Chapter 997 - 48: An Immature Idea

"Where are we going?"

Gu Mo asked in such a way, his tone perfectly conveying a hint of curiosity.

"...Aren't you afraid?" Athena, who was walking ahead, stopped, turned back, and studied the young man behind her with a frown.

She had just coldly thrown out a sentence, asking him to follow her, and then turned away.

She hadn't expected this guy would obediently follow, without trying to escape or anything, which displeased her slightly...

It's not like the Goddess suddenly changed her mind out of charity, wanting to give him a chance to escape. She just felt that the following matter would be quite troublesome and wouldn't be completed quickly, so he needed to recognize reality, perhaps by teaching him a lesson.

There might be some elements of baiting and entrapment involved, carrying thoughts of retaliation...

After all, Athena had every reason to be hostile to this guy, filled with past anger.

But what she hadn't expected was that he wasn't harboring unrealistic fantasies and had seemingly quickly grasped reality, obediently following her without any intent to seize the chance to escape or make any other moves. It wasn't just about understanding the situation; look at him now, acting as if he has nothing to fear.

"Of course I'm afraid..."

Gu Mo nodded repeatedly in response, without any hesitation. But this confession seemed unconvincing, not just to Athena but to any naive girl in the same situation; they'd likely doubt his words instinctively.

It seemed more like he was saying "yeah, right" without thinking, just agreeing with the air of compliance.

The sheer perfunctoriness of it led to Athena also falling silent.

"..."

"..."

The small girl stood expressionless in place, inspecting the young man opposite, before finally letting out a cold snort after a while.

"Seems I've underestimated you. Are you certain I won't act, so you're probing me?"

"Why would that be? I just wanted to ask where we're going next; we can't just keep walking like this, can we?" Gu Mo maintained a polite smile, answering cheerfully as he glanced around. They were now outside the city limits.

Surrounding them was a stretch of mountainous wilderness, not entirely uninhabited.

Though there was just a highway stretching into the distance, surrounded by ancient mountainous areas, they were mostly covered with the common sakura forest, lacking much economic value. Probably why it had escaped the grasp of capitalism, spared from invasive overdevelopment, and kept its relatively original scenery.

Retracting his gaze, Gu Mo looked again with interest at the small girl in front of him, unable to resist commending her inwardly.

The current Goddess wore a thin sweater, miniskirt, and over-the-knee socks, with a blue knit cap over her silver hair, looking like a sweet, adorable little girl... And she could transform.

— What does this mean?

— It means she can be both cute and regal!

Tsk tsk, this attribute beats any authority, doesn't it?!

It's just a shame that Lady Goddess hasn't adapted her mindset or kept up with the times, failing to grasp the trends and shifts in the Human World's currents. If she could leverage this advantage, debut as an idol with this irresistible, charming attribute...

Wouldn't she easily gather hearts and amass terrifying faith?

Once her persona was deeply rooted, and her fanbase grew large enough, she might even alter myths, reclaiming everything taken from her... And this isn't Gu Mo joking around; it's really possible, provided there's a scale effect.

After all, the ceremony known as mythology began as people recognized traces of great lives in the boundless sky and earth, creating names and crafting various stories, the origin of all myths.

The Gods noticed the benefits of mythology, began playing their roles, injecting their power into the myths, and as they created worlds of their own, formed things humanity called Divine Format.

It encompassed the vastness of authority and Divine Power, alongside the infinite possibilities of human thought, intertwining human and divine forces due to ideological shifts, presenting unmatched closeness and intimacy where the boundary between reality and illusion was elusive and indistinguishable... This is the essence of mythology!

Then—

How similar is this concept to that of virtual idols establishing personas?

"Hmph! What are you looking at?!"

Athena initially looked away unnaturally, avoiding his gaze, but immediately realized that the times have changed; she should be the dominant one now, not him. Hence, she promptly glared back fiercely, with a stern face.

"Ahem, it's nothing, right." Gu Mo lightly coughed but did not avert his gaze, still carefully scrutinizing her, "Miss Athena, I actually have an immature thought..."

"Since you know it's immature, then don't say it..." The goddess maintained a cold tone and decisively refused.

"What a pity..."

The young man blinked, his expression slightly regretful.

Athena didn't feel there was anything pitiable, nor did she think this person could currently offer any useful suggestions. She assumed he was trying to get information from her, gathering intelligence to prepare for future escape or resistance.

The other party seemed genuinely calm now, carefully observing her reactions, attempting to confirm something, which indicated this very point.

Of course, these were just the little goddess's own thoughts.

Turning around, Athena continued walking forward, her fists clenched tightly, feeling the evil fire in her heart hard to dissipate. This guy was indeed quite perceptive, seemingly already discovering her "weakness"... hence his calm demeanor, not scared at all!

However, there was no way around it; she had been cautious from the start, trying to avoid directly harming him, and this guy likely discovered that.

Because it's hard to hide...

Especially since the other party is directly involved, it's inevitable he would sense the issue.

Even that somewhat capable witch couldn't withstand the pressure of divine power, yet he has nothing to worry about, the rules of the Dark Night Domain & death, and cold don't apply to him; perhaps because he is facing Athena herself in incomplete form, she needs restraint to avoid harming him...

Otherwise, it wouldn't take so much time.

These can be seen, but Emilia and others couldn't pay attention to such details in the urgent situation, being pressed hard, their thoughts nearly stopped.

Yet Athena herself doesn't have a good solution, for one it's meaningless in practical terms, and for another, she certainly can't directly harm him, so she begrudgingly accepted... feeling disgusted by this sight.

Not being able to directly harm him doesn't mean she can't cause damage. It's because her true purpose means she can't easily harm him.

——It would only have the opposite effect.

Even a Godslayer facing gods must be fully prepared for an "equal" fight to knock down a god and gain new power. If choosing to sneak attack when Defiant Gods are extremely weak, even if successful, there would be no gain.

Athena naturally understands this, eliminating this guy is simple, just a look or a thought could do it.

But that doesn't mean she can easily complete her goal and reclaim everything that belongs to her...

If really acting directly, it would waste this rare, golden opportunity——

If this guy were simply knocked down like that, he wouldn't lose anything. Like the gods defeated by Godslayers, casually returning to the Undying Domain, waiting for revival again... no big deal.

Though it may take a long slumber, though the process could be lengthy, after all, it's the existence of an undying god, is this really a loss? Naturally not, if it were Zeus, perhaps this would be the best development...

Therefore, Athena would miss this chance, possibly the only chance to reclaim her belongings.

Simply acting to eliminate him would indeed be satisfying but wouldn't gain her anything in reality; it would equate to letting him escape with her own hands. And perhaps she won't have such a chance again, she might never reclaim what's hers.

Because no one can guarantee——

When the opposite side will release the divine format from the Undying Domain, complete embodiment on Earth, and manifest, what the timing would be.

Nor guarantee she would meet him again, and he would still be in this vulnerable state, conveniently manipulable by her.

——It's essentially like this.

Therefore, despite Athena's threatening approach, she is truly the one most fearing for Gu Mo's well-being... after all, this annoying guy is like a precious porcelain now, too fragile to withstand force, easily shattered with a touch.

And if truly shattered, the one unable to bear the major loss would be Athena herself.

Thinking this, she felt increasingly stifled...

The little goddess walked ahead forcefully, fists tightly clenched.