"What... what was that? That beam didn't seem like something an ordinary Ruin Guard could fire, did it?"
In another cave, Hu Tao took a few steps back as a wave of heat washed over her. What the hell was in the depths of this cave? If that beam had hit her, Wangsheng might have lost its director.
Eula frowned. According to the Lawrence clan's intelligence, the only enemy capable of such an attack was a Ruin Grader.
But Ruin Graders were rare. Why was one here, and activated at that? Could the Abyss be after it? If so, this was serious. She needed to inform Jean.
"You idiot! Don't you know our boss is out there dealing with the riffraff?"
"How was I supposed to know this busted hunk of junk could still fire lasers?"
"Enough, stop arguing! Let's go check on the boss. If he dies here, we'll be in big trouble."
"Don't worry, our boss isn't that easy to beat. Let's just deal with this Nail fragment and move on to the next one."
Just as Eula and the others were steadying themselves, a few Cryo Abyss Mages floated out from the cave depths, chatting casually. They seemed quite confident in their boss.
"You... how are you still alive?"
Seeing Hu Tao and her group standing there unharmed, a Cryo Abyss Mage froze, its mask hiding an expression of disbelief. Their boss, the Hydro Abyss Herald, was incredibly strong. How had he been taken down so quickly?
Hu Tao looked at the Abyss Mages before her, then at the massive crater left by the beam. In that moment, she seemed to understand something. The Abyss Mages opposite her seemed to realize it too, staring in disbelief at the crater.
"Could our boss have already..."
"Sigh, my condolences. This director didn't expect your boss to turn to ash and scatter in the wind. Not that it matters—you Abyss folk don't have any Mora anyway. Even if he hadn't turned to ash, he couldn't afford a Wangsheng box."
"So don't be too sad. This was all fated."
Hu Tao's words, seemingly consoling but actually provoking, sent the Cryo Abyss Mages into a frenzy. Their boss had been reduced to ash, and she was still cracking jokes? Did she think the Abyss was a pushover?
"Brothers, attack! Let these ignorant fools witness the power of the Abyss!"
At that command, Abyss Mages from deeper in the cave surged forward. Cryo Abyss Mages hurled ice shards at Hu Tao's group. To anyone else, those ice shards might have been lethal. To Hu Tao, they were barely a threat.
"Oh my, if it's just you, I'm afraid you won't be able to stop us."
Hu Tao lunged forward with her Staff of Homa, plunging straight into the Cryo Abyss Mage formation. Scorching Pyro energy erupted from the staff. The enhanced flames burned through both shields and mages alike.
Watching Hu Tao weave through the Abyss Mages, Amber's eyes practically sparkled with envy. She looked at the Favonius Warbow in her hands. For the first time, she felt archery was lacking. She wanted to learn this too. She wanted to be able to charge in and out of Abyss Mage formations like that.
Seeing Hu Tao about to wipe out all the remaining Abyss Mages, the apparent leader among them could no longer stay calm. He had no idea how to explain the Hydro Abyss Herald's death to the Prince. Now, even more Abyss Mages had fallen.
Worse, without the Hydro Abyss Herald, no one could tamper with the Nail fragment. The mission from the Prince had failed, and they'd lost countless loyal soldiers. He could already imagine being torn apart when he appeared before the Prince.
"Damn it! Since the mission is a failure, I'll give my life for the Prince!"
Figuring death was inevitable either way, dying here might at least earn him a reputation for loyalty. With that thought, the Cryo Abyss Mage turned and fled into the cave.
This action left both the spectators and Hu Tao dumbfounded. All that talk of sacrifice, and he just ran? Nice move.
Given the snowy mountain environment, none of these Abyss Mages were Pyro-aligned. The confined space left them nowhere to hide, making them easy pickings for Hu Tao.
Within three minutes, not a single Abyss Mage remained standing. A few unfortunate ones even had arrows sticking out of their heads—clearly, the ones whose shields had been broken had become Amber's practice targets.
"Phew. Fighting Abyss Mages without Pyro types is so satisfying. Too bad you don't have any wide-area Cryo attacks, Eula, or I could show you a Melt reaction."
Watching the Abyss Mages dissolve one by one, Eula began to understand Hu Tao's true strength. She had to admit, Hu Tao was formidable, and the staff in her hands was no ordinary weapon.
"Let's go. Time to check the cave depths and see what those Abyss Mages were up to."
The cave entrance was narrow at first, barely wide enough for one person. After a few dozen steps, it opened up into a spacious chamber. In the center sat a strange fragment radiating Cryo energy. And the Cryo Abyss Mage who had fled here was now perched atop a Ruin Grader.
"Haha! I may not be able to beat you, but you're coming down with me!"
"There's no way you can survive a Ruin Grader's self-destruct!"
As he spoke, the Ruin Grader beneath him convulsed, cracks spreading rapidly across its body. But just as Hu Tao and the others braced for impact, a loud clang echoed, and the massive machine collapsed into a pile of scrap.
The sudden turn of events turned the Cryo Abyss Mage's maniacal laughter into a strangled screech that was downright painful to hear.
"You've got to be kidding me! Why did it run out of energy now?! It didn't have this problem when you attacked my boss!"
The Abyss Mage kicked a fragment in frustration, only to let out a shriek as he clutched his short leg and howled in pain.
"Tsk, tsk. This Abyss Mage's injuries are just too severe. No hope left. Direct cremation."
Hu Tao's Staff of Homa began to glow with flames. Feeling the approaching heat, the Cryo Abyss Mage swallowed hard and stammered.
"Wait, I think I can still be saved!"
"No, no. This director doesn't care what you think. This director cares what I think. You're beyond saving. Accept your fate."