Ever since Mystic Power appeared, people had thrown atheism into the dustbin of history. In its place came fear of Mystic Power, especially after Evil Gods appeared time and again, wreaking havoc wherever they emerged. Many had come to regard Mystic Power as a calamity.
That was why, when large numbers of demons from myth appeared across Greece, its residents obediently left the country to seek refuge elsewhere.
Those still inside the Shrine had either been stranded in Athens for various reasons and come seeking the Goddess's protection, or were devout Believers.
So when a priest began undergoing Petrification, the people in the Shrine reacted in two different ways.
Some screamed and ran for the doors. People shoved against one another everywhere, plunging the Shrine into chaos. They had come here for shelter. Who could have imagined that something terrifying would happen inside the Shrine before trouble even broke out outside?
"Run!"
"Demons have invaded!"
"What's happening?"
"Get out of the way!"
"..."
Screams and curses rose from all sides. Many who had no idea what had happened were swept up in the chaos and soon joined the panicked flight.
The others stood frozen, reciting a hymn to Athena that the clergy had unearthed from ancient poetry and adapted.
"I just heard her sacred horse neigh!"
"..."
"The Goddess will soon return..."
Their frantic prayers gradually joined into one voice. The hymn beseeching Athena spread through the Shrine, easing some of the panic caused by the priest's Petrification.
Meanwhile, small brown Serpents began emerging from Krov, who was nearly flattened beneath a statue by some unexplained weight.
The dense mass of slender Serpents wound nimbly around the eerie statue he carried, gathering into a green human figure.
The figure's body was dark green, and her hair was brown. Serpents writhed