Gilgamesh felt no fear towards the sudden appearance of the giant serpent, instead, he burst into laughter.
"The Lernaean Hydra," Gilgamesh stated. "It seems the Caster this time is an interesting fellow."
"Lernaean Hydra?" Bai Ye pondered. "The terrifying beast from Hercules's twelve trials, legend says it possesses a deadly venom that kills upon contact, and even if its heads are severed, it can immediately regenerate. Is that the Lernaean Hydra?"
Gilgamesh nodded. "The Hydra's venom is indeed no trivial matter. Step aside, and let this King..."
Before Gilgamesh could finish speaking, he saw Bai Ye joyfully dash forward.
Gilgamesh was utterly bewildered.
What was he doing?
Did he have some miraculous trick to deal with the Lernaean Hydra?
And then...
Gilgamesh watched as the Lernaean Hydra opened its massive maw and lunged forward, swallowing Bai Ye whole.
Gilgamesh: "..."
What happened to the miraculous trick?
Gilgamesh's gaze instantly turned dark as he waved his hand forward. "Spit him out!"
Instantly, the golden barrier behind Gilgamesh erupted with dazzling radiance, countless weapons reappearing and then launching towards the giant serpent's head.
Gilgamesh did not care about Bai Ye's life or death.
However, if Bai Ye died, it would mean the end of Bai Ye's Holy Grail War journey.
This was something Gilgamesh could not accept!
He, the great King of Heroes, would fail to obtain the Holy Grail? Would he be defeated?
This was absolutely unforgivable!
Boom!
Accompanied by the impact of the weapons, a deafening explosion rang out.
Under Gilgamesh's onslaught, the colossal Lernaean Hydra was forced to sway its body, nearly falling from the hotel's exterior wall.
Innumerable shards of rock rained down, striking the ground, and vast clouds of dust billowed upwards.
However, the Lernaean Hydra soon regained its balance, its massive jaws turning back towards Gilgamesh.
"Scum, are you provoking me?" Gilgamesh reached to his side. "Helix Sword!"
From the golden Gate of Babylon, a spiral-shaped knightly sword slowly materialized, falling into Gilgamesh's grasp.
The Helix Sword, a magic sword from Celtic mythology, forged by the elves of the divine realm, imbued with the immense power of the sky god's lightning!
The next moment, with the Helix Sword in hand, Gilgamesh raised it and swung it forward.
Zzzzzap!
A piercing sound of surging electrical arcs echoed, followed by countless azure currents shooting forward with Gilgamesh's swing, striking the Lernaean Hydra's head with immense force.
Boom!
The current exploded the instant it struck the Lernaean Hydra, countless arcs of electricity entwining around its body.
The next moment, the Lernaean Hydra reared its head and then plummeted downwards.
Its colossal body crashed down from the hotel's exterior wall, and then...
The ground collapsed!
Almost instantly, the ground beneath the hotel erupted with countless massive rocks, and large areas rapidly caved in.
Surrounding vehicles were crushed into scrap metal by the falling debris, windows of nearby buildings shattered incessantly, streetlights and utility poles toppled down, piling up in disarray.
Torn electrical cables sparked and crackled, electricity arcing wildly!
Gilgamesh approached the edge of the fractured wall and looked down, his eyes filled with immense fury.
Because the Lernaean Hydra was not dead yet!
After suffering a heavy blow, the Lernaean Hydra was still writhing on the ground.
Gilgamesh took a step forward, then descended from the air, plummeting straight to the ground.
Boom!
The moment he landed, the ground shattered, a deep pit formed from the impact.
After steadying himself, Gilgamesh continued forward, sword in hand, a multitude of weapons reappearing from the golden barrier behind him.
"Die, crawling vermin!"
Gilgamesh raised the Helix Sword high, intending to strike the Lernaean Hydra again, when suddenly...
With a *poof*!
A massive gash appeared on the Lernaean Hydra's back.
The next moment...
"I was suffocating in there!"
Bai Ye crawled out of the rift and tumbled onto the ground.
Gilgamesh looked at Bai Ye with surprise. "You're not dead?"
"Nonsense," Bai Ye replied. "If I died, wouldn't you disappear too?"
This time, it was Gilgamesh's turn to be speechless. The statement was so logical, he couldn't refute it.
Gilgamesh asked, "Humans instantly die from poisoning if they touch the Lernaean Hydra. Why are you unharmed?"
"That's because I'm immune to poison," Bai Ye said, shaking off some slime. "I guess there's no point in going back to the hotel to shower now, is there?"
Gilgamesh responded, "What do you think?"
The hotel building was still collapsing, with constant debris falling.
Several floors were engulfed in flames, thick black smoke billowing outwards.
Bai Ye sighed. "Looks like we'll have to find another place to shower and sleep."
"No!" Gilgamesh's expression suddenly turned solemn as he looked ahead. "Tonight, we might not be able to sleep."
"Huh?"
Bai Ye paused, then followed Gilgamesh's gaze to the front.
The street was wide and long, devoid of people.
The collapsed hotel loomed, deterring anyone from approaching.
Shards of rock littered both sides, and flickering streetlights cast an intermittent glow.
Gilgamesh was the most radiant existence on this street.
Golden, incredibly dazzling.
And on the other side of the street, someone lurked in the darkness.
An immensely powerful aura.
A figure slowly emerged.
It was a woman.
Tall and slender, with long, dark, purplish-red hair and red eyes.
A gust of wind occasionally swept by, making her long hair flutter.
She wore a black, form-fitting outfit that accentuated her stunningly voluptuous figure.
But more dangerous than her physique...
Was her spear!
In her hand, she held a blood-red, spiral-grooved spear, held downwards, its tip dragging along the ground as she gripped the butt.
As the woman slowly walked forward, the tip of her spear scraped against the ground, emitting golden sparks.
Gilgamesh tightened his grip on the Helix Sword.
The golden barrier behind him shone even brighter.
Few in this world could make the King of Heroes take them seriously.
The woman before him likely qualified.
After a moment, Gilgamesh spoke, "Queen of the Underworld, the realm of the dead and spirits; a queen cursed for stepping into the divine realm as a mortal, do you intend to declare war upon me?"