"What a racket, humans. The leader of the Three Goddess Alliance, the Beastly Mother Goddess, Tiamat herself, has appeared. Shouldn't you be groveling on the ground, offering your prayers?"
Hearing the words from this colossal figure, a trace of gravity flashed in everyone's eyes. Ana, standing to the side, wanted to make a move, but Castorice shook her head at her.
Ana's reserves were running a bit low today. Acting rashly would only make the enemy wary.
But it couldn't be helped.
Merlin had little combat ability, and if Ana hadn't acted earlier against the giant lion Ugallu, no one would have been able to handle it.
Ordinary soldiers stood no chance against such a monster.
"This is somewhat different from what I anticipated. The Last Master of Humanity has not appeared. No matter. In that case, I shall personally destroy humanity as it is now."
As she spoke, her tail merely swept casually, yet it instantly flattened countless houses into rubble.
The oppressive feeling emanating from her massive frame was unmatched by any other magical beast.
Castorice's eyes were serious. She'd mostly forgotten the finer details of the original events, but she knew one thing for sure: once this false Tiamat before them died, the real Tiamat would awaken.
At this point in time, if that Primordial Mother Goddess were to wake up, humanity would truly be finished.
Now, the Master of Chaldea still hadn't appeared, which meant the Grand Assassin, the one who could impart the concept of death unto Tiamat, probably wasn't coming.
There was only one method left to defeat Tiamat: she herself would have to become the Demigod of Death. Based on Castorice's speculation, if she could fully master the authority of death, she should be able to affect Tiamat. Then, there would still be a chance.
But the problem now was, where was the Coreflame?
She'd searched everywhere she could think of. If it wasn't even in the Underworld, Castorice was truly at a loss for where else to look.
Gorgon's gaze swept over them, her eyes radiating an intimidating light. As a divine being, her mere aura could render people immobile.
Castorice felt an immense pressure settle upon her. However, to her, it was nothing. Her body only stiffened for a moment before returning to normal.
"Oh? How interesting."
Gazing at Castorice in the distance, a faint, eerie light glimmered in Gorgon's eyes.
"Using you as material, I could probably create a truly powerful magical beast, couldn't I?"
The next instant, countless serpentine locks shot forth, lunging and biting towards Castorice.
But Castorice's reflexes were incredibly fast. Seeing this, she instantly dodged backward, her sickle swinging and severing the serpentine locks.
"This is a bit troublesome..."
Feeling the force of Gorgon's assault, a hint of conflict flashed in Castorice's eyes.
For the Master of Chaldea, Gorgon was probably the most difficult of the Three Goddesses to defeat.
After all, Ereshkigal and Quetzalcoatl were fundamentally good at heart, not enemies requiring a death battle. But this foe was one that had to be completely overcome.
For Castorice, however, that wasn't the case.
Because... her hands possessed an instant-death ability.
In this world, Castorice's power was top-tier. Shiki Ryougi's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception required a blade to cut the lines of death; Castorice only needed to touch her target.
This ability was downright broken, especially against large enemies.
Powerful magical beasts like the giant lion Ugallu were difficult for ordinary Servants to defeat, but Castorice only needed a single touch.
The current Gorgon was certainly more troublesome than others, given her immense size, but if Castorice wished it, she could definitely defeat her.
After all, against such a huge body, simply summoning the waters of the River of Souls and dousing her with it would deal massive damage. The key issue was...Gorgon was directly linked to Tiamat.
If Castorice really defeated Gorgon, then the real Tiamat would emerge immediately.
That was the genuine Primordial Mother Goddess, whose power far surpassed Gorgon's, and who lacked even the concept of death, making Castorice's ability useless against her.
Now she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Don't fight back, and Gorgon would press them relentlessly. But fight back, Tiamat awakens, and without the necessary prerequisites in place, it'd be a quick 'GG' for everyone. Game over.
Just as Castorice hesitated, Merlin stepped forward from behind her.
"You two, run, now! I'll hold them off."
He said this to Castorice and Ana nearby.
Raising his staff, he directly neutralized Gorgon's attack.
No, not completely neutralized—the attack that passed through his form was simply easily dissipated.
And Merlin was completely unharmed.
Because his true body was an incubus, an entity that fundamentally 'does not exist,' Gorgon naturally couldn't land a hit on him.
Gorgon perceived his nature in an instant.
"Immortality born from insignificance? How fitting. I haven't used these eyes in a long time."
Gorgon sneered, a strange light emanating from her eyes.
In that very instant, Merlin jumped as if he'd seen a cat, scurrying behind Castorice. "My apologies! I take back what I just said! Castorice, Ana, you must protect me no matter what! If I lose consciousness, things will go very, very badly!"
'We'll fight a retreating battle. Let's go.'
Gripping her sickle tightly, Castorice positioned herself in front of Ana and Merlin.
Right now, Merlin was suppressing the real Tiamat. If he truly lost consciousness, there'd be no fight at all—the real Tiamat would resurrect on the spot, and everyone would die.
If it came to it, she'd just have to act first and figure things out later. She'd just have to find a way to force the enemy back for now.
Mind made up, Castorice took a deep breath. She had Ana, whose magical energy was severely depleted, take Merlin and leave, while she herself covered their retreat.
Swinging her sickle, Castorice fought while falling back. However, the number of Gorgon's serpentine locks was simply overwhelming, and for a time, Castorice could only barely defend herself.
But when constantly on the defensive, a moment of carelessness is inevitable.
Before her, a massive serpent lunged, biting towards Castorice.
In that very instant, a flash of light shot towards Castorice at incredible speed, then crossed paths with her figure.
A single, fierce slash shattered the serpentine locks biting at Castorice, and even left a gash on Gorgon's face, from which blood freely flowed.
One had to remember, that was the body of a deity! An ordinary person couldn't leave a mark, let alone a wound!
"Rider, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, subordinate of King Gilgamesh, has arrived!"
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.