Fate: I Heard After Death, You Can Ascend to the Throne of Heroes?

Chapter 291 - Is it prelude or the end?

As for what Athena said, if it had been a sudden attack, Promise would likely have been flustered and would have fumbled his response, but having long guessed that Athena was up to no good and thus being well-prepared, Promise was exceptionally calm now.

And so—

As his lips parted, about to deliver the line he had rehearsed in his head over and over.

Well..

Even though he felt like shouldn't, at this moment, Promise really wanted to uphold his infamous title as the "Goddess Hunter", a name that future generations loved to tease him about—

After all, nearly every famous and beautiful goddess from the Greek Age of Gods had, at some point, received his golden apple—

The one inscribed with "To the Fairest."

And in fact—

Almost every goddess had favored and pampered Promise in some way.

Except for one.

The Goddess of Crossroads and Witchcraft—Hecate.

She and Promise had the worst compatibility imaginable—

Whenever they met, they would argue.

Whenever they could, they would scheme against each other.

And thus, his nickname had spread far and wide.

But at that very moment—

As if sensing something, Athena suddenly stopped his words.

Before Promise could remain puzzled, the goddess of wisdom reached into her silvery hair and without hesitation, plucked a single strand, expertly tying it into Promise's hair.

Looking at the young man, she then spoke in a solemn voice.

"He has arrived."

And without waiting for his reaction,

She spoke divine words.

The primordial Goddess of Night, I beseech you to descend here now and let the veil of darkness conceal him."

As soon as her words fell—black night wrapped itself around Promise.

And whether it was an illusion or not, Morgan and Black King Arthur noticed that the 'darkness' seemed to be quite happy.

If Promise knew what they were thinking, he would calmly nod and inform them that the night was indeed very happy now.

Because now—

She could once again enjoy watching the drama unfold.

.

.

.

At the same time...

Cu Chulainn, who had already brought Ritsuka, Mash, and the Director to the base of Ryuudou Temple, suddenly raised his hand and stopped them in their tracks.

"Stop. You must not go any further."

Cu Chulainn's expression was extremely serious at this moment, and before the three could even process what was happening,

He had already activated his runes, causing the trees around them to suddenly grow, dense and long, their branches stretching out unnaturally, coiling around them and sealing them in place.

"Wait—what the hell are you doing?!"

The suddenness of the event left Director Olga Marie unable to react at first...

(Not that reacting would have done anything useful.)

But when she did regain her senses, she immediately struggled against the tree's grasp.

To this, Cú Chulainn, however, had no intention of explaining.

Mainly because the situation was too complicated to explain clearly.

"You stay here for now, things have gotten a bit sudden, sorry!"

After speaking, to prevent them from speaking and casting spells, Cu Chulainn simply had the trees block their mouths, then flashed away from the spot.

The reason he stopped Ritsuka and Mash from proceeding was simple, because now, the 'He' that the Goddess Athena spoke of had arrived.

In the gazes of Black King Arthur, who turned her head sharply, and Promise and Morgan, who looked up, he emerged.

From within the Temple of time,

The mastermind behind the incineration of humanity, the collective

embodiment of the 72 demon Pillars, Goetia, now falsely claiming to be King Solomon and appearing in the image of King Solomon, emerged and stood before everyone.

And he had not come alone.

Behind him, the phantasmal projection of the "Rings of Light"—

The harbinger of humanity's end.

It was obvious that he came prepared.

After all, the reason for His appearance was precisely because he had sensed the gathering of several terrifying auras in this place.

And as he arrived to the side of Black King Arthur, His cold, indifferent, gaze swept over everyone present.

The Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, who had arrived by briefly possessing the spiritual foundation of Medusa.

The King of the erased Lostbelt of Fairy Britain, the Queen of Winter, Morgan.

And now—

The one who had just arrived on the battlefield.

Cú Chulainn—no.

The Norse God-King—Odin!

Upon arriving at the scene, Odin's gaze swept across the situation at the battlefield.

But almost immediately, his eyes couldn't help but linger on Promise—who was now being shrouded by Nyx, the Primordial Goddess of the Night.

Facing the chaotic and extremely dangerous situation before him, Odin once again felt that the matter of inviting Promise to his era was a decision that needed to be considered carefully and planned out in detail.

Because if one thing had been made painfully clear—

Wherever Promise went, things were never quiet.

This guy would always cause a commotion.

And not just any ordinary commotion.

This was only the opening act of the Humanity Incineration Plan,

And yet, somehow, this already looked like the final battle of the singularity?!

'Just what the hell are you trying to do?!'

If I really invited you over, wouldn't you end up becoming the second Loki...

No...

In terms of fate and causing problems,

Loki probably isn't as troublesome as you!

Thinking of Loki, and imagining the chemical reaction that would occur if Loki and Promise met, Odin instantly felt a headache coming on.

But at this moment, as Goetia made his entrance, the scene instantly quieted down, yet it felt like a powder keg ready to explode at the slightest spark.

Yet after only a brief moment of shock,

Odin immediately snapped back and took action, quickly disguising himself as Cú Chulainn once more,

He spoke with a loud, casual laugh—

"Hahahaha! This place sure is lively!"

Because right now,

Odin was genuinely worried.

He was truly afraid that Promise would suddenly shout out, and command the Queen of the Lostbelt and the goddess of wisdom, Athena, beside her to launch an all-out attack on Goetia together.

In fact, if it were the real Athena, who had descended, there would be some logic to it.

Then maybe—just maybe—things could be handled.

But obviously, that wasn't happening.

Even though the Counter Force favored Promise too much..

(Well..if favoring meant keeping a close eye on him, fearing he would create some chaotic worlds that could only become reality and not be reversed)

But until the most critical moment, deities and other such existences would absolutely not make an appearance.

Upon hearing Odin's remark,

Goetia slowly turned his head and looked at him.

Then—he fell silent again.

Something was wrong.

A displaced Lostbelt Queen, Morgan.

The Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, temporarily possessing Medusa's Saint Graph.

And now—

The Norse God-King, Odin, who had just arrived.

Even Goetia needed a moment to process what the hell was happening.

For the first time,

He hesitated.

He didn't even dare cut off his connection to the Temple of time—

And the rings of light behind him, the harbingers of humanity's end,

Remained firmly in place, as if to serve as a warning.

And just as Odin's voice fell, the scene remained quiet, and for a short while, no one responded to his words...until.

"Yeah, it really is lively, isn't it?"

Promise spoke.

Because he was currently concealed by the Primordial Goddess of the Night,

Even as Goetia stood right there, the tense atmosphere failed to make him feel even the slightest bit nervous.

What a joke.

He once shot Athena with an arrow.

He almost fought Zeus.

He had participated in more than one godly war.

Big battles? Please.

This was just a drop in the bucket for him.

And so, with absolute ease, he casually spoke—

"So—why don't we all just drop this for now?"

"After all, you haven't even gathered the energy you need yet."

"And as for us... well, we're not exactly ready for a real fight either."

Then, he turned his gaze toward Morgan.

"Morgan—"

"That king over there, the one corrupted by the black mud? She named her Noble Phantasm after you."

"And just a moment ago, she even kicked me in the face."

"So..."

"Go beat her up."

Promise said this not only with a clear conscience but also from the heart.

Thus, as soon as these words were spoken, except for the bewildered Goetia, who had absolutely no idea what was going on, everyone else couldn't help but chuckle.

Even Artoria Alter herself couldn't help but smirk.

Of course.

As expected of you.

You really are as good at holding grudges as the legends say.

And so—

Morgan did not hesitate in the slightest.

Even though Goetia was literally standing next to Artoria Alter,

She immediately unleashed her Noble Phantasm upon her.

"Roadless Camelot: The Utopia No Longer Within Reach"

The Witch Who Returned from the End

She was a witch, cursed by the world, who had returned from the End to bring down Humanity itself.

She was the Winter Queen, who had ruled Fairy Britain for over two thousand years.

And the power she now wielded was the culmination of that unyielding reign.

But against this devastating force, Black Saber, Artoria Alter, did not even lift her sword.

She simply stood there, without any resistance.

It wasn't because she was too powerful that even Ex level Noble Phantasm couldn't touch her,

But, because she understood—

It was time for her to leave the stage.

Otherwise, if she stayed any longer, things would only become even more chaotic with Promise stirring things up.

Yet—

Before she vanished, faced with Morgan's Noble Phantasm, the words that came out like a sigh, Black King Arthur felt she had to say one thing.

And so, with a tone half complaining, half resigned, she spoke.

"You accused me of naming my Noble Phantasm after you... but your obsession is far worse than mine."

"You really should be happy and grateful for such incredible luck that he not only accepts you as you are but truly cares for you."

Hearing those words, Morgan's entire body stiffened involuntary.

And then— the force with which she struck became even greater.

Directly causing Artoria to exit the scene the next second.

As Black Saber vanished,

The once dignified and solitary Queen—

Now, like a pouting young girl, turned her head and muttered under her breath.

"As if I need you to lecture me."

"I already understand that better than anyone.

I know, more than anyone, just how lucky I am."

She whispered in a soft tone, and as if acting on instinct, she glanced back at Promise.

At this moment, those usually cold blue eyes carried a warmth she couldn't hide.

And then—

HISSSSSS—

Promise sucked in a cold breath,

Looking with a pained expression at the goddess beside him, who was smiling and tilting her head away.

My beloved goddess... please, just a little gentler, okay?!

.

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