Roooooooooar!
Onboard the Imperial flagship Alcatraz.
Gazing down at the looming sight of Crossroad, I clenched my teeth at the monster standing there.
"...The complete form of the Gorgon."
The final phase of the Gorgon Sisters.
The last of them, having devoured the fallen two, transforms into the complete Gorgon.
This entity, possessing the strength of Stheno, the flying ability of Euryale, and the magic of Medusa, becomes a monstrously powerful boss monster.
‘Had I been here from the start, I could have used a trick to dispose of it before it reached its complete form...’
But that's a pointless assumption.
I had left for the imperial city, and during my absence, these monsters had invaded, gruesomely destroying the city in various places.
However... it's not all a tale of despair.
‘The walls have held.’
It seemed Lucas had quickly given up on fighting along the walls and lured them into the city. Thanks to that, the walls were safe.
This meant that the fortress retained at least its minimum functionality, forming a basis for the defensive battles to come.
‘Above all, the casualties are few.’
The fallen were mainly concentrated among the hero characters.
This was because Lucas had excluded not only the citizens but also the regular soldiers from the front lines.
It was a wise decision.
The petrifying evil eye of the Gorgon sisters was an area-of-effect attack, so ordinary soldiers caught in the range would inevitably fall in droves.
‘In the worst case, all the ordinary soldiers would have been sacrificed, and the southern front would have been breached.’
But that was averted with minimal damage.
I bit my lip as I looked over my petrified comrades.
‘Hang on, guys. I’ll save you all soon.’
Of course, before saving the kids, I need to take down that damned monster first!
The complete Gorgon - Medusa seemed disconcerted by our arrival.
‘Dare to wreak havoc in my city... I'll make you pay!’
Resolved, I shouted to the Emperor seated in the cockpit.
"We're almost at our destination, Father! Just a little more strength, please!"
"...Ash."
My father was driving the airship with a pale face.
Empty magic potions were rolling around on the table beside the cockpit, and he was drinking a new one with a straw.
He looked like an office worker struggling through days of overtime, sustaining himself on Americano doping.
My heart ached at the sight, and I couldn't help but tear up.
"The sight of Father, dedicating himself like this to protect the lives of the soldiers and citizens on the southern front, no! All lives on this front... It's truly a model of a ruler! I am deeply moved!"
"Damn it, stop it. This old man feels like dying..."
The Emperor hadn't rested for a moment since setting sail from the imperial city.
Actually, I was the one who didn’t let him rest. When he suggested landing for a moment to get some sleep, I fervently massaged his shoulders to keep him awake.
I forcefully fed him magic potions, and when he still seemed tired, I whispered in his ear.
- If you stop now, I'll give up my right to the throne.
- What madness is this...?!
I’m not sure what he finds so regrettable about my abandoning the throne, but anyway, after hearing that, he suddenly found the strength to focus on driving.
And so - Alcatraz, having made the fastest journey in history from the imperial city to Crossroad, is now drawing a gentle landing trajectory towards Crossroad.
With tired eyes, the Emperor struggled, and I prayed with folded hands.
"We're almost there, Father! Just land near Crossroad and we’re done-"
That's when it happened.
"Kyaaaaaak-!"
The monster's sharp scream rang out.
Immediately afterward, Medusa leaped into the air, blocking the airship's path. Simultaneously,
Kiiiiing!
The monster's eyes emitted a chilling yellow magic light.
Originally, the Alcatraz cockpit didn’t directly look outside but used a state-of-the-art magical engineering system that projected images from magic panels installed outside onto internal screens.
Thus, the petrifying effect didn’t reach the cockpit. But the exterior armor of the airship was not so lucky.
Kwadududuk!
Alcatraz vibrated violently.
As Medusa unleashed her petrifying evil eye at the airship, the protective armor attached to Alcatraz’s exterior began to harden.
Then, sleep vanished from the Emperor’s face, replaced by deep anger.
"That son of a bitch has lost it."
The Emperor frantically manipulated the controls in the cockpit, yanking forward a device that looked unmistakably like a gear.
Toohak-!
Suddenly, the thrusters at the rear of the airship increased their output.
"...Father?"
Cold sweat ran down my spine. What is he doing...?
The Emperor’s face was filled with intense anger.
Road Rage.
He had fallen into a state of driver-specific rage, like 'You son of a bitch, why do you drive like that?'
"That mere monster dares not only to block the airship I’m piloting but also,"
The Emperor pushed the control handle he held firmly forward.
"to scratch it-?!"
Kwaaaa-!
Alcatraz began to accelerate, diving straight towards the ground. What the hell is he doing?!
"Wait, Father! You're not planning to crash into it, are you?!"
"One must show a lesson to such creatures!"
"Snap out of it! This is the imperial flagship! Are you really going to ram with this expensive thing?!"
"It's most thrilling to ram with an expensive ship!"
Why do all these ship pilots, like Captain Poker, have such a mindset?!
Kiiing! Kiiiiing!
Medusa incessantly fired her petrifying evil eye,
Tung! Tudududung!
and Alcatraz, shedding its petrified exterior armor, continued its charge.
It was a tactic to purge the petrified armor before the petrification spread to the entire airship.
Although the external armor was damaged, this prevented the airship's main body from being eroded by petrification, allowing it to keep moving.
Medusa and Alcatraz rapidly closed the distance. And then,
"...Kuk?!"
It was Medusa who backed off first.
No matter how mythical a monster Medusa was, Alcatraz too was the empire's strongest flagship, coated with ancient magic centuries old.
If it came down to a head-on collision, we had overwhelming mass. Medusa had no choice but to avoid it.
As Medusa barely escaped Alcatraz's charging path, the Emperor showed his teeth in a grin.
"Ha! Running away without showing its tail! Who asked you to attack, you coward!"
"Father, don't be happy that you won a chicken race! Landing! What about the landing?!"
The ground rapidly approached. I covered my eyes and screamed, while the Emperor strapped me into the chair and fastened the safety belt, then,
"Huup!"
raised his hand.
Then, the emblem on the back of the Emperor’s hand sparkled, and he began to directly control Alcatraz’s massive body.
Alcatraz, firing flames from the thrusters on its front and bottom, rapidly decelerated-
Kugugugung...!
...and barely managed an emergency landing, scraping the ground.
Fortunately, it somehow changed course and landed on the southern plains instead of inside Crossroad.
Chiiik-
In this place swirling with dusty clouds, Alcatraz slowly opened its rear hatch.
The Emperor, pointing towards the opening door, gestured to me with his chin.
"Landing successful. We've arrived, my son."
"...Thank you, truly. Father."
Despite nearly dying from the sudden acceleration, we thankfully made it here without too much delay. I sincerely thanked the Emperor.
"I am completely drained now."
The Emperor leaned back in the pilot seat and pulled out a sleep mask from his pocket, placing it over his eyes.
"I shall take a rest. The rest is up to you."
He then slumped over and, in a matter of seconds, truly fell asleep...
‘It's understandable he's exhausted.’
To keep such a massive airship running without maintenance, the Emperor had poured all his magical power into it. It wouldn't have been surprising if he had passed out earlier.
"As much as you've strived, I'll take responsibility for the defense of Crossroad."
After unbuckling my safety belt, I staggered out of the cockpit.
Then I saw my elite heroes, all pale as if they had all been seasick, seated in the passenger area.
"Everyone might be feeling queasy, but our comrades in Crossroad are in a life-or-death situation. Every second is critical. We don't have the luxury to regroup."
Hearing this, the lifeless faces of the heroes hardened.
The fate of our comrades and the city was at stake.
We must grit our teeth and endure, no matter the discomfort of flight sickness.
"The tactics to confront Medusa are as I explained on the way."
There was no need to reiterate the strategy or emphasize it again.
They are the elite of the elite. When I say one thing, they understand ten, and when I order ten, they execute a hundred.
They are reliable and trustworthy.
I nodded and shouted.
"We start the operation. Let's go!"
***
Thump...!
Medusa, flying across the sky, landed in front of the airship.
My heroes and I, already outside through the airship hatch, were ready for battle.
Medusa, eying us, flicked her tongue.
"You're quite late for reinforcements, human."
"On the contrary, monster."
I smirked.
"Now is the fastest time. It's better to move even a little than to regret being late. I understand that very well."
"You're quite optimistic."
"A leader should bring hope, after all."
Shrugging my shoulders, I extended my hand forward.
"And also to present solutions... that's it!"
There are dozens of tactics to counter Medusa, but ultimately it boils down to one condition.
- How to seal the petrifying evil eye?
The petrifying evil eye is not a simple gimmick. It has two major effects:
1. It petrifies just by making eye contact,
2. Even without eye contact, if Gorgon concentrates magic in their line of sight, they can forcefully petrify the opponent.
Thus, mirror shields are usually a must in combat strategies.
However, having to look at the opponent through a mirror, and many heroes not being accustomed to using shields, often makes it challenging.
Using mirror shields is a kind of demerit in itself.
And I prepared a strategy to counter the petrifying evil eye without using mirror shields.
"Hannibal!"
"Yes!"
At my call, Hannibal and the party of five spirit mages rushed forward.
Even if these spirit mages don't engage in direct combat, they can temporarily imbue our allies with spirits to grant various beneficial effects.
In short, they can be utilized as dedicated buffers.
And the spirit enchant I asked them for was...
"Gnome!"
The spirit of earth and stone, Gnome!
Although there's a set duration, while enchanted, the spirit can absorb some of the petrifying effects.
Making eye contact becomes less of an issue.
Hannibal and the spirit mages imbued me and the heroes with the spirit.
This clears the first part of the gimmick. Our heroes can freely face Medusa.
Now the remaining issue is the second part, the direct petrification inflicted by Medusa...
"Just with such a lowly spirit, you think you can block my eyes-!"
Enraged, Medusa roared, her evil eyes flashing. The yellow magic light scattered, ready to shoot towards us.
"What's so great about your evil eye that you brag so much?"
Stepping forward, I planted a blank black flag into the ground and shouted.
"Here at the forefront... I'll block not just your eyes but everything!"
Hwaaak-!
Grey magic poured out, and immediately my ultimate skill [Foremost Flag] activated, forming a fortress.
Not on my side, but right in front of Medusa!
Kugugugung!
The magical barrier I formed right in front of the monster blocked Medusa’s line of sight.
Her evil eye, unable to extend in all directions, petrified the barrier and then ceased its effect.
Annoyed, Medusa opened her mouth wide and emitted a sonic wave.
"This little thing!"
Kugung! Kwagwagwang!
The barrier was instantly demolished.
But by that time, the next barrier had already risen around her.
"...?!"
Kugung! Kugugung!
Successive barriers piled up around Medusa.
My proficiency with my ultimate skill was considerable. I could create barriers at the point and in the shape I wanted.
"Let's see who wins, monster."
Standing in front of the dumbfounded monster, wielding the strongest power of a defense game, 'barrier creation'... I declared.
"Let's see what's faster: your glaring at us or me blocking your eyes!"
Taht-!
Simultaneously, the heroes around me charged forward.
With the barrier blocking the petrifying evil eye, now was the time to approach the monster...!
--TL Notes--
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