After finishing the Minotaur Maze, Yang Tao and his team didn't take a break and immediately set out to find the Hydra's swamp.
Having learned from experience, Yang Tao let Bai lead the way this time. Bai didn't disappoint, and before long, they arrived at the Hydra's territory, a vast marshland.
In the distance, a round hill stood out in the middle of the swamp—it was the Hydra's lair.
The closer they got, the more noticeable the red markings on the ground became, a clear sign that the Hydra possessed fire-based abilities.
"Alright! This is the Hydra! Be careful—this thing is no joke!"
Zabuza frowned as he looked at the Hydra, which had only three heads. He turned to Yang Tao in confusion. "Sir, why is this thing called a Hydra? Shouldn't it be a Three-Headed Serpent instead?"
Yang Tao didn't answer. He simply chuckled and said, "You'll see soon enough!"
The Hydra had an extremely wide detection range. The moment it spotted the three of them, it unleashed a blast of flames from afar.
The team wasted no time and rushed in, launching a fierce assault. But despite their relentless attacks, the Hydra's health bar barely budged. It was like giving it a brutal beating, only to realize they had made no real progress.
Yang Tao shouted, "Focus on one head first!"
Following his command, Zabuza and Bai attacked the same head as Yang Tao. The targeted head flashed red, then collapsed and disappeared in a puff of white smoke.
But in no time, two new heads grew in its place.
Zabuza finally understood why it was called a Hydra. Cutting off one head only caused two more to appear!
Without hesitation, Zabuza kept following Yang Tao's lead, and soon, another head was taken down.
Now the Hydra had five heads, and it lashed out at them with even more ferocity. Its attacks were strong, causing their armor's power to drain rapidly. But judging by the situation, they could still manage to defeat it.
Slowly but surely, they chipped away at the Hydra's health. By the time its health was critically low, it had grown all nine of its heads, spitting fire and lunging at them relentlessly.
Yang Tao encouraged the team, "Hang in there! It's almost over!"
Finally, the Hydra's health hit zero. Explosive sounds rang out from its body as it slowly faded into nothingness.
"Good thing you guys were here," Yang Tao sighed. "If I were alone, this would've taken forever. Alright, let's head back. Our armor's almost out of power—this thing was a real pain to fight!"
After picking up the Hydra's loot, the three of them flew back to the Twilight Forest's teleportation gate. As usual, Yang Tao was the first to jump in.
They removed their armor and placed it in the charging station.
Just then, something crossed Yang Tao's mind. "Oh, right! Zabuza, when do you plan on going back to Kirigakure to put an end to the Blood Mist era?"
Hearing this, Zabuza's eyes lit up with anticipation. "I'll follow your orders completely."
"How about you and Bai go on your own? Take your weapons and armor with you. If you can't win, just escape—it'll be easy. If things get too tough, I'll come help."
Zabuza had no complaints. He had already experienced the power of this armor firsthand. With it, he didn't have to worry about the Fourth Mizukage's attacks at all.
It was the kind of battle where the enemy could hit him dozens of times without a problem, but if he landed even one hit, it would be over.
"Oh, and you might want to find Terumi Mei and see if she'll help. Actually, if you go back a little later, the Fourth Mizukage might end up killing himself."
"…???" Zabuza gave Yang Tao a baffled look.
Yang Tao explained, "Yagura is being controlled by Genjutsu. I don't know if Ao has managed to break the illusion yet. If he has, then Yagura will realize all the terrible things he did while under control. Overwhelmed with guilt, he'll release the Three-Tails so that the mastermind behind this can't get it. The Three-Tails will then become a wild Tailed Beast, and Yagura will die shortly after. When you go back, just assess the situation and decide what to do from there."
Zabuza fell into deep thought after hearing this.
"Alright, let's go. The sooner, the better!"
…
Yang Tao watched as Zabuza and Bai left. For a moment, the world felt a little lonelier.
"Next up… finding the Phantom Knight!"
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