"No need to dodge, my ancient foe. Is this not a fate worthy of you the fool who calls himself a Devil King?"
Athena pursued Kusanagi Godou with her obsidian scythe, her voice dripping with cold mockery. She was trying to goad him into a head-on clash, hoping his pride as a Campione would override his tactical caution.
Unfortunately for her, Godou was a pragmatist at heart. "Not dodging would be the true act of a fool," he shot back, narrowly sliding under a horizontal sweep that leveled a row of stone lanterns.
Her provocation backfired spectacularly. Instead of riiling him up, she only succeeded in fueling her own irritation. Athena's scythe swung with increasing ferocity, the weight of her divine darkness gradually closing the distance between them.
Then something entirely unexpected happened. It was a tragedy born of pure physics and bad timing, so absurd that Ritsuka, who was watching from the sidelines, nearly choked on her fruit.
Godou was already in a dire state. His body was a map of burns and lacerations from Oppenheimer's earlier nuclear barrage. Athena, sensing his weakness, gave him no room to breathe, piling fresh wounds onto the old ones.
Finally, the secret condition for his next power was met: Sustain a significant degree of injury.
Realizing this was his only opening, Godou glanced back at the goddess who was practically breathing down his neck. He hurriedly chanted the activation words for his [Camel] Authority:
["O all who do evil, tremble before my might! For now I possess the strength of ten majestic mountains, a hundred mighty rivers, and a thousand tireless camels! What I summon is the ferocious seal of the desert king!"]
The [Camel] Authority was a brutal power. It granted him explosive leg strength, numbed his pain, and instantly cauterized his wounds. But the key phrase here was explosive leg strength and that was exactly how the "incident" occurred.
Just as the chant ended, Athena reached out, her hand nearly brushing his ankle. In a blind panic, Godou lashed out with a defensive kick
THUD.
Directly into Athena's face.
Of all the places to hit a goddess of wisdom and beauty, he had to plant his boot right on her cheek. The impact sent Athena flying backward like a broken doll. Ritsuka's slice of melon almost went airborne, and she likely would have been flattened by the shockwave if Oppenheimer hadn't caught her in time.
Athena landed hard, skidding across the dirt before coming to a complete stop. For a long, terrifying moment, she said nothing. She rose slowly, her face obscured by her silver hair, but the mark was unmistakable a large, perfect, dusty bootprint right on her left cheek.
Behind her, the shadows boiled. Hundreds of owls materialized, joined by over a dozen massive, serpentine dragons. Standing amidst her legion of divine beasts, Athena began to mutter under her breath, a low, rhythmic chant of pure malice.
"Kill you... kill you... kill you... kill you... kill you... kill you..."
She suddenly snapped her head up, revealing an expression so demonic and filled with raw, unadulterated fury that even Ritsuka flinched.
"Wretched, vile, shameless mortal! HOW DARE YOU—!!!"
With a primal scream, her divine beasts surged toward Godou. But they didn't attack they detonated. Athena was spawning an endless swarm of kamikaze familiars.
The blast waves tore through the garden, releasing overwhelming energy that turned the air into a furnace. Even Erica and Mariya Yuri, watching from a distance, could barely stay on their feet. Ritsuka and Oppenheimer quickly finished the last of their melon; they knew anything left in the open was about to be pulverized.
In the center of this cataclysm, was Godou dead? The answer: No.
The [Camel] Authority was working overtime, numbing his pain and holding his broken body together. He survived the explosions, but he was a wreck kneeling on one knee, coughing up blood, his clothes in tatters.
As Athena moved in for the execution, Ritsuka stepped forward, raising a hand to stop her.
"Fellow deity, why do you shield him?!" Athena demanded, her voice trembling with rage. Ritsuka didn't say a word. She simply pointed to the large, humiliating bootprint still visible on Athena's face.
Athena froze. She seemed to suddenly realize her loss of divine composure. Her face flushed a deep crimson, and she hastily covered the mark with her hand before teleporting away to find water to wash off the insult.
Ritsuka glanced at the bloodied Godou, then at the exhausted Oppenheimer who was currently lying flat on the grass, and sighed. It was time for a professional.
She raised her hand, the Command Seal glowing with a steady, rhythmic light. Sensing a massive fluctuation in the fabric of reality, Godou forced himself to look up. Damn it... does this person have no limit on her summons?!
The new figure appeared in a flurry of white petals. He wore crimson-bronze armor over a white tunic adorned with red patterns. On his right shoulder rested the sculpted head of a great dragon. His brown hair framed eyes filled with an unshakable, quiet resolve. In one hand he held a broad, holy sword; beneath him stood a proud, silver-gray stallion.
"Servant, [Georgios], summoned under the Rider Class," the man announced. He dismounted gracefully and knelt before Ritsuka. "Master, seeing you safe brings peace to my soul."
"Thank you, Teacher Geo," Ritsuka smiled, helping him up.
By then, Athena had returned, her face freshly washed and her dignity somewhat restored. The moment she saw Georgios, she bristled like a threatened cat. "Fellow deity! Why is a Steel Hero ‐a slayer of dragons standing here?!"
Ritsuka patted her head, trying to calm her down. "Don't worry, Athena-chan. He's a friend. This is Teacher Geo, a very trustworthy knight."
Athena eased slightly, but her eyes remained narrowed in suspicion. "Georgios... I remember that name. The Christian saint who slew a dragon in the age of myth. Damn you, Steel Hero how dare you strike down my children! Fellow deity, how can you keep such a dangerous man as your dependent? No wonder you carry the scent of the Steel!"
Georgios looked utterly baffled. As a Heroic Spirit of Chaldea, he didn't quite grasp the local terminology of "Steel Heroes," but he could tell the goddess was upset about his dragon-slaying record. Since when did dragons become her children? he wondered silently.
"Alright, let's not dwell on the past," Ritsuka said with a wry smile. "Teacher Geo, I'm counting on you. Please, take care of that Devil King for us."
Georgios turned his gaze toward the battered Kusanagi Godou, a soft, apologetic smile on his face. "Well now... I am much better suited for defense, you know." Despite his humble words, his eyes sharpened with the focus of a true warrior.
"Damn it all..." Godou spat out a mouthful of blood. His only hope now lay in his [White Steed] Authority the blazing power of the sun meant to incinerate the enemies of the people. He needed to drive back both the Steel Hero Georgios and the Goddess Athena.
But there was a catch. The [White Steed] could only be summoned against a "Great Sinner." Ritsuka was a tourist, Oppenheimer was just a bird-girl, and Georgios infuriatingly was a literal saint. There was no way he qualified as a villain.
That left only one target: Athena. Perfect. As a Goddess of the Underworld and Darkness, Athena absolutely met the "villain" requirement in the eyes of the Sun. Godou could summon the steed against her, and the resulting solar flare would surely push everyone back.
He began the incantation:
["For the sake of victory, come before me! O undying sun, grant me your shining steed! Lend me the mount of unmatched wisdom and might, and bring forth the halo of the master's light!"]
The sky split open as a magnificent white horse, wreathed in solar fire, descended toward Athena. The goddess let out a cry of pain as the intense light scorched her shadows.
Georgios, however, didn't even blink. He stood his ground, completely unaffected by the solar heat. Godou was stunned. What?! The sun's heat can't touch him? How is he not affected by the light?!
Ritsuka smirked. She knew Georgios's Noble Phantasm, [Bayard], granted him immunity to a wide range of attacks. More importantly, since he wasn't a sinner or a "Steel Hero" in the way this world defined it, the [White Steed] simply didn't recognize him as a target.
Still, letting a flaming horse run wild was bad for the scenery. "Teacher Geo! That white horse... what is it, exactly?"
Georgios instantly caught her drift. A small, knowing smile played on his lips. "That is... clearly a Dragon."
He raised his holy sword, Ascalon, and invoked its conceptual power.
"You Are a Dragon — [Abyssus Draconis]!"
The white steed in the sky let out a confused, terrified shriek. Linked to the horse's mind, Godou nearly fainted from the mental backlash. The Sun's White Steed... was just turned into a Serpent-Dragon?! Even Athena forgot her pain, staring in utter disbelief. How could a solar manifestation be rewritten into a dragon so easily?!
Georgios didn't stop there. He channeled his mana into Ascalon for the finishing blow.
"Dragon-Slaying — [Interfectum Dracones]!"
Light condensed along his blade, extending into a luminous spear of pure anti-dragon energy. With a sharp shout, Georgios hurled the spear. It pierced the heart of the transformed steed with unerring accuracy. The horse let out one final, agonized scream before dissolving into golden particles.
It's over. I'm actually dead this time, Godou thought in despair. Erica, Yuri... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you.
Just as Georgios stepped forward to finish the fight, a sudden, violent gale roared through the garden, accompanied by the sharp clang of steel. The wind was so thick with magical pressure that it obscured everyone's vision.
When the dust finally settled, Godou, Erica, and Mariya Yuri were gone.
"...Well, damn," Ritsuka muttered, blinking in surprise. "That felt exactly like a scene where the protagonist is saved by a mysterious master at the last second. He's definitely going to come back with a power-up and try to wipe the floor with us, isn't he?"
She shook her head, dismissing the thought. She had more important things to worry about. Turning to Athena, she extended a hand with a playful grin.
"Athena-chan, how about we go for a stroll? But you'll need to turn back into your 'little girl' form first. It's much easier to walk around the city that way."
"...Very well. You have done me a great service today. I shall accompany you," Athena replied, her form shrinking back into the cat-ear hat loli.
"Teacher Geo, Oppen, you're coming too!"
"Gladly, Master. It's a perfect opportunity to take some commemorative photos," Georgios said, pulling out his camera.
"Is there food? I want crepes!" Oppenheimer chirped, her wings fluttering happily.