Chapter 24: Loki Vs Athena
I took a cab and dropped by at the entrance. There were two guards there, I flashed my card to them and entered the forest. It was very different from what I imagined it to be.
The forest was filled with trees but they were massive. The trees completely blocked the sunlight so they have attached bulbs everywhere. There was a big map at the entrance that displayed the main attraction.
The Eden level around the forest was considerably higher than outside.
While I was exploring, I met a lot of exotic animals. There were horned monkeys, giant spiders, winged snakes, etc
I was flabbergasted watching a pig fly in the sky. It was a lot fascinating and thrilling. Most of these animals were common-tier as powerful beasts residing in the depths of the forest.
After some sightseeing, I was about to exit the forest when I met my love.
Cough
I mean Athena at the entrance. She seemed alone so I tried asking her.
"Miss Athena, would you mind if I join you?"
She pondered a bit and nodded her head. It seemed she was also new here and wasn't familiar with this place.
"Ladies first."
Athena marched forward as I walked beside her.
We explored the forest as I struggled to have a conversation with her. She was walking gracefully while responding to my inquiries.
"Hmm…" I noticed something unusual around her.
How should I put it… It seemed like nature was welcoming her presence. No, More like nature was delighted by her presence. Even the animals were more friendly around her. I guessed it might be because of her physique.
A baby sheep approached us and curiously gazed at Athena. She kneeled down and politely caressed it.
A gorgeous smile blossomed on her face as I captured the moment and etched it in my mind,
"How can someone be this beautiful?" I uttered with a lost gaze. (Lost in love XD)
"Hmm did you say something?" She stood up and curiously looked at me.
"N-nothing. I just thought that the baby sheep was quite cute." I answered while peeking at her face.
She smiled at me and started moving forward.
"DAMN! She smiled at me." I followed her while feeling all giddy.
We visited the main attractions and later exited the forest. The sun was starting to set and night was arriving.
"Thank you for your assistance." Athena politely thanked him and left.
I stood watching her as she disappeared from my vision.
"Shit! I forgot to ask her number."
A late realization struck me as I cursed myself.
"Next time."
With a newfound determination, I returned to the hotel.
Next day
I visited the guild to take a mission and guess what, I met Athena there.
She was also checking the mission so I approached her and suggested teaming up.
She pondered for a while and inquired about my strength.
"How about we have a duel?" I suggested.
"Alright."
We moved towards the training ground and picked our respective weapons.
Loki and Athena both picked a wooden sword and stood face to face with each other.
Ting
They both dashed forward and clashed their swords. It was to measure each other's strength.
"She is strong," Loki muttered as he tried overpowering her using his strength.
Athena somersaulted and distanced herself away from him. Simultaneously she surrounded her sword with lightning and sent slashes towards Loki.
Loki also activated his dark aura and counter-attack with a darkness slash.
Bang
Both collided and canceled each other out.
Swish
He cast [Lightspeed] and dashed towards Athena.
ting
A blunt sound echoed as their swords clashed with each other.
Athena got slightly pushed back by his strength.
A smirk appeared on Loki's face as he continued clashing swords with her.
He struck her body while ignoring the vital parts but she would perfectly deflect it with minimal strength.
"Her foundation is also strong." Loki praised her swordsmanship and became serious.
A violet armor surrounded Athena as she firmly held the ground.
Loki sensing danger quickly distanced himself and activated [Aegis of Life].
Ding
A ball of lightning clashed with his move and cracked it.
He swiftly dodged the ball before it could destroy his barrier.
"That was close." He gripped his sword and activated his sword art.
[Life severing Art: Severing Slashes]
A barrage of slashes dashed toward Athena with extreme speed.
Athena was a bit far from Loki so she quickly analyzed the move and
dodged them using [Lightning Steps].
She vanished and appeared a few meters away but to her dismay, Loki was waiting for her.
Loki had silently activated [Sensory Field] and sensed her location.
"Gotcha!" He smiled at her and activated his move.
[Life Severing Art: Life Cataclysm]
Athena sensed danger and quickly activated her [Thunder Armor] at full capacity.
A destructive power emerged from his sword and directly clashed with the armor.
The armor withstood for a few seconds before succumbing to the attack.
Athena narrowly avoided the attack by activating [Lightning Reflex] but couldn't dodge his fist as it hit right at her guts.
Boom
"Ughh"
A low groan escaped her lips as he twisted her body and slowly descended on the floor.
She reacted quickly and cast a move.
[Root Shackle]
Roots appeared from the ground and wrapped around Loki's feet.
"Hmm?" He quickly slashed them but they were quite resilient.
[Leaf Storm]
A fierce storm dashed his way and trapped him inside as he hacked the roots. The leaves revolved around him and attacked from every direction.
"Beautiful combo." He praised while preparing his next move.
[Fire Embrace]
A fiery red cape surrounded Loki's body and burned the annoying leaves. The roots also got destroyed by the fire.
[Blossoming Sword Art: Thorns Barrage]
A barrage of pointy thorns made from Athena's aura pierced Loki's cape.
The thorns extinguished the flames and approached him.
While they were having their duel, A spectator was silently observing them from a certain place.