Chapter 24: Fate

I would be lying if I said I had no thoughts at that moment.

––I wonder how far I’ll be able to go.

I could still remember that feeling of elation the moment I had won that first mock battle.

I could do it, if I tried. I wasn’t incompetent…

“Right… I am”

The thought, the suspicion I had held for a long time had turned out to be true.

‘Just once… I want to–’

–– try everything.

“……”

In front of me was the goddess of love and beauty, Astaroth.

Actually, scratch that.

Pale skin. Crimson eyes. Too beautiful of an appearance. Numerous legends didn’t hesitate to describe the being in front of me as a god.

But I, I alone, could not accept that fact.

I was being driven by something akin to an obsession.

“Come, dance with me… Yuno. This is also fate. Now that I think of it, having a direct bout isn’t bad either.”

The red eyes disappeared, leaving behind an afterimage.

However… I could see them!

“…!”

A pale finger came flying towards my face. I managed to just barely dodge it by leaning back.

The same moment, I felt a sharp pain in my nose. The smell of rusted iron filled my nostrils.

Ignoring the slow dripping of blood, I stabbed upwards with my spear.

“Whoa there”

–– It was, of course, dodged.

I knew that would happen.

‘Still not enough’

I filled my body with power, a feeling akin to pouring water into a bowl.

Changing the target of my spear, I kicked the ground, springing forward.

I reached where I wanted to be in a split second. I would swing my spear… until it hit.

First try. The spear stabbed air. Again. And again. And so on… until it worked!

“Fufu”

I felt the recoil of having hit at the same time as Astaroth’s laugh reached my ears.

Improve that. And again. And again.

Not yet. I can still keep going.

I stabbed again and again. And finally… it pierced through the enemy’s left arm.

Red blood erupted from the wound. It looked so beautiful, I couldn’t help but be frightened.

“……”

There was a fleeting moment of silence.

An uneasy feeling enveloped me as I realised the feedback had been too light.

The moment I thought that, a smile lit up Astaroth’s face.

“Nice… but shouldn’t it be something like, this!”

Grabbing the spear, she flung me away.

“Sh-……-it……!”

I turned as I flew through the air, trying to kill my momentum, which all turned out to be in vain as I crashed into the ground.

The impact forced all the air out of my lungs, but I still managed to roll away, dodging the red streak of light flying at me.

The next moment, the ground exploded. The shockwave sent me flying once again.

Two points of red light appeared in the cloud of dust obscuring my vision.

“That’s funny… that did absolutely nothing. You have to take the lead properly, okay?” said Astaroth lightly with a troubled-looking smile.

‘Still not enough’

…I know. I can tell that much myself.

I stood up, grabbed my spear, and got my breathing under control again.

I knew how strong my opponent was.

So, I would have to surpass that strength.

“…What a nice face. This is going to be fun,” Astaroth smiled innocently.

Wanting to sweep that expression off her face, I kicked the ground, hard.

Stabbing forwards with the spear, I dodged the incoming fist.

The two just barely collided, blowing the trees away with the shockwave.

Bit… by bit, I was getting closer.

Closer to surpassing my opponent, the moment I had been dreaming of––

“…Just a bit more now.”

…Huh?

I froze in reaction to what Astaroth had murmured.

“Have you noticed it? The meaning of being equal to me?”

Her movements stopped.

––Right now, I can kill her.

But, I couldn’t stop trembling.

I had not made the wrong choice. What I had wanted to become… was Athena’s…

“That beast got in the way, but… I now see that even that was part of the plan.”

Astaroth’s smile deepened. But rather than happy… it turned more evil.

“Congratulations, Yuno Astorio–”

Her words shook me.

“– you can reach me, you can reach us.”

…Yep. So I can shut it. That mouth.

“You were chosen. To be the rival of us who writhe in the agony of boredom.”

…Shut up.

“…Ah…! For the first time, I am grateful to the gods…! They bestowed such a wonderful toy upon me!”

My blood boiled. Or at least I was beset by a rage that made me feel so.

…Why?

“…Let us dance, Yuno. You first. Show the world. Tell it you’re here…”

“Shut uuuuuuuuuup!”

Throwing the spear away, I punched towards Astaroth.

My fists were the best tool for this.

I’ll show her.

My fist flew towards her face–

– and then I was flying through the air.

“Fool! She’ll overwhelm you!”

Fenrir had run and caught me all of a sudden.

At the same time, I saw quite clearly.

The place I had been standing just a moment ago was pierced by a ray of light.

“This is a violation of the agreement, Astaroth,” came a deep voice as if from an abyss.

Even with my quickly changing field of view, I looked up at the sky at the source of the voice.

A man with red hair, three pairs of black wings and golden eyes not unlike those of Fenrir coldly glared down at Astaroth, the full moon behind him.

“…What is that,” I muttered, and Fenrir answered.

“Don’t even try to antagonise him…! You have enough to deal with already right now!” it whispered panickedly, and I could tell.

I was no match for it. It was too fast.

However, I had another thought at the same time.

––It reminded me of myself.

I wanted to talk with him.

“…Erm, Fenrir-san. Could you please stop?”

“No!” came the prompt reply.

“But, umm, it’s rather sticky. Your drool. And slimy!” I said, and I saw the fur on the tail in the corner of my eye stand on end.

“I-I-I-Idiot! What are you saying! How rude!”

Fenrir’s tail wagged back and forth.

The situation was so ridiculous I actually managed to calm down a bit.

“You’re one to talk. Isn’t there something you should be saying to me?”

Quite the opposite of me, Fenrir grew angrier. It gave out a low growl.

I shivered at the abnormal feeling.

“Don’t move so suddenly! It tickles!”

“……”

Pursing apart Fenrir’s sharp white fangs with my hands, I turned my gaze into its mouth and down its throat.

I spotted what I was looking for swinging back and forth. I stretched out my arm.

“W-what do you think you’re doing! S-Stop it!”

Tap tap tap.

“H-hey! Stop it! Ugh”

Fenrir spat me out. While I was slightly surprised by its change in tone, I rolled to mitigate the impact of my landing and stood up.

“It is not time yet. Know your place,” the man said to Astaroth, then turned towards me with a bored look on his face.

“…And you. Clown. I can’t be bothered with someone who can’t even control their own power properly.”

“…Clown?” I asked, and the man frowned in annoyance.

“Played around with by fate. You’re a clown and a fool. You decided nothing. You are merely a game piece on a board walking down the paths laid out for it.”

…I see.

“So?” I asked.

“Phooey” Astaroth spat out.

“Ahaha, this is a masterpiece. Lucifer, he won’t get it if you say it like that.”

…Lucifer? So that man is the omniscient and omnipotent supreme god?

“…What a boring fellow. Why are you even here.”

…What is he even talking about.

“You have neither an objective nor ideals. They were all created. Until you understand that, your existence has no value. …Don’t disappoint me.”

And with that bored-sounding monologue, Lucifer held out his arm horizontally tot he ground to his side.

I had already encountered the clump of darkness that appeared, eating up the space it should have taken.

“Let’s go. Astaroth.”

“………Yes, yes. I heard you, mister supreme god”

Lucifer was the first to leap into that black abyss, disappearing. Following after him, Astaroth flapped black wings that had suddenly appeared on her back and took off into the night sky.

“Bye, Yuno. Feel free to call me if you ever begin to miss me,” she said, winking.

I didn’t answer, just stared at her.

Astaroth melted away into the clump of black.

The tension that had built up within me didn’t undo itself until the moment she had fully been swallowed by the darkness.

The danger had passed.

“…Phew” I sighed, and turned to the divine beast glaring at me from behind.

““……””

There was a moment of silence.

“Thank you very much,” I said bowing my head, breaking the silence.

That moment my fist had been heading towards Astaroth’s face.

I hadn’t noticed the pillar of light coming down at me from above.

So rather than saving, I had been saved.

I raised my head, picked up my spear glittering sorrowfully in the moonlight, and turned away.

“…Are you going?”

“Yes. Athena and my lady are waiting for me,” I said, and Fenrir sighed as it lowered its oversized body to the ground.

A pleasant wind swept across my cheeks.

“…Get on,” said Fenrir, it’s beautiful golden eyes fixed on me.

“I’m all right, thank you,” I answered with a smile.