"Dragged everyone down again"
Barefoot, wrapped only in a tattered black leather robe, the elven girl's voice was heavy with gloom.
As Lefiya stared at the fierce battle raging ahead, feeling the tremors beneath her feet, she reminded herself again and again not to be dead weight, yet her legs still trembled uncontrollably.
No matter what I tell myself, the fear swelling inside refuses to fade.
Just like back when I adventured with Miss Ais… I can't do anything now either.
All she could do was watch.
Again…
And when she realized she didn't have to fight, and didn't have to face those terrifying monsters, she actually felt relieved.
I'm so useless. Completely useless. I can't do anything.
The thought stung sharper than any wound.
If not for Aether saving her earlier, he never would have been swallowed by the Worm Well, dragged down into this treacherous Deep Floor.
And he was Orario's rising star, the rookie who had reached Level 2 in just a single week.
If he were to die because of her…
On the small scale, Lefiya knew she'd be wracked with guilt forever.
But on a larger scale… it could even spark a war between Orario's two greatest Familias.
All because of me…
"No. I won't let that happen."
"For everyone's sake… I–I have to… pull myself together…"
Biting her lip, Lefiya tightened her grip on her staff, Forest's Tear. She struggled to steady her heartbeat, which was racing wildly from fear.
She pounded her trembling thighs with clenched fists, leaving faint red marks on her pale skin.
It didn't help.
Then,
"If we run into monsters, just chant your spells freely. I'll protect you."
The sudden memory, paired with his calm smile and slightly narrowed eyes, washed over her.
That gentle, familiar tone…
Her chaotic, suffocating thoughts were swept clean in an instant.
Shame bloomed so strong she wished she could bury her face in her chest, yet her mind was crystal clear.
So light…
BOOM!
The serpent slammed into the cliff, forcing Xiao and Xingqiu to teleport away.
The shockwave knocked Lefiya off her feet.
And just like that, the illusion broke.
No, my body isn't light at all!
But her thoughts were no longer clouded.
…At least, not for now.
"What a strange feeling…"
For the first time in a long while, the elf girl felt no fear.
She was a gifted mage, believed by her peers to have potential even beyond Riveria herself.
Such talents must learn to seize fleeting chances, or they'd never grow.
And right now… Lefiya did just that.
She steadied her breath. She knew exactly what she had to do.
[Proud warrior, snipers of the forest. Take up your bows before the advancing plunderers. ]
"Hm?"
Both the Traveler Twins and the Genshin spirits possessed Elemental Sight, able to read the flows of energy around them.
Aether, Lumine, Xiao, Xingqiu, and Diona all had theirs open, eyes locked on the Worm Well's weak points.
But the truth was…
Their earlier tactic of attacking from within its belly had only worked due to special circumstances.
This monster, a potential Level 4 threat, and a colossal one at that, wouldn't fall so easily.
Monsters of the Deep were frighteningly intelligent.
The Worm Well only burrowed upward because it knew going deeper meant certain death.
It would never dare charge into the Throne Hall to face a Floor Boss.
And after losing an eye, it had grown extremely wary of Freeze Reactions.
That was why the four-man squad still hadn't managed to defeat it.
But now…
[Answer the call of your brethren and ready your arrows. Tinge them with flame, the lamplight of the forest. …]
Though her voice didn't reach the battlefield, the violent surge of mana from Lefiya's chant did.
So much power, far beyond a typical Level 3 threat, drew every eye.
The Worm Well's remaining pupil locked onto her.
She must be eliminated first!
"ROOOAR!"
Ignoring Aether's group, it coiled its titanic body like a drill, no, like a massive tunneling machine, and charged straight for her.
Lefiya's eyes squeezed shut from the moment her chant began.
Maybe from fear of failing again. Maybe from lack of experience.
[Release them, the fire arrows of the fairies. Falling like rain, burn away the savages]
The ground trembled harder and harder.
The deafening rumble drew closer.
She nearly broke. Nearly gave up again.
But then,
"No matter what, never look away from your enemy."
The gentle voice whispered in her ear.
Her feet suddenly left the ground.
She opened her eyes on instinct.
The first thing she saw was the sharp, beautiful profile of the young adeptus.
Then she realized,
She was in the air.
And below,
BOOOOM!
The spot she'd just been standing in was annihilated by the serpent's strike.
Terror lingered in her chest.
But,
[Fusillade Fallarica!!!]
Her eyes blazed with resolve.
At her final chant, her trigger word, dozens of crimson magic circles bloomed around her and Xiao.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Fiery bolts streaked downward like a torrential downpour.
If Aether remembered right, this barrage was strong enough to fell a Cannon Dragon from the 58th Floor.
Perfect for the Worm Well.
"HISSSSSSSS!"
Sensing imminent death, the beast panicked.
It tried to flee.
But,
[Target confirmed,]
[Rain Cutter, Unleash!]
Aether had already anticipated this.
As Xiao whisked Lefiya into the air, Diona lost her charged Cryo arrow.
Meanwhile, Xingqiu, positioned directly above the serpent, activated Guhua Sword: Raincutter, sending down three Hydro swords in a crushing assault.
The Worm Well's size, its greatest weapon, became its fatal flaw.
The Freeze Reaction lasted only a heartbeat, but,
"Wind converges… though this isn't my skill."
Anemo Conversion, Cryo.
SWIRL!!!
A third of the serpent's body flash-froze under a thick layer of frost.
Aether wasted no time.
He soared higher with his Pseudo Wind King Barrier and wings, pulling Xingqiu back with him.
And then,
Lefiya released her firestorm, deliberately avoiding Aether's flight path.
KABOOOOOM!!!
The sky rained fire.
The Worm Well was engulfed completely.
Smoke and flames blanketed the battlefield.
But this time, there was no "smoke without fire."
The monster's core magic stone shattered.
It didn't even manage a final scream before,
WHOOOOSH!!!
Its body exploded into a massive cloud of black mist.
Nothing remained.
Not even ash.
=============
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