[FGO]: 89 

Athena had already emotionally abandoned the three women. Athena could easily guess the fate of beautiful, pure female captives in the hands of a man. She had recklessly used Ishtar to provoke Ryou, without caring about their lives, even hoping he would kill them in a fit of rage.

As the goddess of wisdom and war, her Zodiac Twelve had to be pure virgins. Since the three were destined to lose their chastity, she thought it was better to let him kill them.

Athena never expected that Ryou would release them.

'Could that vile, mad human be a virgin?'

Athena thought maliciously.

'Wait, why are there only two of them?'

She suddenly noticed something was amiss.

'Could it be that they...'

Athena's face turned icy cold.

She took a deep breath, calming herself and quickly adjusting her expression.

"Let them in."

When Athena felt she could control her emotions, she summoned them in.

Athena considered dozens of possibilities, but the moment Reona and Frey appeared before her, she dismissed all previous guesses.

Their expressions were very wrong.

Reona, who walked in front, looked lifeless as if she had lost all vitality and passion, resembling a living corpse. She was holding a large, square box, with bloodstains faintly visible at the bottom, even dripping.

Frey, following behind Reona, looked desolate and despairing, her gaze constantly drifting to the box in Reona's hands, filled with guilt and complex emotions.

A strong sense of foreboding rose in Athena's heart.

Reona approached without saying a word and knelt before Athena, placing the box on the floor.

Athena fought the urge to avoid it and slowly opened the box.

Umi's beautiful, delicate face lay silently amongst a bed of lilies as if she were sleeping.

Athena abruptly closed the box.

She thought she could harden her heart and use Ryou to kill the three of them, but when Umi's severed head was sent back, Athena realized she had overestimated herself.

The goddess had forgotten that even a pet, after ten years, would be loved. How much more so for Umi, who was gentle and favored by Athena.

A surge of overwhelming anger erupted from Athena's heart.

Crack!

Athena crushed the armrest of her throne into dust.

"Goddess?"

Asuka called out tentatively, her voice acting as a trigger.

Golden divine power began to emanate from Athena, like a beast ready to devour the world.

A terrifying pressure descended, making everyone nearby feel as if a massive mountain had been placed on them, forcing them to the ground.

Athena's power continued to rise, quickly reaching the critical point where a god would be banished back to the heavens.

Without hesitation, Athena soon surpassed this critical point.

A swirling vortex appeared above her head, emitting a terrifying suction force.

Mysterious golden characters emerged from Athena, enveloping her like a protective shield, resisting the suction force.

"Phew..."

Athena exhaled, retracting her divine power, and the oppressive force vanished instantly.

"Give her a proper burial."

Athena handed the box containing Umi's head to Asuka.

"Yes."

Asuka quickly wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, took the box, and retreated.

However, Reona remained kneeling, motionless.

"Do you have anything else to report, Reona?"

Athena rubbed her temples, looking weary.

After a moment of silence, Reona removed her delicate golden lion earring, held it in her hands, and offered it to Athena.

Her voice, sounding aged and lifeless, spoke.

"Please allow me to leave the Familia."

Her words brought silence to the hall.

Unexpectedly, Athena did not get angry. Instead, as if she had anticipated this, she nodded lightly.

"Go ahead."

Reona respectfully bowed and then left without any hesitation.

"And you, do you also wish to leave?"

Athena then turned to Frey, her gaze utterly indifferent, without a hint of emotion.

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Frey's back. She bit her lip and knelt on one knee.

"Please rest assured, Goddess. Your servant will never betray you."

In response to her pledge of loyalty, Athena merely said indifferently, "Leave, I'm tired."

Frey opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately only managed to utter, "Yes."

Frey believed she had passed safely, unaware that Athena had already sentenced her to death in her heart.

A former captive returning rarely regained the trust of their leader.

Reona's unconscious decision was the best one; at least she could leave safely.

As for Frey, she not only lost Athena's trust but also faced the danger of being killed.

When Athena was finally alone in the hall, a deeply repressed roar echoed, sounding like an enraged, wounded beast.

"Nguyen Ryou!!!"

Athena had considered asking Hades to resurrect Umi once more.

However, after reviving Belle, Hades clearly stated that he had exhausted his accumulated death power. To resurrect anyone else, they would have to wait another twenty years.

By that time, Umi's soul would have likely already reincarnated.

Thus, this time Athena had to swallow the bitter fruit she had sown herself.

...

Under the guild's leadership, the assembly of gods was convened as scheduled.

This gathering was even larger than the previous one, with almost 99% of Orario's gods in attendance.

The reason was simple: the chaos that Ryou had caused left the gods restless.

For the first time in millions of years, a god had died at the hands of a mortal.

The consequences were earth-shattering!

"I propose forming a coalition to crusade against Nguyen Ryou and the Gudako Hotel!" an aggressive deity declared loudly.

"Well, aside from that blasphemer Nguyen Ryou, the other children can be forgiven, as long as they transfer to other Familias," a seemingly gentle deity argued.

"The authority of the gods is sacred and inviolable! All who violate it, whether they or their relatives, must face divine punishment!" the aggressive deity loudly retorted.

His words immediately garnered applause.

Though divided into two factions, the aggressive faction held the upper hand.

The gods were terrified; what if another god-slaying mortal appeared after him?

Therefore, Nguyen Ryou had to die!

Moreover, everything related to him had to be eradicated!

The seemingly gentle faction was eyeing the Gudako Hotel that Ryou had built, as well as his vast assets and the talented individuals gathered under him.

The aggressive faction wanted to completely erase his existence.

The gentle faction wanted to divide the spoils of his defeat like wolves.

Their only unified opinion was that Nguyen Ryou, the mortal who threatened them, must certainly and absolutely die!

At this moment, the gods' greedy and arrogant nature was fully exposed.

These so-called gods were essentially beings with immense desires, fundamentally no different from humans.

Athena stood on the high platform, looking down at the two groups of gods debating fiercely below.

She had no interest in the outcome that had already been determined.

Now, the only thing she cared about was how to kill Ryou.

That was all.

She was fed up with these so-called peers.

Whenever she saw those greedy, foolish faces, she felt like vomiting.

When she ascended to the supreme throne of world domination, she would erase those faces that disgusted her.

As for Ryou.

Thinking of this only mortal opponent she acknowledged, Athena couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

What a pity. If we were at the same starting point, maybe you could beat me. But, unfortunately, I am a lofty deity, and you are just a mortal.

This world is just that unfair.

When you killed that fool Ishtar, the outcome was already decided.

How could the combined forces of the gods lose?

Impossible.

There are thousands of gods in Orario alone.

Moreover, Athena had considered that there might be cowards, fence-sitters, and opportunists among them.

To eliminate any unexpected factors, Athena suggested to Ouranus to divide half of such suspected gods, have them provide divine power, and construct a barrier over Orario.

The sole function of this barrier was to temporarily transform Orario into an environment similar to the heavens.

In such an environment, the gods would be able to unleash their power without being banished back to the heavens, greatly enhancing their power limits!

Directly elevating from a demigod level to a half-step true god. Of course, this true god is the weakest among the gods.

Nevertheless, a god is still a god!

Even if one or two troublemakers appeared, the impact could be minimized.

Eliminate all unexpected factors and crush them with overwhelming strength!

This was Athena's growth after several confrontations with Ryou!

This was an open strategy!

Athena seemed to already see the sight of Ryou's body being killed and his soul nailed to the underworld.

Thinking of this made Athena feel better.

Speaking of which, his companions are all strong and beautiful warriors. I wonder where that mortal got such luck to find these treasure-like beauties.

The Zodiac Twelve Stars under Athena's command could already be considered the most outstanding group of women in this era and this world, yet they still couldn't compare to the contract Servants under Ryou.

Even Athena felt a bit jealous of his luck.

"But you're about to die, and your beauties will naturally be accepted by this goddess. Rest assured, I will take good care of them."

Athena couldn't help but lick her red lips.

"Your expression just now was disgusting, like a nymphomaniac who can't get enough."

The strange Kansai accent and merciless sarcasm made it clear to Athena who it was even without turning around.

Ever since the two became familiar, this evil god gradually revealed her true nature in front of Athena.

So Athena retorted without hesitation.

"Oh, it's you, the one who likes to stab in the back. Betraying allies and the Asgardian pantheon, doesn't your conscience ever hurt?"

"Conscience? What's that worth? As long as I can achieve my goals, so what if I betray the whole world?"

Loki's trademark squinting eyes were now fully open, revealing the naked ruthlessness and evil within that few had ever seen.

Athena could be certain that if it would achieve her goals, this person would raise a knife against her parents without hesitation.

"Why, don't you want to show your true colors anymore?"

Athena smirked.

Loki shrugged.

"For some reason, I don't want to hide it around you. Besides, you're no different. You look at the people below just now was quite terrifying~"

"Hmph!"

Athena snorted coldly.

The two goddess princesses openly discussed topics that would cause great upheaval among the gods.

At this moment, footsteps approached, and Athena and Loki turned to look.

The radiant goddess of beauty, Freya, appeared before them.

"So you are here, Loki. And you, Athena."

Freya said with a charming smile, showing no sign of any deep hatred between her and Athena.

"Oh~ Freya, I've already sided with her."

Loki declared her betrayal with a smile.

"Well~ that's just your style, Loki."

Freya covered her mouth and laughed softly, seemingly unsurprised by Loki's betrayal.

Whether in mythology or this world, Freya and Loki have a deep connection.

If anyone truly understands Loki, it is Freya.

The relationship between the two is overly complex. They're not best friends, not lovers, not allies, not rivals, and not confidants but somewhere in between all these.

So Loki's choice to betray didn't surprise Freya.

Just as Loki knew that Freya would choose to stand by Ryou this time.

Before being the goddess of lust and beauty, Freya is also the goddess of pure maidens and the faithful wife, the leader of the Valkyries.

She hadn't found a man who truly captivated her.

Now that man had appeared...

"Freya, are you... here to surrender?"

Athena interrupted their greetings, her words filled with incomprehensible arrogance.

Freya was not angry; instead, she spoke with utmost confidence.

"No, Athena. I am here to declare war! Because I believe the man I've set my eyes on will achieve the final victory!"

Dazzling light radiated from Freya.

"Is that so~ That's truly a pity. I've decided that I will personally break this flower."

Athena's tone was equally confident.

A mere mortal, even if he used some tricks and killed a god, that meant nothing.

Faced with an allied army of nearly five hundred gods going all out, his fate was already sealed.

"Then let's see who will be the final winner."

Freya smiled, delivering the closing words for this meeting of the three goddesses.

At the same time, the gods officially made their decision.

To punish the blasphemous sinner—Nguyen Ryou!

As for his assets, they would belong to whoever acquired them, and the gods could dispose of them as they pleased!

An unprecedented war had officially begun...