Rage, rage, rage...
But...
"Mother, please calm your anger. Our plan is not yet complete. Until the Day of Birth, please take care of your body."
"Kingu? But I'm starving."
Beneath the City of Nippur, Guinevere's voice easily pierced the earth, waking the slumbering Goddess of Magical Beasts.
Beside her, 'Kingu,' who called her Mother, failed to persuade her; his words could not extinguish this 'Avenger's' hatred for the provocation.
Especially since she could smell the overwhelmingly strong scent of her 'children' on Guinevere.
Goddess of Magical Beasts? Mother Goddess of Beasts?
To be precise, the Gorgon, whose mind was clouded by something and who believed herself to be Tiamat, the Mother Goddess of Beasts, had awakened.
As the earth shook and the mountains trembled, the City of Nippur began to collapse. Gorgon's body, over a hundred meters long, started to arch like a snake and dance wildly under the sun.
Golden wings, bronze talons, a mature, beautiful, and cold face. Clad in armor resembling ancient Greek styles that only covered the sides of her body, her mountain-like peaks were truly immense, larger than a standard Uruk house.
And so, upon seeing the snake heads writhing at the ends of her purple hair, upon seeing her long, serpentine lower body...
Guinevere's gaze ultimately fell where it shouldn't have, completely ignoring Gorgon's approaching stare.
And precisely because Guinevere's gaze shifted downward, refusing to meet hers, Gorgon noticed where she was looking and instinctively grew furious.
Two pairs of golden wings beat, unleashing a furious gale exceeding level 10 that threatened to blow the Vimana from the sky, yet this Golden Ship's Noble Phantasm rank was high enough that it didn't even sway in the storm.
"Creations of the gods? How disgusting."
As the composite being of the three Gorgon sisters, Medusa, who had successfully devoured her elder sisters, this Avenger's Mystic Eyes of Petrification had reached their ultimate peak.
After speaking, she unhesitatingly used these Mystic Eyes on the 'flies' in the sky.
As Sabers, their Magic Resistance was extremely high; even the highest-level Mystic Eyes of Petrification only managed to momentarily freeze Guinevere and the King of Knights.
But they both managed to take a 'deep breath' and regain control of their bodies before the Vimana spiraled out of control and crashed.
However, the Vimana wasn't theirs to begin with. Deciding it would be a hindrance in the coming battle, Guinevere and the King of Knights abandoned it without hesitation.
Amid the roar and dust kicked up by its crash, Guinevere and the King of Knights abandoned all thought of conversation. They each drew their Holy Swords and closed in on Gorgon from the left and right.
A mere Mother Goddess of Magical Beasts, a complete 'Gorgon,' was only enough to stir a fraction of their fighting spirit.
"Lia, let's have a contest! Let's see who can take her head first!"
With a single strike, Guinevere cleaved through the venom-spitting snake hair. With a single leap, she dodged another snake head's tearing bite.
Meanwhile, the King of Knights reacted in much the same way as Guinevere.
"Alright, let's compete!"
Both attacks missed, yet the two enemies still regarded her as nothing more than a clay chicken or a pottery dog. The Gorgon's fury grew ever more terrifying.
With Rank A++ Strength and Rank A++ Endurance, only her Agility and Mana were Rank B, and her Luck was Rank D. Moreover, it was common knowledge that the Gorgon's massive size amplified her base stats. Her swings were something neither Guinevere nor the King of Knights dared to touch lightly.
Swinging their swords, both struck snake heads. On Guinevere's side, sparks flew; her Holy Sword couldn't penetrate the Gorgon's scales. But the King of Knights' Holy Sword sank deep into a snake head, drawing a spray of blood.
Thanks to its Steel-Cutting Trait, the Gorgon's scales were useless against the King of Knights.
"Tch, are you getting frustrated? I know, I know. We'll stab her eyes and cut her tongue."
Muttering to herself, her Holy Sword trembled in her hand. After adjusting her attack strategy, the next time the snake hair lunged, Guinevere truly blinded a snake's eye and severed its forked tongue.
But how many hairs did the Gorgon of myth and legend have? Probably an infinite number
"Lia, step on her body! Let's climb up!"
Slicing the snake hair was pointless; Guinevere and the King of Knights realized this reality before the severed strands could regenerate and more snake hair could strike.
"You! Just die already!"
Plotting aloud was no different from further provocation. The Gorgon's fury quickly escalated from slight annoyance to simmering rage, and finally to full-blown wrath.
Unfortunately for her, she was an Avenger, not a Berserker. No matter how enraged she became, when Guinevere and the King of Knights stepped onto her serpentine body, her instinct was to whip her tail and strike, not to use her Mystic Eyes of Petrification again.
In the legends of the Gorgon, one version tells of Perseus using a mirror to reflect her Mystic Eyes, allowing him to decapitate her only after she had petrified herself.
In other words, the Gorgon's Mystic Eyes of Petrification should be exceptionally effective against her.
And if Fame bonuses were applied, the Gorgon's Mystic Eyes of Petrification might even become a "fatal" weakness, like an Achilles' Heel.
"Muda, Muda, Muda! You're too slow! Just stop resisting and let my sword bring you death!"
A single hit would likely mean shattered bones. Under this intense threat, Guinevere unexpectedly grew even more spirited.
"Bastard!"
Mysteriously, a magical glow began to appear on the Gorgon's body; this was an additional bonus from her title as the Mother Goddess of Beasts, and also her self-strengthening skill, a variant of [Monstrous Strength] called [Monstrous Strength (Beast)], taking effect.
Under these circumstances, the Gorgon protected her neck with countless snake hairs and slammed her body into the ground with full force.
In an instant, Guinevere and the King of Knights were launched into the sky, both using Mana Burst to block the flying debris.
By the time they landed steadily a hundred meters away, the dust cloud from the Gorgon's impact had settled, and the snake-haired demoness had vanished, disappearing into the underground caves of the City of Nippur.
Had she fled?
No, she had merely sensed the mortal danger from Guinevere and the King of Knights and realized that her monstrous size was ineffective against them.
She had simply changed tactics!
Thus, from the cave she had retreated into, countless Magical Beasts began to pour out, including exceptionally massive monsters with names among the Mother Goddess Tiamat's creations.
They stood twenty meters tall, resembling enlarged lions, yet their strength surpassed that of third-rate Servants like Anna, and there was more than just one.
"Lia!"
With a single shout, the King of Knights understood Guinevere's intent. As her Queen still stood protectively before her, the Ever-Victorious King's Holy Sword once again erupted in brilliant light
"EX...calibur!"
The Ever-Victorious King shouted, and countless Magical Beasts were reduced to dust; only a few named Magical Beasts managed to leap away just before the light cannon struck.
A few minutes later, as Guinevere continued to eliminate the stragglers, the ground shook violently again, this time from the direction they had come.
"As expected... I hope Merlin doesn't screw this up."
With a soft click of her tongue, Guinevere and the King of Knights rushed toward the fallen Vimana.
Then, they soared into the sky once more, heading straight for the ongoing battle between the Gorgon, Mash, Ritsuka, and the others.