"Looks like in this situation, we can only fight."
Eula gripped her claymore tightly, standing back to back with Junze.
She wasn't a fool.
Her swordsmanship was indeed exceptional, and she had seen countless battles. But how could she possibly defeat a legion-scale swarm of Geovishaps on her own?
This was no simple one-on-one duel.
This was a tide of Geovishaps rushing forward in groups, their combined strength far beyond mere addition.
Even if she fought until complete exhaustion, she would probably only manage to kill a few dozen at most.
And that was not even considering the king among them the Primo Geovishap.
As for Junze?
Honestly, if not for Eula and the miners still here, the moment he saw so many Geovishaps, he would have used the mission's teleportation mechanism and returned to Yuehai Pavilion for a nap.
Although Taotie was the kind of creature that would eat regardless of danger, Junze still had two large bottles of coconut milk waiting at home.
There was really no need to chew on these crunchy Geovishaps.
"Adeptus, do you need me to cover you while you retreat and bring reinforcements?"
"If you die here, I wouldn't even know who to seek revenge against afterward."
Eula's mentality was truly impressive. Even in such a desperate situation, she could still joke.
Junze felt puzzled.
Had he really earned her grudge that easily?
Had he done something caring toward her?
He had no idea.
And there was no time to dwell on it.
Trail of the Qilin.
Junze's figure turned ghostlike as he began circling rapidly around Eula. One enticing ice lotus after another bloomed around them.
Centered on Eula, frost rapidly spread outward.
The Geovishaps entering the domain were first drawn to the lotuses, approaching to touch or destroy them.
What awaited them afterward was a series of devastating ice explosions.
Eula held her claymore and looked at Junze weaving around her.
She smiled.
"Are you accompanying my dance? You even set up a stage for me."
She assumed her opening stance and began to move slowly.
"To force the daughter of a sinner to perform a dance for you in the midst of such danger, without even asking—"
"That truly suits an Adeptus like you."
"I'll remember this grudge."
Her supple body moved in harmony with the heavy, razor-sharp claymore, gliding across the frozen field Junze had created.
For others, such ice would severely hinder combat.
For Eula, it was the perfect environment.
She began to dance across the ice, her claymore flowing with her movements.
"Ritual of Sacrifice, Third Act: Flickering Candlelight."
Like a white swan, she was elegant and noble.
Her dance was light and graceful. Her steps were as nimble as a swallow in flight. Her body soft as drifting clouds, her arms flexible as if boneless. Each step blossomed like a lotus, like a butterfly fluttering among flowers.
Yet beneath that beauty lay exquisite swordsmanship.
When she reached the edge of the frozen field, facing the massed Geovishaps, her attacks surged forth like crashing waves.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The collision between claymore and Geovishap rang out like waves striking rock.
It was a spectacle to behold.
Junze, meanwhile, was the perfect partner.
Wrapped in swirling black energy like ink in the clouds, he drew large groups of Geovishaps toward the outer edges of the frozen field.
Ice lotuses fell one after another, as if praising Eula.
Each explosion was like applause from an unseen audience.
For a moment, what had been a desperate battlefield transformed into something almost beautiful.
The two of them were born dance partners.
Their control of rhythm and coordination had reached perfection.
This was a feeling Eula had never experienced before.
As she danced amid battle, a smile unknowingly appeared on her lips.
Junze occasionally glanced at her and sighed inwardly.
So beautiful.
While she moved, her gaze followed that drifting black aura around her.
In the eyes of the resolute Spindrift Knight, a hint of gentleness surfaced.
"To have such a dance partner forever… that would be nice."
As a descendant of the disgraced Lawrence Clan, tainted by the sins of the old nobility, Eula had always been rejected and disliked by the people of Mondstadt.
Sometimes merchants would refuse to sell to her, or charge far above market price.
Whenever she passed by, whispers would follow behind her.
In Mondstadt's eyes, she was an outsider. A danger.
After she joined the Knights of Favonius, the suspicion only deepened.
Years of such experiences forced her to build an invisible shield to protect herself from harm.
"Revenge" was the most visible edge of that shield.
Even so, she would not run away. She would atone for her ancestors' sins.
So that one day, the descendants of the Lawrence Clan might truly live in Mondstadt.
But in such circumstances, no one would willingly dance with the descendant of a sinner.
And she herself was unwilling to lower her shield.
To find a suitable dance partner was nearly impossible.
Though this was not a formal ballroom.
Though this aloof Adeptus had no intention of being her partner.
Eula still felt deeply grateful.
"Tide of Ice!"
She shouted.
Like surging waves, Cryo energy burst forth. A massive golden lightblade formed above them.
To sink into the past, to flee into the tides, would be easy.
But Eula would freeze that current.
After accumulating sufficient power, the golden lightblade detonated.
Boom.
Large swathes of Geovishaps were blown apart.
Nearly all those that had just surrounded them were annihilated.
Even the Geovishaps in the rear recoiled in fear, hesitant to advance.
"Wow… that's fierce."
Junze stared in shock.
In reality, Eula did not seem this overwhelmingly powerful. How could she deal such damage?
Could it be that when he used Trail of the Qilin, there was some kind of buff effect?
It felt strange.
Perhaps the technique alone did not grant such effects. But when used around Eula… maybe it did.
"How was this dance?"
Eula finished.
She planted her claymore into the ground and looked at Junze with a radiant smile.
Junze said nothing.
He simply applauded.
That was the most sincere praise for a dancer.
"Thank you for your appreciation."
Eula gave him an elegant noble bow, then lifted her claymore once more and looked toward the approaching Geovishaps.
As she passed by Junze to charge forward, she leaned close to his ear and whispered softly:
"I'll remember this grudge."
To outsiders, it might sound like a threat.
To those who understood her, it was gratitude.
Junze smiled faintly.
"She speaks bluntly, carries herself like an elegant older sister, but she's still a bit of a tsundere."
He followed her back into battle.
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