MTLNOVEL Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Salvation, Farewell
[The madness of the demon has not stopped.]
[It happened almost in an instant.]
["Stop—stop! Stop it——!"]
[Deep within the heart of the monster swallowed by demonic nature, a remnant of reason cries out, wanting to stop the vile and ugly self.]
[To stop the billions of fangs thrust out at the loved one.]
[However, she can't change anything.]
[The giant purple snakes rush out like a bloody storm, fangs and sharp teeth piercing the unyielding body.]
[Your body explodes.]
[The smell of blood, organs, and viscera mixes and invades the brain, and strange, scarlet flowers bloom in the air.]
Thump—!
[Accompanied by the scattering of blood,]
[The lower half of the body, lost below the chest, falls to the ground.]
[Rolling several meters on the ground like a broken rag, with the parts inside the body gushing out and scattering all over the place.]
"Guh—ooh!"
[A river of blood is the best way to describe the situation.]
[Even if you want to take a breath, blood clots gush out of your mouth like a pump, and the concept of death constantly approaches.]
[Needless to say, even if you are dull,]
[You know that you are beyond saving.]
"…Mor…an…I don't want to…no…no…how…how could this…why me…!"
[A trembling tone is squeezed from the throat.]
[The crimson eyes, eroded by darkness and madness, temporarily awaken due to absorbing additional source power.]
[This man has her blood.]
[Absorbing his blood is equivalent to absorbing the source.]
[In the past, she relied on her own power to suppress the madness, dividing a few parts of her power from her ten parts to suppress the increasing demonic nature. Once she used all her power, she would not be able to suppress it, and that is when Medusa would transform into a Gorgon.]
[Now, she, who should have continued to go mad,]
[Happens to regain consciousness by devouring additional source power.]
"…No…I actually…no…Ah—ah ah—no no, no…Waaaaah——!"
[The snake hair is chewing on the flesh and blood of the loved one.]
[She actually finds it so sweet and delicious, and for a moment, she hates this demonic nature originating from herself to the extreme.]
[Perhaps, she is the monster that should be defeated.]
[How ironic, she doesn't want to kill her lover.]
[But in the end, she can only regain her sanity by gnawing on his flesh and blood, and once she regains it, she will face the collapse of her self.]
"Ah…"
[You feel the temperature of your whole body dropping.]
[However, you hear a child-like wail in your ear.]
[Your chest throbs as if it is being torn apart.]
"…Ugh…don't make that…expression…"
[You squeeze out these words weakly.]
[Medusa's delicate body trembles.]
[Realizing that you still have a trace of life, she immediately rushes to your side.]
'Heh…Medea's amulet…really…I still troubled her in the end…'
Moran holds a disc-shaped Mystic Code in his hand.
It blocked Medusa's attack to the greatest extent and maintained his life in an extremely limited way.
"Don't move! I'll give you blood right now!"
Medusa shrinks her body and wants to cut her wrist to draw blood.
However, she sees Moran shaking his head.
A surge of sorrow from his chest pierces his heart.
"You know… the reason you can maintain your sanity is because you're absorbing the blood from my body… If you return the blood…"
"I don't care about that! I only want you! I only want you to live…"
Medusa hugged Moran, sobbing uncontrollably.
Her dignified face was already wet with tears.
"…Don't be so willful… I'm just a mortal… Really… I'm very satisfied with this life… Although there are still many things… I didn't get to do…"
Moran felt no fear of approaching death.
He gazed at Medusa gently.
"Twenty-five years… Medea and Atalanta… they must be very angry with me… But… even so… I still want to save you…"
Moran offered the magic disc.
As a goddess, Medusa could sense and understand the purpose of the formula engraved deep within it.
It wasn't as if he had done nothing.
"At least… it can prevent you from being consumed by demonic nature… I wanted to make it better… but there wasn't enough time…"
Moran had learned magic from Medea.
And together, using his blood as a base, they researched and searched for all possible ways to suppress the Gorgon's demonic nature.
This was just an incomplete product.
But still, it could barely function.
"But you will…"
"Preventing you from falling, the price is my life.
There may be other costs that I don't know about, but the current situation is, this is the only method I can offer…"
"Why…! I just wanted to live a normal life with you, Moran… and my sisters, on the island…!"
Medusa lowered her head, gnashing her teeth in regret.
Like a spoiled and willful child.
She loathed the demonic blood flowing within her, and hated the humans who came to the island seeking to make a name for themselves.
Footsteps came from a short distance away.
"Self-righteous suicide… truly reckless… when you're just a toy I picked up…"
"Exactly! I've never seen such an unreasonable, illogical idiot like you…!"
Stheno and Euryale had also arrived.
Although their words were still somewhat harsh, their beautiful eyes couldn't hide the sorrow welling up within them.
Seeing the two sisters acting so uncharacteristically.
Moran wished they could be as they always were.
His vision blurred as he gazed at the beautiful, cold face so close to him, a face now consumed by grief.
The round moon hanging in the sky was as cold and clear as it had been over a decade ago.
Back then, Medusa, sitting in the forest, had turned her head and offered him a reassuring smile as she reached out her hand to him.
Incredibly, it felt as if he had returned to the past.
"Medusa, that sad expression doesn't suit you. I still prefer seeing you smile… In my eyes… you've never been a monster…"
Moran raised his hand and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
His body temperature was frighteningly cold.
"Stheno… Euryale… that sad look doesn't suit you either… It's okay to be a little harsh…"
"…I'm not!"
Stheno turned her head away as if unable to continue looking.
She feared she wouldn't be able to keep up her facade.
"If possible… I really wanted to continue living a carefree life with you on the island… just like before…"
"Who are you calling harsh! If anything, it's you—"
"…"
Euryale stopped abruptly, as if choking on her words.
She seemed to have realized something.
Stheno desperately tried not to be overcome by grief.
Medusa, hugging Moran, could no longer restrain her emotions, and crystal tears streamed down her face.
The tears dripped onto his cold, lifeless face.
There was no breath, no response, no movement.
It was a very peaceful death.
Moran was like a dying knight watching over the three sisters.
His soul was no longer here.
All that remained was a corpse with divine and demonic blood, a former Argo hero who had been famous throughout Greece.