Cough, cough.
The maiden stirred, coughing softly as she regained consciousness.
She felt her head resting on something soft.
"Awake?" A familiar voice asked gently.
"Teacher?" Liliana exclaimed, then panic flashed across her face. "Teacher, you must go to the Temple of Mars and stop—"
"Liliana," Diana interrupted, pressing a hand firmly on her shoulder to keep her from sitting up, her head still cradled in Diana's lap. "It's too late."
She pointed toward the Temple of Mars in the distance.
The once-intact grand hall was now split, its upper half cleanly severed as if by a single sword stroke, sliding off.
The surging divine energy emanating from the temple made it clear what had transpired during her unconsciousness.
"I'm sorry."
After a moment's silence, Liliana's expression grew despondent.
"I failed to stop him."
"Don't be ridiculous," Diana said, flicking her forehead, eliciting a yelp of pain.
She continued channeling a healing spell.
"I saw your state. If I'd arrived any later, I might've lost my foolish student to blood loss."
"You did more than enough. No need to feel guilty, understand?"
Lying in her teacher's lap, Liliana had an unobstructed view of Diana's face for reasons she couldn't quite articulate.
"I… understand—"
"But, Teacher, my wounds are mostly healed, aren't they? You don't need to keep using magic on me at such a critical time."
"Just a bit longer," The ever-youthful witch said, holding her down with one hand while continuing the healing with the other.
"There's still the scar on your face—a girl can't have a mark like that."
"Speaking of, Liliana," Diana's expression grew serious, as if struck by a thought. "What did your Spirit Vision show you?"
"A wolf," Liliana said. "It seemed to be the wolf god revered by the Huns."
"That man carries the power of the Hun wolf god… or perhaps a divine artifact tied to it. And he went to the Temple of Mars—"
"So, it aligns with our observations," Diana said, rubbing her brow with a wry smile. "The Huns, who indirectly destroyed the Roman Empire, and the power of their revered god brought into the temple of Rome's war god—"
No surprise, then, that an enraged war god would act.
"If only our leader, the King of Swords, weren't off who-knows-where," Diana sighed. "Even if other Kings arrive, it'll likely be too late."
"For some reason, the Heretic Mars doesn't seem to have fully manifested," Liliana said, her face tinged with confusion. "It's more like a partial descent, channeling a fraction of his power."
"That's probably his pride," Diana said, gazing at the crumbling temple, feeling the unsettling divine fluctuations. "As an enemy, he wants to defeat his foe on equal terms."
"Wait, you don't mean…" Diana's face paled with realization. "Could a new Child of Pandora be born here?"
"No."
Liliana struggled to her feet, clutching her still-aching abdomen, and looked toward the Temple of Mars.
"A fool—he's no mere Child of Pandora with hindsight."
"Evil wolf, is this all the strength you have now?" Mars, holding his sword inversely, stared at the distant Lucius, his voice cold.
"Truly disappointing for my sworn enemy."
In Lucius's hand, a white light sword shattered, only to reform instantly, identical to the last.
"Is this guy blind?" Lucius muttered through gritted teeth, watching Mars's every move, not daring to relax.
Though Mars had only manifested a fragment of his consciousness, his physical prowess and divine power far surpassed Lucius's.
Add to that the war god's vast combat experience, and Lucius was left far behind.
He saw no path to victory.
Not even a chance to escape.
Against such an enemy, turning his back would be suicide.
And… he'd already guessed why Mars saw him as a mortal enemy.
Mars didn't identify foes through conventional means but by their divine aura.
Unfortunately, the beast tooth artifact Lucius absorbed came from Mars's nemesis—the wolf god revered by the Huns.
He'd even nearly been consumed by that faith, almost becoming the wolf god himself.
Though the demon had purged the side effects, his body still bore the distinct mark of the Hun wolf god.
To other gods, he was that gray wolf.
In other circumstances, this mark might not matter.
But facing Rome's war god—
"I got played, didn't I?" Lucius sighed, his tone edged with complaint as he addressed the demon.
"Yup, I tricked you," The demon replied from the bottle, her voice syrupy sweet, her face sporting a faint smile.
She made no effort to hide her deception.
"You can't handle this enemy, can you?"
"Open the seal, let me out, and I'll deal with it."
Lucius fell silent.
If this continued, he might die.
But what would happen if he opened the bottle?
He didn't know.
So, he raised his sword again, barely deflecting another of Mars's attacks.
From any angle, he didn't want to release the demon.
Though hope was slim, could he find a sliver of victory?
"Open the bottle, break the seal…"
"Sorry, I'm not planning to do that just yet."
***
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