"Last night, the central area of Fuyuki City suffered widespread destruction. The cause of the destruction has not yet been determined."
"However, as you can see, a massive Hanging Garden appeared in the sky above Fuyuki City starting from midnight yesterday."
"Some say this Hanging Garden is an alien spaceship fortress and that it attacked Fuyuki City. Others claim it's merely a mirage or a high-tech projection. The authorities have yet to provide a definitive answer."
"But we have invited expert Mr. Oshima. We now switch to the studio for our interview with Mr. Oshima."
"Hello everyone, I am Oshima. According to the information I've gathered overnight, the Hanging Garden appearing above Fuyuki City bears a striking resemblance to the ancient Babylonian Hanging Gardens recorded in historical texts. You can take a look; this is a picture I found in my research..."
Bai Ye picked up an apple from the table and took a bite, then watched the news playing on the television.
He switched through several channels, and although the reporters were different, the content was the same.
At the same time, looking at the Hanging Garden during the day, it felt even more awe-inspiring. It was immense and luxurious. Besides the outer gardens, a towering castle could be seen in the central area, grand and magnificent.
The twelve stone pillars surrounding it also gave a wondrous feeling, exuding an ancient aura.
There was also something that Bai Ye found strange: several pieces of rubble were floating around the Hanging Garden, seemingly converging towards it.
In addition to this, some halos of different colors were constantly swirling around the Hanging Garden, enveloping it.
"What are these halos?" Bai Ye muttered in confusion. "They seem to be merging into the Hanging Garden?"
"That is Mana!"
At this moment, Gilgamesh's voice suddenly rang out, startling Bai Ye.
Bai Ye said speechlessly, "Why do you walk without making a sound? And can you knock before entering?"
Gilgamesh snorted, went to the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of red wine, and then sat down on the sofa on the other side. "Under the heavens, all land belongs to the king. Where this king wishes to go, he goes without needing to inform anyone beforehand."
"As you wish," Bai Ye shrugged and then asked, "What's with that Mana?"
Gilgamesh said, "Large Noble Phantasms like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon cannot be used at will. The current Hanging Garden is incomplete and is continuously absorbing the Mana of this city."
Bai Ye said, "Isn't this the best opportunity to attack then?"
Gilgamesh replied, "On the surface, it appears so."
Bai Ye thought for a moment. "But in reality, it's the same issue we discussed last night. If this is a trap, why appear so ostentatiously? But if it's not a trap, it shouldn't appear so ostentatiously either."
Bai Ye scratched his head. This was a very contradictory problem.
Especially since the Hanging Gardens of Babylon was not yet complete, it should not have appeared. Instead, it should have been secretly absorbing Mana until it was complete before making its move.
From this perspective, unusual occurrences often signal something amiss. Since the other party allowed the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to appear before its completion, they must have ulterior motives.
Bai Ye said, "Could it be that the other party did it intentionally? To lure others into attacking by using the incomplete Hanging Gardens of Babylon?"
Gilgamesh replied, "Perhaps."
Bai Ye asked, "You don't seem too concerned?"
"Does this king need to be concerned?" Gilgamesh said contemptuously. "No matter who the opponent is, no matter what Noble Phantasm they use, I will obtain the Holy Grail."
Bai Ye said, "Then why didn't you charge in last night?"
Gilgamesh said, "This Holy Grail War is very interesting, with some intriguing individuals present. However, the Saber and Rider classes have not yet revealed themselves. I wish to meet them first before ending everything."
Bai Ye shrugged. It was indeed quite in line with Gilgamesh's style.
Bai Ye tossed the apple core into the trash can nearby and said, "Shall we wait and see then?"
Gilgamesh nodded and then looked at the Hanging Garden on the television.
...
Meanwhile...
Above Fuyuki City, in the Hanging Garden.
A long, narrow corridor, empty and quiet.
Li Jiayi walked down the corridor, each step he took creating an echo, making the corridor seem even more profound and deep.
Soon, Li Jiayi reached the door at the end and casually pushed it open.
This was the core of the Hanging Garden.
In the spacious hall, a man and a woman stood.
The man appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with golden curly hair and a handsome, resolute face, but his brows carried an aura of violence.
Senal Dalilo, one of the cadres of the Hidden Dragon Society.
To be precise, he was currently the third-in-command of the Hidden Dragon Society.
A ruthless killer. After all, Senal was the initiator of this wish, and the selection of participants for this wish mission was based on kill count, with Senal's kill count...
ranking first!
However, Li Jiayi did not take Senal seriously.
Li Jiayi was more concerned about the woman beside Senal.
The woman possessed a beauty that captivated men. She had long, flowing black hair, and a black dress that accentuated her graceful figure. Her gaze held a hazy and decadent look, yet it was strangely imbued with a noble elegance.
Most importantly...
She was the mistress of this Hanging Garden.
The legendary queen of the Assyrian Empire, she poisoned her own husband. In heroic epics, she was known as the oldest poisoner. However, her outstanding governance and military prowess made people forget her cruelty and instead sing her praises.
She was Semiramis, the woman known as the Empress!
Thinking of this, Li Jiayi couldn't help but feel a bit dejected.
Look at the heroic spirits summoned by others.
A legendary queen, the oldest King of Heroes, the guardian of the Imaginary Numbers who controls the souls of the dead, the Berserker known as the Great Hercules...
Every summoned heroic spirit was incredibly terrifying.
What about his own?
Fuma Kotaro...
A ninja from the Land of the Rising Sun...
Although he was a famous ninja and the leader of the Fuma clan, wasn't he just a subordinate?
Others were kings or queens, or guardians and queens. The only one who wasn't related to royalty had a father who was a God-King...
Li Jiayi felt he was just too unlucky.
At the same time, Senal looked at Li Jiayi and suddenly said, "Is your plan feasible?"
Li Jiayi snapped back to attention and smiled, "There is no absolutely successful plan in this world, but at least it seems successful so far. No one has made a move, have they?"
Why did the Hanging Garden appear so ostentatiously?
There was no special reason for it.
This was Li Jiayi's idea for Senal, precisely to make others speculate about why the Hanging Garden appeared so ostentatiously!
And then...
While others were guessing the reason and holding back, it would absorb Mana and make the Hanging Garden complete.
...