[Notification from Elysion Observatory!! Guardian Achilles has been defeated!!]
“Hana-chan…!”
Even amidst the struggle, I can conjure the face of the girl bathed in yellow starlight, and it gives me strength once more.
“Phew…!”
“…….”
Facing me again is Animus and the god of war, wielding a gigantic 10-meter spear that matches his height.
The spear, filled with the divine essence of Ares, summoned by Animus, was incredibly threatening.
The only infinite starlight I could rely on now.
It barely maintained the balance of the battle, but it wavered every time Ares’s spear moved.
The battle, momentarily subdued by Achilles’s defeat.
“Guardian Hana has fallen.”
“Heh, see? You can’t look down on me now, right?”
“I have never underestimated humanity’s strength. I only do my best in chaos.”
“…….”
Great sword and spear.
Even a moment of respite amidst the storm of the two colossal weapons was a great help.
If our conversation could have lasted a little longer, I might’ve been able to fully recover my starlight, but alas, Animus charged at me once again with the crimson great sword.
Fwoosh!
Shing!
As I clashed my silver sword against his, the impact was unavoidable, shattering my unique weapon again.
I discarded the broken silver sword and retrieved a new one from the starlight.
What could the power sealed within her fourth star be?
The strength by which a human can touch divinity seemed forcibly unlocked by the will of the stars.
“Ugh?!”
“You’re full of distractions.”
With a threatening wind that felt like it would slice off my hair, Ares’s enormous great sword approached, leaving a blazing trail like fire.
Whoosh—
The subsequent sword strike brought waves of crimson that felt as heavy as hundreds of soldiers’ spears, pushing me back.
Crash!
Rumble—
The sparks deflected by my silver sword and the barrier of illusions were offset, but I was still chipped away by the residual force.
Thud, thud, thud!
‘They’re intentionally gnawing away at me!’
Amidst Animus’s bold attacks, Ares was sure to strike.
I glanced over, and sure enough, Ares charged from afar like a knight in a mounted spear tournament.
“Now!!”
“■■!”
Slash!!
Evading the threatening attack that zipped past me, I dropped my silver sword.
I swung the silver scythe, invoking inverse causality, launching a critical attack.
Swish!
The huge blade of my silver scythe drew a circle, leaving an opaque silver afterimage.
“…Is it a weapon of [Death]?”
Even if it’s Animus, the endless starlight contained within this silver scythe couldn’t be countered by all of her attacks.
As Animus retreated, I rained thousands of arrows from my silver bow to suppress her.
Fwaaaaap!!
Whoooosh!!
The great sword spun in a windmill motion, deflecting all the arrows, leaving behind crimson afterimages.
BANG!
Thud!
Hearing the crashing sounds of collapsing buildings nearby, I started predicting her next move.
With my transcendent vision, I’d seen Animus’s attacks over a thousand times and began to recognize her similar movements.
Even though she had become stronger overall due to the fourth star, the starlight she could pour into those attacks was not different from any other apostle.
There was overwhelming output, but not an overwhelming infinite starlight.
It was just that she could use “some power” due to external factors.
And that “some power” felt oddly familiar.
Thousands of nuclear missiles.
[Goddess of Start]
White arrows.
-Please, think about the true meaning of [Deception].
“The true meaning of [Deception].”
Yuki progresses from 2-Star to 3-Star.
Animus progresses from 3-Star to 4-Star.
The second title that came with a single starlight was not entirely unrelated to the first title.
Yuki’s [Flame] was linked to [Resurrection].
Animus’s [War] was linked to [Conquest].
My first title is [Start] and [Deception].
“…….”
The image of resurrection igniting again like a phoenix.
The image of a lord rushing in on the battlefield to conquer the enemy.
Unlike their titles, which were directly linked to the second title, mine felt far too abstract.
The reason I was able to grasp [Deception] so easily was due to the power sealed by the goddess of [Start].
‘I have… a second destiny to fulfill.’
What could it be?
“You’re still full of distractions.”
“Ugh?!”
As Animus said, thinking here could very well end in death.
I quickly regained my focus and drew my silver sword again. But Animus didn’t react to the attack and raised one hand upward.
“Are you going to repeat this? The tug-of-war ends here.”
“What?”
“Come forth. Athena.”
Rumble!!
A crevasse hundreds of meters long appeared amidst the crackling crimson lightning.
From the writhing darkness and chaos emerged the second idol, slowly stepping forth under great pressure.
The impressive goddess, with a towering helm plume and flowing navy cloak.
Athena appeared, wielding a shield capable of covering her body and a chillingly glowing sword, positioning herself next to Animus.
To Animus’s right stood Ares, fully prepared to charge with a massive spear.
Two idols.
Ares and Athena.
Even while I was barely reading patterns, the balance pressed down by the infinite starlight was about to completely collapse.
“Damn it, calling gods every time!”
“Realize it.”
“What?”
“…….”
Animus pulled the crimson great sword up to her chest and gripped it with both hands.
The slowly rising crimson great sword was engulfed in a massive flame originating from the hilt, and that flame grew endlessly upwards, reaching dozens of meters into the sky.
Piercing through the dark energy hanging over the red sky, the flame of the warlord shone brilliantly.
“Defeat me.”
Fwooooooosh!!
The crimson flame sliced through the red sky.
Shing!
Athena shielded her body with her shining shield, extending her sword outward.
Whoosh!
Ares, holding the massive spear, prepared for a second charge.
“Defeat me, by any means necessary.”
With a somber expression, Animus declared a massive strike.
BANG!!!
The colossal flame streaking from the crimson great sword, heavy with the might of hundreds of soldiers, slowly descended, while Athena billowed storm-like energy with her massive shield, and Ares rushed in with a thunderous sound.
It was impossible to block it all.
“If that’s the case, I’d rather take a few hits and endure with healing until the next attack…!”
I thought, preparing with the silver scythe for the massive strike.
Then it happened.
A distant voice echoed in my ears.
“Hikari-chan!!”
“Hana-chan?!”
Yellow stars.
Yellow meteors.
Yellow galaxies.
Thousands of dazzling meteors fell from the crimson sky, approaching with brilliant light.
Amidst the numerous stars, Hana, dressed in a yellow dress, stretched her hands towards Animus while pointing at her, and thousands of meteors surrounded her, nullifying the massive flames she unleashed.
Bwaaaap!!
The enormous flame column was gradually infiltrated by the yellow starlight.
Rumble!!
Fwoosh!
Before long, the crimson flame was unable to descend any further, stuck in the air, now infused with yellow starlight.
Whaam—
A terrifying friction noise echoed between the overbearing crimson flame trying to come down and the yellow galaxy attempting to stop it.
C crack crack crack—
But as the crimson flames held by Animus blazed fiercely, the yellow starlight began to falter and gradually disappear.
The fleeting moment that Hana created.
“Ugh!! I can’t hold it any longer!!”
“Thank you, Hana-chan!!”
I charged through the gap towards Ares and Athena as they approached.
“■■■■!”
“■■…!!”
Their idols’ language shouted as they barreled forward, momentarily confused by the sudden illusion, passing me by.
Fwoosh!
Whoosh!
Avoiding the energy pouring out from the two idols, I dispersed my clones in all directions.
When facing them alone, I couldn’t make a gap, so I couldn’t deploy them.
As Hana’s dazzling yellow starlight distracted Animus, causing her to stumble, my clones pulled back their silver bows, unleashing a storm of arrows.
“Haaah!”
SHAAAAAAA—
Thousands of arrows from a single silver bow multiplied to fill a plane, shooting towards Animus.
A relentless wave of arrows approached, slicing away at the yellow stars while facing Animus.
The resplendent arrows exploded.
BOOM!!!
As the flash faded, Animus, cloaked in the crimson veil, emerged unscathed.
No.
As always, she, who had dominated the battlefield until now, had her breath slightly disturbed.
Infinite starlight and yellow galaxies.
The two idols and the crimson flame.
Everything intertwined chaotically in this fray, pulling tight with tension once again.
“Phew! She’s really strong!”
“Yeah, Hana-chan’s help has been a huge boost. What about the others?”
“Hehe! Everyone’s safe!”
Fwoosh!
Before long, Ares and Athena were back, preparing for their next attack alongside Animus.
I took out my silver sword and bestowed the blessing of inverse causality upon Hana.
Embracing the radiant multicolored light, Hana confidently exclaimed.
“Let’s shine and win like dazzling meteors!”
“Yeah! Hana-chan!”
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