Chapter 71 - Athena Vs Mammon

"Everything is ready?" Athena asked the Valkyries who had everything ready to leave.

"Yes, but..." Oliana looked at her palm, where Mifa was sleeping under the effect of Athena's magic. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes. It'll be better this way." Athena said while looking away. "Serien, take care of her until I get back."

Serien bowed to Athena and said. "There's nothing to worry about that."

Athena stroked Serien's black hair and then looked at Lobana. "Are you sure you want to come with me? It's a demon that's in Tarna. And it's not just any demon, this one is strong."

"All the more reason for me to go." Lobana pulled a necklace from inside her breastplate. The necklace had two rings. "Dria needs revenge to rest in peace."

Athena offered her a small smile and then looked at Tarna. "Remember, we're not going there to fight the empire. But kill the soldiers if they attack you and save as many people as you can." Athena said and the army started their march to the city and it happened.

A great explosion swept half of Tarna and an earthquake shook the ground as if the floating island were splitting in half.

Athena frowned and looked back and in a scream sent the warriors away. She felt the overwhelming presence coming from the city.

The presence was so strong and terrifying that it wasn't just Athena who felt it. The soldiers and mercenaries were pale and if the ground hadn't been shaking, it would be possible to see that some there, trembled with fear.

At that moment Athena knew that taking the army there would be the same as offering them to death on a platter, and she changed her plans.

"NOBODY GOES WITH ME!" Athena yelled, drawing people's attention to her.

"Athena, what are you saying?" Lobana questioned.

"If you go, everyone will die. Take the army back to Basilica." Athena said and before Lobana could reply, she disappeared using {Teleport}.

Lobana yelled at Athena's selfishness and looked at Serien who had a twisted expression of concern.

***

From the sky of Tarna, Mammon watched his feat. Tarna had a circular shape, but now half the circle was just rubble and dust that flew in the wind.

"Hm... It wasn't quite what I planned but..." Mammon monologued and was about to fly away when he felt an overwhelming pressure from above that hit him and sent him flying to the ground.

"What was this?" Mammon asked as he looked up at the sky and saw a woman with almost white blond hair, wearing a red dress, gauntlets and armored boots, falling towards him with a sword in her hand.

Athena did not give the demon time to think and thrust her sword through the air, towards the demon and swung the sword when using [Vortex].

The sword glowed gold and blue dimly and exploded in a cyclone of violent energy where Mammon stood.

Mammon reached out with his right hand for the energy that fell on him and felt a slight pain that increased as Athena approached.

Athena was less than eight meters from Mammon when she linked another attack with a spell that shot out of her left hand like colorless lightning.

Seeing the magic mingling with the skill, Mammon frowned and deflected the attack, making Athena fall in front of him, who kicked the woman in the stomach before she hit the ground.

"Naughty human..." Mammon growled and then felt an intense pain in his calf.

When she was kicked, Athena cut Mammon's leg in three places. The demon's skin was tough and the attacks weren't deep, but they were still successful.

"What did you do?" Mammon asked with a bitter expression.

Athena rose from the dust and swung her sword at the demon again. "Me? Nothing yet." The woman scoffed and stepped forward.

"Tsk! Insect!" Mammon said and advanced towards Athena.

The demon hadn't yet realized that Athena was also a saint. Perhaps if he had noticed, his decision to act would have been different.

With his bare hands, just as he always struggled, the demon tried to cut Athena's head with his nails.

But Athena blocked the attack by holding the demon's wrist and twisting her arm in a strange way, she cut the demon's bare chest and Mammon bared his teeth when he felt pain.

Athena's cuts weren't deep, but because the sword she named "Excalibur" be a divine sword, the pain in Mammon was intensified.

"How dare you do that? How dare you inflict pain on a demon lord?" Mammon said as disengage from Athena and put distance between them.

Athena frowned and remembered the name the demon she'd fought had said. "Which demon lord are you?"

Mammon raised an eyebrow, incredulous at finding someone who didn't know the only silver-haired demon lord.

The demon straightened, placed a hand on his wounded chest and subtly bowed. "I am the demon lord Mammon. The prince of greed from hell." Mammon said expecting to see the absolute terror on Athena's face.

However, as soon as the demon looked at the woman, she was in the middle of an attack. Her sword glowed brightly above her head, and then, as Athena slashed the air in front of her, a torrent of energy exploded and hit him as if it would tear him apart.

The energy hurled Mammon through the rubble of the city and continued to tear and scorch the demon's flesh like scorching blades.

Athena was angry that because of Mammon, Mifa suffered and Dria and Sura died. She didn't wait for the [Holy Fall] effect to end and linked another attack and another and another one.

Mammon, not understanding how he was being so overwhelmed, received several attacks until he lost his patience and covered his body with a black aura armor.

With that covering his body, Mammon parried Athena's last two attacks and launched himself at the woman in one blow. But Athena wouldn't let it, even though her hand felt burning as she held his hand covered by the black aura.

But that wasn't important, Athena wouldn't let Mammon get away. She decided he would die there. She hurled the demon to the ground like a judo blow and slashed it with her sword, but Mammon defended it.

"You are going to die today!" Athena said and stepped on the demon.

Mammon grabbed Athena's heel, threw her into the air and at the same time, a reddish purple energy came out of his hand towards Athena, who deflected the attack by striking the energy with her sword that flashed again.

Her sword exploded in shock waves and Athena buried it in the chest of Mammon who spat dark blood.

In turn, Mammon grabbed Athena's wrist and crushed it. Athena screamed in pain. She gritted teeth and headbutted the demon's nose.

***

The fighting intensified every second as Lobana and the army stubbornly entered the city.

Moments before that, right after Athena disappeared in front of Lobana. The people felt ashamed and weak for being afraid and being left behind by Athena.

"Lobana, we have to go before the magic's effect on the girl wears off." Oliana said.

Lobana clenched her fists and looked at Tarna. "Go without me. I'll go help Athena."

"Are you crazy?" Sahari yelled. "If you go there, the most you're going to do is get in the way!"

"I can't let that woman die before she goes back to her daughter!" Lobana yelled back.

"Huh? Does her majesty have a daughter?" Serien asked, baffled by the new information.

"She has and and needs to get back to her." Lobana said and spaced away from Sahari who seemed to want to arrest her. "I'll go, whoever wants to come, follow me." Lobana said and a crowd followed her.

When they arrived at the place, they soon spread out through what was left of the city and began to guide people they encountered away from the city.

Lobana left this task to the others and with some Valkyries that followed her, she went where the explosions were coming from.

As soon as they saw the demon and Athena fighting, the Valkyries froze. Athena moved her arm, brandishing her sword in a way they couldn't keep up.

At that moment, Sahari's words crossed their minds and they didn't have the courage to continue and enter the battle.

But Lobana didn't care about her insecurity. She held tight to her shield, drew her sword and ran alone to help Athena.

***

Anemus ran throughout the castle looking for Fotiá, but she couldn't find her. The nymph, in addition to being distressed, was becoming irritated.

In recent months, every time she and Fotiá fought, Fotiá would disappear for hours, but at that moment it wasn't the time for that. She needed to talk to Athena.

She needed to hear Athena's voice and know she was okay. Only then could she end this affliction that bothered her.

"Fotiá! Come on, show up!" Anemus screamed and as her voice echoed on the castle walls, her heart trembled along with a pain, then a vision of the world below and someone lying on the ground.

Then Anemus felt dizzy, her eyes darkened and she fell to the ground, passed out in the castle's foyer.