I Became The Tyrant Of A Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 485

After their mother, cursed by the Sea Dragon, died giving birth to the youngest Medusa, Stheno and Euryale decided to raise their younger sister, but the difficulties were endless.

Both Stheno and Euryale were still just young girls. Raising a child was a challenge, and making ends meet was even harder.

– Wah…! Wah…!

Whenever the young, blindfolded Medusa cried, the two older sisters would be at a loss beside her cradle.

Still, the girls desperately tried to raise their younger sister.

Feeding her, burping her, holding her, putting her to sleep, singing lullabies…

And then, when Medusa fell asleep again, the two girls would take the small boat and fishing gear left by their parents and head out to sea.

Both childcare and making a living were incredibly harsh. But Stheno and Euryale didn’t give up.

…Time passed.

As Stheno and Euryale grew into adults while raising their younger sister, young Medusa also grew up quickly.

Though her eyes were covered to prevent her from using her petrifying gaze, and she always had to be wrapped up tightly even in the hot southern region to hide her grotesque body.

The two older sisters cared for their youngest with all their hearts, and the three sisters lived happily, caring for each other.

On nights when the stars shone brightly in the sparsely populated area… the two older sisters would take their younger sister to the beach.

And they would untie the cloth covering Medusa’s eyes and show her the outside world.

– Look, Medusa.

Looking up at the Milky Way filling the sky together, the two older sisters held Medusa’s metal hand tightly.

– The world is so beautiful.

Medusa gasped.

The sky she looked up at was dazzling.

The surface of the sea, reflecting that sky, was also breathtakingly brilliant.

And on that surface, the faces of her two older sisters were reflected.

Although Medusa couldn’t directly make eye contact with her sisters, she looked at them through their reflections in the seawater.

As much as the sky, as much as the sea, her two older sisters were lovely. Her own flesh and blood, sacrificing everything to raise their younger sister…

However, Medusa herself.

Her face reflected in the water was grotesque.

A head of snakes. A torn mouth. A long tongue. Metal limbs and a body covered in fur…

A monster, so different from her beautiful sisters.

Because she was born as such a monster, her beautiful and kind sisters had to live in hardship.

That fact pained young Medusa’s heart.

– Don’t be sad, our baby.

The tears that flowed from Medusa’s eyes immediately turned into sand and fell.

Hugging Medusa tightly from both sides, Stheno and Euryale whispered.

– We are happy to be with you.

– So, we want you to be happy too.

The three girls cried together and laughed together.

…There were such nights.

It was so long ago that even the three monsters could barely remember it.

***

Thump…! Thump…! Thump…!

The heavy footsteps of the monster echoed through the corridor.

As if searching for something, the monster was pacing inside the temple.

“……”

Lily covered her mouth with one hand, and with the other, she tightly hugged the sleeping baby, crouching under the desk in the high priest’s office.

The voice of Torkel, who had been shouting to confront the monster just moments ago, was no longer heard. Perhaps he had been killed by the monster.

She had wanted to escape out of the temple while Torkel bought her time, but her legs were useless.

She couldn’t go far by pulling the wheels of her wheelchair.

So, she had hidden here in a hurry, but she didn’t know if this was the right decision.

‘If my legs were okay….’

Could she have run away far with the baby in her arms?

With trembling hands, Lily continued her thoughts while covering her mouth.

If her legs were okay, if she had worked in the field instead of an office job and was more skilled in using attack magic, or if…

If God Hand… if Carlyle were alive.

Lily gritted her teeth. What good were these meaningless hypotheticals?

“……”

Lily quietly looked down at the face of the sleeping child—Seed.

He was a boy. His hair was red like his mother’s, and his eyes, now closed, were light green like his father’s.

He was a child she had even resented for a moment because the process of giving birth was so painful.

But once this tiny life was in her arms, she only thought about protecting him at all costs.

Thump… Thump… Thump…

The monster’s footsteps faded away. It seemed to have gone to search another section of the temple. If she was lucky, she might be able to escape the temple as it was.

Just as Lily was swallowing a sigh of relief, Seed in her arms squirmed.

“Aww… ah…”

Lily was on edge, worried that Seed might cry. But thankfully, Seed only tossed and turned a few times, and then fell back asleep with some babbling.

‘Phew….’

As Lily was relieved, gently stroking the sleeping child’s back,

Crack-!

The sound of the high priest’s office door being torn off was heard.

The color drained from Lily’s face.

Thump…! Thump…! Thump…!

The monster, having entered the high priest’s office, was approaching her with heavy footsteps.

Lily slowly bent her trembling body and hugged the child as if burying him in her arms.

‘Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry….’

It was a message to the child, but also to herself.

Tears were about to burst out. She was sad, hurt, and in pain. But Lily bit her lip tightly to hold back the tears.

Compared to the hardships she had endured so far, this was nothing.

And compared to the hardships she would face while raising this child, this would be nothing.

So, don’t cry. Don’t cry….

Repeating this in her mind, Lily squeezed her eyes shut.

Thump…!

The monster, Stheno, who had entered the center of the high priest’s office, stopped.

《…Krrk.》

Stheno stopped in place and slowly surveyed her surroundings.

The actual time Stheno had been in the high priest’s office was only a few seconds. But to Lily, it felt like almost a few hours.

Thump… Thump… Thump…

The sound of Stheno walking away echoed. Lily slowly exhaled the breath she had been holding, trying not to make a sound.

It passed, it passed, now we’ll be safe….

“……Ugh.”

It was then.

“Wah…! Waaah…!”

Seed burst into tears.

It seemed he couldn’t breathe properly while buried in Lily’s arms. Startled, Lily tried to stop Seed from crying, but,

Whack-!

Crash!

It was already too late.

Stheno, who had turned 180 degrees and returned like a flash, grabbed the high priest’s office desk with one hand and threw it aside.

Lily, crouching on the floor, and Seed in her arms were now completely exposed.

“……”

With no more cover and the monster right behind her, Lily thought.

How long could she last if she activated her flame skin?

What if she waited until the monster got closer and then hit it with fire magic?

Could she do it? Could she win? Could she protect this child?

‘…It’s not a matter of whether it’s possible or not.’

Flames began to swirl through Lily’s mana core, her body tattered from the difficult labor of the past few days.

‘I will do it.’

She decided to challenge it.

She decided to face her life.

So… she couldn’t give up.

Whether it was a monster behind her, or the entire world, whatever it was-

“I… I decided to live with this child…!”

At the same time, the monster reached out its hand, and the moment Lily was about to draw up her mana,

Clang-!

This time, the window of the high priest’s office, in the direction Lily was facing, shattered, and someone was shot inside like a cannonball.

“Hey, monster!”

Along with the scattering shards of glass, Zenith burst in. With the momentum of his entry, Zenith stretched out his leg and shouted.

“God does not will it (Deus Non Vult)!” [A declaration of defiance against a perceived unjust divine will.]

Divine power gathered at Zenith’s foot, turning into a metal boot-

Crack-!

And he kicked Stheno’s jaw.

Stheno, who had been completely focused on Lily and Seed, was caught off guard and fell backward.

“I barely saved both the mom and the kid, and now a monster is causing trouble….”

Zenith, standing between Stheno and Lily, grumbled and readied himself for battle.

“This is a crazy place, Crossroads!”

Zenith glanced at Lily, who was mumbling in disbelief.

“Sorry I’m late, Lily. I heard the baby crying and came right away.”

“No, but… can you fight that monster?”

“Even though I look like this, I was a famous inquisitor in the Order back in the day. Well, it’s been a while since I used my body…”

Inside Zenith’s tattered priest’s robe, which was torn from being buried under the collapsed stone wall, the stigmata [marks resembling the wounds of Christ] on his back emitted a white light.

“What can I do? When things are like this, even the reserves have to come out.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Stheno twisted her body grotesquely and sprang up.

《…Ah.》

Stheno opened her mouth and stammered.

《Ah, go.》

Thud!

Stheno still seemed to not even see Zenith and tried to rush at Lily and Seed. But Zenith was not an easy opponent.

“Hey! I came to deliver good news! At least listen to it!”

Zenith dove into Stheno’s arms, and then, as if holding a spear, he put his hands together and made a motion as if stabbing Stheno’s stomach.

“God wills it (Deus Lo Vult)-!” [A declaration of divine will, often used in religious contexts.]

This time, the stigmata on Zenith’s chest emitted light, and a long spear of divine power was in Zenith’s hand.

Thwack!

The spear of divine power pierced Stheno’s stomach.

Stheno staggered greatly, roared fiercely, and swung her arm at Zenith. Zenith hurriedly deployed his divine power armor again, but,

“Cough!”

Crash! Bang-!

He couldn’t stop himself from being knocked away by Stheno’s attack.

《Krrk…!》

Having dealt with the obstacle, Stheno turned her head forward.

But Lily and Seed were no longer there.

“Whoaaa!”

Lily and Seed were suddenly grabbed by a jet-black mana and were pulled out through the broken window.

“That’s right! That’s right! I got them-!”

Outside the window was the temple’s courtyard, and there stood the black magician from the Blacklist.

The black mana, moving as the black magician gestured, had snatched Lily and pulled her outside.

“Get going!”

The black magician shouted. He placed Lily on the hand of a golem that was standing right next to him. On the golem’s other hand sat the golemancer.

The black magician yelled.

“Run, you idiot! As far as you can!”

“I was going to do that anyway?!”

The golemancer, who had snapped back, gave Lily an awkward smile.

“I’ve had many guests on my golem, but a newborn baby and its mother are a first… Hold on tight! It won’t be as comfortable as a cradle!”

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The golem began to run away quickly.

Crack-!

《Kyaaaaaaa!》

Stheno, who had broken through the wall, roared in that direction, then gathered strength in her legs to chase after them.

It was then.

Flash-!

A flash of light struck down.

It was the blind swordsman who had been hiding and waiting on the second floor of the temple. The long sword that had been drawn from its sheath made a smooth cut, and the attack accurately tore through Stheno’s eyes.

《Kyaaah, aaaaaaack?!》

Stheno, covering her bleeding eyes with her hands, writhed in pain.

“Oh, dear. I aimed for the neck again, but I ended up cutting her eyes.”

The blind swordsman, who had fallen awkwardly on the floor because he had jumped down while making the cut, grinned.

“Well, it’s better than missing.”

At that moment, Torkel ran out from the corridor.

“Huff…! Huff, is everyone safe?! I’m sorry, I was knocked out for a moment….”

The chin part of his helmet was tattered as if he had been hit hard, but Torkel’s eyes were still sharp.

And then.

Tap…!

Through the temple entrance, Lucas, who had run in like a flash, joined them, drawing his sword.

Lucas bowed his head, looking at the people standing in front of the monster.