The Mystic Eyes wielded by Gorgon, Petrification, are of the highest rank, A++, but they are usually sealed.
The light emitted by the Mystic Eyes of the snakes in her hair pales in comparison to the power of the Mystic Eyes of Petrification, which Gorgon herself uses directly.
When activated in her divine goddess form, her Mystic Eyes can truly petrify enemies with a mere gaze, without the need for any beam attacks.
As Gorgon attempted to unseal Petrification and use the true petrifying Mystic Eyes to attack Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others, Ana's loud voice rang out:
"Those are Mystic Eyes! Gorgon is about to use the petrifying Mystic Eyes of Petrification!"
Everyone was shocked upon hearing this, but before Fujimaru Ritsuka could break free from the effects of Scream of Fear and think of a countermeasure against Petrification, Ana's resolute voice rose once again:
"Let me… hold off Gorgon's Mystic Eyes!"
Ana's eyes glowed brilliantly, revealing the same light as Gorgon's Mystic Eyes—
The Mystic Eyes of Petrification!
The young goddess Medusa, also known as Ana, who shares the same origin as Gorgon, unleashed her dormant divinity and activated her own Petrification Mystic Eyes, canceling out Gorgon's Mystic Eyes!
This action instantly nullified the petrification effect, leaving Gorgon stunned as she was once again confronted with the shadow she despised so much.
Disgust, rejection, and a flood of unpleasant emotions and fear surged within Gorgon, filling her heart and causing panic to spread across her face.
"Ahhh! What is this? Kingu!! Kingu! Get rid of this hideous creature immediately!!!"
Hearing Gorgon's terrified screams, Ann, who was unleashing the full power of her Mystic Eyes, showed a momentary trace of sorrow, but her resolve quickly replaced it with determination.
By this time, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash had finally broken free from the effects of Scream of Fear!
Seeing Ana holding back Gorgon's Mystic Eyes, they wasted no time and launched a fierce assault once again!
High above in the sky, Ishtar moved ceaselessly, gleefully throwing down a dazzling rain of gemstones, dozens in mere seconds, as though she were spending with reckless abandon.
While the battlefield raged intensely, one person stood leisurely in the corner, making no move to join the fray.
The Flower Magus, Merlin, stood still, staff in hand, his gaze shifting away from Gorgon and Fujimaru Ritsuka's group to the distant stars in the sky.
Though the battle seemed to be tilting in Fujimaru Ritsuka's favor, the reality was that only Ana could inflict genuine harm on Gorgon. The other three Servants' attacks were insufficient, as Gorgon could regenerate from their inflicted damage.
Now standing closer to Gorgon than anyone else, Merlin faintly sensed something unusual.
Even with her divinity diminished, Gorgon's Spirit Origin seemed far too powerful—
Beyond the strength granted by the Authority Mother of Beasts, copied from Tiamat, Gorgon's Spirit Origin far exceeded the typical level of a divine Servant.
Before Merlin could ponder further on the peculiarity of Gorgon's Spirit Origin, the dark stars descended.
Boom!
A pitch-black aurora pierced the heavens, striking Gorgon's massive body directly. The overwhelming force of the impact exceeded Gorgon's limits of endurance, sending her reeling backward!
The spectacle of the colossal goddess falling was truly magnificent, but what was even more unforgettable was Gorgon's furious roar:
"You wretched creature!!!!"
Even though her vision was unfocused, Gorgon instantly recognized the man pressing against her chest—
The Beast, whose name she did not even know!
Slash!
As Gorgon roared in rage, Alaric's hand, shaped like a blade and brimming with immense magical energy, tore through her chest!
Scalding goddess blood sprayed forth but was immediately evaporated by the magical energy radiating from Alaric's body.
The searing pain provoked Gorgon into a violent counterattack. Dozens of serpentine hair strands lashed out at Alaric, attempting to trap him and end his assault.
But Alaric's speed surpassed hers. Using Gorgon's chest as a foothold, he leaped backward with tremendous force!
Bang!
With an explosive sound, Alaric instantly widened the distance between himself and Gorgon, evading even the numerous serpentine hair strands chasing him!
As Alaric's powerful strike brought Gorgon down, the other Servants seized the opportunity to launch a relentless assault, leaving Gorgon covered in wounds!
Within moments, Alaric traversed dozens of meters and landed next to Ana.
"Kingu will arrive soon. We need to speed things up and finish Gorgon."
With Alaric's decisive intervention, the battle began turning one-sided!
The scales of victory tipped heavily in favor of Fujimaru Ritsuka's group. Gorgon's defeat was all but certain!
Clang!
The crisp sound of a sword rang through the heavens as Alaric summoned his radiant golden sword once more. But just as he was about to activate the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception to deliver the killing blow to Gorgon, a young girl stepped in front of him.
Ana gently shook her head. "Please… leave this to me. This is my conclusion with her."
Watching Ana's back as she stood resolutely, Alaric fell silent.
"Then… farewell, Ana."
This was the ending that had long been determined. Alaric would not deny Ana's resolve.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The earth cracked open. A terrifying fissure spread beneath Gorgon as if it intended to swallow her whole!
"Gorgon is trying to escape!"
Mash shouted immediately, attempting to stop Gorgon's actions.
But Gorgon, who had suffered immense injuries from wave after wave of assaults, had lost the will to fight. Even Alaric had appeared on this battlefield! Now, Gorgon had only one thought—escape. As long as she found Kingu, everything could still be resolved!
"Don't even think about it!" Ana and Alaric shouted in unison.
Before the words had even fully left their mouths, the two of them shot forth simultaneously, moving at equal speed, their bodies like streaks of light as they sped across the desolate crater.
Before Gorgon could manage to flee, the two launched another attack! Alaric maneuvered deftly alongside Ana, cutting down every snake of magical hair that attempted to strike Ana, clearing her way forward. This allowed Ana to reach Gorgon without obstruction.
"Gorgon! My future!"
Ana stared at the wounded beast goddess Gorgon and let out a cry louder than ever before, a roar born of accumulated pain:
"You beast born of my suffering!"
"No! I am not! I am Tiamat, the goddess who heard her mother's sobbing cries for vengeance and took on that mission in her stead!"
Gorgon roared as she attempted to plunge into the depths of the earth.
"I will not fail here! I must—
I must complete her vengeance!"
"That's wrong, monster of the Shapeless Isle. Gorgon, the slayer of heroes..."
Swinging her scythe, Ana finally made contact with Gorgon. Her tone suddenly softened, becoming incomparably gentle:
"Your vengeance will never leave that island."
"No—no—don't come any closer!!!!"
Realizing what Ana intended to do, Gorgon's expression turned to terror. She leaped desperately into the underground fissure, dragging Ana down with her.
"Hm, let us disappear together, Gorgon. This is the reason I was summoned to this land—"
Facing the impending oblivion, Ana showed no sign of fear, only a faint sorrow.
The time spent together, these days of companionship, were an incomparably precious memory in the life of the monster of the Shapeless Isle, the young goddess.
...
"Sir Alaric, Ana—she—"
Seeing An=na fall into the depths of the earth along with Gorgon, a panicked Mash turned to Alaric and shouted, "She—!"
But upon seeing Alaric's expression, Mash suddenly fell silent, as if she understood something.
["Gorgon and Ana's Saint Graphs have been eliminated."]
With Roman's confirmation, the final goddess of the Three Goddess Alliance, Gorgon, was confirmed to have perished. All that remained was Kingu, who carried the Holy Grail.
And at the moment Gorgon's elimination was confirmed, a flash of blue lightning descended from the heavens.
The belated arrival of Kingu revealed a look of regret as he noticed Gorgon's demise.
"Dead, is she?"
Gorgon's death, it seemed, was also a significant loss for Kingu.
"The only thing left is to retrieve the Holy Grail from Kingu, then,"
Ritsuka said gravely.
The location of the Holy Grail had been explained to them by Alaric earlier, but because of the alliance between Gorgon and Kingu, both had to be defeated to retrieve it and end the singularity.
But could it be that simple?
Merlin, who had just approached Alaric's side, suddenly froze, blood dripping crimson from his lips as he coughed violently.
"So that's how it is. You tricked me, didn't you, Kingu—"
Merlin finally understood what Kingu had been planning and why they had joined forces with Gorgon to attack Uruk.
Due to the presence of the Supreme Goddess and the concealment of divine power, Kingu's hidden secret had eluded even Merlin's vision. Only now, at this moment, was the veil lifted.
"You cunning nightmare demon. You created the Cradle of Dreams for Mother, delaying her awakening. But if she cannot awaken while alive, then all it takes is the shock of death to wake her from her slumber."
Kingu stared at Merlin and Alaric, a victorious expression on his face.
"————"
Ah, so that's how it is—
Alaric's expression froze as he stared at the distant horizon, or rather, beyond it, at the Sea of Life.
"Gorgon's Authority, [Mother of Beasts], wasn't a replication of the goddess Tiamat. Instead, it was the result of synchronization with Tiamat. Gorgon herself, due to Tiamat's existence, experienced an elevation in her Saint Graph level."
The connection between Alaric and Gorgon, that primal urge to devour one another, wasn't due to Gorgon's divinity, but to the part of her tied to Tiamat—
That was the force Alaric could not resist, the origin of life, the goddess of creation.
Gorgon was merely a transitional vessel, incapable of stirring Alaric's desires. Only the Maiden of Fate herself could ignite that uncontrollable hunger.
And in the ocean unseen by Alaric's eyes, the Maiden of Fate, sleeping amidst a sea of flowers, slowly opened her starry eyes.