As soon as they stepped inside, a thick stench of blood hit them. In the dim, eerie space, crisscrossing purple-red corridors stretched in every direction.
The deeper they went, the more they saw those purple-red beast eggs, clustered along the passages like grotesque tumors.
Bang!
Startled by the noise, a struggling figure slammed into the fleshy wall of an egg. Half of his body remained human, while the other half had already begun to twist and deform.
Drawn by the sound, the purple-haired girl pressed her lips tightly together and stepped forward instinctively.
"Ana, let's go."
"We have to take down Gorgon. Only then will this end."
Samael gripped the girl's cold hand and pulled her back into formation. His tone was stern, his face calm.
"I have to kill her!"
"For the sake of these innocent people—for everyone in Uruk!"
Ana's small face tensed. Still, a cloud of sorrow crept across her expression.
"Alright. I'll help you!"
The ancient serpent placed a hand on the girl's head and gently patted it in comfort, nodding firmly.
After witnessing what had just happened, the atmosphere grew heavy. Even the usually energetic Jaguar Warrior had fallen silent.
It felt as though thunder was rumbling within the group, power building with each step.
The divine reaction confirmed it—they had arrived.
After winding through the corridors, they emerged into a massive hall, its walls veined with blood vessels like coiled serpents. In front of them, the blood-colored abyss churned violently.
Then, a towering figure over a hundred meters tall erupted from the blood, unleashing a wave of raw visual shock.
The long-sought Goddess of Demonic Beasts was still both eerie and beautiful.
Long purple hair flowed behind her, a yellow serpent tail curled beneath her, and two pairs of pale golden wings slowly flapped at her back. Purple-red serpents extended from her hair, heads weaving in attack formation. The full form of the evil god revealed itself—her chilling hiss echoing like something straight from the depths of hell.
"You pathetic ants hiding in your shells actually dared to come looking for death? Know your place!"
"Gorgon! This revenge against the innocent is senseless!"
"You've lost your mind! I won't let you go on like this!"
Ana stepped forward, furious. She yanked down her hood, raised her head to meet Gorgon's gaze, and bit out her words through clenched teeth.
"Ah! That voice… Monster! Monster!"
"Stay away! Get away from me!"
Buried memories surged from within Gorgon, throwing her mind into madness and confusion.
As her massive body writhed, two serpent-headed monsters—purple-black and vicious—plunged downward, aiming to bite Ana.
Whoosh!
Clang!
Samael hurled a spear with one hand, skewering the serpent head on the right, while his other hand raised a round shield, blocking the venomous fangs of the left.
Slash!
A purple-red scythe blade cut through cleanly, severing the lunging head in one swift stroke.
The ancient serpent immediately yanked Ana back, scowling with a cold snort.
"Ana, do you want to repeat what happened last time?"
"Remember what I told you—follow orders!"
Ana instinctively glanced at Samael's waist, recalling that bloody night. She pressed her lips tightly and nodded seriously.
"…Alright! I'll help neutralize her Mystic Eyes!"
"That's more like it! You can't hog the spotlight without the jaguar!"
"Yoo-hoo! I'm going in first!"
The cheerful Jaguar Warrior, sharing the same lively nature as Kukulkan, gave Ana a playful pat on the shoulder, then lunged forward with a swing of her clawed blade.
Her bright, carefree smile lifted the heavy mood in everyone's hearts, if only a little.
At the same time, her jaguar-clawed weapon spun like a whirlwind, slashing left and right, shredding the purple-red serpent heads that slithered in her path into chunks.
"Die! Die! Die!"
The Goddess of Demonic Beasts let out a furious roar. Purple-red magic circles flared before her eyes, and with a wild glare, she unleashed a storm of dense Mana beams that pierced through the air.
"No way!"
Ana dashed forward, shifted her angle, and looked up with a fierce shout, locking eyes with those ominous petrifying eyes.
Buzz!
The shockwave from her burst of Mana echoed like crashing waves in everyone's ears. One after another, magical arrays lit up within the Blood Temple.
But with her divinity and authority still underdeveloped, Ana was at a clear disadvantage. She could only hold out for a few seconds before being sent sliding dozens of meters, her eyes stinging from the strain.
"Set!"
At that moment, several crystal gems shot out from behind Ana, howling through the air at lightning speed.
In an instant, two streams of crimson blood burst from the neck of the Goddess of Demonic Beasts.
"Hey! You knockoff! Did you forget about us?!"
Ishtar had arrived, wielding the Heavenly Bow Maanna, with several light arrows drawn and ready behind her.
"That's right, that's right! Picking on a little girl in front of her favorite big brother? That's the greatest crime!"
Merlin poked his head out from behind Samael with a sly grin, waving his staff to boost the group.
You bastard! Using me as a meat shield again?!
The ancient serpent caught the Incubus's shameless move and scowled darkly, but still raised his hand to block one of the dangling snake heads.
Activating his monstrous strength, he held the formation steady, then drove his right-hand spear out from beside his shield.
The spearhead, blessed by the blood of Zeus, pierced through the creature's scales with ease and stabbed deep into its skull.
Without missing a beat, Samael yanked out a second throwing spear from his back and hurled it toward the Goddess of Demonic Beasts' forehead to prevent her from unleashing her Mystic Eyes again.
Whether intentional or not, everyone instinctively placed some distance between Ana and the Goddess.
Everyone... thank you...
Realizing she'd somehow become the group's cherished little one, Ana opened her mouth, but in the end, kept the gratitude unspoken.
Still, even under the combined assault of three goddesses, a great sage, and a divine child, the immortal Gorgon's body kept regenerating as quickly as it was destroyed.
More disturbing was what came next. In the flickering light of the Blood Temple, those beast eggs that looked like root tumors growing on the blood vessel-like walls began to shrivel and collapse one by one.
A surge of vitality and Mana flowed back into the Goddess of Demonic Beasts.
What the hell?! She can do that?! Should've smashed those damn eggs on the way in!
The ancient serpent's pupils narrowed. As he mentally cursed, he used the lull to glance behind and snapped at the cowering white-haired sage.
"You old fraud! This is a righteous group beatdown! You're a Grand Magus for heaven's sake—hiding behind me? Where's your damage output?!"
"Alright, alright, I'm coming!"
Merlin casually waved his staff, tapping Samael lightly on the back.
In that instant, the ancient serpent felt the world shift. Countless Ether particles came into crystal-clear focus.
Air currents, heartbeat, blood flow—everything felt within reach. Mana surged toward his Spirit Core.
With it came boundless courage and sharpened senses. No fear, only the drive to charge ahead and carve his own epic against beasts and evil alike.
You son of a—Heroic Buff?!
Barely keeping his battle fervor in check, the ancient serpent turned his head and gave Merlin a death glare.
"You got this! I believe in you!"
Merlin nodded earnestly and gave a casual wave, like a bystander cheering on a hero's grand journey.
At last, the ancient serpent slowly raised his middle finger in a fiery salute.