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

Is this really that important to you?

The adorable young girl didn't look like the majestic goddess from mythology, but her voice, though cold, carried a faint air of authority: "Young god-slayer, though it is just a stone, it is incredibly precious to the goddess from the earth, and I am willing to risk my life for it."

You should be very clear about its true value.

What a tragic fate... It seems that my meeting with you was a mistake, and that the snake ending up in your hands was probably also a matter of destiny.

Athena sighed softly, her brows furrowing slightly: "It could also be that wretched maid Guinevere... But there's no point in saying all this now. I will absolutely not give up the [Gorgon Stone]. Do you want to make a deal with me, Aizen Iori?"

"A trade? I don't see any chips in your hands. On the contrary, I have something you've been dreaming of."

Iori's expression was playful.

"Athena, you don't want the [Serpent] to fall into the hands of another goddess, do you?"

"Do you threaten me?"

Athena's expression instantly turned icy cold, and the surrounding atmosphere rippled like it was being scorched by fire.

hum!

The space seemed to be shrouded in gray, with the shadows spreading out from the goddess and encompassing everything. The sand and gravel were as dull as if they had turned into lime, as if they had undergone the baptism of countless years in the blink of an eye.

Apoptosis... This is the aura from the underworld. The Earth Mother Goddess can bring life and take it away. If an ordinary person touches it, they will probably fall into an eternal slumber. Even magicians are no exception.

"Threat? No, this is neither a transaction nor a threat, but a tip."

Iori glanced at Athena, casually tossed something to her, and Athena instinctively reached out, catching the hard object.

"[The Gorgon Stone]...You?!"

The goddess of wisdom was utterly astonished. She had thought she would have to go through a fierce battle to obtain her divine artifact, but she hadn't expected it to be so easy... Didn't he know that having the [Serpent] would allow him to return to his peak condition?

"Aizen Iori, what exactly are you doing this for—"

"Stop talking nonsense and get to work."

Iori frowned: "I can't bring myself to touch little girls—it's definitely more comfortable to handle older girls!"

"……fighting?"

Athena tilted her head, as if several question marks had appeared.

This man... I guess he's referring to the feel of his hands during combat?

Chapter 393 The final piece of the puzzle, [The Wisdom of the Sky]!

“My half...my [snake]...the day has finally come, you will return to my embrace.”

Athena murmured, her delicate white hands gently stroking the rough stone carving, her eyes softening slightly for once.

This is her "serpent," named the [Gorgon Stone]!

As one of the oldest earth goddesses, Athena held a status in ancient times far beyond what she has today.

She was once the queen who ruled over the sky, the earth, and the darkness, but her lineage changed several times during the development of human civilization, especially after the shift from matrilineal to patrilineal lineage, which caused her to fall from grace.

She has appeared in more than one pantheon, but in the popular Greek mythology, her divinity is divided into three: Metis, Athena, and Medusa.

What she has been seeking all along is the divine artifact that will allow her to return to her peak and restore her status as the Queen of Gods from ancient times—the [Serpent], which symbolizes the core divine essence of the Earth Mother Goddess.

Having shed its skin several times, constantly cycling through hibernation and awakening, the snake was seen by ancient people as a symbol of the cycle of death and rebirth, as well as a creature that migrates with the seasons.

It can be said that the most important thing for the Earth Mother Goddess is the "serpent," and her divine status would decline significantly if she lost the serpent.

For Athena, her "serpent" is Medusa, who has been degraded to a demon, or Gorgon—the Gorgon Stone is the divine artifact that embodies this divinity.

Finding the stone should have been a joyous occasion, but being provoked and unable to respond directly was a humiliation. To achieve self-fulfillment, one must defeat the enemy before them in order to ascend the throne of the queen!

Although as a symbol of wisdom, one should not be so easily provoked, a disobedient god is still a disobedient god... If one can conquer this steel being named "Aizen Iori" and make him bow down at one's feet, then there will be nothing in this world that can stop one.

[This humble servant sings, sings a hymn to the Triune Goddess...]

The incantation, imbued with the power of magic, was slowly chanted in this desolate desert.

A magical scene unfolded: a gentle breeze blew away the thin layer of dust from the long-weathered land, as if revealing a long-sealed treasure to the world. First came the green seedlings, which then grew rapidly, transforming the landscape as far as the eye could see, all the way to the horizon, into a lush grassland!

Then, clear water, seemingly appearing from nowhere, gushed out of the cave, giving rise to clear streams.

"This... a miracle, a true miracle!"

Alice couldn't help but sigh, but she remained far away, not daring to approach the battlefield between the gods and the demon king.

At the same time, Athena's clothes gently fell away, transforming into a long white Roman-style dress. A pair of delicate bare feet trod on the soft grass, and her childlike body began to grow, filling out the slightly oversized dress.

Seventeen or eighteen years old is the best age for a girl.

First, there are slender ankles, then firm calves, rounded thighs, graceful waist, long and straight back, and finally smooth and delicate collarbones, which are faintly visible in the breeze, ultimately returning to the image of a sacred and pure young girl.

"My name is Athena, daughter of Zeus, patron goddess of Athens, and eternal virgin."

In the past, she was Mother Earth, the mother of all things!

In the past, he was the lord of the underworld, who ruled over darkness!

In the past, she was a wise queen who knew the wisdom of the heavens!

"I swear, Athena will soon return to her original form!"

Her silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall, instantly falling from her short hair to her waist, appearing very graceful in the wind.

Iori's gaze shifted to the girl's face, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

Her eyes were as black as the night sky, her face elegant and exquisitely beautiful, and her serene expression made her seem like a fairy from another world. Her slender neck was as beautiful as a lily.

With her laurel wreath-like headdress, Roman-style off-the-shoulder white dress, and blue silk sash, nothing could better embody the definition of a "goddess" than Athena before us.

Eternal maiden, goddess of wisdom, queen in trinity—

"pity."

Iori lowered her gaze slightly and couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Ok?"

Athena was prepared to receive praise from others, but she did not expect Iori to react this way, and a look of doubt appeared on her face.

"Is it possible that my figure is not perfect enough? By human standards of beauty, it is undoubtedly a miracle."

"...So be it."

Iori pursed her lips, clearly not agreeing.

"But in the end, aesthetics are subjective. Perhaps Greeks would prefer this kind of slender figure, but to me... it's nothing. It's not your fault, please don't mind."

"Hehehe~"

The goddess covered her mouth and chuckled, but a vein on her forehead bulged slightly: "Although I don't quite understand what you're saying, I feel offended."

Sure enough, all the male gods in the "steel" category are so rude, and you're no different from them.

If you have any complaints about my current appearance—"

hum!

Athena conjured a jet-black longbow in her hand, and as the moonlit bowstring was drawn back, magical power automatically condensed into golden arrows.

"Then prove yourself right with your own life!"

A strong wind whipped up the arrow, which, like the spitting tongue of a venomous snake, streaked through the air and locked onto Iori!

But when faced with the incoming arrows, Iori neither dodged nor evaded, and even stood still in place.

--clang!

The moment the arrow touched Iori's skin, the sharp arrowhead was compressed into a lump like putty, making a crisp impact sound before bouncing away.

"what?"

Athena raised an eyebrow. "Immortality? Like the steel protection of Siegfried or Achilles. But this protection can only defend against swords, not the call of 'death'!"

"Oh right, you're also a god of the underworld..."

Iori seemed to be deep in thought, stroking her chin as she looked Athena up and down.

That unwavering, even somewhat disdainful gaze, as if admiring an antique vase, secretly annoyed the silver-haired goddess in white.

"It's just blocking an arrow, and you're already so proud of yourself? But my strength is not something so simple—"

Athena stretched out her right hand, and the longbow instantly transformed into a long-handled scythe. The serpent's head spat out a sharp blade more than a meter long, as terrifying as the Grim Reaper's instrument for reaping souls.

At the same time, silver wings spread behind her, and countless owls appeared in the dark sky, circling like a flock of crows from an apocalypse, their feathers falling like snowflakes.

"I am the one who summons winter, the one who controls life and death, the cold ruler of the underworld, and the queen who seizes by trickery and plunder."

"I command 'Iori,' to become a dead king, and turn into a corpse!"

Words imbued with divine power echoed between heaven and earth, while ominous, misty spells swirled around the goddess's hands.

This is the power of words and curses of "death," a finality directly declared by the mistress of the underworld, from which even gods and god-slayers are not exempt.

"Let's skip these little tricks."

Iori flicked her finger, striking the side of the golden scythe that was swinging towards her. Athena felt a surge of force, and the weapon in her hand trembled. Her expression changed.

But she was not a weak goddess; she was also a warrior, and her martial arts skills were equally superb. She immediately used the momentum to wield her long scythe, which spun through the wind and drew a beautiful arc to continue attacking from another direction.

A flash appeared at Iori's waist, and the sword Kusanagi was drawn—

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sounds of metal clashing rang out continuously. Iori and Athena's magical power surged, and dozens of moves had already been exchanged in the blink of an eye. Iori remained calm and composed, but Athena's brows were furrowed, and her face grew increasingly grim.

Finally, she abandoned her offensive and decisively retreated. After creating some distance, she first lowered her head to look at her scythe, then looked at Iori, who was unharmed in the distance, her eyes widening slightly.

"You...do you despise me so much?!"

"how you said that?"

Iori pointed her Zanpakuto diagonally at the ground and asked with a smile.

"From the beginning until now... you haven't moved an inch!"

Athena was enraged, feeling immensely corrupted. A vast amount of pure magical power surged within her, and an ominous aura slowly emanated from her...

A scarlet vertical pupil suddenly opened in the void!

Centered on Athena's feet, a somber color spread rapidly, like a curse covering the entire grassland in a few breaths, turning everything from sand and soil to vegetation into lifeless rocks!

Alice and Huina were also within the range of the curse and had no time to escape. Humans had no resistance to it and were almost certain to die.

However, at the very moment the petrification curse struck, they felt a strange weightlessness and, in a daze, found themselves on a beautiful lakeside, surrounded by blue skies, white clouds, green mountains, and clear waters—a stark contrast to their previous death scenes.

"Lord Aizen's little world..."

The two women understood and felt a surge of warmth, but at the same time, they began to worry about Iori's current situation in the other world.

—As it turns out, they were overthinking it.

Iori still didn't move, but the petrification curse only covered his clothes and had no effect on him personally; not even a strand of his hair changed.

"What a waste of my $20,000 custom-made suit."

With a slight exertion, Iori's clothes ripped apart, revealing a white trench coat and trousers.

"If you want to see me naked, you can just say so directly. There's no need for all this trouble."

"...The properties of 'rock'?"

Athena coldly stared at Iori, "But as for immortality, it has a deep connection with the earth, which is not compatible with me."

The Monkey King is a stone monkey born of nature, possessing the supernatural power of immortality. His indestructible body is also forged based on this physique.

Athena's petrification curse can even break through the resistance of gods, but for the Monkey King, who is "stone" himself, and Iori, who inherited her indestructible body, the effect will naturally be greatly reduced.

"Phaseality?"

Iori smiled gently: "If you're willing to think that way, it's a good reason."

Athena's expression changed: "Reason? What do you mean?"

"People always need some unfavorable objective conditions to excuse their incompetence, there's nothing strange about that, Goddess."

"—!"

"Oh my, how terrifying~ The strength of this divine aura even surpasses that of ordinary god-kings. Among the disobedient gods I have fought, even Veleslana could not surpass it. Only the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, empowered by the Covenant, could be a step ahead."