Snakes In My Hair? It's More Likely Than You Think.

Her other fist also no longer being held back, lands on his neck.

But since the force behind her second blow wasn't as strong it doesn't pierce through.

Still though, a horrible cracking sound is made.

It's not the horrible sound of flesh being torn nor the smell of blood that brings her back to this reality but it's the pain.

Her arm is burning!

With a swift pull and black blood gushing out from his body, her arm is free.

He falls to the ground with a loud thump.

Juno keeps staring in horror at her shaking and burning arm.

She wipes off the blood on her torn blazer, luckily that seems to dull the pain.

Only after realizing what she's done does she stumble back in shock.

She's shaking.

Who could blame her?

If it was not for the Blessing there's no doubt she would have fainted by now.

Meanwhile Perseus, with a hole in his c.h.e.s.t and a broken neck he lies there in silence, as if dead.

But life isn't simple.

Crack.

That terrible noise sends a chill up her spine.

Perseus has snapped his neck back in place!

He slowly gets back up.

Oh no.

The snakes hiss menacingly and are already on guard.

Juno wants to run but is frozen in fear.

He weakly says, "Ha... Why are you so shocked? Didn't I say that I can't die."

Before she could break out in a run, he puts his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"But even if I can not die, that does not mean I can not lose. Congratulations, I admit defeat."

What.

<<This must be some kind of trick!>>

"Ha.. no tricks. I give up, you won and I lost."

"Wh-why!?"

"Hm. My weak spot has always been my heart; it seems that not even eternal suffering has changed that."

"I don't understand..."

"You don't have to. No one will ever understand me."

<<You want our pity?>>

"Haha... Nope. Everything I've done, I followed my convictions and my d.e.s.i.r.es."

"I don't, I don't believe you're just going to let me go!? WHY?"

He clicks his tongue, "Because you won the fight. Believe it or not it was a fight to see who was strong, not to the death."

//But you're much more stronger than me!?//

"There's plenty of ways to measure strength. You're strong in a way I can't be."

<<Don't listen to his nonsense! He's a mindless murderer, a traitor, he tried to kill you!>>

"Did I, Nodö'Racaarreasta? And as for what happened in the past, it's already been done."

<<How could you act like attempting to kill our Lady is nothing!? You're beyond saving, I will never understand.>>

"I hate the gods, they humiliated me. Is that not enough of a reason?"

<<Our Lady stood by you! How-how could you possibly say that? How could you->>

"Enough. We hate each other and we will never get anywhere. Let me just say this I'm a hypocrite."

"Huh?"

"I hate the gods, but they're the reason... I'm even here."

<<A God brought you back? Who!?>>

"I can't say."

"You, you said you would tell us everything!"

"I said everything /I can./ I'm unable to reveal the identity. I will say that in order to be released from my punishment I was tasked with targeting you."

"Just me? Then who targeted my sister? You know! YOU HAVE TO!"

He sighs, "I don't know where she is now but it's the beast, it took her. At least, that's what I was told."

//The beast. The ferocious monster?//

"Is she alive!?"

Please.

Please!

"That, I would assume she is. She's important to my "Boss" or ex-boss now. So are you."

<<Because of the connection with Lady Medusa?>>

"Yeah. I was tasked with speeding up the process, and then bringing you to..."

He makes a pained expression.

"I uh, might be saying too much, I think they know, I have to, I have to go. Haha. Boss didn't play their cards right."

"Wa-wait!? You know where Eve is!?"

"That's easy, didn't I tell you already? But be careful, that beast is far worse than me… I don't say that lightly."

"How can it possibly be worse!?"

His smile is bitter, "I had a heart, I remember the people.. I treasured and who's lives I ruined, I... But that beast has no heart. Just like all other Immortals, they are made in perfection and destruction. Mortals are born with flaws. Those flaws make us better. I... hated working with it but I had no choice, I had to escape hell."

<<For your revenge?>>

"Ha. Blinded by revenge and pain. I wanted to escape at all costs, I wanted... even if it meant working with... Augh!"

Juno is lost, she doesn't understand.

He hates the Gods but worked with them? Why?

Was he planning to back-stab them all along?

//Why do I have to be apart of this?//

"Now that I've escaped, it won't be easy for them to drag me back. I really... thought that they would..." He clutches his c.h.e.s.t in pain, "I bid you farewell. Immortal Snakes, I hate you for ruining my life. I never... want to see you.."

<<You ruined your own life.>>

With a blink of an eye, Perseus disappears.

Everything is strangely silent.

"Is he, Is he really gone? This isn't a trick?"

<<He's gone. I don't know where to but let's go and, oh no->>

"What!? Is he coming back?"

<<No, it's something else. It's Eve.>>

With that all fears and doubts about the fallen god are forgotten, "What!? Is she okay? She, she's still alive right!? RIGHT!?"

<<Yes but something is happening, her life force is changing? We should go now!>>

"Where though!? Can you track her?"

<I can. But if you have something from her, it will make it easier on us.>

All she had was the hair tie and that's...

<I have it!>

One of the new snakes has the broken hair tie in its mouth, it's almost cute.

<<We can use this. Now, let's find a way out of this building.>>

<She's definitely outside of the building. Where did that beast bring her?>

Juno's slowly gaining back her energy as she scopes around the floor. Is it because she's no longer fighting for her life?

Unfortunately, the doors are still blocked by a strong magical barrier.

Fortunately, the Immortal Snakes are able to help her break through!

In no time, she's outside.

It's darker than usual, the stars are barely visible and only one moon shines bright in the dark sky.

No one is outside, everyone must of evacuated a long time ago. She doesn't know where the hospital staff is and just hopes that they're okay.

But she can't worry about that right now.

//I'm coming Eve! Please just hold on a little more longer.//

<<Is that supposed to be normal?>>

She was going to ask what it meant but then realized what it was referring to.

The barrier that surrounds the boarding school, it hasn't just been broken but instead it's completely gone!