"Hmph, dealing with you will still cause chaos in Mondstadt for a while!"
The Ice Abyss Mage raised its staff, channeling the ice elemental energy.
Yesterday, that idiot Pyro Mage went out and returned to the base, taking their most powerful Hilichurl minion, the Rock Shieldwall Mitachurl, and disappeared to who knows where.
As a result, their recent plan to command the Rock Shieldwall Mitachurl to harass Mondstadt City was delayed again!
Today, the Ice Abyss Mage left the base to find the Pyro Mage and the Rock Shieldwall Mitachurl. Instead, it encountered the seemingly weakened Acting Grand Master.
Kekeke, this is a rare opportunity to take her down!
Oh, and as a bonus, an Honorary Knight. Taking them out would have a greater impact than occasionally harassing Mondstadt and those villages with hilichurls!
The Ice Abyss Mage felt smug. It didn't believe the weakened Acting Grand Master could defeat it.
Large, irregular ice blocks were conjured, falling like meteors towards the pair, only to be easily shredded by the hurricane swirling around Jean.
"Honorary Knight, could you break its elemental shield?"
Jean could use her wind element to forcibly break the Abyss Mage's shield, but she wasn't in the best condition. Nolan, who could use fire elements, was perfect for the task.
Nolan nodded, summoning the Adventurer's Hunting Bow from his Delusion.
Fire elemental energy coated a normal arrow as he aimed at the Abyss Mage.
The Ice Abyss Mage noticed Nolan's actions but dismissed the weak human, thinking he couldn't cause any harm. Those slow arrows could be blocked easily with its staff.
Hmm, deflect with the staff.
Of course, even its elemental shield couldn't be broken, so it wasn't necessary for it to personally intervene.
It arrogantly glanced at Nolan, then continued to nonchalantly gather even larger ice blocks to hurl at the Acting Grand Master.
Though Nolan couldn't see the exact face under the Abyss Mage's mask, he sensed its contempt towards him.
He smiled nonchalantly. Let's show you what a frontal assault means!
Even though you know I'm about to attack, you won't be able to react in time.
Nolan loosened his fingers holding the bowstring slightly, and the fire elemental arrow instantly disappeared into space.
When the Ice Abyss Mage felt like it needed to dodge.
"Pff!"
A burst of flames suddenly exploded in front of it, less than twenty centimeters away, perfectly blocked by its elemental shield.
However, the ice elements of the elemental shield were rapidly depleting.
"Wha?"
The Ice Abyss Mage seemed genuinely surprised.
But Jean wouldn't miss this opportunity.
She raised her fair hand slightly, gathering the whirlwind around her into her palm, then unleashed it like a water cannon, shooting wind elements that collided with Nolan's fire elements.
With the spread of wind elements, the flames blossoming in front of the Abyss Mage instantly engulfed it.
As expected, level sixty-three might be a bit challenging for Nolan, but for Jean, it wasn't much.
The moment the wind elements spread the fire elements, the outcome was sealed.
The Ice Abyss Mage's elemental shield shattered quickly.
"Thud."
A charred figure fell to the ground, landing on the grass.
It should be over, Nolan thought.
The grass and dust stirred by the wind were still floating.
Nolan waited for a while but didn't hear the notification of gaining Adventure EXP for defeating an enemy from his character panel.
This shouldn't be the case. Even if Jean defeated it, he should still gain some Adventure EXP due to his "Honorary Knight" title!
Could it still be alive?!
Nolan could only think of this possibility. He vigilantly kept his eyes on the fallen figure. As the grass and dust gradually settled, his vision cleared.
What appeared before the two of them had the appearance of an Ice Abyss Mage, but its charred body was slowly leaking water underneath.
Just like ice melting under the sun.
Moreover, the arm of this "leaking" Ice Abyss Mage seemed to have fractured upon impact, and the broken edges on both sides were indeed the color of ice.
"Is this... an Ice Elemental Clone?" Nolan pondered for a long time before finally coming up with this name.
"Well, it seems it created a clone with magic just as its elemental shield was about to break, using it to distract us and make its escape," Jean mused with her arms crossed, her beautiful eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Her boots touched the grass, silently brushed by the wind, while the round and distinct lines of her knees, constrained by white tight pants, were visible in the sunlight.
"Ah, it looks like I underestimated it. It actually ran away as soon as it sensed danger!" Nolan's face showed a hint of helplessness.
These Abyss Mages with their teleportation skills were indeed adept at escaping. Right now, he had no means to counter it.
However, Nolan suddenly thought of his spiritual threads.
"If my spiritual power is strong enough, in the future, when encountering these Abyss Mages, could I silently knock them out without needing to break their shields first?"
Hmm... it seemed quite feasible. Looks like he needed to speed up finding ways to enhance his spiritual power.
He also wondered where Lumine and Paimon were now. They should still be some distance from Liyue Harbor since they hadn't been on the road for long.
"No worries, my wind element will leave a mark on it. It ran away at just the right moment. I'll also find their base and clear it out."
Jean didn't seem disappointed by this.
Instead, she slightly lifted the corners of her soft mouth and smiled.
"Oh, as expected of Grand Master Jean, you even had a backup plan!"
Nolan said, pleasantly surprised. It felt like a high-level player carrying a newbie through a dungeon.
"Wait a moment."
Jean closed her eyes gently, focusing on sensing the position of her wind element mark. It wasn't difficult for her.
She quickly reopened her eyes and said, "It's in the direction of Whispering Woods. We must act quickly. Honorary Knight, let's go."
"Understood." Nolan nodded.
Whispering Woods, so this is it.
Could it be that this Ice Abyss Mage and yesterday's Pyro Mage share the same base? Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?
Nolan thought with some surprise.
Whispering Woods, eastern side.
The brilliant sunlight filtered through the branches and fell on the two figures walking slowly. The forest breeze lifted Jean's cape, revealing glimpses of her snow-white skin on her back.
"Let's head this way."
Following Jean's elemental mark, The two of them successfully found the place where the Ice Abyss Mage had ultimately stopped fleeing.
It was a shallow crack in the middle of a mountain wall, appearing completely inconspicuous at first glance.
"It wouldn't have burrowed into the ground, would it?"
Nolan asked with some confusion.
"No, I'm sure my perception isn't wrong. The wind elemental mark is inside."
Jean shook her head, then pressed her fair index finger against her lower lip in thought.
"It's probably an illusion. A casual elemental attack should break it, but it might alert the monsters inside."
(End of Chapter)
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