The Final Noble Phantasm

As the sound of that massive body sliding rang in her ears again, Anna knew that Gorgon was making a new move, and she became alert.

However, even after waiting for a while, Gorgon still did not appear, which surprised her.

She frowned and began to think.

'Did the Gorgon escape?'

No, that's impossible.

Her murderous intent remained; she couldn't possibly leave.

But why stop releasing venomous snakes?

Why is that?

Anna didn't believe Gorgon would let her go, and that's exactly what happened.

The disappearance of the venomous snakes is merely the calm before the storm; if Gorgon stops releasing them, it means she is brewing an even more terrifying attack.

So--

Not good!!

In just a moment, Anna's sixth sense kicked in like crazy.

She suddenly looked up and saw a giant purple serpent coiled above the massive rock pillar, staring intently at her below. Gorgon had just taken advantage of the darkness to climb up the pillar and reach the highest point, and now its Mystic Eyes, filled with madness and rage, were brimming with terrifying power and emotion, fixed on Anna.

Anna immediately realized that Gorgon had also thought of this tactic when she wanted to gain a high ground, and because her opponent had a serpentine body, she was faster than Anna's legs.

It's clearly the same person, so why did they presumptuously use such a common tactic?

Anna felt some regret, but it was too late to do anything about it.

A burst of purple Mystic Eyes eye light erupted, instantly locking onto Anna's location. With no way to avoid it, Anna could only activate her own Mystic Eyes to release light in response. For a moment, the situation became a stalemate. However, Gorgon in mid-air had anticipated this and was already prepared. Or rather, she never intended to use her Mystic Eyes to kill him. All Gorgon needed was Anna's brief respite.

With the help of Newton, Gorgon, who was hovering on the stone pillar, loosened his coiled body and allowed his massive form to crash down from above, striking Anna like a hammer.

Boom!!!

In the blink of an eye, the floor was blasted into a deep crater by this powerful, physically-driven blow, with rocks and blood flying everywhere.

Anna, who had been fighting back, lost her balance and exposed an opening. Gorgon seized the opportunity and reached out his large hand to grab her. In an instant, a dark purple arc of light left its mark in mid-air. Anna's petite body had no way to avoid it and was directly grasped in Gorgon's palm. In just a moment, the outcome was decided.

Anna felt remorseful, but it was too late; Gorgon had already grabbed her and held her up to his face.

"You lost, Anna."

Gorgon raised his enormous snake eyes and said mockingly.

"Gorgon, I came to find you, not to fight you to the death..."

Anna, her body being squeezed by Gorgon, looked pained as she struggled and spoke.

"Oh? You're not here to kill me? Or are you here to persuade me to protect humanity?"

Gorgon scoffed at Anna's words, a terrifying glint in her eyes. Her gaze, fixed on Anna, held an even purer killing intent. She lifted Anna up and angrily said, "You traitor who betrayed the past, betrayed your sisters! Do you still intend to remain so stubborn? Have you forgotten how humanity has gradually taken away your living space? Have you forgotten why your sisters died?"

"I haven't forgotten!"

Faced with Gorgon's questioning, Anna responded in kind, "I didn't side with humanity, nor did I forgive them; I simply chose myself! Have you forgotten what your sisters said to you, the name Medusa, and their blessings? Did they really want to see you become like this?!"

"--!!!"

Upon hearing this question, Gorgon's eyes widened. She immediately recalled the pity and blessings the other person had spoken when she ate her sisters.

Even when she went mad, even when she ate them, her sisters did not complain or utter any curses. Instead, they pitied her and apologized, saying that they had caused Medusa to suffer such pain, which was their incompetence as older sisters.

Similarly, it doesn't matter whether it's Medusa, Anna, or even Gorgon; they will all always love her, love their youngest sister.

From beginning to end, the curses Gorgon cast upon humanity, and the curses he cast upon himself, all stemmed from the love of his sisters. In this world, love is the most powerful curse. However, due to his obsession with revenge, Gorgon gradually forgot this love. Now, when Anna brings this love up again, the shackles in Gorgon's heart are being touched.

This made her feel even angrier and more pained.

She understood; she finally understood why Anna had come here.

She came to shake herself, to make herself remember her sisters' words, to transform from Gorgon back into Medusa, and to return to that beautiful state.

This is an insult to her.

This is a denial of her revenge.

This is a betrayal of Gorgon's entire life.

The monster named Gorgon could no longer touch those beautiful pasts; the only meaning left for its existence was revenge. But the naive girl of the past told her to give up revenge, to remember the beauty of the goddess, and to become the goddess again.

For her, this kind of thing happening to her is no different from someone who has gone astray under the blows of reality seeing their past self, full of childlike innocence and vitality, and being told to be kind and stick to their original intentions—it's just as disgusting.

At this moment, Gorgon only wanted Anna to drown in her hatred, clinging to her damned fantasies.

"Naive fellow, you, as a goddess, can never understand my feelings. Now, all you can do is obediently let me devour you, and then merge with me to unleash your final revenge! Farewell, you cowardly me!"

Gorgon roared, opening his mouth to shove the carefree Anna into his gaping maw, ready to devour her innocent self just as he had devoured his sisters in mythology.

"So you can't reason with me after all? In that case... I'll give you the same answer!"

Just then, Gorgon's face darkened, and a look of astonishment appeared in his eyes.

Because she realized that Anna's tiny body in her hands was growing at a visible rate, and her mass was also increasing wildly. Her petite body became incredibly large, her full, smooth legs transformed into a serpentine body, and wings sprouted from her back.

"This, this is...!!"

Gorgon stared wide-eyed at the sight, filled with disbelief, while Anna broke free from Gorgon grasp.

At this moment, she and Gorgon had the same appearance, the same enormous body, the same Mystic Eyes, and the same power. The only difference was the color of their bodies. Gorgon's body was purple, representing tyranny and madness, while Anna's body was pure white, symbolizing peace and tranquility. Her Mystic Eyes of Petrification held only peace.

"What's wrong with you?!"

Looking at Anna, who was exactly like him, as if they were mirror images of each other, Gorgon asked a question.

"There's nothing hard to understand, is there? Because I'm Gorgon too..."

Anna said calmly.

"No, impossible!"

Upon hearing this, Gorgon's eyes widened in surprise, and she exclaimed that it was impossible. But Anna had already taken her arm and said softly.

"Now I have everything I need, let's settle this once and for all... Gorgon, now let me teach you the final Magecraft."

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<Arknights, I'm really a super villain!>

Chapter 279 The Final Noble Phantasm

On a coastline south of the Arabian Sea.

This place used to be a forest, but it has now been completely leveled, leaving behind golden pits and burning golden flames.

Having been away alone for a long time Gilgamesh stood on the cratered earth, calmly gazing at the black monsters constantly emerging from the dark ocean in front of him. At the same time, he slightly raised his head and looked at Kingu, who stood quietly in the sky.

The sky was filled with Chains of Heaven, and Gilgamesh's golden staff was everywhere on the ground.

Looking at Gilgamesh below, Kingu's expression was thoughtful. Memories that did not belong to her, contained within this body, surfaced at this moment, causing her to lose her focus.

"Gilgamesh..."

Upon seeing Gilgamesh for the first time, Kingu instinctively uttered his name.

"Not only the outer shell, but even the functions themselves are exactly the same..."

Gilgamesh looked at her and murmured to himself, "Even without the Holy Grail, it seems you've already acquired a rather excellent source of magical energy."

Hearing his words, Kingu silently touched her chest, where a burning organ was rapidly beating. It was the heart that Rovey had given her. Although she couldn't have the infinite magic power she had when using the Holy Grail, she could restore her magic power by connecting with the earth thanks to Enkidu's body, so she wouldn't experience a lack of magic power.

"I have already given the Holy Grail to that annoying but indispensable guy, and I am not Enkidu, nor am I your friend. This body was only found for me by the Demon God King. If you want to identify someone, I can only say that you have mistaken me for someone else, but I am not your enemy either."

While manipulating the Chains of Heaven beside him, Kingu sealed off the coastline once again, trying to pierce through all the monsters attempting to land, and then spoke to Gilgamesh.

"Hmph! Do I need you to tell me?"

Upon hearing her words, Gilgamesh let out a disdainful snort. He already knew whether the other party was Enkidu or not. Meeting her here was simply because he had foreseen it beforehand. Also, because of what that brat Rovey had told him, he realized that running away was useless. Rather than leaving regrets, he might as well come and see for himself. That's why he waited for her at the place where Kingu appeared, while conducting an on-site investigation and using his status as king to stop the monsters from coming ashore.

Seeing that Kingu shared the same thoughts and witnessing her in battle, Gilgamesh was certain that she was not Enkidu, but Kingu did indeed bear the shadow of Enkidu, making her arguably Enkidu's successor.

"Gilgamesh, what are you doing here instead of staying in your Uruk?"

After eliminating this group of enemies, Kingu descended from the sky and asked Gilgamesh in front of him.

At such a critical moment, it seemed rather strange that Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, wasn't staying in the palace to oversee the battle, but instead rushed to the front lines. Moreover, she had a premonition that Gilgamesh might have come for her sake.

If it were to reclaim Enkidu's body, she would have no complaints, but it absolutely could not be now. She could make a pact with Gilgamesh that after saving her mother, she would commit suicide to return her body to him.

Gilgamesh clearly didn't have that idea. Having grown and come to his senses, and having witnessed many things firsthand, he wouldn't do such a thing.

In response to Kingu's question, he replied directly, "I came here to investigate, to meet with you, and to prepare for your plan with that scoundrel."

"Um?"

Upon hearing Gilgamesh's words, Kingu's expression visibly changed, especially when she heard the second half of the sentence, she asked in surprise.

"Are you here to help your mother, not to kill her?"

She had no idea that Gilgamesh would help save Tiamat. Although Rovey said he would try to persuade Gilgamesh to join him, Kingu never believed it, as it sounded like a fantasy.

Gilgamesh, as king with his Clairvoyance, could not possibly be unaware of Tiamat's significance to Sumerian civilization, nor of the great purge it represented during its revival. If he were of sound mind, he would have chosen a simpler method instead of following their madness. Yet, hearing him admit it himself, how could Kingu not be astonished?

"Foolish! Who do you take me for? A mediocre person who trembles in fear at the pressure of the Mother of Creation, whose arrogance leads him to choose destruction as the only means?"

Gilgamesh sneered, "If this were my younger self, you would have died long ago. But I have let go of the past. Even if you are not Enkidu, you are still the only Chains of Heaven. Therefore, I will not only spare your life, but also allow you to live on with Enkidu's wishes. As for Tiamat— "

"Rather than killing, I would much rather help you accomplish that absurd miracle of reversing Genesis. After all, it was originally the gods' doing, and humanity owes her. If possible, I would naturally be willing to repay her in the best way."

"You bastard..."

Listening to Gilgamesh's words, Kingu's expression was thoughtful, but she couldn't help but show a relaxed smile, as if a great weight had been lifted from her heart.

"Let's leave this matter here, Kingu. Compared to seeing you, my greater objective here is to find out the coordinates of Tiamat's release."

After ending the conversation, Gilgamesh snorted coldly, then spoke to Kingu again.

"Because too many seals have been broken, Tiamat won't come out easily now. Even if you kill her insurance Gorgon, you'll only face a new wave of Eleven Children and monsters. Just like the legend says, she won't return easily until Eleven Children are dead. Am I right?"

"Yes, that's right."

Upon hearing Gilgamesh's words, Kingu nodded in agreement. Having participated in that battle countless years ago, she naturally knew better than anyone what was to come. "To see Mother, you must destroy the Eleven Children and the Demonic Beast army, just like the Sumerian gods did."

"But I and humanity no longer have time to start a new holy war with her, so I must seize the moment to pull Tiamat out of the Imaginary Numbers World and force her back to this world, skipping the holy war prelude and starting the final part directly. This is the most important reason I am here."

As Gilgamesh spoke, he slightly turned his hand, and a strange, dark red sword appeared in his grasp. He then aimed it at the dark dot floating in mid-air in the Arabian Sea.

"Your plan is sound; it is indeed the simplest solution. Meanwhile, the monsters on the other side seem to have angered the Demon God King and are being killed off one after another. So, all we need to do is..."

As they were talking, Kingu's expression froze slightly, then he turned his head and stared intently at the black whirlpool floating in the Arabian Sea, and spoke.

"This is bad! Gorgon has been attacked, and the reaction on Mother's side has intensified. More Demonic Beast, and my brothers who have almost returned to their original state, are about to appear. I must go and see! So I'm leaving this to you, King Gilgamesh."

With that, Kingu suddenly leaped into the air and flew towards the Arabian Sea.

Seeing this, Gilgamesh slightly distracted and subconsciously wanted to follow, but in the end he stopped and continued to wait for an opportunity.

Just then, a jet-black horse trotted out from the distant wasteland.

"Hmph, you're here too? You really do care about that guy..."

Upon seeing the Holy Lance Goddess appear here, Gilgamesh spoke calmly, then turned his head and looked in the other direction.

The outcome there will soon be decided.

--

In front of the Blood Shrine.

With his eyes closed, Rovey condensed lightning from a golden Light Wheel in his left hand and ignited flames from the Sacred Right. He was like a god descending to earth, relentlessly chasing after the Demonic Beast. Every Demonic Beast that dared to charge at him was instantly burned to a crisp by his terrifying power, and blood and limbs shattered by his energy began to fly across the wasteland.

Soon, one corpse after another filled the earth, and the stench of burnt flesh and blood permeated the air, creating an unbearable stench.

Rovey's eyes remained calm, and with a swift stroke of his blade, another Demonic Beast was instantly killed on the spot.

The Demonic Beast, overwhelmed by the pressure of death and the call of Gorgon, briefly forgot their fear and continued to pounce on him one after another.

However, Rovey only blasted the Demonic Beast in front of him with a single punch. Then, with a thought, the Light Wheel behind him began to rotate and flash, and a dazzling golden beam of light, like a brilliant morning star, pierced through the monster.

With a loud "boom!", golden light pierced through the beast tide and surged into the distance.