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Chapter 61: Hero Saves the Beauty
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A chain of explosions erupted, and a scorching wave of heat swept across the entire platform.
The Lv. 1 Hilichurls and Slimes were utterly defenseless against such a wide-area magic attack, instantly turning to ash within the flames.
Even the few Lv. 2 Mutant Electro Slimes and Large Cryo Slimes that had been alerted from the platform's depths and rushed over to support were bombarded by the flame spears, shrieking as they burst apart.
A single strike had cleared most of the field.
"S-So powerful..."
Hyacine stared at the terrifying destructive power, unable to hold back a gasp of amazement.
Aiden and the others quickly retreated to avoid the center of the explosion.
Lefiya's strike instantly relieved a huge amount of pressure on them.
However, as the flames and smoke gradually cleared, two figures remained floating at the center of the blast, unharmed.
One was a short, stout figure encased in a deep blue ice shield—a Lv. 3 Cryo Abyss Mage.
The other was a tall woman protected by a crackling purple lightning shield—a Lv. 3 Fatui Electro Cicin Mage.
Although the power of Lefiya's magic was immense, their elemental shields possessed extremely high magic resistance, drastically weakening the fire attack and allowing them to block the strike completely.
"Tch, here come the troublesome ones." Aiden's gaze sharpened.
The Electro Cicin Mage let out a bell-like giggle. The laughter echoed through the empty temple, carrying a hint of mockery and danger.
The Mist Grass Lantern in her hand swayed gently, and the three Electro Cicins circling her emitted a buzzing hum.
Suddenly, her body transformed into a bolt of purple lightning, vanishing from her spot.
In the next instant, she reappeared without warning behind Lefiya.
"Watch out!"
Aiden and Robin shouted a warning simultaneously.
But Lefiya couldn't react in time.
Teleportation—this incomprehensible method of movement completely defied her expectations.
The Electro Cicin Mage gracefully raised her hand, and the lightning in her lantern flared brilliantly.
A thick bolt of purple lightning crashed down from above, carrying an aura of destruction straight toward the top of Lefiya's head.
Caught off guard, Lefiya's mind went blank. Her body stiffened, unable to even summon the thought of dodging.
However, Aiden had been guarding against this move from the start.
At the same time he shouted the warning, his body was already moving.
The stone slab beneath his feet exploded with a bang as he launched himself like an arrow from a bow, his figure drawing a blurred afterimage through the air.
In the nick of time, just as the lightning was about to strike Lefiya, a strong arm wrapped tightly around her slender waist, pulling her into a roll to the side.
Kaboom—!
The purple lightning struck the spot where Lefiya had just been standing, blasting a large, scorched crater into the hard ancient stone slab and sending gravel flying.
"Are you okay?" Aiden's low voice rang in Lefiya's ear.
Lefiya snapped back to reality, realizing she was being half-held in Aiden's arms in a protective posture.
She could feel the strength and warmth from his arm, as well as a faint masculine scent mixed with fire and sweat.
Her face instantly flushed red.
"I-I'm fine... Thank you..."
Aiden didn't let go. His left arm held her tight, while his right hand slashed forward with his flame-wreathed longsword.
A crimson sword light tore through the air, heading straight for the Electro Cicin Mage who had just attacked and hadn't yet had time to teleport again.
The Electro Cicin Mage's shield, having been bombarded by Lefiya's magic earlier, was already on the verge of collapse.
Against Aiden's strike infused with the power of [Everlasting Flames], the thin lightning shield shattered like fragile glass, turning into a shower of purple light particles.
The Electro Cicin Mage let out a cry of alarm and tried to retreat.
But at that moment, an invisible wind bullet formed of compressed air accurately hit her side.
It was Hyacine's attack.
Within the [Family of Harmony] mental network, Aiden's attack intention had long been transmitted to Hyacine.
She released her magic almost simultaneously with Aiden's sword strike. This wind bullet wasn't meant to deal damage but to break the enemy's balance.
Sure enough, the Electro Cicin Mage staggered, her body stiffening for a split second.
And that second was enough for Aiden.
"It's over."
His cold voice rang out, and the flame sword in his hand pierced through the Electro Cicin Mage's chest without hesitation.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, the fight was equally intense.
Tifa had engaged the Cryo Abyss Mage.
Facing the indestructible ice shield, Tifa didn't choose to meet it head-on.
She pushed her speed advantage to the limit, moving around the Abyss Mage at high velocity like a butterfly dancing on a knife's edge, constantly dodging ice spikes shot from its staff and the freezing aura spreading on the ground.
"Hah!"
Seizing a gap in the Abyss Mage's attacks, Tifa activated her skill [Fighting Spirit Liberation], exploding with a powerful aura.
Her speed increased again, and a continuous barrage of punches and kicks rained down on the ice shield like a storm.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The dense sound of impacts was ceaseless. Ripples appeared on the ice shield, but it held firm without a single crack.
The level difference meant Tifa's physical attacks struggled to break through.
"Resonate!"
Robin's chant rang out, and a sharp sonic shockwave from [Pinion's Aria] shot accurately toward the ice shield.
However, the sonic wave was also absorbed by the thick ice layer, only dimming the shield's light slightly.
Just as the battle fell into a stalemate, a streak of fire descended from the sky.
After saving Lefiya and coordinating with Hyacine to kill the Electro Cicin Mage, Aiden rushed over to support without stopping.
"By this blade's glow, I grasp!"
The second chant of [Everlasting Flames] was complete.
The crimson flames on the longsword in his hand suddenly surged, transforming from a mere coating into a lightsaber composed entirely of ultra-high-temperature fire.
The air around the blade sizzled from the heat, and space itself seemed to distort.
"Move!" Aiden shouted to Tifa through the mental network.
Tifa leaped back without hesitation, putting distance between herself and the Abyss Mage.
The Cryo Abyss Mage seemed to sense the fatal threat. It shrieked, pouring all its magic power into the shield in front of it, causing the ice-blue light to shine brilliantly.
But it was all in vain.
Aiden's figure turned into a straight line of fire, rushing instantly in front of the Abyss Mage.
He raised the flame sword high, then slashed down violently.
With a soft hiss like a hot knife cutting through butter.
The sturdy ice shield, which had withstood Lefiya's wide-area annihilation magic and Tifa's continuous assault, was as fragile as paper before the ultra-high-temperature flame sword, silently split in two.
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