Right now, I’m inside [The Void].

  Normally, I’d do my training here, but tonight is a bit…special: In just a few minutes, I’ll have a fight with Athena, the goddess of war.

  With the cave not being the safest pce for another battle, we decided that somewhere emptier is a better choice, and here we are.

  “I must say boy, this pce…it could do a little bit more decorating, but it’s not as bad as I thought at all.”

  “Haha, I’m gd that you like it, Athena…”

  Ever since we met, Tiamat and I have made some changes to [The Void] beside its name. With a few adjustments, we now have that blue sky, not the crystal meth one of course, with clouds floating, a fully-equipped training ground and an exact replica of my house right next to it.

  Of course, that’s just the basic. With how limitless the potential is, we managed to come up with a lot of crazy methods, including fighting in various terrains and weathers, mainly for my adaptability. Not only that, the training ground can sometimes turn into an endless dungeon, and I have to survive through everything it throws at me.

  Honestly, we could turn this pce into a whole flourishing country if wanted, but since that’s not our primary target, we decided to take our time and not rushing it too much.

  “Woah, this is amazing…How far can it stretch out…is there even a limit to it?”

  Behind me, Kariuda-san excimed in surprise and impression. If we’re not counting [Fire Fist], this is the first time I’ve ever brought someone here, so that reaction is to be expected.

  With how things py out, I might consider introducing this pce to more people as long as they don’t have any bad intentions. For now, let’s just focus on the upcoming fight, and then I’ll have a talk with Tiamat.

  “Eh, so all this time, you’ve been training in a pce like this? That is so cool!” Takenada-san asked.

  “Haha well…I have to find a way to close the gap between you and me, and using [The Void] just hits all the right spots. You could join me with the training after we deal with this matter. How’s that sound?”

  “Really, I can? That’s awesome!”

  As Takenada-san is overwhelming with joy, I step aside to stretch my body one more time. After that, I test my grip and strength, making sure I’m ready physically and mentally.

  “Feeling good boy?” Athena asked.

  “Can’t say I’m too confident, but since I won’t die…I guess I can at least give you everything I have, see how far it’ll get me.”

  This isn’t a do or die situation, but consider the difference between our strength…it’s best to keep my head high and my feet on the ground.

  “Oh you’ll go pretty far boy, I can feel that. As long as your heart is in the right pce, your mind and body will know exactly what to do. You’re going on a right path, don’t ever lose yourself to the lust of sins, or turn left.”

  “Yeah, thanks for your kind words Athena...”

  Despite being my opponent, she still shows her concern for me, which is a nice thing to have in times like this. I guess gods can just read us a like a book and see things us human can’t.

  “Alright everyone, the stage is set. Let the show go on.”

  Upon arriving, Tiamat had quickly got to work on preparing for everything, including a pn for the unwanted guest she’s carrying. After finishing the job, she shouts at us to draw our attention.

  We turn to the training ground, which has now turned into an arena simir to the one used during the [Summer Tournament]. Since we don’t have too many guests, there’s only a few chairs to the left side of the arena and a cooler full of drinks for some reason.

  “Well, I guess I’d better go. This sword isn’t going to fight itself, I hope so.”

  “Wai...wait a minute Yasutaira-kun!”

  “Hmm?”

  I turn back and all of sudden, Takenada-san gives me another hug. This time, since there’s no element of surprise, I’m quickly to do the same to her.

  “Good luck Yasutaira-kun, I know you can do this. Get up there and show her what you’re capable of.” she said with a soothing voice.

  “That is the pn Takenada-san. I might not win, but I can assure you that I won’t lose. After all, I’m quite stubborn you know?”

  “Haha, yeah…and that’s what I like most about you.”

  We then lean our heads against each other. It’s been a long day, so to have a calm moment like this before another bigger storm is just precious and heart-warming.

  “Now, go get her tiger. Let’s give our guest here a fight she’ll never forget.”

  “You know you can’t exactly say that right?” I asked.

  “Of course, but who’s going to stop me, especially when I’m doing it for my best friend?”

  Hearing her reply, I can only smile in happiness. I then say goodbye to her and head to the arena, where Athena is already standing alongside Tiamat. Both of them seem pretty chill and as I’m arriving, they’re in the middle of some sort of conversation.

  “Sorry for keeping you two wait for me. I have a best friend to take care of first.”

  “Ah it’s alright Master, we just finished our little talk. Besides, time works different here in [The Void] remember?”

  “Oh yeah I forgot about that…”

  “I must say boy, doing all of this just for such a simple promise…it’s quite impressive you know.” Athena said.

  “Haha well…a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but if I don’t try, how else can I get this far?”

  “Well said boy! I expected much from my opponent, and you didn’t disappoint!”

  Patting my shoulder, Athena praised me. She then reveals to me what her conversation with Tiamat was, which is just a brief recap of the st few months. I’m pretty sure Athena already knew most of them, but I guess she just wanted to see things from a different perspective.

  “Huh, now that I see it…where’s [Apocalypse Warlord]?”

  “Oh right, that woman…she’s right over there Master.”

  Tiamat then points to the chairs where she’s currently lying down right next to them unconsciously. As expected, Kariuda-san is quite panic when she finally noticed it, followed by a shocking reaction from Takenada-san.

  “Woah hang on a minute…why did you let her stay there? Are you sure it’s safe?” I asked.

  “No need to worry Master. I patched her up just fine, not to mention I still got my eyes on her so even if she wakes up from that short sleep, she won’t harm anyone.”

  “Well if you said so, then I guess I’ll just focus on the fight…but you definitely have to tell them about it. They aren’t that familiar with your shenanigans as I am, so take it easy will you?” I said, followed by a sign.

  “Haha yeah…I’ll work on it right away Master. Now, let’s flesh out some rules shall we?”

  The three of us then start discussing about how the fight should go on. With how far away I am from Athena, just one successful hit at her is the best option for me to procim victory. I’ll be allowed to go all out while she on the other hand can only use however much strength she deems fit, as long as I don’t die.

  Time or unwanted issues won’t be a problem too since everything is under Tiamat’s control. We can have our fun for essentially forever, but I don’t think that’s a great idea at all.

  “Alright, let’s get this party started. Remember, no hurting our guests, got it?”

  Both of us nod our heads. After that, we head to both end of the arena. Meanwhile, Tiamat had already got out of the arena and joined the others at the chairs. After that, she spent some time calming down my friends, reassuring that she had it all under control.

  In addition, I also turn on [Super Strengthen Magic] right away. Immediately, I’m all covered in a raging blue aura alongside my sword. My body now feels a bit lighter than when I just woke up, and I hope it’s a sign that I’ll be able to maintain this form longer.

  “You know boy, for someone your age, mastering that is quite an impressive feat I must say, and that blue aura…you might even go further than I anticipated.” Athena praised.

  “I’m gd you have that much faith in me Athena, but I still need to prove to you that I deserve it, don’t I?”

  I took the compliment with a smile. The good news is, Athena seems to be happy to hear it, and the bad news is, the first thing she does after I said those words is to take out a white sword from a small circur portal.

  “Well, that’s no good…”

  I take a big gulp. It’s definitely different from anything I’ve seen before, and just from the first look, I can already feel an incredible power coming from that bde.

  “I know you two have already met, but since we didn’t have time to introduce properly, let’s do this one st time shall we? This is [Cosmic Sword], the crown jewel of my collection. The aura you’re seeing comes from an element known as [Cosmic]. It’s exclusive to gods only, so don’t try it at home. Your body will colpse as your soul will tremble trying to harness just a fraction of its power.” Athena said jokingly.

  “Haha, copy that...”

  There’re some serious information hidden under those not-so-serious words and that lily-white swords. I’m not quite sure what to do, so I can only hope that I’ll be able to figure out something along the way.

  “Go Yasutaira-kun! You can do this!”

  Back at the seats, Takenada-san starts cheering me. Kariuda-san is also showing her support although not to a dramatic extend like my best friend. Regardless, their enthusiasm still warms my heart a lot, and to repay that favor, I’ll just have to do my best.

  “Quite some friends you have huh boy?” Athena said.

  “Yeah, I was lucky enough to have them, have Tiamat and this whole journey, or else I might just lose myself in the circle of life…”

  I then close my eyes and take a deep breath to clear my mind. This might be the biggest and most impossible mountain I’ll ever conquer, and if I can’t do it, how else am I supposed to keep my promise with her and be the person I wanted to be?

  “Well, I guess it’s my turn to introduce myself. Unfortunately, I didn’t really prepare any speech for this, but I do have one thing you’ll find amusing.”

  “Which is?”

  “This.”

  Open my eyes, I quickly dash to Athena and deliver a horizontal ssh to the left. Unsurprisingly, she blocks my attack with just two fingers and a head tilt. I try to break through by putting more force into my ssh, but I soon realize it’s not worth it, thus I immediately retrieve back.

  "Not a bad introduction boy, but is that all you got?”

  “I don’t know, let’s find out together shall we?” I responded.

  “With pleasure.”

  After the brief conversation, I once again head back to the fight. This time, instead of just one hit, it’s a few sword combos I manage to whip out. The sudden advantage I’m having really gives me a little bit more confident, and that’s when the realization hits.

  “Hagh!”

  I ssh my sword upward to the right, followed by a horizontal cut to the left. Unfortunately, none of them nd on my opponent, as she teleported to right behind me. Luckily, I quickly respond and take a few steps back, preventing her from attacking me.

  “Man, she really fast…”

  Despite the immense speed, my st two cuts quite hit the target at all, and the same can be said about all of my previous attacks. She either dodged blocked them all, with some of my cuts being deflected as well.

  “Too slow boy! You’ll have to try harder than that!”

  Even with [Super Strengthen Magic] on and Athena holding back on purpose, like an endless game of cat and mouse, it’s just not enough to catch up to her. It’s a frustrating feeling, but nonetheless, I need to stay cool.

  “Think Yasutaira Waka think…what can you do in this situation…”

  Whispering to myself, I try my best to form another strategy. There’s a few options running through my mind, and the only way to prove their efficiency is to just try them all, see which one is better.

  I sheathe my sword. Of course, I’ll still use it, it’s just that I’m saving it for the sake of what I’m about to do. After that, I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

  “OK, here goes nothing…”

  I open my eyes and do the standing start. Instead of keeping my head down, I look straight at Athena with nothing but sheer determination. It’s not enough to scare her, but it’s all I need to send a message: be prepared.

  “Hargh!”

  I run at Athena with everything I have. It’s not as fast as what Athena or Tiamat once showcased, but for what I’m about to do, it should be just fine.

  “Whack!”

  Building enough momentum, I jump up and deliver a punch right in the face with my left hand. As expected, she easily dodges it, making me roll a few rounds to recover.

  “Whack!”

  Not letting my opponent get the upper hand, I quickly turn back and quickly dash at her once again. This time, I tornado roundhouse kick her with my right leg.

  “Whoosh!”

  Unfortunately, she ducks down just in time, dodging my attack once again. Not to mention, my back is now exposed, meaning I’m more vulnerable than ever.

  “My turn.”

  After sheathing her sword, Athena does a few backflips. After that, she elbow-strikes me in the back, making me fly towards the end of the arena. She then quickly teleports ahead and charges the [Cosmic Sword].

  “Yasutaira-kun, watch out!” Takenada-san shouted.

  “[Cosmic Burst]!”

  She swings the shining bright sword at me. I can see a lot of small explosive bursts that are about to erupt. If I don’t do something quick, I might have to take on all of those and I can assure you guys, that sounds terrible.

  “Not today!”

  Luckily, I manage to whip out [Mana Shield], so the explosion doesn’t hit me. However, the impact from it is still enough to push me back, making me roll a few rounds. In addition, there’s also smoke in front of me now.

  At least those explosions didn’t hurt me much, but what happens next definitely will.

  “Ugh…”

  The moment I get up, Athena appears from the smoke and elbow-strikes me in my face. I stagger backward, only to be punched in the guts right the next moment, followed by a strike in my back.

  “Ow, that’s hurt…”

  “Hyahhh!”

  “Woah!”

  As I’m still lying on the ground, Athena takes out her sword and swings it down. Fortunately, I manage to turn around and get myself out of there before she can hit me, but that’s not the end of everything.

  “Boom!”

  The moment the sword touches the ground, it creates a windbst that blows me away. Once again, I start rolling, but this time, I’m quickly to recover than the previous encounter.

  “Huh, what the…where did she go?”

  When I get up, I take a look at where Athena is supposed to be, but she has already disappeared. Suddenly, I start to feel a chill down my spine, as if someone is just inches behind me. I turn around and to my surprise, no one is there.

  Or should I say, “no longer there”.

  “Oh man, she’s fast, like supersonic fast...I can barely keep up to her...” I thought to myself.

  Turns out, she's been teleporting around the arena, leaving nothing but afterimages of herself. Whenever I sense something is off, I try my best to locate her, and so far, every attempts are all failures.

  “Tsk...This is bad...”

  At this point, I can only keep my guard up, hoping I’ll manage to find a slip in the crack, even if it seems impossible.

  "Sheesh Athena, cut it off already! I thought you said you were going to hold back?”

  “I am holding back. Maybe your “Master” is just not good enough, or maybe...your training is just not good enough?”

  “What. Did. You. Say?”

  As I’m still struggling, Tiamat, the only person capable of catching up to Athena, starts arguing with her. Consider just how friendly they were before, either they’re breaking characters, or there’s something I miss that they're trying to make me realize.

  “So you must have noticed it by now right Master?”

  Tiamat contacted me through [Telepathic Line] out of the blue, proving my tter point to be corrected. At first I didn’t want to take the call, but since Tiamat reassured me that Athena won’t interrupt us, I quickly picked it up with no hesitation.

  “Yeah, sort of. Although, I must say it’s quite a weird way of imforming, don’t you think?”

  "Well Master, she’s [Goddess of War] after all. To her, fighting is the best way to express one self, and trust me, we have to deal with it all the time.” Tiamat said.

  "We?”

  “Nevermind the small details Master. What I’m trying to say is...”

  “She wants me to hit her, as hard as I can. She knows I can do way better than that, so don’t I dare pull my punches. Is that correct?”

  “That’s...pretty much it Master. Good luck, you’re going to need it.”

  “Yeah, I definitely need some luck if I ever want to stand a chance agaisnt a literal goddess.”

  We then hung up. I quickly enhance my vision like I once did during the [Summer Tournament], giving this is my best shot at keeping up with Athena. In addition, my hearing is also giving a boost as well.

  “Finally, that’s more like it…”

  The effectiveness of it is proven right away, as Athena’s presence and movements are more clearly than before, and although it’s still hard to keep up with her, at least for now, I can react more quickly.

  “There!”

  “Cng!”

  The moment Athena teleports to right behind me and swings her sword, I take out mine and block her attack immediately. For a brief moment, I can see a smirk on her face, meaning my performance has somewhat up to par with her expectation.

  “Heh, now that’s what I’d like to see from you boy. Let’s see if you can keep it that way for the rest of this fight!”

  Athena creates a light armor with wings attached behind. They then start spreading out and immediately after that, she also disappears as well. This time, flying is also added to the mix, making it even harder to tell what she’ll do next.

  “Alright, where will it be now…Left? Right? Upfront? Or maybe…from behind again…”

  Once again, I keep my guard up and return to sensing her presence.

  I continuously look and turn my body around in an effort to predict her next moves. She’s faster, more mobility than me, so forestalling is my best shot, even if eventually, she’ll find a way to counter it.

  “Hargh!!!”

  From above, Athena flies down and swings her sword. I quickly get into defensive position and deliver a horizontal ssh, blocking the attack. Unfortunately, I can’t stop her from pushing herself foward and as a result, she’s also pushing me down as well.

  “Hrgh...Hold it...hold it...”

  The impact from the sword struggle is lowering my body, to the point of almost kneeling down on my knee. I also have to use both arms just to hold the sword and keep myself from being knocked out, but if things still keep this way, I might not be able to st long.

  “[Judgement Burst]!”

  Mimicking Athena’s [Cosmic Burst], I start coating my sword in a thick blue aura. Immediately, multiple small bursting blue dots start appearing; ready to explode at any time. All they need is something to trigger the whole chain reaction, and I happen to be that “something”.

  “Boom!”

  I activate the skill. Immediately, those small dots go off simultaneously, creating countless of blue beams echoing through the sky. Since I’ve never done this before, I can feel an immense pressure running through my body, leaving me no choice but to endure it as well.

  “Kurgh…Just a little more…hangs on tight Yasutaira…”

  All of those small beams, little by little, are pushing Athena away from me, and the best part? For the first time since the beginning, she’s actually struggling.

  “Heh, now that’s more like it boy! Come on; put some more power to it!”

  Despite the lights from the beams are somewhat blocking my vision, I can still see Athena’s smirk with pride and excitement. It’s like I’ve finally managed to entertain her, which although is not that good of a sign, at least gives me some more confident.

  “Whoosh!!!!”

  Eventually, all the beams have finally been fired properly, thus creating a giant blue pilr in the middle of the sky. Keeping it will drain out a lot of my mana, so after a while, I stop the attack. I then swing my sword horizontally and kneel down on my knees in tiredness and exhaustion.

  “*puff puff* man that was tough…”

  I let go of my sword while still heavily breathing. I’ve temporarily shut off [Super Strengthen Magic], but I still haven’t passed out just yet. Although, I might have to take one big nap after this fight is over. As for now…

  "Now now boy, don’t give up just yet. We’re only warming up you know.”

  The show must go on.

  “Haha, I knew it…”

  From my right, Athena shows up once again. As I expected, she’s unscathed even after I fired that rge of a beam, which means I missed the mark. Despite that, she still seems pretty satisfied with my performance, as the same smirk is still there on her face.

  “Here, let me help you.”

  “Ah thanks a lot.”

  I get up with a little help from Athena. Since I’m the one beaten up, she also shows some concern for me as well. Fortunately, I still have a lot of juice in me, meaning I can still go on.

  Or so I thought.

  “So boy, how’s the hands?”

  “Huh, what do you mean by that?”

  All of sudden, Athena starts asking about my hands. I think I have an idea as to why she did that, but to make sure it’s true, I need to let it py out.

  "Well, you just mimicked a god-like skill. Don't you feel anything?” she asked.

  "Huh, now that you mentioned it...”

  For some reasons, both my hands feel a bit numb, and they’re also shaking a little bit as well. It’s nothing much, but with the context she’s given, it’s quite the problem.

  “I know you’ve modified it, but still, it’s a bold move you know? How are you supposed to fight me with two unsuable arms?” she aksed jokingly.

  “Well, I still have my two usable legs, so that might work, although...”

  As we’re both having a small conversation, Athena also helps me shake off all the side effects from firing [Judgement Burst]. For a fearless warrior, she definitely has some swift movements, not to mention those soft hands too…

  Are all gods like this or it’s just her who possesses such traits?

  “Huh, unshaken I see...” Athena whispered.

  “Un-what now?” I asked.

  “Ah nothing boy. Feeling better?”

  I check my arms by swinging them and clenching both my fists. Athena’s massage really did its job, as all the numbing and shaking are gone. All the previous wounds are still there of course, but it’s no that much of a big deal at all.

  “Oh hey, my hands feel pretty great! How did you do that?”

  “It’s a secret technique, boy. I’ll teach you someday, but…”

  “I’ll have to defeat you first?” I asked jokingly.

  “I was going to say “you’ll have to wait for another thousand years”, but that should do it too.”

  We chuckle a little bit. After that, I pick up my sword and test out my arms one st time. They’re still functioning just as I wanted, and those side effects…they’ve all gone for real.

  “Alright, now let’s just…”

  Satisfied with the result, I activate [Super Strengthen Magic]. This is like the third of fourth time I’ve done this tonight, and honestly, it’s a good thing I manage to get the hang of it. Normally, my body should have colpsed ages ago, so to be able to still stand here and fight is not just quite an achievement, it’s a sign that I’m capable of going further.

  “Alright, let’s get back to where we left off shall we?”

  Not too far from where I’m standing, once again Athena takes the [Cosmic Sword] out from her vault. There’s also a little bit of satisfaction on her face as well, and if I do things right, it will become approval anytime soon.

  “This time, I won’t hold back boy. Can you handle the heat?”

  “The real question here is: Can you?” I said jokingly.

  “Ohoho, getting cocky now huh? Do not whine when I cut out both your arms, boy!”

  Athena points her sword at me with a warning. Of course, it’s all for the sake of the fight, but regardless, I’m the one challenging her, so there’s no one else to bme other than myself if she ever drills another hole on my body.

  “Swoosh!”

  All of sudden, she disappears into thin air. I quickly keep my guard up and look around, waiting and anticipating. This time, she’s not holding back anymore, meaning my winning chance is smaller than ever. Nonetheless, like a tired billionaire viginte once said, if we believe there's even a one percent chance, we have to take it.

  What happens in the next few moments will determine just that.

  “[Cosmic Thunderbolts]!”

  From behind me, Athena raises her sword up in the middle of the sky. Immediately, multiple lightning bolts appear in front of her, and the moment she swings it down at me, they all start flying towards me simultaneously with immense speed.

  “Boom! Boom! Boom!”

  With how fast they travel, deflecting them all might not be a great idea, thus dodging is the more viable option. Fortunately, I’m more than capable of doing it, the bad news however...

  “Woah! Whew, that was close...”

  I barely make it out alive.

  The first few bolts, I managed to dodge them, but it’s just by inches. Those bolts really gave me some electrifying sensation, but in a bad way. In addition, as they exploded, they also created smoke around me, making it an even harder job for me.

  “Boom! Boom!”

  The next few ones however were way closer to me. None of them hit me directly of course, but some have found a way to leave shallow cuts on my face and left hips. They also stunned and slowed me down a bit in the process, but luckily, I can still fight.

  “Ouch, that’s going to leave a mark...”

  It’s just minor injuries yet they sting like a bee. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to take a look at those cuts, as the lightning bolts are keep coming at me. I’ll just have to endure them all and find a way to counter back.

  “Boom!”

  Another lightning bolt flies at me. I jump off to dodge it, but in that process, the impact from the attack actually made me lose bance, thus I was also tossed to the right.

  “Now, [Meteor Burst]!”

  Turning the disadvantage into a rare opportunity, I quickly charge my sword and fire a mana ball at her. It’s not just an ordinary one of course. The moment it touches something, it’ll immediately burst out, dealing damage and creating an explosion as well.

  At least, that’s what I intended to do.

  "Boom!”

  As I nd and get up, I look to the sky and saw that my attack did in fact explode. However, when the smoke clears, Athena is no longer there, meaning I still haven’t successfully hit her just yet.

  “Huh, what the…”

  “This is payback, boy.”

  All of sudden, Athena appears in front of me and instead of [Cosmic Sword], it’s a lily-white bamboo pole. Before I can even react, she hits me right in the chest.

  “Whack!”

  “Hurgh…”

  Surprised by the speed and strength of the strike, I can only painfully take it all. Immediately, my mouth starts bleeding as I staggeringly step back from the attack.

  “Whack! Whack!”

  Not letting me having a chance to recover, Athena quickly hits my body with more thrusts, pushing me further back even more.

  “Urgh…Oh I’m not letting it happen again!”

  Needless to say, wounds start to appear more and more on my body. Fortunately, I managed to stand tall and endure them all. Not only that, I’ve also dodged a few of those, and in some instances, I even blocked her attack and countered it back.

  “Hah!”

  Athena swings her pole down aggressively, but I quickly step to the side and dodge it. I immediately follow up with multiple sword combos, including [Fallen Star] and [Lynx Strike], but with just a few simple swings, she neutralizes them all.

  “[Overpping Triple Threats]!”

  I swing my sword three times, sending three visible blue mana bdes at Athena. This is the skill I came up with during my training with Tiamat, and it had shown its usefulness.

  “Whoosh! Whoosh! Cng!”

  Unfortunately, the magic has run out this time, as she easily dodges the first two strikes and casually deflects the third one with her pole. As she’s doing it, I notice a smirk on her face, which can mean anything in this instance.

  “Cng!”

  Before I could even think any further, Athena flies straight at me. She delivers a mean horizontal swing aiming at my head, but now that I’m more prepared, I quickly duck down and follow up with a vertical ssh up to the right.

  “Whoosh!”

  Athena disappears right in front of my eyes, avoiding my strike in the process. Immediately after that, her shadow can be seen in front of me, and it’s getting bigger than ever.

  “Hiyah!”

  I turn around and look up. Emerged from the sky, Athena descends and swings her pole down. I step to the left and dodge her lethal attack. Using limited time when her pole is still down, I quickly approach her, ready to for a counterattack.

  “[Lynx Strike]!”

  Closing the gap, I quickly dash to the other side and speed up. After that, I deliver a thrust with everything I have, hoping it’ll work this time.

  “Not so fast boy!”

  Athena picks her pole up and takes out a light-gold round shield, blocking my attack. Despite that, the impact from my thrust is slowly and steadily pushing her back, and I’m trying my best to keep it that way.

  “Hehe, I must say, I’m quite impressed boy…You’re fighting against an unbeatable opponent, yet you're still keeping your cool. She must have trained you well hasn’t she?”

  As we’re still struggling, Athena starts praising me. What she said might be the reason for the smirk, and her voice sounds pretty contented, but I’m not quite sure about that. Let’s see if that’s truly the case.

  “Well Athena, that’s pretty much sum up my st few months. Training, go shopping, watching a tournament, you name it. Luckily, I have friends and allies who’re there for me when times are tough. Without them, I might have died at least a few times already.”

  “But it’s not just them that you’re able to go this far isn’t it? Your strength, your mind, your will...you should be honored about it sometimes you know?”

  “I...don’t think I’m really following you there Athena.”

  “Oh, you will, soon...”

  Once again, Athena disappears right in front of my eyes. I quickly keep my guard up and look around while continuously thinking about what she said just now.

  “Huh, maybe that’s what she meant...”

  “Then you must have realized it how, haven’t you boy?”

  Using her shield, Athena flies from the left and push me. I quickly raise my sword to block her thrust, but I’m still slowly being pushed back. Eventually, I manage to stop completely, but not for long.

  “Friends and allies might give you that little extra kick you need, but how can you possibly push your limit to even further if you yourself is still an inferior weakling, both body and mind?”

  Immediately after that, she delivers a low spinning sweep kick, making me lose my bance and fall. She then follows up with a back kicks to my stomach, and as I’m flying up, she went ahead and spun a few rounds before swinging her pole down, hitting my back.

  “Your so-called “miracle” can only work when both parties are involved! Without one of them, you’re either just a selfish prick or a total loser with no motivation whatsoever! Have my words got through that thick skull of yours?”

  As I’m falling down, Athena comes from my left and hits me with her shield. I didn’t react to it in time, so I took the entire blow and flied back, but that’s not the end of everything.

  “If that’s still not enough for you boy, then this might: Don’t you ever dare forget what makes you stands out, what gave you the strength to do the impossible, and most importantly…”

  Athena starts running side by side with me. After that, she goes ahead of me once again and back kicks my face. She then follows up with multiple pole swings on my body, basically keeping me in air for a brief moment.

  “Whack!”

  I’m getting hit in the stomach, followed by a punch in the face that sends me flying again. I roll a few rounds on the ground before finally getting back up, only to witness a shining energy ball coming from Athena’s palm.

  “Never forget who and what you’re fighting for. [Cosmic Beam]!”

  Athena fires a white bst at me. It’s a good thing that Tiamat and others aren’t behind me, but if I don’t act quickly, I’m definitely not going to get through this.

  “[Blooming Shields of Heaven]!”

  I quickly retrieve my sword. After that, I raise my hands up and start pouring my mana out. Immediately, multiple pink shields in a shape of blooming roses are formed and stacked on each other forwardly.

  “Crack! Crack!”

  As expected, the beam manages to break through the first few yers, but the speed and power…they’re all decreasing as time goes. Not only that, I’m also being pushed back a little bit, but I’m still holding up pretty well.

  Of course, they bst is still destroying my shields one by one, and half of my rose shields are gone by now. The good news however, is that I have the time to immediately create new ones to slow it down even more.

  “Crack! Crack! Crack!”

  Eventually, I’m only a few shields away from the bst. My teeth are grinding and my hands are starting to shake, but I still knock it off and pour even more mana into the shields.

  “Hghh…hang in there Yasutaira…you can do this…”

  Now, it’s my legs’ turn to shake, to the point of almost kneeling down, but once again, I recover as quickly as possible.

  The beam is definitely blocking my vision, but I have this feeling that Athena is pretty happy to see me fight this hard and not give up at all. Unfortunately, I don’t have much time to celebrate.

  “Boom!”

  My shields put on a great fight, but it still wasn’t enough, as the beam destroyed almost of them before exploding when it reaches the final one. It may not hit me directly, but I still take some damages from the explosion and its impact also pushes me back, making me fall on the ground.

  “Man that was close…”

  Lying on the ground, I can only excim in pain. The smoke hasn’t gone yet, so I can’t quite tell what’s really happening on the arena now. What I can tell however is that, I’m still alive, and [Super Strengthen Magic] hasn’t been shut off just yet, meaning I can still continue the fight.

  “And it’ll be closer if you don’t show any sign of growth in the future, boy.”

  In front of me, Athena appears from the smoke. She’s saying those words to me with a serious tone of voice, but her face is smiling in satisfaction. Combine with the way she’s standing with hands on her hips, she’s quite happy with how things are going so far.

  “Here, take my hand.”

  “Urgh…thanks a lot…”

  Athena helps me get up and I thank her for it. Of course, since I’m still recovering from a brutal beat-up, my body feels a bit heavier than usual, with injured and wounds all over it as well.

  My left sleeve is also torn apart, but at least that’s the only broken piece of clothing on me, for now. I might have to buy me some new clothes after we get back from our vacation, but that’s the story for the future.

  “About that speech though…Was that really necessary? I mean, it’s a great dissection on my ideology nonetheless but…” I asked jokingly.

  “Probably not, but hey, at least whenever you lose yourself, this memory will just pop up in your head and drag you out of the mud. Even the greatest heroes of the entire universe needs reminders, am I right?” Athena responded.

  “Yeah, can’t really argue with that logic…”

  As we’re stopping to have some quick conversations, down at the audience, another conversation is about to unfold in front of everyone; and the context…let’s just say I did not expect it at all.

  (Tiamat’s POV)

  “[Cosmic Beam]!”

  After delivered an entire speech about Master while beating him up, Athena fires a bst at him. Compare to what human is capable of, this can be considered “powerful”, but to us, it’s just decent at best.

  Its speed however, it’s not something to be taken for granted. Despite not facing towards us, Master might not be able to dodge it in time, leaving him with just one choice.

  “Yasutaira-kun!”

  As expected, Mitsuko-chan right next to me is the first to react. She’s been anxiously worried this entire time, so when a lethal beam is heading towards her best friend, she just can’t help herself.

  “Crack! Crack!”

  And it seems like her words had got to Master, as he immediately responds with [Blooming Shields of Heaven]. Of course, the beam still breaks through the first couple shields, but protecting Master isn’t their only mission.

  “Amazing, the bst…is actually slowing down…”

  On the other hand, the Kariuda girl is amazed by what she’s seen so far. There’s definitely some nervousness and helpless in her during this fight, but she manages to keep her cool up until now.

  “Yeah, and I think that beam is getting weaker too…Could it be that…you know?”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s the case, Takenada-san.”

  The two girls were quite shocked to see [Cosmic Beam] in action, but now they’re discussing and analyzing it at the moment. After all, they’re experienced fighters, even if that experience falls ft in comparison with others, and speaking of “others”…

  “Huh…where am I…what’s happening…”

  To my left, a tanned woman with purple hair just opened her eyes. She goes by the name [Apocalypse Warlord], and she’s a crucial member of [Rising Phoenix], so much so that she’s actually one of the [Chaotic Seven].

  All those names alone should give you an idea of what type of person she is: an experienced, ruthless and merciless fighter. Unfortunately, those mean nothing to me. That woman dared to summon a goddess and ruin Master’s fun; so of course, she has to pay for it.

  Tying her up is just a temporary solution. I probably could have just used some of the most horrendous torture methods or just simply ripped her heart out, but I have another idea.

  “Took you long enough woman, I was starting to think you might even die. Turns out, you were just snorting, like a lot.”

  “I was snort…wait a damn second, aren’t you…what the hell are doing here? Where am I? And what was that damn noise?”

  The woman starts asking me questions while still struggling to untie herself. As expected, her effort isn’t working at all, as I use my own mana as tying ropes, meaning only I can control them.

  “Yes, you’re inside my territory; and just take a look before you ask will you?” I responded.

  She does just that, and surprisingly, she’s not overreacting at all. There’s still some shock and disbelief on her face, but for the most part, she remains quiet. As the result, she also stops struggling altogether.

  “Boom!”

  At the same time, the bst explodes, destroying the final shield. Master is also being pushed back as the result, but luckily, he’s fine, for now.

  “Just so you know: He’s doing it for your damn sake woman, even after you drilled an entire hole on his body. You can even say that you owe him a favor, a big one to be exact.” I mocked her.

  “And you expected me to what, send him flowers with a “thank you” note? Build him a statue? Is that what the mighty [Creator Goddess] trying to imply? Did you think of me that lowly?”

  “The short answer is: Yes. Have you take a look at yourself in the mirror woman? Do you have any idea how far gone are you?”

  “Me? Far gone? That’s ridiculous! The only thing far gone here is humanity! They have dug themselves a hole so deep there’s no returning point for them! But by obeying Master, they’ll finally have a chance to be what they’re meant to be: a…”

  “Mindless sve, I believe that’s the word you’re looking for, am I right?”

  Seeing this conversation is just a repeat of the previous one she had with Master, I jump straight to the conclusion. Anyone with enough brain cells can already tell how wrong she and her beliefs are, well except her and the entire organization she’s working for.

  This type of cases requires harsh truth, and I don’t think she’s ready for that.

  “Wha…no, what the hell are you talking about? That’s not what I meant!”

  “Oh let me guess, you were trying to say “loyal servant” right? Of course you were! After all, that’s all a mindless sve can ever think of. You’re nothing but a puppet in a bad py, and you fail to even realize that, woman.” I said with a serious tone of voice.

  “You dared disrespect me and Master like that? I don’t care if you’re a goddess or what, you’re going to pay for that!”

  Shifting her attention entirely to me, the woman shouts in rage and anger. Her sudden burst even caught the attention of the two girls, who for most of the time choose to ignore our talk and focus on the fight.

  Unfortunately, now that their enemy is venting out her frustration a bit too much, they have no other choice but to jump into this conversation as well. I still have plenty things to say, so for now, they can only listen.

  “Oh dear…just…have you ever used your own brain? It’s quite useful sometimes you know? Or do I have to break it down for you woman?”

  “Break it…What are you even saying? Is this some sort of joke to you?”

  “Hah, the tter it is…”

  I stand up and drop-kick the woman in the right cheek. As the two girls are awe in surprise, I go ahead and pick the woman up. Before her face can even do anything but a shock reaction, I sp her on the other cheek then knee her in the stomach while dropping her down.

  “Ugh…”

  Since I haven’t untied her yet, she can only lie on the ground writhing. As I’m slowly approaching her, the two girls are also following me behind. They were quite surprised to see me just start beating the woman for no reason, thus curiosity is inevitable.

  “Woah Tiamat, what was that?”

  “Yeah, didn’t you heal her already? What’s the meaning of all of these?”

  I turn around and see that both girls are standing behind me. As expected, there’s confusion and a bit of worriedness on their face. Fortunately, those emotions will soon disappear.

  “No need to worry girls, I got this. Just stand back and watch.”

  “Uh uhm…Okay, if you said so…I guess we should listen to her Naomi-chan.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll go get us some sodas, you two just stay there alright?”

  “Haha, we won’t go anywhere, right Tiamat?”

  I nod to them with a smile on my face. After that, I shift my attention to the woman, who’s still coughing blood on the ground. Her eyes are all red in rage mixed with a bit of helpless, and her teeth is grinding non-stop as well.

  Fortunately for her, there’re no tears coming from her eyes, which is a sign that she’s not as weak as I thought. Regardless, her spirit is starting to crumble, and soon, it shall break into pieces.

  “Now, where was I at…Are you that dumb? You talk about freeing humanity from its mistakes, yet you’ve failed to even notice the damn strings pulling you from the shadow, the cold and corrupted mold that you’re about to put this entire pnet into.”

  I stop for a moment to have a look at the woman’s reaction. Despite her face being somewhat unchanged, I can tell that I’m pissing her off quite a lot, and that’s all according to my pn.

  “You think you’re serving for a higher purpose don’t you? That once we turn this pce into a ginormous ball of dust, humanity shall rises from the ashes and becomes the ultimate being? Is that what the stupid “Master” of yours crammed into your thick skull?”

  As I’m down on my left knee, I start spatting on the woman. At the same time, the sound of the fight is also mixing into the equation as well. Unsurprisingly, she’s even angrier than ever before, and I’ll crank it up to another level.

  “Bad news woman, that vision is about as dumb as those who believe in it, do you want to know why? If you’re still too blind to see, then let me just demonstrate real quick.”

  I grab her hair, seemingly pulling her up in the process. While the woman is still confused about my intention, I turn her to the arena, where Master is fighting for dear life against Athena.

  “If there’s one thing I learn in the st few months, is that as long as there’s someone like him out there, humanity won’t fall that easy. Sure they’ll still make mistakes along the way, but at least, they won’t self-destruct like you, woman. They are the ones rising from the ashes, not you.”

  I said those words to her while looking at Master. Despite still being a one-sided battle, he still manages to somewhat keep up with his opponent and hold up on his own. There’s no desperation or panic, only determination and focus.

  “Him? HIM? That pathetic boy? He didn’t even stand a damn chance against me! How could he possibly even lead humanity into a new path like Master?”

  The moment she utters those words, I grab her hair even tighter. I’d love to just throw her one more time, but for Master’s sake, I swallow my anger and continue.

  “And I thought [Apocalypse Warlord] would know better. Do you want me to perform miracle on your eyes, or will you finally put aside your damn pride and ego to use your brain for once?”

  Once again, seeing how the woman’s face is somewhat fluctuating, I stop for another short moment. I don’t expect my words and Master’s effort to get through to her just yet, but small rain ys great dust they said.

  It’s a long process, and I simply trust it.

  As the fight in front of our eyes continues, I let go of the woman’s hair, making her lying on the ground. On the other hand, the two girls are standing behind me, drinking and analyzing the match as well.

  It seems like their interests regarding my matter had died down quickly, so they switched to something more…intriguing. I don’t bme them, not that I really care that much.

  “Tsk, even if you said so…it’s already too te, he can’t undo what’s about to happen. We’ll crush him like a useless bug he is. We shall cim our victory and the destiny we’re meant to be.”

  “We? Are you sure there’s going to be a “we” here woman?”

  As expected, she starts giving me a surprise look as I said those words. The sudden topic change just throws off all the intensity from our previous conversation, which is again all according to my pn.

  “Do I have to spill all the beans for you again? After everything that has happened today, do you really still consider it a success? If I was your boss, I don’t think so, woman.”

  Quickly enough, the realization hits her, and it hits home hard. Her face starts sweating in panic, and her entire body is shaking lightly too. Despite that, she’s still trying to pull herself together and remain as calm as possible.

  However, that’s just a temporary fa?ade to hide her true fear: being casted away. That’s my verdict on her past and the path she’s taking, at least from what I’ve read in her memories.

  “Even if you’re dragging that [Fire Fist] girl into this conversation, at least she succeeded in extracting the information needed. As for you woman, the only thing they’ll get from you is that you’ve failed your mission and in that process, strengthening your own enemies. I think you can already imagine what’ll happen afterwards.”

  What I said is the final straw. Her face turning a bit pale mixed with some worriedness, her entire body is also a bit shakier than before and her eyes, they’re panicking as well.

  At the same time, between the mist of a brutal csh of David and Goliath, the woman starts gulping as a way to cope with the situation. I don’t even need to read her mind to know there’s another battle going on inside. Unlike the one we’re watching, I’ll end it soon, and when I say “soon”, I mean “right now”.

  “Unless…there’s a way to twist the truth…”

  “Huh?”

  Out of nowhere, her enemy just straight up gives her a way out of this impossible situation; so once again, the woman is surprised to hear what I said. People might say I would reacted the same, but if a goddess was ever put into that kind of scenarios, they might as well just retire and have their title being stripped away.

  “No matter the outcome, Master will still let go of you now that you’ve failed, and you’ll have no choice but to report your failure, am I right? What if you don’t have to? What if you can just…change it?”

  “Don’t have to? Change? What are you talking about?” the woman asked in confusion.

  “What I’m saying woman, is that we have a deal for you: We will let you and your soldiers go unharmed in exchange of you keeping this a secret or rather, altering the story. Of course, the details can be discussed ter, but if you want to speed things up, I’ll y down what you should and shouldn’t say right away. Your choice woman.”

  Unsurprisingly, uncertainty and hesitation are surrounding her thoughts like dark clouds before the storm, temporarily isoting her from the battle unfolding in front of us. Right now, she’s at the folk of the road, and if she knows how to use her brain, I’m sure she won’t disappoint me.

  I look at the two girls in the meantime, and despite Master still not being able to hit Athena just yet, their faces remain unshaken, and their eyes…I can still see some faith in them.

  “Hey Naomi-chan, you still believe in him right?”

  “Yeah, one hundred percent. Sure, maybe it’s still a bit one-sided, but this isn’t the first time he pulls out the impossible, right? I’m sure he’ll find a way to win this somehow.” she said calmly.

  “Quite bold of you to assume that Master is going to “win”, young girl.”

  “Eh?”

  Leaving the woman behind for the time being, I join the conversation with the girls. As I said those words, both of them turned around in confusion. Fortunately, it’s just a little bit of trolling coming from me.

  “Now now girls, take it easy, I was just joking. Of course Master will take home to victory, he’s, well, Master after all. I trained him all day yesterday, so I know just how capable he is.”

  “Ah I see...Whew, you almost had me for a moment there you know?”

  Immediately, the confusion on their faces disappears completely. Instead, it’s relief and reassurance, with a smile on their faces as a bonus reward. Of course, the gift is just keeping on gifting after that.

  “Wait so Tiamat…how did the whole persuasion go? You don’t seem to be, you know, too concerned about it?” the Kariuda girl asked.

  “Ah it’s all good. I gave her an offer she couldn’t refuse, so now, it’s all come down to her being smart or a straight up idiot. I’m sure she’ll make the right choice, right?”

  I turn to the woman after I said those words, dragging her into this little talk in the process. She doesn’t react to what I said, but that’s not really important, as I already knew how things will go down in the next few minutes. All I need to do is py my part, and she’ll py hers.

  "Alright girls, do you mind accompanying me? I might need some extra help along the way.”

  With that, the three of us walk towards the woman, ready to hear her respond. At the same time, the showdown we’ve left behind is also reaching its climax, which we’ll soon witness.

  (Yasutaira Waka’s POV)

  I jump up as high as I could and deliver a horizontal ssh to the left. Unfortunately, Athena was faster, as she quickly disappears in front of my own eyes and by the time I know it, she’s right next to me.

  “Argh!”

  Before I could even react, she punches my face, sending me fly backward. She then follows up with a [Cosmic Burst] thrusting down to my stomach, but I manage to block it with my [Mana Shield].

  “Whoosh!”

  As the result from the impact, I crash nd down the ring. Luckily, compare to other injuries so far, it’s rather a minor one. With [Super Strengthen Magic] still on, the damage I took has been reduced significantly.

  “*puff puff* man, I have to think of something quick…”

  The bad news is that, they still add up, and combine that with the fatigue from maintaining this form, my body has to endure immense stress and constant pressure throughout this fight.

  “Whoosh! Whoosh!”

  To make matter worse, Athena doesn’t stop at all. The moment I stand up, she appears in front of me and starts attacking. Despite not having much left in the tank, I still try my best to dodge them, and for the most part, it works.

  “Cng! Cng!”

  I also block a few ones in between as well. The longer the battle goes, the better I can read her timing and movement. Of course, her strength and speed is still way above my league, but at least I can be a little bit more confident than before.

  “Whoosh! Whoosh!”

  “Urgh…That’s hurt…

  Unfortunately, I can’t be too overconfident. She still manages to hit me a couple times, and when those attacks stick the nding, they sting more than ten bees combined.

  “Hagh!”

  Gaining enough space after I dodged her test strike, I come straight at her while charging my sword. I know just how crazy her reaction speed is, so all I can do is put on my top speed and use every little advantage I have, even if they’re as small as my winning chance.

  “Not so fast boy.”

  “Huh?”

  I swing my sword, but Athena easily dodges my strike by lowering her body to the left. Before I can even react, she already charged her sword and begins her counterattack.

  “[Cosmic Burst].”

  From below, Athena swings her sword with a speed my eyes can barely keep up. Fortunately, the rest of my body has come to the rescue, as it instantly turns just in time, making it easier for me to block the attack with my sword.

  “Boom!”

  As expected, her attack explodes, but with my sword getting in the way, it didn’t hurt me much, and I only get pushed back a few meters. The impact still makes me fall on the ground, but compare to what I’ve been through so far in this fight; it’s just a scratch to the surface.

  “Man that was close…”

  I quickly recover and get up. You can say it was pure luck that saved me, but frankly, that’s not really the case. Like I mentioned earlier, my body has somewhat adapted to a league beyond me, so if anything, it’s my own strength that deserves all the credit.

  “Huh, that’s strange…”

  I was going to keep my guard up and look around, but to my surprise, I don’t even need to do that, as my opponent just stops attacking and stays where she is right now. It got me worried a little bit, and it’s for a good reason.

  Beside a smirk, I can’t really read her, which is a bad thing especially when you’re in the middle of a battle for your life. Who knows what kind of tricks she has in her bag, and I haven’t even mentioned that she’d shown me plenty, and I barely survived them.

  “Jeez boy, is that how you normally look at women? You’re breaking my heart you know?”

  All of sudden, I no longer sense any fighting intent from her. She’s still holding the [Cosmic Sword], but she’s not whipping out any more surprise move. Still, I can’t be too sure, but at least for a brief moment, I can rex a little bit.

  “Well, if you said so…”

  I lower my guard and draw back my sword. Athena does the same thing, and with that, the tension is temporarily gone for a short while.

  “Ah see, now that’s way better! I may love fighting, but if it’s going nowhere, where’s the fun, am I right?”

  “Yea…Yeah, I guess so…Wait a minute, “going nowhere”? What is that supposed to mean?”

  It didn’t take me too much time to ask her the real question. Just how was my performance back there to make her say that? It was definitely getting better as time went on from my perspective, but what about hers?

  There has to be a reason behind that decision. I’ve thought of a few ideas, so now, it all comes down to which one it will nd.

  “Well, I’ll make it simple for you boy: You did better than I anticipated, not by a rge margin, but still better nevertheless. Unfortunately, you can’t keep doing it forever. I think you’re smart enough to realize that once you’re out of breath, all I get is a dissatisfied win, and that woman over there will be killed by my hands. That’s your worst scenario right?”

  Hearing that, all I can do is take a big gulp and break a sweat on my worried face.

  Despite not taking it too seriously, the aftermath is what concerns me the most, and Athena is making sure that I won’t forget it. She may want to win, but if that comes with an anti-climactic ending, there’s no victory for both parties.

  “So how about we settle this with the next attack? You’ve pyed it my way very well, so I guess it’s fair that I should at least try yours for this very st moment. How’s that sound to you?”

  Before I can even think of an answer, Athena starts powering up. As she’s in the swinging position, her sword starts shining brighter than ever before, lightening up a small area.

  Not only that, the air pressure…it almost knocks me out of the arena. I have no other choice but to cover my eyes and stay on the ground with everything I have.

  “Woah, incredible…”

  The power, the energy she’s pouring into the sword…if my sensing is right, then her next attack might kill me for real.

  “Yeah no, I’m not letting that happen, not on their watch!” I thought to myself.

  With however much left I have in my tank, I start powering up as well. [Super Strengthen Magic] also allows the user to enhance a specific aspect of their body and abilities, and I know just the group to focus on in this final moment.

  “Brace yourself boy, not every mortal has the privilege to witness this, so you’d better amaze me! Or else, all you can feel in your very st moment is endless pain and oblivion! Flip that coin and choose your destiny if you can boy!”

  Athena aggressively shouts at me as she’s gathering more mana than ever. I know she’s a goddess, but that much for a fight like this…She’s not kidding around at all.

  “Come on body, work with me, just a little more…”

  I lower my body a little bit as I’m grinding my teeth. My left eye almost half-close, but I manage to keep it open, enough to not be overwhelmed by the light in front of me.

  I have just the pn to turn this impossible table, but before that, the pain and tiredness is catching up to me. As much as I wanted to succumb to them, I can’t do it, at least not now.

  In this very moment, it’s another do-or-die matter, and I’m not ready to meet mom and dad, not today.

  “Hagh!!!”

  I let out a loud scream and run towards my opponent with my top speed. She still hasn’t finished yet, so this is my chance. Speed is the key here: I can either hit her directly or switch to pn B, and a successful strike is a must.

  It all comes down to what will happen in the next minute. I only have one shot, meaning if this failed, it’ll be the end for me, for them and for everything I’ve fought for so far.

  “[Stardust Rampage]!”

  Half way through my course, Athena swings her sword and from that, a prismatic beam flies straight at me. It’s heading towards me with the same speed, if not faster than mine, and just from the power I’m sensing…pn B is definitely the choice here.

  “[Lynx Judgement]!”

  Inches away from the beam, I quickly dash to the left and speed up even more. The moment Athena’s presence is within my reach; I quickly thrust my sword, shooting out a blue beam of my own.

  “Huh…what was that…?”

  Before my sword can even touch her, I saw a glimpse of her face. In those few seconds, a satisfied smile can be seen, and her head tilts a little to the left. I really want to process that, but unfortunately…time doesn’t allow me to.

  “Boom!”

  An explosion bursts out in front of my eyes. Luckily for me, the blue aura around me is here to protect me, so I can still hold on the ground for a bit longer. Regardless, my vision is blocked for now, so I’ll have to wait for the aftermath.

  “Come on body, just a little longer…I know you can do this…” I whispered.

  All the fatigue and injuries has finally caught up to me. As the smoke still hasn’t cleared yet, I start falling down on my left knee with my eyes gradually getting blurrier. Right now, I can only gasp for air while my muscles feel like they’ll tear apart at any given moment.

  “Huh, I thought it should be…Hghh, there it is…”

  Eventually, my body gives up. I lie down on the ground while my conscious decides to leave me, again. I then slowly close my eyes just right before the smoke is cleared, meaning I will never know the outcome until I woke up from this long nap.

  Little did I know, all my effort has actually paid off, and for the second time in my life; I’ve won a battle against a goddess.