Boom!
The body of the large Pyro Slime suddenly swelled—
Then exploded.
The shockwave shook the nearby mountain walls, sending fragments of rock raining down.
Noelle and Barbara, who hadn't managed to retreat far enough, dropped flat onto the ground.
Behind them, several rising Geo stone walls were blasted apart.
Barbara quickly stood up and patted her chest.
"Thank goodness… we're safe."
She hurried over and helped Noelle up.
"Let me heal you."
Noelle's Geo shield couldn't withstand many direct hits from the slimes.
After it broke, she had relied on her sword—and even her own body—to block attacks.
Her stamina was almost gone.
Bruises showed through the torn parts of her knight uniform.
Fortunately, the slimes' strongest weapon—their flames—had been suppressed by Barbara's Hydro attacks.
After the slimes died, ley line energy flowed into them.
Barbara received most of it.
Her level jumped from Lv5 → Lv7, even surpassing Noelle by one level.
"We should leave here first."
Jiang Chen said.
He bent down and lifted Noelle in his arms, carrying her to the shadow beneath a cliff wall.
Meanwhile Paimon collected the dropped Slime Condensate.
Diluc peeked out from their hiding place.
Above the mountain path floated an enemy.
A Cryo Abyss Mage, shield active, scanning the area.
It had been attracted by the slime explosion.
"We need to kill it first."
Diluc whispered.
The presence of Abyss Mages here was alarming.
If it began commanding monsters to surround them—
They might not survive Stormbearer Mountains.
"I'll scout it."
After the Abyss Mage blinked away, Diluc quietly followed.
Tracking the elemental traces left in the air.
Lumine blinked.
"Was that…"
Seeing Diluc so cautious was rare.
Jiang Chen explained quietly.
"That's an Abyss Mage."
"They're enemies of humanity and can command monsters."
"If you encounter one, eliminate it immediately."
"If they target you, they'll set traps from the shadows."
He then glanced toward Noelle.
"You okay?"
"Just minor injuries."
Noelle said calmly.
"With Barbara here, it's nothing serious."
"Then we stay here until Diluc returns."
Jiang Chen decided.
They waited.
And waited.
Until evening approached.
Finally Diluc returned.
"I found their camp."
He said quietly.
"It used to belong to an adventuring party or the Knights of Favonius."
"Now it's occupied by the Abyss Mage and a group of hilichurls."
He listed them:
11 hilichurls
1 samachurl
1 Mitachurl wielding an axe
"You scouted the path?"
"Yeah."
"And cleared some obstacles on the way."
Jiang Chen then looked toward Noelle.
"Feeling better?"
The maid knight had already put her armor back on.
"I'm ready."
She answered firmly.
"Good."
"Let's move."
Night travel was possible now that Diluc had secured a safe path.
Following the marks he left earlier, they eventually reached a hillside.
Diluc gestured.
Everyone lay down.
From the hill they looked into the valley below.
It was a shallow basin.
A small puddle reflected the moonlight.
Growing beside it was a rare plant.
Mist Flower Corolla
Every so often it released freezing mist, forming a square sheet of ice on the water.
The plant was very valuable.
Paimon had already locked onto it with greedy eyes.
Beside the flower floated the Cryo Abyss Mage.
Around the firelight at the water's edge lay sleeping hilichurls.
Just as Diluc had described.
The Abyss Mage was Lv18.
But Jiang Chen's attention focused on something else.
A huge monster sleeping nearby.
The Mitachurl.
Lv22.
Over two meters tall, it sat sleeping near the abandoned human camp.
Two shield hilichurls guarded it—also dozing.
The group communicated silently by writing in the dirt.
Jiang Chen pointed.
"Lumine. Noelle."
He wrote.
"Deal with the Hydro Samachurl."
"Just interrupt its chant."
"Barbara stays hidden and supports you."
"Diluc and I kill the Abyss Mage first."
"Then we return to help."
He added one more note:
"The Mitachurl sleeps deeply."
"It won't join the fight immediately."
"Understood."
Everyone nodded.
Jiang Chen and Diluc slipped down opposite sides of the basin.
They charged the Abyss Mage from both directions.
The sudden attack startled it awake.
Its Cryo shield flickered violently.
Nearly shattered.
With a flash—
The Abyss Mage teleported onto a nearby ridge.
It raised its ley line branch staff and shrieked.
"Gaa—Gaa—Ji!"
The sleeping hilichurls woke instantly.
At the same time three ice spikes formed beside the mage.
They shot toward the attackers.
Diluc stepped forward.
"Searing Onslaught!"
Flames burst from his claymore.
The fire blade shattered the ice spikes instantly.
His sword slammed into the Cryo shield.
Jiang Chen followed.
Using his familiar technique—
A sweeping Anemo slash.
The elemental reaction shattered the mage's shield completely.
The ambush had been planned.
The Abyss Mage had no time to react.
Meanwhile in the valley—
Lumine and Noelle fought back-to-back.
Hilichurls surrounded them.
They were already weaker individually.
And heavily outnumbered.
To make matters worse—
Ice arrows occasionally shot in from outside the battlefield.
Frost spread across Noelle's sword and hands.
Her movements slowed.
Her Geo shield had already shattered.
Several blows had struck her armor.
Fortunately the Hydro Samachurl had targeted Barbara instead.
Water pillars erupted from the ground as Barbara ran desperately to avoid them.
If those attacks hit Lumine or Noelle—
They would lose combat ability instantly.
"Will they make it back in time?"
Noelle asked.
She raised her sword to block another club strike.
Another hit slammed into her shoulder armor.
Her arm went numb.
"They will."
Lumine said confidently.
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