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In the myths, the longbow that had annihilated the Kshatriya twenty-one times was drawn. Lightning formed into an arrow and shot forth.
It was an armament forged for Shiva by Vishvakarman, a weapon considered to be of a vicious caliber in the entirety of Hindu mythology.
Like divine punishment, the furious lightning shot towards the Demonic Beast Goddess.
In the instant before its arrival, the terrifying monster sensed the dreadful pressure.
She opened her Mystic Eyes of Cybele, a mixture of the grey of deathly silence and a chilling blue, ranked "Rainbow."
Her gaze met the lightning arrow, which carried with it an endless majesty.
As if a chemical reaction had occurred.
The power of the god-domain Mystic Eyes and the incoming armament corroded each other.
Then, they mutually annihilated in mid-air.
And then—
Just as in the legends, where the world withers when a great monster appears.
The sky went dark.
A blackish-red aura surged forth, and the stench of blood filled the air. A terrifying miasma spread without limit, and wherever it went, all grass and trees withered away.
And then—
The earth cracked open.
The Queen of Demonic Beasts slowly emerged from the sundered ground.
She was a grotesque monster.
Like a projection of calamity itself, the goddess named Gorgon, merely by appearing, caused the surrounding environment to change drastically.
An immense pressure bore down on everything around her.
Looking at the terrifying monster, Fujimaru Ritsuka's body couldn't help but tremble.
That is Gorgon?
The Queen of Demonic Beasts, Gorgon.
Even though she had known she would encounter a god on this trip, and even though they were a great distance away, the terrifying monster queen still brought an immense sense of pressure to bear on her, a mere mortal.
Then, a hand was placed on her shoulder.
The oppressive feeling coming from the distant monster was like snow exposed to the scorching sun—it melted, dissolved, and then vanished.
"For now, just stay here and wait for me for a bit."
As if to protect her, the youth stuffed the longbow in his hands—the one that granted its wielder the blessing of "ignoring damage from Beast Master Noble Phantasm-class attacks"—into the girl's hands.
(A fully-equipped little sun is a super-tank. Kavacha and Kundala reduces damage by ninety percent, and the Triumphant Bow negates damage on the level of god-slaying armaments—Beast Master Noble Phantasms. With both damage reduction and damage negation, even a direct hit from Ea would probably feel like a scratch.)
"This is?"
The girl, having had a weapon forcefully shoved into her hands, was somewhat flustered.
Although she didn't understand the situation, she was certain that the weapon pushed into her hands was likely an incredibly precious armament.
"The Triumphant Bow. It's one of the strongest defensive weapons I have."
The youth, who had distorted Karna's class back when he was a mere magus and then, through Spirit Origin possession, obtained this armament whose grandeur was no less than Kavacha and Kundala's, smiled faintly.
The divine Triumphant Bow forged for Shiva by Vishvakarman?!
The girl, having suddenly learned the true name of the Noble Phantasm in her hands, found her eyes widening.
Then, she became even more flustered.
To give his all-in-one offensive and defensive super-weapon to her right before subjugating the Demonic Beast Goddess... what would happen to Li Zihan?
"You should take this back—"
"A proper lover puts protecting their partner before protecting themselves, don't they?"
The youth's words cut off what the girl, who was clearly about to return the Triumphant Bow, wanted to say.
His serious expression fell upon the girl's eyes, causing ripples to stir in her heart.
"Besides, I'm very strong."
The youth chuckled, and then the demonic spear and demonic sword symbolizing the Celtic God-King appeared in his hands.
"For now, you just have to wait here for me to come back."
Before Miss Guda could react, like a flash of light, the youth disappeared from her side.
"Really, what a willful god."
The girl looked at the empty space beside her, and then at the longbow in her hands, and couldn't help but stomp her foot.
Handing over your strongest defense to someone else right before a battle, what kind of idiotic move is that?!
Now, she could only hope that he wouldn't get hurt.
The girl hugged the armament her lover had entrusted to her, silently watching the distance.
There, her temporary boyfriend had already arrived before the terrifying monster.
"Are you the human who has come to subjugate me?"
The colossal goddess narrowed her eyes, staring at the enemy who gave her an immense sense of crisis. Her giant serpentine tail continuously slapped the ground, and with her movements, the ruins trembled slightly.
"I'm here to hunt the monster, Gorgon."
The handsome youth chuckled.
Her purple hair coalesced into one python after another. Gorgon narrowed her snake-like eyes, the venomous hatred within them as sharp as a scythe.
The monster Gorgon... it's been a long time since I've been called that.
"Heh heh, so you're a hero, are you?"
The monster goddess, who had killed countless monster-slaying heroes during the time she lived in seclusion with her sisters, let out a loud roar.
A breath with strong corrosive properties spewed forth from Gorgon's hair, which had already transformed into pythons.
The poisonous smoke, thick with the aura of death, spread like a projection of the Grim Reaper himself, and all the grass and trees it touched withered and died.
And the target of that terrifying breath was the youth.
Faced with a poison that seemed capable of killing even a Servant, the youth brandished the divine spear of the sun god Lugh.
A dense magical energy was poured into it.
The divine spear, empowered by a huge amount of magical energy, emitted a dazzling light, as if a sun were rising.
Extreme light and heat spread out, releasing a terrifying power that dissolved the surrounding poisonous gas, melting it away layer by layer.
However, this was merely the prelude to the attack.
Like an unspeakable horror licking at her skin, a terrifying sense of crisis washed over Gorgon's heart.
And then—
Like a landslide, the long spear descended.
Wherever the spear's tip passed, even the air could not withstand the immense force, letting out a shriek like a banshee's wail.
Without a moment's hesitation, the demonic hair on Gorgon's head all transformed into terrifying poisonous pythons, simultaneously launching an attack in the direction where the spear was falling.
Countless poisonous pythons, each capable of heavily wounding a first-rate Servant upon impact, all attacking in the same direction—it was truly a shocking sight.
To shatter the northern wall of Uruk in a single blow would be no joke.
But this breath attack, which could tear a city apart, was a bit too thin for her opponent.
The divine spear corresponding to the sun god Lugh suddenly erupted with terrifying light and heat.
Scorching flames, like a tsunami, overwhelmed the converging breath attacks, then suddenly exploded. The terrifyingly hot flames accurately engulfed the surrounding poisonous pythons, devouring them ravenously.
Danger!!
An unprecedented sense of crisis washed over Gorgon's heart.
Urged by instinct, she severed her demonic hair, letting the python-like strands twist in agony in the blazing flames. She spread the wings on her back and flew with all her might.
Her decision proved to be the right one.
As the vast flames surged forth like a volcano that had been accumulating for thousands of years before erupting, a demonic sword lay in ambush.
The giant snake shadow was instantly torn apart.
The demonic sword that had once sliced through Kavacha and Kundala shot out, shredding the snake-hair that had just detached from Gorgon.
"You're quite terrifying."
Stepping on the remains of the temple, the youth walked towards the Demonic Beast Goddess who had just attacked him. He waved his hand, his tone somewhat flippant.
"But if this is all you've got, you can't beat me."
The divine spear danced in the youth's hand, leaving several afterimages in the air. Several wounds appeared on the giant python's body as arcs of cold light exploded, and crimson blood splattered.
Gorgon's eyes suddenly changed color. As these pythons rushed to their deaths, the grey of deathly silence and a chilling blue lit up in her eyes. The surviving pythons that served as her avatars also opened their mouths wide.
A purplish-black petrification beam broke through the authority's defense. Specks of stone appeared on Li Zihan's trouser cuffs, then his calf, before coming to a halt.
This sight made Gorgon's heart sink.
The petrification Mystic Eyes had a pitifully small effect on the enemy.
But even this pitifully small amount of damage did not last long.
The next moment, time began to flow backward.
As if a film reel were being played in reverse, the petrified part of the youth's body was rewound to its previous state.
"Please continue."
The completely unharmed youth did not press his advantage, but instead walked forward a few steps at an unhurried pace.
"Show me the true power of the Demonic Beast Goddess, Gorgon."
He held the long spear that shone with the light of the sun, quietly waiting for the goddess's next move, like a hunter waiting for its prey to struggle until it lost its strength.
Just like...
Just like the heroes of the past who, for fame, beauty, and fortune, had treated her and her sisters as prey to be subjugated.
Gorgon was a true monster.
The Avenger class fixed her alignment as Evil and also warped her will to a certain extent, making her insane.
The class skill, Oblivion Correction, allowed her to remember all the suffering she had endured in her life.
Forgotten by the people she loved, framed as a monster, cursed by the gods, beheaded by a hero...
Forgetfulness is human nature, but an avenger with an unquenchable flame in their heart will never forget anything.
How could Gorgon, as an Avenger, forget the humiliations of the past?
As if fate were repeating itself, the "hero" who had pushed her into a tragic destiny had now come to reenact the legend of a hero slaying a demon.
Venomous hatred, like strong liquor poured on a poisonous fire, erupted. The Monster Queen's expression turned ferocious as she saw the shadows of countless heroes who had subjugated her in the unknown god before her.
The one being who most deserved to die had finally appeared before her!
"You've finally appeared before me, hero who slays monsters!!"
Gorgon's body began to swell, and the monstrous nature within her became even more pronounced.
Kill him!
I must kill him!!
The Demonic Beast Goddess Gorgon's form expanded rapidly. A phantom of the complete monster Gorgon unfolded behind her.
The stench of mutated blood filled the air. The twisted temple floated in the air, and a blood-colored mist swirled through the world.
The entire ruins also seemed to undergo a strange transformation. The remaining flora and fauna turned to ash, and even the rocks were dissolving.
A crazed smile hung on Gorgon's lips. She no longer hesitated, shouting the true name of her trump card.
"Forced Seal - Pandemonium Cetus!!!"
Forced Seal - Pandemonium Cetus
Rank: A+
Type: Anti-Army Noble Phantasm
Range: 1~60
Maximum Targets: 400
Forsaking the last of her pride as a goddess, she temporarily materializes the form she took after her final fall, the monster Gorgon, dissolving all life within a designated area.
Without a doubt, it was a terrifyingly powerful attack.
According to the lore, an A+ rank Noble Phantasm was already enough to pose a fatal threat to a god, and could even kill some of the weaker ones.
And Gorgon's Noble Phantasm, Forced Seal - Pandemonium Cetus, was just such an A+ rank, terrifying armament capable of posing a fatal threat to gods.
Moreover, Gorgon's Forced Seal - Pandemonium Cetus required no preparation time; it was an instant-kill attack that could be activated the moment its true name was released!
But could such an instant-kill attack truly dissolve this "hero"?
Amidst the Monster Queen's crazed laughter, the youth's expression was completely calm.
As if he were watching the final death struggle of a cornered beast.
And that was the truth.
An A+ rank Noble Phantasm was indeed on a level that could threaten a god.
But if ninety percent of its power were to be nullified, how much of its might would a so-called "god-slaying" Noble Phantasm have left?
Even though he had given the Triumphant Bow to Gudako, the youth still wore Kavacha and Kundala, which allowed him to tank Gorgon's ultimate attack head-on. He completely abandoned any defensive posture.
And then, within his body, Honkai energy began to surge.
The Herrscher core inside his body began to operate.
Understand, reconstruct, and then—
Convert.
Pseudo-Herrscher of Flame.
Construct: Might of An-Utu.
"My apologies. As a pretty-face chaser, I really can't bring myself to feel any sympathy for a giant monster."
The youth, having simulated the Herrscher of Flame and now holding a pseudo-Might of An-Utu, looked at the endlessly expanding, life-dissolving domain and spoke.
Then, he swung the flame sword in his hand.
It was a flame sword that brought to mind the one from Norse mythology, the one that burned away everything in the sky, on the land, and in the underworld.
"If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One."
The scientist Robert Oppenheimer had once quoted a line from an Indian epic while watching the first atomic bomb test.
Now, a similar radiance was rising on the Mesopotamian plain.
However, the source of this radiance was not nuclear fission.
But rather, a pseudo-劫滅 (Jiemie - Annihilation).
A light like molten gold shot into the sky, releasing a brilliance comparable to the scorching sun.
It was as if the sun had exploded, or as if hell had been projected onto the mortal world.
Fire, fire, fire...
Endless flames raced across the land, tearing apart everything that stood in their way, licking at the plain.
The Queen of Monsters shrieked, desperately squeezing out her magical energy to supply her Noble Phantasm.
This was her trial!
Only by killing that hero and then slaughtering all of humanity could she wash away the shame, sorrow, and despair of the past!
Expand the domain! Dissolve that hero to nothing!!
Even if the price was turning her own flesh and blood into fuel for Pandemonium Cetus.
The Pandemonium Temple, which was on the verge of collapsing under the flame attack, once again released a boundless evil light and expanded outward.
Yes, just like this.
The Queen of Demonic Beasts wore a ferocious expression.
And then—
The youth holding the flame sword glanced at her.
Then, he swung his sword a second time.
The flames tore Pandemonium Cetus apart.