Chapter 75: The Powerless Goddess
"The key to the Trinity that birthed you is the 'Serpent.' Although the cow, sheep, and pig were also used to symbolize the bountiful earth, in reality, you are not the Earth Mother Goddess in the form of a heifer. Your essence is the 'Serpent.' This is precisely the reason the ancient Athena was degraded."
Golden light reflected across the land as this entire area was surrounded by a rain of golden swords. Standing within it, Athena felt as though she were placed in a domain constructed entirely of golden blades.
"If you ask why, it is because you are not a goddess who merely grants the blessings of the earth. Life is born, grows, matures, withers, and then dies... Just as the four seasons grow in spring, flourish in summer, bear fruit in autumn, and wither in winter."
"Silence! You bastard! How dare you defile this queen's past!"
Athena's face turned ashen with rage. Light manifested in her hands as a black longbow appeared. Aiming toward Shirou, the goddess pulled back the bowstring. As the string was drawn, purple light transformed into arrows, reflecting a silver glint.
Whoosh—!
The arrow shot by Athena sliced through the air with an explosive sound, racing toward Shirou.
"Do you think such tricks will work against me within this domain of golden swords?"
The moment he spoke, a golden sword streaked past Shirou's side to intercept the incoming arrow.
Boom!
The collision between the golden sword and Athena's arrow triggered an explosion. While it lacked the terrifying prestige of a [Broken Phantasm], the quality of the golden sword itself was in no way inferior to an A-rank Noble Phantasm.
"What...!?" Athena bit her lip.
Ignoring her reaction, Shirou continued to chant the Words of Power. Golden swords flew one after another toward the giant stone python she was standing upon!
"Once, you were a woman who reigned over the ancient world, a Queen whom gods served and who ruled over humanity. Thus, you were the Goddess of the heads of gods, the Goddess of the Winged Serpent. But the time came when they were cast down from the highest throne. Men holding martial power began to rebel, and thus the matriarchal society ended."
Swish, swish, swish—!!!
The concrete giant snake swung its body, attempting to deflect the golden swords, but the sheer number of blades blanketing the sky was far too great. Even Athena, who manifested a
pitch-black scythe to cut down the swords simultaneously, gradually fell into a disadvantage. Although she dodged fatal strikes time and again by a hair's breadth, her white dress began to show numerous gashes. Her fair skin was faintly visible, shimmering as if to draw the eye.
"The era of the Queen ended, and the era of the King began. Simultaneously, the supreme deity changed from the matriarchal Earth Mother to a strict Father God. Starting with Zeus, the God-King was born. Then, Athena became the King's daughter, Metis was stripped of her wisdom, and Medusa even fell to the status of a monster. Not only them, but Hera or Artemis in Greek mythology are all defeated Earth Mothers—goddesses of the same origin as you, governing life and death."
"The defeated Earth Mother is also mentioned in myth as the Winged Serpent. The Winged Serpent—that is, the Dragon. The evil dragons appearing in countless heroic myths, the dragons defeated by heroes and gods, are precisely the forms of the defeated Earth Mother Goddesses after being degraded."
The goddess wielding the scythe suddenly leaped, leaving the stone python behind and charging toward Shirou.
"Meet your death, Orihara Shirou!"
Crying out sharply, darkness billowed behind Athena. From the dark mist, poisonous snakes lunged out, crashing toward Shirou on the ground. These snakes were like cannonballs; every time they struck the earth, they caused a violent explosion. Shirou darted through them, and before long, the beach was riddled with craters.
Simultaneously, Athena arrived before Shirou, swinging her scythe.
"Language is light! Words of Power are light! Therefore, O Light, O Words of Power, become my sword, my blade!"
Shirou called out loudly, and the golden swords converged into his hand, transforming into a golden greatsword three meters long. At the same time, upon hearing Shirou's final Words of Power, Athena suddenly felt her body grow sluggish. her pupils shrank instantly.
"To think... you actually sealed... one of my Authorities...!!"
In that instant, the world originally shrouded in absolute darkness began to return to normal. The city lights flickered on one by one. The light and fire nullified under the effect of [Ancient Night] restarted, and the city began to function once more. Under this loss of Authority, the black aura permeating Athena's body vanished instantly.
Her power was diminished.
"Tch... what an annoying Authority. This is the power you usurped from the 'War God' Verethragna, isn't it?"
Clang—!
The clear sound of striking iron rang out. The golden greatsword swung by Shirou clashed violently with the scythe held by Athena! Sparks flew wildly, and a sharp, ringing vibration echoed.
Athena, who had recovered her full strength, originally believed that she could not possibly fall into a disadvantage even in a head-on clash. However, the moment her scythe struck that golden greatsword, she suddenly felt her hands go numb from the feedback traveling through the weapon; she nearly failed to maintain her grip.
"Your strength is actually above mine... This... how is this possible!?"
As Athena, who had reclaimed all the power of the Trinity, she never imagined she would be suppressed by her opponent in terms of pure strength.
"How can a Campione possess such power...!"
To be suppressed by a "Campione" while being a dignified goddess made Athena feel utterly humiliated. She gritted her teeth and poured in divine power, trying to push back. Yet, even so, she could not move an inch forward.
"How can this be... unless you are also... a 'God'!"
The goddess's widened eyes stared at Shirou, seeing small bolts of lightning flash through his pale gold pupils.
"Who knows."
Giving an ambiguous answer, Shirou increased the strength behind his sword. Even though the goddess did not want to retreat, she currently had no means of resistance. Her light body was pushed backward, her feet carving long furrows into the sand.
"Damn it..."
Athena furrowed her brows and quickly broke away to retreat. She realized that she could not gain the upper hand in close combat, so she immediately planned to adopt a different method of attack.
"Verethragna is not only the God of Victory, but also the guardian of royal power and the people, the protector of the Persian chief god Mithra. Mithra is the incarnation of the sun, so Verethragna also shares an origin with the sun."
Murmuring this, Athena narrowed her violet eyes slightly.
"How foul—a terrifying 'Sword.' However, you used it too early. You likely intended to use it to enrage this queen and then take the chance to find a weakness, right? I see. So that's it. Orihara Shirou, this is the strategy you devised against me. I understand it completely now. Thus, your Authority loses its effect on me!"
Announcement!
Hello everyone, I'm VarieTL 😊
I'm happy to announce that I have posted 2 new Fanfiction!
You can find them in my second account VarieTL02(an account can only have a max of 20 fanfiction it seems)
Hikigaya and the Witches' Romantic Comedy
Hikigaya Hachiman, a high school student and staunch believer in celibacy, lives by the motto "Loneliness is freedom."
That's how it should be.
However, on his first day of high school, this motto is shattered.
A gyaru who transferred for him, an incredibly cute pink-haired girl sitting next to him who's always secretly watching him, a perfect superhero with long, straight black hair and an overflowing sense of justice, a childhood friend who always smiles and approaches him in a kimono, and that lone wolf with no boundaries…
Hikigaya Hachiman's daily life is completely disrupted.
Even more absurdly, all these girls are witches.
Crossover Oregairu/Manosoba (Magical Girl Witch Trials)
The Trash Returned from Warhammer
Shinji Ikari awakens in Neo Tokyo-2 with his memories and iron will as a Space Marine Librarian who served the Imperium for a century.
When a letter arrives from his estranged father, Gendo Ikari, summoning him to Neo Tokyo-3, Shinji ignores his past traumas. Instead, he interprets the summons as a holy mission from the God-Emperor. The former Astartes sets out to defend humanity once more, treating the events of Evangelion as his next theater of war.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting