-Athena's POV-
-770 Years in Sanctuary. Total Death: 5,079.
'So the time has come!'. I stood near the mouth door, leaning against the white wall, witnessing the two figures who had already clashed thousands of times facing each other one more.
The air was thick and heavy, filled with intense killing intent that radiated from the two figures of Jin and the Trial character.
Jin's back seemed small in this place, but it was filled with boundless experience that even a goddess like me couldn't fathom. More than two hundred years had passed since I restarted his memories, and he achieved something far beyond what I expected.
The swordsmanship he showed at that time clearly terrified me to the core as a Goddess. His Techniques and the way he carried himself seemed mature as time passed. It smithed my heart whenever we were together.
My sight faltered as the two figures began to clash. Jin, trapped within a ball of dimension filled with dozens of slashes, in one single draw from his blade, the opponent's technique was neutralized.
In a blink, they engaged in close combat, sparks flying everywhere, and smooth movement that looked like dancing filled my entire retina. Even as a Goddess, I can judge their capabilities as superb.
Jin had reached a power on an entire level a Mortal could possess; his abilities sat on a throne of a Transcendent state, one step away from reaching Godhood. His physical power was still the same; he could have movement speed that was incomparable to before because he used Physical enhancement on his body. However, the technique he practised over more than half a millennia is something else I would call monstrous.
Every time Jin swings his blade with killing intent, the atmosphere trembles, and space distorts, leaving a tiny bit of wound that is quickly repaired.
I was too absorbed until I forgot that the two of them were fighting with killing on the line, but now, in my eyes, it seemed the tide of the battle slowly began to lean to one side. However, Jin's opponent also started his relentless pursuit by moving so fast that it seemed to disappear from mortal eyes, bombarding him with slashes from any angle.
Seeing the attacks he launched, my face hardened, but I soon found myself dumbfounded by Jin, who calmly sheathed his blade and did some Iai posture. Time stretches, and hundreds or thousands of slashes appear in the atmosphere before the space cracks and shatters into pieces.
'This was one of Jin's attacks?!'. I shook my head before seeing Jin's opponent manage to dodge that slash and counter.
Jin saw it coming and dodged the incoming slash; he took a distance and sheathed his blade with Iai-posture once more. His body glowed in a green aura for a second before he shot forward like a bullet.
When they clashed head-on, a huge ripple in the space created a crack inside the reinforced place built by that person. Slowly, as I opened my eyes, they stood five steps away from each other before I saw Jin's feet tremble and kneel.
"Jin?!".
Panicked, I planned to enter the fray but soon realized that the figure of Jin's opponent faded, and a line appeared on its waist before it was bisected into two.
[Trial of The God finished]
[Congratulations, you can leave the space at will]
[The blessing of All-father will always be with you]
'All-Father, who was that?'. I began to suspect the words from the translucent panel hovering above the middle of an empty place. I shook my head and dashed away to approach Jin who seemed refreshed for one of his burden had been lifted.
"Jin, you okay?".
"Yeah, I have never felt this better in my entire life". Jin flashed his white teeth, which made me blush. But, more than my fluttering heart could feel, I am truly glad that Jin could finish his Trial.
We both turned silent upon seeing the words on the panel above; no one dared mention it. However, I was aware and had already prepared my heart from further away for this day to happen, so I glanced at Jin and smiled at him.
"Jin, shall we take a walk?".
"Yeah, let's go".
I lead ahead as Jin casually walks behind me and keeps seeing my back with a conflicted face. We arrive before the front garden, where we first met, and eventually sit on the wooden chair near the fountain.
The canopy that blocked the sun blew away our tension. I closed my eyes to enjoy the pleasant hum of Mother Nature, accompanied by the rustling leaves and grass that danced harmoniously and soothed my beating heart.
"Jin, it is time we…".
"Thena!".
His loud shout prompted me to open my eyes, but my vision was blurry. I traced my cheek and found it wet because of the tears that trickled down.
"Eh, why? Why did this happen? Although I was ready? I, I…".
My body moved by itself as I dove into Jin's chest and was wrapped by his manly smell. I felt his hug tighten on my back, and I couldn't hold back the dam in my tears as I began to cry my heart out loud.
"Uuuu…! Jin,,, I'm sworwy…".
Jin kept hugging me while slowly caressing my head like soothing a little kid. His rough palm and the way he still gently treated me, as if knowing what turmoil was inside my heart, calmed me down.
Reluctantly, I parted away, and our faces were close to each other.
"Thena, you oka,hmp?!".
Before he could finish his sentence, I sealed his lips with mine. It was my first kiss. I tenderly felt Jin's rough and dry lips and slowly parted away. Seeing his face that boiled pink cheered me up.
"Fufu, it's fun to see you flustered like this".
"Thena you?!".
"Call me Athena, please!".
I pulled his head closer until our foreheads were stuck together. In this distance, I could clearly feel his warm breath and see his flustered expression, which filled my heart with glee. 'It seemed I tended to get mean toward the person I love! Fufu…'
"Athena, so that was your real name…".
"Um, Jin, Jin, Your name is Jin. I won't forget it".
From our pressed forehead, golden light began to appear, and the light started to seep into Jin's body.
"Athena, what was that?".
Hearing him calling my name was enough to make my heart flutter in a gentle squeeze. But we must end this before those guys recognize him. I must lay some hands.
"Listen, Jin, this might be the last time we will see each other again".
'I'm sorry!'. I muttered those words inside my heart while looking into his eyes.
"...Huh! What the hell is that?!".
"When you leave this place, you will forget about me and all the memories we spent together except your experience…".
"...Wait! Athena, don't do this to me!".
"I'm sorry. At first, I saw you as nothing but an important object to be used as a weapon to fight the current Olympian Gods."
"Oi, Athena, release me! Release me!".
Jin was furious and tried to separate from me, but with his power, it was impossible for him to break free against the Goddess clutch, even in my weakened state.
"All this time we spent together, it was fun, and you gave me something that I couldn't even think of in the past…".
"Athena! Oi, Athena?!".
I tightened the hands wrapped around his neck and whispered the things I wanted to tell him the most.
"I love you, Jin, from now and ever".
"Athena, me too. I love you too, so please, there must be something else we could do…".
I separated for a bit to look at his face. I etched the images deep into my mind before saying my last parting words and showing my love.
"Goodbye, Jin. May you live well." I brought him closer and planted another deep kiss. The tears that should have been emptied now trickle down my cheek as it enter our mouths.
While we were in a deep kiss, trying to etch each other's presence close, I poured my last remaining power into him and erased everything that we had built together, including my own name.
His body slowly glowed before it vanished, leaving me, who hurriedly held the particle of light close.
"Farewell, Jin…".
Slowly, after uttering his name, my body slumped down, and all the strength left my body. Slowly, my body started to fade and turned into nothing but a particle of light before disappearing.
A strong wind blows the particle of light as it carries two petal flowers that gracefully dance in the atmosphere before they settle on top of the wooden seat and settle on top of each other in a tight embrace.
*****
-Third POV-
As night draped its cape to cover the entire world, Irina, under the shimmering light of the moon and glittering stars, had just returned from her adventuring and taking Nina from the temple.
She rushed ahead, ignoring the rule of stepping onto the house roof while carrying Nina on her back. Thanks to her cheerful nature and playing with other kids, Nina was asleep on Iris's back.
Her breath was rough, and her raging heartbeat surged with an enormous amount of guilt over the earlier case.
After arriving in front of the gate of the lord's mansion, the two guardsmen tensed their bodies and clenched the spear in their hands.
"Who are you?!". The two who had trained in the military pointed their spears in their hands toward her.
"Please inform the family head that young master Jin was in danger!".
Hearing the desperate call from the woman, who seemed to be an adventurer from her attire, the two guards initially looked dubiously toward a sleeping girl. Still, they soon paled because they realized that their young master hadn't shown himself at the gate despite the night had come.
"Hurry, inform the people inside!".
"Yes!" One of the guards hurriedly approached the small door beside the gate and rushed toward the mansion.
"Can I ask for your cooperation?". The remaining guard asked Iris, who seemed shrouded with guilt and saw her nodding her head weekly.
A moment later, Iris saw a flash of orange light before the part of the mansion exploded grandly, attracting many people to see.
"What is happening?".
"Mom, what is happening?". Nina's body jolted as her gaze attracted toward the brilliant flame in the mansion.
Iris, who was startled by the explosion, witnessed a figure of someone flying toward her before stopping a few meters away beside her.
"You, woman, explain everything!".
Marina wears her casual red dress, holding a staff that radiates extreme heat, burning the atmosphere around them and turning the whole place into lava. Her fiery hair and gaze stared at Iris with a calm yet disastrous calamity while Nina was gawking behind.
"Yes, ma'am!". Iris gulped her saliva, wondering if she could survive the woman's wrath.