Chapter 70: Athena: Found You!
That gentle voice seemed capable of soothing the human soul. Yuri cast a grateful gaze toward the golden-haired Caucasian woman, who stood a head taller than every other girl present in terms of both stature and figure—not to mention temperament.
Yuri felt that Princess Alice, the strongest witch renowned in Europe, possessed an indescribable mature charm. Standing by the "King's" side, she invisibly projected the aura of being the primary consort, overshadowing all others.
Watching the subtle infighting among the several girls, Shirou found it quite amusing. He glanced at Princess Alice, who had very skillfully taken a seat beside him; her behavior during the night had been completely different from this gentle, mature appearance she wore now.
If one had to describe it, she was like a flower that remained shy and timid even after being plucked.
Alice seemed to perceive the playfulness in Shirou's eyes. Her cheeks instantly flushed a faint red, and she looked away. She truly did not want to reveal a shameful side under everyone's gaze; otherwise, the "consort" image she had worked so hard to establish would crumble.
Stopping his teasing, Shirou turned his gaze toward Mariya Yuri on the other side.
"How about it, Mariya? Have you obtained anything more regarding the 'Gorgoneion'?"
Up until now, the information this "Hime-Miko" had gleaned from the Gorgoneion basically matched what Alice had perceived through her spirit vision.
"You can just call me Yuri," Yuri quickly said to Shirou. Then, she picked up the obsidian-colored Gorgoneion, her brow furrowing slightly as she spoke.
"How should I put it... based on the sensation of my spirit vision, through the connection between the Gorgoneion and that deity, I can vaguely feel that this goddess should be the enemy of the Gorgon... the Serpent Body. Even someone like me knows that goddess's name—it is Athena."
"Is that so."
Shirou nodded. From this perspective, Princess Alice—who could feel that Athena was approaching—was undoubtedly stronger than Mariya Yuri in terms of spiritual power.
"Athena, huh..."
Suddenly, Alice, sitting to Shirou's right, reached out and gently tugged at his sleeve.
"What is it?" Shirou looked at her sideways.
The beautiful golden-haired woman's fair face now carried a hint of tension.
"My spirit vision has given feedback... that goddess is very close to us."
"Has she finally arrived?" Shirou murmured, then stood up.
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The sunlight today was exceptionally bright, its warm glow shining upon the face of a girl... no, perhaps one should say a young child.
This goddess's body was currently very small, her cute little face expressionless, giving off a very cold and detached feeling. Athena looked at the ruins before her, her expression becoming somewhat puzzled.
"Where on earth did that fellow go...?"
A battle must have taken place here. As the goddess of wisdom, war, and weaving, Athena could sense it through the surrounding destroyed facilities. Athena appeared somewhat irritable; she didn't much care for this bright, sunny weather.
She loathed the sun.
The shining light, the dazzling throne of the sky—these were the things that truly displeased this Queen of the Night. The sun and the fire of life are indispensable elements in the cycle of life and death; accepting this light should also be the Queen's duty.
However, at present, she was not yet the "Heretic Athena." She had not yet reclaimed her status as a Trinity Goddess. What remained tenuously in her hollow memories were only a mother's sighs, a queen's shame, and an old woman's wisdom. The dregs of glory, and the father... the sun that rebelled against the subordinates of Zeus, the King of the Sky.
As long as she could reclaim the "Gorgoneion," she would become the true Athena.
While enduring the sea breeze, she searched for the whereabouts of the Gorgoneion.
"Found you..."
She let out a joyful sound. Athena, possessing the small body of a middle-school-aged girl, looked in one direction. The Gorgoneion she sought was not far away.
Although her opponent was a Campione, she felt no concern. While Campiones indeed possessed the power to fight "Heretic Gods," it did not mean a Campione's combat strength was inherently greater than that of a "Heretic God." Furthermore, Athena was the goddess of war; she had confidence in her own strength.
Arriving at the coast outside Chiba City, Athena finally saw the figure standing on the beach. Although she was a stranger to him, Athena could clearly sense that the Gorgoneion she sought was in his hands.
"You've finally come."
The red-haired youth cast his gaze toward her, a flash of lightning passing through his pale gold pupils.
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The location was the outskirts of Chiba; the exact spot was unclear, but it was near the sea. After Yuri had called the [History Compilation Committee] in advance, there was no one else present here besides Shirou and his party.
By the time they arrived, it was already five in the afternoon. An orange glow stained the seaside lawn. Because of the seawall, they couldn't get close to the water, but the scenery was still pleasant.
"She's here..."
Yuri's body, as a Hime-Miko, couldn't help but tremble. The powerful aura emitted by the "Heretic God" caused her to subconsciously take a step back.
At that moment, a petite figure slowly walked over from the other side of the coast.
"Heh... waiting here on purpose? Campione, hand over what belongs to me, and I might spare your life."
Such threatening words, coming from the mouth of a petite "loli," inexplicably lost their sense of intimidation. This "Heretic Goddess" had a body as small as a middle-school girl, her height estimated to be around 154 cm. She wore a thin sweater, a mini-skirt, and black over-the-knee socks. On her silver hair, she wore a blue knitted hat.
The brilliance of her silver hair, swaying gently in the sea breeze, was very similar to the moonlight that illuminates the night. Her pitch-black pupils stared intently at Shirou, as if they were connected to the deep night itself.
"First, a self-introduction. This queen's name is Athena."
The girl with the loli figure announced her title.
"Campione of the East, this queen wishes to know your name. Since this is a duel where we wager this most ancient 'Serpent,' we should clarify each other's names."
"Orihara Shirou." Shirou nodded after hearing her introduction and gave his own name in return.
Then, Shirou looked at the goddess standing before him with a scrutinizing gaze.
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