"Don't stop, keep running!"
Cú Chulainn's voice came from ahead.
Mash pulled her foot out of the pavement and continued running, pulling Ritsuka Fujimaru along with her.
Cerberus caught up with them.
The three-headed giant dog wasn't the fastest, but it was so large that each stride covered more than ten meters.
The dog's head in the middle opened its mouth and barked at the sky.
The sonic shockwaves visibly spread through the air, shattering the remaining rubble of buildings that hadn't yet collapsed on either side of the road.
Olga Marie stumbled a step from the sound waves, her ears ringing.
"They're not seriously pursuing it at all!"
Olga Marie glanced back.
Medusa walked behind all the magical beasts.
The golden snake eyes held a leisurely, contented light.
She's playing.
Enjoy the hunting process.
If she wanted to kill, that first wave of attacks would have torn everyone to shreds.
She just didn't want it to end so quickly.
Olga Marie saw through this.
The hunter is toying with his prey.
Let the prey run, let the prey struggle, let the prey exhaust its last strength in despair.
Then, when the prey can no longer run, it bites off its throat.
" Roman! Is there any usable terrain to the northeast?"
"Looking for... Wait a minute... There's a forest three kilometers to the northeast! It's a woodland on the outskirts of Fuyuki City!"
"Three kilometers... can you even run that?"
"At the current speed, it will take about six to seven minutes."
That's enough.
Olga Marie gritted her teeth.
"Everyone, run northeast! Enter the forest!"
No one questioned her judgment.
The four people changed direction and ran as fast as they could in the northeast direction.
Cú Chulainn ran at the very back, trailing behind.
Instead of trying to attack the Golden Lion with Runes, he Runes on the ground.
Triplink Runes.
Deceleration type Runes.
Illusionary Runes.
They drew one on the ground every ten meters or so.
These Runes are useless against the Golden Lion, but they do have some effect on other monsters later on.
The time we gained wasn't much, but it was enough.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes.
The Caucasian Eagle swooped down four more times.
Mash blocked them all.
Every time, I rely on my intuition.
Every time I blocked a shot, I felt like my arm was about to break.
Four minutes, five minutes.
Greenery appeared ahead.
Trees.
Forest on the outskirts of Fuyuki City.
The trees were not burned.
Unlike the scorched earth in the city, this woodland, though shrouded in a dark red sky, still had green trees.
The four of them rushed into the forest.
The tree canopy blocked out the sky.
The Caucasian Eagle's dive was blocked by the dense tree trunks, and its enormous wingspan could not be deployed among the trees.
It circled twice above the treetops, letting out a piercing eagle cry.
But it did not dive again.
On the ground, the Nemean Golden Lion's speed noticeably decreased as it passed through the forest.
Its massive body was trapped between the tree trunks, making it less free to move than in open ground.
Hydra too.
The nine snake heads had little room to maneuver in the dense forest, and several of them were entangled in tree branches.
Only Cerberus was still in pursuit.
The three-headed dog crouched low, weaving between the tree trunks. Though its pace had slowed, it remained focused on the human presence ahead.
Cú Chulainn turned around and unleashed a fiery Runes.
The flames burned on the three-headed dog's face; it howled and took two steps back.
The four continued running deeper into the forest.
later.
Medusa reached the edge of the forest.
The golden snake eyes gazed at the dense trees ahead.
She stopped walking.
The prey have disappeared into the forest; chasing them in is not out of the question.
She lifted her foot, preparing to step into the woods.
Then it stopped.
The golden snake's eyes suddenly contracted.
She sensed something.
A scent emanating from deeper within the forest.
It wasn't one of those escaped prey.
It's something else.
Heavy and oppressive, like a mountain blocking the way.
Medusa's body stiffened for a moment.
She recognized the scent.
Heracles.
Einzbern Castle is located in the eastern part of Fuyuki City.
This forest is located in the woodland on the eastern outskirts of Fuyuki City.
Unbeknownst to her, she was lured to the edge of Heracles ' territory while chasing her prey.
Medusa withdrew her foot.
The playfulness in the golden snake's eyes vanished.
Instead, a more primal emotion arose—fear.
Even with her Spirit Origin having surged to its current level, and even with so many bloodline magical beasts by her side, she still didn't want to confront that thing head-on.
Medusa took a step back.
The monsters around them also stopped.
Cerberus's three heads simultaneously let out a low groan and withdrew their claws that had been reaching into the forest.
The golden lion's golden mane bristled, but it did not move forward.
Even the nine heads of the Hydra fell silent.
They all sensed it.
The scent of that thing deep in the forest.
Medusa turned around.
Her long purple hair swung in an arc against the dark red sky.
The golden snake's eyes took one last look towards the depths of the forest.
Then they left.
The monsters followed behind her, retreating one by one from the edge of the forest.
The Caucasian Eagle was the last to leave.
It flapped its enormous wings twice, rose into the sky, and flew southwest.
The forest fell silent.
Only the rustling of leaves in the wind remained.
Ritsuka Fujimaru leaned against a tree, panting heavily.
My legs felt weak, and I could barely stand.
Mash planted her shield in the ground for support and leaned against the shield.
My arms are still shaking.
Olga Marie rested her hands on her knees, her long silver hair cascading to the ground, her shoulders rising and falling.
Cú Chulainn was the most relaxed of the four, but the light from the Runes on his staff was also much dimmer.
The continuous use of Rune Magecraft just now consumed a lot of magic power.
They're gone.
After confirming that the monster horde was far away, Cú Chulainn's red eyes uttered a sentence.
"We're safe for now."
Ritsuka Fujimaru's legs buckled, and she slid down to the ground.
"What... what were those things just now...?"
" Greece monsters."
Cú Chulainn planted his staff on the ground.
"And they are all top-tier creatures from the mythological era: Cerberus, the Nemean Golden Lion, the Nine-Headed Serpent Hydra, and the Caucasian Eagle. Any one of them, taken individually, would be a hero-level target for defeat."
"That Medusa... why can she summon these things?"
"Bloodline."
Cú Chulainn sat down against a tree.
" Medusa was one of the Three Gorgon Sisters. Her bloodline was connected to all these monsters. After her death, Pegasus and Chrysaor were born from the blood of her neck. Chrysaor gave birth to Echidna. Echidna and Typhon conceived the things you just saw."
"Is she... the ancestor of these monsters?"
"Almost."
Cú Chulainn closed his eyes.
"However, a normal Medusa shouldn't have this ability. She's clearly been enhanced by something in this Singularity; her Spirit Origin index has increased dozens of times... This isn't normal."
As for why she suddenly stopped pursuing him...
Cú Chulainn opened his eyes and looked into the depths of the forest.
"You've probably felt it too, haven't you?"
Ritsuka Fujimaru shook her head blankly.
Mash nodded.
"... There's something deeper in the forest. A heavy... oppressive feeling."
Heracles.
Cú Chulainn uttered that name.
"This forest is his territory. Medusa dares not enter."