Wolvendom, by the shores of Cider Lake.
"What's going on?!"
"How can a maid of the Knights of Favonius have this kind of combat power?!"
The Electro Abyss Herald at the front wore a face full of terror.
Before setting out, Aether had warned them again and again—
under no circumstances were they to attempt killing that Mondstadt diplomatic envoy.
The Abyss creatures hadn't taken Lin Mo very seriously.
They thought Aether was exaggerating the strength of that so-called envoy.
Still, they followed his orders.
Their plan had been simple: use numbers to intimidate, not to attack.
Yet who could have imagined—
the moment they began closing in from all directions, intending to block Lin Mo's path,
that seemingly shy and introverted maid would be the first to charge forward, greatsword raised, straight at the Abyss army.
As the dazzling golden blade swept through the air—
one single strike fell.
The aftershock of the sword light severed a cliff spanning over a thousand square meters.
…
The Cryo and Hydro Abyss Mages reacted immediately, launching their spells.
After great effort, they finally managed to encase the maid in solid ice.
But in the next instant, a violent gale erupted across the battlefield.
The entire Abyss legion was dragged toward a swirling Anemo core.
The tearing winds yanked at the elemental shields on the Abyss Mages, forcing different elements into contact.
In the blink of an eye,
amid chaotic winds mixed with multiple elements, the Abyss army collapsed.
Now, even the eight powerful Abyss Heralds were battered and bleeding.
As for the Abyss Mages—
after that single storm swept through,
their elemental shields shattered completely due to violent elemental reactions.
With their shields gone, they were left barely clinging to life.
Lin Mo surveyed the devastated battlefield and nodded in satisfaction.
Mm…
Since the shields are already broken, this is a good chance to let the little maid get some practice.
After all, across all of Teyvat,
aside from the Abyss, it's nearly impossible to encounter a force of this scale.
To help Noelle better learn how to fight multi-element enemies,
he had deliberately and carefully shattered the Abyss Mages' shields himself—
leaving them shieldless, but still capable of fighting.
If Lin Mo had gone all out,
the storm combined with high-frequency elemental reactions would've killed these Abyss Mages a hundred times over.
Turning his head, Lin Mo said,
"Noelle, fighting the Abyss is a rare opportunity for training."
"I've already taken care of their elemental shields for you."
"The rest is up to you."
"Learn from this. If I'm not around next time and you get frozen again, no one will be there to save you."
His tone was calm, earnest.
…
"Yes!"
Noelle's clear, bright eyes ignited with fierce resolve.
"Please trust me, sir! I won't make the same mistake again!"
As she spoke, she tightened her grip on the Favonius Greatsword,
looking as though she might charge at the Abyss army at any second.
"Wait! We mean no harm! We were only ordered to block your advance!"
The leading Abyss Herald hurriedly tried to explain.
"I don't care whether you mean harm or not!"
Lin Mo's tyrant nature showed itself once more.
"All of you are going to behave and serve as sparring partners for my student! Otherwise, not a single one of you is leaving!"
"You—!"
The Abyss Herald was left speechless.
Sparring partners?
Without shields, that maid's glowing blade could take a life with every swing!
At that moment—
The Favonius Greatsword in Noelle's hands burst forth once more with blazing Geo light.
Her figure shot forward again, charging straight at the Abyss army.
"Get up! All of you! Stop that maid!"
At the Abyss Herald's command,
the weakened Abyss Mages struggled back to their feet.
Pyro. Cryo. Electro. Hydro.
Four elements flared brilliantly across the battlefield.
Noelle's gaze sharpened.
She broke into a sprint, heading straight for the Cryo and Hydro Abyss Mages.
She knew—
those two elements posed the greatest threat to her mobility,
capable of locking her in place with freezing effects.
If she eliminated them,
no one on the battlefield would be able to stop her.
"Boom!!"
"Rumble—!!!"
Thunderous explosions rang out one after another.
Each roar marked the death of another Abyss Mage.
Unlike before,
Noelle no longer fought recklessly.
Water bubbles.
Ice spikes.
All of them were deftly avoided through agile, precise movement.
…
"Rumble—!"
"Boom!"
The earth itself trembled beneath the golden greatsword as it smashed down.
Watching Noelle move with ever-growing agility—
her footwork sharper, her attacks more refined even under the combined assault of the Abyss army—
a look of pride surfaced in Lin Mo's eyes.
"Noelle… she's already become a knight who can stand on her own."
Raising this walking war machine had filled Lin Mo with an immense sense of accomplishment.
At the same time, he felt quietly relieved.
It was fortunate he had reached the Stormterror's Lair first and encountered these Abyss creatures.
Otherwise, Lumine and the Knights of Favonius would surely have faced a brutal battle—
and the course of events might have been altered entirely.
…
…
Amid the deafening thunder of combat,
the battlefield soon lay in ruins.
Abyss Mages—annihilated.
Abyss Heralds—all severely wounded.
If not for their powerful elemental shields activating after sustaining heavy injuries,
they would've joined the Abyss Mages as corpses strewn across the ground.
But now, the light on Noelle's greatsword was fading fast.
Lin Mo knew—
her Elemental Burst was about to end.
Yet eight Abyss Heralds still stood before her.
Just as Lin Mo considered stopping the fight there—
"So scary… Did Noelle really do all of this?"
Paimon's awed voice drifted down from the sky.
Lin Mo looked up.
The Knights of Favonius were descending slowly from above,
riding the currents of wind summoned by Venti.
--------
T/N:
You'll also get 5 extra chapters just for being a free member!
Access 40 chapters in advance on my Patreon : [email protected]/furinaimpact