"Perhaps, or maybe one day I'll grow tired of this life, revert to the form of the rebellious butterfly, and then I will come find you to become the ultimate executioner." Gneiss smiled.
"However, what I am about to say is quite the opposite. It is about how I fell from the divine rank of the Earth Mother God, becoming the progenitor of the God Ancestors."
"Go on," Seiya said, "at least I want to understand why you're doing this."
"From Perseus, the Steel Hero you defeated not long ago, you should know a part of the Earth Mother God mythology. Among the Dragon Heroes who conquered the Earth Mother Gods, some weakened, fell, or were cast down from their God thrones. These Gods are known as God Ancestor Witches." Gneiss fell into recollection.
"And among the Steel Heroes, there is also a God known as the 'Last King'. Earth Mother Gods who perish under the Savior God's sword will not only reincarnate as God Ancestors but also serve the Last King as their master."
"Are you the Earth Mother God slain by the Savior God's sword?" Seiya asked, looking at Gneiss before him.
"Yes, my mission is to re-summon the Last King. This is the meaning of my existence." Gneiss rarely displayed the majesty befitting an Earth Mother God.
"For this, I can sacrifice anything."
"That 'anything'," Seiya's voice carried a cold edge, "does that also include colluding with Athena, and even... pushing her to revert to the form of the ancient Earth Mother God—Metis?"
The Mycenaean tablets referred to her as 'the Lady', and in later epics and odes, Athena was also often called 'Lady', 'Queen', or 'Mistress'.
"You are mistaken," Gneiss corrected him.
"She is not reverting to Metis; rather, Metis is returning to Athena. From beginning to end, they have always been one God." Gneiss gazed at Seiya before her, slowly correcting a long-held misconception of his.
"And as the ancient Earth Mother God, now in a state dominated by Metis, what she intends to do is destroy this defiled world, which was established by the Steel Heroes and once overthrew matriarchal rule, and return heaven and earth to that primeval night of chaos, where all things were ignorant!"
At this moment, Seiya likely understood. As the God-King of matriarchal society, Metis wanted to return the world to the primeval night, while God Ancestor Gneiss wanted to summon the Last King. But how did their paths intertwine?
Just as Seiya was about to open his mouth to ask, he heard Gneiss speak, "As for you, Pegasus, what she wants to do is erase the marks of others from your body, isn't it?"
"Marks on my body? Does this concern me too?" Seiya's expression grew grim; he seemed to have connected some dots.
Gneiss wore a strange expression.
"You could say... this Triune Goddess has a nearly obsessive purity. She desires you to belong to her completely, purely. And her method..." She paused slightly, then uttered shocking words.
"She might want to give birth to you anew."
Silence. Silence hung heavy like tonight's Cambridge.
If Gneiss hadn't been so serious, Seiya would have felt like he was being pranked. What does 'give birth to him anew' even mean? Is she some Hagoromo Gitsune, so crazy in love with her child that she wants to give birth to him all over again?
He felt a mouthful of old grievances stuck in his throat, unable to spit them out. "If Scylla had been here, it would have been great," he thought. "With her impish personality, she surely would have had a delightful time complaining."
"Don't make that expression," she said.
"It only sounds terrifying. In truth, it means killing you at the right time, then through a reincarnation ritual she has prepared, allowing you to become the true... Disobedient Pegasus."
At this moment, Seiya's thoughts finally clicked into place.
Perseus's mythology, the Earth Mother God's obsession, the primeval night, the Triune Goddess, and the Prometheus Stele.
And the Authority he obtained from slaying Perseus was precisely equivalent to his own mythological Pegasus.
All clues, at this moment, intricately linked together!
"Also, one more thing, she got this idea from Scylla." Gneiss's voice was low.
"In her world, there seems to be a special kind of human called 'Beast'. And these beings approach the divine; under certain conditions, it's not impossible for them to be regarded as Gods."
Seiya's doubts were answered by Gneiss. Finally, after finishing that cup of tea, Seiya stood up and left.
Before leaving, as if remembering something, he stopped, turned to the side, and looked at Gneiss before him:
"Since you don't want to say what exactly transpired between you and Athena, then keep it a secret in your heart. Even if it's something bad, don't let me know."
"Gneiss, or perhaps, Sister Marin, you are very important to me, as important as family."
Seiya, holding complex emotions, looked at the Witch King before him, who was also the "Sister Marin" who had carefully looked after him for three years. Although he later learned she wasn't, he already regarded her as family.
"So, don't try to deceive me again. I won't accept a third deception. I love you."
Seiya walked to Gneiss's side, formally embraced her, and bid her farewell.
Gneiss watched him until he disappeared from her sight, her hands crossed over her abdomen. She lightly bit her lower lip.
In truth, although she hadn't lied during their conversation, she had practiced misleading concealment in part.
She had entrusted her Godhood to the Magic Sacred Grail, which was how she fell from the divine rank of Earth Mother God.
But for some reason, she felt that Seiya had seen through her concealment. Yet, he didn't say anything, just bid her farewell with an embrace, like before.
The Military God, eating an apple, watched the reunion from afar. She never revealed herself.
After throwing the last apple core into the sea, she too vanished like a wisp of wind.
P.S.: Let me debunk three common points.
First, there are Asian Saints, or rather, the number of Asian Saints is not small. Dohko, Mu, and Shion, who doesn't look it, are all Chinese. Dohko is from Lushan, while Shion and Mu are from Tibet. As for Old Di, I'm not sure; any brothers who know can clarify. Dragon Shiryu, on the other hand, is Japanese.
Second, the idea that the Wolf Godslayer's Authority has an upper limit is a setting from some ancient fanfiction that somehow became widespread. From the development of the Authority, it's clear there's no upper limit. Using settings from other fanworks to restrict other creations, isn't that like using a previous dynasty's imperial sword to execute an official of the current dynasty, my friend? It's illogical.
Third, the Wolf God conspiracy theory. Slaying a God is a miracle in itself. Before a Deity, no matter how powerful a Knight, or an outstanding sorcerer, victory is impossible. And in the setting where ordinary people bravely stand out to face such a massive challenge, becoming a Godslayer through calculation (limited to the Godslayer world) is impossible (though I personally think it's possible). Therefore, the idea that Godou Kusanagi is Susanoo's pawn is also a secondary fan setting. Although I don't particularly like Godou Kusanagi, if a reclusive entity from the Spirit World like Susanoo, who lacks true madness, were to genuinely return to Earth and manifest as a Disobedient God, Godou Kusanagi would utterly decimate him.
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