Chapter 430: Silver Knight vs Pale Knight
At Mount Nikko, a several dozen-meter-long serpent materialized.
Its silver scales reflected a chilling, sinister gleam.
As it slithered, its scales effortlessly sliced through solid stone slabs and crushed trees.
"Ahahaha, tremble, shake, scream in despair~"
A voice that sounded both youthful and beautiful emerged from this ferocious form, brimming with delight.
To prevent it from approaching the Western Heavenly Palace, mystics and others with supernatural powers in this country were straining every nerve to erect defensive barriers.
Fortunately, the site had suddenly been closed to tourists today, or there would likely have been numerous casualties.
Even so, from positions not too far from Mount Nikko, people could still see this monstrous behemoth on the mountain.
"Uncle, do you think it will be the Steel Hero we've been waiting for?"
A voice tinged with confusion and hope came from a golden-curled girl of about twelve or thirteen.
The "uncle" she referred to was a figure clad entirely in steel armor beside her.
"I will accompany you, Guinevere, until we find that great one," Lancelot responded.
Suddenly sensing something, Lancelot sharply turned his gaze toward a previously empty spot, where a silver-haired girl in ancient white robes had appeared without warning.
"I didn't expect you to come as well. Please allow Guinevere to offer her greetings."
Despite her youthful appearance, she performed an elegant, ladylike curtsy, lifting the hem of her skirt.
Beneath this seemingly polite demeanor, however, Guinevere was tense.
She had anticipated this goddess's appearance—after all, last night's starless sky had revealed her origins.
Thus, when the seal on the Steel Hero here was being broken, she knew the other would appear. But she hadn't expected her to seek them out upon detecting their presence.
"It seems you're not unrelated to the unsealing of the God of Steel here. Have you no shame left?"
Athena, who had been unsealed and was standing by, had come upon sensing familiar traces—and indeed, it was an acquaintance.
The Witch before her had once been an Earth Mother Goddess like herself, but now she had fully thrown her lot in with their enemies, the Gods of Steel.
"Goddess Athena, you are entirely mistaken. Since the age of myth, we daughters of the earth have been destined to serve the Steel Heroes."
Guinevere straightened her back as she replied, appearing self-assured and meeting the true goddess's gaze fearlessly.
Of course, one reason the now Witch Queen dared to be so bold was that her uncle stood by her side.
"We are attendants serving the heroes. Even you, Athena, appear in Greek myth as the beloved daughter of Zeus, do you not?"
As she spoke these words, she noticed Athena's gaze had grown sharply intense, her eyes transforming into those of a serpent.
"What a sharp tongue you have!!!"
Athena sneered as she spoke, her pupils beginning to glow.
At that moment, everything within her vision began to petrify.
However—
"If you intend to harm my beloved daughter, you must first pass through me."
The knight beside the Witch suddenly unleashed a bolt of white lightning, forcing Athena to interrupt her petrification and dodge.
"Let the earth crumble and the ground tear asunder! Witness the goddess's ferocious song of destruction!"
As Athena chanted these words, the earth began to collapse as she had declared, seeking to swallow the knight and the Witch before her.
Simultaneously, countless snakes emerged from the fissures in the ground, lunging to bite the two.
Yet, an even more intense flash of lightning erupted, forming a barrier that blocked the black serpents.
"O misty winds, arise!"
With Lancelot's incantation, a dense fog materialized around him.
In the next instant, his physical form dissolved into the mist.
As for Guinevere, she employed a flight spell to distance herself, vanishing into the fog and leaving Athena to watch her escape helplessly, for she had to focus on this Steel Hero.
He was the natural enemy of their Earth Mother Goddess kind—she could not afford to be careless.
"Goddess Athena, you are indeed a perilous deity. Yet, you are fated to lose to me. I am the unparalleled divine sword that charges forth, trampling countless dragons and serpents! I am your misfortune!"
As Lancelot declared this, he rematerialized in the air, now astride a white steed.
At the same time, he summoned more lightning, enveloping himself in crackling bolts.
"I become the thunder itself, entrusting my life to it."
Chanting, Lancelot pointed his sharp blade directly at Athena.
In the next moment, the white horse charged toward Athena on the ground like a bolt of lightning.
"Boom—!"
The impact shook heaven and earth, akin to a meteor striking the land.
Athena evaded the direct assault.
But the silver knight, though he failed to collide with her, swung his blade at her. Unable to retreat in time, Athena summoned her scythe of death to parry his weapon.
The moment their weapons clashed, a storm erupted from the epicenter, sweeping everything in its path.
Thus, a vicious, crater-like pit formed.
Before the chaos subsided, the two engaged in fierce combat once more.
Athena summoned multiple giant serpents, attempting to overwhelm her foe, but each was swiftly beheaded by his sword.
Yet, she continued to summon more serpents. However, her replenishment could not keep pace with their destruction, making it increasingly difficult to fend off the knight's relentless strikes.
Clang!!!
A sharper metallic ring echoed as her grip on the scythe faltered, and it was sent flying. Her expression shifted abruptly.
Thus, as the terrifying gleam of his blade closed in once more, she hastily summoned a serpent to block its path.
Alas, the serpent was effortlessly torn apart, and the tip of his sword lunged toward her body.
"What?!"
Lancelot gasped in astonishment—the blade tip meant to pierce the goddess was blocked by another.
His pupils contracted. Behind Athena stood a pale knight, mounted on a pale horse.
In the next instant, this figure phased through Athena like an illusion, yet the sword tip pressing against his own was solid, forcefully pushing him back.
No, it was no illusion!
Lancelot understood that the opponent possessed abilities similar to his own.
Part of the opponent's body was materialized, while another part was mist-like, allowing them to pass through Athena.
Who was this opponent?