The Blood Temple

"Marduk's Axe?"

After all, Tiamat was dismembered by this hand axe in mythology, and even Kingu's original body was cut open by this hand axe, so of course she could recognize what this hand axe was.

Only--

As Rovey chanted his strange incantation, the enormous Marduk axe descended from the sky, crashing squarely onto the dome of the Blood Shrine. The deafening roar shook the entire northern forest, sending plumes of dust billowing into the sky like smoke. The Blood Shrine, recently repaired by Gorgon, was clearly breached by this axe, its once-perfect barrier shattered beneath the god's blade.

"This is your plan? I must say, it has truly surprised me in many ways."

Not only Anna, but even Kingu was surprised by Rovey's simple and brutal siege method. She originally thought that Rovey would use Magecraft to gradually break through the outer shell of the Blood Shrine and then break in by countering each move. She did not expect that he would force open the door with such a simple and brutal method.

This truly proves the simple truth: when poor, strike with precision; when rich, unleash overwhelming firepower.

"There's no other way. Compared to going around in circles with Gorgon, this method is the most effective. After all, this is her territory, and Gorgon, who was captured last time, will definitely be more cautious now. So, compared to those plans that are elaborated and considered but have little effect, this simple and direct shortcut—rushing in and capturing her—is the best way."

"That seems to make sense..."

Upon hearing this, Kingu nodded slightly, then looked in the direction from which the axe had come.

Is it Quetzalcoatl?

She immediately thought of someone who could use this axe.

But she remembered that there was a pact between Gorgon and Quetzalcoatl, so...

Is it because of these people that we are willing to suffer punishment?

That's really hard to understand.

Unaware of the truth, Kingu thought the axe had been thrown by Quetzalcoatl, but in reality, the thrower was not Quetzalcoatl but Artoria.

Merlin's original intention was indeed to trick Quetzalcoatl into throwing his axe, thus resolving the problem while also getting revenge for the minor grudge of being forced to wrestle with Quetzalcoatl earlier. However, his scheme was easily seen through by Artoria, forcing Merlin to act as bait to atone for his actions. Naturally, Artoria carried out the subsequent work with many buffs, while Quetzalcoatl assisted but did not participate. Therefore, the raid was ultimately completed without anyone being punished.

"Forget it, the road has been cleared now, so let's leave that aside for now. If this larvae exist—"

As she spoke, a conflicted expression returned to Kingu's face. Perhaps even now she was still struggling with whether she could still do something for Gorgon, and whether she had a solution other than killing Gorgon.

Unfortunately, Gorgon's hatred cannot be quelled by words or kinship; her anger can even have a reverse effect on Tiamat.

Is there anything else?

"No, that's all. There's almost nothing more I can do here. Now it's your turn to shine."

Kingu shook his head, then suddenly turned around and left the northern forest as if trying to escape something, disappearing from sight.

"Although I'm still very curious about that guy's current stance, we can't linger here any longer. Your mindless, brute-force breach of the door, comparable to Merlin's, has brought half the Demonic Beast in the forest this way. We must speed things up."

"I know, and the Gorgon inside must know we're here now."

Nodding, the two of them jumped into the hole smashed by the giant axe without any hesitation.

--

Meanwhile, inside the Blood Shrine.

Not long ago, Gorgon looked at the Demonic Beast eggs sitting in the temple, still rapidly developing, and a terrifying smile appeared on her exquisite and beautiful face. "Grow faster, keep growing, my children! Take my wrath and take revenge on humanity!"

She spoke with utter hatred.

Gorgon hates humans because they destroyed her life.

In the shadows of distant Greek Mythology, Medusa, along with her two sisters, belonged to the lineage of earth goddesses. Three Goddesses three shared powerful divinity and were known to the world as the "Gorgon." Legend has it that they were beings that even the gods trembled before, inspiring countless heroes to follow in their footsteps, attempting to make a name for themselves by conquering monsters.

In reality, the Gorgon, the Three Goddesses, were ancient indigenous deities of the old Greece world, embodying the faith and reverence of the early people, and symbolizing beauty. However, Athena, jealous of their breathtaking beauty, used her divine power to strip the people of their faith and banished them to the Shapeless Isle. From then on, far removed from the human world, they were gradually shrouded in mystery, their once sacred image distorted and deformed through oral tradition, ultimately becoming terrifying monsters in legends.

But that was still just a rumor; their earth goddess divinity remained, and she still possessed a beautiful appearance.

However, the heroes who came to punish them were nothing but lackeys of the gods. They saw themselves and their sister as a trick of Gorgon to bewitch people, and they still harbored malice and murderous intent, wanting to kill them all in order to make a name for themselves.

To protect her two weaker sisters, Medusa, the youngest but also the most talented, was forced to take up arms, wielding a scythe to kill one hero after another who came to fight her.

But amidst endless torment, their last vestige of survival was constantly being taken away by humans. In endless battles and bloody slaughter, Medusa became a demon, a true killer, a madwoman.

She killed her two sisters and devoured their divinity, becoming a true Gorgon, the monster of legend, until she was finally killed by the Greece hero, Perseus.

It is precisely for this reason that, filled with hatred for the gods and for humanity, Gorgon did not hesitate to become the Beast Goddess, intending to destroy the world.

Do not advise others to do good if you have not experienced their suffering.

This is nothing difficult to understand, and it doesn't need any reason. It's just the simplest and purest form of revenge.

Therefore, Kingu must have a way to change something.

Persecuted by both humans and goddesses, she is now going to make humans suffer. Her living space has been taken away, and she has gone mad in endless slaughter, until she can do nothing even as her loved ones die in front of her.

However--

Not long ago, she kept recalling the time she spent with her sister, the scene in Uruk where an old woman gave her a garland, and the many children surrounding her. This caused Gorgon pain and a splitting headache, and a terrifying light appeared in her eyes.

"Damn it... It's here again! This feeling has returned. What's wrong with my memories?"

She didn't know when it started, but some things that shouldn't exist, some peaceful and beautiful memories of being with humans, which also brought a sense of security, kept eroding her mind and emotions. Gorgon, of course, knew exactly where these emotions came from.

That was another version of myself, another version that refused to accept hatred, refused to seek revenge with me, and still maintained the image of a goddess.

That guy betrayed everything and became Counter Force on her Gorgon, and is now constantly influencing her.

"You traitor! You can't stop me!"

Clutching her hair, Gorgon's crimson pupils churned with a violent killing intent. Her twisted face was almost deformed by extreme rage, and a chilling growl escaped from between her clenched teeth. At this moment, she was in excruciating pain.

Not long ago, the reason she recklessly stormed into the Demonic Beast Front after Kingu rescued her, wanting to directly break through Uruk and kill her, was because her emotions, which had been forcibly interfered with by Anna's memories, had already fallen apart and were constantly being affected. Therefore, she had to seize the time to kill Anna and complete herself.

"You must die, you absolutely must die, I will never let you go...!!"

Gorgon screamed in agony, her killing intent intensifying as she tried to reject the interference of these memories. She knew she had to kill Anna, and the sooner the better.

The other person was her hated past. Gorgon angrily wanted to question that guy: why could he let go of hatred, his sister's hatred, and their past suffering so easily?

Although they are the same person, Medusa, Anna represents the innocent and beautiful first half of Medusa, while Gorgon represents the second half, which has undergone great changes and is now filled with revenge and despair. Just as Medusa as a goddess never imagined that she would become a monster, it is only natural that Gorgon, as a monster, would despise the young version of himself who was a goddess and possessed the dignity of a goddess.

Gorgon denies his past self as a goddess, and Anna denies her past self as Demonic Beast; the two are irreconcilable.

They must kill each other, otherwise the other will inevitably be constantly influenced by the other and thus forced to assimilate.

She must be killed!

Just as Gorgon was angrily pondering...

The next moment--

Boom!!

The enormous axe pierced through her temple, and the terrifying power shocked her.

"Um?!"

Gorgon's face darkened. "This power easily pierced through my temple. Are those guys coming to ambush me again? Damn it, damn it, they really are persistent..."

She opened her Mystic Eyes and sensed Artoria's aura emanating from Marduk's Axe, feeling a chill run down her spine.

Honestly, after fighting two different Artoria, the Holy Lance Goddess, Gorgon never wants to fight any more enemies from the Artoria series.

Whether black or white, the opponent's strength and capabilities far surpass their own, that's beyond doubt. She inherently lacks any large-scale destructive power; her strongest ability is simply to unleash Demonic Beast. But no matter how many Demonic Beast there are, they will be wiped out in a single shot by their Holy Lance, making quantity meaningless to them.

Only Kingu could deal with them; her Chains of Heaven could restrain divinity, not someone like himself who had fallen into demonic ways.

"Kingu, Kingu... why did you betray me?"

Gorgon kept muttering, more like he was questioning him.

Since the task of protecting the forest was entrusted to Kingu, the fact that she was able to arrive here without any hindrance means that something went wrong with Kingu, and she has chosen to abandon him.

"No, Tiamat is still asleep, Ereshkigal Quetzalcoatl haven't responded either... It seems they've been destroyed. No, I must think of another way."

Gorgon was frantic with worry. He knew he couldn't stop the enemy on his own; only by summoning allies would he have a chance. However, Kingu out of contact, and the other goddesses, though still bound by their covenants, were also unresponsive. This meant they had been killed or sided with humanity. Faced with this situation, Gorgon immediately considered escaping, or rather, a strategic retreat.

If I can't beat you, can't I at least avoid you?

Tiamat is about to awaken; the beast tide of a few days ago was her harbinger. As long as I escape into the Arabian Sea, join Tiamat's army, and take revenge alongside her, what do I have to fear from you coming after me?

Just as Gorgon had this thought and was preparing to dig a hole to leave, the expression on her face suddenly turned ferocious.

Her eyes widened as she whispered, "That aura... it's him, that guy's here! There's no mistake, that brat who betrayed everything, that disgusting being..."

The only beings that Gorgon could loathe so much, besides his younger self, are Athena. And in this Singularity, Anna is clearly the only one.

The other party arrived here, entered the temple, and is heading this way; it can be said that...

"They're after me!"

Gorgon's eyes gleamed with a terrifying light as he muttered to himself.

The closer she was approached, the more pronounced the memories and interference she experienced became.

This is also a major reason why she just saw that memory again.

The fact that they are inside this temple and can sense each other means they have no way to leave. No matter where they try to escape, they will be captured. If they try to get out, they will definitely be intercepted.

So there's only one thing she can do.

Next, she will kill her other self and put an end to everything.

With that thought, Gorgon opened his mouth and emitted a terrifying sonic wave, summoning all the Demonic Beast back to prepare for a final struggle.

Chapter 277 Blood Shrine

The interior of the Blood Shrine.

The pitch-black rocks and scarlet flesh intertwined irregularly, making it less of a building and more of another space, just as Rovey had imagined—an Reality Marble.

The Reality Marble was naturally familiar to Rovey; he had seen more than one or two such abilities and witnessed many spaces drawn by Magus or Heroic Spirits' mental worlds.

The scene within Reality Marble can often vividly reflect the caster's inner world and the other party's personality, just like Unlimited Blade Works, Ionian Hetairoi, and Gate of Skye. Therefore, through the Blood Shrine that has reached another extreme of bloodshed, one can see Gorgon's inner madness and her endless resentment. No wonder Kingu said that Gorgon is beyond saving and can only be dealt with by him.

Continuing deeper, no trace of human civilization could be seen. The walls were made of huge chunks of flesh, and the floor beneath our feet was slowly writhing. The barely visible flesh and blood originated from the glass-like objects on either side of the walls.

"Were these... all done by another version of myself?"

Anna, stepping inside, clenched her fists silently at the scene that resembled purgatory. In her eyes, the carnage here was beyond human description; even Hades' kingdom would not be so bloody and terrifying.

She wanted to examine it carefully, but Rovey reached out and pulled her back, saying something.

"Wait a minute, I don't recommend you go check out what's going on over there, Anna."

Rovey's expression was somewhat solemn. Although he had made preparations beforehand and had heard from Quetzalcoatl about the scene inside the Blood Shrine that was comparable to Underworld, the distortion inside the Blood Shrine still far exceeded his expectations. It made him even angrier than Satan's hell.

--It really is a place that is far more than just a place of bad taste or horror; it is a place devoid of any humanity or kindness.

As Rovey, walking in the middle, entered, he used his keen senses and extraordinary strength to notice the crystal-like containers on both sides of the wall. However, they did not contain any gems, but rather human bodies, now completely twisted beyond recognition, soaked in crimson blood, half of their bodies transformed into the appearance of Demonic Beast. They were all humans from Mesopotamia, one after another, plundered by Demonic Beast, now destroyed by Demonic Beast, their souls unable to reach the Underworld to find true peace, no longer capable of being called human.

If he had to describe them, Rovey could only think of them as chunks of flesh that resembled humans.

Aren't you going to save them?

Anna's voice came through; she finally couldn't suppress her curiosity and looked inside before asking Rovey a question.

Although she lacked evidence, she felt that Rovey must have a way to save these people. After all, she sensed that although these humans were distorted, their lives still existed in essence, so perhaps...

"I can't do it."

Rovey shook his head, refusing outright, and Anna remained silent.

"Their lives are gone. What remains are only the lives of the Demonic Beast and their lingering will. Their willpower has been completely destroyed. If I save them, all I'll end up with is a bunch of mindless, twisted Demonic Beast."

Rovey knew very well that not everyone in this world possessed the willpower of steel. Just witnessing or coming into contact with death was enough to break most people, leaving them with a lifelong psychological shadow. And in the situation before him, the greatest salvation that could be given to them was death, to stop their suffering.

"... I see."

Anna nodded, and then she saw a fiery hand emerge from behind Rovey, ruthlessly annihilating all the surrounding Demonic Beast placentas, along with the already dead people inside, granting them peace. Rovey silently began to pray for them, sincerely hoping they could reach their father's Heaven and find redemption and peace.

Anna found this scene hard to accept, but she also knew that Rovey had done nothing wrong. She had no choice but to accept it. Gorgon and she were both Medusa, and she should also be held responsible for the sins Gorgon had committed. At this moment, she represented not only herself, but also the burden of atonement and the lives of many more people. All she could do was quicken her pace and eliminate Gorgon as quickly as possible to bring everything to an end.

"The main hall is just ahead. I sense that Gorgon hasn't left. That powerful composite divine Spirit Origin is nearby. Clearly, she also wants to settle things with you."

Rovey withdrew his fiery hand and pointed towards the deepest part of the Blood Shrine.

"I can sense Gorgon's presence too. I'm going to settle things with her! Please don't follow me; this is my battle."

Noticing that Gorgon was nearby, Anna gripped her scythe tightly and spoke earnestly.

"Let's put an end to this...?"

Hearing this, Rovey shook his head, looked at the front, and asked again, "I understand. It is indeed most appropriate for you to end this, but I'll ask one more time, do you really not need my help? Do you really want to kill another version of yourself?"

"Yes, Gorgon is my demonic self. She devoured my sisters, and only I can settle this score. Please do not interfere in this battle."

Anna gripped the scythe and said coldly.