Credits: Dylan MISAK
As the sound of a lighthearted yet frivolous voice rang out, Kingu and Alaric turned their heads to follow the direction it came from.
From the dark cedar forest emerged two figures—one tall and one small—walking toward Alaric and Kingu.
Kingu, who had never seen the pair before, remained expressionless. Judging by the magical energy emanating from them, they posed no threat to him.
Alaric, however, reacted differently. The moment he saw Merlin again, his pale golden vertical pupils widened slightly.
It wasn't just Merlin's reappearance that surprised him; what caught him even more off guard was the petite girl standing alongside Merlin.
Although the girl was cloaked, Alaric could still see the youthful face beneath the hood.
[Medusa]
Though she differed significantly from the tall and mature Medusa that Alaric remembered, standing beside Merlin was a super-petite, 130 cm tall, purple-haired loli. The only similarity between the two was their distinctive violet hair.
Still, Alaric immediately associated this small girl with Medusa.
Or rather, with a young Medusa—because Alaric remembered. During his strange and surreal wanderings, he had seen this youthful visage before.
It was Medusa during her childhood—a pitiful young girl who bore a closer resemblance to her two goddess elder sisters.
"why is she here? Is it because of Gorgon?
Realizing the true identity of the girl beside Merlin, Alaric quickly considered various possibilities, the most important of which was the reason for Medusa's presence.
The monstrous goddess Gorgon was the result of Medusa devouring her two elder sisters and falling into depravity. For the young Medusa, this was undoubtedly a painful memory.
Did she manifest as a Servant to deal with Gorgon?
It was not hard for Alaric to tell that Medusa was in her Servant form. As for Merlin, who stood beside her, Alaric finally understood why he had risked coming to this dark cedar forest.
It seemed Merlin had learned of Medusa's existence and had tried to establish contact with her. The result was obvious.
Merlin had succeeded.
"Ah, ah, it seems like they're your companions. What a pity—they'll be dying here with you today."
Before Merlin and Medusa could fully approach, Kingu smiled coldly.
Although he did not know Merlin or Medusa, Kingu recognized the magical energy radiating from Merlin—it resembled that of the person who had been by Alaric's side before.
Moreover, judging by Merlin's opening words, he was Alaric's ally.
Now things were getting interesting.
Having already calmed down, Kingu began pondering how to torment Alaic later, perhaps throwing him into Gorgon's lair to be absorbed as sustenance.
"If you come any closer, I'll cut off his head."
Noticing Merlin and Medusa still approaching, Kingu's cold smile deepened as he reached for Alaric's neck.
Boom!
An explosion rang out as Medusa, who had been standing beside Merlin, vanished from her original position. Despite her small stature, she erupted with a shocking speed.
In the blink of an eye, she had closed the distance between herself and Kingu, swinging a massive scythe with incredible force!
The dark purple scythe was taller than Medusa herself, yet she wielded it with ease, slashing it toward Kingu.
Clang!
"How boring. You're a divine spirit, aren't you?"
Kingu casually blocked Medusa's scythe, sensing the divine nature within her. His lips curled into a smirk.
"In that case, you should already know the outcome of fighting me."
Before his words fully fell, silver-white chains shot out from the rippling air around Kingu, aiming for Medusa's limbs.
Clatter!
To everyone's surprise, Medusa countered with chains of her own. The chain attached to the end of her scythe extended as she grabbed it with one hand, instantly increasing the scythe's attack range severely!
"Well, this is interesting. Fine, I'll play with you for a while."
Kingu's expression grew colder, but the anger he had directed toward Alaric earlier was now gone. Instead, his combat mode seemed restrained—it was only at a moderate level.
The clash between Medusa's scythe and Kingu's chains created countless sparks. The metallic collisions sounded like a torrential downpour, weaving an unfamiliar symphony in Alaric's ears.
Despite being in her loli form, Medusa displayed astonishing combat power. Though her figure was petite, her speed never faltered; in fact, she even managed to suppress Kingu at times!
She moved like a graceful dancer, her light and agile movements making it hard to look away.
Beneath the black cloak that concealed her body was a pair of small, delicate feet clad in white stockings—entirely different from the long, slender legs of her adult form.
Though her muscles and overall development fell short of her adult self, the young Medusa was capable of unleashing inhuman speed that rivaled her prime.
Strangely, as Alaric watched the young Medusa, he felt no desire to hunt her.
This was odd because the monstrous goddess Gorgon, who resided in the depths of the cedar forest, shared the same essence as Medusa. By all logic, Alaric should have felt the same predatory urge.
But instead, what filled Alaric's heart at this moment was pure admiration for the girl before him.
Medusa's two elder sisters were goddesses of beauty.
The eldest, Stheno, was born as the embodiment of male adoration, a goddess representing the ideal idol and perfect woman.
She was a beautiful woman synonymous with elegance and nobility.
The second sister, Euryale, was the embodiment of the ideal girl, an idol born as the perfect representation of purity and innocence.
She was a beautiful girl who seemed to embody flawlessness itself.
Even as a child, Medusa bore a resemblance to her two sisters, symbolizing beauty as well. She was born as a goddess embodying men's admiration, a fully realized idol.
And standing before Alaric now was just such a girl—a pitiful, otherworldly flower.
"How beautiful—"
Alaric couldn't help but marvel, though whether it was at her legs or her gallant performance in battle remained unclear.
While Medusa held Kingu at bay, Alaric noticed Merlin standing in the distance, mouthing words.
"I—will—save—you!"
Understanding Merlin's message, Alaric broke into a smile.
Save him?
For Merlin to rescue Alaric, he would need to sever the chains binding Alaric's limbs and withstand Kingu's retaliation.
There was no way Kingu would let Alaric escape.
Even though Medusa was currently keeping Kingu occupied, it was only temporary—achieved because Kingu wasn't fighting seriously yet.
And if Merlin intended to act personally to rescue him?
The thought caused Alaric's smile to widen slightly.
Finally, Alaric spoke aloud, still smiling: "Don't worry, I have a plan—"
The moment he said this, Kingu's attention was drawn to him, while Merlin let out an exasperated sigh.
Merlin's carefully laid rescue plan was now on hold, waiting for another opportunity.
Kingu, hearing Alaric speak, scoffed coldly, "Dream on. None of you are leaving here alive!"
With that, Kingu abandoned his fight with Medusa. He summoned dozens of chains, which shot toward Medusa, before charging straight at Alaric.
No matter what tricks Alaric had up his sleeve, they were bound to fail!