Bai Ye sensed something was amiss and, utilizing instant movement, created distance, reaching a hundred meters away.
Then...
The beam of light struck the ground directly.
With a thunderous roar!
The moment the light beam hit the ground, it emitted a deafening sound. Immediately after, a hemispherical burst of red light enveloped a vast area around it.
In an instant, everything in the vicinity began to be annihilated.
The ground, already tattered from the battle, fractured further. Surrounding buildings disintegrated into dust, turning into fine debris that flew towards the sky.
The already collapsed ruins were reduced to powder, along with the assassins.
Layers of shockwaves surged outwards, like a gale force wind.
Bai Ye raised his arm to shield himself and plunged his famous blade, "Blood Drinker," into the ground, barely managing to stabilize his body.
A terrifying strike!
The hemisphere formed by the red light persisted for several minutes before gradually dissipating.
This area had been utterly destroyed. While there had been several intact buildings along the streets, they had all now collapsed into ruins.
The ground was pockmarked with craters, and the vehicles parked nearby had become scrap metal, emitting black smoke.
However...
Bai Ye had already evacuated the attack zone in advance, and then...
With a deafening roar, a ruin exploded, and Heracles, bathed in blood, emerged once more.
In the sky, Gilgamesh, standing on a Noble Phantasm, crossed his arms and looked down, clearly unharmed.
Just then...
"Berserker, retreat."
The Chosen One, hidden in the shadows, spoke again.
Heracles, who had been advancing towards Gilgamesh, halted abruptly upon hearing the command. He then turned and prepared to move in the opposite direction.
"Do I permit you to leave?" Gilgamesh's voice was cold. "I shall take your head."
As Gilgamesh spoke, he once again summoned a weapon from the Gate of Babylon. But...
In the sky, among the twelve stone pillars floating at the edge of the Hanging Gardens, the second pillar began to glow once more.
The next instant, a second blood-red beam descended.
Gilgamesh frowned, then spread his right hand. "Indra's Thunder!"
Golden ripples appeared in Gilgamesh's palm, and a golden Vajra materialized in his hand.
He looked up at the descending red beam.
Gilgamesh threw the Indra's Thunder in his hand towards the sky.
The Indra's Thunder instantly transformed into a golden beam that shot straight into the clouds!
One red, one gold!
The two beams collided fiercely in the air.
At that moment, the two colored beams connected, seemingly piercing the heavens and the earth.
Then...
With a deafening boom!
A colossal sound erupted from the sky where the two beams crossed.
The red and golden light spheres exploded simultaneously.
A terrifying shockwave spread outwards, even shattering the surrounding clouds.
The intertwined radiance formed a golden-red halo that rippled outwards, extending far into the distance, its destination unknown.
Under the impact, the ground was scoured by wind and sand, constantly kicking up debris and dust.
Ruins, one after another, groaned under the pressure and exploded again, shattering and collapsing.
A moment later, the shockwave dissipated, and the remaining radiance in the sky gradually faded.
Gilgamesh glanced ahead. Heracles had vanished, evidently having already departed.
"Hmph!" Gilgamesh's voice was cold. "I shall keep your head on your neck for now."
Having said that, Gilgamesh activated the Noble Phantasm beneath his feet and moved towards Bai Ye.
As the Noble Phantasm passed by him, Bai Ye immediately leaped up, landing on Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm.
"Are we not fighting anymore?" Bai Ye reached upwards. "Or shall we fight up there?"
Gilgamesh looked at the sky. "No rush. Let's see what tricks she has up her sleeve."
Bai Ye said, "It seems you know who the Caster is."
Gilgamesh replied, "Not many can activate that Garden."
Bai Ye asked, "What is that Garden?"
"The Hanging Gardens of Babylon," Gilgamesh said. "However, she is not its true builder, merely claiming its name. Therefore, it is but a vain Hanging Garden."
"Oh?" Bai Ye asked. "Is that thing very strong?"
Gilgamesh stated, "It is her main battlefield."
"So, it might be a trap? Trying to lure others into the Hanging Gardens?" Bai Ye pondered. "But if it's a trap, its grand public appearance is strange. Who would foolishly walk in?"
Gilgamesh glanced at Bai Ye. "This Holy Grail War is not bad."
Bai Ye looked puzzled. "Hmm?"
Gilgamesh continued, "I dislike mindless Masters. Those guys are uninteresting."
Bai Ye replied, "Thank you for the compliment."
After speaking, Bai Ye felt something was off. Was this guy insulting him?
Did that mean he had considered Bai Ye a mindless Master before?
Damn it!
"Don't get angry, don't get angry. This is just how he is," Bai Ye consoled himself internally. Then, he said, "We need to find another place to stay."
Gilgamesh nodded. "Mm."
Bai Ye extended his hand in front of Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh asked, "What for?"
"Give me some gold bricks," Bai Ye said. "That box of money I just got is at the hotel. The hotel was bombed, so that money is probably turned to ash."
Gilgamesh, speechless, produced a gold brick and tossed it to Bai Ye.
A Master needing a Servant to support him.
Being this poor, how could you possibly live with yourself?
Bai Ye didn't care about any of that. He took the gold brick, found a place to exchange it for cash, and then found a new hotel to check into. With money, everything was manageable.
Lying on the bed again, this time Bai Ye was more cautious. He released Gengar and Goodra, having the two little ones guard the living room for the night to prevent any unexpected incidents, before finally collapsing onto the bed.
After a night of turmoil, he was exhausted!
However, this time, Bai Ye was not disturbed again and slept soundly until the next day.
...
On this day, at noon.
Bai Ye slowly woke up, stretched, and rolled out of bed.
Sleeping until naturally waking up felt quite good.
He put on his clothes and went into the living room. Goodra and Gengar were playing with each other.
Goodra held Gengar, making its entire body sticky. Gengar, in turn, bit onto Goodra's head and was then swung around in the air by Goodra.
Bai Ye smiled, took out food for his Pokémon, and sat on the nearby sofa, casually turning on the television.
...