"Kusanagi Sora, you can't escape!"
Athena, atop the ancient dragon, looked coldly at Sora's distant figure.
"Ah… so this time I won't run away!"
Though still far apart, both could clearly hear each other's voices. Sora replied.
Frowning slightly, Athena wondered what had suddenly come over this guy. He was actually standing there without dodging or fleeing. Did he really think he could face the powerful ancient dragon head-on?
A cold smile appeared on her lips. Since this guy was acting foolishly, Athena wouldn't be polite. With her will, the ancient dragon opened its huge mouth again, condensing a third black energy orb. Just like before, it transformed into a beam of energy and shot toward Sora.
Sora knew well the power of this move, which could petrify and freeze an entire sea. Even with his supreme defense of Demon Armor, he couldn't block it. Yet, Sora still didn't move, a strange and eerie smile spreading across his lips.
Watching the petrifying beams shooting fiercely toward the two of them, Liliana instinctively felt a flicker of shock in her heart, but the young girl quickly recovered. As long as she was with her king, she feared nothing!
"[Dimensional Formation], activate…"
Just as the petrifying beam from the Ancient Dragon was about to hit him and Liliana, Sora activated the power of the [Dimensional Formation]. Instantly, a huge array symbol appeared, blocking in front of them.
Without any sound, the petrifying beam vanished the moment it touched the array symbol formed by the [Dimensional Formation], unable to touch Sora and Liliana behind it in the slightest.
"Hmph, that annoying ability again. But how long do you think you can hold it off?!"
Athena was quite helpless against Sora's troublesome abilities, but she firmly believed her Ancient Dragon was absolutely invincible!
The array symbol is a portal connecting to another dimension created by the [Dimensional Formation]. It is not a physical entity, so theoretically nothing should be able to touch it; anything would just be transported through it. However, the petrifying power of the Ancient Dragon was so strong that it had even penetrated the space between dimensions. Even the array symbol was beginning to show cracks of petrification.
A smug smile appeared at the corner of Athena's mouth. She wanted to see what the annoying Sora could do once this fragile formation shattered!
"Hehehe… One formation can't stop it? Then I'll use ten!"
With a carefree smile, Sora activated the [Dimensional Formation] again, and ten array symbols appeared, blocking in front of him and Liliana. The first array symbol had completely shattered from petrification, and the petrifying beam struck the second array symbol.
Athena's watery eyes widened, her small mouth slightly open. She never expected such a shameless tactic!
"Athena, instead of worrying about me, you'd better worry about yourself now."
A mischievous smile tugged at Sora's lips as he spoke to the stunned Athena.
Suddenly snapping back to reality and looking around, Athena's expression changed drastically.
Because, without her noticing, thousands upon thousands of array symbols had appeared in the air around her, completely surrounding her and the Ancient Dragon!
A terrifying possibility crossed her mind, and even the calm Athena was shocked. She prepared to order the Divine Dragon beneath her to retreat quickly, but it was already too late!
As petrifying beams shot out from those array symbols toward her and the Ancient Dragon, Athena knew her worst fears had come true…
"Roar!!!"
Struck by the petrifying beams, even the mighty Ancient Dragon let out painful roars. Although its divine body was millions of times tougher than steel, every part hit by the petrifying light turned to stone!
It quickly stopped attacking Sora, and the petrifying beams from the array symbols ceased as well. But even so, three-quarters of the Ancient Dragon's massive body had turned to stone!
To be so miserably affected by her own attack was indeed ironic…
Although petrification was almost an unsolvable problem for others, the Ancient Dragon could dispel it. Divine power surged around its body, and the petrified parts rapidly restored before their eyes.
But would Sora give it time to fully recover? Obviously not!
"Liliana, get far away!"
A flash of sharp light appeared in Sora's eyes as he shouted to the knight girl behind him.
Understanding her king's intention instantly, Liliana didn't hesitate. She quickly summoned all her magic power and used flying magic to shoot into the distant sky.
Seeing Liliana safely away, Sora flapped his dragon-shaped wings and transformed into a streak of light soaring into the sky.
"Lightning! Lightning! I, the conqueror who can defeat hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands, stand for justice. Shine your glory upon me and grant me your power!"
Chanting strange spiritual words, divine power surged. Sora raised his colossal king's sword toward the sky. As if responding to his call, a golden lightning pillar as thick as a barrel descended from the heavens with terrifying might!
This was the power of the [Goat], one of the ten powers of the war god Verethragna. When the surrounding allies' hearts are united, it can absorb their strength and life force, granting Sora the ability to control lightning.
The lightning pillar didn't strike the Ancient Dragon but was absorbed by the king's sword, which instantly transformed into a hundred-foot-long purple-gold giant sword radiating lightning brilliance.
"I shall be the strongest and claim total victory. Whether facing humans or demons, I will crush all enemies and hostility. I will eliminate all who stand in my way!"
Not stopping there, Sora chanted the spiritual words of the [Bull]. A golden radiance surrounded him, and he felt as if a million-fold strength erupted within his body, capable of tearing the sky apart!
"Roar!!!"
Sensing the great threat, the Ancient Dragon let out a long roar and instinctively tried to dodge and distance itself from Sora. But because it hadn't fully dispelled the petrification, its movements were slow and clumsy, unable to escape his attack range.
"Athena, let's settle this once and for all!!!"
Without hesitation, Sora swung the lightning-illuminated king's sword down toward Athena and the Ancient Dragon below.
Staring blankly at the descending sword shadow, Athena's pupils dilated continuously. As the goddess of wisdom, she already knew the outcome of this battle…
Without surprise, the hundred-foot king's sword struck the Ancient Dragon's massive body. Even its indestructible scales shattered instantly, and countless golden lightning bolts surged into its body, causing rampant destruction.
Boom!!!
With a deafening explosion, the Ancient Dragon's huge body burst apart like a hydrogen bomb. A massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky, and terrifying shockwaves swept toward the horizon.
Finally, the sky fell silent with no sound. The sun slowly rose in the east, casting the first rays of morning light…
In the sky, the terrifying figure of the Ancient Dragon was gone. From afar, Liliana let out a long sigh of relief as she looked at the two remaining figures.
The ocean regained its vitality, waves crashing rhythmically. With the new day's arrival, fish swam freely, birds played, and everything that happened last night was just a fleeting dream to them.
Liliana knew the battle was over, ending with her king's victory!
"Athena, tell me, how should I punish you now?"
Having dispelled the [Demon Armor] and returned to his original form, Sora appeared behind Athena. One hand gently grasped the goddess's fair and delicate neck, and leaning close to her ear, Sora whispered softly.
Athena's body trembled, her expression filled with endless complexity. She knew she had lost everything.
Yet, deep inside, she felt a profound sense of relief…
"Kusanagi Sora, you have earned that right. From now on, everything of mine belongs to you."
Dispelling the Death Scythe in her hand, Athena looked toward the distant sky with neither joy nor sorrow. She was the proud goddess Athena, and she would not go back on her word.
She knew that from now on, she might no longer be the proud goddess Athena she once was, but she would not regret her decision.
Some confusion, some reluctance, but also complete liberation…
"Hehehe… Then I won't be polite in accepting it!"
Without any pretense or embarrassment—this was all he deserved for what he had given. A wicked smile appeared on Sora's lips as he suddenly appeared before Athena, lifting the goddess's alluring cherry lips and kissed her directly.
"Ugh…"
Athena's beautiful eyes opened wide, instinctively ready to resist, but then she thought of something and stopped struggling. A faint blush appeared on her noble and exquisite face. Knowing she could not escape this detestable man's grasp, she closed her eyes and let Sora do as he pleased.
Seeing Athena's reaction, a smile flickered across Sora's face. He savored the goddess's sweet taste and sealed a contract with her.
From that moment on, the ruler of the underworld, the queen of the sky, the legendary Earth Mother Goddess Athena, belonged entirely to him alone…