Chapter 464: He, Has Arrived!
At this moment, Stella was like a cat seeing its natural predator—her fur standing on end.
Her golden twin tails defied gravity, standing straight up.
Simultaneously, her body tensed, ready to summon divine power for battle at any moment.
So, who was this silver-haired girl before her?
Her mind inexplicably produced a name—Athena!
But the Athena she knew didn't look like this, meaning this was the Athena of this world.
Speaking of which, why did this world's Athena feel even more terrifying than the Athena from her world?
Thus, the white belt around Stella's waist emitted a rose-colored glow—this was a Divine Artifact and also her Authority.
"Come, God of Far-Shooting, also the Sun God—Apollo! If you still remember your bond with the Goddess of Love, hasten to lend me your aid~!"
As her words fell, the radiance emanating from her body grew even brighter.
In the next instant, the sun emerged within the night sky, poised to banish the darkness and restore the day.
This was the power of her Authority, the Fraternity Belt—a Divine Artifact capable of freely manipulating affections of love and friendship, allowing her to summon gods who held such feelings for her to her assistance.
"O beautiful Queen of Cyprus, Princess born from sea foam, I answer your summons to come—urk—"
Whoosh—!
A pitch-black arrow shot from the bow in this Athena's hand, striking the sun in the sky and cutting off the voice mid-sentence.
The sun, which had been about to illuminate heaven and earth and drive away the darkness, flickered out like a shattered lightbulb, allowing the night to reclaim the sky.
Darkness once again engulfed the heavens.
Thus, Stella, who witnessed this scene, stiffened in disbelief.
The Far-Shooting God Apollo had been driven back by a single arrow.
"God of War Ares, also the Bronze-Armored God! If you still cherish your bond with the Goddess of Beauty, hasten to my aid!"
And so, a streak of silver light pierced the night once more, as a war chariot surged forth from the radiance.
Seated upon the chariot was a formidable man clad in bronze armor.
"I am the goddess Athena, embodiment of darkness, Queen of the Night and ruler of the underworld. Therefore, O my shadows, creep forth. Become claws that rend steel, and tear him apart!"
Something stirred within the darkness—shadows.
These shadows spilled from the night, coalescing into dark hands that lunged to shred Ares, the God of War.
Upon closer inspection, each finger of those dark hands was in fact a scythe-wielding weasel over two meters tall.
In the blink of an eye, Ares was already locked in combat with hundreds of these shadowy claws, each capable of effortlessly tearing through steel.
Within a single breath, Ares's chariot was torn to pieces, and Ares himself fought desperately, retreating to the silver-lit portal from which he had come.
Finally, as the multitude of dark hands merged into one, a massive palm swatted down as if to crush a fly against a wall.
And so, when the dark hand withdrew, the God of War Ares had vanished as well.
From summoning to disappearance, it had taken less than half a minute, causing Stella's expression to grow increasingly rigid.
What kind of Athena was this? What had she just said? That she was a goddess representing darkness?
Shouldn't Athena be the embodiment of light?
This world's Athena was not right!
"Goddess of the Moon Artemis, also the Huntress! If you still hold dear your bond with the Goddess of Beauty, come swiftly to my aid!"
A bright moon appeared in the moonless night, and the figure of a goddess emerged.
This time, the Athena across from her paused slightly, not immediately taking action.
Could it be that she had summoned the right one?
Would the Moon Goddess Artemis counter this world's Athena?
But then—
"Hmm? Not summoning your lover anymore?"
This world's Athena spoke thus, causing Stella's face to flush crimson.
The words struck her as unbearably harsh, and she could see the contempt and scorn in the other woman's eyes—scorning her as nothing but a licentious goddess who relied on selling her body for male protection.
"I-I am not a wanton goddess!"
"Hehe, I never said that, why so defensive?"
Though the words weren't spoken, Stella could read the meaning in the other's eyes: 'Tch, no different after all. Aphrodites are all licentious goddesses, worthless trash.'
"Ahhhhh, I'll tear you apart!"
Enraged, Stella charged forward, but after just a few steps, she froze in terror upon meeting the other's serpent-like gaze.
St-st-st-stone! Petrification!
The petrification spread upward from her feet, prompting her to desperately try to break free using divine power, but to no avail.
In the blink of an eye, only Stella's head remained unpetrified.
So, what was Artemis, the moon goddess, doing? Hadn't she come?
Why wasn't she—
Urgh!
She saw Artemis, the moon goddess, turn and flee into the moon without hesitation, vanishing from sight. She had run away.
"Cheating! This world's Athena is cheating! How can she be like this?"
Stella was like a sore loser in a game, throwing a tantrum and shouting.
Then, when this Athena began walking toward her, she fell silent, cold sweat pouring down her face.
"Bird girl, don't just stand there! Save me!"
The one she pleaded with, Toba Riona, hadn't been petrified, but she acted as if she hadn't heard, her eyes fixed intently on the approaching figure.
If the other party showed no intention of attacking her, she wouldn't intervene to save Stella.
It wasn't that she was abandoning her to her fate; she simply stood no chance against the opponent. Especially when even the mighty war god Ares and sun god Apollo had been driven back—what hope did she, a mere reincarnated vessel, have? It would be nothing but a futile sacrifice.
"I had hoped the Aphrodite from a parallel world would be somewhat interesting, but it seems that's not the case~"
The other's deeply disappointed tone wounded Stella once again, looking down on her.
Just as Stella was about to angrily retort, the other suddenly exhibited an abnormality—her body became enveloped in light, which then abruptly shrank.
In an instant, the goddess who appeared to be sixteen or seventeen years old transformed into a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl.
Simultaneously, Stella felt the petrification receding from her body.
Though she didn't know what had happened, it was clear the other had suddenly lost most of her power.
So, the moment the petrification vanished, Stella revealed a malicious grin.
Right now, she could definitely defeat this Athena. She didn't even need to summon anyone—she could do it herself, pummeling the other with her little fists until she cried.
Thus, she rubbed her hands together, preparing to—
Huh?
Why had it suddenly become so eerily quiet? The bird girl beside her was sweating even more profusely, and the shrine maiden of this world also wore a terrified expression.
Huh?
She heard the sound of metal scraping and looked over. About twenty meters behind this Athena, a pale knight on a white horse was approaching.