Chapter 18: It Seems Athena Is Dying
The Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong, is a God.
Normally, as human civilization develops and mythology matures, the images of gods evolve to look entirely human, losing any bizarre or monstrous features. However, Sun Wukong is a special case. His final "version" comes from a fantasy novel filled with flying monsters, where most of the important characters are hardly human at all. Furthermore, the image of a macaque was also the representation of the Thunder God during China's Han and Jin dynasties.
It's unclear if it's because the special effects of this "skin" make his personality monkey-like, but the Great Sage isn't exactly serious compared to his peers. Even descending as a Heretic God, he doesn't follow the beaten path. Most Heretic Gods, upon reaching the earth, will find some excuse to trigger natural disasters just to flex their presence, but he finds that boring. Or they seek out Campiones for a fight, which he feels depends entirely on whether they "catch his eye."
Even though he has a serious job like helping to revive the King of the End, he doesn't plan to hunker down obediently—since the Holy Grail isn't "full of mana" anyway, he felt bored and slipped away. Carefree, unrestrained, true to his nature—that is his character.
Then, he bumped into Athena, who had a hole opened in her body, causing her life essence to be continuously sucked away by a Magic Holy Grail. The Great Sage has a sharp eye; he saw at a glance that while Athena looked fine, she didn't have much longer to live. But since he was free, he decided on a whim to play around by hunting a "snake spirit."
This little diversion led him and Athena halfway around the globe, from Europe to the Atlantic, then to the Pacific, until they landed in Tokyo Bay. They probably fought with so little focus that even though they passed through the lands where Campiones are most concentrated, not a single Campione noticed two gods passing by. If no one had noticed them here, their next stop would likely have been the primeval forests of Northeast Asia.
Tokyo Bay isn't the Gulf of Mexico, and Hikigaya Hachiman lives right here. Even if there were something wrong with his eyes, it would be impossible for him not to see them. So, he started the fight directly.
Accompanied by the swinging of the divine artifact, a sinister wind that cuts and crushes all things let out a thundering roar, pressing down on the sky until it was pitch black. First, it swept away the meteorites filling the firmament, then it bore down on the God atop the clouds.
Before this, the Great Sage had intended to just send the "snake spirit" home and be done with it. A Snake Goddess whose earthly body had already been heavily damaged simply couldn't be treated as a true opponent; even subduing her would bring no sense of accomplishment.
Just as that thought emerged, he saw a gust of wicked wind tear through the meteorite rain he had created. His Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils allowed him to see the culprit standing on the other side of that wind. Recognizing the newcomer, the Great Sage revealed a look of joy.
"Oh? So you were here? The kind-hearted person who helped groom my fur!"
The Great Sage swung the Ruyi Jingu Bang, dispersing the incoming wind with one strike. As he swung his weapon again, the staff was already striking toward Hikigaya Hachiman.
This long-lost, menacing, and fierce attack made Hikigaya Hachiman feel a momentary sense of nostalgia. Beating the Eight Brilliant Executing Blades was, in the end, just child's play; Hikigaya Hachiman didn't feel like he was in a real battle at all.
The Wind God sword delivered an upward parry, clashing with the Golden Staff. The resulting shockwave pushed away all the clouds above Tokyo Bay, creating a scene like the eye of a hurricane, with the dim, lightless outer space visible directly above.
This single collision nearly punched through the atmosphere.
But before Hikigaya Hachiman and the Great Sage could trade another move, a spear pinned toward them through the air.
"Hikigaya Hachiman, do not dare steal This One's enemy."
The Goddess intervened forcefully between the Great Sage and Hikigaya Hachiman, stopping their struggle. Her attire now differed from what Hikigaya Hachiman had seen before. Besides still holding a spear and wearing a helmet, she wore an ancient Spartan-style sleeveless tunic, covered by a shawl shaped like Medusa's head. She held an Argive circular shield, also emblazoned with the head of Medusa. Her long silver hair draped over her shoulders, possessing a feminine grace amidst her heroic valiance.
The spear pointed at the Great Sage, but the shield faced Hikigaya Hachiman.
Facing the Goddess's fighting intent, the Great Sage nonchalantly rested the Golden Staff on his shoulder, but Hikigaya Hachiman frowned. He hadn't noticed before, but seeing her up close now, he realized Athena's life force was draining at an alarming speed. Once that life force left Athena's body, it vanished—it seemed some kind of ritual was siphoning it away.
No wonder the Great Sage was fighting like it was a game earlier; it really was just a game to him. Athena in this state, while no different in terms of power from her usual self, could drop dead and return to myth at any moment. If she were unlucky, it was even possible for her to become a Divine Ancestor. At the very least, the Great Sage possessed that kind of ability.
"Who stabbed you?" Hikigaya Hachiman asked.
He noticed the "wound" was on Athena's left shoulder. As the Goddess of the Full Moon, Athena's life was no longer "full." This wasn't just a gap in her life; it was a black hole. Or rather, Athena herself had become a black hole devouring her own vitality; even more of her life force was disappearing directly within her body.
The situation was eerie, but there was only one answer. The only things that can harm a Heretic God are a Campione or another Heretic God.
Just as Campiones fight each other if they can't get along, when two Heretic Gods meet, they will, in most cases, fight until the other is forced "offline." The difference is that a battle between Campiones is about life and death, while a battle between Gods is merely about winning and losing.
"I was merely struck by the primordial 'Steel,'" Athena said, her tone seemingly devoid of any particular anger regarding the matter. Or rather, she cared more about the fact that Hikigaya Hachiman had interfered in her battle with the Great Sage.
"Even if you are my beloved son, you may not violate the etiquette of war."
"I don't think we have that kind of relationship." Hikigaya Hachiman raised his hand and shot a bolt of lightning that tore through the dark veil of the sky. "While this body of yours hasn't collapsed yet, you can verify that."
Then, he slapped his palm against the shield Athena had swung at him.
She really is a decisive Goddess, verifying it the moment I said it...
Hikigaya Hachiman looked with some confusion at his left hand, which was beginning to petrify upon contact with the shield. He curled his lip and activated the power of the Eye of Horus. As far as his gaze reached, the power of the earth invading his arm was dispelled, turning into a gray mist that seeped out of his skin and dissipated.
"Have you struck down another of my kin?" Athena caught her shield as it flew back, her eyes burning bright. "It seems This One has indeed returned to a state where we can be enemies again. This is good; at least I shall leave no regrets before I return."
To this, Hikigaya Hachiman gave a perfunctory, dry laugh—the kind that could be summarized as "Heh."
She was dreaming. If Athena didn't "disconnect" before the sun came up, Hikigaya Hachiman would eat the new computer Hikigaya Komachi just bought.
If one had to use a metaphor, the current Athena was like a collapsing star; she wasn't even a Red Giant anymore. What on earth did she "eat"? This was the first time he had seen a Heretic God being forced out of the game in this specific way.
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