The surrounding crowd erupted into a clamor.
"Thank the Traveler! That monster nearly bit my arm off!"
"I was terrified! Thank goodness the Traveler was here to help!"
"Traveler!"
"Traveler!"
As if welcoming a hero, the crowd hoisted the Traveler high into the air, catching her repeatedly in a jubilant cycle.
Mualani and Paimon joined in the laughter and celebration.
Lumine, swept up in the festive atmosphere, grinned widely.
Once the celebration subsided, Lumine was set down, and Atea stepped forward. "Though everyone has thanked you countless times already, I must express my gratitude again, Traveler. If not for you... the People of the Springs would have suffered a great calamity."
"You're welcome," Lumine replied. "How are you feeling?"
Atea: "I feel much better, thanks to you. I barely suffered any injuries during the attack. I've been diligently taking the medicine Ishkab gave me. According to her, I'll be able to return to the water in a few more days."
Mualani exclaimed cheerfully, "Knowing Ishkab, her estimates are usually very conservative. You might even be able to go swimming now, Aunt Atea!"
Atea waved her hand dismissively. "Let's not risk it. I don't want to cause any more trouble for Ishkab."
After further discussion, Mualani stepped forward and announced:
"Then I declare—everyone, go back and rest today! We'll reconvene here tomorrow!"
"To celebrate Atea's successful recovery and our victory over the Abyss invasion... and most importantly, to express our gratitude to the Traveler and Paimon, we're going to have a blast tomorrow! Dismissed!"
-
The next day, a large group gathered in the mountain cave, soaking in the hot spring, feasting on delicious food, and chatting animatedly.
Atea removed her shoes and dipped her feet into the hot spring.
Closing her eyes in contentment as she felt the warmth envelop her, Atea sighed in satisfaction.
-
While Lumine and Paimon were enjoying themselves with the People of the Springs, Ishkab, Kachina, Iansan, Chasca, and Kaiulani were locked in a desperate battle against the Abyss on the battlefield.
The five worked seamlessly together, repeatedly repelling the Abyss's onslaught. But as time wore on, they began to sense something was amiss.
There are too many of them! And they seem stronger than before!
Iansan: "Damn it! Something must have gone wrong! How could there be so many of them?!"
Chasca's bow-drawing hand grew weak and numb: "Not only are there more of them, they're stronger too! Their defenses have been reinforced!"
Ishkab fought while keeping a close eye on her teammates, especially Kachina.
This was Kachina's first time participating in the Night Warden Wars, and the fact that she was facing such a crisis on her debut concerned Ishkab. She worried about the potential psychological impact on the young warrior.
But as the battle wore on, Ishkab realized her worries were unfounded.
Despite her young age and small stature, Kachina remained remarkably calm and collected, her movements precise and unhurried even in the heat of combat.
Ishkab secretly marveled. Truly worthy of the title Uthabiti, she thought. The Great Spirit's judgment was unerring.
"This is bad! At this rate, we won't last much longer!" Iansan exclaimed.
Kaiulani gritted her teeth. "We'll last as long as we have to! Even if we die, we'll tear off a piece of their flesh! We still have the Ode of Resurrection!"
Hearing this, Kachina, Chasca, and Iansan surged forward, their Elemental Energy erupting in a torrent.
The Night Warden Wars had never known defeat; they refused to be the first to break that streak.
Bang!
A thunderous crash sent Kachina flying backward. Ishkab caught her securely, noticing blood seeping from her lips—clear signs of internal injuries from the impact.
"Can you still fight?" Ishkab asked urgently.
Kachina forced a nod, wiping away the blood. "I'm fine! I can still fight!"
But her eyes were already beginning to glaze over.
The Abyss's assault showed no signs of weakening; on the contrary, it intensified.
New monsters poured forth, including evolved species capable of wielding multiple elemental powers and possessing grotesquely twisted forms.
Kaiulani roared as she swung her weapon, Ice Elemental Power surging from it. Cryo spikes erupted from the ground, instantly clearing a small area, but more monsters immediately filled the void.
"This can't go on!" she gasped, her breath coming in ragged bursts. "There's no end to their numbers!"
Chasca: "The core is still ahead! We must destroy it completely!"
Chasca's arrows remained unerringly accurate, each one imbued with evil-breaking power, but her arm trembled from the strain of drawing the bow repeatedly.
The cannon had long since ceased functioning due to the prolonged battle, leaving her with only her bow and her own body as weapons. The intense combat had left everyone physically and mentally exhausted.
After firing a rapid volley to cover Iansan's flank, Chasca's movements slowed by a fraction of a second.
A Rift hound suddenly lunged from the shadows, its claws crackling with ominous black energy.
"Watch out!" Iansan cried in alarm, but it was too late.
The hound pounced, pinning Chasca to the ground. The corrosive energy instantly began to seep into her body.
She let out a muffled groan, her eyes flashing with grim determination. With a final surge of Elemental Energy, she plunged an arrow through the monster's core at point-blank range. The creature dissolved.
But Chasca's life force was draining rapidly. Gazing at her comrades, she suddenly charged into the Abyss Monster Tide, drawing every last ounce of Elemental Energy into her body, compressing it to its absolute limit, and then—
BOOM!!!
The explosion Chasca triggered obliterated a wide swath of the battlefield.
Chasca's sacrifice galvanized everyone.
Kaiulani's eyes burned crimson as uncontrolled ice elemental energy surged around her. She had reached her limit:
"For Natlan! For the Night Watchers, who will never fall!"
Abandoning all defense, she channeled her ice elemental energy, entwined with Iansan's Electro, into a devastating charge against the monsters. Swaths of them disintegrated into ash, but Kaiulani's figure was ultimately consumed by the blinding Electro radiance.
Almost simultaneously, Iansan, protecting Kachina as she regained her breath, braced her body against a surprise attack from an Abyss Monster. The monster's weapon pierced her chest, yet she clung fiercely to its limbs, channeling a powerful current of Electro that paralyzed both of them.
"Leave it to you now...!" Iansan gasped, her voice ragged. The Electro light erupted, annihilating both her and her imprisoned foe.
Witnessing the successive loss of her comrades, Kachina's eyes welled with tears for the first time, but they quickly hardened into a resolute glint.
"I will inherit Uthabiti's will!"
Her small frame erupted with astonishing Geo Elemental Power, instantly conjuring a massive shield that separated Ishkab from the remaining monsters.
Ishkab's eyes also burned crimson. Her shuttle, drained of elemental energy, was unusable. Seeing the perfect opportunity Kachina had created, she forced herself to mobilize the remaining elemental energy.
Finally, she discovered the Abyss Core deep behind the monsters!
"At last..."