One day before.
At the time of the operation briefing.
"The core of the Gorgon sisters is the youngest, Medusa."
Lucas calmly continued his explanation.
"The eldest, Stheno, and the second, Euryale, are extremely low in intelligence. But under Medusa's control, they can exert their abilities most effectively."
"..."
"If the three sisters are together, we have no chance. Even if they just stand back to back and unleash their petrifying gaze, we have no way to bring them down."
Lucas nodded as he looked around at the heroes.
"However, if we can separate them, then there's a possibility of defeating them. Without Medusa's control, the other two are no different from stupid ogres."
...Aren't ogres quite strong, though?
The heroes exchanged these glances, but Lucas coughed and continued.
"Think of them as damned strong ogres with petrification abilities."
"..."
"Anyway, the probability of defeating them is much higher than when they are together."
Bang bang!
Lucas tapped the map pinned next to the chalkboard.
"Operation 'Tag' primarily aims to separate the two from the clever Medusa. Once the three are scattered."
Lucas looked at Evangeline.
"I'll take on Medusa. And Euryale... will be Evangeline's opponent."
Lucas and Evangeline, having awakened various enhanced skills and almost endgame-level equipment, were exponentially stronger, now on a different level of strength compared to the other heroes.
They were capable of facing these monsters one-on-one, but the rest of the heroes could not.
"The rest, capable of melee combat, lure Stheno as far away as possible."
"..."
"Remember, the goal of this game of tag is only to separate them. Block their petrifying gaze with mirror shields, lure them but do not close the distance."
Lucas spoke cautiously to the other heroes.
"...And in the worst case, if you're caught by them, don't die fighting; get petrified. Petrification can be reversed later, and there's a chance of survival. It'll be quite painful, but better than dying."
It was a dreadful story, but practical advice for actual survival.
Lucas looked around at everyone and asked.
"Any questions?"
"..."
Evangeline had been listening quietly all this time.
Urban warfare to avoid the petrifying gaze, and conditions for divide and conquer... It was certainly a logical strategy.
Also, evacuating civilians and regular soldiers from the battlefield to minimize unnecessary damage from the wide-area petrifying gaze was sensible.
'But the real intent of this strategy left by senior Ash isn't that.'
Evangeline had also seen the operation plan left by Ash.
Lucas was... distorting the true intent of Ash's plan, who had departed for the Imperial Capital, to avoid burdening him.
Evangeline looked at Lucas with pity. That's when it happened.
"I have a question."
One of the heroes from Blacklist raised his hand. Lucas gestured for him to speak.
"Go ahead."
"The colored parts on the map are the areas to lure the monsters, right?"
"That's right."
"But... why is this part of the map left blank?"
Indeed, a quarter of the Crossroad area on the map was not colored.
In other words, it was an area where monsters should not be lured.
Lucas clamped his mouth shut, then slowly answered.
"This area is where the evacuation of citizens is not yet complete."
"What? Why?"
"...There's a pregnant woman in the temple. She's in labor."
The eyes of the Blacklist heroes widened. Lucas just spilled it all out.
"It's a very difficult childbirth. We can't evacuate her, so a few, including the responsible priest, remain. ...So, absolutely do not lure those monster bastards to this area."
"..."
"Any more questions? If not, I'll proceed with detailed tactical instructions."
Lucas let out a faint sigh.
"...And we need to talk about the ‘final trait’ possessed by these monsters."
***
Present.
Thump... Thump... Thump...
The monster walked over the city.
Stheno, with her mouth wide open, drooling, walked towards the direction of the temple, crushing sidewalks and tossing aside carriages in her path.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Watching this scene from the rooftop, the members of Blacklist Five remained silent, concealing their presence.
While the other heroes involved in luring Stheno were torn apart and petrified, they only watched the massacre from a safe location.
"Are they insane to fight risking their lives?"
One of the five heroes, a blind swordsman with his eyes covered in cloth, grumbled.
"They said they'd pay gold just for participating. Just lie down and slink away when it's time."
A muscular man with iron plates embedded all over his body and a woman wearing a candlestick crown chimed in.
"Heh, there's no reason for us to risk our lives fighting, especially not against such a terrifying monster."
"And to fight something like that? The amount of gold wouldn't justify the risk!"
That's when it happened.
A young child dressed in prisoner clothes and bound in chains frowned as he quietly observed the monster's path.
"...But where is that monster heading to now?"
The man in glasses sitting in front of the child adjusted his magical prosthetic glasses.
"That's the direction the acting commander told us not to lure it to during the briefing."
"That means, in other words..."
"Yes. The temple."
Silence ensued.
The Blacklist Five frowned simultaneously, looking in the direction the monster was heading.
The conspicuous white building – the temple was undoubtedly on its path.
"...Shouldn't we do something about it?"
"Aren't there a pregnant woman and priests there?"
"Shit, what can we do? It's not my kid."
"We're not exactly knights in shining armor."
"Our lousy lives aren't valuable, but the lives of newborns are? Huh? That's not right, is it? Life is supposed to be fair."
Thump... Thump... Thump...
The monster continues walking.
The Blacklist Five had clearly seen how this powerful monster had instantly destroyed several other hero parties.
If this powerful monster reaches the temple, the lives of the pregnant woman and priests there are obviously in danger.
They will die.
Brutally.
"..."
"..."
"..."
As the monster moved further away, the five thugs felt their mouths go dry.
"That damned monster has no idea."
"Don't go that way, damn it...!"
"Is there no way... we can do something? Surely there's a way to stop that bastard while we stay safe?"
These people, whose compassion had long dried up living in the gambling world, still had a minimum level of empathy.
But their lives weighed heavier than that empathy, so they couldn't move.
That's when it happened.
Thump-!
Someone appeared beside Stheno.
A man wrapped in bandages, his face completely covered by a helmet, armed with a thick square shield and a mace.
It was Torkel.
Seeing Torkel standing alone against the powerful monster, fearlessly, the Blacklist Five were taken aback.
"Who is that crazy guy with no fear?"
"Hey? I know that guy. He's that demon from the Leprosy Extermination Squad, isn't he?"
"Is he famous?"
"Of course, he's famous. Those five leprous idiots went around biting and smashing everything. How could he not be?"
"But what happened to the subordinates he used to travel with? Why is he alone?"
"Ah, now that you mention it, I heard a rumor. All his subordinates died here, and he was the only survivor."
Unaware of the thugs hidden here gossiping about him,
Torkel took a breath and then shouted.
"Hey, monster! Over here-!"
Torkel stood to the side of Stheno, deliberately starting to lure her by turning her direction.
However, Stheno paid no attention to Torkel's provocation. She kept her dull gaze fixed on the temple, just walking forward.
From inside Torkel's helmet came the sound of teeth grinding. Torkel continued to shout, closing the distance with Stheno bit by bit.
"Look here, look here! Damn monster. There's a living person here!"
"..."
"Do lepers not look like people to you?! Look at me! Come and kill me!"
But Stheno seemed not to hear Torkel at all. She had already set her sights on the people in the temple, not sparing him a glance.
Eventually, Torkel's choice was,
Dash-!
A charge.
With the monster not looking his way, there was no other option. He had to take the risk and close the distance to lure her.
Torkel made this decision and charged towards Stheno's side-
Swish!
Suddenly, Stheno's head mechanically turned to the side.
Her giant body continued forward, but her head turned sharply to the side in a bizarre manner.
With that twisted face, Stheno impassively stared at Torkel.
Screeech!
A yellow magical light radiated from Stheno's eyes. Torkel gritted his teeth and raised his shield in front of him.
Crack! Crack-crack-crack!
The petrifying gaze was fired, and the entire area around it turned to stone.
Torkel had covered his shield thoroughly with mirrors, so the part of his body shielded was spared from petrification.
However, Torkel was inherently slow and cumbersome.
He couldn't completely tuck his body within the range of the shield, and his feet were exposed to Stheno's gaze.
"Ugh?!"
His boots turned white and solidified into stone.
Losing his balance, Torkel tumbled to the ground. Even while down, he tried to assume a defensive posture for Stheno's next attack.
"...?"
But, Stheno no longer cared about the incapacitated Torkel.
Thump... Thump... Thump...
She simply continued walking towards the temple.
"...Hey. Where are you going?"
Grinding his teeth and leaning on his mace, Torkel staggered to his feet.
"I've only lost my feet. I can still catch you."
"..."
"Look here, damn monster! Don't touch the temple!"
Torkel, with his petrified feet, desperately stepped forward, almost crawling, following behind Stheno.
"People dying there... once is enough!"
Finally catching up right behind Stheno, Torkel swung his mace with all his might. But.
Screeech!
Not allowing the attack, Stheno again twisted her head bizarrely and flashed her eyes.
Crack-crack-crack...!
This time, as he raised his mace, his right arm extended beyond the range of the mirror shield. Torkel's right arm solidified, still holding the mace.
"Urr... Urgh!"
With a muffled scream, Torkel fell backward. Stheno turned her head forward again and began walking.
But Stheno had to stop eventually.
"Pant, pant, pant..."
Despite his petrified feet and right arm, Torkel desperately crawled on the ground and blocked Stheno's path.
From inside the helmet, Torkel's laughter, usually hard to hear, echoed out.
"Is this all? Sorry, but my skin turned as hard as a rock long ago."
"..."
"Your petrification doesn't even tickle."
Thump!
Giving up on luring and deciding to face the monster head-on, Torkel readied his defensive stance.
"You can't go beyond here, monster. I'm the last line of defense in this area."
"..."
"No more deaths on my watch...!"
Torkel charged at Stheno with a roar.
When he aggressively attacked head-on, Stheno could no longer ignore him and swung her strong arms at Torkel.
Torkel was among the toughest heroes of Crossroad.
He was a hero marked by Ash for main use, possessing significant innate stamina, growth potential, and latent abilities.
However, the limitation of fighting with one arm and two feet petrified was clear.
Eventually,
Thud!
Struck by Stheno's powerful fist, Torkel spat blood, fainting, and
Grab!
Was hoisted into the air by the collar with the opposite hand.
"Ugh...!"
Torkel clenched his teeth.
His life was not what he regretted.
But who would protect the people in the temple if he died?
"Do you think... I'll go down like this...!"
The face of Margarita, who took an arrow for him and quietly passed away in his arms, flashed through Torkel's mind.
The face of the goddess statue that always looked down at him sadly, too.
Torkel spat out his voice desperately.
"I haven't yet repaid... the debt inscribed on my life!"
Of course, Stheno didn't properly understand the desperate cries of a human, simply raising her opposite hand to strike down her opponent.
And the next moment.
Ding-!
The wrist of Stheno, about to strike down, was suddenly and cleanly severed.
"...?!"
The solid ancient metal forearm of the monster was cleanly cut off.
The severed wrist clanged horribly as it rolled on the ground.
Both Stheno and Torkel froze, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Then a voice came from the side.
"Oh, sorry about that, monster."
The blind swordsman of Blacklist, clad in tattered robes, had already landed on the ground and was slowly sheathing his long sword back into its scabbard.
Click.
The blind swordsman, having finished sheathing his sword, grinned, revealing yellow teeth.
"I was aiming for the neck, but as you see, my eyes aren't in great shape... ended up slicing off the wrist instead, huh?"
--TL Notes--
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