Chapter 120 - Gehenna - Prelude To The End

Once they arrived where Athena was fading as mana, Uran gathered everything that constituted Athena's existence in that world and helped her recover from the state she was in, returning Athena's form and restoring whatever mana she still had was not difficult at all for Uran. Doing this was like blowing a dandelion flower in the wind or gathering sand with your palms for the goddess.

That was a simple task and that the goddess did with all the pleasure in the world, because what Uran wanted most at that moment was to see Athena.

When she returned to her original form, Athena looked at Uran and then at Ytria with a huge smile. Her promise was partly fulfilled and her friend was free. Athena didn't understand why she felt so attached to Uran, but either way she was happy to see Uran there.

Uran looked at Athena with eyes full of joy and unable to contain herself, the goddess hugged her friend while repeating Athena's name again and again.

Hovering there, where the battle against Redel and Nirsa took place, Athena hugged Uran back and seeing Ytria with a lonely gaze, Athena pulled her into her embrace as well.

"Thank you, Ytria." Athena whispered in Ytria's ear, then stroked Uran's hair and asked. "Am I late?"

"Mm..." Uran shook her head. "I was ready to wait as long as necessary."

Athena laughed and Ytria felt as if something burned inside her. That's because Uran didn't give her that amount of time in the past and destroyed her life by making her turn to dust everything she and her friends had conquered.

The three landed on the plain, which had gained new rocks and boulders in its scenery, and Ytria stared at Uran with displeasure. It didn't matter if the girl was a goddess, Ytria needed to get her rancor out and started venting her feelings.

"You would wait as long as it took for Athena to free you, but what about me?!"

Uran stared at Ytria with a confused look for a moment and then looked at Athena, as if wondering what the woman was talking about.

Athena in turn sighed and understanding what Ytria was saying, she explained to Uran, who soon denied it. "Huh? I didn't curse you."

"Uou didn't not? It was all sudden and it's been a long time since then, but I remember clearly the power you gave me consuming me!" Ytria said with a crooked smile of anger on her face. "If it weren't for that, everything would have been different!"

"Wait, you were my first friend and I only gave you some of my power!" Uran said and in that instant something came to her mind. "Unless..."

"Unless...?" Athena asked.

In the past, four thousand years ago, when Ytria and the others opened the seal, Uran could feel the dormant power in Ytria, but he didn't care and gave her friend some of her power so that way, Ytria could fulfill her dreams and goals of a world without war.

However, some time later Uran realized her mistake, but it was too late and there was nothing she could do for being sealed. Uran said everything she was thinking about what could have caused Ytria to lose control and with a plausible explanation, the goddess made the woman calm down.

Well, "calm down" would be a nice way of describing how Ytria was doing. As she listened to Uran's explanation, Ytria's face paled as if she were a ghost.

"The power I gave you, strengthened the darkness in you..."

"So... So..." Ytria said with a shaky voice. "All this time..."

"You were being consumed by your own power." Athena said with a complicated expression on her face. That because she knew the feeling of being controlled by something she should be controlling. "Ytria, it wasn't your fault."

"H-how not?! I killed millions of people because I was unable to control myself!" Ytria screamed sterically. "I destroyed every kingdom I helped to pacify and build!"

"But you didn't do it because you wanted to." Uran said. "You are a mortal, your soul was not prepared to have so much power. Much less the power of a god.... I think in the end it was really my fault."

With her head down and shoulders hunched, Uran blamed herself. Her appearance was of a child and the way she was at the moment made her even smaller. Ytria could see that at least until then, Uran was just a child despite being a powerful goddess.

Ytria pressed her lips together briefly and took a deep breath, trying to get rid of the anger she felt for Uran, as well as trying to get rid of the anger she felt for herself.

The fact that Uran had given her power and thanks to that she had destroyed everything she had fought for didn't change, just like the fact that she was weak and succumbed to her own power hadn't changed.

Ytria could not blame Uran, for it was her own fault. With this in mind, Ytria denied the guilt the goddess claimed on herself. "I should have been stronger, tried to resist the power that was growing in me, but I got too self-confident and got carried away, destroying all my dream..."

"You also don't have to go so far as to blame yourself-" Athena said, but was soon refuted by Ytria.

"No, that goes for you too, Athena."

"Huh?"

"If I hadn't succumbed, then sealed and gone to that world, none of this would be happening to you..." Ytria lowered her head, feeling her shoulders heavy with the guilt that overwhelmed her. "You would probably be happy, with your wife and maybe even have kids...."

Ytria spoke with a shaky voice, imagining a completely different life for Athena, but this without taking into account what Athena thought of it and the woman was not happy with all the nonsense she was hearing.

"Helena, shut the fuck up!" Athena said in a bitter voice. "If nothing had happened and I hadn't died in the other world, I wouldn't have met so many people important to me and would be with..." Athena made a strange expression when imagining the possibility of having continued with Luana in the other world and shook her head. "Never mind... I don't want to think about the possibility." Athena tossed her hair back from her face and smiled. "Nothing bad that happened to me was your fault, but if you want to take responsibility for something, let it be how happy I am today. If I hadn't come to this world, I would never have found my true loves and friends."

That was Athena's resolution and Ytria saw it in her eyes. In her eyes had no regrets, let alone accusation or anger. Athena was happy with her new life, even though at the moment she is facing a crisis that she didn't see how it would end.

Athena was sure that if she had to choose between the other world and this one, she would choose this world a thousand times over.

In this world she found true love, not just from one, but from two people she also loved. In that world she found friends she cared about and cared about her, as well as she found a daughter, a family she loved with all her might.

In the other world she had friends and family who cared about her, but she abandoned them for a toxic love that led to her death. Well, that didn't bother her, at least not anymore, because she thought that if none of that had happened, she would still be living a lie she didn't know about.

Either way, Athena was happy to be there and had no reason to blame Ytria or any grudges against the woman. In fact, Athena had many reasons to thank Ytria.

"If I have to say something to you, it would be 'thank you'." Athena finally said as she placed her hand on Ytria's shoulder.

In turn, feeling much lighter with her feelings, Ytria covered her eyes with her hands. Behind those hands were eyes filled with tears that came with relief from the resentment and guilt that was being drained from her heart.

Ytria felt her chest lighten as relief took her heart. All the grudge, loneliness and sadness she had felt for four thousand years was fading with every word of thanks from Athena, who asked her to forgive herself, leave the past behind and look forward to the future.

Ytria wanted to do what Athena asked her to do. She very much wanted to do and be what Athena expected of her, but something so soul-infused in her wouldn't go away so easily.

When she was still Helena, the lull of an ordinary life made her stop looking at all that feelings. These feelings that she carried for so long were less intense because of the words that Athena addressed to her, but that didn't mean the feelings she carried had disappeared.

However, that didn't mean it was impossible to get rid of it all and move on. Ytria accepted Athena's words and took a step to forgive herself and leave the past behind.

Athena became the strength for Ytria, who come to love her even more.

***

"This child is Uran, my friend and the most powerful goddess in the world."

Mifa walk way from Athena and looking at Uran, who was smiling shyly, she approached and stroked the little girl's white hair. Mifa's reddish brown eyes gleamed with a certain interest as a radiant smile formed on her lips.

"She..." Mifa looked at Athena and hugged Uran enthusiastically. "She is so cute!!!"

"Eh? Ah, yes, she is." Athena said when she was taken aback by Mifa's reaction. "But is that really what caught your attention?"

"Hmm?"

Mifa looked at Athena with eyes that said nothing else mattered but Uran's cuteness, letting Athena dumbfounded by her beloved's reaction.

Athena shrugged and turned to Anemus who was still stunned to see that her beloved was alive. "Are you alright?"

"I... You..." Anemus' green eyes looked lost in happiness, relief and confusion. "Athena?"

Athena smiled and knelt in front of the fairy, looked into her eyes and touched her face still wet from the tears of despair and grief from a few seconds ago.

"It's all right." Athena said and pulled Anemus into a hug, which made Anemus realize that what she saw was real. "I am here."

"Athena!" Anemus clung to Athena as if she hadn't seen her in a long time. "I thought... I thought you had..."

As she spoke, Anemus clung to Athena more tightly and sobbed repeatedly as tears began to well up in her eyes again. It made Athena realize again that her careless actions made people who were important to her suffer.

"I'm not going anywhere." Athena said and hugged Anemus tight.

After that, when Anemus calmed down, Athena told everything, in the smallest detail, about what happened during the fight against Nirsa and Redel. How she killed Nirsa and gained her authority and purpose of the night, and how she had to deal with Redel, being criticized by Mifa and Serien who said there were better ways to handle the situation.

"Yeah, I thought of that way only after I had already acted." Athena said and looked at Ytria. "That reminds me that I didn't ask how you managed to free Uran."

Ytria, who was sitting next to Serien, but a little further away from the group that surrounded a bonfire, explained the whole process of freeing Uran, who was now dozing like an ordinary child with her head resting on Athena's thigh.

"...Then, just after I started, a god appeared and Theikós took the initiative and..." Ytria made a worried expression and continued after a brief moment. "And if nothing bad happened, she must still be fighting him somewhere up north."

"That's something I've been wanting to ask since yesterday." Seren said. "Who is this Theikós? Besides, I still don't know anything about that Lucifer." Serien placed a hand on her forehead and took a deep breath as she realized there was so much she didn't understand. "Actually, could you just explain to me what's going on now? Because, you know, my whole kingdom, my house, has just been pulverized and my people are all here, in this inhospitable world."

Serien hardly understood all that. In fact, the level of stress she had built up since Athena returned had escalated greatly. And even after the relief that came with getting her children back and knowing that Athena was alive after two years missing, Serien was just a mortal, who until recently had faith in a single goddess. Ever so, she discovered that such goddess was a farce and that this same goddess had been swallowed up by her friend and sovereign, Athena. To Serien's stressed mind, all the recent events were too much for her to handle.

Seeing that the queen was in a chaotic state of mind, Athena used the magic {Mind Manipulation} to relieve the stress and anxiety of the woman who soon calmed down, allowing herself to listen to Athena's explanation.

"Athena, sorry to interrupt, but..." Ytria said and Athena soon understood what she wanted to say.

"You're worried about Theikos, right?"

"Mm... She might not be able to beat that god."

"Okay, but I don't have enough mana yet to face another god, maybe in one more hour..."

"But Theikós may not have another hour..." Anemus said.

"That's why I'm going to ask Lucifer and Ella to go with you, Helena."

"Oh!" Anemus exclaimed upon hearing Lucifer and Ella's names. "Athena, Fotiá is not well! Earlier, she was passed out in Lucifer's arms and..."

"It's okay already." Athena said. "I just talked to her and she's fine."

It hadn't been long since Fotiá had woken up and as soon as she did, the nymph soon came into telepathic contact with her mother. Fotiá was desperate at first, but soon calmed down after Athena said she was fine. So after they talked a little, Fotiá informed that with the absence of Serien, Mifa and Athena herself, the people were in chaos even with the presence of knights, soldiers, adventurers to protect them and the leadership of Oliana, Lobana and Sahari.

"That reminds me, Serien, the people need someone to guide them. Oliana, Lobana and Sahari are taking care of everything now, but Fotiá, your brothers and children... the kids as the only royalty to lead them in a chaotic time like this, things can get out of hand." Athena took Mifa's hand. "Mifa, I know we've just met, but could you go with Serien and bring the people here?"

"Huh?" Serien scowled and scattered thousands of tiny balls of light around the dark plain. "Do you want to bring the people here? Look around!"

In the dark of the night, with the dim light from the moons and the balls of light that Serien had scattered around them, it was difficult to see the real scenery from where they were.

The place was a wide plain of green and yellow vegetation, and although the land was quite fertile, it was rocky. Also, during the day it was possible to see a large valley nearby, which was full of hellish miasma, as well as some woods where most likely there would be monsters.

However, the place was not of all bad, because there was everything to live for. Farther west of where they were was a wide river of drinking water and if they walk two days to north, they would find hot springs.

That place was a good space to start over and build a kingdom where the people could live. Athena intended to rebuild her kingdom there. After all, one of Athena's plans was to return the world to the state it was before Lhia and Faena.

In order not to wake Uran, Athena didn't get up and just looked around, then turned her eyes to Serien. "I don't see a problem with living here."

"How not? You didn't see anything!"

As Serien was unaware of Athena's new abilities and didn't see her use any magic or skills to help see in the dark, the queen thought that Athena had only looked around superficially, but the truth was different.

The Empress didn't need her eyes to know everything that was to know about that place. In addition to being able to feel every live thing and object there, she could see clearly.

This went beyond the draconic eyes that she could see in the dark as if it were dim light. Now, with her night vision, it was like he was daytime all the time.

That was something she was able to do because of the authority and purpose she'd gained from killing Nirsa. Now the darkness of the night would no longer affect Athena, who was the most surprised with it.

"Don't worry, I see everything." Athena replied calmly, even if inside she was in a state of fascination. "For now, do as I say."

That fascination was motivated by what she could see with that ability to see everything at night. Athena looked up into the night sky and could even see other planets which should have looked like just bright spots in the sky. And if she looked at the moons that reflected the sunlight, she could look at the planet from outside, as if the moons had become her eyes.

The world was beautiful and even in the dark, Athena could see the different colors that the planet had. Polar auroras dancing in the atmosphere, volcanoes painting a part of the scenery with a incandescent red, a sea that glowed with a sparkling pink light, a monster walking in the middle of the bright blue sea and many other things. It was a unique sight, which Athena dazzled as she talk to the people around her.

Serien took a deep breath and then sat back down at the sight of her ruler's confident expression. There wasn't much she could do after Athena made a decision anyway, so Serien decided to do as she was told. However, there was someone who was not happy with Athena's decision.

"I do not want." Mifa said as she firmly gripped Athena's hand. "Not again."

"Mifa, you're the only one who can get there in a few minutes with Serien." Anemus said.

"No, no, you're faster than me, Anemus!" Mifa replied making gestures with her hands representing the wind. "I've seen you fly and the wind doesn't rub against your body, allowing you to fly much faster than anything."

"Eh, no, I need to stay here and help Athena." Anemus said, clearly wanting to be alone with Athena. "Besides, you're also one of Athena's queens, you need to do what's good for the people."

"You..." Mifa narrowed her eyes. "Devil..."

Anemus hid a smile and after arguing for a while, Mifa and Serien left. It would only take them a few minutes to reach where the people of Basilica was, but it would take them days to come back to that plains with everyone and that was what Athena expected.

***

With Uran free, Athena expected an invasion of the gods at any moment and while she rested, she kept her focus on everything that was changing around her. At that moment, nothing went unnoticed by Athena's perception.

Athena saw and felt everything that happened in all directions up to hundreds of kilometers around her. Animals chasing and killing each other, monsters lurking in the darkness as they trembled in fear of the presence of two powerful existences there, and even mosquitoes being devoured by a frog were known to Athena.

With that waiting and vigilance while resting, Athena asked Fotia to tell Ella to come to her. She needed Ella's speed to take Ytria north. Athena could teleport the woman to the place, but only if she knew the coordinates of the place.

When she teleported her people to the world outside the floating islands, she used the coordinates she remembered from the game. That was a hunting ground where she used to level up killing ghouls, undead manticores and other undead monsters she had in place besides mutant and infernal monsters.

In other words, it was just a stroke of luck that nothing too bad happened. Had it not been for Mifa, Anemus, the knights and soldiers, adventurers and the Valkyries who did their best to keep the people safe, many casualties would have occurred.

And in addition to the coordinate problem, Athena was worried that Theikós had perished and teleported Ytria straight to her death. So sending Ella with her wasn't a bad decision.

"What do you want with me?" Ella asked as she arrived in a thunderous blast of air that woke Uran. "I thought it was for me to stay with your daughter and protect her."

"I need you to take Helena to the north and help Theikós kill a god." Athena said.

"Huh?! Why should I do this? I just want to watch!" She frowned.

Athena smiled slyly, something only Anemus saw, and began to stoke Ella's thirst for entertainment with a possible adventure with an epic battle against various gods, where she could use all her power at her will.

"...And this is all motivated by her." Athena pointed to Uran who was still sleeping peacefully on her legs. "She's our trigger, cannonball and key to victory, but it looks like she needs some rest before she can really act."

Ella looked at Uran, felt an ominous shiver run up her spine, from the tip of her tail to a tingle at the tip of her horns, and jumped back in terrifying fear.

For the dragon, the one with its head resting on Athena's legs was something terrible that should be eliminated as soon as possible. But then, it was still just terrible fear making her instincts scream.

When Ella looked straight at Uran and realized that she was steeped in the little goddess's mana, calm returned to her mind.

That was like swimming in the current of a calm sea, where everything was white and without any evil. Different from what she expected from a being who was feared by all powerful beings who knew of her existence.

Seeing that Ella understood the truth about Uran without the need for an explanation, Athena smiled with satisfaction and returned to feed Ella's thirst for adventure and she soon started wagging her tail in enthusiasm.

***

After losing three children and the powers she had drained from Uran, Asherah ordered her eighty-three remaining children to descend to the mortal plane to destroy Athena and everything related to her, and then seal Uran away again.

However, seeing that their mother didn't shed a single tear for her dead children, the other children found themselves less faithful to Asherah.

Besides, she now had an amount of power that wasn't enough to give orders as she saw fit. A single god might not be able to subdue her, Asherah still was a goddess superior to her children, but if all eighty-three came together to confront her, she would surely perish.

Yet they were still her children and as such, they would not kill their own mother, but it also did not mean that they would continue to obey her.

The gods were selfish beings, but they also took pride in following their purposes. Instead of going to fight and die at the hands of a mortal, who strangely had power great enough to confront and kill a god, and a goddess who was feared even by Asherah, they spread across the world and began to pursue their purposes.

Asherah was alone and soon found herself on a one-way road to her destruction. She felt scared and helpless in the same way she felt when Yahweh abandoned her and banished her from her original dimension.

The goddess knew her fate was worse than death. She didn't want to cease to exist, as that was what she was most afraid of.

Asherah felt her heart race and her despair grew even strong as she remembered Lucifer's conversation with Michael in the dungeon cell of the Imperial Palace.

The possibility that Athena was the rebirth of Gehenna flooded Asherah's mind, and she began to gasp in panic. She had to find a way out of this situation alive, she didn't want to disappear. After all, nonexistence was the root of fear of every god that exist or ever existed.

In the midst of all that storm of measure and despair, without thinking twice, Asherah turned to the one she swore to hate for the rest of eternity.

Using the last of Uran's power she had, the goddess opened a small rift to another dimension and telepathically asked for help.

(Yahweh, you must help me!)