With Black Saber's departure,
The Holy Grail War around this Singularity officially ca to an end.
And so,
The prologue of this conflict had co to a close.
Goetia stood there, silently watching everything unfold.
His gaze lingered first on Morgan—
Then on the mysterious figure hidden within the Night.
But in the end, he said nothing.
And with a simple turn, he walked away, returning to the Ti Temple.
In fact, there was really nothing he could say, after all, the objective had ultimately been achieved,
And the ones who remained—
A chief deity,
A god-king,
And a fairy queen whose strength rivaled that of divine beings,
Would be far too troubleso to deal with at the mont.
Not to ntion, the one concealed in darkness.
While he was deeply curious about the hidden individual,
Goetia understood he wouldn't get any useful information in this situation.
So rather than wasting ti, it was better to leave.
"This place is beginning to collapse."
Morgan's voice broke the silence.
After sending Black Saber away, with her gaze still fixed on Promise, she spoke.
"Be careful.
And... until we yeet (cough..et) again."
With those words, she returned to the painting, once again ascending to the Throne of Heroes.
As soon as Morgan left, Athena finally let go of Promise, ceasing the firm grip she had on him and was just about to slip away unnoticed when....
"Are you really planning to leave just like that?"
Promise, as if having already expected this, reached out and grabbed her wrist as his erald eyes gazed at her, clear and unwavering.
Athena fell silent for a mont.
"I told you, I was never supposed to appear here.
After all... my true entrance should be a grand one.
It should happen when you truly need the most."
But then, Athena suddenly chuckled.
She lifted her golden gaze, eting Promise's eyes directly as she spoke.
"After all, I am your goddess, am I not?"
"Besides, this isn't even my body.
That fool, dusa, has already cursed over a thousand tis in her heart."
Promise did not answer imdiately.
Instead, he simply stared at her as if reading her expression.
Recalling what Queen Hera had once told him,
As if trying to find a flaw in Athena's composure.
But he found that from beginning to end, her expression remained perfectly composed.
It was as if everything was the sa as before, without any change.
She was still the brightest pearl in ancient Greek mythology,
Wise, powerful, and in control of everything.
"Then tell , what is this 'stage' you speak of?"
Promise pressed further.
"Athena, what exactly are you preparing for?
The goddess Hecate has already warned —she told to be extrely careful."
In the Arican Holy Grail War,
Hecate had once stepped out of a painting.
And she had not arrived through the Grail's power—
She hadn't simply descended from the Inner Sea of Stars for a short while, rather, she had co directly from the Age of Gods itself.
After all, in Type-Moon's world,
She was the very creator of magic and magecraft.
Although the two of them started to fight as soon as they t, Hecate still vaguely reminded Promise, pointing him towards Athena.
Later, when Promise t with Hera,
That warning had been further confird.
Athena had touched a fruit she should never have touched.
The "forbidden fruit" that should have remained untouched by even a goddess.
This realization had left Promise in disbelief,
Even shaken.
And yet—
Beneath it all, there was also a trace of joy.
But above all, what was left in his heart was...
Caution.
Because he knew Athena far too well.
Just as Athena understood him.
And there was one thing the two of them shared—
Whether it was him or Athena, whenever either of them suddenly fell silent—
It only ant one thing.
Be extrely careful.
Yet when Athena finally answered his question,
She did not explain.
Instead, she laughed.
And this ti—it was a bright, genuine laugh.
"Promise—"
"I actually gave you a chance to walk away."
"But..."
As she spoke, Athena smiled and gestured toward everything around them.
At the ruins of the battlefield,
At Morgan, who had already left.
"I chose to be a bystander."
"But the truth is—whether or not I intervened, you still beca him...
No, you were always him."
"You still embarked on the journey, walking the path of fate and heroes."
Promise couldn't refute it, after all..
Morgan, the Queen of Winter, who left a bit ago, and the new paintings now floating in the sky, were proof enough.
"So... are you building another stage for ?"
Promise's expression remained calm as he spoke.
After all, he had already predicted this outco, a long ago.
Indeed, he could have walked away.
But instead, he chose to walk this path once again.
And that ant one thing—
From that day forward,
The Goddess of Wisdom had once again taken her place behind him.
"Yes."
In response to his question, Athena nodded without hesitation.
Her answer was unwavering.
Because now—
She could no longer lie to Promise.
And she could no longer truly harm him.
"Once again, I have built a stage for you."
"I will give you everything you desire, just as you wish.
You will still remain the brightest hero."
But this ti—there is no grand finale awaiting you.
Because the ga between us is already over.
And now, there is only one thing I want to do..."
As she spoke, with dusa's borrowed face,
Athena revealed a smile—
A smile so enchantingly beautiful, so dangerously seductive,
That it seed almost unnatural.
"Promise—"
"I will make sure you can never leave again!"
It was a declaration.
The proclamation of a virgin goddess.
And so,
In that instant,
Promise suddenly felt the grip around his neck tighten so strongly that he felt suffocated.
"Athena—
You are already my goddess."
"You should already understand.
After all, even when I was faced with the goddess of fate, who expressed her feelings to , the respected queen of heaven Hera, and the goddess of justice Themis,
From all the gods across the heavens—
I still chose you."
Promise let out a slow breath and spoke those words.
"Of course, I know that."
Hearing this, Athena's smile never wavered as she spoke.
"But Promise... do you know?
The cause of all this is not soone else, but you.
You were the one who shot down from my flawless existence with your arrow.
And it was you, who deceived before you left.
You left a crack in my heart.
You made shed tears."
As she spoke, Athena leaned in closer,
Her voice was soft, lodic—like a harp's whisper.
"So now, the outco is obvious."
"There are only two choices left."
"Either I die."
"Or you can never leave —
And I will be the only one left by your side."
"...Even a fated destiny can be broken!"
Promise's voice hardened and there was a stubborn defiance in his tone.
But, Athena did not get angry.
Her golden eyes, as calm and warm as ever, simply gazed at him.
And then—
She smiled.
"Then co—"
"Try to break it."
With those final words, Athena left as the control over dusa's body returned to its rightful owner.
In the blink of an eye,
Her brilliant golden eyes faded back into their usual mystic violet.
Faced with Promise, who was still holding onto her,
dusa did not resist.
She rely stared at him,
Her gaze carrying an undeniable sense of pity.
"You... really are unlucky."
After a long silence, she couldn't help but sigh like this.
"Agreed."
At that mont,
The one who had been watching in silence the entire ti—"Cú Chulainn", also couldn't help but speak up.
With a nod, he wholeheartedly agreed.
"Yeah, you're pretty damn unlucky."
...But wait.
Why exactly was this considered 'unlucky'?
Wasn't it actually a blessing to be loved by a beautiful goddess like that?
The answer was actually quite simple.
Would Athena ever share Promise with anyone else?
Obviously not.
Not to ntion her, the sa goes for Moon Goddess Artemis or the God of the Forge, Hephaestus, both of whom shared similar tendencies.
It was the sa as Athena's mother,
The first-generation Goddess of Wisdom, tis.
Athena would give Promise everything—
Because she would never allow him to feel sad.
But at the sa ti—
But at the sa ti, she wanted everything of Promise even more morbidly than tis.
After all unlike her mother—
Athena was far, far stronger.
And no one could predict what she would do to keep Promise for herself.
Well...there goes our Harem fanfic.
"By the way—"
dusa spoke, looking at Promise with her violet eyes.
"I just want to say one more thing."
"You kind of deserve this."
"Of all the goddesses you could have chosen—"
"You just had to go and pick the worst one."
Promise stared at dusa, completely expressionless.
Then, without speaking a word,
He let go of her and turned to Cú Chulainn before asking.
"Where are Mash and Ritsuka?"
As he spoke,
He could feel the ground trembling beneath his feet.
So, without waiting for an answer, he continued—
"This place isn't going to hold much longer, is it?"
"Don't worry."
Cú Chulainn shrugged,
Raising a hand in a carefree gesture.
"They're fine.
It's just that your situation is a bit too... unique.
They can't really get involved just yet."
"As for this place, it really can't hold on, but..."
With a smile, Cú Chulainn—no, Odin—raised his hand, tracing runes into the air.
The floating Norse symbols ascended toward the sky, stabilizing the collapsing Singularity, allowing it to last a little longer.
"Child, I have sothing to ask you."
The voice that followed was no longer Cú Chulainn's.
It was deep, resonant, carrying the weight of divine authority.
A voice that carried the undeniable presence of a God-King.
Seeing this, dusa's expression remained calm.
Not to ntion, Promise?
He rely sighed.
After all, after what had just happened with Athena,
It was obvious who this man truly was.
A God-King, no different from Zeus of Olympus.
But now that he had shed his disguise,
Promise bowed respectfully and spoke.
"Honored God-King Odin—"
"Tell —did the Goddess Athena deliberately left a step ahead, just to give you ti to speak with ?"
dusa blinked at his words.
She subconsciously glanced at Promise, then thought about it for a mont an realized that it was really possible... No, it should be said that it was exactly like this!
"Of course, I understand."
Odin chuckled and spoke in a steady and commanding voice.
"Originally, I had intended to observe you for a while longer.
To see whether you would bring ruin—
Or a new future."
"But now, even the Goddess of Wisdom has given an opening."
"And I will not waste this opportunity."
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