Athena's mind was no longer on something like, I'm about to lose. All she could think about was what Akuto had just said: "the Underworld's new master."
She was the mistress of the Underworld. Akuto had stolen Underworld authority from her, and he'd done it through something as shameless as a kiss. And he still had the nerve to call himself the Underworld's new master?!
And yet, beneath her anger and indignation, a flush of embarrassment rose in her chest.
She had to admit it. If Akuto could wield Underworld authority to such an unfathomable, masterful extent, then he really did have the qualifications to call himself the Underworld's new master.
But… no matter what, she could never acknowledge that title.
Unless Akuto had one and only one partner, her. Otherwise, with the very real possibility of him being lured away by the goddess-kings of other pantheons, Athena would never acknowledge Akuto as her partner. Never.
…
All that could be said was that Athena's bottom line was dropping fast.
At first, Athena's thought had been: no matter what it took, she would find a way to kill Akuto, the bastard who had brought shame to the goddess of wisdom.
Later, that thought turned into: Fine. Let him spend his whole life savoring the taste of a goddess. It was, in its own way, an admission that she had stopped seriously thinking about killing him.
Then, when Akuto expressed that he could stand beside her to resist the Divine Realm, even transcend the world of Godslayers, Athena began to see him as a decent man. A decent collaborator, at least. If it could help her achieve her goals, then working with Akuto would be a very, very good choice.
And now, her stance had evolved into: unless Akuto had one and only one partner, her, she would never acknowledge his status as the Underworld's master, much less acknowledge him as her partner.
That was how it went. Step by step, the line lowered.
The more Akuto revealed, the more Athena was forced to admit his conditions and capabilities were… satisfying. He was the best possible candidate to become her partner.
Judging by the fact that he could suppress her with Underworld authority despite her complete resistance, Akuto's Underworld authority had already made him the second figure in her faction, surpassed only by herself.
On top of that, Akuto had hinted in front of her that he might seek cooperation with goddess-kings from other divine systems. Athena understood those goddess-kings' nature far too well. There would absolutely be more than a few who would openly offer to rule alongside him as "two saints on one throne." To keep Akuto from actually being seduced away by another goddess-king when the time came, Athena felt it was necessary to do something in advance.
And lastly, Athena truly liked the aura around Akuto.
She could sense the dense draconic presence belonging to the true Red Dragon Emperor. She couldn't tell exactly what kind of dragon aura it was, but one thing was certain: Akuto carried an enormous amount of draconic power. Dragons and serpents were born as the vassals and companions of her Mother Goddess, so once she confirmed that fact, her satisfaction with Akuto rose even higher.
So, all in all, Athena genuinely wanted Akuto to join her faction as her partner.
But…
The proud goddess Athena would never express that attitude herself.
She needed a step to stand on, and she needed it in a way that left no "evidence" of coercion.
And that reason was… absolute strength.
Only if Akuto displayed absolute strength, not only suppressing her in raw power, but also suppressing her in Underworld authority, could she accept it.
Ahem.
She would only be accepting him because she was forced by his potential, his rarity, and his desire for her. It had nothing to do with her own will. That was all.
Absolute dominance in strength was one of the very few methods for "clearing" the three great divine bodies within Athena: "Athena," "Metis," and "Medusa."
…
In short, it was precisely because of Athena's awkward, contradictory thinking that this awkward situation had formed.
The more she wanted to make herself accept it, the more she had to go all-out in this battle.
So even after her nocturnal familiars were suppressed by Akuto using the very same authority, Athena, though secretly satisfied, still put on a fierce, unwilling-to-lose front.
…
"Hmph. To drive this concubine to such a point… Very well, then witness the fear of antiquity!"
A tremendous wave of divine power exploded from Athena, and as the light twisted, the silver-haired goddess split into three!
On the left stood Metis, draped in a classical robe, her face wise and compassionate, yet her eyes flowing with endless knowledge and calculation, the Mother Goddess of Wisdom.
In the center stood Athena herself, gripping a dark scythe, her posture proud, her battle intent surging, the goddess of war and victory.
On the right writhed Medusa, hideous snake hair wriggling as her eyes flashed with petrifying light. In the hollows of her eyes, the markings of truly cursed venomous serpents projected like living sigils, the Gorgon.
The trinity of goddesses spoke at once. Their bell-like voices intertwined into a dirge of death.
"Heir of the Most Sacred God, here and now, this concubine grants you the goddess's final trial!"
In this trinity state, Athena split herself again. Under these conditions, each divine avatar possessed the full strength of her peak!
Clearly, Athena still had no intention of giving up!
In this battle, fought for the sake of easing her own heart, Athena would not allow herself to stay behind and take the initiative!
Metis waved a hand, and countless ancient rune chains formed of divine power shot out of the void toward Akuto, seeking to bind his movement and his spellcraft.
Medusa's snake hair hissed, and lethal petrifying rays poured down like a storm.
Athena raised the dark scythe high, gathering a terrifying strike that could cleave mountains, and brought it crashing down!
Faced with this near-inescapable killing net, Akuto closed his eyes.
Of course he hadn't given up. He was simply circulating his power.
By now, Akuto's perception had surpassed sight. Even if he couldn't see something, he could still sense it through divine awareness.
With that near-transcendent perception, he caught every trace of divine power's flow, every "principle" carried within each attack.
In the next instant, he moved.
Akuto's figure slid like a wraith, dodging and shifting within inches by a footwork no human, not even a god, could comprehend.
The rune chains grazed past his clothes. The dense petrifying rays struck nothing, slamming into the ground and leaving three pillars of red sand rising into the air.
At the same time, Athena's scythe came down!
Akuto didn't even raise the Holy Spear to block. At the final moment, he simply turned his body by the smallest margin, and the scythe, loaded with terrifying divine power, tore down beside him, the destructive wind pressure carving empty space!
"What?!"
The three goddesses' violet eyes widened slightly. Athena hadn't expected Akuto, even while facing three complete goddesses at once, to look so effortless!
Akuto slowly opened his eyes. Within them was endless calm… and purity.
He had already understood her thoughts from her expression and reaction.
With Athena's pride, she would never take the initiative to become his partner. But she truly did favor him. And because she favored him, she had to fight with everything she had, so that she could accept reality afterward.
Faced with such a tsundere goddess who was, in her own way, almost cute, Akuto could only feel helpless.
If this was what Athena needed, if only this would let her accept it, then Akuto didn't mind indulging her.
"Athena, I know what you're thinking."
"Since you want it, then as you wish. I'll give you the defeat you want."
With that, Akuto began his counterattack.
There was no earth-shaking eruption of energy. Only the purest, most extreme martial skill.
He shifted aside, avoiding Medusa's snake hair as it lunged to bite. His right hand, fingers aligned like a blade, struck with perfect precision at the seven-inch point of a snake. The vicious head froze instantly, then crumbled into stone dust!
His left leg snapped out like a silent whip, landing squarely on Metis's side and interrupting the next divine art she was constructing.
At the same time, he used the sweep's momentum to spin, slipping past Athena's follow-up thrust with exquisite timing. His right hand pressed down in passing, a palm strike landing on the scythe's shaft and knocking the lethal blow off-line!
Every movement Akuto made was clean and efficient, without a shred of waste. As if he could see the future, he always avoided attacks by the width of a hair, and paid the smallest price for the greatest effect.
The three goddesses' pincer assault not only failed to suppress him, it was completely drawn and controlled by his flowing, seamless motions, making them look clumsy and slow.
This was no longer a contest of authority. It was an absolute gulf in combat skill, a display that surpassed even the gods and reached the extreme domain of "martial."
Akuto moved like he was dancing a waltz of death, while the three goddesses became partners he guided, forced to follow his rhythm as their openings grew wider and wider.
Athena couldn't break through no matter how she pressed. She was furious, and yet even more satisfied by what she was seeing.
She had to admit it. The current Akuto was already fully worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as her within the Divine Realm!
"The game's over."
After confirming the shift in Athena's gaze, Akuto smiled faintly and advanced to the next stage.
He stepped back sharply. With a thought, the Holy Spear answered him.
[explosion-create-the-world! (Genesis Explosion!)]
[Musashi Seal!]
An invisible ripple swept outward across the battlefield.
After it passed, the world sank into an eerie silence.
With the rules rewritten, Athena's divine scythe… vanished on the spot.
…
All along, Akuto and Athena's battle had been fought within the sealing field of "Genesis Explosion."
Otherwise, at the intensity of their clash, even the shockwaves from close-quarters combat alone would have been enough to wipe out most of Italy.
The reason the outside world had suffered no harm was because Akuto had kept the battle's aftermath contained within the boundary of the "Genesis Explosion" barrier.
Whenever Akuto and Athena relocated, the rules at the barrier's edge would restore themselves to the state they'd been in before the two of them arrived.
But now, after confirming that Athena fully acknowledged him in both "authority" and "close combat," Akuto had no intention of hiding anything further.
After displaying technique, what came next… was absolute power.
(End of Chapter)
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