Blood Fort

"Are you planning to take action yourself?"

Understanding Arkhan's intention, a hint of surprise flashed in Morgan's eyes as she asked him.

Arkhan nodded and answered her calmly.

"As I said, among the three goddesses who descended upon Uruk this time, not all of them are our enemies. However, the Goddess of Demonic Beasts is the one we must eliminate. If we let her continue to live, the pressure on the front line will be too great."

Among the goddesses who descended, only the Goddess of Demonic Beasts, Gorgon, acted with the intent of completely ending this world.

The numerous demonic beasts spawned by her authority, known as 'Potnia Theron', were currently the most terrifying threat faced by the people of Uruk.

To resist the invasion of the demonic beasts, Gilgamesh specially constructed a defensive line—a great stone barrier built from the remnants of old Babylon, known as the 'Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia'.

Every day, countless brave Uruk soldiers fought fiercely against the tide of demonic beasts, risking their lives to protect their homeland.

Unfortunately, the gap between humans and demonic beasts was simply too vast. Even with this defensive line, the people of Uruk found it very difficult to hold them off.

To relieve the pressure on the front line, Gilgamesh originally planned to summon some Servants skilled in warfare to assist.

However, Arkhan thought this was unnecessary.

Since the source of the demonic beasts was the Goddess of Demonic Beasts, wouldn't it be better to directly eliminate the source?

As long as the Goddess of Demonic Beasts was dealt with, these demonic beasts would no longer pose a threat.

The reason he hadn't taken action right away was that he was waiting for Merlin to drag Tiamat into a dream.

And now, the time was finally ripe.

"Be careful, after all, it's a goddess you're dealing with." Morgan warned seriously.

If it wasn't for the need to build a Temple-level Territory in Uruk, she would definitely be going with Arkhan.

"Don't worry, I never fight a battle unprepared." Arkhan replied with a calm smile.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed Merlin sneaking toward the door like a thief.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Merlin froze instantly, like a weasel caught stealing chickens, and put on a fawning smile.

"Well, Your Majesty, since I just made such a great contribution, don't you think I deserve a few days off?"

"Dream on."

In a flash, Arkhan appeared in front of Merlin, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Everyone is busy working their butts off right now, so there's no time for you to rest. If you have nothing else to do, stay here and help my sister build her Territory."

Feeling Morgan's unfriendly gaze, Merlin's expression turned even more pitiful than if he were crying.

"Your Majesty, you're trying to get me killed."

"If you don't like it, go help Gilgamesh then. He's got a ton of problems and is desperate for someone to help him out." Arkhan said with a wave.

Upon hearing that, Merlin thought it over.

Helping Gilgamesh was definitely safer than staying with Morgan. Plus, Gilgamesh was always so busy and wouldn't be watching him all the time, right?

It would be easy for him to slack off!

"At your command!" Merlin replied with a bright smile.

Seeing his bright smile, Arkhan knew this incubus was up to no good.

In a calm tone, Arkhan added a warning.

"If I find you slacking off when I get back, I'll strip you naked and parade you through the streets, letting everyone in the city admire the court mage's performance art."

Merlin shuddered slightly, his gaze instantly turning resentful.

Without another glance at him, Arkhan opened a hole in the air and disappeared from the ziggurat.

"Ugh, if I'd known, I wouldn't have answered his summon..."

As Merlin grumbled, a sudden chill suddenly ran down his spine.

Instinctively, he looked up to see Morgan glaring at him, her eyes having turned into cold, snake-like slits.

Merlin shivered, his body instantly dissolving into countless flower petals, leaving only his fading voice echoing through the vast ziggurat.

"I'm off to find King Gilgamesh!"

Morgan snorted, withdrew her gaze, and focused back on building her Territory.

===

On an unknown plain.

A colossal temple, as large as a city-state, sat upon this land, surrounded by vast, crimson swamps. These swamps were infused with astonishing bloody magical energy and produced terrifying toxins.

Any creature entering the swamp's range would lose all ability to move due to the toxins, then dissolve and melt under the influence of the powerful bloody magical energy. Even a dragon, the apex of the phantasmal species, wouldn't be an exception.

This place existed due to the influence of an ancient and powerful goddess.

Under the strong magical energy influence, the weather in this area had undergone a clear mutation. The sky was filled with large, blood-red clouds and these cloud layers moved like the innards of a giant creature, crimson and eerie, creating a stifling atmosphere.

In mid-air, a spatial hole suddenly opened, and Arkhan, clad in silver armor, calmly stepped out.

The moment he appeared, he sensed the abundant magical energy lingering between sky and earth.

However, unlike ordinary magical energy, this magical energy was filled with intense ferocity and malice, along with unrelenting madness and hatred.

Long-term exposure to such an environment would likely turn even the most steadfast individual into a beast driven solely by a lust for killing.

Arkhan casually drew a rune symbol to isolate himself from this environment's influence, then looked down at the blood-red ground beneath his feet.

"Tch, this is really disgusting."

Even with his tolerance, he couldn't help feeling a bit nauseous.

The sight before him was truly a challenge to his senses.

Shaking his head, Arkhan turned his gaze to the massive temple not far away.

It was a bizarre structure made of stones and masses of writhing flesh.

At first glance, it was hard to determine whether it was a temple or some grotesque creature from a nightmare since its overall appearance had no aesthetic value, only evoking a sense of horror and dread.

In Arkhan's eyes, this grotesqueness was comparable to the scene of Beast VI's birth.

"Why do I keep running into these weird things lately?" Arkhan rubbed his temples and shook his head helplessly.

The temple before him was the lair of the Goddess of Demonic Beasts and the birthplace of the demonic beasts who attacked Uruk called the 'Blood Temple', also known as the 'Blood Fort'.

However, the original Blood Fort didn't look like this, as the one before him had been influenced by Tiamat's authority, Potnia Theron.

Currently, the one stirring up the demonic beast frenzy on earth wasn't Tiamat but the vengeful goddess, Gorgon, who had fused with a portion of Tiamat's authority.