Chapter 290 - Athena is Back~~
He stood there, frozen in shock.
Seeing this, Olga Marie and the others naturally became confused.
"What's wrong with you? Why did you suddenly stop...? And where did Promise and that Servant go?! You didn't even try to stop them?! Do you even realize that if something really happens to Promise, I'm going to be absolutely ridiculed by that damn Reines!"
As Olga Marie vented her complaints, Cú Chulainn finally snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her.
At that moment, because he had been deep in contemplation, he had failed to maintain his disguise.
And so—the gaze of a true God-King fell upon Olga Marie, causing her to immediately take several steps back in fear as her face turned pale and she looked at him in horror.
"Ah, my bad."
Cú Chulainn quickly composed himself and flashed his usual gentle smile at her, speaking casually.
"I was just thinking about something... but it's fine now."
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but he forced them down for now.
Because Odin realized that this matter could not be rushed and needed to be considered over a long period of time.
After all, Promise's condition was far too unique.
If he were truly sent to the Age of Norse Gods, he might actually succeed in preventing Ragnarök.
But at the same time—he could also bring about an even more terrifying version of it.
So, suppressing the excitement and the thoughts brewing in his mind, he fully assumed the persona of Cú Chulainn and spoke to the group once more.
"For now, you guys should hurry and prepare yourselves. Hmm... try grabbing onto something near you."
Hearing his words, Olga Marie, Ritsuka, and Mash were all bewildered, after all, they had no idea what Cú Chulainn was talking about.
But in the very next second—
The infamous "gas leak" explosion of Fuyuki City, a nuclear blast-level shockwave—swept across the area.
If Mash hadn't reacted instantly, planting her shield firmly in front of them and grabbing onto Olga Marie and Ritsuka, the two of them would have been blown away on the spot.
"Such terrifying magical energy... this... this is a battle between two Heroic Spirits?!"
Struggling to steady herself, Olga Marie stepped out from behind Mash, her expression shifting as she gazed toward Ryuudou Temple.
"Yes, and a battle of this level... even among Heroic Spirits, it's already at the highest tier."
Cú Chulainn nodded, grinning.
"Heh, I didn't expect that kid to still be this strong, even in a situation like this."
Hearing him say that, Olga Marie, who had just come to her senses, froze for a moment.
Then, as If realising something, she turned to Cú Chulainn in disbelief.
"Wait—are you saying that one of the two people fighting right now is Promise and his Servant?!"
Cú Chulainn merely smiled.
He neither confirmed nor denied it.
Nor did he intend to reveal the truth about Promise's situation to them.
Because knowing too much would only be a burden to them—and worse, it could attract the attention of Goetia, the mastermind behind everything.
"Promise-senpai... is really that strong?"
Mash let out a small exclamation of surprise.
Now that she had become a Demi-Servant, she could directly perceive just how terrifying the battle between those two was.
"I really did underestimate him..."
Forcing herself to remain calm, Olga Marie took a deep breath.
"Then again, I suppose it's only natural, after all, he is the one who won that Holy Grail War."
Pushing her thoughts aside, she quickly urged everyone to hurry toward Ryuudou Temple.
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Meanwhile, at the battlefield—
Promise and King Arthur were both wounded after clashing multiple times.
Following the exchange of light beam bombardments, they had now entered close-quarters combat.
And surprisingly enough, even in such close combat that was mainly focused on martial arts and stuff, Promise was holding his ground.
Despite facing the legendary swordsmanship of King Arthur, he had yet to be overwhelmed.
After all, he had trained under the Centaur Sage Chiron,
And he was the type of person who had dabbled in nearly every martial art.
Not only did he learn archery from Heracles, he also learned swordsmanship from Theseus, and even hunting techniques from Meleager and the others.
While he had never mastered any of these disciplines, and his frail body had severely limited his potential in combat, he had ironically reached the realm of the gods in the field of arts instead.
Yet, even so, with the Holy Sword in hand, he could at least hold his own against King Arthur for a few exchanges.
Not to mention—
He had Cernunnos' divine blessing.
Cernunnos was originally a god with the power of creation, one who had once transformed his own body into the primordial foundation of Fairy Britain.
As a result, the blessing he granted was as endless as the earth itself, supplying Promise with an inexhaustible wellspring of energy.
But at the same time, Arthur had the Great Holy Grail.
So draining her dry was simply not an option.
And so, after fighting for a short while as he found that he was suppressed everywhere and was steadily being pushed back, Promise made a quick and decisive retreat—
And, without hesitation, he raised a hand and waved it dismissively.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm done. I'm not fighting anymore."
"Anyway, I've done everything I needed to do as a friend, so from here on out..."
"Heh, I'll let you two talk it out yourselves!"
With that said, he reached into the sky and pulled out a painting from it.
It was the very same painting he had once created in Fairy Britain—
The painting of the past and future, depicting Morgan and Vivian in two different timelines.
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Well...
Can't win?
Then call for backup!
'I've painted so many paintings, filled with countless heroes, monsters, and gods—isn't that exactly what I've been preparing for? To uphold the noble tradition of using the majority to supress the minority?'
Hmm ganging up on the enemy?
Besides, it's not like I truly can't win.
It's just that me, as the vassal of the Winter Queen, her closest confidant, and a Fairy Holy Sword Knight, couldn't win.
But it's not like this was a battle to the death anyway, so it's not embarrassing at all!
With this perfectly reasonable thought in mind—
While Black King Arthur, Artoria Alter—and Medusa, who just stood there watching, and had not yet reacted,
From within the painting, Morgan—adorned in an exquisite fairy gown, wielding her magic staff, stepped out.
And for Morgan, the time since she had last parted ways with Promise hadn't been long at all.
Fairy Britain had just been destroyed.
And as soon as she just set foot into the Throne of Heroes, she immediately heard Promise call her...
So, she turned around without hesitation and walked back down from the Throne.
Upon arriving, her cold blue eyes swept across the scene with an indifferent glance.
Her gaze lingered briefly on Medusa.
But in the end, it naturally settled upon Black King Arthur.
"...A king of a Lostbelt, huh?"
Meeting her gaze, Artoria Alter returned the stare.
Her words were flat, her tone neutral, but she let out a small, silent sigh.
That sigh was likely for the thousands of years Morgan had endured.
Morgan did not respond to Artoria Alter.
Instead, after briefly observing and analyzing the situation, she quickly understood the general situation and understood why Promise had called for her.
And so, she turned around and looked at Promise.
"I have never blamed you, and you should already know that in your heart."
Morgan said, and at this moment her tone was different from usual coldness and seemed much gentler.
"You may have destroyed everything I once stood for, but you also protected what was most precious to me.
You rewrote my past.
And in doing so, you created a story far closer to the one I had always longed for."
Seeing Morgan completely ignore her, Artoria Alter was not angry at all.
She casually replanted her holy sword into the ground, standing at ease—her expression now one of genuine curiosity as she looked at the two before her.
"So, Promise—"
"You should take pride in this.
This is yet another fate witnessed by the Goddess of Destiny.
Even if it is never recorded, never sung in legend,
You should still take pride in it.
And in fact, you should be proud... for me.
Because the king you have defeated—was me."
Seeing Morgan's serious expression as though she was genuinely angry and facing her gaze, Promise, feeling slightly awkward, averted his gaze.
And muttered in a low voice,
"Of course, I know all that you're saying, but..."
"But who could resist when this child is just so adorable."
It was at this moment that Medusa spoke up.
No, to be precise, it was she who spoke.
Upon seeing Morgan, and witnessing the concern Promise showed for Morgan and all that he had done for her, the goddess could no longer contain herself.
She had been hiding, like the proverbial ostrich with its head in the sand, for so long, yet now her defenses crumbled.
And so, she used a somewhat flippant jest, masking the jealousy and sourness in her heart.
With graceful, fluid movements, she stepped forward, pressed herself against Promise—
And right in front of Morgan, she wrapped her arms around him.
The corners of her mouth turned up, presenting a bright and standard smile to Morgan, but the glint in her golden eyes carried nothing but undisguised irritation and displeasure.
This, in turn, left Morgan somewhat puzzled for a moment.
Of course, she could see at a glance that there was a deity hidden within Medusa.
However, Morgan didn't think much of it, but she didn't think much of it.
After all, there was already the precedent of Clotho, the Goddess of Fate.
So to Morgan, this wasn't anything strange.
But this blatant hostility... what the hell?
In contrast—
The moment he was pulled into the embrace, Promise's body inevitably stiffened for a moment, but because he had already prepared himself mentally, he quickly relaxed again.
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With a smile, he tilted his head to look at her, who was warily eyeing Morgan.
"I thought you would hide a bit longer, or..."
"Or perhaps... you would just avoid all of this completely and pretend you were never here in the first place?"
Hearing Promise's words, she couldn't help but pout slightly.
"Well, that was my plan at first."
"After all, it's not my turn to make an entrance yet. When I do, it should be on a stage no less grand than the one where I once defeated the Father of All Monsters, Typhon."
"Besides—"
And don't you think we should settle the score for you deceiving me, making me cry, and now there are statues of my weeping all over the world?"
As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly.
Her brilliant golden eyes locked onto the boy before her as she whispered.
"My adorable little believer~"
The moment "Medusa" spoke those words,
Morgan immediately understood her true identity.
After all, while Promise had once worshiped Queen of the Heaven, Hera,
The goddess who had ultimately won his over—
Was the one standing in front him now.
The Flawless Goddess of Wisdom—
Athena.