Buzz!
Countless streams of starlight poured down from the dome, converging upon the wings of the pink mechanical lifeform.
In an instant, dozens of azure crystal plates along both sides of the metal wings flared. Frenzied torrents of Ether magic split apart, branching into hundreds of beams that shot toward the heroes around the Great Altar—those immune to the power of enchantment, or still resisting the mental corruption.
At the critical moment, a golden shield inlaid with a sculpted Gorgon's head was raised high. The heavy authority of earth surged into motion, and the Medusa visage at its center snapped open its eyes as if alive. Dense strands of crimson-purple serpent hair writhed and tangled together, sealing off the circular opening at the top of the dome in an instant.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The collision was violent. The massive purple-red serpents shattered one after another, flesh and blood spraying everywhere, while the pink Ether magic crashed relentlessly against the golden shield suspended in midair.
Shockwaves rippled outward, fierce winds howling as raging Ether tides swept across the altar.
Struck head-on, the Medusa Shield finally faltered. After neutralizing this attack from the [True Machine God], it let out a mournful wail and dropped downward, once again exposing everyone on the Great Altar fully to the enemy's line of sight.
However, in the split second as the Medusa Shield fell aside, a streak of golden light pierced through heaven and earth at blinding speed.
Sayonara, idiot!
The wretched schemer who had pushed timing, feints, and calculation to their absolute limit narrowed his vertical pupils, mockery filling his gaze.
Bang!
A shrill screech of tearing metal rang out. Caught completely off guard, the [True Machine God] hovering above the ring opening had its main body instantly punched through, a gaping hole nearly a meter wide torn open. Cracks spread rapidly, crawling across almost the entire shell.
"No… no, no, no, no…
I… a god… how could I be defeated by mere humans…"
A trembling, disbelieving voice mixed with harsh static echoed from within the bizarre mechanical lifeform. Immediately after, the [True Machine God], belching black smoke, plummeted toward the lower levels of the Interstellar Mountain City.
Whoosh!
But just as Samael focused his attention on dealing with the True Machine God, the massive bronze gate behind him flared with light patterns and suddenly burst open.
Olympian soldiers surged in like a tide, fully prepared for battle. A trident wrapped in a ghostly arc of light whistled through the air, stabbing straight toward the Ancient Serpent's back.
Samael reacted on instinct, reaching back and gripping the trident, forcibly stopping it cold.
At that moment, the middle-aged demigod leading the charge—clad in water-patterned bronze armor—watched the weapon deform instantly in Samael's grasp. His pupils shrank sharply as he snatched up a spear and shouted to those behind him.
"Protect His Highness! Wipe out these despicable invaders!"
In an instant, dozens of warriors behind him, armed with tridents and clad in water-patterned armor, released surging blue mist around them. Taking advantage of the fact that most of the Argonaut heroes had yet to fully shake off the mental disruption, they transformed into streams of light and mist and rushed into the Great Altar.
With Samael forced to deal with threats on multiple fronts, and interference from Argonauts still affected by mental anomalies, Triton—the former hostage—was left without sufficient supervision.
In the blink of an eye, the merman prince was surrounded and shielded by the incoming warriors in water-patterned armor.
"Hmph. Arcadia let your War God Mountain enjoy itself for a while. But now… this is Atlantis!"
The middle-aged demigod glared venomously at the encircled Samael, letting out a chilling laugh.
Tch. So it's that old acquaintance from the Sea God Temple.
And that Hippomenes who lusted after Atalanta's beauty, only to be silenced by the War God… chances are he shared deep blood ties with this Poseidon Temple demigod standing here now.
When enemies meet again, it really is a narrow road.
Samael sighed helplessly and tapped his forehead. He snapped the trident in his hand and flung it forward. The sheer force behind the throw smashed into an Olympian soldier charging with sword and shield, shattering bones and tearing tendons, leaving him collapsed and paralyzed on the ground.
At the same time, he summoned the Shield of Medusa once more and activated its authority. One after another, purplish-red giant serpents manifested with ferocious visages, each carrying venom and petrification effects. They smashed through ranks of Olympian soldiers and, relying on their undying nature, sealed off the passage from the bronze gate area to the Great Altar.
Unseen, dark patterns of light spread from beneath the Ancient Serpent's feet, dispersing the negative mental states afflicting several people.
"Clang…"
Next, Orpheus, among the first to regain clarity, decisively plucked his seven-stringed lyre. A serene, tranquil melody rippled outward, washing away the lingering abnormalities affecting the remaining teammates.
Hiss!
Just as the Argonaut heroes steadily stabilized their formation and prepared to organize a breakout, a massive silver-white pillar of light descended from the ring-shaped opening in the dome above!
Crack!
The purplish-red light barrier formed by the Shield of Medusa flickered briefly before collapsing completely. A violent shockwave swept outward, knocking even the Argonaut heroes off their feet.
With the Shield of Medusa shattered, Olympian soldiers, Sea God Temple divine-blood warriors, and combat units such as serpent women and wide-area annihilation weapons surged forward without restraint.
Damn it! The Moon Goddess's orbital cannon!
Another True Machine God from his memories!
Samael had no choice but to withdraw the now-dim Shield of Medusa, shaking out his numb arms as he cursed under his breath.
The Argonaut heroes, having just steadied themselves, immediately formed ranks again. Yet faced with an enemy force outnumbering them a hundred to one, along with bizarre methods they had never encountered before, they were forced into a grueling fight.
For a time, the battle deadlocked, and several Argonauts were already wounded.
If not for powerhouses like Heracles, blessed by fate, holding the line as the main force, alongside top-tier Greek heroes such as Peleus, Telamon, the twin swordmasters, and Atalanta forming the core, plus the healing of the god of medicine, the magecraft support of Circe and Medea, and Orpheus's hymns, their formation would have collapsed long ago.
"The person's rescued. Get ready to withdraw!"
The Ancient Serpent's thoughts raced before he made a decisive call, informing the Argonaut heroes.
The situation was unclear. Who knew how many cards Atlantis still held? Here at the Great Altar, there was no defensible position for advance or retreat. Attacked from both sides, they couldn't afford to drag this out any longer.
Otherwise, things would only turn against them.
Still, before that, they had to deal with the trouble hanging over their heads. If not, even making a clean escape could end in disaster.
Clad in the Sagittarius Cloth, Samael spread the golden wings on his back and leapt upward toward the hollow ring of the dome above the Great Altar. His golden longbow drew taut as a luminous arrow gradually formed amid flickering runes and shot toward the starry sky.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
At the same time, four thick silver-white beams descended from the heavens, forcibly dissolving the light arrow before converging on the major threat that had earlier brought down the machine body of the Goddess of Love.
Heaven's Will·Dispel!
Samael stowed the bow and drew his spear, running his fingers along the blade. Golden-red divine blood carrying the words of Heaven's Will fused into the spearhead, forming flickering divine runes.
The pitch-black, twenty-foot cross spear then swept through the air. A dark arc of light unfurled like a banner, cleaving straight through the four converging beams with unstoppable force.
In an instant, the silver-white beams twisted and shook before erupting upward in a thunderous blast, blooming into a series of dazzling light waves.
After two exchanges, both sides… seemed… evenly matched?
However, at that moment, a brilliant fireball erupted in the starry sky. Amid muffled thunder, umbrella-shaped silver-white light patterns spread in all directions, scattering countless specks of silvery metallic fragments.
A mere creation dares to claim the name of a god? Laughable!
The Moon Goddess, fingers still on the bowstring, stepped out from the shadows with a mocking smile.
The one who went up first was only bait.
She was the real hunter.