At the same time, within the Interstellar Mountainous City, the Machine God Corridor.
Boom!
Several Olympian Guards were blasted like cannonballs, smashing through the bronze gates and slamming into stone pillars. Bloated, twisted limbs flew apart as purple-red filth and grayish chunks of flesh seeped from the gaps in their armor, a heavy stench of blood spreading through the air.
"Move!"
In the corridor, Jason, surrounded by more than a dozen Argonauts, wiped the blood seeping from his forehead and shouted the command.
Screech, screech, screech!
Just as their momentum faltered, dozens of crimson-gold Mana beams swept forward like whirling dragons, leaving devastation in their wake.
The five Argonauts bringing up the rear raised their shields, barely holding against the explosive force. Their faces went pale as they staggered backward.
But in the instant a gap opened in the defense, Medea and Circe stepped forward in perfect sync. Swinging their Underworld Moon staffs, layers of purple-red Magecraft arrays formed and converged, sending dense Mana beams into weak points along corners, walls, and support beams.
Boom!
Amid dull explosions, stone fragments flew and walls collapsed. Shadowy figures lurking at the bends were either crushed beneath the rubble or cut off from advancing.
The Argonauts did not hesitate and immediately surged forward again.
After all, for Olympian Guards clad head to toe in armor and bearing divine blood, such obstacles would never hold them for long.
As they sprinted on, heavy, battering impacts echoed continuously from behind, like siege rams pounding away.
"Up ahead is the lift hub of Kronos's Crown. It goes straight to the Great Altar!"
Jason spotted the crown-shaped ring of light still operating normally within the hollow chamber at the far end of the corridor. His spirits lifted, and he urged everyone to push even faster.
Clang!
But the moment they stepped into the hollow hall, a melody like a seven-stringed lyre flowed through the air. It conjured images of lazy afternoon sunlight, soft beds, and a lover's embrace. Even the air itself seemed to turn into aged wine, rich and sweet.
The Argonauts slowed their steps without realizing it, breathing deeply with excitement and hunger. Drawn along by the fragrance that seeped straight into their bones, they swayed unsteadily toward the open center of the hall.
Like hunting hounds chasing prey, they stared blankly at a pink glow suspended in midair. Before they knew it, they were standing right at the edge of the central hollow ring.
One step further, and they would plunge into a Mana vortex capable of melting steel.
Boom! Boom!
At the critical moment, dense beams of light shot in from the entrance and slammed into the pink glow overhead. Turbulent Ether rippled violently, and the enchanting voice cracked with a trace of discord.
"Wake up! Everyone, wake up! You're being charmed!"
Thanks to their gender and Hecate's blessing, Medea and Circe barely resisted the dominion of the Machine God Aphrodite and shouted in alarm.
Orpheus, Sisyphus, and five other Argonauts whose minds had not sunk too deeply jolted awake. When their eyes fell on the deadly abyss ahead, cold sweat broke out across their bodies. Instinctively, they reached out to pull their companions away from the danger.
But in the next instant, a pink radiance poured down. Notes pulsed and flowed, the beautiful voice soft and clinging. The Argonauts who had been struggling a moment before suddenly snapped their heads around. Their pupils burned blood-red as they raised their weapons and swung them wildly at the companions they had trusted with their lives.
"Heh. Insignificant insects. No one escapes the beautiful illusion of love. Let your souls rest here."
At the same time, a lazy yet haughty voice echoed through the hall. The pink glow above spread apart as the true form of the Machine God Aphrodite unfurled her wings, gazing down with elegance upon the ants who had trespassed into the gods' forbidden domain.
Clang!
At that very moment, amid the soul-stealing decadence, several fierce notes burst forth like shattering gold and cracking jade, stunning the air and instantly washing away the intoxication.
There stood Orpheus, the prodigy of Greece, his fingers striking the lyre strings like a storm. Wave after wave of rising prelude surged forth, finally giving way to a soaring chant.
"Elegant notes bring us joy and wisdom, and keep us safe as we sail on.
Storms cannot stand against us; the ocean is ours to ride!
The trials of the gods make the brave taste life's hardships, and yet we savor them like honey!"
The controlled Argonauts' faces twisted with struggle, the spell beginning to loosen. Those already free, Sisyphus among them, felt their spirits surge. Blood boiled hot in their veins, and a clogged, painful pressure swelled in their chests, like something that had to be shouted out or it would tear them apart.
"...Our courage shines across the world like sun and moon;
Our glory will be remembered by all!"
At once, the gathered heroes began pounding their shields in unison. Keeping time, they sang their long-voyage song, drew their weapons with solemn resolve, and forced their legs to move against their bodies' instincts. Faces contorted, bones straining, they charged with desperate determination toward Aphrodite in the air.
"Impossible! Impossible! My authority, my aesthetics, defeated by mere mortal noise?!"
The pink Machine God sounded genuinely incredulous. With an enraged screech, she beat her wings. Metallic flakes set into the membranes glittered as Ether surged, divine patterns flashing, and a raging wave of divine might blasted toward the Argonauts.
For a moment, the Argonauts whose wills had not fully broken free sank back into the mire. Like puppets on strings, they raised their weapons and began hacking at the comrades they'd entrusted their lives to.
Buzz!
Cough… cough…
As the pink light-patterns throbbed and churned, Orpheus, playing and leading the chant, heaved for breath. His chest rose and fell violently as he coughed hard. Skin split open across his body, bursting into thick blood mist, and dark red spilled endlessly from the corners of his mouth.
That voice that had once sounded like pearls on jade was now ragged and raw. His fingers were drenched, the skin torn away to expose stark white bone.
Every word Orpheus forced out felt as if it dragged his organs with it. Every note he plucked sent another burst of blood mist from his body. Dark-gold divine blood soaked into the lyre, already saturated through, as he continued to play out a magnificent, blood-stained lament.
Boom!
As if things couldn't get worse, the Machine God Corridor shook with thunderous impact. Loose stone blasted through the air. In the rolling dust, thousands of Olympian Guards broke through the obstruction and poured in, and the few defenders left behind all went pale.
The two witches guarding the entrance hurriedly summoned a row of Dragonfang soldiers and magic puppets to buy time, briefly holding the Olympian Guards back.
At the same time, Medea watched the hall, now locked in chaotic close combat, and the Machine God above, flaunting her tyranny. She exchanged a look with Circe and quietly drifted backward, inching through the shadows.
But the lyre's resonance and the surging, impassioned song did not falter. With a shrill distortion that was nearly out of tune, it fought desperately against the Machine God Aphrodite's control.
Clang!
A final note, so piercing it felt like it split eardrums, burst out as the strings snapped. Golden light-patterns, bright as the sun, rippled outward from Orpheus, cracking the floor along their path.
Boom!
Aphrodite jerked as if struck by lightning. Spiderweb cracks spread across her pink wings, and the ornate crystal plates embedded in them shattered one after another. Her massive body tilted and crashed down into the open space of the hall.
"You dared damage my perfect body! Kill them! Kill them all!"
The Machine God hit the floor in a mess, and the heavy damage drove her into madness. Spreading her broken wings, she tried to rise again.
Crack!
A sudden metallic tremor rang from her chest.
Aphrodite stared at the lightning-shaped purplish-red dagger that had stabbed into her divine core. Shock, rage, and disbelief collided on her face as sparks erupted across her body, and a violent surge of Ether blasted outward in every direction.
Bang!
The purple-haired girl hidden in the shadows spat blood as she was flung away.