MTLNOVEL Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Are You Going to Abandon Your Duty as a Hero?
"…"
Moran couldn't respond to Stheno.
This was the situation he least wanted to see.
[You don't even have the face to turn around and look at Stheno.]
[You rush towards the source of the earthquake.]
[In the rubble of the temple ruins, you glimpse a gigantic, demonic figure like a high mountain.]
[She is very different from the image in your memory.]
[All sorts of stagnant hatred fill the depths of the shadow that is about to reach its limit, emitting an ominous hiss that seems to curse the listener. Any hero would be daunted in front of her.]
[And this is the current Medusa.]
"Guh—!"
[Her beautiful and dignified face is twisted.]
[Within it, one can see the pain that goes deep into the bone marrow. The waves formed by the curse are constantly overflowing.]
[Half of her body has transformed into a winding, giant snake body.]
[The bloody aura is almost tangible.]
[These are the traces of the dead who were excessively ravaged: their faces were gouged out, their arms were crushed, and their abdominal cavities were torn apart.]
[The bones of the corpses piled up in the abandoned temple number in the thousands. They are the humans who came to defeat the Gorgon but were killed instead.]
"You! Are also! Here to kill—!?"
Medusa slightly raised her blood-stained face.
Her eyes, vaguely visible between her purple hair,
Are the eyes of the Sārīra head that pierce through the darkness.
Within them, there is a burning, fiery red, containing hatred and madness.
"Medusa, don't you even remember me…"
Moran said, gnashing his teeth in regret.
The object of his anger was himself.
[I miscalculated after all.]
[Although no one can control the process of demonization, you cannot avoid the pain in your heart.]
[Looking at the woman you once loved and spent time with,]
[She has fallen and transformed into such an evil god.]
[Any man would feel heartbroken. You still want to save this Medusa.]
"Aaaaaah—!!"
Medusa's eyes released an ominous glow.
This is a sign of stagnation.
Moran also stared at Medusa with the same level of gaze, the light in his purple eyes constantly gathering.
Both of them possess the petrifying Mystic Eyes.
Two black rays of light tore through the atmosphere and collided fiercely.
The power of the Mystic Eyes canceled each other out.
"Die! Die! Just die!"
Medusa has been dominated by demonic nature.
She is now a monster no different from a calamity.
Her purple snake-like pupils, like those of a fierce demon, suddenly looked towards Moran.
If this were on the Argo,
The only option for such a monster would be to defeat it.
Now a hero, Moran has no choice but to point his sword at the woman he once loved.
[You and Medusa engage in a fierce battle.]
"The inner struggle prevented you from using your full strength, knowing that the beloved one before you had transformed into a monster."
[You are gradually being forced into a disadvantage.]
[At a critical moment, you see Stheno and Euryale appearing on the outskirts of the abandoned temple.]
[They are worried about you and Medusa.]
[Although the two sisters have harsh personalities, they cannot hide the sadness in their hearts at this moment.]
[How cruel it is for siblings to fight each other.]
[You see the tears streaming down their faces, and for a moment, you grip the greatsword forged from the temple's foundation tightly in your hand.]
[You cannot allow Medusa to harm your two sisters.]
There is no way to communicate with her.
Medusa's thick, snake-like hair, as thick as carriages, has already lunged at Moran countless times.
Her gaping maw is full of sharp teeth.
"Medusa, I cannot allow you to commit the sin of harming them, so at least I must stop you here—"
Moran's right arm bulges with veins.
The creaking of his spine reaches its peak.
All the martial arts he learned on the Argo flash through his mind in an instant.
Before the great hero even disembarked,
He had imparted all his martial arts to his junior brother, Moran, and there was not much difference in their understanding of martial techniques.
"[Nine Lives!]"
Moran roared as he flicked his sword.
This is a martial technique conceived by Heracles to kill the Hydra, and now it manifests in Moran's hands.
Dozens of giant purple snakes roar and bite like waves.
They want to swallow Moran whole.
Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!
[Before you are shattered pieces of flesh scattered all over the ground.]
[Like a tipped-over bucket, crimson liquid spreads across the broken foundation of the temple.]
[That is the blood splattered by the giant purple snakes.]
[They are cut in half the moment they pounce.]
[You borrow strength to step on the floating stones in the air, leaping with exaggerated, jaw-dropping speed.]
[The giant snakes blocking your path are shattered.]
[The light of the Mystic Eyes is canceled out by an equal radiance.]
[You before them are like the nemesis of demonic beings, declaring that you have come to stop them.]
[Soon, the distance is constantly closing.]
[You disregard the purple blood splattered by the giant snakes.]
[Turning into a black dot, you strike the chest of the demonic goddess like a bullet.]
Rumble—!!
[A huge tremor echoes throughout the abandoned temple, and the tall, towering figure falls backward.]
[You step on Medusa's chest.]
[Grasping the greatsword tightly, as if to strike down and take her head.]
"Guh… Medusa…!"
Moran's vision blurs.
His heart, as firm as a chalk wall, trembles suddenly.
[As a hero, it is only natural to defeat calamities.]
[However, if you really swing this sword, everything you have believed in throughout your life will shatter.]
[Even a hero who has overcome many hardships,]
[Is now in a state of stagnation.]
[Your mind seems to be carefully savoring the sweet nights you have recalled countless times.]
"Moran…"
[Remembering the face you saw when you woke up in countless days and nights, and the gentle voice that echoed in your ears.]
The softest part of your heart is touched.
The hand holding the sword hesitates.
[You seem to hear your heroic self speaking.]
["Are you going to abandon your duty as a hero? Are you giving up on defeating the monster?"]
["Are you going to give up on defeating her/it?"]
A single second feels as long as a century.
Under the moonlight, she, who gives you a gentle smile, is undoubtedly the most beautiful flower in the world.
This is something you could never have obtained.
It is a scene that can only be seen in this simulation.
You gained love because of her.
You were saved by her and even became a hero.
If you were to defeat the one you want to save here, all the meaning of this life would turn into bubbles.
So, at least you want to preserve this truth in your heart.
Consciousness returns to reality, and you look at her, stained with blood and turned ugly.
'Medusa, even if you become like this, I still—'
Moran speaks the truth in his heart.
He understands that even if he exchanges his life, all he will get is a ridiculous and comical wish.
But he still wants to protect that memory.
No matter what, he cannot bring himself to harm the one he loves.