Outside Miyama Town, within the belly of Mount Enzou, at the very center of Ryuudou Temple's courtyard—which had been transformed by an immense eruption of magical energy into land resembling that of the Age of Gods—a beautiful mature woman with long dark-purple hair cascading past her knees sat collapsed on the ground, stiffly turning her neck.
At this moment, the purple snake-patterned eyepatch that had previously covered half of Rider's face had fallen away, revealing her sharp nose and those strange rectangular pupils that shimmered with violet light.
Without a doubt, Rider was a great beauty. The bewitching aura and graceful figure she radiated exuded a cold, mature elegance.
Yet at this moment, her slightly parted red lips and pearly teeth, along with the somewhat blank expression on her face, shattered that frosty allure. Instead, it lent her a natural air of dazed innocence that made her even more endearing.
"Who are you?"
As Rider's voice rang out, the magic circle at the center of the courtyard flickered with eerie light. An ancient aura from the distant Age of Gods began to surge forth.
The next instant, before Rider could speak again, a will that seemed capable of freezing even spiritual particles descended.
"Ugh..."
Before such overwhelming power, her petrifying Mystic Eyes—feared by the world—offered not the slightest resistance. A faint wave of dizziness washed over her, and when she opened her eyes again, she found herself standing upon an ancient land.
"This is..." Rider's voice trembled.
The scenery was painfully familiar. As far as the eye could see stretched an endless ocean. Once, she and her two elder sisters had often stood here, gazing toward the outside world.
Behind her lay ruined, decaying Greek-style columns.
The once-grand and majestic palace had long since collapsed. Among the stone pillar ruins stood numerous humanoid statues wearing Corinthian helmets adorned with horsehair crests and clad in ancient Greek bell-shaped cuirasses.
Some were intact, others broken and incomplete. Some bore furious expressions, some the resolve of those prepared to die, others fear upon their faces...their features vivid and lifelike, each different from the next. And without exception, all of them held weapons in their hands.
The only difference from Rider's memory was the sky overhead, where a purple sun now hung.
"That's right. Beyond the encircling river Okeanos, where it meets the land of night—according to legend, the dwelling place of the three Gorgon sisters—the Shapeless Isle."
The ethereal female voice that made Rider tremble sounded once more.
An immeasurable pressure descended, forcing Rider flat onto the ground.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Before Rider could comprehend what was happening, the previously calm sky suddenly darkened, spreading with a violet-red halo.
A chilling metallic scraping echoed through the air. The world shifted, the stars wheeled, and the Shapeless Isle manifested out of nothingness amidst converging arcs of Honkai particles. In the blink of an eye, it surrounded Rider completely, filling her entire field of vision.
"A pleasure to meet you. Daughter of Phorcys—the son of the Earth Goddess Gaia and the Sea God Pontus—and Ceto. Youngest of the three Gorgon sisters of the Shapeless Isle... Medusa."
Reflected in Rider's eyes was a pair of crimson pupils—just like her own petrifying Mystic Eyes—bearing an extremely peculiar shape.
"You... just which god are you..."
Gazing at the beautiful serpent woman pressed to the ground, Selene—manifesting through a half-body projection—did not answer.
"Medusa, let us make a deal."
"I can spare your Master from death... and, in a rare display of mercy, I can even save her—allowing her to live out her days as an ordinary human, peacefully until the end."
"You understand what I mean, don't you? Your true Master—not that ridiculous clown."
"..." After a moment of silence, Rider lowered her head and asked in a flat tone, "Why choose me?"
"Perhaps it is fate. Fate that brought me to descend upon this Holy Grail War in which you participate. Among the seven Servants, I did not have many options to choose from."
"Again... fate, choice, the fate granted by gods."
Perhaps driven by Selene's indifferent attitude—or perhaps reminded of something else—Rider Medusa's emotions suddenly surged. She cried out hysterically, "Again with this! I would rather not have it at all!"
"Troublesome... thinking of Athena, are you?"
Rider Medusa's outburst did not surprise Selene. Medusa was somewhat similar to Medea—how blissful and happy the first half of her life had been, and how tragic and miserable the latter half became.
Cursed by a god, transformed from a goddess into a monster in body. To protect her sisters, she became in practice a monster in deed as well—slaying the heroes who came seeking fame and glory by defeating her. Then, losing control, devouring her two sisters, living on in numb agony, until at last her head was severed.
Honestly, if Selene herself had to endure such a fate, rivers of blood would have been the mildest outcome.
And Rider Medusa merely lost control for a moment upon hearing and recalling the enemy she despised, venting her emotions briefly—that was already considered light.
Selene asked calmly, "Do you want revenge? Against this unfair world?"
As she spoke, Selene casually injected a fragment of information into Rider Medusa's consciousness—and added a forced calming effect for good measure.
"To live once more with your sisters, Stheno and Euryale."
As she continued, Selene's expression grew slightly strange as she glanced at the curves revealed beneath Rider Medusa's tight purple-black bodysuit.
"Even... permanently restoring the body you despise into the same form as your sisters."
The more she spoke, the more Selene felt something about this was oddly absurd.
Rider Medusa was actually troubled by being tall. She felt inferior about her height, stubbornly believing she was not cute, wishing to become cuter.
Ah... then what does that make me? Selene could not help but wonder.
At least regarding this particular concern of Rider Medusa's, Selene had never experienced such trouble.
Even if certain colonies conquered during her wars held such traditions, she could forcibly bend them until they perfectly conformed to her own standards.
Who would dare object to her? Step forward!
"Do I have a choice?"
Before long, after fully understanding the contents of Selene's proposed transaction, Rider Medusa fell silent for a while. A bitter, wordless smile tugged at her lips. In the end, she chose to kneel on one knee before Selene.
"Divine Majesty... I hope it will be as you say..."
After all, it was only this Servant spirit body that would be offered. As long as her sisters could return, she was willing to pay any price. As for the potential destruction of her parents and even the entire Greek pantheon—
It had nothing to do with her.
The corruption and chaos of the Greek pantheon were infamous. With only a very few exceptions, notions of familial ethics were nearly nonexistent. Their concept of kinship was terrifyingly weak.
"Then the contract is established."
...
Outside Rider Medusa's mental space, once she had entered a deep slumber and the magical energy of the entire subterranean leyline beneath Ryuudou Temple began faintly converging toward her—
Rita turned her head. "Caster."
Nodding, Caster Medea—who had been assisting Lev in expanding the magic circle and linking the underground leylines—stepped out from the corner. Beneath her black robe, her chest rose and fell slightly, and a trace of complexity flickered through her blue eyes.
"Golden Fleece—Argon Coin!"
Magic particles like drifting butterflies gathered in Caster Medea's right hand. A gentle golden light shone forth, as if dispelling the oppressive atmosphere brought by the immense concentration of magical power, bathing everything in a warm spring breeze.
"The Golden Fleece..." Rita murmured, her wine-red eyes reflecting that tender glow.
Resting in Caster Medea's palm was a cluster of dazzling golden wool—the very Golden Fleece pursued relentlessly by countless Greek heroes.
"Begin." Nodding, Rita revealed the three Command Spells transplanted from Souichirou Kuzuki onto the back of her hand.
"By Command Spell, I order—Caster Medea, unseal the Golden Fleece!"
"By Command Spell, Caster Medea, release the Golden Fleece to its maximum extent!"
"By Command Spell, Caster Medea, release the Golden Fleece to its maximum extent!"
Rita expended all three Command Spells in one breath. The precise wording of the commands maximized the amplification effect.
Under the immense enhancement, even Caster Medea's figure wavered. Violent magical power surged from her body like a tangible tidal wave of energy.
Hummm—!
In that instant, the nearly swelling sensation of magic flooding her body caused a rebellious thought to flash through Caster Medea's mind.
This power was overwhelming. The god had not yet fully descended—should she simply destroy the summoning magic circle here and kill that human magus instead...
Should I gamble?
No—!
The moment the mad idea surfaced, Caster Medea rejected it herself.
Lord Souichirou was still in their hands. If she made the slightest suspicious move, she did not know what inhuman torment he might suffer. A fate worse than death—perhaps even death itself would become a luxury.
In truth, not only Rita—who had merely heard rumors—even Medea herself did not fully understand the effects of the Golden Fleece.
Rita only knew that it had once been coveted by many Greek kings, heroes, and even gods—the most famous legend being Jason leading the Argonauts in pursuit of it.
As the rightful possessor of the Golden Fleece, Medea knew that there was a legend stating that if it were cast upon the earth, a dragon would appear. But she possessed no ability to summon Phantasmal Beasts—she had never succeeded.
During her lifetime, Medea's use of the Golden Fleece had been limited to restoring herself by simply admiring its wool. It was so fluffy. The spiritual healing it provided surpassed any physical recovery.
As for its other supposed functions—symbolizing wealth, symbolizing adventure and indomitable will, fulfilling all wishes, granting everything, representing ideals and the pursuit of happiness—
No matter what others claimed, Medea had never felt any of those beautiful meanings or powers.
One could even say that this secret treasure had been the culprit that disrupted her destiny in life.
So—gamble? To wager everything on such uncertain, illusory possibilities?
If Medea had been alone in this world, she would have gambled without hesitation.
But... Durandal had already promised to spare Lord Souichirou. Causing additional trouble she could not control would likely only harm him.
She did not dare to gamble. Even the slightest uncertainty was enough to stop her.
According to Rita, the Golden Fleece merely served as a fixed summoning medium. It possessed no particularly overwhelming offensive capability nor conceptual armament.
"..." Rita watched Caster Medea coldly in silence, the ice scythe in her hand lifting slightly. "Please, Miss Medea."
"...Very well." Caster Medea approached the unconscious Rider and raised the radiant golden treasure.
"I declare—if you heed my call, if you share this will and this reason, then answer me here—"
In an instant, the vast magical energy gathered within the magic circle beneath Rider surged upward like a pillar connecting heaven and earth, rising into the sky while plunging deep into the ground.
Through the Greater Grail system's network, the leylines of the earth were linked. The entire mass of Mount Enzou trembled violently.
Even the highest-grade barrier jointly constructed by Lev, Caster Medea, and Honkai Cubes (magical-energy variant) began to waver under the astonishing celestial phenomenon triggered by the EX-ranked treasure Golden Fleece (Argon Coin).
"Ohhh! What a spectacular sight!"
Holding his green top hat against his chest, Lev suddenly appeared beside Rita from within the vast underground cavern where he had been organizing the leylines. He watched in amazement as two streaks of purple-haired light seemed to merge into Rider's body within the pillar.
At that very moment—
Hummm—!
Having already relinquished her consciousness and spirit body, Rider's form began to expand rapidly. It mutated—divinized. Immortality returned. At the same time, a violent energy utterly foreign to Medusa erupted outward.
Crack—tear—! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The porcelain-smooth skin of her shoulder blades split apart. Three pairs of massive, blade-like wings burst open.
Rumble—!!
Her parted legs gradually fused together, transforming into a heavy serpent tail. As it rolled across the ground, thunderous reverberations followed in its wake.
"Medusa... the three Gorgon sisters... I see."
"Using the legend that the Golden Fleece in Greek mythology was worth everything as a medium, summoning through Medusa—the youngest sister—combining the power of the three sisters into the vengeful beast-goddess Gorgon..."
Watching the colossal goddess gradually rise like a mountain from within the sea of magical energy, Caster Medea let out a bitter laugh.
"What kind of existence requires a divine body as a vessel merely for partial descent?"
"Did I make a mistake?"
At this moment, Rider's figure had completely vanished.
In her place stood a gigantic goddess with six wings upon her back and a serpent's tail beneath a human torso.
On the titan-like face, eyes slowly opened—not serpent pupils, but crimson diamond-shaped cross-ring pupils.
"Descending is truly not easy... this new body... a serpent tail, hm, it feels rather novel..."