How come the Ace of Cups isn't considered the Holy Grail?

In an instant, the very next second after You Du finished speaking, the snake heads that were poised to strike suddenly separated from their necks. The clean, uniform cuts were truly astonishing. The speed of the cut was so fast that even Gorgon himself was stunned for a moment before he realized what had happened.

"Your family—!"

"Gorgon!"

Anna shouted, and a black and red beam of light shot out from before her eyes, striking Gorgon in the chest, who was unable to use his Mystic Eyes in time due to the sudden situation.

"Ugh! No... you're not allowed to call me that name!"

Despite Anna's petrifying demonic eye, Gorgon endured it all thanks to the powerful physical body granted by his god-level spirit origin.

Gorgon casually tore off the petrified flesh and waited for it to slowly recover. Her expression became increasingly ferocious. She flapped her wings and her unactivated demonic eyes swept over the crowd. Beams of light shot out from the ground along the path of her gaze.

"Master, be careful!"

Mashu was holding a shield, intending to face it down to block the attack coming from below for Fujimaru Ritsuka. However, just as she ran over, Yuwatari pulled Fujimaru Ritsuka onto the D-Wheel and sent her into the air.

Anna dodged left and right on the ground, while the [Savior Dragon] in the sky was also busy.

The dragon's legs and wings, which had been tucked in, stretched out again, and the entire dragon returned to its dragon form from its previous fighter jet-like shape. Within its crystal-clear body, one could clearly see the magic power flowing in liquid form.

"【Savior Star Dragon】effect activated! Sublimation Drain!"

In that instant, the small magic arrays in front of Gorgon disappeared one by one, and before she could even be surprised, she saw countless azure 'raindrops' emanating from her body.

"What is this thing?! What did you do?!"

As the raindrops flew into the body of the [Savior Star Dragon], Gorgon was horrified to discover that his magic eye had completely disappeared, and no matter how much magic power he poured into it, there was no response.

"Why can't I sense my Demon Eye anymore?!"

"The effect of 【Savior Star Dragon】can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls and negate its effects until the End Phase!"

As Yuuto carried Fujimaru Ritsuka through the air, he explained to Gorgon, who was glaring at him fiercely, without any concern:

"And once this turn, [Savior Dragon] can activate the effect of a monster whose effect was negated by this card as the effect of this card!"

"In other words, your petrifying eyes no longer belong to you, but to me! Gorgon!"

Gorgon: !!!

"You guy!"

The enraged Gorgon didn't even care that Yudo called her Gorgon; all she wanted was to get rid of Yudo, who had stolen her petrifying eye.

In reality, she was also somewhat doubtful and uncertain.

She knew that the Demon Eye could be taken away, but she had never heard of such a method that could take away her Demon Eye so silently!

Fujimaru Ritsuka in the back seat had already gotten used to Yutaka's unusual behavior. When she heard that he had so easily taken away Gorgon's Mystic Eyes, she was only slightly surprised. Then she immediately shouted to Anna below.

"Her demonic eyes have now been taken by the [Savior Star Dragon]! Now! Anna!"

"I understand, Fujimaru!"

Without wasting Fujimaru Ritsuka's reminder, Anna immediately ran quickly across the ground to approach Gorgon. Without his Mystic Eyes, Gorgon could only summon his snake head again to fire a beam of magical energy, trying to hinder Anna's progress.

However, Mash blocked these beams with her shield, and the snake's head was once again severed by the fleeting [Savior Star Dragon].

With no other options, Gorgon had no choice but to use her powerful body. Her thick snake tail slammed down with tremendous force, raising a cloud of dust and creating a deep crack in the ground.

Anna seized the opportunity to leap onto the snake's tail, using Gorgon's body as a springboard to launch herself into the air. A cold glint flashed in her scythe as she slashed at the still-healing wound on Gorgon's chest.

Gorgon tried to slap her away, but a black and red beam of light with a petrifying effect struck her at that moment, freezing her in place.

"This is... my Demon Eye... How dare you!"

"The item has been returned to its rightful owner; there's no need to thank me."

Yu Du smiled and watched as Anna, under Gorgon's shocked and angry gaze, plunged the scythe in her hand into Gorgon's wound.

Kara...

With Gorgon's blank expression, her body instantly became covered with countless cracks, like shattered porcelain.

Ding--

"Goodbye, my other self..."

Anna gripped the Undying Blade of Slaughter tightly, her head bowed, watching the white light emanating from the cracks on Gorgon's body. Knowing how he was born, a hint of sadness filled her eyes.

"Our sorrow, even if we cannot relinquish it, is still unattainable..."

"To destroy you, to perish with you—that is the reason I was summoned to this land!"

"That sickle..."

Now, both Gorgon and Fujimaru Ritsuka have noticed the unusual nature of the scythe in Anna's hand.

How could an ordinary sickle kill Gorgon in one strike?

"The Blade of Slaughtering the Undying, this is the weapon in Anna's hands, the property of HARPE..."

As the petals drifted by, Merlin, who had returned to the ground, spoke to Yuwatari and Fujimaru Ritsuka.

"Gorgons' immortality is meaningless before that weapon..."

Hepar, in Greek mythology, is the sickle-shaped sword that Hermes gave to Perseus to cut off Medusa's head.

On the ground, Gorgon's shattered spirit origin caused the overflowing magic to explode, and the cracks she had created earlier began to spread, all the way to where Gorgon had fallen, opening a 'bloody maw' big enough to swallow him whole.

And that's how it ended...

Just as Anna closed her eyes, ready to accept her fate of leaving the stage with Gorgon, a deep blue afterimage flashed past her.

When she sensed something was wrong and opened her eyes again, she saw Yuto standing in front of her.

"Oh! You're back?"

Chapter 101 Brilliant and Dazzling, Like a Sacred Dish

Anna: "???"

Seeing Anna still stunned and unable to react, Yuuto sighed at how silly R-chan looked when she was a child, and then skillfully picked her up with both hands and placed her in front of the D-Wheel.

Just kidding, it's not like in the original series where Anna was seriously injured and fell into the depths of the earth with Gorgon, and there was no way to save her.

Why make Anna and Gorgon perish together when all that's needed is for the [Savior Star Dragon] to make a round trip?

The only difference is that we won't have one more Gorgon to help us when we fight Tiamat at the end.

It doesn't matter, Yudo said he would take action!

It was only then that Anna came to her senses, looking at Yuuto with disbelief, and then at Fujimaru Ritsuka and Merlin, who were smiling gently beside her.

No, how could you, me, her...

Her lips trembled, but she ultimately said nothing, and somewhat embarrassedly put on her hood.

how to say……

This feeling is like someone being diagnosed with terminal cancer and knowing they only have a few days left to live.

So he began to say goodbye to his family and friends one by one, saying all sorts of sentimental and touching things, saying everything that should and shouldn't have been said, and even preparing his own funeral ceremony.

Just when everyone was crying their eyes out at the funeral, he suddenly received a call from the hospital saying they had misdiagnosed him, which was just as embarrassing as it happened.

I've already accepted all the money, and all my secrets and hidden feelings have been exposed. At this point, when I've completely lost face in front of my relatives and friends, you actually tell me that I don't have to die.

At this moment, even if his body was still alive, his soul was no different from being dead.

Looking at the shy Anna, Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled and was about to go over and say something when Merlin, who was beside her, suddenly changed his expression and spat out a large amount of blood.

“Puff—!”

"Merlin?!"

Everyone except Yuu was startled by Merlin's sudden coughing up of blood.

Merlin knelt on the ground, his palms covered in coughed-up blood, but he suddenly realized something.

"Cough... Oh no, so that's what happened..."

Gorgon's power as the goddess of beasts, Tiamat, the "Mother of Beasts," was not copied from Tiamat, but rather obtained through Gorgon's direct synergy with Tiamat.

Therefore, when Gorgon dies, Tiamat, who is in the same synergy with her, will also be stimulated by death, thus awakening from the dream prison set by Merlin.

Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at Merlin kneeling on the ground and hesitated to make a move.

She didn't even know why Merlin suddenly coughed up blood.

Is it a curse?

Could it be that Gorgon cursed them before he died?

But why was Merlin the only one affected?

Fujimaru Ritsuka's mind was a complete mess; she simply couldn't understand what was going on.

Yuuto patted her shoulder, and, meeting Fujimaru Ritsuka's confused and worried gaze, walked towards Merlin, who was kneeling on the ground, and placed his hand on Merlin's back with a sorrowful expression.

"Do you have any last words?"

Merlin, with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, had just figured out the reason when he heard Yudo's words. Even though he was a dream demon without emotions, he couldn't help but roll his eyes at Yudo.

Listen to this! Is that even human language you're speaking?

He's still alive and well in Avalon. He's just leaving as a Servant now. Please don't talk like he's dead.

However, he didn't have time to argue with Yuwatari right now. He had to convey crucial information to Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others. He couldn't let them face the calamity beast without knowing anything!

"Ahem... Fujimaru, you'd better listen carefully to what I'm about to say. Do you remember the goddess Tiamat we talked about earlier?"

Merlin's body had already begun to dissipate into pink light particles. He tried his best to continue saying something to Fujimaru Ritsuka, but was interrupted by Yuuto.

"carry--"

Tiamat has awakened, but has not yet taken any action.

"you--"

“You must return to Uruk immediately and tell Gilgamesh.”

"she--"

"She was originally only able to be fought against by the seven Grand-class Riders. She is the Beast that devours human reason, the Sea of ​​Life, the Mother of Origin, and one of the seven evils of humanity, the Beast of Original Sin."

Merlin: "..."

Yu Du quietly looked into Merlin's eyes, which held a mixture of confusion and clarity: "Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

No, how do you know so much?!

High in the sky.

As soon as Merlin coughed up blood, the [Savior Star Dragon] seemed to have received some kind of instruction, and flew at full speed towards the southeast without looking back, leaving only the sonic boom produced when it broke the sound barrier.

……

In Uruk.

After feeling the joy emanating from the planet beneath his feet emanating from the direction of the North Wall, Kingu already guessed that Gorgon would probably be leaving today.

So how does he, as the other party's child, feel at this moment?

Are you sad?

Although it didn't reach that level, King Gu undoubtedly regarded the other person as his mother somewhere in his heart, and his emotions inevitably fluctuated when he guessed that the other person would leave.

"It's such a pity. I was hoping she could live longer..."

"what are you saying?"

Since taking on the task of guarding Jingu, Ishtar had never taken Maana back. Now, seeing Jingu looking towards the north wall and whispering something, she immediately became alert.

This concerns her 3% share of the gemstones, so she can't afford to be careless.

"It's nothing, I'm just happy that my mother has woken up."

With a playful smile on his lips, Kingu finished speaking and watched as Ishtar, whose expression had drastically changed, rushed out of the room and flew towards the Tower of Gods, leaving only the goddess Quetzalcoatl to watch over him.

Ha, as expected, only that idiot goddess would fall for it...

……

The Persian Gulf.

Here on the shore is an observatory established by Gilgamesh, specifically responsible for monitoring and investigating changes in the water quality of the Persian Gulf.