Ch-96: Black Sword Of The Beginning And The End
Smash-! Slash-!
Athena bashed forward the shield like a hammer and slashed with the sword, destroying the huge rocks hurled on her into rubbles.
"Looks like another pitiful prey is soon going to fall to this Goddess's power," she didn't forget to mock him while doing so.
Although her hair was a bit little messy, and the Toga robe on her body was torned and streched in many places. Compared to the state he was in, she looked more prim and proper.
Roy's body was crisscrossed with many slashes and, his figure dyed in bloodstains, although there were no fatal injuries, but if he continued to bleed like this, it will exhaust all of his physical strength.
'I must do something for her to take out her trump card.'
His Eye Of The Yore couldn't find what Athena had hidden under her sleeves, which meant she had never used it in the past.
If he couldn't force Athena to proceed with her strongest move, then his <Hand of Almighty> could not be invoked.
Athena is a cheat-like existence he cannot defeat without using a cheat himself.
"Queenly arrogance is not compatible with your wisdom, Athena! How could our battle end like this? It should be said that the real show has just begun."
Honestly, Roy felt tangled in a tricky situation, whether it was boxing or swordsmanship, it's was like a clown juggling in front of Athena, while it hurt to compare himself with a clown in a serious battle, but this was the unfortunate truth.
'....not like clowns are bad, they make people happy too.'
Not easing to his problems, the divine weapon in her hand left razor-sharp injuries at light touch, it even left simple scratches on his ring-like knuckles, which were said to be given to Solomon by God himself.
If he was severely damaged by the sword in her right hand, even the Godslayer will definitely pass nearer to the death gate.
As if that much was not enough, the Aegis in her hand not only boasted an extremely high defensive power, but even the Medusa face on the shield's face shot sneaky petrified glances through her eyes.
"Ho. Now that you speak like that, human. If you are so easily defeated like this, how can you be a qualified enemy of this goddess. So, let's go with the 'real' show. Haha-!"
"My Blood To Pay Tribute To This Sacred Battle Of Warriors As The Empress Of Death! Turn My Adversery Into Despair! Thee Shall Fall Into The Arms Of Eternal Sleep, Turn Into A Cold Corpse Under Death's Breath!"
Incantations came out of Athena's mouth, the sword in her right hand once again turned into the familiar purple-black sickle of darkness.
With the power evocation, not only her sickle, even the air around her body was dyed in the breath of underworld.
Roy only felt the coldness and silence turn into black maelstroms that were eroding his body, the queen, as she said, wanted him to become a cold corpse.
"Die! Turn To Dust When The Hour Is Near Indeed!"
Thooom-!
Athena stepped on the ground as the stepped area turned into a big pit. She shot in the sky like a cannonball. The sickle in her hand was like the blade of death, vowing to take way his soul.
Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the cold death with a stronger divine energy than a Godslayer should have.
Ziiiiu-!
Roy clenched his fists, the ten rings on his fingers rebrightened with a golden flash.
'Though she is stronger than expected, I'm not out of this game.'
Upon fusing with Romani's spiritual base, his gains included a non-comment worthy increase in basic attributes, addition of the 'Intent Sublimation' and the release of the last two styles of <Jacob's Limbs>
And one such style can pull him out of this situation.
Just...
Because this style is related to overpowering the divine godhead, it consumes too much of his mana pool, so Roy generally doesn't use it very much often, even in the 'ordinary' practice sessions with Doni.
The power of the Bible Mythos flooded into his fists. Roy's right hand opened and turned into a giant unstoppable palm, as he grabbed at the incoming goddess.
"<Jacob's Limbs•Sixth Form>!"
"<Holding Unto The God>!"
It is recorded in the "Bible" that Jacob once grasped God's shoulder with his hand, so that God could not go away. So as to keep God, and with him keep God's Glory in Israel. This is the source of his sixth style.
The power that even let Jacob hold God from going away grasped at the bloodthirsty goddess.
Athena's eyes were filled with shock. Roy simply grabbed at her. The movement of that hand seemed to be extremely slow.
But no matter how she dodged, she couldn't avoid it. Her mind with her compatible skills had a hundred ways of dodging it, but regardless of how she reacted, she concluded that she would still be clasped by those hands.
Even though, the death sickle in her hand was unstoppable and continuously slinging at that hand. No matter how she wanted to injure those hands, it strangely evaded them all safely.
Her left shoulder was grasped tightly by Roy's right hand, the body felt soft and charming enough to touch it more, but it didn't made Roy produce any charm in his heart, the momentum was moving his heart.
The holy white tattoo like engravings that were stretched only on his forearms were covering his whole expanse of skin, his face, his legs, no were was left untouched. The 'Intent Sublimation' was opened to the max.
Grasping the goddess with his right hand his body lowered like a torque and the left elbow squarely hit the goddess's abdomen with the many folds increased force.
"C-Cough-!"
The tame pain in the abdomen digging into her inner organs made Athena's focus wobble, and a mouthful of blood came out of the delicate red lips and sprayed on Roy's face.
But Roy's expression remained in emptiness and calm.
'I just need to make her desperately angry.'
His both hands tightly grasped the goddess's thin charming waist from the back and before Athena could comprehend anything further.
His hips bended as he lifted her up, and falled backwards while bridging his back and legs.
Thoooom-!
Slamming the opponent down and her head into the earth.
Backward German Suplex!
Krrrrr-!
The beautiful goddess's face skidded directly across the rocky surface as she was thrown like a broken rag doll.
The power intent possessing the properties of holding down her divinity and origin rampaged inside in her body and soul almost severing her brain nerves and face muscles, making the female war goddess wail in pain.
"Aaah-!"
In anguish, Athena got up from the pit.
"C-Cough-! Cough-! Caugh-!"
"Hah-! It was our carelessness to underestimate you. We didn't expect you to have such a trick. C-Cough! This trick must have the concept of 'must hit'."
Athena's clothes were in tatters. Revealing the flashes of the graceful, slender body under the robes.
She clutched her abdomen and coughed constantly. The blood around the corners of her mouth was vivid and rusty.
"Huuu-! Huuu. "
He was gasping. This style consumes too much of his mana, plus, using the 'Intent Sublimation' at max put a heavy toll on his body. It was not so easy to reproduce the mythological miracle in the 'Bible' involving 'God'.
"Athena, don't you have any other tricks? If you stop like this just here, I can only report mine disappointment to you. The 'trick' just now, consumes a lot, but it's okay to come again a few more times~, I wonder how many times that 'godly body' of your's can endure."
Roy's right hand trembled slightly, red blood spilled from his palm. The miracle and concept contained in this 'sure hit' to compete with the gods is too esoteric. Roy couldn't use it unharmed.
"Ha! Ha-! Don't underestimate this goddess's body, if this is what you have to display, then you are now just struggling before your death!"
Athena's face was peevish, she had been holding the upper hand, but she didn't expect Roy to keep such a move hidden in his sleeve.
Taking advantage of her unpreparedness, he severely injured her, moreover, the weird laws of that special move are too mystical.
They were still destroying her body from within, so that she can only be forced to suppress and expel with her divine power.
If only she was more careful t—, no...
No, it didn't matter if she was vigilant or not. Athena carefully recalled the laws she felt in that move. If Roy uses it again, she still has no way to escape.
In that case...
"Then have this honour, human. A special secret art, for this goddess comprehended with her own wisdom while asleep for the thousand of years, prepared for the steel we hate the most. If you are afraid, just run away now, the farther you can escape, the better!"
Athena's voice was clear and high-pitched.
She didn't lie, her magical wisdom is her greatest asset, so the current her is more stronger in combat than the past her, her wisdom had always been utilizing the slumber time to increase her efficiency.
And this skill which was based on her knowledge, was way stronger than any of the Authorities she owned.
"This is my ritual of destruction and rebirth, it is a symbol of ultimate knowledge, this goddess's sword of wisdom!"
Athena released the sickle and shield as they vanished into light spots. What emerged between her hands was the weak embryo of the peak of the wisdom of the goddess!
Which was growing in power.
Like a blackhole absorbing all the matter. Light, space, time, all felt to be distorting around that spinning top!
"Black Sword of The Beginning and The End!"
___________
★IMPORTANT★
Since many guys keep posing questions, lets revise for once and all— "Heretic Gods are gods, heroes, and divine monsters who have stepped out of myths and legends to manifest in the mortal world, endangering people."
Q) How they are formed?
"From myths and legends, they were born. The essence of the world and beyond, this is what comprises the supernatural core of them, thus lending form to these existences, the gods. But for some gods, the forms and nature of their myths becomes a burden, and they rebel against them, manifesting in the world, escaping from the myths and legends, also known as the Domain of Immortality, as Heretic Gods, and bringing disaster with them."
Q) What decides how powerful they are?
"What determines the power of a Heretic God is not their fame, or how powerful they were portrayed in their myths, but rather their own will and determination."
Q) Athena in her full form seems different from her loli form?
"There are also some cases in which Heretic Gods lose part of their divinities as a result of being wounded or sealed. Sometimes, these lost pieces have been put into Grimoire. In these cases they are shown to experience change in their personalities. Regaining the lost piece will return the Heretic God to their normal selves. But that doesn't mean they are two different personalities."
Another titbit—
"If slain, a Heretic God will return to the Domain of Immortality, which lies beyond the Netherworld, with a chance of eventually returning as a Heretic God once again. However, if there have been changes to the god's legend since the time of their manifestation, the Heretic God who manifests may be completely different from the one that walked the earth before."
—Your's truly, Lore.