Chapter Eighty-Three: I Need a Master! / Chapter Eighty-Four: The Seventh Form, "Wrestling with God" ...

Chapter Eighty-Three: I Need a Master!

"Your sins have reached the Lord's ears. Sulfur and heavenly fire shall burn everything to ash!"

Seeing the enormous owl descend from the sky, Roy was startled. He had no time to care about the arrow lodged in his left shoulder. He quickly raised his hand and recited a Word Spirit.

Influenced by Athena's divine power, the dark sky turned crimson. The snow-white land of the Alps became scarlet. Countless world-destroying meteors fell from the vortex, while endless hellfire carrying the stench of sulfur surged up from the earth's depths.

"Coo-coo-coo-coo——"

"Boom, boom, boom, boom——"

The enormous owl let out a shrill cry resembling both a night owl's hoot and a pigeon's call. It was struck by the heavenly fire descending from above. Countless blazing rays of light fell like a barrage of missiles, bombarding it in succession. Deafening explosions continued without end, shattering the earth, tearing apart the sky, and blasting the mountains into plains.

The hellfire surging from the depths of the earth also engulfed Gorgon's giant serpent and burned it into charcoal. Even so, the serpent, cut in half, still did not die. It had actually begun shedding its skin.

Seeing this, Roy felt horrified, as though he had stumbled into a horror film and encountered a terrifying monster. Burned by the earthfire summoned through his Sodom's Sin, Gorgon still refused to die. That immortality had already exceeded common sense.

Fortunately, the owl above had been dealt with for the moment, and Gorgon's revival had been delayed. This gave Roy enough time to catch his breath.

He was no Prometheus. He could not survive even after having his organs pecked out. If that enormous owl tore open his stomach, Roy was certain he would die.

Roy gripped the arrow in his left shoulder with his right hand and, gritting his teeth, pulled it out. Blood spurted from the wound. Before he could catch his breath, dozens more arrows shot through the steaming mist, before the heavenly fire and sulfur had even dispersed.

"Will this never end?!"

Roy growled and recited another Word Spirit.

"Holy! Holy! My glory fills heaven and earth!"

Enormous angel wings swiftly spread behind him, and an angelic halo appeared above his head. As Lord of Light activated, Roy used Divine Speed to evade the arrows. He then saw them strike the mountainside and pierce the mountain full of holes.

Afterward, upon the land already transformed into salt flats, the ancient Goddess stood proudly. Holding her bow, she stared at Roy in the sky.

"What terrifying immortality. Even when your body is cut apart, you recover. Even when you fall into the underworld, you can climb out again. Even when your soul is annihilated, you can revive so long as a fragment remains. You really are an unkillable monster!"

Floating in the air, Roy found Athena extremely troublesome. She was even more difficult to deal with than a hedgehog. No matter how he cut or killed her, he could never truly finish her. Then, once he was exhausted, she would swing the Reaper's scythe and harvest his life.

"What foolishness are you spouting, Roy? This concubine is the Goddess of Serpents. No matter how many times a serpent dies, it sheds its skin and is reborn. No matter how much blood a woman loses, she will not die. This concubine is also the Goddess of the Underworld. The underworld is this concubine's domain, so even if this concubine falls into it, it is only natural that she returns to the mortal world."

Athena's smile held both elegance and the pride of victory. Her voice when addressing Roy was gentle, but the killing intent in her serpent pupils froze even the earth.

"Your authorities were primarily usurped from Michael. Though powerful, they possess many limitations. Let this concubine see how long you can last against me. You cannot win by merely running away!"

Athena's words made Roy's expression darken. As expected of the Goddess of Wisdom—she had completely understood his authorities during their exchange, even seeing through their limitations.

Even with Clairvoyance to look back into the past, Athena was undoubtedly the highest among all the Disobedient Gods.

Campiones were peculiar existences. When someone slew a god through fortune and became a Campione, the first god they killed was the most difficult. Once that first step was completed, the Campione gained more authorities. Campiones and Disobedient Gods were not fundamentally far apart, but Campiones with more authorities could defeat gods more easily, usurp more authorities, and form a virtuous cycle.

It could be said that as long as Campiones lived long enough, they could all become like Marquis Voban and treat god-slaying as entertainment. The authorities of Campiones continued to increase, while those of Disobedient Gods never changed.

Only when the Last King descended and annihilated all Campiones with power that crossed ranks would the next cycle begin.

Among all the Disobedient Gods throughout history, apart from the Last King, Athena was the only one who had killed a Campione. Every other Disobedient God had been defeated by Campiones. This alone showed how formidable Athena was.

The valiant Goddess had completely transformed into the War Goddess. She wore a white robe resembling a priest's vestments. Her bow was gone. She held a blade in her right hand and the famed Medusa's Shield in her left. Like a Spartan, she leaped forward and engaged Roy in close combat.

Roy crossed the ruined mountains with Athena, relying on Divine Speed and his fists. Jacob's Ladder struck Medusa's Shield with nothing but metallic clangs. The long blade in Athena's right hand was no ordinary weapon; every slash aimed at Roy's neck. Without Divine Speed, he would likely have been beheaded long ago. Even so, countless wounds crisscrossed his body.

By contrast, Athena was even more at ease in close combat. In Greek Mythology, the god of war was Ares, but when it came to true martial prowess, Athena was unquestionably first. Even Zeus could not compare, because Zeus relied on thunder rather than swordsmanship.

Athena's martial arts had already reached the divine realm. Her skill had allowed her to fight Typhon, the king of monsters, without losing. It was a divine technique utterly beyond mortal imagination.

Even though Roy possessed Jacob's Ladder, which had allowed him to reach the pinnacle of martial arts in a single bound, that was still only the limit of mortals. He had yet to enter the divine realm.

Neither Metatron nor even Solomon, whom Roy had encountered in the past, possessed such exaggerated martial skill. That was why Roy had been able to engage them in close combat with ease. But now that he faced the true War Goddess of Greek Mythology, the weakness in his own martial arts was completely exposed.

I need a master!

Roy was almost entirely unable to fight back. He could only defend, relying completely on his speed. No matter how powerful his Jacob's Ladder was or how exalted the power of the Bible he possessed, the enormous gap in technique left him helpless.

As for those who could teach Roy, ordinary knights were absolutely insufficient. Even Sect Master Luo Hao could not do it. Her martial arts only touched the divine realm; when fighting gods, she still relied on authorities and martial arts enhanced by those authorities, not pure martial technique.

A true battle art that reached the divine realm was an existence capable of slaying gods through technique alone!

Chapter Eighty-Four: The Seventh Form, "Wrestling with God"

(Original Athena was incredibly powerful. In the anime, her defeat in the first volume of the novel was completely forced. Given Athena's later secret technique, there was no way Kusanagi Godou could have defeated her at that time. If Kusanagi Godou had not learned Athena's secret technique, the Last King would have killed him instantly...)

"Is this all you have, Roy Crowley? If this is where you end, then this concubine can only express her disappointment."

Athena, holding a shield in her left hand and a blade in her right, cleaved apart a massive boulder with one heavy strike. She then looked at Roy floating in the air. Her imposing figure radiated magnificent divine might. Though her aura was slightly disordered and her robe showed signs of tearing, compared to Roy, she could be described as uninjured.

Bloodstains crisscrossed Roy's body. None were fatal, but if he continued bleeding, his strength would eventually be drained.

Athena was truly the most difficult enemy for Roy to deal with. His authorities all had limits on quantity and duration. His genuine method of fighting enemies was to use Jacob's Ladder, an authority that could be activated normally, in close combat, and then search for an opportunity to kill with one decisive strike.

But all of that depended on Roy gaining the upper hand or at least fighting Athena to a draw. Yet Athena, as the Goddess of War, possessed extraordinary martial skill. Even Sect Master Luo Hao could not surpass her. She was one of the few monsters among the Disobedient Gods whose martial techniques had already reached the divine realm. Fighting such a monster in technique and close combat was no different from courting death.

Roy had no choice, however. At present, he could only fight Athena through close combat. His other authorities had already broken Athena's Gorgon Serpent Form, causing her to temporarily lose that powerful ability and forcing her to abandon her authorities in favor of melee combat. But Roy had never expected her martial arts to have reached such a level.

I have to force out her final move...

Roy had once used Clairvoyance to look into the past and personally witnessed Athena's secret technique. It was a terrifying ability capable of annihilating a Campione with a single strike, a Sword of Wisdom whose might was comparable to the heroic blow of the Last King's Savior God Sword.

Unless he forced Athena to use that move, Roy could not employ his strongest cheat, Divine Right.

It could be said that Athena was a Disobedient God who was almost impossible to defeat without using cheats.

"What are you talking about, Athena? How could our battle end here? It should only have just begun!"

Roy was in a difficult position. In front of Athena, his fists and swordsmanship were no better than juggling. The Divine Artifact in her hand was abnormally sharp. If her blade struck a vital point, even a Campione would certainly die. Her Medusa's Shield was especially dangerous. Not only did it possess astonishing defensive power, the Medusa's head upon it could also use Petrification Magic Eye as a surprise attack during battle.

"That is more like it, Roy Crowley! If you were to perish here, how could you be called this concubine's destined nemesis? Come, let us fight on this battlefield like the great heroes who once galloped across the fields of Greece. With your blood and mine, let us consecrate this battle of fate between us!"

"...This concubine summons winter and governs life and death. This concubine is the cold ruler of the underworld, the Queen who seizes whatever she desires. This concubine commands you, Roy Crowley: become a dead king and turn into an eternal corpse!"

Athena chanted her Word Spirit. The blade in her right hand once again transformed into a black scythe. As the Word Spirit was spoken, not only the scythe but even the air around her became filled with the aura of the underworld. Roy felt coldness and silence turn into black mist that eroded his body. As she had said, the Queen intended to turn him into a dead corpse.

"Ha ha ha ha! Die! You who covet the Goddess—turn to dust here!"

"Boom——"

Athena's jade foot stamped into the earth, shaking another enormous crater into the shattered mountain. She shot into the sky like a cannonball, the scythe in her hand a Reaper's blade for hooking souls, determined to drag Roy's soul out.

Taking a deep breath, Roy used Magic Power stronger than that of ordinary Campiones to suppress the cold death pressing against him. He clenched both fists. The Ring of Solomon appeared on each finger. The seventh form of Jacob's Ladder, formed by fusing Solomon's Wisdom and his Spiritual Foundation, was contained within those fists.

He skipped the sixth form and directly used the seventh because this move was specifically designed against gods. Just as Saint Martha Subdues the Dragon specialized in killing dragons, the seventh form of Jacob's Ladder specialized in killing gods!

This move consumed far too much Magic Power, so Roy rarely used it. Even during ordinary practice, he seldom employed it.

The power of the Bible filled both fists. Roy's right hand opened and transformed into a giant palm that supported the heavens, reaching toward the howling Athena—

"Wrestling with God!"

The Bible recorded that Jacob once seized God by the shoulder, preventing Him from leaving. Thus, he kept God there and left God's glory in Israel.

This was why Jacob's Ladder was called the Bible's strongest battle art. It was its true essence—a peerless secret art that even God could not evade and had to be seized by, thereby granting its user victory.

"What?!"

Athena's beautiful eyes filled with utter shock. Roy merely reached toward her. The hand moved extremely slowly, but no matter how Athena tried to evade it, she could not escape. Every muscle in her body produced one hundred and seven possible evasive movements, yet every result was the same: that hand would seize her shoulder.

Even the black scythe in her hand could not stop it. No matter how she tried to slash through Roy's right wrist, the hand strangely avoided the blade.

Roy's right hand seized Athena's smooth left shoulder. Her pale skin was as lustrous as jade, but Roy felt no improper thoughts. The instant his right hand grasped the Goddess's shoulder, his body followed the momentum of his heart and drove into Athena's embrace. His left elbow slammed viciously into her abdomen.

"Waaah——"

The intense pain in her abdomen made Athena's vision go black. Blood sprayed from her beautiful red lips, splattering Roy's face. His expression remained as empty and calm as nothingness. After the elbow strike, he used a wrestling technique. His right hand twisted, sending Athena's delicate body over his back before hurling her at the ground like a shot-put.

"Boom——"

The beautiful Goddess crashed through the ground, smashing it into an enormous crater. Magic Power with special god-slaying properties rampaged through her body, nearly severing her nerves and muscles. Even the War Goddess let out a painful cry.

"Ahhhhhhh——"

Amid her screams, Athena climbed out of the crater.

"Cough, cough... This concubine was careless. I did not expect you to possess such a secret move. That technique contains the concept of 'inevitable hit,' does it not? Even this concubine could not evade it and could only be caught by you in confusion."

Athena's clothes were in tatters, exposing the graceful body beneath her toga, white as jade.

She covered her abdomen and coughed continuously. The blood at the corner of her mouth was bright and vivid.

"Huff..."

Roy exhaled the turbid air from his chest. This move consumed far too much Magic Power. Recreating the miraculous event recorded in the Bible through Magic Power was not easy.

"Athena, do you have any other moves? If not, then I will return your own words to you. If this is where you end, I can only express my disappointment as well! That move consumed a great deal of my strength, but I can still use it several more times. I wonder how many more times your divine body can endure it!"

Roy's right hand trembled slightly, and blood even seeped from his palm. The miracle and concept contained within Wrestling with God were simply too profound. Even Roy could not use it without injury.

"Ha... ha... ha... Do not underestimate this concubine. If that is your trump card, then you are merely struggling on the verge of death!"

Athena's face was angry. She had held the upper hand throughout the battle, yet Roy had concealed such a move and wounded her while she was unprepared. The bizarre god-slaying Magic Power was even more troublesome, continuously attempting to destroy her body. She could only suppress and expel it by force with divine power.

No—it could not be said that she had been caught unprepared. Athena carefully recalled the seventh form, Wrestling with God, and finally realized with sorrow that even if Roy used it again, she still had no means of evading it.

If so—

"Then let this secret technique send you into the underworld! Your eyes should have witnessed this concubine's secret technique. A thousand years ago, this concubine severed a Campione's head. If you are afraid, flee now—run as far away as you can!"

Athena's voice was clear and lofty.

She was not lying. Roy had indeed seen it when looking back into the past. It was a secret art that perhaps only the Last King could block.

"This concubine is the Goddess of Wisdom who possesses heavenly sagacity. This is—Sword of Wisdom!"

Athena dispersed her blade and shield. Between her hands appeared the wisdom of the Goddess!

The name by which she was best known was—Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom!

Chapter Eighty-Five: Roy's Right Hand and Athena's Wisdom

"This concubine shall use this sword to bring the end and beginning of the world. This is the Goddess's wisdom!"

Divine power that could only be described as scorching roared from Athena's body. Even the aftershock of her divine power caused the surrounding space to burn and brought the movement of the wind to a halt.

Before Roy, Athena revealed her true form. She was the moon and darkness, the Earth Mother Goddess, the Queen of Night.

Roy's magic eye saw it. It saw the object in Athena's hand.

It was black steel, burning black metal. It was a sword. It attracted, absorbed, compressed, destroyed, shattered, and released.

It was the movement of the stars, drawn into a perfect arc that rotated everything into tornadoes, hurricanes, and storms.

The sword in Athena's hand gradually took shape, becoming a terrifying black weapon like a black hole that could absorb and shatter all things, annihilating everything in the world.

That was right. This was the sword that summoned storms, the dragon sword, the sword of dawn, the sword that brought destruction—the Goddess's Sword of Wisdom!

I will definitely die!

Roy's instinct as a Campione told him that, within this world, anyone caught within the sword's attack range would be instantly killed and effortlessly annihilated, whether they were Campiones, Disobedient Gods, or even the Last King.

Before this sword, aside from waiting for death, the only option was to produce power equal to or greater than its own and oppose it.

Yet from what Roy had seen when looking back into the past, only the Last King possessed a killing move comparable to this sword.

A thousand years ago, a Campione who had slain multiple gods and possessed numerous authorities opposed Athena. He was a demon king who treated god-slaying as entertainment, like Marquis Voban. Laughing wildly and carrying immense arrogance, he charged at the Goddess, only to meet his end amid despairing screams.

The most that powerful Campione could accomplish for the world was to use an authority he had usurped from a god of theft to steal Athena's Gorgon Stone, then throw away the Earth Mother Goddess's emblem before his death, causing Athena to lose most of her power and fall into slumber.

This was a Disobedient God no single Campione could defeat. Her Sword of Wisdom was enough to pierce any Campione.

"This is destruction and rebirth. This is the beginning and the end. Therefore, it can open heaven and earth—"

Athena raised both hands. Between them was a patch of darkness. Roy could not even determine whether it was truly a sword, because it absorbed all light like a black hole, rendering human vision useless within that darkness.

"Roy Crowley, you did not run? No, you know that even if you ran, you could not escape. Wisdom is the speed of thought. Wherever this concubine's thoughts point, they shall cross every distance and every span of time."

Athena grasped the "black sword" in her hands and pointed the object, like a Dark Star, at Roy.

At that moment, Roy's body trembled. His Magic Power surged madly because he sensed death approaching.

"It is over. This concubine will remember you. Even this concubine would find it difficult to forget a demon king as bold and unlike other Campiones as you. Go into the wasteland of the underworld and wander there like a lonely ghost until you completely vanish."

Blood remained at the corner of Athena's mouth. A trace of regret flashed through her amber eyes. But she was the Goddess of War and the Goddess of Wisdom. Whether it was the heart that charged across battlefields or the mind from which sparks of wisdom burst forth, neither would allow her to hesitate or show pity.

"If you will not speak, then make your exit like a hero!"

"This concubine is Athena. A thousand dragons and a thousand serpents—turn all of you into swords here!"

It was not a wind blowing outward, but wind being drawn inward. Roy saw through the true nature of the secret authority at a glance. It was wind pressure—absolute wind pressure that created a rift in space-time, crushed space, and formed something like a black hole that could grind all matter into dust: Wisdom.