by Heretic God
Following the outer wall, Godou continued to run quickly within the park's dense woods.
He was surrounded by trees, some over a hundred years old, with the smell of earth and greenery all around him. But it was a man-made park after all, and after merely five minutes of running, he had already left the woods.
The pool was filled with seawater.
Godou had arrived at a very spacious plaza.
He quietly waited there for Athena's arrival.
He had already understood all the information about the goddess. But if he could defeat her with knowledge alone, then he wouldn't need to push himself so hard. More importantly, he needed to grasp his opponent's character and the surrounding environment.
To seize the opportunity for victory, then press forth to defeat the enemy.
When Godou still played baseball, he was hailed as a catcher with courageous leadership and daring, while at the plate he was known as a slugger who could calmly analyze the situation and correctly pick the timing to bat.
To carefully watch the enemy, adapting as opportunity calls. This was already habitual to him.
Victory or defeat all depended on one's ability to adapt and adjust.
No matter how thorough the battle plan, victory cannot be assured.
No matter how great the power, victory cannot be assured.
It wasn't the strong or righteous that would achieve victory, but the victorious that would be declared strong and righteous.
Maybe this belief was the greatest reason why Godou became MVP numerous times.
"Thy choice is this battlefield, a shabby park. Humans do love such insignificant ploys, those of this island verily so. One hath visited many nations, but rarely meet people who cover so much earth with stones, to deny the darkness to such extent."
Moving over the rocks, the snake and Athena finally caught up.
It presented itself after tearing through the walls, which fell like paper under its greater height, and crushing the trees under its body.
"Please take your critique of other civilizations somewhere else. If you like living a carefree life, hurry back to the depth of Europe's mountains. I like to read at night so I want light; to regularly supply vegetables we need pesticide. I don't have time to accompany your worshipfulness in being selfish."
"Such is the arrogance of man. To awake at dawn, to sleep at night, to be blessed by the earth for abundant harvest, to enjoy the luxury of life, at last to die by starvation and enter one's underworld gates. One does believe this to be best?"
"As expected of a goddess amongst goddesses...... worse than even Marie Antoinette."[1H 3]
Talk about preaching fallacy, Godou couldn't help but grumble.
But even that famous line 'If there's no bread, let them eat cake'[1H 4] has been adapted for creative use by descendants......
"The banter stops here. To encounter means to fight. Let us compare the martial strength of one and thee."
Athena declared with her elegant voice.
With this as a signal, the giant concrete snake charged towards the far smaller Godou.
Seemed like it was preparing to crush him under that huge body.
Even as a godslayer, if he was crushed by something that heavy, it would be impossible to revive himself.
Godou hastily ran away.
If he didn't draw it soon to fight this, then he was going to die here. The golden sword—one which only the [Warrior] incarnation holds; a weapon capable of slaying gods.
"Snake—is the symbol of your strength, or one should say your nature."
Godou began to softly chant his spell words.
This was the sword, the godslaying sword of wisdom.
"You were always a goddess related to snakes. As well as owls—with deep ties to birds."
"Oh? Kusanagi Godou, thou hast investigated one's origin?"
"Only because I have need for it. Right now, I already have around eighty, ninety percent understanding of just what kind of god you are; to explain your key aspect, that would be the [Serpent]."
Nonstop flashing.
Points of golden light bloomed and surrounded Godou, flickering continuously like the stars in the sky.
"To speak of snakes implied Medusa, as Athena and Medusa were once the same goddess. These two goddesses of a foreign land—spreading from North Africa and into Greece."
Driven by Athena, the giant snake rolled up the lush grass and dirt around the area, then hurled towards Godou altogether.
The slithering snake seemed like a river flowing across the earth.
"Tracing back to source, you are the snake monster—no, the snake goddess. Furthermore, Athena's mother from Greek Mythology, the goddess of wisdom Metis, that goddess is you."
Just as Godou was about to be crushed, the giant snake halted its advance.
It didn't stop by itself.
Instead, the golden light that surrounded Godou blocked the body of the giant snake, then forced it back.
Any snake scale that touched the light was cut apart like it had run into a razor sharp edge.
"Such is the spell word of the sword!? The weapon just now!"
"You are not a goddess of Greece. Born of North Africa, worshiped as the earth goddess by all of the Mediterranean. With numerous names and appearances. Metis, Medusa, Neite, Anata, Atana, Atona, Asherat...... they are all copies of she who calls herself Athena, your sisters in other terms."
Finally, Godou pulled out the [Sword] in full.
At the moment of unsheathing, a thread of light flashed out from the sword, severing Athena's giant concrete snake in two within a blink.
The gravel and sand that had made up half the snake all fell to the ground with a thunderous sound.
Athena's light body slowly descended.
"How distasteful, Kusanagi Godou! Thou darest threaten one with [Sword]! Dost not make one remember such forbidden pasts!"
Contrary to her perfect landing, Athena's countenance was one of great anger.
Verethragna's tenth incarnation, the [Warrior].
The fearsome might of this incarnation, the only one capable of using [Sword], was finally revealed to Athena.
"You, plus the predecessor of Isis of Egypt and Ishtar of Babylon, are all descendants of the mother goddess. You are not merely the goddess of earth, but also the dark god of the netherworld, as well as the goddess of heavenly wisdom."[1H 5]
Every sentence Godou spoke became spell-words, which soon dissolved into the golden radiance.
The light formed into a sharp blade, one capable of cutting the goddess.
Due to her intense anger, Athena's beauty no longer showed the carefree demeanor she once had.
"Ever accompanied by three personalities, so became the goddess of trinity—this is Athena's character. The war god's character is but an extension added over the changing eras, managing death of the underworld from the greatest disasters, connecting with war to become a god of conflict, all perfectly reasonable."
"Thou art too garrulous!"
Arrows and a longbow suddenly appeared within Athena's hands.
Pulling the bowstring tight, she released the arrow. As expected of a war god, the arrow shot straight for Godou's forehead.
But with a flash of the [Sword], the arrow was parried.
"Then, the key to your rebirth as trinity is the [Serpent]!"
"Speakest no more! One's past shall not be tarnished by youths as thee!"
This time, four arrows appeared in Athena's right hand.
Readying all four on the longbow, she simultaneously shot them out.
The seemingly odd but extremely powerful archery.
Yet these arrows were all deflected by the [Sword], scattering across the ground.
"Though [Cows], [Sheep], and [Pigs] have all symbolized the harvest grounds. In truth, you are also the cow incarnated earth goddess—except your character is the [Serpent]; that, is the most ancient key of Athena."
Even now, Godou continued to chant as infinite light emanated fro
m him.
Once the traits of the opposing god were fully realized by him, the [Warrior] incarnation would unravel its true strength.
Transforming spell-words into a golden radiance, the power of the [Sword] which can cut the flesh of gods and their divine powers.
This was his greatest trump card for attack and defense.
"In the end, you are not only the goddess who holds the grace of earth but also the birth of life, growth, maturity, aging, finally death, the same as the four seasons. To take birth and grow in spring, to relish in summer, to harvest in autumn, to wither in winter."
Athena grew anxious from this and initiated her stance, swinging forth her held blade.
Despite being injured by the [Sword]'s radiance, she continued to bravely close the distance.
And her strong and sharp cleave......
Was easily evaded by Godou.
Before he realized it, he had already seen through the god's movements; this was also a power of the [Warrior] form.
"Yet the people of the ancient world did not all receive the blessing of the earth. Due to natural disasters and other unusual phenomenons, more than half of the harvest would be lost—thus the mother goddess gave not only blessings, but also plundered lives during wintertime and brought disasters during ill moods as a harmful deity. Without this, it wouldn't make sense."
Godou grasped the [Sword] in hand and swung towards Athena.
The light flashed once, twice, thrice, and continued.
"O......"
To evade the cutting spell-words, Athena was forced to step back.
"Thus it was the [Serpent], through several shedding of skins, cycling nonstop between hibernation and awakening, which became the creature representing the cycle of death and rebirth, of the revolving seasons. Compared to the [Cow] of harvest and compassion, it was the snake, with both the grace of life and scourge of death, that was truly worthy of a god."
To people of ancient times, it was extremely rare to find a creature with both the eccentricity and the mysteriousness of the snake.
Casting aside its outer appearance through continued shedding of its skin, hibernating for prolonged periods during the winter, followed by awakening during spring as though reviving from death.
Easily bridging the gap between winter and spring, it was truly an immortal god.
Winter—the god that brought death, but also the god of the wilderness and the underworld.
Such was the relation between Athena and the [Serpent], as well as the reason why she was both the goddess of earth and the netherworld.
Yet the netherworld imagined by the ancients always laid underneath the dark ground.
A winter world enshrouded by darkness.
Similarly, a time dominated by darkness—nighttime, was feared to be another part of the underworld, thus Athena was also the goddess of darkness.
"Heed the power of my words, let justice reveal itself! For this incantation is powerful and eloquent. The sword of wisdom that calls victory —Athena, how do you feel now? This sword is specially made to eliminate you. Its use will guarantee my victory over you."
Godou chanted the spell-words as he circled around.
Having revealed his final trump card to her, just how will Athena counter?
The overwhelming situation has returned to a balanced state. But with just their own strengths, the goddess still held the advantage; if the fierce fighting continued, she would regain the opportunity to retaliate.
"Kusanagi Godou...... one hath underestimated thee."
Athena said calmly and seriously.
As expected of the goddess of wisdom, she recovered her composure so quickly.
That couldn't be helped. There was no easy victory when fighting against a god.
"Though thou art young, immature, but still a devil king, and one who usurped power from us gods—from spell-words just spoken, one hath understood."
Athena stared sharply at Godou.
"Verethragna! The god thee killed is Verethragna! A god of conquest, closely tied with my friend Heracles and Indra[1H 6] of the far east. In servitude to a new divine king, the [Defiant God][1H 7] that struck down the ancient gods with his spear."
Godou suddenly shivered.
If the goddess began to stop underestimating him, then she would be a truly fearsome opponent.
......But could that be true? Could she really fight seriously with a puny human? That detail would determine victory or defeat.
"That war god was the crusader of the ancient gods. If thee may kill Verethragna, then usage of the godslaying sword is expected...... yet can such be all?"
Athena smiled thinly as she gazed towards Godou with her sharp sight.
"Verethragna is not only the god of victory, but also the guardian of populace and kingship, the personal guard of the Persian God Mithra[1H 8]. Mithra is the incarnation of the sun, thus Verethragna is linked to the sun."
She saw through him.
Athena already realized the last card Godou kept.
Was this a power of the goddess of wisdom? To instantly discern even the traits of foreign gods, that had to be cheating! This was going to get problematic.
"Though one knows not of how many powers of Verethragna thee commandest, but thou should hast an Authority of the sun. To disperse one's darkness, the most capable shall be sunlight."
Both of Athena's eyes narrowed.
Both eyes were pitch black as though filled by darkness. They seemed to cover over everything within her vision, coldly seeing through all of Godou.
.......Mystic eyes?
"Such a tarnished and fearsome [Sword], but thy use is too blatant. Seekest to anger one and findest weakness during opportunity? One hath already seen through thy ploy."
Petrify.
Petrify. Petrify. Petrify. Petrify. Petrify. Petrify. Petrify.
Everything would gradually petrify, as long as it entered Athena's sight.
The ground they stood on changed into stone. The grass that swayed in the breeze and the beautiful flowers petals also changed into stone.
The lush trees also petrified to stone, the pool full of seawater became stone as well.
Athena was now using Medusa's mystic eyes, capable of petrifying all that it sees.
"Temporary deaths, stone coffin—such was also the ancient mother's power...... O, as expected of a godslayer, thee managest to actually survive. Spell-words must really be directly poured into thy body, truly troublesome."
Godou's legs, from his feet to his knees, have already been completely petrified.
But everything around him had already changed to stone, so his situation was good by comparison.
Athena probably wanted to convert everything within her sight to stone. To use such a power, even transforming all of Tokyo into a stone city was a piece of cake.
Godou felt fear.
Unless he stopped this goddess, there would definitely be a tragic catastrophe.
"The mystic eyes of the [Serpent] goddess Medusa, that is the best proof of your close relationship with [Birds]."
Godou infused the [Sword] with new spell-words, accelerating the power of the Authority to cleanse petrification.
The golden sword began to dance wildly.
Wherever the light struck, the petrified objects would throw off the curse, returning to their original appearance.
"The three Gorgon Sisters, including Medusa, had not just snake hair but also golden wings on their backs. The second sister Eurayle's name meant 'far-roaming flyer', while the youngest sister Medusa was the mother of the winged Pegasus.[1H 9]
The portrait of Medusa had dispersed throughout the Mediterranean.
In this portrait, the goddess held snakes with both hands, while a bird perched atop the head, clearly representing the link between snakes and birds.
"Linking you and birds were the earth and the underworld—you are a god who dominated over two worlds, while birds had the magical power to fly between the current world and the outer r
ealms. Our ancestors have believed in this since long ago in ancient times. The souls of the dead will become birds who fly off into the skies, or guided by the birds into the netherworld.
Godou's petrified legs changed back to their soft flesh.
The circulation of blood was also returned.
"To travel between the earth and the underworld, it was natural for Athena and the bird to become one. Your trait is [Serpent]—but also [Winged Serpent]!"
"Thou seekest to injure and disgrace one, even hoping to make one lose composure. One will not be tempted by such!"
Every time Godou used the [Sword], Athena's mystic sight would grow stronger.
The petrified ground was returned to normal by the sword's golden radiance, then turned back into stone by the pitch black mystic eyes.
As the two confronted one another, their surroundings had already repeated the cycle several times, petrifying into gray stones before returning to the green earth.
"Originally you were a winged snake; before becoming a member of the Pantheon, you were the goddess of life and death worshiped by the ancients. After the winged snake was desecrated by the ages, the changing attitude would become the Heretic God Athena."
"Shut your mouth! Such ploys are meaningless!"
Although no weapons met one another, the battle was growing fiercer and fiercer.
But Godou could only stop his words as it was very hard to discover Athena's weakness. If they kept up such a battle of attrition, the tremendous divine powers of the goddess would surely gain the advantage.
Godou had originally hoped to decide the match with a counterattack.
When confronting a stronger opponent, one should allow the enemy to attack, exhaust them, then counterattack once they reveal their weakness. He had saved a trump card for such a decisive moment.
With the spell-words of the [Sword], he could unravel an iron-wall-like defense, granting ample odds of victory.
However, Athena had realized his plan. Therefore she used her mystic eyes to pin Godou down.
—Can't be helped. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Godou took a deep breath, preparing to expend the power of the [Sword].
"Dominion of the earth and the underworld, goddess of snakes who commands the wisdom of the heavens, doubtlessly the greatest existence among gods. Second to none, a god among gods, mandate of the greatest authority, Queen of the Pantheon."
