The Sekirei’s Covenant

"Cough, cough…"

A huge chunk of rubble was thrown aside as Liliana jumped out from the ruins of the underground palace.

Thinking about how the Sword King Salvatore Doni had split the Heraneion in two, Liliana was furious. They had invited him to solve problems, not to create more trouble!

Well, although he had paid the price himself, blown far away by the powerful curse released from the Heraneion, with his god-slayer body, he probably wouldn't die.

"Is that… the divine beast born from the destruction of the Heraneion?"

Looking at the giant dragon circling in the sky not far away, Liliana murmured to herself.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky. The dragon, which had been circling, seemed severely injured and fell straight down.

Startled and unsure what had happened, Liliana hurried toward the dragon's falling spot.

At a coastal alley, the once-mighty divine dragon lay on the ground in pain, wailing mournfully. Just as Liliana arrived, a beam of light descended from the sky, and a tall silver-white figure appeared before her.

His appearance was undoubtedly that of a peerless handsome man, reminiscent of the sun with dazzling golden hair, elegant yet strong eyebrows, and a physique as robust as a god's. His white clothes and cloak were clearly not modern attire, fluttering in the sea breeze.

It was an undeniably flashy and eye-catching entrance.

"You… who are you?"

With a look of shock, Liliana asked.

"Good question, young lady. I am Perseus!"

Turning his handsome face sideways, his magnetic male voice was full of vigor as the heretic god descended from the sky.

"Perseus, the dragon-slaying hero!"

Even Liliana couldn't help but show a look of surprise. The visitor was none other than the legendary steel-attribute dragon-slaying hero, Perseus!

Glancing at the still-pained dragon, the girl knew this was going to be trouble.

"Alright, now that you've heard my name, beautiful maiden, it's time to show my bravery!"

With a cool gesture, Perseus raised his longsword and prepared to attack the dragon.

"Please wait, hero Perseus. This dragon is a divine beast nurtured by the essence of this land. If it is slain, the spiritual energy of this land may dry up, bringing great disaster to the people. Please think carefully and put away your sword."

Seeing Perseus about to kill the dragon, Liliana urgently pleaded.

"Oh… that won't do, young lady. Dragon-slaying is my destiny and mission. No one can stop me halfway!"

Unmoved, Perseus smiled faintly while raising his sword.

"Is it really okay to let this land become whatever it will just for that reason?!"

Liliana's anger flared. Why were these demons and gods always like this? They cared only about their own selfish reasons and never about others' feelings!

"This is to complete my battle achievements. There is no other way."

Frowning, Perseus was also displeased. Though a gentleman, he was not immune to anger at women!

"Roar…"

At that moment, the dragon seemed to sense the danger to its life. It roared loudly, opened its huge mouth, and spewed a wave of fire at Perseus and Liliana on the ground.

"Ugh…"

Startled, Liliana quickly leapt aside and cast a magical barrier to isolate the fire wave, protecting herself.

As for Perseus, standing closer to the dragon, he smiled confidently, unmoved, with no intention to dodge. His tall body was instantly engulfed in the scorching flames.

"Is it over… no!"

Looking around for Perseus, Liliana looked up to see him shining like the sun, swinging his longsword down at the dragon. She gasped.

Swoosh…

The dragon's steel-like body could not resist at all under Perseus's longsword. One of its wings was directly cut off. Purple dragon blood sprayed out as it let out a painful wail.

But Perseus did not stop. With another horizontal slash, a fierce blood mark appeared on the dragon's neck.

"Impossible! A dragon with such great power was defeated so easily…"

Although Liliana had long expected that the mighty dragon would not be a match for Perseus, the hero who slew dragons, she never imagined the gap between them would be so vast!

The once powerful and fierce divine beast dragon was like a little dog by the roadside in front of Perseus, without any strength to resist!

"The final strike, evil dragon!"

A gleam flashed in his eyes as Perseus leapt up again, ready to slay the dragon outright.

Boom!!!

A huge divine sword shadow fell down with a deafening sound, shaking the entire ground.

Liliana had no doubt that under such an attack, the dragon had absolutely no chance of survival!

However, as the dust settled, the expected corpse of the dragon did not appear. Instead—

A boy holding a little girl and wielding a long sword stood in front of the dragon!

No need to say more, the one who appeared at the critical moment to save the dragon was none other than our protagonist, Sora.

Originally, Sora did not want to get involved in these troubles, but Athena, the little girl, had demanded his presence in an undeniable tone, and somehow Sora had inexplicably stepped forward.

"Yo, Liliana-san, we meet again!"

Although standing before him was the legendary god, a super handsome guy almost comparable to himself, Sora had no interest in him. Instead, he smiled and greeted the knight girl Liliana, who was still in shock.

"Lord Kusanagi, Athena…"

Extremely surprised, Liliana did not know why these two suddenly appeared here, but a hint of joy rose in her heart. With their help, maybe the dragon could be saved.

Everyone present was either a demon king or a god. Liliana was not arrogant enough to consider herself their equal; she simply nodded to Sora and gave him a pleading look.

"Heh… one of the contemporary godslayers, huh."

"And even the legendary goddess Athena is here!"

"Interesting, interesting. Goddess Athena, I sense no divine power from you. Could it be that you have been captured by this godslayer?"

Though annoyed by this godslayer who suddenly appeared to interfere, Perseus was surprised to see Athena, the goddess, held in one hand by the godslayer and completely devoid of divine power.

"Hmph, Perseus, my affairs are none of your concern!"

"But you, a proud god, actually take pride in bullying a mere divine beast. Truly lamentable."

With a dark expression, Athena was extremely displeased to be seen by a fellow god as the captive of the detestable Kusanagi Sora. She coldly sneered at Perseus without any courtesy.

"Hehe, dragons are your wards, but I am not arrogant enough to call them 'mere divine beasts'!"

"However, Goddess Athena, although our divine statuses are enemies, if you ask, I could rescue you from this godslayer."

Perseus showed a gentlemanly smile, seemingly indifferent to Athena's attitude.

Feeling extremely lucky today, not only could he build his fame and achievements by slaying dragons, but he also got to witness the proud goddess Athena in such a fallen state. If he, as her enemy, rescued her, it would surely be a huge blow to her pride!

"Hey, hey, Perseus, do you think I'm some roadside persimmon? Athena is mine. If you want to lay a hand on her, you have to ask me first!"

Shouldering the King's Sword, Sora said to Perseus with a displeased look.

Athena was his cuddle bear, and he was used to holding her every day. Anyone who dared to take his cuddle bear would have to deal with him!

"Kusanagi Sora, put me down."

Athena's eye twitched as she gritted her teeth at Sora.

"Damn Kusanagi Sora, damn Perseus, just wait, I'll deal with you soon!"

The little girl thought angrily.

"What are you going to do? That Perseus just said you two are enemies. If you don't want to be bullied by him, don't run around."

Not knowing what had suddenly come over the little girl, Sora still put her down. He might have to fight Perseus soon, and it would be inconvenient to fight while holding her.

"Hmph!"

Athena snorted coldly, ignoring Sora, and walked excitedly to the heavily injured divine beast dragon. She placed her small hands on the dragon's scale-covered body.

"Dragon, condensed from the earth's essence, transform into my power and help me regain my freedom."

As the Earth Mother Goddess, the divine beast dragon obeyed Athena's command without hesitation. To the astonishment of Sora, Perseus, and Liliana, the dragon's form suddenly shattered, transforming into a surge of divine power that flowed into Athena's body, instantly breaking the seal Sora had placed on her.

"My power, all my power has returned!"

"Hahaha… I'm free, finally free!"

Feeling the divine power surging within her and recalling the bitter scenes of being bullied by the detestable Kusanagi Sora, Athena suddenly felt like crying from emotion. Unable to contain her endless excitement, she threw her head back and laughed loudly.

"Uh… did I just do something really stupid?"

Feeling the endless divine aura radiating from Athena, Sora scratched his head, somewhat dumbfounded…