Bai Ye and Gilgamesh entered the Hanging Gardens.
This did not signify the end of the battle, but rather its beginning.
The courtyard was densely packed with Dragon Teeth soldiers. The moment Bai Ye and Gilgamesh landed, they were swarmed.
Without a word, Bai Ye raised the Xuanyuan Sword and swept it forward.
A crescent-shaped golden sword energy appeared again, slashing forward. Wherever the golden sword energy passed, the Dragon Teeth soldiers exploded.
From head to body, they were completely pulverized, leaving no chance for reconstruction.
Bai Ye exclaimed, "As expected of the Xuanyuan Sword!"
On the other side, Gilgamesh swung the spiraling sword in his hand forward, unleashing a torrent of electricity.
Upon striking the Dragon Teeth soldiers, it formed chain lightning, continuously leaping and crushing them one by one.
Gilgamesh sneered, "A bunch of grunts."
Bai Ye shrugged. While they were indeed grunts, their intent was clear: attrition.
Even though the Dragon Teeth soldiers couldn't harm them, fighting them would undoubtedly exhaust Bai Ye's stamina, and for Gilgamesh, attacks might deplete his mana.
With continuous accumulation, by the time they reached the depths of the Hanging Gardens, the enemy would surely gain an advantage.
However, this was an overt strategy.
Even knowing the enemy's intention to wear them down, Bai Ye had no choice. The Holy Grail was in the enemy's hands, and there was no other way but to fight through to the depths of the Hanging Gardens.
With this thought, they pressed onward.
The surrounding Dragon Teeth soldiers, undeterred by death, continued to attack.
Bai Ye flicked his wrist, the Xuanyuan Sword slashing, cleaving a Dragon Teeth soldier in two. Then, he swept a leg forward.
Phoenix Flame!
Fierce flames erupted from Bai Ye's body, and as his leg swept out, a vast expanse of fire surged forward, covering a large area.
However, as Dragon Teeth soldiers were composed entirely of bone, the effect of the flames was not optimal.
The Dragon Teeth soldiers could move freely within the flames, and even if they were reduced to ashes, it would take some time.
But...
"Flame Burst!"
Bai Ye then made a grasping motion forward with his hand.
Boom, boom, boom!
Within the sea of fire, explosions sounded continuously, and the Dragon Teeth soldiers trapped within were repeatedly blasted into fragments.
Bai Ye and Gilgamesh stepped over shattered bones, moving forward and quickly traversing the courtyard to reach the ancient castle at the center.
Bai Ye looked up at the magnificent ancient castle before them. "Trying to find someone in such a massive castle won't be easy."
Gilgamesh said, "The core of the Hanging Gardens is on the highest level. If they don't reveal themselves, then..."
Gilgamesh's smile clearly implied that if they couldn't find the person, they would simply destroy the Hanging Gardens to force them out.
As they spoke, Bai Ye and Gilgamesh entered the castle.
But the moment they stepped inside, a powerful gust of wind swept down towards them.
To the left and right, Bai Ye and Gilgamesh leaped aside simultaneously.
Looking up, they saw an enormous Dragon Teeth soldier, four to five times larger than the ordinary ones, appearing incredibly fierce.
Then...
Bai Ye casually slashed forward.
The Xuanyuan Sword glowed with golden radiance, and golden sword energy reappeared, sweeping forward.
With a boom!
The Dragon Teeth soldier was cleaved in half by Bai Ye's sword, its body instantly shattering into pieces.
Bai Ye stepped forward, stomped forcefully, crushing the Dragon Teeth soldier's head, and then looked ahead.
In the passage behind the entrance, Dragon Teeth soldiers were packed so densely they almost filled the entire corridor.
Then...
Gilgamesh haughtily tilted his head and looked forward, then extended his hand.
The golden screen of the King's Treasury reappeared, and within the swirling golden ripples, a multitude of weapons emerged, then...
Fired!
Boom, boom, boom!
The weapons unleashed a barrage, followed by continuous roaring sounds.
The surrounding walls shattered, the bluestone slabs on the ground cracked, and the Dragon Teeth soldiers quickly turned into piles of bone fragments scattered on the ground.
"Worthless!"
Gilgamesh flicked his cape, and the golden screen behind him vanished.
Bai Ye spread his hands and walked forward.
Continuing on...
It was as Bai Ye had suspected; the enemy was indeed employing a strategy of attrition.
Those Dragon Teeth soldiers posed no threat to Bai Ye and Gilgamesh. It was likely they wouldn't cause much trouble for other Called Ones and their Servants either.
However, the enemy had still created a vast number of Dragon Teeth soldiers, filling the entire castle, solely to keep everyone in continuous combat.
Then...
Turning a corner, Bai Ye and Gilgamesh suddenly stopped.
The passage ahead...
No Dragon Teeth soldiers!
However, countless white bones were scattered within the passage. It was clear that there had been Dragon Teeth soldiers here, but they had already been eliminated.
Bai Ye and Gilgamesh simultaneously looked up towards the end of the passage, into the pitch-black shadow.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...
The sound of metal boots striking the ground echoed.
Soon, at the end of the passage, a man and a woman emerged.
The woman wore a blue dress, but over it, she had silver armor. Her long golden hair was pinned up, with a single ahoge gently swaying on her forehead. In her hand, she held a silver knight's sword, its hilt inscribed with golden runes.
A powerful aura!
Bai Ye narrowed his eyes. It was highly probable that this was a very strong Servant.
As for the Called One beside her...
Around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, he wore a jacket and jeans, a baseball cap worn backward, and was chewing gum.
Bai Ye paused for a moment, then smiled.
During the wish missions, he really did encounter many acquaintances from his past life.
Cao Mingjin, from the Mythical Civilization world!
In Bai Ye's previous life, he was one of the strong individuals who survived until the end, disappearing during the final free-for-all in the central area.
Bai Ye had also participated in that free-for-all, but he had never fought Cao Mingjin. However, as someone who could survive until the end, even if they hadn't fought, they would have at least seen each other or heard of their name.
Cao Mingjin stepped forward and said, "Hey, you two. If you're willing to retreat now, we'll stand down."
"Huh?" Bai Ye looked at Cao Mingjin. "Are you joking?"
He couldn't be that naive, could he?
Or rather, naive people didn't live to the end!
Cao Mingjin spread his hands. "This is the Knight King's request, and an embodiment of chivalry."