's Holy Lance, she revealed her shield and sent it spinning forward, the rapid rotation slicing along the Holy Lance's shaft.
Though the Holy Lance remained undamaged, Artoria still had to exert herself to redirect the shield's path. In that moment, Quetzalcoatl grabbed Morgan's arm, attempting a throw like the one she used on the Jaguar Warrior.
Only this time, she intended to soar hundreds of meters before slamming down.
Amid the chaos of the battlefield, a faint rumble of shifting stone reached Quetzalcoatl's ears.
"Pierce through—Gungnir."
A beam of light tore through the dust-filled plaza, streaking straight toward Quetzalcoatl. She knew just how dangerous that spear was. Before she could control Morgan's movement, she was forced to let go and counter with the macuahuitl embedded in the ground.
Even Odin's infallible spear deviated slightly upon clashing with a fellow god's weapon.
Seeing Shiomi now fully awake, Quetzalcoatl immediately yanked out the spear from her shoulder, determined to stop him from reaching the Piedra del Sol.
"Hold Quetzalcoatl, Artoria!"
The Command Spell on the back of his hand glowed. With their wills aligned, Artoria instantly stepped into Quetzalcoatl's path.
But before Quetzalcoatl could grin at the interception, she caught sight of Shiomi's unexpected move...
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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