“Wake up, Epona… wake up…” the horse goddess heard from far away, while she saw nothing but darkness.

  Then she opened her eyes. She was lying on her back on the ground, and Ana was sitting beside her, trying to rouse her with her hand.

  “You finally woke up. Are you okay?” Ana asked the weakened goddess.

  Epona sat up and pressed a hand to her face.

  “My whole body hurts like hell… what happened?” the horse goddess asked.

  “It looks like someone saved us. Could it have been my master?” Ana wondered, glancing toward where Ares and Athena were fighting.

  “No… it was… Rodrigo,” Epona said.

  “Rui? Rui is here?” Ana asked anxiously.

  “I felt it. I felt the warmth of his energy… like he was holding me in his arms. I don’t know how, but I remember it as if I lived it, even though I was unconscious. His scent, his warmth, his aura—so pure…” Epona said, stunned.

  “I think the important thing is to find him, if he really is still here,” the Irish goddess replied, her expression bright with emotion.

  “And Tania and Anpiel—are they okay?” Epona asked.

  “Tania’s been here for a while. Didn’t you see her?” Ana replied.

  Epona turned and saw Tania standing with her back to them, shielding both goddesses. Her expression was stern as she watched Athena and Ares’s battle without missing a single detail.

  “I’m fine. Anpiel is unconscious over there… but I don’t think there are more than a few seconds left before the Chronoxiphos pierces his heart,” the Punic goddess replied, her tone heavy with dread.

  “I’ll protect Anpiel with my life!” Epona shouted, rising and moving to run toward where the angel lay unconscious.

  “Don’t throw your life away, Epona. Even if you stand in front of him, you won’t stop the impact. Didn’t you hear what that girl who brought us the ambrosia said?” Tania snapped.

  “She’s right, Epona,” Ana added.

  “It was my fault,” Epona said, her voice turning melancholic.

  “It wasn’t. Don’t blame yourself for something that was never under your control,” Ana replied angrily.

  “Epona… I’m guilty of many atrocities. I even tried to kill Rodrigo. I know that someday I will face the gods’ judgment, and I will accept their verdict. But no one was at fault for what happened to Anpiel. He chose to support us and help us, and we will do everything in our power to save him. For now, we can only trust Athena,” Tania said.

  Epona closed her eyes and nodded.

  “Have faith in my master, Epona,” Ana said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

  “Is this your beloved Rodrigo?” Ishtar interrupted as she arrived with the young tannin slung over one shoulder, and Ninshubur carried on the other.

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  “Rodrigo? Then it really was him that I felt…” Epona said, running to him and trying to hug him, but the Mesopotamian goddess stopped her.

  “This boy turned into a tannin, and it seems he still can’t control the transformation. If you touch his blood, you could be in serious danger,” Ishtar warned.

  “Ambrosia is what can bring him back to normal, right?” Epona asked, stepping closer.

  “Correct. But we don’t have any ambrosia left. We used it all,” Ishtar replied.

  “Then only I can save him,” Epona said decisively, moving toward Rodrigo.

  “Don’t go near him, girl!” Ishtar shouted.

  But the equine goddess pulled the young tannin out of Ishtar’s arms and cupped his face with both hands. To everyone’s shock, Epona kissed him.

  “You’re insane!” Ishtar screamed.

  Ana froze at the sight.

  Tania, who hadn’t even turned to look, finally tilted her head toward the spectacle.

  Epona pulled her lips away from Rodrigo’s. She had never kissed before and suddenly felt embarrassed.

  “I kept a little ambrosia under my tongue… in case something like this happened,” Epona said, then fell onto her back on the ground, letting Rodrigo go.

  Ana quickly caught Rodrigo so he wouldn’t hit the ground. She looked at Epona with startled confusion—Epona was smiling as she lay there.

  Ishtar immediately lowered Ninshubur, grabbed the Celtic goddess by the hair, and shoved a finger into her mouth.

  “Spit it out. Now!” she yelled.

  Epona, furious, shoved Ishtar away.

  “I’m fine. Rodrigo’s saliva can’t hurt me… because I love him,” she said with a smile.

  Ana went into shock at her friend’s words. Jealousy seized her heart. Deep down, a dark thought rose in her mind—but she forced it away at once.

  Tania, for her part, was stunned.

  “When did those two become so intimate?” she wondered.

  Ishtar released Epona, sat down, and placed Ninshubur in her lap, still shaking her head in disapproval at what she’d just seen.

  “You girls are seriously out of your minds,” Ishtar muttered, still wide-eyed.

  At that moment, Rodrigo began to cough, and Ana immediately felt his temperature dropping.

  “Rui, Rui—are you okay?” Ana cried, shaking the young tannin to wake him.

  “Ana? What happened?” Rodrigo asked, startled.

  “You were unconscious, and this girl found you,” Ana said, pointing at Ishtar.

  Epona sat up and leaned her face close to Rodrigo’s.

  “Welcome back, my dear Rodrigo,” Epona said with a smile—her face completely red.

  Rodrigo couldn’t help blushing too.

  “I’m glad you’re okay, Rodrigo,” Tania said, turning her attention back to the fight between Athena and Ares.

  “Thanks, girls,” Rodrigo replied.

  “Susanoo—the man who treated you while you were unconscious—asked me to look after you. He said he wanted you to become stronger so you could face him again,” Ishtar told Rodrigo.

  “Oh… yeah. I remember he helped me get out of the labyrinth, and after that… I don’t remember what happened,” Rodrigo admitted.

  “He became a Ryujin and tore off Ares-sama’s arm, Rodrigo-san,” Susanoo said.

  The eastern god was sitting in a lotus position atop a floating chunk of Mars’s rubble near the group. Beside him lay Khine, still unconscious.

  “When did you get here?” Ishtar asked Susanoo.

  “I have been here all along. You merely failed to perceive my presence,” Susanoo replied.

  “I thought you were leaving,” Ishtar said, and Susanoo tried to pretend he hadn’t heard her.

  “Oh, I see. You can’t escape Mars because of Ares’s dimensional barrier,” Ishtar added with a sarcastic smile.

  “Watashi wa... er… I… I did elect to join thy company in order to… to become more… formidable,” Susanoo answered, his face reddening as he avoided the Mesopotamian goddess’s gaze.

  “And besides, this gentleman is of your party. I could not abandon him so carelessly,” Susanoo continued, gesturing toward Khine.

  Everyone looked surprised. Most of them had forgotten Khine even existed. Since he never spoke, he often felt like little more than decoration to the others.

  “You’re Rodrigo’s friend—the one who helped him? Then of course you’re welcome with us!” Ana said to Susanoo, who was still blushing and trying to avoid eye contact.

  “Thank you for looking after Rodrigo,” Epona added with a smile.

  “I-it was… it was of no consequence,” Susanoo stammered, still refusing to meet either goddess’s eyes.

  At that moment, the Chronoxiphos stopped swaying and aligned itself directly with Anpiel’s heart—still unconscious.

  “Damn it—I forgot! Time’s up!” Ana shouted.

  “No—Anpiel!” Epona screamed and sprinted toward the angel. The sword fired straight at the malak’s heart.