Athena felt everything blur before her eyes as a strange sensation of soul-leaving-body washed over her.
"What the—! Is this plot development a bit too... wild?!" Cloud rubbed his eyes, feeling like he'd just lifted his head from a pile of mundane affairs only to be "thrown" directly into...
Well, how to put it? In today's most popular terms, it was a "premium gift package of absolute beauty, now available online."
"Shocking" didn't quite cover the scene before him.
He, Cloud, a data analyst and human cheat code walking through the King of Fighters universe, currently found himself in an extremely elegant spiritual world.
Though calling it a spiritual world, it felt more like a private beach carefully arranged by some dedicated swimsuit enthusiast—except this beach far exceeded anything he'd ever seen.
And the star of this beach was none other than his "future wife"—Athena Asamiya.
Except now, she'd completely shed her usual pure, sweet idol singer image. Her entire body was... voluptuous.
Yes, the most direct word was "voluptuous"—and she wore nothing but a bikini.
Those exquisite curves, "conservatively" wrapped in those few strips of fabric, were basically the words "TEMPTATION" dancing in giant letters.
Cloud felt his brain go "buzz." He, Cloud, a fine young man with firm belief in proper values, was actually... actually...
"I-I didn't mean to!" Cloud hurriedly covered his mouth, but what leaked through his fingers was undeniable—drool flowing like "a waterfall plunging three thousand feet," silently proclaiming his inner excitement.
"Pfft!"
A crisp laugh rang out, like a lively bird suddenly flying into this romantic atmosphere.
Cloud saw Athena covering her mouth, giggling until she shook.
"Cloud, what's wrong? Your face is so red—did you freeze up?" Athena's voice carried a hint of playfulness, but mostly confusion.
She looked down at herself, face blank with bewilderment. "How... how did I end up like this? I just blinked and..."
Seeing this, Cloud couldn't worry about the "drooling" embarrassment anymore. He quickly cleared his throat with utmost seriousness.
Though internally he was still frantically spamming "Nice! Love it!", he knew this was the moment to demonstrate his "tech geek" charm.
"Ahem, Athena, there's actually a reason for this!" Cloud wagged his finger with feigned profundity, gazing into the distance as if glimpsing cosmic mysteries.
"Did you know your ancestor was that legendary war goddess—the famous Athena from mythology?"
Athena blinked her big eyes, looking lost. "Hm? My grandmother did mention our family had impressive ancestors..."
"Impressive? That's an understatement!" Cloud's voice immediately rose with educational enthusiasm.
"We're talking about a goddess from the heavens! And you, as her direct descendant, have divine blood flowing through your veins. Everything you see now—this voluptuous figure, this sexy bikini... ahem, I mean this goddess form—is the visualization of the most primal, purest power from your divine ancestor deep within you!"
"Ah? What I mean is, your current appearance is exactly what the Goddess Athena herself looked like at her peak, sexiest, most powered-up state!" Cloud worked hard to frame this explanation as "scientific," even though he himself found it rather mystical.
Athena listened in complete bewilderment, but looking at this utterly serious Cloud, then at her own "unexpected" appearance, she half-believed, half-doubted the explanation.
"So... I look like this because my ancestor was a goddess?"
"Bingo!" Cloud gave a thumbs up. "Your current form is Enhanced Athena Asamiya, or rather, Mythological Edition Athena Asamiya! This is the original factory settings of a true goddess!"
Though 99% of this explanation was Cloud's impromptu bullshitting, to Athena's ears it sounded like gospel truth, instantly calming her panicked heart.
"So that's... how it is?" She looked down at this "divine" body, feeling the massive power stirring within her as if about to burst forth, and a confident light appeared in her eyes.
Good, her mental state is stable. Cloud mentally gave himself a like. Now for the critical boss fight.
He took Athena's hand and led her to that forbidden zone—countless black chains binding a golden sphere of light.
"Athena, are you ready?" Cloud's gaze sharpened. "Now I'm going to tear open this seal. The instant it breaks, the most primal power in your bloodline, along with the guardian remnant protecting it, will appear."
"What we need to do is join forces and... defeat yourself before your spiritual world completely collapses!"
"I-I'm ready!" Athena took a deep breath—the spectacular rise and fall of her chest nearly breaking Cloud's composure again.
She clenched her fists, eyes filled with unprecedented determination.
To break through, to become stronger, to not disappoint this man beside her!
"Excellent!" Cloud shouted. "Then let's... do this!"
"Divine Hand—Seal Break!"
His ethereal palm transformed into a golden blade that could cut through anything, slashing viciously at the black chains binding the golden sphere!
CRACK—!!!
With a sound like shattering glass, that seal set by Athena's subconscious over a decade ago—the one that had plagued her for so long—was brutally torn open by Cloud, ripping a massive gash through it.
...
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