Kusanagi Godou stared blankly at the towering pillar of light that pierced the heavens. What in the world?! Why is a Rogue Deity suddenly firing concentrated nuclear radiation?!
The blinding beam lasted for several heart-pounding seconds before finally dissipating into a shimmering haze of heat. From the heart of the fading vortex, a figure slowly emerged... a girl.
She had long, flowing black hair tied with a vibrant green ribbon. She wore a simple white blouse paired with a short green skirt, but what truly defied logic were the massive, jet-black crow wings sprouting from her back. Faintly, as if through a thin veil, Godou thought he could see an endless, shimmering starry sky on the other side of those feathers.
On her chest, a massive blood-red gem gleamed like a predatory, unblinking eye, radiating an aura that made his very cells feel heavy and ill. But none of that compared to the shock of her right arm or rather, the lack of one.
In its place was a colossal, hexagonal cannon barrel covered in glowing runes that pulsed with the rhythm of a beating heart. Godou realized with a cold shiver that the nuclear blast from moments ago had been discharged from this very weapon.
But... how? A Rogue "Savior" summoning another Rogue Deity that wields nuclear energy?! Logic had long since abandoned the battlefield. The mere existence of a divinity controlling nuclear matter was a violation of the natural order. Who does she think she was—Oppenheimer ascended to godhood?!
"Servant, [Julius Robert Oppenheimer], manifesting under the Archer Class."
The girl—Oppenheimer—let out a cheerful giggle and flew straight to Ritsuka's side. She began nuzzling her Master's arm with the affectionate intensity of a spoiled pet bird.
Godou's mind felt like it was going to short-circuit. Did I accidentally trigger some reality-warping spell?! Since when did theoretical physicists become gods?! And why... why is the 'Father of the Atomic Bomb' a beautiful anime girl?! He felt like he owed a sincere, lifelong apology to every history teacher he had ever had.
"Wait... She called herself a 'Servant'?" Godou caught the unfamiliar term. "Could she be one of those spirits from the Halls of Valhalla in Norse myth? No... Oppenheimer was a modern scientist what does he have to do with ancient Norse legends?"
He frowned, his headache intensifying. "Even if she were a Heroic Spirit of Valhalla, she's standing here as a follower of this Rogue Savior. Nothing about her screams 'Odin.' And Odin wasn't exactly known for saving the world in the old stories..."
While Godou struggled to make sense of the chaos, Athena stepped up beside Ritsuka, curiously poking Oppenheimer's soft cheek. The crow-girl brushed her away with a huff of disdain, but Athena didn't take offense. She simply turned to Ritsuka and asked:
"Fellow deity... you can summon Heroic Spirits? Are you perhaps the All-Father, Odin?"
Lady Athena didn't recognize the name Oppenheimer at all. To her, the girl was simply a powerful warrior spirit. And in the myths of this world, only the Norse All-Father possessed the authority to summon and command the spirits of heroes freely.
"No, I'm not," Ritsuka replied with a casual wave of her hand, her voice dripping with genuine distaste. "I'm nothing like that one-eyed, bearded old man. He's... a lot to deal with."
Not Odin?! The denial threw Godou off completely. If she wasn't Odin, how could she summon a legendary figure? He considered the possibility that Ritsuka was lying but gods were prideful beings. Their divine essence usually prevented them from giving a false True Name. They could hide it, yes, but never outright lie about who they were.
"Hmm... Fellow deity, can this subordinate of yours truly defeat our ancient foe?" Athena finally asked, after amusing herself by trying to touch Oppenheimer's wings.
"No problem at all. Oppen is incredibly strong," Ritsuka assured her, patting her own chest confidently. Oppenheimer followed suit, puffing out her chest with pride. Athena's eyebrow twitched at the sight while she wasn't exactly flat, the blatant display of "abundance" from the crow-girl was clearly annoying her.
"Very well, I shall trust your judgment," Athena nodded, stepping back and letting the burden of the fight fall on Ritsuka's shoulders. "In that case! Go, Oppen! I choose you!" Ritsuka shouted, striking an exaggerated, theatrical pose.
"Understood~!" With a powerful flap of her wings, Oppenheimer shot into the air, her massive cannon already locked onto Kusanagi Godou. A barrage of white-hot fireballs launched one after another, streaking through the sky like falling stars.
Godou prepared to dodge only to find that his limbs felt like they were made of lead. His movements were inexplicably sluggish. Boom! A fireball struck him dead-on before he could even raise his blade.
Ritsuka smiled, a predatory glint in her eyes. Oppenheimer's unique skill, [Nuclear Radiation: A], was working perfectly. It constantly bled the Agility and Endurance of any enemy within her range. Godou had walked straight into a radioactive death zone.
Still, Ritsuka noted with a bit of relief that Oppenheimer wasn't treating Erica or Mariya Yuri as enemies. If she had, the poor knight and the shrine maiden would have already suffered from horrific cellular corrosion or visible mutations.
"Aren't you going to help?" Ritsuka turned to Athena.
"No, I wish to observe the strength of your divine dependent," Athena replied calmly. Ritsuka glanced at the goddess's chest with a look of quiet pity-mine is definitely bigger, she thought.
Athena's brow twitched again. An inexplicable wave of melancholy washed over her. Unable to find the source of her sudden sadness, she decided to blame Godou and resolved to strike him even harder later.
Meanwhile, Godou was in hell. His reduced speed made it impossible to adapt to Oppenheimer's aerial maneuvers. By the time he could even track her position, his body was already scorched and bleeding from a dozen wounds.
"Damn it! She's too fast!" Oppenheimer's flight speed was beyond his perception. Worse, he couldn't even activate his Phoenix Authority. She was positioning herself with surgical precision, staying exactly at a range that prevented the activation requirements of his speed-based power from being met.
Ritsuka's smile turned sly. She had already analyzed Godou's powers thanks to the dossier from Kid Gil. She had specifically commanded Oppenheimer to "kite" him, keeping him locked out of his own trump cards.
A cold, soft chuckle escaped her lips, sending a shiver down Athena's spine. The goddess instinctively took several steps away from Ritsuka.
Another fireball slammed into Godou. Even with the unnatural durability of a Devil King, the continuous nuclear barrage was tearing him apart. He was at his absolute limit. His Ram Authority had already been used today he had no safety net left.
Oppenheimer suddenly soared high into the clouds, laughing with a wild, manic energy. Godou watched in horror as holographic warning sirens began to blare in the air around her. Yellow-and-black hazard rings spun into existence, encircling her cannon arm.
[That Glimmering, Highest Glory of the Sun's Core] [Warning: Imminent Nuclear Strike Detected] [Warning: Critical Radiation Levels Detected]
Two colossal, metallic warheads materialized beside her one labeled Fat Man, the other Little Boy.
Is she seriously about to nuke Japan... AGAIN?!
"Oppen, stop! That's enough!" Ritsuka shouted, her voice cutting through the sirens. They were in the heart of Tokyo, and Oppenheimer's Noble Phantasm had "special bonus effects" when used in Japan. One strike would vaporize Godou, but two would likely erase the entire Kanto region from the map.
Obediently, Oppenheimer powered down, the hazard rings vanishing as she fluttered back down to land beside her Master.
Godou exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding. He collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. So the Savior really did order her to spare me... she truly lives up to her title, he thought, completely unaware that Ritsuka just didn't want to lose her favorite crepe shop in the blast.
"Next," Ritsuka told Athena, "you've seen what Oppen can do. She's weakened the God-Slayer enough for you. It's your turn to finish the job."
Athena nodded silently. She manifested her massive black scythe and swung it with lethal grace toward the exhausted Godou.
Clang! The Golden Sword barely managed to block the strike. Godou gritted his teeth, his arms trembling as he struggled to keep the blade from splitting him in two.
"Hey... are we doing tag-team matches now? Is that really worthy of a goddess?" he taunted, trying to buy time.
"It matters not," Athena replied, her voice cold as the grave. "I am the Goddess of War and in war, one uses every advantage available."
Godou sighed and kept dodging, his movements desperate. Meanwhile, Ritsuka and Oppenheimer sat down on a nearby bench, happily sharing a fresh slice of chilled watermelon as if they were watching a theater performance.