The sinking stars and the encroaching dawn cover the sky. Even the never-landing sun chariot of Phaethon could not avoid its fate of destruction. But the winged goddess who launched the attack still stood firm under the night sky, for she relied not on speed, but on interfering with fate itself, arriving at a future that was never attacked.
Blue hair descended, and iron-black sandals touched the ground. Before Seiya stood a beautiful goddess exuding a tranquil aura.
The Untouchable One, the goddess of retribution and vengeance, Nemesis.
Nemesis was described as the daughter of the river god Oceanus or Zeus, but according to the ancient Greek poet Hesiod, she was the child of Erebus and Nyx. Another account states that Nyx gave birth to Nemesis alone. The worship of Nemesis may have originated in Smyrna.
Seeing the goddess before him, most of Seiya's initial anger dissipated, replaced by the delight of a cat finding its favorite prey.
The goddess Nemesis was only average in terms of raw power, but she possessed a bug-level Authority that no informed Godslayer could possibly refuse.
If one were to rank all the Authorities held by Heretic Gods and Godslayers, the T0 tier would be the Ten Incarnations of the original protagonist, Kusanagi Godou. Though they came with strict activation conditions, their effects, in terms of both mechanics and sheer power, were in a class of their own.
Next would be the signature Authorities of the various Godslayers, like Salvatore Doni's The Rending Silver Arm, Luo Hao's Divine Skill of the Mighty Vajra, and Lady Aisha's Fairy Corridor. This tier also included Authorities that could directly summon a Heretic God as a target, as well as other powerful abilities with outstanding effects, such as the Anti-Fate Warrior and Time Reversal. Incidentally, most of the Authorities of the Prince of Divine Speed, who was defeated not long ago, belonged to this level.
Following that, the T2 tier consisted of powerful and practical Authorities, such as the Protection of Steel, the power to summon wind, clouds, thunder, and lightning, and the Great Authority of Sunlight. Authorities of this grade possessed either high power or unique mechanics, making them the workhorses among Authorities.
At the very bottom were most of the Authorities held by the Old Wolf King. This tier of Authority was typically trash, lacking both power and special mechanics. Although the development of an Authority depends on the individual, it had to be said—you, old man, your Authorities are the most useless of all!
And this Old Wolf King, who had long held the title of the oldest Demon King, only had an epiphany in the original story after being kicked to death in the Demon King Civil War and reincarnated in the God's Domain. The Authorities he obtained from slaying gods thereafter were vastly different. His Severing the Knot of Fate and The Wolf of Ragnarok could both rank in T1, or even T0.
Among his own Authorities, God of Combat and the Covenant of Decay and Revival were T0. The Incarnation of Strong Wind, the Wheel of Friendship, and the Pegasus Incarnation were T1, and the Great Authority of Sunlight was T2. As for the Victorious Fighting Buddha and Intelligent Stone Fetus, those three were not included in the ranking.
But right now, a protagonist-level Authority, on par with Verethragna's Ten Incarnations, existed within this goddess of retribution.
Its name was... Karmic Retribution. Though, in Seiya's understanding, this Authority should really be called The Power of 'I Reckon...'.
If he could master this Authority, Seiya was confident he could even comprehend Chairman Zeus's Fist That Surpassed Time from the world of Valkyries in short order.
But as for Nemesis, she felt that the gaze of the God-slaying beast before her was far too intense, making her instinctively uncomfortable.
"The hound of white-armed Hera! So you've pursued me to this world after all!"
Stella's voice, a mix between a young boy's and a girl's, sounding much like Kuroko Shirai, rang out beside him. After her initial shock and terror, her voice overflowed with joy and excitement. She used her power of love to teleport behind Seiya, grabbing his sleeve tightly and pointing at the winged goddess under the night sky, shouting, "That hound of Hera can't be allowed to live in this world anymore! Seiya, hurry up and send her to the Underworld!"
Blue hair, iron-black sandals, and a crimson skirt that bloomed like a rose in the turbulent air. The winged goddess, who carried a quiver of golden arrows familiar to Seiya on her back, simultaneously looked at Stella hiding behind him.
"Goddess of love and beauty, Lady Aphrodite. So you have indeed become the servant of the God-slaying beast, your fated enemy, and lost your glory as a principal god."
The winged goddess's casual remark made Stella's face flush crimson. It was undeniable that compared to returning to myth, being enslaved by a God-slaying beast was the greater shame.
"But you misunderstand, my lady. Did you know? Themis of Fate has already revealed your future. Your flesh and blood will be devoured by the God-slaying beast. Lady Hera only wishes to save you from your fate..."
"So I should thank her for that, is that it?" Stella's face was dripping with sarcasm.
Nemesis's expression remained unchanged. "Precisely. Please, move behind me. I will surely rescue you from the clutches of the God-slaying beast."
"Do you think I'd believe the nonsense of that old hag? Kill her, Seiya! As long as you kill her, I'll satisfy your every desire!" Stella yelled.
A flicker of regret appeared in Nemesis's eyes, but she still placed a hand on her chest and bowed to Stella. "It seems your misunderstanding of Lady Hera runs too deep. With the God-slaying beast present today, I will wait for a more suitable time to resolve your misconceptions."
The figure of the Greek goddess of retribution vanished from Stella's sight as if wiped away by an eraser. Seeing this, Stella grew even more anxious, pounding Seiya's abdomen with her fists.
"Why did you let her go? Didn't you see that she and that old hag are eyeing me like tigers? Or are you just infatuated with her beauty? Stop dreaming! She's the coldest of goddesses; she'll never submit to you!"
"You idiot, stop thinking with your lower brain all the time. That was just an afterimage of her past self," Seiya replied nonchalantly.
An afterimage? As expected of Hera's shameless lackey! Stella fumed with righteous indignation.
However, Seiya had a small question about this.
"Can a god without such madness truly be capable of hunting you down?"
"Don't confuse the gods of my God's Domain with the Heretic Gods of your world. Heretic Gods rely on madness and self-will to manifest their power, while the gods of my domain determine their strength through fame and status. Of course, there are some gods who are not particularly famous but are still very adept at wielding their Authorities, like Nemesis. And there are also principal gods with immense fame but little power, like, well... Stella. And by letting Nemesis go today, our next meeting will surely be even more difficult. Nemesis represents merciless justice, the kind of justice Zeus championed on Mount Olympus. Her titles, 'The Inescapable One' and 'The Inevitable One,' give even principal gods a headache."
But just as Stella was growing anxious, a hand gently stroked her head. "Relax. You are my subordinate. Hunting you is the same as scorning me. Her death is already sealed."
"Really? Oh, Seiya, I'm starting to fall for you!" Stella hugged Seiya's arm, her eyes sparkling.
"Don't try to sweet-talk me. You lustful goddess, you only care about yourself, don't you?" Seiya gave a half-smile.
"Pointing it out so bluntly kind of damages our friendship... but that's okay! I like a man who does what he says. As long as you can take care of Nemesis, it's all good.
"And if you could get rid of Hera while you're at it, I can even turn into Athena for you... Speaking of which, do you prefer the knit-hat loli Athena or the sun-robed goddess Athena?"
"Shut up. Why don't you turn into Sister Yu of the Northeast first?"
The sky cleared after the rain, but soon the oppressive mugginess of late summer returned.
The heavy, humid air made his underwear stick to his skin. Seiya sat on the rocking chair, watching the paranoid Stella.
"What are you laughing at? You promised to help me get rid of that annoying hound, but now you're just sitting back and doing nothing!" Stella couldn't help but complain.
"Because the more nervous you are, the more openings Nemesis will find. Don't forget what her divine name means."
It seemed that after Nemesis vanished, Stella had become even more restless. The slightest fluctuation of elements made her think it might be Nemesis. In contrast, Seiya was perfectly calm. Since he wasn't the target, he could see things more clearly than Stella.
"The Goddess of Retribution?" Stella finally grasped the key point.
In ancient Greece, Nemesis was seen as the personification of inescapable retribution. Even Zeus, who was destined to overthrow Cronus, was raised by the family of Melisseus (Nemesis's parents), making him part of the ultimate destiny.
"Nemesis will appear at the most opportune moment. That is something you cannot avoid," Seiya said calmly.
Greek mythology is heavily based on a kind of fatalism. Certain things are destined, and no matter how much you struggle, you cannot change them. From the most ordinary mortal to the God King who rules the three realms, no one is exempt.
Watching the pensive Stella, Seiya closed his eyes. At this moment, he finally received the victory feedback from his God of Combat Authority.
This was the combat technique belonging to Sagittarius, obtained after defeating Luo Hao. It was also the technique with the highest compatibility with Seiya. But compared to what came next, this was just an appetizer.
[Combat Technique Acquired — Namo, Chakra Seal, Buddha's Palm Kingdom: Five Finger Mountain.]
This was the combat technique obtained after slaying the Heretic God, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. It included the Virgo Saint's techniques for utilizing the Eighth Sense and a higher-level method for burning Cosmo.
And after slaying the Heretic King Arthur and Alexander, he had obtained only two more combat techniques—
—Virgo's Tenma Kofuku, and Capricorn Shura's Underworld Sword Technique: Divine-Buddha Confusion from 'Saint Seiya: Episode G - Assassin'.
This Capricorn combat technique... Seiya found it hard to evaluate. It was also a prerequisite for an ultimate combat technique. But compared to the latter, his gaze had been fixed on the four words 'Tenma Kofuku' from the very beginning.
"Finally, I have a definitive ultimate technique."
Virgo is a constellation that can contend with Gemini for the title of the strongest. And Virgo's Tenma Kofuku is the ultimate expression of its secret arts, a technique that can only be truly unleashed by awakening the Eighth Sense.
Seiya looked up at the crescent moon, feeling that he wouldn't be seeing Nemesis today. He turned off the lights and drifted into dreamland.
Vaguely, Seiya felt as if he had returned to the fae realm in Brittany, to those brief three years.
He once again stood on the familiar cliff, facing the dark ocean before him, practicing his punches with methodical precision.
Keeping his power at the level of a Bronze Saint, he watched as the Pegasus Meteor Fist parted the sea and scattered the clouds in the sky. The splashes of water then turned back into raindrops, returning to the ocean.
Seiya stood on the cliff's edge, then once again threw a punch filled with the brilliance of the Pegasus Comet Fist, the light erupting from his fist tearing through the heavens.
The figure of the past overlapped with the present.
Every punch he had ever thrown flowed through his heart; every combat technique he had mastered was unleashed once more through his fists, down to the smallest detail.
Until the Tablet of Prometheus in the physical world began to emit a bright fluorescent light... Arayashiki, the Eighth Sense. This enlightenment, which had been forcibly elevated by his Authority, was now gradually being mastered by Seiya in a way he could understand.
Late at night, that bone-chilling voice sounded again. This subtle fluctuation was immediately captured by Seiya.
Seiya opened his eyes and met the gaze of Guinevere, who was peeking out from under the covers.
"Have you recovered your memories?" Seiya couldn't help but ask as he looked into those bright eyes.
But soon, Seiya negated his own question.
Because Guinevere's current state was clearly not one he remembered. She was nestled against him in her primal state.
Just from the sensation of their skin touching, Seiya could tell that Guinevere was still in her newborn state before him.
Right now, she was pressed against him, her snow-white mounds, which strongly asserted their presence, peeking out from the covers. Even if he didn't want to look, he was forced to. They were the size of ripe peaches, a perfect handful, and their pronounced tips were adorned with rosy buds like pale red fruits.
In contrast to her ample bust and hips, her waist was surprisingly slender, a captivatingly small waist. Her jade-like legs were wrapped tightly around him.
Honestly, this position was not good, or rather, it was very not good... if the posture was right, it could lead to certain things happening...!
"No, I just feel truly at peace only when I'm by your side..." Guinevere moved closer to Seiya until their faces were less than three centimeters apart. Seiya could clearly see the fine hairs on her face and feel the breath from her lips.
The newly reborn Guinevere should have spent her vulnerable, early stages in a long slumber to mitigate risk. But the urging of the soon-to-awaken Last King, and the mark imprinted on her own body, made her follow her instincts and seek Seiya's embrace.
As someone who had been 'run over by a big truck' back in Sardinia, Seiya naturally understood what Guinevere wanted to do right now.
—Should he refuse? Seiya couldn't do it.
Guinevere's lips gently touched Seiya's, and her legs kept searching for the correct position to complete their connection, to establish the path of linkage.
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