NOVEL WEB Chapter 68: The Goddess's Oath
"And don't you think the world you live in is too small?"
"What do you mean?" Athena raised her noble head. Though she could only look up at Kaido due to the height difference, the arrogance and firmness in her eyes remained intact.
"Aren't you curious about where my power comes from?"
"..." Athena raised an eyebrow. To be honest, she was very curious.
"As long as you willingly follow me and don't constantly try to deceive me, I promise I'll allow you to experience a wider world. Then, you'll be freed from the mythical history of the Mother Goddess and the fatal battles between Godslayers and Heretic Gods. You'll even be able to strengthen yourself as a Heretic God." Kaido, in turn, began to tempt Athena. After all, what he needed wasn't a maiden with ulterior motives, but a reliable cannon... ahem, a companion, who could face new worlds and new problems with him.
If she had heard those words from the beginning, Athena would definitely have dismissed Kaido as a lying swindler. But the current situation forced her to believe him.
After a long silence, the Goddess finally spoke: "The defeated must obey the victor's commands. From now on, this Concubine will gladly serve you, but if your words are false, this Concubine will no longer uphold the oath!" Saying this, Athena stood on tiptoe and hooked her arms around Kaido's neck.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"Of course I'm making an oath."
"You're not still trying to poison me, are you?"
"You are insulting this Goddess!"
Under the faint moonlight, the shadows of the silver-haired Goddess Athena and Kaido, reflected on the ground, slowly merged. It was like rock candy, releasing a tempting sweetness between their lips. Not long ago, Athena had made intimate contact with him in the same way, but at that time, the Goddess's kiss was filled with the concept of "death," and he felt nothing but coldness and stillness.
However, the current situation, though involving the same protagonists and the same method, was now devoid of the mutual killing intent that had existed previously, replaced only by a serious entanglement. At the same time, Kaido, who was now comfortably enjoying the Goddess's fragrant kiss, suddenly felt a divine power penetrate his body. It wasn't the chill of death, but a warmth like fire. That power, upon entering his body, began to work, repairing some of Kaido's necrotic tissues.
After a long while, all the pain in his body disappeared, and Athena slowly released her lips.
"The oath made with Word Magic has been fulfilled. Do you have anything else to say?" Athena's beautiful eyes stared intently at Kaido's face, her expression slightly displeased, seemingly annoyed by his previous misunderstanding.
"Nothing, but I didn't expect you to make such a contract. Aren't you worried about what I might do to you?" The content of the oath had already been revealed to Kaido through the divine power conveyed by Athena.
"Hmph! Don't take this goddess for a dishonorable villain. Since this goddess has promised to be your servant, I will undoubtedly do my utmost. Therefore, do not hesitate now, rejoice! Oh, blasphemous Godslayer! This is the first and last time the Queen of the Trinity will serve another. Be deeply grateful!" The Goddess, symbolizing beauty and wisdom, spoke proudly.
"Crying, no. Right now, I'm just a little tired." Knowing everything was over, Kaido reached out and embraced Athena's shoulders. The brush of his hand over her soft shoulder caused the beautiful Goddess to frown slightly.
Although Athena wouldn't resist even if Kaido were to tear off her clothes and roughly push her right there, having her purity, maintained for thousands of years, snatched away in such a manner still made her feel uneasy and resistant.
"Very well, for a noble goddess like this goddess, if there's an opportunity for conquest, no man would refuse it." Even her father, Zeus, had gazed at her with lust. A mere human would be even less likely to resist this goddess's charm. Sighing silently, Athena maintained her elegant posture as she awaited the infamous intrusion.
However, after waiting for more than ten seconds, the expected situation did not occur, causing Athena to look up in confusion.
"What are you doing?" The close masculine scent enveloped her. The Goddess, who had never before had contact with the opposite sex, felt a slight nervousness.
"Resting... I need someone to lean on, don't I?" Kaido exhaled. Allowing the will of the Abrahamic religion's chief god to descend upon him in a mortal body had consumed a great deal of his magical power and physical energy. Furthermore, to decisively defeat Athena, he had held nothing back, leading to enormous magical power consumption. His current state was not due to injury but normal overexertion; his body needed to rest for a while. Of course, he still had strength, but since there was a Goddess right beside him, and adhering to the principle of seizing a good opportunity, Kaido simply treated Athena as a soft, living pillow.
"This goddess thought you..."
"What did I think? Don't mistake me for that old philanderer Zeus." Kaido scoffed. Although he had a harem, he didn't go around fooling around shamelessly like Zeus.
Athena stared at him blankly for a long while before saying disdainfully, "But this goddess clearly felt your ill desires towards this goddess."
"Uh... it'd be abnormal if I didn't react, okay? You're a goddess, and you're so beautiful. It'd be a big problem if I remained unfazed." Kaido shamelessly argued, "In my land, this is called a slight stiffening to show respect."
"..." Hearing this, Athena glared at him for a long time. After forcefully suppressing the urge to strike Kaido, she managed to articulate two words.
"Heh heh."
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### Aftermath and New Allegiances
The darkness that enveloped Tokyo dissipated at some point. Those who had fled to the outskirts of the city gazed at the ruined steel jungle, speechless, for a long while. The colossal, world-destroying monster had vanished, leaving only the burning city to remind people that what they had witnessed earlier was not false. Regardless, Tokyo would undergo drastic changes after this night.
Just as rescue personnel were arriving late, Kaido and Athena returned together to the villa in the forest.
"My King, you're finally back!" Erica, Liliana, and the others had followed Kaido's orders and waited inside the room, not venturing out. So, when Liliana saw the familiar figure in the darkness, she immediately flung open the door and rushed out to greet him. However, before the girls could show their joy, they saw the small silver-haired girl accompanying Kaido, and their faces immediately paled.
Athena had returned to her loli appearance from before regaining the Gorgon Stone. Her tender, childlike face stared expressionlessly at the maidens who were drawing their swords at her, and then a cold smile blossomed on her face.
"Although this goddess is relatively weak now, dealing with a few Great Knights is still more than enough." She was Kaido's servant, but not the handmaiden of these mortal women. The arrogance of a Heretic God still lingered in her heart; if any existence besides Kaido dared to offend her, Athena wouldn't mind letting them taste a goddess's wrath.
Erica, Liliana, and Princess Alice were all prepared, their bodies trembling slightly under the divine majesty. Athena's previous declaration made them think that Kaido had lost in that competition.
"Don't be so nervous, relax a bit. I won the previous battle, and Athena is one of us now." Kaido smiled. But just as he finished speaking, an incredible cry of disbelief came from his ear.
"It's impossible! How could Lady Athena lose to a man like you?!" Everyone turned and saw Angela, dressed in a white gown, standing on the steps with her small feet covered in white stockings and her eyes wide.
Angela had sacrificed her identity as a God Ancestor to gain the power of the Disobedient Leviathan, fighting a Godslayer in America and being used by Luo Hao. The reason she did this was to cause trouble for the Steel Hero, who was most hated by Godslayers and goddesses.
As a descendant of the Earth Mother Goddess, Athena was, strictly speaking, her "mother," and Angela had placed great hopes on her as a hope to resist "patriarchal society." Therefore, when she heard that Athena had also fallen to a Godslayer, even though she knew it was true, she deceptively refused to believe it.
"Lady Athena is a great Earth Mother Goddess; there's no way she would lose to a mere man!" Angela puffed out her nondescript chest and spoke indignantly.
"If I had lost, do you think I'd still be here talking to you like this?" Kaido was too lazy to explain to her. Although Angela temporarily stayed due to coercion and temptation, this woman, perhaps due to excessive blood loss earlier, seemed to have lost her mind. When she saw him before, she would look at him with disdain and mockery, as if saying, "Why don't you come get me? Is something wrong down there?" Now, in that disheveled state, she seemed a little hysterical.
"Impossible!" Angela cried out in disbelief.
"Shut up! The one who loses, loses! Lost is lost! Do you want this girl to break her oath?" Athena's sudden shout caused Angela to freeze in place. "From now on, this Goddess will be Kaido's servant, forever! If you say one more word, this Goddess will rip off your snake skin!"
"...No, Lady Athena, I... I didn't mean that..." Angela said submissively.
Almost all God Ancestors were transformed from goddesses, meaning they were descendants of the Earth Mother Goddess. Although Angela had abandoned her God Ancestor body, her divine essence still contained the shadow of a goddess, which was why she respected Athena so much. Even if Athena told her to die immediately, Angela would do so without hesitation.
"Also, you will serve this man from now on. No disloyalty, understood?"
"...Yes." Despite her immense reluctance, Angela could only agree.
"Does this count as an oath of loyalty?" Kaido chuckled. Although Angela had been captured by him, she still harbored disloyalty. Her previous silence was entirely due to her injuries and her having placed her hopes on Athena. Now that even her boss had bowed to him, Angela, as a subordinate, could only grit her teeth and accept her fate.
"He... he actually did it." The space rippled like water, and the crystal-eyed princess in her twelve-layered kimono looked at Ling Yun with a gaze that was both complex and somewhat expectant. Throughout history, no Godslayer had ever captured a goddess, let alone Athena, one of the highest-ranking goddesses of the trinity. It could truly be said to be an unprecedented and unparalleled feat.
"The future truly might change." Without congratulations or sighs, Sita quietly watched from afar the Black-haired Youth surrounded by a group of girls of varied appearances.
"This child has already expended too much energy; I need to rest." Athena seemed indifferent to the bustling situation around her. After a serene comment, she deftly threaded through the human barrier formed by the girls. She walked up the stairs, found a random room, entered, and tightly closed the door.
Erica watched Athena's back disappear from her sight. Her blue eyes glinted with inexplicable sparks, then she stifled her excited smile, her expression serious, as if everything earlier was just a disguise from the girl.
"My King, is this truly alright?"
"What do you mean?"
"Without taking a Heretic God's life, your authority won't increase. And given Athena's personality, will she truly fawn over you in the future?" God Ancestors were one thing, but this time, the object of submission was a true Heretic God. The desire to fight, ingrained in their bones, interfered with their respective natures like an instinct. Erica was afraid that Athena would feign obedience but secretly plot something. For example, giving a death kiss during that moment.