From beginning to end, this Kabbalist, who devoted his entire life to the golem, never removed his mask or exposed his flesh. He never opened his heart to humanity or the world, even though he deeply loved it.
Just as his body was about to merge with Adam, an arrow descended from the sky, landing right at his feet.
Avicebron turned his head and saw more arrows streaking through the sky—nine in total—each hitting one of Hydra's heads. Nine arrows for nine heads.
His gaze fell upon a man with brown hair tied into a ponytail, holding a longbow and exuding an aura as solid as the earth.
The Great Sage Chiron!
After shooting through all nine heads, Chiron projected his voice into Avicebron's mind.
"No matter how you see it, that is your child. As a parent, you must witness its growth, not irresponsibly abandon it."
"But—"
"No need to worry. Just have the giant focus on defending upfront, and leave the rest to me!"
Chiron manifested another nine arrows. Meanwhile, Hydra, known for its regenerative powers, had already recovered, with all eighteen eyes focusing on the small yet dangerous archer.
"Though you were killed by Heracles, I died from your poison. From that moment, our fates were intertwined. Today, let me sever this karmic bond myself."
Witnessing the battle from a distance, Caules unhesitatingly issued a command spell.
"With the command spell, I order you, Chiron, to kill the Hydra."
"Your command, I have received—"
Enhanced by the command spell, Chiron shed his usual composed demeanor and became completely unleashed.
At this moment, he was not the revered Great Sage but the centaur warrior, known for their violent prowess.
"—Chiron, son of the Great God Cronus, begins the hunt!"
His fingers rapidly plucked the bowstring, releasing nine arrows in an instant.
The Hydra, barely healed, sustained new injuries.
Seeing this, even the eccentric Avicebron couldn't help but express genuine admiration:
"A truly remarkable skill, indeed a reinforcement capable of defeating the Hydra. In that case, I shall hold on a bit longer—go, Adam!!!"
The giant let out a high-pitched roar, and with a body over thirty meters tall, lunged at the Hydra once more, gripping it tightly to prevent it from interfering with Chiron.
The battle once again tilted in favor of the Black faction.
However, the mistress of the garden, Semiramis, would not admit defeat so easily. As Chiron appeared and declared his hunt, she used the magic absorbed from the Greater Grail to weave a second summoning ritual.
"Fill, manifest!"
At the moment of her chant's completion, a massive sigil appeared once more, birthing a creature even older and stronger than the Hydra.
Mentioned in Mesopotamian mythology, the primordial mother of gods, the Earth Mother Tiamat, also birthed the monstrous beings opposing the gods—eleven in total.
Now, Semiramis summoned one of them.
It was a giant serpent created in the sea, with brightly colored horns and forelimbs, a terrifying monster on par with dragon gods—the Bašmu.
Its head emerged from the depths of darkness. Its fangs were infused with venom more potent than Hydra's, capable of causing fatal injuries with a mere touch—something even the Empress dared not use lightly.
The giant venomous serpent, or rather, the venomous dragon, let out a deafening roar, eager to descend into this world. However, no matter how hard it tried, it could only reveal half its body.
This was expected, for it was a terrifying beast comparable to gods. Even with the garden's enhancement and near-infinite mana supply from the Greater Grail, summoning this monster completely was extremely difficult. After all, even the Greater Grail could only summon Heroic Spirits, not higher-level deities.
Could Semiramis surpass the Greater Grail and break the limits?
The answer was affirmative, for to Heroic Spirits, conventions were meant to be broken, and Semiramis knew how to break these limits.
"Master, use a command spell to strengthen my summoning ritual. I must not let the intruders have their way."
"Understood, I command with a command spell—"
Brilliant red mana traversed space, directly merging into the summoning circle at the peak of the Royal Palace, fully opening the passage between the present world and the inner world.
The Progenitor, Earth Mother, Tiamat's son, the crimson poison dragon, finally descended into the present world.
The overwhelming pressure of its unrestrained, top-of-the-life-hierarchy presence instantly swept through the entire garden, brazenly mocking the insignificance of humans.
"Kill them, !"
Upon hearing Semiramis's command, Bašmu casually flicked its tail. With just that single flick, it sent both Hydra and the golem flying. Truly, it was a terrifying monster capable of rivaling the gods.
Next, Bašmu twisted its enormous body and soared into the air, heading straight for Chiron—an existence it must eliminate, an enemy bearing the detested blood of the gods.
Chiron drew his longbow to its fullest and shot an arrow with maximum power.
The arrow, infused with magic, indeed pierced through the poison dragon's scales, creating a bloody hole. However, compared to Bašmu's massive body, this wound was insignificant and only served to further enrage the beast.
"This is troublesome."
Avicebron's pupils contracted, but Chiron remained unperturbed.
"It's only a bother. What do you say—Achilles?"
"You're right!"
A thunderous, iconic voice echoed from afar, accompanied by a loud rumble. The second servant belonging to Caules had finally defeated his shadowy opponent and arrived with his chariot to provide support.
"Come on, try to stop me! My chariot will run you down like a shooting star! Too late now! Troias Tragōidia!!!!"
Two divine horses, also bearing the lineage of gods, galloped at full speed, pushing the chariot's speed to its peak.
Whether in strength, skill, or speed, if a force in battle far surpasses common sense, it transcends numerical parameters—it becomes a pure "weapon."
In this regard, the speed of Achilles's chariot was such a weapon.
Because of its high speed, it was difficult to avoid. Because of its high speed, its power was tremendous. Coupled with the chariot's sturdiness and the two immortal divine horses pulling it, this chariot was nearly perfect in both offense and defense—an epitome of what a hero could achieve.
Facing such an ultra-high-speed blender that could leave everything in its wake, even a terrifying monster like Bašmu couldn't escape unscathed. It was torn apart, large chunks of flesh ripped away, and it crashed heavily to the ground.