---o---
"So, let me get this straight, Pervert Big Brother. You had this all planned out from the start?"
In the living room of a certain someone's residence, the voice of Black Seele rang out.
Just a moment ago, he had been explaining the battle plans to her and the other girls. Although, calling it a "battle plan" wasn't quite right.
After all—
A certain someone had basically laid bare all the weaknesses and secrets of those Heretical Gods, and was now meticulously detailing how to launch targeted strikes against each of them.
This wasn't a battle plan; it was a hunting itinerary.
Her own designated target was the so-called Queen of the Underworld, Athena.
Sirin's was the Mediterranean divine king, Melqart.
Miss Mei's was the hero of steel, Perseus.
Even the visiting Guardian of Shenzhou was assigned a God of Steel named the Sage Ape King.
"Yes, it's all arranged," said Li Zihan, taking a sip of the tea Miss Mei had prepared for him earlier. For a long time now, he had been consciously gathering the divine artifacts capable of summoning Heretical Gods. "I've prepared a Heretical God for everyone by my side."
"You really went all out, didn't you, Pervert Big Brother?" the girl with beautiful, wine-red eyes said with a pout, looking at the young man who claimed to have prepared a roster of ten Heretical Gods.
Heretical Gods were exceedingly rare beings. The Wolf King of the Balkans had to search the entire world for qualified witches and miko to perform summoning rituals just to hunt one. It was a testament to how troublesome it was to find a Heretical God.
And this guy here had prepared at least ten of them. Was he planning to clear out the entire world's stock of Heretical Gods in one go?
This guy… he really was something else.
Black Seele sighed, looking at the obsidian medal that corresponded to her target.
It was the divine artifact linked to the goddess Athena. As long as this artifact, also known as the Gorgoneion, released its aura, the underworld goddess Athena would sooner or later appear before her.
How should she even describe this guy?
If you called him sincere, he was the type to flirt with any girl who caught his eye, and even try to pick her up. Without a doubt, he was an Ultimate Sea King, a scumbag so profound he was practically dregs.
But if you called him irresponsible, he was the type to wholeheartedly care for every single girl around him. If he thought something would be useful to them, he would find a way to get it and give it away like it was a small snack.
He was a walking contradiction.
Black Seele found herself staring at the young man's handsome face, a little lost in thought.
Still, he's not so bad.
That little fool's taste is passable.
Just like her other self, the girl who had been forced to endure loneliness until a hand reached out to her let her gaze drift. Her core self, the second personality of that little fool, was just as much of a pushover.
It must be contagious from that simpleton.
The girl, who would never admit she was a pushover, forcefully abandoned the line of thought analyzing why she was always the one taking the lead for that little fool.
As if deliberately changing the subject, Black Seele, clutching the Gorgoneion, suddenly asked a question.
"But, speaking of which, Pervert Big Brother, how can you be so sure these divine artifacts will actually attract Heretical Gods?"
"Future sight, I guess," the young man, who was in fact just relying on his knowledge of the plot, said with a shrug. "It's not absolute. It's a relative future sight that can change due to the butterfly effect."
"For example, I saw that Athena was supposed to descend in six months. But, by using a spell to amplify this thing's aura, I can make her awaken early."
"That sounds completely unreliable," Black Seele retorted, listening to his description of his future sight. "So you're saying you have no idea when Athena will actually wake up?"
"Don't worry. If she doesn't wake up in time, I'll just take you to hunt another Heretical God," the young man said with a shrug. He still had the Heretical Leviathan on hand, and he was certain the Hera Stone Pillar could summon at least one other god besides Perseus.
"If you don't want to wait, I can take you and Mei to break the Hera Stone Pillar tomorrow."
"Why tomorrow?" the girl asked casually.
"Because today, I have to undo the seal on the Sage Ape King," the young man replied, having promised Fu Hua he would find her a Heretical God.
========Split Line========
Meanwhile, on the edge of a certain harbor.
A silver-haired girl stood on the beach, gazing into the distance.
She was an exceptionally beautiful girl, appearing to be around thirteen or fourteen years old.
Her hair, neither long nor short, fell to her shoulders, a beautiful silver as if infused with moonlight.
Her eyes were as deep as the night sky.
Like a certain mother of a God-Slayer hiding in the Astral Plane, this young-looking girl possessed a kind of beautiful temperament that ordinary people could not comprehend.
Like a newborn infant, her eyes were filled with confusion.
But this state did not last long.
The light of wisdom bloomed in her eyes.
She remembered.
Then, as if encountering something deeply unpleasant, the girl on the beach frowned.
The sea god Poseidon was her sworn enemy. At least, that's what the Greek legends said. But she did not hate the sea for it, because both the sea and the earth were deeply connected to her stolen essence—the source of life itself.
What she truly hated was the sun.
The brilliant light, the dazzling throne of the sky king—those were the things that truly displeased the Queen of the Night.
Still, it's merely displeasure, not unbearable, she thought. The sun was also a fire of life, an indispensable element connecting life and death. Willingly accepting this light was also the duty of a queen.
However, this sentiment was not quite appropriate, nor was it correct.
Because she was not yet "the Heretical Goddess Athena." She had not yet reclaimed her status as the Trinity Queen.
Lingering in her hazy memory were the sighs of the mother, the shame of the queen, the wisdom of the crone.
Of her fragmented glory, only the memory of rebelling against the sun, which belonged to the domain of her father—the Sky King Zeus—remained.
She had to retrieve the Gorgoneion.
The girl, who could not yet be considered the "Heretical Athena," stood in the sea breeze, searching for the aura of the serpent.
Only by reclaiming the Gorgoneion, which represented the ancient serpent, could she become the true Athena.
So, where was the "serpent" that would allow her to return to her trinity?
Needing an answer, she reached her hand into the seawater.
The water acted as a medium, amplifying her senses.
Soon, the aura of the "serpent" and the aura of her sworn enemy entered her perception together.
So, it was the sun that stole the "serpent"?
A sun, just like that man.
"Is this… destiny?" the goddess who loathed the sun murmured under her breath.
She would defeat the sun and reclaim the serpent.