Boom!
The sound of multiple energy blasts reverberated as they collided with the Hydra's heads, followed by ear-piercing shrieks.
The sky suddenly became bright, explosion after explosion illuminated the night, and it became increasingly hard to see and stay in between the blasts. Gydarra and Lily tried to maintain their position, their bodies swaying harshly as the neck of the Hydra they had just slain slowly fell to one side.
"Focus on one point, each squad should focus on one point." Nina instructed the attack, then she asked all the hunters to move forward, running because their position was too far away and interfering with their team.
Olivia held her sword with an iron grip and, with a single swipe, unleashed all her skill and power. In an instant, her body was propelled forward. She was flying with great force, slashing the Hydra's heads off one by one.
The explosion from the Hydra's neck seemed to unleash a powerful energy that caused the air temperature to drop drastically. Olivia felt her body, her blood seemed to freeze, but she still tried to hold on. With all her strength, she swung at the Hydra's neck.
They could do it but could not afford to lose the timing. Six out of the total nine heads of the Hydra had already been successfully destroyed. Their work was far from finished.
Olivia screamed out, "Three more!" as she exerted herself in an attempt to deliver one more slash. She had one more task to complete before she could take off quickly. At that moment, she saw Lily being thrown far into the air.
"Lily!" she shouted.
Olivia hesitated briefly, unsure whether to make her attack; Lily's body seemed to freeze. If she fell to the ground, she would die. Olivia was about to rush to her aid, but then she heard the girl's voice raise in a desperate, waning cry.
"Finish it off, Olivia! I'll be okay!" Lily shouted as she flew wildly through the air.
Lily zoomed quickly to the ground, but upon landing, she saw an energy explosion that shot toward her, instantly reviving her body and melting the ice that encased her.
Just as she was about to plummet to the ground, Lewis leapt forward and caught her, sending them both sprawling from the impact. She was left gasping for air, desperately trying to regain her breath.
"You were so reckless, Lily!" Lewis said sternly.
"Can't you at least try not to look for trouble, especially in a situation like this, Lewis? But, thanks, Lewis," she complained but then smiled.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtLily looked off into the distance as the horde of monsters still ran towards them. She tried to do something to stop the horde from interfering with their attack, so she quickly stood up and ran. "Lewis, stay here and cover for Olivia," She said.
"Shut up Lily, you're not my mom!" he complained.
Olivia swiftly struck again with a mighty swing of her sword, leaving only one head still standing. Then, streams of energy blasts rapidly rained down on the Hydra's head, and Olivia responded with a flurry of shots.
Gydarra, still trying to maintain his balance, leaped forward with a swiftness that was almost wild. He then drove his sword deep into the neck of the last remaining hydras' head.
"Die you, stupid snake!" Gydarra shouted loudly, throwing slashes as he tried to find footing on the shoulder of the giant monster. His body seemed to freeze, and the air temperature near the hydra monster dropped drastically as if they were breathing in icy particles that entered their hearts. Gydarra could feel hot blood flowing from her mouth and nose, but they had to stay strong.
Everyone was preparing to launch their final assault when, suddenly, an ear-splitting shriek pierced the air. Glancing ahead, they observed a gargantuan figure pounding toward them at an alarming speed.
[Elite Frost Giant Lv. 98]
Lily saw the five-story tall Elite Frost Giant running towards the Ice Hydra, but she was surrounded by dozens of monsters attacking her from all directions. She tried her best to chase after it but was truly pressed for time.
"Nathan oppa, where are you? Are you alright? We really need you here," she thought to herself, thinking of her older brother.
"He should have been here," she thought. They had communicated just minutes ago through the Spirit Beast – "There was no way anything could have happened to him, right? Maybe this fight would have been easier if he had been here."
The frost giant raced towards the Ice Hydra, wielding its stone club and striking against its enormous body.
The huge body of the ice hydra swayed and retreated several steps, causing its remaining head to swing forcefully toward the other direction. And repeatedly, bursts of icy energy spread out around it.
"Shit, there's no way we can do it. We're all going to die."
Despairing words began to be heard from the remaining hunters. This was a truly daunting challenge for them. They never expected to have to face such a terrifying monster, and even with the help of Olivia, a god apostle, and the others, they still failed to do it.
Olivia strongly flapped her two pairs of wings, trying to finish her attack before the other 8 hydra heads grow back, making it more difficult for them. This was their last chance; everyone's stamina had already been completely drained, and if she couldn't finish this task, hundreds of people would truly die due to her own mistake.
Olivia flew swiftly, her eyes widening as she suddenly noticed the Hydra's mouth open. A bright energy ball was forming in its mouth in a split second, and before she could react, it swiftly shot in her direction. The Hydra bellowed menacingly as it released a powerful energy blast from its mouth.
"Olivia!!!"
Lily let out a terrified scream as she watched Olivia's body being engulfed by the massive energy blast.
"Lewis, help her!"
Lily rushed forward, but Lewis was already closer to where Olivia had fallen. He quickly leaped up, catching Olivia in his arms before carefully placing her on the ground.
"Olivia!"
Lily yelled in a panic as Lewis swiftly picked up Olivia and made his way toward the other hunters.
At that moment, they were astounded by the worst disaster they had ever witnessed. In the distance, they spotted the eight heads of the Hydra, which had previously been destroyed, reforming, and in a matter of moments, the nine heads were restored to their original state, producing an ear-splitting shriek that reverberated across the sky.
***
Anonymous Giraffe: "There is no hope left; this trial has ended in utter disaster. Not even a god apostle could have succeeded in this challenge. I am so sorry for what happened."
Anonymous Elephant: "Man, I'm certain CEHA is to blame for all of this. It's absolutely insane. A general-grade monster!"
***
"This is absolutely awful!" Max exclaimed in dismay.
His heart sank when he witnessed the severity of Olivia's injury and the fact that most of the hunters had become noticeably weakened.
He glanced at the camera, his expression grave. "Do we still have a chance?" he queried. His face was lit up in the camera's frame, his features drawn in apprehension.
He asked, "Where was Nathan when everyone needed him? Did Muramoto's death persuade him to give up his mission? Does that mean he will be fated to the same outcome?"
***
The nine horrifying heads of Hydra simultaneously opened their enormous mouths and unleashed nine glowing spheres of energy that illuminated the sky, highlighting their sheer magnitude.
In the far distance, Gydarra was battling other monsters that were attempting to reach the group, while Lewis, who had fled from Lily, was heading towards the throng of monsters.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Lewis!" Lily shouted desperately, still unable to do anything to help.
Meanwhile, Olivia, who was bleeding from her mouth, had broken her sword.
"I think I've made the situation worse, Lily. We should have never come here. Maybe Nathan, Gydarra, Robert and the others won't have to suffer such a dreadful fate."
Lily's face was rigid, and her sweat had turned to ice, dripping down her cheeks. She shook her head, speaking with determination, "We chose this path as a team, Olivia. I don't blame anyone, we'll be alright."
Olivia smiled, her gaze shifting to the hunter device on Lily's wrist, which revealed her true condition.
Robert knelt beside Olivia, his face a picture of utter despair. The willpower displayed on his hunter device had depleted to zero, yet somehow he still managed to keep his eyes open. Fearful that their lives were about to be cut short, they were out of ideas for how to escape or survive.
They find themselves in a completely unprepared state; just moments ago, they were engaged in a fierce battle against the monsters when suddenly a larger and more powerful creature appeared. This was a seemingly impossible situation for all involved.
Lewis slammed his shield on the ground, sending the surrounding monsters flying. Gydarra swiftly slashed at them with his sword, slicing them as if they were tofu with a sharp knife.
"Hey, why don't you fight me?" Gydarra challenged Lewis while they were both fighting nearby.
Lewis turned to Gydara, sneering. "Ch! I don't fight those of a lowly race!"
"Ha ha ha..." Gydarra burst into laughter. "I like a prideful boy like you. Come on, boy, fight me!"
Just before the nine energy blasts of the hydra were to be released, a loud explosion boomed in the distance. A sudden bolt of lightning illuminated the sky and struck the hydra, causing a loud, ear-splitting wail to erupt.
All eyes were fixed on the dazzling lightning as it streaked across the sky, sending the immense body of the hydra tumbling and swaying towards the ground below.
"Lightning strike?" Lily muttered under her breath, her face showing a glimmer of hope.
All eyes that saw felt the same hope; the feeling of hope was palpable, and it was undeniably filling their hearts and lifting their spirits. "Don't tell me – is he coming already?"
The Hydra unleashed a barrage of energy blasts from its mouth, wildly scattering them in all directions. Fortunately, none of them reached the area where the remaining participants were standing.
"Nathan!" Robert said loudly.
The ground trembled violently, as if a powerful earthquake had struck, and explosions reverberated in the distance. An energy wave seemed to spread outwards, making the air temperature plummet.
From a distance, everyone was able to observe a solitary figure standing in front of the enormous Hydra, with nine heads slithering to the ground. The man pointed upwards with his right arm, his hands sparkling with lightning!
The hydra still hadn't been defeated, but a new glimmer of hope had presented itself before them.