I let the genie out of the bottle

PS1: It feels so empty (referring to the lack of votes), I want it filled up, please~ OR2

PS2: I recommend a book, "JoJosei: The Bizarre Adventurers in Slice-of-Life Anime".

I highly recommend everyone to read this. I think this author is fantastic. I first fell in love with his books when I read "Hachiman Hikigaya". It's incredible that someone like me, who used to frequent a certain online forum, could fall in love with a single-female-lead slice-of-life romance novel! Wow, that's terrifying!

Chapter 59 You're Too Weak

"Such humiliation is unforgivable! I will absolutely—" The young goddess gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with rage, "kill you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Ye sensed that Athena's eyes, which he had restrained, began to change.

The Goddess with Bright Eyes was the name given to her by our ancestors.

This means that her eyes were like the light of dawn.

However, at this moment, those bright eyes gradually lost their original luster.

Seeing this, Lu Ye became slightly wary, and looked at "Athena," who was still being restrained by him, with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"I see, it's like a snake shedding its skin."

He escaped on his own, leaving only an empty shell, just as life in autumn sinks into the soil and revives in spring.

As the Earth Mother Goddess who controls dragons and snakes, it is perfectly normal for her to possess this kind of ability.

As he spoke, Lu Ye raised his hand and gently patted the empty shell, causing it to dissipate into specks of fluorescent light.

Silently standing up, Lu Ye patted the dust off his clothes, a faint smile on his face.

Then, he casually drew a simple-looking longsword and used it to block the sickle that came from nowhere.

This is unacceptable; you can't protect your family here in Zaun.

Lu Ye silently complained in his heart.

However, to be honest, it would be easier for Athena to anger her using another method.

Athena herself is a trinity: Metis, Athena, and Medusa.

However, as her status in mythology changed, Metis was reduced to Zeus's wife, Athena became Zeus's daughter, and Medusa became a monster slain by a hero with Athena's support.

Furthermore, in mythology, Metis was swallowed by Zeus, which, for Athena herself, was probably the greatest humiliation she suffered.

Therefore, if you want to provoke her, a simple "You're so beautiful" is probably more effective than anything else.

However, at this moment, all Lu Ye needed to do was to enrage Athena to the point of losing her composure.

Bringing up this matter would really reopen someone's deepest wounds, and it's also a bit against personal aesthetics.

"This sword... the Sword of Mars?"

When Lu Ye turned around, he happened to see the goddess casually wave her hand, causing her divine power to transform back into the clothes on her body.

"I snatched it." Lu Ye waved the sword in his hand and said casually.

As he studied the divine power, he discovered that he seemed to be able to try to reconstruct the weapons carried by the rebellious gods whose divine power he had absorbed.

However, this is no easy task, and so far only the Sword of Mars has succeeded.

This is probably because he simultaneously absorbed the Sword of Mars, a divine artifact, and the descending, unruly Mars.

If he were to use the lightsaber that he could arbitrarily conjure with his magic, his sword would likely be easily cut in half by that scythe.

Athena stopped speaking, but gripped a black scythe tightly in both hands, her gaze wary and cold.

Judging from his eyes, although his primary goal at the beginning was to seize the Gorgon Stone, he has now probably made defeating Lu Ye his objective.

The "molting" she just did seems to have been quite a burden for Athena.

Although she had indeed broken free from Lu Ye's control, judging from her slightly out-of-breath appearance, she seemed to have expended a lot of energy.

Even so—

She still made Lu Ye realize how bad his martial arts skills were.

Perhaps, I need someone to guide me in martial arts.

Athena, who has not yet returned to her Trinity state, is far inferior to Lu Ye in terms of the total amount of magical power within her body.

The same applies to physical fitness.

However, despite having far inferior physical attributes compared to Lu Ye, she was able to wield a scythe, forcing Lu Ye to struggle to parry with his sword.

At this moment, she reminded Lu Ye of the time when he was held back by Liliana on the way to the Temple of Mars.

During this time, through analyzing Mars' divine power, he has also made considerable progress in his combat skills.

However, these enhancements are probably negligible in the eyes of Athena, a rebellious goddess skilled in battle.

If Lu Ye wanted, he could end this hand-to-hand combat at any time.

Therefore, by engaging in close combat with this goddess at this moment, he actually wanted to hone his skills while ensuring his own safety.

Ares played a significant role in the final formation of Mars, the Roman god of war.

However, in the Trojan War, Ares, who held the title of god of war, was easily defeated by Athena.

While they were pondering, Athena's scythe clashed with Mars' sword once again.

However, this time—

"Ares!" The goddess's eyes flashed with anger as she shouted sharply, "Get out of my way!"

Athena herself is associated with the legend of defeating Ares, who is an important part of the Mars legend.

As Athena shouted, the Sword of Mars trembled slightly, and then broke in two in Lu Ye's astonished eyes, cleaved in two by the scythe.

The concept of restraint in mythology is faithfully reflected here as well.

Immediately afterwards, the scythe, accompanied by a whooshing sound, slashed towards Lu Ye's neck.

Lu Ye's mind sharpened slightly, and the ability to skip the process appeared once again, instantly moving him out of the attack range of Athena's scythe.

"It's that trick again." The silver-haired goddess's voice was icy, and a faint light shone in her eyes, with the mark of a winged serpent appearing in her pupils.

The next moment, everything within Lu Ye's sight—the ground around him, the flags fluttering in the air, the birds flying overhead—slowly turned grayish-white.

Medusa's Eye! An eye that can petrify everything within its sight!

"Abilities related to time are indeed very powerful, but they do have a cooldown period."

She could sense the magic surging within her opponent, ready to break free of the petrification in the next instant.

But it doesn't matter, she only needs to control the other person for a moment.

Then, as she swung her scythe once more and lunged forward, the petrification on Lu Ye's body was completely lifted.

It doesn't matter; his own scythe is about to slice across his neck, while his opponent has already lost his weapon.

Then, she noticed that Lu Ye calmly made a casual gesture, and another Mars Sword appeared in his hand.

At this moment, Athena was in a state of full-force attack, wielding her scythe.

Moreover, it seems that because they believed Lu Ye had lost his weapon, their attacks were quite flawed.

Upon seeing the divine sword reappear in Lu Ye's hand, her expression immediately changed.

However, this time, Lu Ye merely forced her back and did not take the opportunity to pursue her.

Then, seeing her slightly confused expression, Lu Ye narrowed his eyes and slowly spoke.

"As expected, you are too weak in this state. Only in your Trinity state do you have enough value."

"Are you perhaps planning to return the snake to me?"

Athena asked in a cold tone, her face expressionless.

P.S.: Please vote!

Chapter Sixty: Are you watching me?

"It would be pointless to defeat you as you are now."

Lu Ye slowly released the Sword of Mars from his hand, his eyes half-open with a hint of languor, his tone casual.

"There will be no sense of accomplishment, nor will it bring any satisfaction."

As he spoke, he slowly took the Gorgon Stone out of his pocket.

This divine artifact, which Athena had been pursuing relentlessly, immediately caught the goddess's eye as soon as it was brought out.

"If you were in your Trinity form, defeating you would surely bring me more enjoyment, wouldn't it?"

"Whether you're pursuing battle or something else," the petite, silver-haired goddess said, looking somewhat reluctant as she looked away from the Gorgon Stone, "restoring my status as the concubine of the ancient gods is absolutely the strongest thing ever!"

"Hmph, if that's the case, then I'll just have to wait and see."

Lu Ye's figure vanished from the spot in an instant, appearing on a dilapidated high-rise building not far away, where he crouched down and looked down at the Earth Goddess who stood there dumbfounded.

His face wore a smile that seemed to be both expectant and mocking.

That's almost it.

Lu Ye said silently in his heart.

At this point, in Athena's eyes, he should have become a bored, restless, and disobedient god.

Arrogant, willful, powerful, and also seeking pleasure.

Although Athena was furious with herself at this moment, she was unable to defeat herself due to her own strength, so she had no choice but to temporarily submit to her own will.

"So, are you now prepared to return the snake to me and defeat me in my full form?"

Lu Ye did not answer this question directly.

He gently closed his eyes, his face bearing a feigned pity that was obvious at a glance.

"How pitiful, Athena. At this moment, you can only defeat me in my weakest area: martial arts."

"And if I use any one of my many powers at will, you will be powerless to resist."

As Lu Ye spoke, he held up one finger.

"Someone like you wouldn't even be good enough for me to prepare a special banquet for you, let alone serve you as a side dish."

"You—" The goddess was almost furious, the veins on her hands gripping the scythe were faintly visible.

If she could do it, she probably wouldn't mind dying together with Lu Ye.

"While I wouldn't mind restoring you to your Trinity form and then playing around with you, however—"

Lu Ye spread his hands, revealing a helpless expression.

"My schedule is already full."

It turns out I'm still not good enough.

Lu Ye sighed inwardly.

If he were strong enough, why would he need to waste so much breath?

Even in her incomplete state, Athena could still be grabbed by Lu Ye and unleash a barrage of attacks.

If she regains her Trinity form, then Lu Ye will need to consider moving quickly without opening the sealed bottle.

"However, it's not impossible that once I've finished my recent entertainment projects, I'll return the Gorgon Stone to you and witness the so-called Triune Queen of Gods."

As he spoke, his figure vanished before Athena, leaving only a single sentence behind.

"Stay here and don't move. Wait for me to bring you the Gorgon Stone."

"This guy." Athena said with a dark expression, putting away her scythe.

"Since you want me to stay here, then I will do as you wish, shall I?"

-

"It seems she's still staying put."