A deafening explosion rocked the entire valley.
A miniature red mushroom cloud, emblazoned with a four-leaf clover pattern, billowed up from beneath Slad'ran's feet.
A violent surge of Fire elements unleashed a scorching shockwave, instantly vaporizing the swirling snow into dense white mist.
The scalding steam, carried by the blast wave, plastered everyone nearby.
Slad'ran's colossal body was instantly engulfed by the crimson, tyrannical force.
"AWOOO—!!!"
Its heart-wrenching roar, stripped of its earlier arrogance, was now nothing but pure agony.
As the flames subsided, Slad'ran's figure reappeared.
Its rock-hard blue skin was riddled with charred cracks, and the air reeked of burnt flesh.
The leg that had taken the direct hit was a mangled mess of torn flesh, revealing the bone beneath.
Gushing blood evaporated before it could even touch the ground, consumed by the lingering flames dancing on the wound.
These eerie flames didn't grow larger, yet they clung to it like maggots burrowing into bone.
No matter how Slad'ran's internal healing energy surged, it not only failed to extinguish the fire but seemed to fuel it, making it burn even brighter.
The wound's healing slowed to a near standstill.
"Sis... you call this magic?"
Lin Xiyue wiped the melted snow from her face, completely dumbfounded.
"Did you smuggle this contraband out of some armory?!"
"I thought when you transformed into a Witch, you'd at least chant some world-destroying Forbidden Spell. But you just pulled out a bomb and threw it?"
"You're no Witch—you're clearly an Arms Queen!"
Su Wan silently pressed a hand to her forehead, a deep sense of helplessness flickering in her cool eyes.
Her gaze shifted back and forth between Slad'ran's mangled leg and Lin Qingyue, who was once again spreading her arms wide and breaking into her "airplane run."
Even though I've seen it many times, Qingyue's ability to turn a serious battlefield into a cartoon always forces me to reconstruct my entire worldview.
In the distance, Xia Lian had completely given up on thinking.
She found Lin Qingyue's "Da Da Da" running style more mentally damaging than the troll's roars.
The intense secondhand embarrassment made her want to dig a hole in the snow, bury herself, and erect a tombstone.
"Wh-what in the world... is that thing...?"
The distant Elven Officer's voice trembled.
The Mages and Rangers beside him, and even the Trolls on the opposing side, all froze.
Everyone stared blankly at the screaming Troll Chieftain, then at the girl in the oversized red children's outfit, her face beaming with an innocent smile. Collectively, they began to question their very existence.
Magic Bombs? Silvermoon City's Alchemy Workshops were full of them.
But a single-handed, throwable one that could make a high-tier Troll Chieftain howl in agony... that was unheard of!
Lin Qingyue herself, however, was experiencing an unprecedented sense of joy.
Whoa, this feeling...
She looked down at her fair, slender hands, feeling a pure, ultimate happiness welling up from the depths of her soul.
It wasn't the satisfaction of a successful scheme, nor the achievement of victory in battle.
It was the simple, childlike delight of "throwing something fun and watching it go BOOM."
So this is how happy Klee's world is?
The corners of Lin Qingyue's mouth lifted uncontrollably.
That settles it! Since I've got this rare opportunity, it'd be a crime not to go all out! Later, if Xiyue and the others ask, I'll just say the Heroic Spirit's personality was too strong and it influenced me! Perfect!
With that thought, Lin Qingyue completely dropped all pretense and let herself go wild!
As if grabbing candy from a jar, she reached behind her back, pulled another bright red Bunny-Ear Bomb from her small backpack, and casually tossed it.
"ROOOAR!!!"
The excruciating pain completely incinerated what little sanity Slad'ran had left.
Its giant eyes instantly filled with blood-red fury, and a savage killing intent erupted like a volcano.
It no longer cared about the tin can that could only scratch it.
With all the venom in its being, it locked onto the red figure that had inflicted such agony.
Kill her!
Slad'ran let out a roar that shook the valley. Dragging its injured leg, it charged toward Lin Qingyue like an out-of-control siege beast.
With every step, the earth groaned in protest.
"Sis! It's charging at you!"
Lin Xiyue's heart tightened. She immediately raised her shield, about to rush forward to intercept.
"Stay back!"
Lin Qingyue shouted without turning back, her clear, loli-like voice brimming with irrepressible excitement.
"This is a game of hide-and-seek between me and the big guy! You guys just watch from the sidelines!"
Are you kidding me? Today, I'm Mondstadt's strongest fighter! Kiting a BOSS is a piece of cake!
"Have a taste of Mondstadt's local specialty!"
With a flick of her wrist, she sent the red bomb soaring through the air in a graceful arc. Like a mischievous red elf, it landed precisely in Slad'ran's charging path.
By now, Slad'ran had developed a physiological fear of the device. Seeing the red light fall, it instinctively tried to slam on the brakes and swerve.
But its massive size and injured leg turned the maneuver into a catastrophic brake failure.
BOOM!
Another deafening explosion.
The bomb detonated beside its other, uninjured leg, once again spraying a mist of blood into the air.
Slad'ran's charge instantly devolved into a clumsy stumble, its speed plummeting.
"Hehe, can't catch me! Nyah nyah nyah!"
Lin Qingyue spread her arms and broke into a series of gleeful, chaotic little skips, maintaining a perfectly safe distance from Slad'ran at all times.
She'd run a few steps, turn back to make a face at the troll, and casually toss a bomb over her shoulder.
Run a few more steps, then shout in a voice so cheerful it was infuriating, "Keep it up, big guy! Did you skip breakfast?"
Then, another bomb.
A bizarre scene unfolded on the battlefield.
A troll chieftain the size of a hill, dragging two smoking, injured legs, was furiously chasing a girl in a red children's dress with a constipated-looking gait.
And that girl, hopping around like a happy rabbit and humming an off-key tune, would occasionally glance back to toss another exploding red toy.
"Come and get me, come and get me! If you catch me, I'll let you... hehehe, eat another Jumpy Dumpty!"
BOOM!
BOOM!
The explosions echoed relentlessly, accompanied by Slad'ran's mounting, impotent fury.
"Sister Qingyue... Is she kiting the BOSS?"
Xia Lian had given up digging her hole. She stared blankly at the scene, muttering to herself.
Professional Rangers often used speed and traps to control dangerous monsters, a process fraught with tension and peril.
But Lin Qingyue...
This wasn't a tense battle; it was a bratty kid teasing her clumsy, oversized pet dog in a park!
And a particularly clumsy one at that!
"Her mental state... seems even more hyperactive than before?"
"It must be the influence of the summoned Heroic Spirit," Su Wan said, calmly waving her staff.
Ice spikes erupted from the ground, constantly creating obstacles at Slad'ran's feet.
She played her support role perfectly, creating an even more comfortable "dog-walking" environment for Lin Qingyue.
"I'm guessing the Heroic Spirit's original self was probably... a mentally immature demolition maniac."
Her analysis was sharp, but inwardly, she thought, This feeling of complete freedom, of not caring what anyone thinks... It's actually... kind of fun, isn't it?
"Sis, you've completely let loose!"
"You put on the kid's outfit, and now you're acting just like one!"
Lin Xiyue simply put away her weapon, hugged her shield, and looked like she was about to pull out a magical glow stick to cheer for her sister.
"Sis! Bomb his left leg! It's faster! Yes, yes, now the right leg! Bombing the middle leg works too!"
I get it now. So this is the joy of smurfing? It's so simple and pure!
Lin Qingyue felt she had truly reached a state of "Oneness with the Bombs."
Slad'ran's health steadily dropped under the relentless bombardment.
Its vaunted regeneration ability was completely suppressed.
Its strength and defense seemed laughably weak against absolute mobility and firepower.
After taking more than a dozen Jumpy Dumpties, Slad'ran finally stopped.
It felt the wavering, confused, and even pitying gazes of its clansmen behind it.
It hadn't been defeated.
It had been toyed with in front of all its subordinates until it suffered a mental breakdown!
It, the Chieftain of the Frostjaw Clan, had become a laughingstock!
"Enough! You damned little insect!"
Slad'ran's massive body trembled violently with extreme rage and humiliation.
It threw its head back and roared, a torrent of black-red berserk energy erupting from its body, staining the surrounding ice and snow a foul, corrupted color.
It was burning its own life force!
Yet its eyes were colder and calmer than ever, filled with the desperate madness of a gambler.
It was certain that its powerful physique could withstand the backlash of this life-or-death strike, at worst suffering heavy injuries.
But this little red figure before it? A mere graze from this power would instantly reduce her to ash!
This was its only chance to reclaim its honor!
"I, Slad'ran! Will use your bones! To crush your soul—!"
However, faced with the BOSS's ultimate berserk rage—a gamble of dignity and life—Lin Qingyue simply stopped.
Her eyes lit up as if she were gazing upon the most perfect work of art.
"Wow! Look, look! He's glowing!"
Her voice brimmed with childlike delight, as if the deadly berserk energy wasn't a threat but neon lights illuminating a festival.
"He's provided the most magnificent stage backdrop for my grand finale!"
Lin Qingyue spun around abruptly, spreading her arms wide.
Like a troupe conductor standing center stage, her face bore a smile both innocent and utterly insane as she shouted to everyone:
"Xiyue! Su Wan! Xia Lian! And all you spectators watching from afar, listen up!"
"Step back! Further back!"
"I'm about to set off the biggest, most beautiful firework to send this big guy on his way!"
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Spy-Art is an EXPLOSION!