You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

"Oh, I made a stupid mistake!"

The black-haired sword priestess then realized what she had said.

To question the bravery of a god-slayer—in ordinary times, such provocative and insulting words would be considered incredibly audacious, but Hui Na has always been innocent, straightforward, and outspoken.

"Um, you don't need to be so serious. We're just here for a walk, it's normal to chat for a bit."

Iori thought for a moment: "Uneasy? I used to be—I didn't have this power from the beginning."

After I first realized that this 'world' was unusual, I panicked for a while, but it was pointless and wouldn't change my situation at all, so I let go of those distracting thoughts.

Later, I acquired the surname 'Aizen'... which perhaps strengthened my resolve even further. From then on, I never truly felt fear again.

"Been taught a lesson."

The black-haired Hui Na said admiringly, "Recognizing one's own shortcomings and then overcoming them? What a beautiful and strong will! As a warrior, the king's figure is truly admirable."

"It's best not to use this word casually."

Iori smiled slightly, and for some reason, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up.

In terms of appearance, Eina scores highly in all aspects, such as her proper and elegant manners, her dignified and innocent temperament, her fairy-like cute face, and the girlish heart hidden beneath her swordsman's exterior...

Being praised by a beautiful girl always makes people feel happy.

"Huina and Alice, you... um?"

Just as Iori was about to say something, her expression suddenly froze. She reached out and blocked the two girls, then took a step forward herself.

"king?"

"Your Highness?"

Alice and Huina both sensed something was amiss and immediately went on alert.

"Don't panic later."

Iori snapped out of his daze, smiled and reassured his two subordinates. He then turned his gaze to the depths of the sea, where a petite figure quietly emerged.

After Iori saw the other person's face clearly, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, feeling extremely surprised that he would meet her here.

—Athena who refuses to obey!

Find an absolute beauty to be my rival... Guinevere, Guinevere, do you think I'm a loli lover in your eyes?

He looks like a perfectly healthy man to me.

To be honest, although silver hair is very appealing to me, in terms of charm alone, she's not as attractive as the female knight I just met... At least, Hippolyta is truly "broad-minded"!

"I even ran into a god while just out for a stroll. What luck I have... Nice to meet you, goddess Athena. I am Aizen Iori."

The man waved and greeted them calmly.

On the sea, the goddess of wisdom, who looked like a primary school student, frowned slightly: "The rumored new demon king... you wretched thing, you certainly have ill intentions!"

Chapter 389. Brats need to be taught a lesson.

—A god who does not obey!

It was a terrifying existence, like a natural disaster; the appearance of each god meant that calamity was about to befall the human world.

“Athena…that ancient goddess…”

This name is among the most well-known in the world. Even a shrine maiden like Eina from the deep mountains is a household name in it, let alone Alice, who is quite knowledgeable about mythology.

One of the twelve Olympian gods in Greece, she was known as "Minerva" in Rome. As a goddess, she possessed a variety of divine duties, including war, victory, art, harvest, navigation, and animal husbandry. The complexity of her divine status was almost comparable to that of Zeus, who was known as "omnipotent".

Although the modern version portrays her as the daughter of Zeus, older records indicate that her origins are very ancient, dating back even before the rise of Greek civilization.

The two women never expected that such a transcendent being would appear so abruptly around them, without any warning... although it wouldn't make any difference.

"You actually know my name."

The young girl was expressionless, her eyes almost freezing the sea, and she exuded a cold and aloof aura that kept people at a distance.

"If this is a trap, it's far too rudimentary. And since when did the demon king who slays gods begin to cooperate with a fallen goddess?"

"It wasn't a collaboration; she just assumed I was someone else."

"I see...it does look very similar."

Athena's gaze swept over Iori: "But what's incredible is that while I can sense an incredibly pure aura of [steel] from you, you also possess the qualities of a god-slayer. These are contradictions that shouldn't exist simultaneously, so how can they be so harmonious?"

"Perhaps I'm just special."

Iori smiled and said, "Aren't you the same? When gods are active in the mortal world, they are all corrupted by madness and become disobedient. Unless they return to mythology or hide in the underworld, they are no exception."

However, you are different from others; you do not possess that rebellious aura. Instead, you are as calm as still water, giving people a sense of mystery and awe, like the silent night.

"For a greedy and reckless demon king, you are a rare example of wisdom."

Upon hearing this assessment, the silver-haired girl's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, seemingly admiring Iori's discerning eye.

The sea breeze made her hair shimmer like tassels, and a mysterious smile appeared on her fair face, making people hold their breath.

Her silver, shoulder-length short hair evokes images of moonlight, and her beautiful face is both aloof and exquisite. Although she wears a very ordinary knitted vest, she exudes a wonderful elegance and nobility, as if there are misty fairies dancing around her.

Wearing a black dress and tight stockings, she looks like a cute little girl, at most thirteen or fourteen years old.

Judging from their appearance alone, it wouldn't be inappropriate to call them elementary school students.

What is most striking about her are her eyes, which are dark and deep... and her pupils are different from those of ordinary people, being vertical pupils like those of snakes.

The moment Athena turned her gaze towards them, Alice and Huina immediately looked away, instinctively unwilling to meet the girl's eyes.

This is not cowardice, but the gaze of the gods sometimes carries a certain magic, either making people submit or imposing a curse. One of the marquises among the god-slayers possessed such power.

This seemingly petite and pitiful girl could kill Alice and Huina in an instant if she wanted to.

The Sword Witch's superb combat skills might rank her among the top three of her peers, or even put her to the test of time against the pinnacle of human paladins, but they are meaningless in the face of gods.

The terrifying aspect of the Disobedient God lies in its power to kill a Great Knight at will.

However, Athena's aura was not enough to dominate the surrounding space, because the moment Iori opened his mouth, he automatically became the center of all things under heaven.

"You were also drawn here by Guinevere? That girl's efficiency is truly astonishing... How about staying for a couple of days? Maybe you'll run into another Godslayer. It'll be quite a lively scene then."

Iori spoke in a relaxed tone, as if the person opposite her was not an ancient goddess, but an ordinary girl next door.

"Ok?"

At this moment, the disobedient god was staring intently at the three people in front of him, or more precisely, at Iori, who was standing at the very front.

The man's face was reflected in her cold, vertical pupils, but the girl's eyes were full of confusion.

"It's strange... If he were the reincarnation of that man, I, as the Earth Mother Goddess, should be filled with disgust, but now I don't feel that impulse of rejection and hostility that seems to come from the depths of my soul."

But if it wasn't a reincarnation, then Guinevere, that maid, couldn't possibly have served anyone else, and she could never have mistaken someone else… Can you clear up my doubts?”

"In the battle between gods and god-slayers, intelligence is a crucial element. Why would I deliberately reveal my origins?"

Iori remained unmoved. "If you want to know, then let's fight, shall we?"

“I share this thought. Although I am not of the Steel type, I also yearn for battle and victory—but now is not the time.”

The girl's voice, like her appearance, was innocent and ethereal, making one feel an irresistible urge to protect her.

"I must find the [snake] as soon as possible."

"【snake】?"

Iori asked the question instinctively, but the relevant information had already flashed through her mind.

If he remembers correctly, it should be the Gorgon Stone, which symbolizes the serpent and is an extremely important component of Athena's divinity.

Sure enough, Athena said, "That is something I once lost. It made me incomplete. Only by finding it can I return to my former self."

That lowly maid lured me here with the aura of a snake, and now it seems it's related to you... But until I'm fully recovered, it's impossible for me to defeat someone like you, a being of steel.

The silver-haired girl didn't speak arrogantly; she seriously concluded that she was no match for him, and that proved to be true. It can only be said that the goddess of wisdom truly had exceptional insight, recognizing at a glance the formidable strength of Iori, setting her apart from ordinary god-slayers.

"No need to be so impatient, new Godslayer."

The girl said slowly, "I still have things to accomplish. I will not recklessly fight you before I regain my true power. But in return, once I obtain the [Serpent], I will ascend to become the queen of this world. In order to establish my rule, I will naturally annihilate you god-slayers."

"That's quite a boast... Does this mean they'll fight another day?"

"Don't worry, it won't take long. Guinevere can't hide from me for long."

"Why don't you let Guinevere come to see me? I'll ask her for it for you."

"...I have no desire to accept the help of [Steel]. Once a goddess becomes dependent on [Steel], she risks falling into depravity. I will not allow my divinity to be shrouded in any shadow."

A thick darkness enveloped the girl, causing her to completely melt into the night.

"I am the embodiment of wisdom, the goddess of war who guides heroes, the queen of gods who once possessed everything but was taken from her, and lost her throne..."

Farewell, seventh Demon King who slays gods.

After a long while, once the aura of the disobedient god had completely disappeared, Alice let out a long breath.

"Lord Aizen, are you just going to let her go like this?"

Alice was well aware of Iori's strength; even the ancient goddess Athena would not be a match for Iori. Therefore, she was puzzled, not understanding why her king would let such a powerful being slip away so easily.

"Didn't you hear her say that once she completes her divine status and returns to her peak, she will naturally come looking for me?"

Iori smiled. "Then the 'prize pool' can be even bigger, right?"

"You are truly confident... Only you can treat gods as nothing."

Alice sighed.

With this incident, the three abandoned their plans to continue their nighttime stroll and returned to the seaside villa provided by the Council of Sages.

But just a short distance from the gate, a light and cheerful voice reached my ears:

"Hey, are you locals? I'd like to ask for directions."

A person emerged from the shadows under a streetlamp and greeted the three of them warmly.

Hui Na is not that great. When Alice saw the blond youth, her pupils shrank slightly and her brows furrowed.

But that feeling was different from the wariness he felt when he encountered Athena; it was more of a sense of helplessness and worry.

"It's you... sigh."

"We're just here for tourism."

Iori ignored the White Priestess's unusual behavior and nodded naturally as if she had known all along.

"But we know some locals. Where would you like to go?"

"Excuse me, where does the famous War King Aizen Iori live?"

"Oh, this?"

Iori replied with a smile, "Right here."

"That's good!"

The blond youth pushed up his sunglasses, and even in the dead of night, his intense gaze was fixed on Iori.

"I've finally found the right place!"

"It's such a pity. I told her to stay a little longer, otherwise we could have had a Three Kings Banquet or something."

Iori spoke casually and appeared natural, though she seemed slightly disappointed.

A handsome blond young man wearing a Hawaiian shirt asked curiously, "Who is it?"

"A troublesome woman."

Iori shook her head, not delving into the topic, but instead asking the young man, "What brings you here to see me? — Although I already guessed the answer, I'll ask anyway."

"Well, Mr. Salvatore?"

"Hey!"

The young man grinned.

The guy who greeted Iori with a sunny disposition had bright blonde short hair, handsome features, and a tall and slender figure. In terms of appearance alone, he was definitely the kind of guy who would be very popular with girls.

However, compared to his casual attire, he seemed rather frivolous, looking much like any other tourist you'd see anywhere.

At this moment, Hui Na suddenly remembered the young man's identity and looked at him in surprise. She hadn't expected to encounter Athena and the King of Swords in one night... It seemed that after following this great man, she would always encounter some extraordinary beings.