Something built on a structure completely unlike Originium slugs instantly sparked Bai Ling's curiosity.
But judging by their reactions, there was no chance of taking any of them alive.
"Eyjafjalla—back left, the biggest one! The one that's clearly limping. The Originium ore in its rear leg is defective—break that section directly. It won't have time to repair it!"
The moment Bai Ling spoke, firelight spilled from the tip of Eyjafjalla's staff. She easily established a brief isolation zone, then snapped her gaze to the Angel he'd indicated.
Just as Bai Ling said: compared to the rest of its body—structures already hardened and fixed in place—its massive hind leg looked like loose rubble.
Eyjafjalla seized the timing. A faint glint of flame flashed in her eyes.
A detonation followed.
There was no audible sound, yet the shockwave itself made the trio's eardrums tremble.
The enormous bestial Angel had its hind leg blown off in an instant. It collapsed, nearly limp on the ground, and its soundless howl exceeded the upper limit of what humans could perceive.
But in that same moment, it sprawled its forelegs wide—its head left completely unguarded, exposing a fatal opening.
"Now!"
Fire surged up from the center of its body, illuminating the area. Even a body built of Originium ore couldn't withstand that heat—its frame glowing red-hot before crumbling into dust.
On the other side, Eldera swung her staff with visible restraint.
A massive heavy-spike Angel—scorpion-like—could sweep its tail once and effortlessly neutralize anything unfavorable within several meters.
And the natural resistance from its Originium body weakened Eldera's attacks significantly.
"Eldera—its tail is overflowing with Originium energy. It's about to pop its ultimate. Move!"
The giant scorpion tail shone red; the energy inside had already finished condensing.
That kind of stored force meant violent kinetic output—if you weren't built like an athlete, you wouldn't take a hit and stay standing.
The instant she followed the call, a huge energy fluctuation propagated—two heavy impacts landing at the spot Eldera had occupied a heartbeat earlier.
The tail swing had been a feint.
The real kill-zone was the shockwave carried through energy conduction.
"…Its weak point is the joint where the tail connects. After that over-limit energy transfer just now, that spot is brittle!"
Bai Ling had barely finished when Eldera counterattacked in one smooth motion.
"Mr. Dori—please!"
The pink lamb burst forward, slamming down hard on the heavy-spike Angel's tail joint—right where it hadn't managed to retract in time.
Dust exploded outward, and the sound of the massive barbed tail crashing into the ground rang out together.
Stripped of its most powerful weapon, the heavy-spike Angel was nothing but a toothless tiger. Eldera shattered it with ease.
With the two most threatening Angel leaders eliminated, what remained were only common Angels, smaller than a human.
Firelight and a green, springlike breeze swept through them—and they dispersed into red powder that drifted away and vanished.
Honestly… the instant they dissolved, it was beautiful.
Feeling as if his body had lost a little more strength, Bai Ling stared at the scorpion tail as it slowly cracked and sank into the earth, his mood complicated.
"Hah… hah… hah… Is it always this dangerous here? Still—judging from the energy fluctuations just now, there shouldn't be any major threats nearby…"
He took a few heavy breaths. The pressure of stamina drain left him mildly uncomfortable—but like he'd said before, now wasn't the time to rest.
Bai Ling turned toward the direction where he'd first sensed the abnormal fluctuation.
A strange blood-colored power was spreading high in the distant sky, as if preparing to aggregate—and from this highland, they could faintly make out something standing up over there.
It was unsettling.
"Senior."
"…Hm?"
He turned. It was Eyjafjalla calling him.
"…When I use Originium Arts—does it affect you?"
She lowered her head and spoke softly. When she finished, those jewel-like eyes fixed on Bai Ling, full of confusion… and guilt.
"It doesn't affect me much. Don't worry."
Servants drawing magical energy from their Master had limits. The problem was: neither of them knew how to measure that limit yet.
"Okay."
Obedient and quiet, Eyjafjalla naturally took position at Bai Ling's side—like a small bodyguard.
Off to one side, Eldera couldn't quite describe the feeling twisting in her chest.
She'd watched "herself" care about someone else—except this "herself" was a version even more complete than she was.
As for Bai Ling… since he'd arrived on the Dijiang months ago, Eldera had been curious about him.
He seemed to know far too much. And she'd wanted to get answers from him—answers about her past that weren't just memory fragments, but something grounded in lived experience.
Meeting "herself" like this… that was entirely beyond expectation.
Compared to that "self," Eldera, as Eldera, could clearly sense how different "Eyjafjalla" was from her.
So… for reasons she couldn't explain…
She found herself envying Eyjafjalla.
Eyjafjalla had truly lived those memories—good or bad. And memory was one of the most essential things that made a person who they were.
"Eldera."
"…Ah?"
The call came so abruptly she almost answered blankly.
Bai Ling didn't explain right away. He just looked into Eldera's pretty face, helplessness in his eyes.
"'Eldera.'"
He emphasized the name, then stepped closer.
When Eldera raised her head, it wasn't Bai Ling in front of her—
It was Eyjafjalla's gaze: those gemstone-red eyes nearly identical to her own.
They held concern and worry… and a kind of gentle warmth.
"If you want to rest a little… that's okay too, you know?"
Her voice was soft, unbearably comforting—so comforting that even Eldera felt herself slipping.
And before she knew it, Eldera answered in a small voice:
"…Yes, Senior Eyjafjalla."
-------
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