"You two fight all you want just don't drag me into it. I'm not getting involved."
Just as the tension reached its peak, Ritsuka suddenly spoke, her voice cutting through the heavy, divine atmosphere like a sharp blade.
"..." Kusanagi Godou didn't believe her for a second. He kept his guard up, his muscles tensed for a sudden strike. In his experience, a "Savior" was never a passive observer. Athena, however, let out a soft, melodic chuckle.
"In that case, fellow deity… will you not join me? If you were to fight alongside me, crushing my ancient enemy would be as simple as breathing."
Godou's heart sank. Don't say yes. Please don't say yes. Absolutely don't say yes! Even though a God-Slayer was born for battle, no one in their right mind wanted to face a "Savior-class" entity and the Goddess of Wisdom at the same time. That wasn't a fight; that was an execution.
He didn't know the exact limit of Ritsuka's power, but his instincts screamed that she was a walking Singularity. All he could do was pray she meant what she said.
"I refuse. I already told you I'm just a tourist," Ritsuka replied coolly, popping another piece of fruit into her mouth.
Athena didn't look offended. She simply turned her violet gaze back to Kusanagi Godou. "My long-time foe, come. Although it's a pity my fellow deity refuses to aid me, reclaiming my glory from you alone will be more than enough."
As the petite goddess spoke, a swarm of owls their eyes glowing with a ghostly light materialized from the shadows behind her. Each bird radiated a pressure equal to a high-ranking divine beast.
Godou moved instantly, his silver blade blurring as he cut down the owls before they could reach Mariya Yuri or Erica. He was being drawn away, exactly as Athena intended.
The boundless darkness around the goddess swelled, spreading like ink in water. She extended a small, porcelain-like hand. That was all it took for the black medal in Mariya Yuri's hands the Gorgoneion to slip free and fly toward Athena's palm.
"At last… the ancient past returns to its rightful owner," Athena whispered, a smile of pure, divine ecstasy spreading across her face.
She raised her face toward the heavens and began to chant, her voice echoing with the weight of lost history:
[I sing the hymn of the Trinity Goddess She who weaves the sky, the earth, and the deepest shadows, The eternal cycle of wisdom and rebirth. I sing the hymn of the Goddess cast down, Of the forbidden serpent and the dethroned Queen of the Stars. I sing the hymn of the Goddess torn asunder, Humiliated before the Highest Father of the Heavens. My name is Athena ‐ Daughter of Zeus, Guardian of Athens, the Eternal Virgin. Though once I was the Great Mother who nurtured all life, Though once I ruled the Underworld's silent shadows, Though once I was the Queen of Wisdom in the high heavens I swear, I shall no longer be the Athena of old!]
The air vibrated with raw divine power. As the chant reached its crescendo, Athena's form began to warp and grow.
Her back broadened, her limbs lengthened, and her childlike features faded into the refined, breathtaking elegance of a young maiden appearing no older than seventeen or eighteen. Her modern clothes dissolved, replaced by a flowing, ancient-style white cloak that seemed to be woven from starlight.
"Rogue… Athena…" At such close range, Mariya Yuri's Spirit Vision was screaming. She saw the truth: Here stood the final remnant of the Great Mother Earth. The sovereign of death, the queen of shadows, and the master of wisdom.
"Damn it, she's returned to her Trinity Form after all…" Godou cursed, panting as he finished off the last of the owls. He was too late. The goddess was whole again.
Off to the side, Ritsuka casually bit into a slice of chilled watermelon that Tawara Tōta had given her before the Rayshift.
Being a "Savior-class" entity had its perks. Even in this pitch-black divine darkness, her vision was as clear as a sunny day at the beach. Honestly, what's the point of this darkness except to bully regular humans? she thought, taking another blissful bite. Mm. Sweet. Chaldea-brand watermelons really are the gold standard. (Insert smug Neptune face here).
Erica was too focused on the battle to notice, but Mariya Yuri's gaze drifted toward the redhead. She's been eating that watermelon since the start… is she perhaps a Deity of Agriculture or the Harvest? Yuri tried to use her Spirit Vision on Ritsuka again, but it was like staring into a black hole. There was nothing no myth, no history, just a vast, terrifying void of "Savior-class" rank.
Meanwhile, the battle intensified. Athena summoned massive serpentine dragons that surged forward alongside her owls.
"Now I break the pact you made!" Godou roared, beginning his incantation for the Boar Authority. A colossal, shadowy boar manifested, charging straight at the serpents in a clash of titans. Each step of the boar shook the very foundations of the city.
Godou used the chaos to retreat, leading Athena toward a deserted area to avoid civilian casualties. They crossed a river and entered a dense forest [Hamarikyu Gardens].
"So this is the graveyard you've chosen? A barren little grove," Athena remarked, standing atop a stone serpent as she glided through the air. "Humans love these petty tricks paving over the earth with stone to repel the darkness. How quaint."
"Leave the lecture for someone else, Goddess," Godou retorted. "I like my civilization, my books, and my pesticides. I don't have time to indulge your 'back to nature' whims."
"The arrogance of man," Athena sighed. "The bounty of the earth is enough, yet you crave more. Accept the harvest and, when your time comes, pass into my underworld. Is that not enough?"
"Hah, what a typical goddess attitude… you're even worse than Marie Antoinette," Godou snapped.
Nearby, Ritsuka who had followed them while still munching on her melon blinked. "Oh? Did he just insult one of Chaldea's mascots? That's incredibly bold. I think I just found a reason to smack him later."
Godou felt a sudden, inexplicable chill down his spine, but he didn't stop. He began the long incantation for his Golden Sword, the weapon meant to sever a god's divinity.
"Enough! My past is not for you to touch!" Athena snapped, her eyes flashing with fury.
Originally, Ritsuka had no plans to interfere. She was perfectly happy being a spectator. But during the heat of the clash, a stray fragment of a boulder shattered by Godou's movement flew directly toward her.
Ritsuka tilted her head, dodging the rock with ease. However, the rock slammed directly into the last, perfect slice of watermelon in her hands.
Splát.
The poor fruit exploded into a mess of red pulp and seeds on the ground.
Ritsuka's expression went completely blank. A dark, suffocating aura began to leak from her body, far more terrifying than anything Godou or Athena had shown so far.
"Arrrrrrrr!!!"
A bizarre, primal roar split the air—the echo of the Mother of Life, Tiamat. The sheer pressure of the sound shattered Godou's Golden Sword before it could even fully form.
"Savior! Didn't you say you wouldn't interfere?!" Godou shouted in shock and outrage. The power in that roar was enough to make his skin crawl.
"I said I wouldn't interfere as long as you didn't provoke me," Ritsuka replied, her voice low and dangerous. She pointed a trembling finger at the red puddle on the ground. "Now look! Look at what you've done to my lunch! I am officially PISSED OFF!"
Godou, Athena, and Erica all stared at the smashed watermelon. A war… over a slice of fruit? Is she serious?
"Ah, my fellow warrior so you've finally decided to join forces with me?" Athena asked, delighted.
"I won't strike you personally," Ritsuka said, making Godou breathe a sigh of relief—until she continued: "I'll let my friend handle the 'discipline' part."
Ritsuka clapped her hands sharply. The space beside her twisted into a violent, swirling vortex of crimson and gold.
BOOM!
A colossal red beam burst forth, carrying a heatwave so intense that the nearby trees turned to ash instantly. The ground began to melt into glass.
Godou's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. With his Devil King instincts, he felt a presence that defied all logic—a heat that felt like a miniature sun brought down to earth.
"That heat… that crushing presence… could it be"
"Nuclear radiation?!"