บท 142: Chapter 38
"Hey! Fight back already!" Atalanta snarled through gritted teeth, glaring at Jeanne, who stood in the middle of a massive crater. "I told you, didn't I? If you're not going to deny our resolve, then get out of the way!"
Jeanne's gaze wavered. "I... My resolve has never faltered. It's just that... I'm better at defending than attacking. So all I can do is stand in your way."
"You've never been a good liar, have you?" Cyd, standing nearby, rubbed his forehead.
Jeanne claimed her resolve hadn't shaken, but it was obvious she was struggling. She was only here because, in a moment of confusion, spurred on by Cyd's words, she jumped into the fight. Now that things were clearer, doubt crept back in.
It was simple—Jeanne didn't think Atalanta's wish was wrong. It wasn't about resurrecting the dead, but about sending the living back home. Denying that would mean denying her own beliefs. So, she stood her ground.
Holding her flag, Jeanne kept her invincible defense up, hoping Atalanta would tire herself out. But that was unlikely. After all, Atalanta's Master, Medusa, had lived since the Age of the Gods and could provide endless magical energy. Jeanne had no real plan other than to stall, and it wasn't working.
"This woman...!" Atalanta muttered, black veins creeping down her fingers.
"Uh-oh..." Cyd raised an eyebrow. Something was off. Even when Atalanta had been hunting him, her aura never felt this malicious.
"Hey, Atalanta! Wait! Something's wrong with you!" Cyd called out.
"Don't worry. I'll kill this woman quickly," Atalanta replied coldly, putting away her bow and pulling out a pelt. The black lines spread up to her face. "Then... I can return to you..."
Wait, what? That was a huge red flag.
"Atalanta, don't use that Noble Phantasm!" Cyd instinctively felt this wasn't going to end well.
"Why not?" Atalanta looked at him, confused. "If I don't, I can't kill her."
The raw bloodlust made Jeanne shudder.
"Or maybe... you don't want me to come back. You're going to leave me again..." Atalanta clutched her head and took a few steps back. "Abandon me..."
This wasn't like her. No way. Atalanta would never admit weakness, no matter how frustrated she got. This was beyond rage—it was something darker, more destructive.
Cyd's expression grew serious. He thought back to the illusion Jack had desperately created. Could there have been a curse hidden there? He couldn't feel it, thanks to the blessings he had, but maybe that illusion wasn't as harmless as it seemed.
Cyd glanced at Jeanne. Why wasn't she affected?
Jeanne, on the other hand, was staring at Atalanta, confused and nervous. The hostility seemed to be shifting away from her and toward Cyd instead.
"You're looking at that dumb village girl now?" Atalanta snapped, her voice filled with jealousy.
"What? No, I'm not!" Cyd protested.
"Dumb... village girl?" Jeanne repeated, pointing at herself in disbelief. "You mean me, right? She's talking about me, isn't she?!"
"KILL YOU!" Atalanta roared, slamming the pelt onto her body.
Her mind was in chaos, and she wasn't even sure who she wanted to kill anymore. But one thing was clear—her hatred was overflowing.
"God Punishment Boar!"
A dark, ominous light surged from the pelt, wrapping around Atalanta as if it were alive. Her hunter's outfit vanished, replaced by a dark, boar-themed armor. A wild boar's head appeared on her shoulder, and her green hair turned snowy white.
"Uhhh, that looks... kinda... too much," Cyd muttered, wiping his nose. Atalanta's previous outfit had been intense enough, but this new form felt like an aggressive display. "Yeah, let's not make a habit of this."
"Focus!" Jeanne snapped, exasperated. "She's about to attack!"
Atalanta crouched low, like a beast ready to pounce, cracks forming beneath her feet.
"Well, she's after you, so just hold out until she's done venting," Cyd said, shrugging. "That's your plan, right?"
"I mean, yes, but her target—"
Before Jeanne could finish, the air exploded with a sonic boom.
"Cyd!"
Atalanta shot toward him like a missile, her sharpened claws glowing ominously.
"Wha—"
Cyd hadn't expected her to come after him and was too slow to react. Atalanta slammed him into a wall with the force of a cannonball.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Cyd groaned, his body stuck in the crater she'd created.
"Why!" Atalanta snarled, punching toward his head.
"I should be asking that!" Cyd threw his arms up to protect his face, but he hadn't anticipated the strength boost she'd gotten from her Noble Phantasm.
"—"
With a monstrous force, Atalanta's punch drove Cyd deeper into the ground.
"Why did you leave me!" she roared, straddling him and raising her fist again. "Why didn't you accept my—"
She paused, her voice breaking, as she slammed both fists down, "—love!"
"—"
The impact created a massive crater beneath them.
"Uh... should I... stop this?" Jeanne whispered, clutching her flag, unsure of what to do as Atalanta continued pummeling Cyd. Normally, she'd step in, but considering their mythological connection... this felt more like a marital spat than a real fight.
"I loved you!" Atalanta cried, her fists slowing as her strength faded. "I regret leaving for home... I should've stayed with you."
Her voice grew hoarse as she slumped forward, her fists resting on Cyd's chest. "All I wanted... was to have a child with you..."
"Uh... what?!" Cyd's eyes shot wide open, his mind spinning from the sudden turn.
"Even that small wish... you denied me," Atalanta whispered, pressing her head against his chest. Her armor reverted to its original form, but it had turned pitch black, the boar pelt's power fading.
Atalanta, in her berserk state, had been driven entirely by her buried emotions, her love and frustration bubbling to the surface. All she could think of was getting Cyd back, no matter how much it hurt. Her rational side had been lost to the madness.
Cyd carefully raised his hand, reaching toward the boar's head on her shoulder, thinking he might be able to remove it.
His hand grasped at air.
The boar head was gone.
Cyd's eyes widened in shock.
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