"Are you two alright!?" Eula quickly arrived beside the two after hearing the sound.
"We're fine…" Amber shook her head, looking ahead with a grave expression.
Standing there was a monster extremely similar to the Cryo Hilichurl Armor King, except its entire body was brown, covered in hard, rock-like material.
"What is this?" Aether asked the two curiously.
It looked very much like a Cryo Hilichurl Armor King, but unlike the Cryo Hilichurl Armor King, its entire body was composed of grayish-brown rock, its surface covered with cracks and uneven textures, and its head wore a huge stone helmet.
Somewhat ruining the atmosphere, a Knights of Favonius standard arrow was stuck in that stone helmet.
Clearly, it was the one Aether had accidentally shot moments ago.
"Hilichurl Stonehide Lawachurl?! How could this thing appear here?" Eula took out her greatsword, speaking with an equally grave expression.
The Hilichurl Stonehide Lawachurl, like the Cryo Hilichurl Armor King, was a very rare individual among the Hilichurl tribe.
However, perhaps because Liyue's Geo element was more abundant, Hilichurl Stonehide Lawachurls generally operated within Liyue and rarely appeared in Mondstadt.
Let alone coming near Springvale.
It was impossible for such a large monster to secretly sneak here.
"You two be careful, there's something else behind it." Aether frowned, pulled out her baseball bat, and walked in front of the two.
The Hilichurl Stonehide Lawachurl's crimson eyes were fixed on the three of them. The wild boar, which had been in the middle of the three, had died long ago under the Hilichurl Stonehide Lawachurl's roar.
It must have been startled awake by the sudden loud noise in its sleep, and upon waking, it didn't even distinguish directions, crashing headfirst into a tree.
"Is that… the Abyss Order??" Amber's eyes widened. Three Abyss Mages of different elements floated behind the Hilichurl Stonehide Lawachurl. At the same time, countless Hilichurls surrounded the three in the darkness.
"Amber, did you bring a distress signal device?" Eula turned her head and quietly asked Amber.
The current situation was probably beyond their ability to resolve. The countless Hilichurls were manageable, but the problem lay with the three Abyss Mages and that Hilichurl Stonehide Lawachurl.
If they didn't handle it well, all three of them might get injured.
"It's back at the campsite," Amber sighed, saying with some hesitation.
Going hunting with Aether, she had never expected such a thing to happen.
"It seems we can only rely on ourselves…" Eula also sighed, gripping the greatsword in her hand.
No one had expected to encounter such enemies here.
If it were ordinary Knights of Favonius, facing these enemies, they might have already met their end here.
But with their strength, at least breaking through was still possible.
"Ahem, no need to be nervous. I'll handle that big guy." Aether lightly coughed, weighed her baseball bat, and walked straight towards the Hilichurl Stonehide Lawachurl in front.
Also a "King" tier, the Hilichurl Stonehide Lawachurl shouldn't be much stronger than the Cryo Hilichurl Armor King.
Last time, that Cryo Hilichurl Armor King couldn't even withstand one of her attacks. This Hilichurl Stonehide Lawachurl… she hoped its rock body was harder than ice.
"I'll leave the small fries to you two."
"What?! Wait—" Just as Eula's words fell, Aether charged straight towards the Hilichurl Stonehide Lawachurl.
"Roar!!" The Hilichurl Stonehide Lawachurl had stood in place waiting for a long time. As Aether charged, the few Abyss Mages around it finally gave the command to attack.
It seemed they were deliberately waiting for Aether to make the first move.
"Damn it, Amber, quickly support her!" Eula gritted her teeth, told Amber, and then moved, intending to go to Aether's side.
"I understand!" Amber drew her bow and nocked an arrow, already imbued with Pyro element.
Unfortunately, the two were blocked by several Mitachurls.
Eula had no choice but to stop her movements, raising her greatsword to block the axes falling from two Mitachurls.
And all the Hilichurls around them seemed to have conspired, charging towards the two, brandishing crude weapons.
Seeing this, Amber had no choice but to first shoot the already charged arrow at the two Mitachurls stalemating Eula, then put away her bow, and pulled out a Baron Bunny.
"Baron Bunny, sortie!"
-
"Watch closely, record the entire process of her upcoming battle." The blond-haired young man stood with his arms crossed, looking into the distance.
"Yes, Your Highness," a monster that was entirely red with disc-like decorations on its back said respectfully.
However, unfortunately, this so-called entire battle process was actually only for a fleeting moment.
Neither the Hilichurl Stonehide Lawachurl nor the three Abyss Mages, who had made all sorts of preparations, were a match for that Damselette in a single blow.
The lightning on the baseball bat briefly illuminated the forest, and then only the fallen corpse of the Hilichurl Stonehide Lawachurl remained, along with three Abyss Mages annihilated in the aftermath.
The Damselette seemed to have used considerable force, purely for a quick resolution.
A large section of the surrounding trees had fallen.
"...Such terrifying power." The blond-haired young man frowned, remaining silent for a long time before finally speaking.
"Enjou, can you tell what exactly she is?"
He had begun to doubt the Damselette's species.
"Your Highness, I think physiologically, she should still be a human," the entirely red monster said, stroking its chin.
Although he also didn't think that was power a human could wield, at least... she was a humanoid creature, wasn't she?
"I also don't know how such an existence appeared in this world," the young man's frown deepened.
Especially since this Damselette was active around his own sister, which made him very uneasy.
"Your Highness, it would be best not to make an enemy of her for now. To eliminate her, we might have to pay a considerable price," the red monster suggested.
The Abyss Order currently had no conflict with that Damselette. For now, it was better to keep a respectful distance.
"As for your blood relative... according to my intelligence, her relationship with your blood relative is extraordinary. She will at least not have any ill intentions towards that person."
"..." The young man said nothing, merely silently watching the three who had already dealt with all the monsters and successfully regrouped in the distance.
"But, having such a person exist is definitely a hidden danger."
No conflict for now didn't mean she and the Abyss would be able to coexist peacefully in the future.
"Your... Your Highness, be careful!!" The red monster's voice was distorted, but its movements were not slow.
The moment it noticed the baseball bat flying from a distance, it immediately shattered space.
The blond-haired young man also quickly hid within that Akasha, disappearing along with the red monster.
They very narrowly dodged the lightning-flashing baseball bat.
Unfortunately, the small cliff and the other few Abyss Mages were not so lucky.
Under the immense power, besides the huge explosion sound from hitting the cliff, those Abyss Mages didn't even have time to scream.
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