As the rapier-like lights neared her, Medusa refocused her mind and dodges the attacks that are coming from all directions.
Medusa successfully dodges the lights, but not all. Multiple cuts and holes appeared on her body and the only silver lining is that none of were fatal.
Medusa is already beyond her limits and is struggling to even breath so when Dennis raised his rapier one more time and the number of white magic circles doubled from earlier covering more of the sky.
Seeing this, Medusa resigned to her fate, 'I guess I have to endure some years of being tortured again...'
While watching the magic circles with her other senses aside from sight, however, she heard indistinct voices, '..e..sa...M....sa'
'What?' Medusa tried to find where the voice was coming from. She also trembled slightly as the voice is slightly familiar. She noticed that the time has slowed down and could 'see' everything around her clearly but she ignored this change as she keeps looking for the indistinct voice. She then thought of something and focused her mind in her inner world and just as she expected, the voice, or rather, the voices grew louder that she could now hear it properly.
'...Medusa...' Two beautiful voices filled with affection and worry called her name.
Medusa was frozen in her place and tear silently gushed out from her eyes. She finally remembered whose voices are those. It the sound that she thought would never hear again no matter how many incarnations she's born into. The voices she promised to protect but failed miserably. The voices that forever disappeared due to her own actions. Along with the extreme joy of hearing those voices again is the self-loathe and regret that threatened to break her.
She didn't want to believe it as she thought that this is the same 'nightmare' she saw when she was beheaded for the first time. But like an addicting poison, she kept seeking it. She's about to die anyway, so she wanted to hear it more. At least it'll comfort her for the next 100 years or so, "Elder sister Stheno... Elder sister Euryale..."
'...Medusa... There is hope... to escape... this cruel fate... Survive... Survive until you see the light...' The voices resounded again which gave Medusa a confusion, 'What's this? This is a dream... isn't?'
Medusa just wanted to brush it off as wishful thinking. Who is she kidding? Her dearest elder sisters already disappeared and would never appear in front of her again. But then, the next thing that happened gave her the shock of her life. A wave of power she's very familiar with filled her and it came from her heart, 'This is!? Elder sisters' powers!? Why!? How!?'
Stuck at how unbelievable things are happening, Medusa has frozen in place yet again and her mind is blank as she doesn't know how to interpret all of this. But she woke up after hearing the last vestiges of her elder sisters voices, 'Please... Survive... For your happiness...'
"Elder sister Stheno!!! Elder sister Euryale!!!" With her shout, the time returned to its normal speed and those around her were dumbfounded at her sudden shout.
"Huh!? Are you asking for help from your monster sisters, you monster? Hahaha!" Dennis ridiculed her actions.
"You!!!" For the first time, she truly felt rage. He can insult her or whatever, but Medusa wouldn't let go of anyone who insulted her dearests sisters.
Medusa ignored the magic circles directed at her and wanted to rush towards her hateful enemy but there was a change in the situation prompting her to halt her steps.
From a distance, a finger wide beam of light came and hit Dennis' forehead. It didn't go through his head but the force was enough to flip his whole body and dispelling the magic circles around Medusa.
"That won't do, my dear cousin. And here we thought that you're just a dunce for trying to blindly chase this monster. Who would have thought that you're hiding a poison like that? When did the House of Harpe develop something like that?"
On the top of the building where the burly man jumped from an effeminate man appeared with the moon on his back. He's wearing a maroon suit but without necktie and the top two buttons lose showing his chest. His hair which is dark red is a bit longer than Dennis and curly. He's also holding a dark red whip with a rose motif on its tip which is floating and pointing towards Dennis like it has a mind of its own.
People with a white mask with violet markings on it also started to come out after him prompting Dennis' minions to aim their weapons at them.
Dennis slowly stood up and glared at the newcomer, "...Theodore."
"You think that we would ignore you just because you tried to act the fool? You're too naive, cousin. You're really an idiot, in a way." Theodore chuckled at his expression.
Dennis gritted his teeth as he knew that the chances of him killing Medusa just became a lot lower now that Theodore is here. He also knew that the other two competitors would come sooner or later reducing his chances further.
Dennis wanted to rush towards Medusa and kill her instantly before they could come closer. But just as he took his first step, he heard Theodore laughing out loud and stop to look at him, "Did you think that you're close at killing her?"
Dennis furrowed his brows and ask, "What do you mean?"
"You never had a chance... Because he's been watching you closely." Theodore pointed to his back and Dennis turned around. His face became sour as he did, "When did you come here?"
Dennis directed that question towards the man with lean build leaning on the wall while hugging a spear and staring at him, "Before you even step into this place."
His deep voice gave Dennis dread, 'What!?'
The man is also one of the descendants of the Perseus Clan. He's wearing casual clothing unlike the two and his shoulder-length hair is also dark red, the trademark of those from Perseus Clan.
"Didn't you say that you're not interested in the position of the Clan Head? What are you doing here!?" Dennis knew that his chances are already over with his presence.
"I'm not. But I also told everyone that I want to go against that monster in her full power. If you kill her now, you'll be taking away my entertainment." The man said in a deadpan face.
"See~. You're just an idiot who thought you already have everything~. You didn't even realize Petter's presence." Theodore sneered at Dennis as he ridicules him.
Dennis ignored him and continued questioning him, "What are you planning to do then!?"
"Simple... Capture her, nurse her to her full strength and lastly, kill her."
"...This damned battle maniac..." Dennis and Theodore muttered as their goal is to kill her to get the position of the Clan Head. Dennis hesitated if he should continue to rush towards Medusa as he didn't want to face Petter from the House of Invisibility who is known to be the strongest of their current generation. Another reason is that if both him and Petter clash, Theodore will surely use that opening to aim for the kill which he absolutely didn't want to happen.
Petter also didn't want to initiate a move. He could defeat even if both of them goes against him at the same time but that would only give a chance to Medusa to escape. He's now regretting the fact that he just stands there without doing anything while Theodore isn't here. He could have captured Medusa long before he came. But his innate curiosity towards battles stopped him from making any move while Dennis and Medusa fight.
It now became a stalemate between the three with all of them watching each other's move and keeping Medusa in their vision.
The heavy and quiet atmosphere was destroyed when the last of the eligible competitors arrived... alone while trying to catch her breath, "Please stop this all at once!"