---o---
Athena had awakened far earlier than he had anticipated.
The young man, who had previously used a spell to amplify the aura of the Gorgoneion, turned to face the newcomer.
He saw a young girl.
Silver hair that seemed to have absorbed the moonlight cascaded to her shoulders, and her dark eyes held the same profundity as the night itself. Her petite frame was clad in a thin sweater and a rather mini skirt. Black over-the-knee socks encased perfectly formed, slender calves and full, rounded thighs.
This was the Queen of the Night, forced to appear in a juvenile form due to her own incompleteness.
She stared at the radiant young man, whose pupils shone with the brilliance of the sun, and her expression was one of slight displeasure. That brilliance reminded her of her nominal uncle, Helios-Hades, which in turn led her to think of the being known as Zeus.
The identity between Hades and Helios might seem surprising at first, but it was in fact a simple matter, and one that was almost universal. The Babylonian god of the underworld, Nergal, was originally the local sun god of Kutha. His name meant "Great Hero," and he later evolved into the god of the winter sun. As time passed, he seized the vast majority of the underworld queen Ereshkigal's authorities, transforming from the winter sun into the monarch of the netherworld.
Mythologies often share common threads. A similar story exists in Greek myth.
The sun rules the entire day, but at night, the moon and stars take control of the sky. So, what is the sun doing? Resting in the Tang Valley like the Golden Crow of Shenzhou mythology? Apologies, but there is no Tang Valley in Greek mythology.
The sun never stops, never rests at all, neither its steeds nor the god himself.
—Mimnermus, Nanno, fragment.
After night falls, the tireless sun god rides his chariot of light, traveling west to rule another kingdom beneath the darkness.
"He goes there in his radiance: βασιλεύω (to become king, to rule)."
So the Greeks would say at sunset.
Hades and Helios were two sides of the same god. He ran the sun during the day and managed the underworld at night—the ultimate corporate slave, working year-round with not even time to sleep.
Perhaps due to Surya's gift, the young man, who was now closer to a god than a God-Slayer, felt no homicidal impulse, no sudden urge to become violent.
Thus, he very calmly stated his thoughts to the young goddess who was, in truth, the intended sacrifice for Seele.
"The outcome of this battle is already decided."
As a Super Soldier second only to Kevin, Hua, by disregarding her own physical injuries, could unleash an attack of unimaginable terror. A single meteor strike from the High Immortal, with everything on the line, was clearly not something the maddened Sage Ape King, who hadn't even had time to absorb telluric energy to recover, could withstand.
"If the divine son who inherited the sun's brilliance believes so, then a new son of a fool shall soon appear in this world," the underworld goddess, who could perceive the highest grade of solar divinity within him, replied in a crisp, clear voice.
"However, the total number of God-Slayers will decrease," the young man, who had already seized two Authorities from his own kind, said with a faint smile.
The same power yields different results in different hands. In the hands of Prometheus, the authority to steal the power of the strong and grant wisdom to the weak had become a scythe for reaping the powers of others in the hands of a certain magus.
"The total will decrease?"
Hearing this, the wise goddess narrowed her eyes, which were strangely reminiscent of a dragon or serpent.
"To battle the Strongest Steel, the total number of God-Slayers cannot be too high, can it?" the young man, who had already obtained the means to potentially kill the Strongest Steel from Surya, who also bore the name Prometheus, said with a smile.
"I do not understand."
The goddess, who had noticed him actively helping the gray-haired woman destroy the mausoleum that suppressed the Sage Ape King, voiced her thoughts.
"Slaughtering the Rakshasa on one hand while creating new god-slaying beasts on the other. Such an act is meaningless in the face of the King of the End."
"It is indeed meaningless," replied the young man, who had decided from the very beginning to deal with Prince Rama by himself.
Then, he looked at the incomplete Heretical God and raised an eyebrow.
"Speaking of which, as a Heretical God, appearing before me, a God-Slayer, like this… aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
At these words, the young goddess laughed. The smile was cold, yet breathtakingly stunning.
"Is it not a matter of course for Heretical Gods and God-Slayers to kill one another?"
"State your name first. I am the goddess who holds the divine name of Athena. You shall remember it well from this day forth," she declared, speaking a name renowned even among all the goddesses of the world. As she did, the light in her young eyes grew colder, like moonlight refracted off the edge of a blade.
"O, god-slaying beast, state your name."
"Before our duel for the ancient
As she spoke, the girl's silver hair, soft as moonlight, moved without a wind. Her petite body began to exude wisps of darkness like mist, causing the surrounding sunlight to dim slightly.
She looks quite capable, thought the young man, who was absolutely certain of victory unless Athena reverted to her original mythological form.
However, the current Athena is incomplete. As a sacrifice to activate the God-Slaying ritual, she might not be of sufficient quality. At this thought, Li Zihan felt a pang of regret.
Athena was super cute. What a pity Seele needed her power.
"Here," he said.
Before Athena's astonished eyes, the divine artifact, brimming with divinity, was casually tossed over to her by the god-slaying beast who was infinitely close to a sun god himself.
"What is the meaning of this?" the goddess demanded, completely unable to comprehend why he would throw the "Serpent"—the very thing that could enhance her power—to her.
"An incomplete god may not be enough to activate the God-Slaying ritual," the young man, who had already promised to bring Seele a Heretical God, said with a lazy stretch.
"I see. You wish to battle my complete self?" Having caught the divine artifact that held her full power, the goddess began to absorb its essence, a frenzied smile blooming on her lips. "You disdain to fight an incomplete Heretical God? What an arrogant warrior you are."
"Very well. I shall grant your wish."
Power surged through the petite girl's body.
A sacred chant escaped her lips.
"I chant, the paean of the Trinity Goddess. Connecting sky, earth, and darkness, for the sake of reincarnation and wisdom."
"I chant, the song of the scorned goddess. A queen regarded as a forbidden serpent, for the sake of the queen's lament."
"I chant, the verse of the goddess torn in body and soul. Defiled by my noble father, for the sake of the mother's humiliation."
As the chant progressed, Athena's form began to change. Her height increased, her limbs lengthened, and she transformed from a lovely girl into a dignified and virtuous lady.
"Are you done completing yourself?" the young man asked, looking at the Heretical God who could be both adorable and commanding.
A smile filled with fighting spirit rose on the goddess's lips. She would repay this god-slaying beast, who had stolen the position of the sun's master, with her full power.
"Anytime you are—"
Like a video that had just been paused, the goddess stopped.
No, it wasn't just the goddess who stopped.
It was everything around them.
Innate Time Control: The World.
Time was frozen.
And then—
A blade of light pierced through the goddess's chest.
"This is just a hunt."