From a physical standpoint, Sai Akuto had unquestionably conquered Athena. Making the goddess yield beneath him satisfied his desire for conquest to an extreme degree.
Yet from another perspective, this was also a relationship of mutual conquest.
From the very beginning, Akuto had been drawn to Athena. That was why he had tried every possible method to win her over.
And precisely because she understood this, Athena gave Akuto limitless indulgence and tolerance.
Since defeating him through strength was impossible, conquering him with her feminine charm was also an excellent choice.
Of course, these two kinds of conquest were fundamentally different.
A conquest through strength was one-sided. Strength was strength, weakness was weakness.
But conquest through charm was mutual. While feeling Akuto's love for her and learning about everything he had experienced and faced, Athena finally cast aside her former tsundere demeanor and began responding to Akuto's feelings in many ways.
Because Akuto's succubus bloodline was so powerful, and because this was Athena's first time experiencing such intense affection between man and woman, she clung to him continuously, unwilling to let him slip away.
Athena's flawless jade-like feet reflected the pale moonlight. They gently crossed behind Akuto's waist, creating a mesmerizing sight.
Her originally snow-white feet had turned faintly rosy from within, a soft blush beneath the pale skin that made them appear even more alluring.
After hearing Akuto's confession, Athena did exactly as she had said earlier and allowed him to kiss the tips of her toes. Even though she understood Akuto's preferences very well, she still hadn't expected his reaction to be so intense.
"You really are a pervert, aren't you~"
Although the words sounded disdainful, Athena's expression carried a great deal of tolerance and affection.
After all, the more Akuto desired her, the more it proved her own charm.
As a response to Akuto's feelings, Athena made a bold decision.
"Weng—"
Dark divine power swirled as Athena's figure gradually split into three.
A few seconds later, three identical Athenas stood before Akuto.
At first glance they looked the same.
But upon closer inspection, Akuto could clearly feel that each one possessed a distinct aura.
The Athena on the left appeared gentler and somewhat fragile. That was Medusa.
The one in the center radiated pride and nobility. That was Athena herself.
The one on the right had eyes full of wisdom, but behind that all-knowing gaze lurked a faint trace of madness.
"Ha…"
Seeing Athena divide into three, imagining what might happen next, and realizing that the proud goddess had taken the initiative to do this herself, Akuto felt his blood surge violently.
"Oh? Akuto… you're really easy to understand~"
Because she was pressed closely against him, Athena could clearly feel every change in Akuto's body.
After reading his memories, she already understood exactly what kind of person he was—and every one of his preferences.
Athena was the Goddess of Wisdom, and with her understanding of Akuto, even the slightest change in his eyes was enough for her to know what he was thinking.
"Sorry. I'm just that simple of a man."
Akuto smiled lightly and turned his head, catching Medusa's slightly shy lips.
"By the way, Athena, I still don't quite understand your current state."
Feeling that the sensation and response from Medusa were clearly different from Athena's, Akuto couldn't help asking.
"My current state is the Trinity Athena…"
Before Athena could finish speaking, the woman beside her interrupted.
"Allow me to explain that~"
Metis's intelligent gaze flickered with amusement as she leaned in from Medusa's opposite side.
While kissing Akuto, Metis simultaneously activated her authority as the Goddess of Wisdom, directly transmitting the knowledge Akuto needed into his mind.
"…."
Athena watched Medusa and Metis compete with her for Akuto's attention.
The corner of her eye twitched slightly.
No one understood herself better than Athena. She knew perfectly well how the other aspects of her personality would behave once separated.
But she still hadn't expected them to act so boldly.
The reason was simple.
They only wanted Akuto to be happier.
To make him like them even more.
That was all.
Love was mutual.
In a relationship, the most frightening thing was one-sided devotion without any response.
Only mutual emotional investment and feedback could allow feelings to grow stronger.
After receiving Akuto's memories and understanding why he loved her, Athena felt a faint sense of guilt.
Yes, she was an incomparably noble goddess.
But Akuto's status was no less extraordinary.
Simply as a higher-dimensional existence, Akuto could already rival—or even surpass—the so-called divine kings.
And yet he loved her so deeply.
He understood her so thoroughly.
Akuto had precisely analyzed everything she feared and resisted, then shattered her final hesitation by sharing his memories directly.
Such a decision could only be made through unparalleled affection, understanding, and determination.
If Athena herself had been placed in the same situation, she knew she would not have made that choice.
But Akuto had done so without hesitation.
That level of devotion reassured Athena.
Yet it also gave rise to a subtle unease.
Compared to Akuto's love for her, her own response seemed a little too reserved… too tsundere.
The Athena of the past would never have thought this way.
She would only have regarded Akuto as a lecherous man who might be hiding unknown schemes.
That was the instinctive suspicion of the Goddess of Wisdom toward the unknown.
But now, after understanding the reason behind Akuto's love, Athena wanted to respond to his feelings.
Since she had failed to respond earlier, she could only make up for it afterward.
Thus, when Athena realized that Akuto became far more excited when facing three identical goddesses, she immediately separated Medusa and Metis from herself.
Of course, doing this had its drawbacks.
For example, just now Medusa and Metis had kissed Akuto purely out of their own will.
Athena had not controlled them.
But when she thought about how happy and excited Akuto would be, Athena chose this path without hesitation.
This was simply one of her ways of responding to him.
Yes, a response, not compensation.
At this point, Athena believed there was no longer any relationship of compensation between them.
That concept was far too shallow for what they shared.
Through Akuto's memories, Athena had not only learned why he loved her.
She had also learned what he was destined to face.
Once the God Domain and the Godslayer world were dismantled, and the threat of her existence being twisted was resolved, Athena was more than willing to stand beside Akuto and face whatever awaited him.
But for now…
Athena simply wanted to make Akuto love her even more through her actions.
…
On Akuto's side.
After Metis joined the scene, a huge amount of knowledge suddenly flowed into his mind.
The first thing he learned was the answer to the question he had asked earlier:
What exactly was the relationship between Athena, Metis, and Medusa?
Under the illumination of Metis's authority of wisdom, Akuto quickly understood the truth.
A thousand years ago, all three had originally been Athena.
Or more precisely, they were different manifestations of Athena's divine nature.
But as time passed, the myths of Athena in the human world changed.
Athena transformed from a Goddess-Queen into the daughter of Zeus.
In the God Domain, this transformation manifested as the patriarchal gods and the steel heroes overthrowing the rule of the Earth Mother Goddess.
Forced into that situation, Athena divided herself into three parts.
Metis's divine nature was absorbed into the patriarchal pantheon and became the so-called wife of Zeus.
Medusa's divine nature was absorbed by the steel heroes and turned into a monster meant to be slain, a demonic being destined to empower heroic legends.
Meanwhile, Athena herself became the Goddess of Wisdom, the Goddess of Victory, the daughter of the King of Gods, and the Virgin Goddess, losing her original status as a divine queen.
As centuries passed, the connection between the three gradually weakened.
If another few hundred years had passed, that connection might have completely disappeared, turning them into three entirely separate divine beings.
In the present God Domain, Athena, Medusa, and Metis were still of the same origin.
But if Athena requested it, Medusa and Metis were willing to reunite with her and return to the state of Trinity Athena.
However, this state was more like a fusion of three goddesses, rather than a single goddess expressing three divine aspects.
Because myths in the human world had changed, Athena could never again become the Ancient Athena.
At most, she could only reclaim the ancient power.
That was the situation in the God Domain.
In the human world, however, things were somewhat different.
When Athena was summoned as a Heretic God, she already possessed Metis's divine nature.
After all, according to mythology, Athena was born after Zeus swallowed Metis.
Because she was incomplete, Athena instinctively sought the divine nature of Medusa.
That divine nature was sealed inside the Gorgon Stone.
"I see… so that's why Athena was so difficult to conquer."
Akuto finally understood.
Before obtaining the Gorgon Stone, winning Athena's heart was equivalent to conquering both Athena and Metis simultaneously.
After obtaining the Gorgon Stone, he also needed to win over Medusa.
That was why Athena's attitude had subtly changed after obtaining the Gorgon Stone, even though she had already been willing to kiss him before.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]