At the mansion, Ryota is presently working on some panels with Yui by his side. In the meantime, Kanna is completing tasks for Synthia. As for Synthia, her system panel is open in front of her.
"Call Ryota and send him here," Synthia said, concerned about the sudden summons. She stood up from her bed and headed to Ryota's work room, knocking on the door when she arrived.
"Ryota-sama, are you there?" she called out.
"Come in."
As Synthia approached Ryota's desk, she leaned in close to his ear. "Athena-sama wants to speak with you," she whispered.
Ryota wrinkled his brow and said, "Hmm, I wonder why. Synthia turned to face him and shrugged.
Ryota sighed and remarked to Yui, who was seated next to him, "I'll be back in a bit."
"Okay, take care," Yui said.
Ryota got out of his chair and made his way outside the room. He quickly vanished after snapping his hands and muttering a teleportation spell.
When Ryota came back, he discovered himself in front of a throne. When he turned to look, he noticed that the individuals in his immediate vicinity were made of clouds and were armed with spears, swords, staffs, and shields.
"You came." Athena who is finished talking to the cloud figures walks toward Ryota.
"Athena-sama..."
"What's wrong? Is this your first time seeing me in a different outfit?"
"N-Not at all." He looks away slightly blushing.
Athena's ethereal gown which appears to be made of shimmering fabric turned into a red Aegis light body armor. Even though she's wearing armor her beauty is stunning as always.
"Athena-sama... what's going on?" Ryota asked, bewildered.
Athena smiled and replied, "You'll see, but not here. Follow me." She snapped her fingers, and in an instant, they teleported to a different location in the realm.
Ryota looked around and realized that they were floating in the sky. "Are we really in the sky?" he asked.
"Yes, we are," Athena confirmed with a chuckle.
Ryota's fear of heights started to kick in, but he tried to keep his composure. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" he asked, hoping to change the subject.
Athena grinned mischievously. "Oh, I just wanted to see your cute reaction, Ryota. But let's get to the point," she said, snapping her fingers again.
A wide-screen system panel appeared in front of both of them, displaying information that didn't make any sense to Ryota.
"Ahh, god damn it, it reminds me of a document I sent when I was applying to my editor."
"Well, I don't have to speak, so you just have to read."
"Why did you have to summon me, then?"
"Because after you've read the information, you're going to tell me your answers and thoughts."
"I see."
Ryota swiped the air and opened the mail icon on his screen panel, displaying the message: "The Water and Thunder have started their plan to take over the world, using people from other worlds and turning them into their own. The God of War will be allied with the Goddess of Creation, Athena."
"Wait, wait, I didn't know you were the Goddess of Creation?!"
"Well, I did give you your original magic, Art Magic, correct?"
"I see."
Ryota looked away for a moment. "I'll have blood on my hands, won't I?"
"You can choose to be a pacifist, but I don't think the gods will take kindly to that," Athena replied.
"Why did they start a war in the first place?" Ryota asked.
"The more reputation you have for being strong, the more followers you'll gain. And with more followers comes more power," Athena explained.
"That's messed up," Ryota said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Well, we're here to stop that, aren't we? Ares, the god of war," Athena replied, her eyes fixed on something behind Ryota.
"Is this the young boy you were talking about?" a deep voice asked, and Ryota turned to see a tall, muscular man standing behind him, his gaze fixed on Ryota with a piercing intensity.
Ares said, eyeing Ryota with a challenging look.
"I'm not in the mood for fighting at the moment," Ryota replied, crossing his arms.
"Ares, where are the others?" Athena asked, looking around.
"They're leading the troops in preparation," Ares replied.
"I see. Then..." Athena started to say before Ares cut her off.
"Wait... I want to test this young boy now."
"Now's not the time, Ares," Athena said firmly.
"No, we have plenty of time," Ares insisted.
"Fine. 30 minutes," Athena relented.
"Pfft, 30 minutes? I doubt this young boy won't last more than a minute," Ares scoffed.
"Are you underestimating me?" Ryota challenged.
"Of course," Ares replied, smirking confidently.
Athena sighs deeply and snaps her finger, Their surrounding instantly changes to an arena.
"Remember, Ares, 30 minutes," Athena reminded him with a stern expression.
"Yeah, yeah..." Ares replied, rolling his eyes.
Ares raised his left hand and conjured a spear out of thin air. He then grabbed it and got into a combat stance, a sly grin forming on his face. Meanwhile, Ryota used his ink magic to create a blade made of ink.
"That's an interesting weapon there," Ares remarked, eyeing the ink blade with amusement.
Ryota remained silent, getting into his combat stance.
Athena then looked at both of them, her eyes glowing with intensity. "I hereby declare that this duel will be witnessed by me, the Goddess of Creation!" she declared, her voice echoing through the area.
Ares smirked, twirling his spear with ease. "You should have brought your best fighter, Athena. This boy won't last long against me."
Ares twirled his spear with ease and smirked confidently. Athena raised her right arm and declared, "Match... Start!"
In an instant, Ares disappeared from Ryota's sight, but he remained focused and alert. With his eyes, he surveyed his surroundings while maintaining his firm stance.
Suddenly, Ares reappeared, thrusting his spear toward Ryota's head, but He blocked it with his ink blade. Without missing a beat, Ares vanished again, only to reappear on the other side of Ryota, thrusting his spear two more times.
Ryota deftly dodged the attacks, his body moving with fluidity and precision. He countered with a series of quick slashes, but Ares easily parried them with his spear.
The two continued to exchange blows, each one trying to gain an advantage over the other. Ares was a formidable opponent for Ryota, but his quick reflexes and unique ink magic proved to be a challenge.
As the fight went on, the Ryota began to sweat and pant, his movements becoming more and more frantic. Athena watched intently, her eyes scanning the battlefield for any sign of weakness.
Ares, on the other hand, remained calm and collected, his movements smooth and calculated.
Suddenly, Ryota made a risky move, charging toward Ares head-on. Ares grinned, anticipating an easy victory, but Ryota quickly changed his course, spinning around and slashing at Ares from behind.
The unexpected attack caught Ares off guard, and he stumbled forward, narrowly avoiding the blow. But before he could recover, Ryota charged again.
Ares braced himself for the impact, but at the last moment, Ryota veered off to the side, leaving Ares off balance. Seizing the opportunity, Ryota lunged forward, his ink blade piercing through Ares' defenses and striking him. "As if you can strike me," Ares muttered under his breath. His spear suddenly changes into a golden shield.
"!!!"
Ryota grunted as his ink blade made contact with Ares' newly transformed shield, the impact sending a jolt through his body. Ares smirked as he pushed Ryota back with the shield. "You're not bad, kid. But you'll have to do better than that."
Ryota steadied himself, his breathing heavy but determined. "I'm not done yet," he said, his ink blade glowing with renewed energy.
"So do I," Ares muttered to himself as the unexpected attack surprised Ryota. Suddenly, Ryota's right arm was cut off, and he looked at it on the ground in shock.
"The match is over! Ares is the winner!" Athena declared as she rushed over to Ryota.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Ryota looked down at his arm in disbelief. "I could have sworn it was on the ground."
"This arena is specifically designed for duels," Athena explained. "Once the match is over, it returns to its normal state."
Ares, who had been menacingly staring at Athena, suddenly broke into a grin. "This young boy is strong! Ahahaha!"
Ryota was taken aback by the sudden compliment.
"That was the first time I shifted my spear into a shield in the middle of a battle," Ares continued. "That was good, young boy! How about I train you so you can get even stronger?"
"Enough," Athena interrupted, snapping her fingers to return to the meeting place. "We'll discuss our plans for the war."
"Now that Ares and Ryota are here," Athena said, "the only person we're waiting for is..."
Just then, a groan interrupted her sentence.
"Ugh," Ares grumbled.
"The Queen of Jokers."
"Queen of what?" Ryota asked curiously.
Before Athena could respond, a voice interrupted them. "Hi~ Did someone call?~" The voice belonged to a woman who suddenly appeared, dressed in a regal, yet eccentric outfit adorned with various symbols. Her red and black top hat added to her already striking appearance.
The woman flashed a mischievous smile. Her long, curly hair was styled in a way that added to her whimsical appearance. She wore a purple and gold corset that accentuated her hourglass figure, and her black pants and knee-high boots gave her an air of confidence and authority.
With a flick of her wrist, she produced a deck of cards, which she shuffled with ease. "Shall we play a game, my dear friends?" she asked, her eyes glinting with excitement.