[FGO]: 171

What surprised Ryou was that even though all her trump cards had been neutralized, Matou Sakura didn't seem worried at all. It was as if she had a hidden ace that could easily turn the tables.

Ryou's heart sank.

His premonition quickly came true.

"What a dramatic performance, but unfortunately, from the moment you failed to stop me, you were already defeated."

Matou Sakura smiled confidently as she tightened the chain in her hand. The beautiful woman beside her struggled for breath, her tongue lolling out as she was forced, half-willingly, to stand.

With a playful smile, Sakura pulled her closer, one hand tugging the chain while the other gently stroked her chin.

The woman seemed completely broken by Sakura, unnaturally sensitive. Wherever Sakura's hand touched, a faint blush appeared. She clasped her legs together, her body trembling slightly.

"You're my favorite toy so far. It's such a pity..."

In the next second, Sakura's face turned cold, and with a flick of her wrist, a strange-looking dagger appeared in her hand.

The dagger was twisted and covered in unspeakable inscriptions, words so profane that even a glance at them made one's soul tremble.

Sakura slowly raised the dagger high, muttering incomprehensible blasphemies as she pointed the tip toward the silver-haired girl's heart.

A blood sacrifice!?

Ryou's sense of foreboding peaked.

"Stop her!"

He shouted to Medea as he charged toward Sakura.

At this critical moment, Medea displayed unprecedented calm, quickly casting a series of defensive spells on the silver-haired girl.

Yet, unaware of her impending doom, the silver-haired girl blushed under her blindfold, her lips slightly parted, a thin string of drool slipping down onto her delicate collarbone. She looked utterly seductive, a temptation to commit sin.

But Ryou's eyes remained fixed on the dagger in Sakura's hand.

Crash!

Without any visible movement from Sakura, a towering black ice wall suddenly rose from the ground, blocking his path like a dam.

Ryou clenched his fist and punched the wall, but to his surprise, the hardness of the black ice far exceeded his expectations.

His punch left large cracks in the ice, but it showed no signs of shattering.

Quickly retracting his fist, he struck again.

This time, the ice wall shattered with a loud crash, sending shards flying like bullets.

Ryou leaped over the debris, now only a short distance from Matou Sakura.

But those brief seconds of delay had been enough. Sakura's ritual was already in its final stage.

The sharp dagger descended, piercing directly into the silver-haired girl's heart.

At that moment, Ryou was only an arm's length away from Sakura.

Yet, that short distance felt like an insurmountable chasm.

As the dagger neared the girl's body, the defensive spells Medea had cast flared up, radiating a multicolored light.

However, the dagger in Sakura's hand seemed to be made of something otherworldly. There was a chilling sound, like glass shattering.

The defensive spells surrounding the silver-haired girl crumbled like paper, offering almost no resistance.

The dagger plunged deep into the girl's chest.

With a heart-wrenching scream, blood gushed from her heart like a fountain under immense pressure.

A strange sight unfolded: instead of falling to the ground, the blood formed a crimson mist in midair.

Ryou's expression turned cold. Without hesitation, he punched Sakura's head.

Yet, just before his fist could connect with her face, a thin, black, semi-transparent membrane enveloped Sakura, blocking the attack.

Ryou's expression remained calm as he repeatedly withdrew and struck again, but the membrane was incredibly sturdy. Even his punches, capable of piercing steel, couldn't leave a mark on it.

Sakura's expression of amusement as if to laugh at his futile efforts.

Seeing that his fists were ineffective, Ryou quickly switched tactics. He unleashed scorching solar rays and primal rune-based elemental attacks, but none could penetrate the seemingly delicate barrier.

Meanwhile, the silver-haired girl's body had been completely drained of blood. Her skin turned deathly pale, clinging tightly to her bones.

Above, the blood mist began to shift and change, forming a mysterious and complex magic circle inscribed with blasphemous symbols that drove one to madness. It resembled a six-pointed star.

The crimson magic circle descended to the ground, expanding rapidly until it covered almost the entire plaza.

In response, a black magic circle, like a shadow, emerged from beneath the ground — the hidden trap Sakura had set earlier.

The red and black magic circles fused, forming a new, even more sinister array.

Realizing that he couldn't break through Sakura's defenses and seeing the eerie developments unfolding, Ryou quickly abandoned his attack and retreated.

Noticing his actions, Sakura smirked. Her eyes conveyed: "It's useless. No matter where you run, you're dead!"

Suddenly, a column of black light, darker than the night sky, shot up from the magic circle, shattering the air like glass. Beyond the cracks lay an abyssal darkness, so deep and pure that it seemed to swallow all light.

From the shattered space, countless blood-red lights began to glow. Upon closer inspection, they were grotesque, terrifying eyes.

Just a glance made Ryou feel as if his brain had been thrown into a washing machine, violently shaken and stirred.

Quickly, he averted his gaze, only to realize his back was drenched in cold sweat.

What the hell was that!?

"Master, don't look at it! Your soul will be corrupted!"

Medea called out to him, her face filled with tension.

"What... what is that!?"

Ryou asked with difficulty.

Medea shook her head, her expression grim.

"I don't know. Judging by its aura, it seems similar to the Old Ones from the Cthulhu Mythos, but there's something different about it."

Even Medea, a master of ancient magecraft, didn't know the origin of the creature in the sky, leaving him at a loss for what to do.

Just then, the system sent a message.

Grinding his teeth, Ryou took the risk and opened the information panel on the battlefield.

[Ding!]

[Temporary Mission: Repel the Demon God "Infinite Eyes"]

[Success Reward: Unknown.]

[Failure Penalty: None!]

Just as Ryou thought the information had ended, several large crimson characters suddenly flashed across the panel.

Looking at the ominous glow, he gritted his teeth and clicked it open.

[Warning: The opponent has sealed the spatial area. If the host wishes to use spatial teleportation to retreat, you will need to wait ten minutes!]

Upon seeing this notification, Ryou felt a surge of frustration, almost wanting to flip a table in anger.

Ten minutes!?

With the power of this demon god, ten minutes would be more than enough time to crush everyone a hundred times over!

Do I have to use the [Root Gems] again?

But just sensing the demon god's overwhelming power, Ryou wasn't even sure if the [Root Gems] would work. What's more, to cover such a large area, he'd need to unleash all the energy stored within them.

Ryou seriously doubted whether he'd explode from the sheer power of the golden stone before he could even make a move.

Glancing at Medea, who stood beside him with worry written all over her face, Ryou steeled his resolve. He'd gamble one more time. Whether he won or lost, it was all up to fate.

Once again, he retrieved two [Root Gems] from his storage space, gripping the golden one in his left hand and the silver one in his right.

Seeing Ryou's actions, Matou Sakura immediately threw the silver-haired girl's corpse to the ground and launched an attack.

Sakura wouldn't be satisfied until she saw this man lying dead before her.

So, no matter what Ryou was planning, stopping him was the right move.

Countless black ice shards condensed into cone-shaped spikes before Matou Sakura.

"Nguen Ryou! I will end your life here!"

With a wave of her hand, the sky filled with ice shards, all raining down on him.

Without needing a reminder, Medea immediately raised her staff, chanting spells continuously.

One by one, glowing white magic circles formed in front of them, their radiant lines tracing beautiful and mysterious patterns.

Using the High-Speed Divine Words technique—a god-tier magus ability—Medea's spells were cast almost instantaneously.

Before the ice shards could even approach, she had layered over ten defensive spells.

Though Matou Sakura's power was formidable and her magical attacks strong, they couldn't break through Medea's endless waves of defensive spells.

The razor-sharp black ice shards pierced through several layers of magic but ultimately shattered into dust.

Protected by Medea, Ryou began to pour his magic power furiously into the golden gem in his hand.

The gem's energy surged through his left arm like molten lava rushing through his bones, muscles, and cells.

Even though Ryouhad received the World's Source enhancement, his body was still mortal. How could it handle such top-tier energy infusion?

His left arm instantly burst open with countless small wounds, blood flowing freely as if it cost nothing.

Despite the horrifying state of his arm, Ryou ignored the pain. He compressed the [revenge power] accumulated from his injuries, forcing it into the golden gem.

As the golden gem absorbed this energy—higher in level than magic—it reacted, bursting with an intense light that was almost blinding.

Ryou's left hand now resembled a miniature sun.

At that moment, the demon god on the other side of the portal seemed to sense the threat. It roared in fury, desperately trying to squeeze through the portal.

Countless tentacles, covered in scales and black as ancient swamp sludge, stretched out from the portal, grabbing the edges and pulling outward.

By now, Ryou's body had grown somewhat transparent, as though he could disappear at any moment.

In contrast, the silver [Root Gem] in his right hand, infused with golden energy, began radiating an unprecedented silver glow. Under the night sky, it shone like a silver moon, reflecting off the miniature sun in his left hand.

Silver rings of light emerged from the Time Root Gem, expanding instantly to envelop the entire Ryuudou Temple, even reaching the shattered portal in the sky.

Seeing this strange phenomenon, Matou Sakura's attacks became even more frantic. Ice shards and blizzards howled as they bombarded him and Medea.

At the same time, countless dark shadows materialized beneath Matou Sakura's feet, transforming into eerie shadow creatures that charged toward them.

The demon god in the portal also grew anxious, its roars tinged with nervousness and urgency.

Medea, on the other hand, looked at Ryou with a face full of worry.

At this moment, Ryou's body flickered like a shadow, as if he could disappear at any second.

"Master!"

Hearing Medea's shout, Ryou quickly responded through their telepathic link to reassure her.

I'm fine. Just wait a moment—it'll be over soon.

Medea wanted to say more, but Matou Sakura's relentless attacks forced her to refocus.

Still, her tightly pressed lips and the way her small hands gripped her staff betrayed her deep concern.

As the rings of light formed, a faint clock appeared in Ryou's right palm.

At this critical moment, the demon god in the portal seemed to realize the gravity of the situation.

A pitch-black sphere of light shot out from the portal, embedding itself in Matou Sakura's body.

In an instant, Matou Sakura's power surged. Her silver hair turned completely black—not the pure black of night, but a corrupt black that seemed to stain one's soul.

Her eyes lost their whites, leaving only blood-red hues in her sockets.

She quickly raised her hand, and from the tip of her index finger, a drop of black liquid emerged, falling to the ground.

As the liquid touched the shadow on the ground, it fused with it, causing the shadow to writhe as if it had gained a life of its own.

In the next second, a sharp spike, formed entirely of shadow, shot out from the writhing mass, piercing toward Ryou in the blink of an eye.

Medea's defensive spells were useless—easily penetrated by the shadow spike.

The spike continued forward without losing momentum, piercing straight through his heart.

Ryou coughed up blood, but with his vitality and numerous buffs, this wound was no more than a serious injury.

However, he quickly realized something was wrong. The shadow spike had brought with it a strange energy, and suddenly, it was as if someone was whispering in his ear.

It was a language he had never heard before—ancient and mysterious. Just hearing it made his brain feel like it was being shaken, his thoughts torn apart.

The spike is a mental attack!?

Outside, Ryou's eyes grew unfocused, his movements involuntarily halting.

Medea screamed his name frantically, while Matou Sakura looked on with a victorious smile.

Ryou's thoughts became more chaotic.

He knew that if he lost his ability to think and his soul became corrupted, it was over. The enemy wouldn't spare either him or Medea Lily.

Certain death either way—time to go all in!

At this critical moment, Ryou's stubborn tenacity kicked in.