Chapter 406: A Request for a Spar
"Sorry, sorry!" March 7th clasped her hands together, bowing repeatedly with a deeply sincere apology plastered across her face. She hurried over to Yanagi and Miyabi, her pastel skirt swishing with the frantic movement. "Stelle is just... well, sometimes she's way too impulsive! A complete straight arrow who doesn't know how to hold back! We've really caused a massive headache for everyone this time! If... if we accidentally blew up something important in this Hollow or caused any major property damage, we will absolutely compensate you! I promise!"
Although she was usually cheerful and carefree, the archer possessed a remarkably strong sense of responsibility when it came to major incidents like this.
Yanagi stared at the eccentric group standing before her. Their combat prowess was terrifyingly immense, yet their personalities were a chaotic jumble. Some were as immovable and steady as mountains, others bounced around like hyperactive rabbits, and a few radiated a gentle, reliable warmth.
The sheer whiplash of this contrast left the usually articulate Section 6 operative momentarily speechless. Just moments ago, she had been mentally drafting a standard Hollow incident report; now, she was calculating the astronomical cost of a multiversal compensation list. A dull, rhythmic throbbing began to pulse at her temples.
Before Yanagi could formulate a diplomatic response, Miyabi stepped forward. The young swordswoman's cold, disciplined gaze swept over March 7th and Lumine, finally coming to rest on her colleague.
"There is no need to concern yourselves with compensation," Miyabi stated, her voice as crisp and clear as a ringing blade. "The Epis Port Hollow is inherently a high-risk corrosion zone. Aside from our primary mission objective, there are virtually no structural assets here that require special preservation. Even if there were, any collateral damage incurred today will be fully covered by my family—the Hoshimi clan."
Her words were absolute, carrying the obvious weight and quiet confidence of a noble lineage. In a single breath, she neatly dissolved Yanagi's administrative nightmare and March 7th's frantic guilt.
But the moment the bureaucratic matter was settled, a completely different light ignited in Miyabi's eyes—the fierce, unyielding fire of a dedicated martial artist. She lowered her posture into a slight, respectful bow.
"However," she continued, her tone shifting into solemn formality, "as an exchange... or rather, as an admittedly presumptuous personal request. Once this incident is fully concluded, and if you all have the leisure for it, would you be willing to spar with me?"
Her sharp gaze drifted over Dan Heng, Lumine, and even lingered on the floating Paimon with a glimmer of genuine anticipation. "A simple, friendly match will suffice. I would be... immensely grateful for the instruction."
For someone like Miyabi, whose entire existence revolved around the absolute pinnacle of swordsmanship, these mysterious outlanders and their alien power systems were the ultimate whetstones. She hungered to test her blade against them.
Before anyone could accept or decline, a chorus of rapid footsteps and loud voices echoed through the cavernous Hollow.
"Hey—! The commotion over here is way too exaggerated! I could feel the ground shaking from a mile away!" Hu Tao's energetic voice pierced the settling dust. A moment later, the lively funeral director bounded out from behind a stack of mangled shipping containers, with Zhongli and Venti trailing close behind her.
Almost simultaneously, another group converged from the opposite flank. Himeko, Wise, and Belle hurried onto the scene, their boots crunching over the shattered concrete.
Himeko's amber eyes immediately swept the battlefield. Seeing no casualties and sensing that the ambient Aether corruption was stabilizing, the tension in her shoulders finally relaxed into a soft sigh.
Facing a sudden barrage of worried questions and frantic gestures from the newcomers, Dan Heng naturally assumed his role as the group's anchor.
"Don't worry. Stelle isn't injured," he explained, his calm voice easily cutting through the chatter. "She simply overexerted herself by drawing on too much power. Because her final strike violated the established parameters, she was automatically teleported out of the area alongside Mr. Welt. As for why she suddenly decided to unleash an attack of that magnitude..."
He let out a quiet sigh, shaking his head. "I'm afraid we won't know the specifics until we exit the Hollow and interrogate her ourselves."
As Dan Heng spoke, Miyabi's attention drifted. Her gaze involuntarily locked onto the tall, dark-haired man who had just arrived with Hu Tao.
Zhongli stood quietly at the edge of the group. He exuded a temperament as ancient and unyielding as bedrock. Looking at him, Miyabi felt a strange, inexplicable sense of familiarity.
It wasn't his face. But deep within her consciousness, she remembered the harrowing moment when she had faced the maddening whispers and vile temptations of the Tailless. In that dark mental void, alongside her own manifestation of a giant ice blade, something else had appeared.
A towering Stone Stele. It had radiated a pure, faint golden light that pierced through the heavens and earth, anchoring her fractured mind and helping her suppress the encroaching chaos.
And right before she had regained consciousness, she remembered catching a fleeting glimpse of a blurry, yet overwhelmingly majestic golden figure.
This Mr. Zhongli... he wasn't intentionally projecting any oppressive aura. Yet, just by standing there, he seemed to perfectly harmonize with the chaotic Hollow environment, acting as the absolute center of his own domain.
Sensing the intensity of her stare, Zhongli calmly turned his head. His cor-lapis eyes met Miyabi's, his gaze seemingly piercing through her stoic exterior to observe the very core of her soul.
He keenly detected a faint, familiar resonance of divine energy clinging to the young swordswoman. It was an incredibly subtle trace of his own Geo power—the lingering imprint of the protective Qingxin jade pendants he had gifted to Wise and Belle.
Clearly, one of those pendants had been activated in close proximity to Miyabi, or perhaps she had come into direct physical contact with it during the battle.
But it wasn't just the residual Geo energy that caught his attention. Through that faint connection, Zhongli could vividly feel the sheer purity of this maiden's will. Her conviction was absolute. Her grand aspiration to 'eradicate evil in the world and protect the good in her heart' burned like a brilliant, uncarved gemstone. It was slightly immature, perhaps, but possessed an inner radiance of the highest quality.
A quiet sense of appreciation blossomed in the retired Archon's chest. With such a steadfast disposition, if she were properly guided, this mortal would undoubtedly achieve monumental greatness. She was a deep blessing to her world.
However, Zhongli also knew his current limits. Forcibly mobilizing his Geo authority to construct a protective barrier at the absolute edge of his capacity, while simultaneously coordinating with Venti to suppress the catastrophic aftershocks of Stelle's attack, had heavily drained his reserves. His divine power was only just beginning to slowly replenish.
Now was not the time to impart wisdom or bestow blessings, lest he draw unwanted attention from the Hollow's deeper anomalies.
'I shall find a suitable opportunity once we depart from this place,' Zhongli mused inwardly. He gracefully withdrew his gaze, his handsome features remaining completely unperturbed.
"Ah! Look, everyone! Is something glowing down there?" Paimon suddenly squeaked, her tiny finger jabbing frantically toward the center of the massive crater Stelle had carved out with her reckless attack.
The group stepped toward the edge of the scorched depression. Down at the very bottom, a soft, alluring golden light was piercing through the lingering haze of pulverized rock and Aether dust.
As the dust settled, the source of the light became clear. It was an ornate, antique-looking treasure chest, seemingly forged from solid gold and pulsing with a captivating, ethereal radiance.
"Wow! It's a treasure chest!" Paimon cheered, instantly forgetting all her previous anxiety about the collapsing Hollow. She zipped down into the crater, but as soon as she hovered over the prize, her expression soured.
Planting her tiny hands firmly on her hips, she stomped her foot in the air. "Hey! We fought so many of those gross bugs! And that awful guy who mutated into a giant monster! We worked our butts off for so long, and they only drop one measly chest?! The Chat Group is way too stingy!"
Dan Heng slid down the slope of the crater and approached the golden box. He adjusted his bracer, his analytical mind already breaking down the situation.
"Perhaps the system's judgment parameters are stricter than we thought," he reasoned calmly. "Those lesser worm-type Ethereals, and the Parasitic Ethereals that were previously enhanced by the Spine King Worm, likely weren't classified as independent entities."
He gestured to the scorched earth. "They functioned more like biological attachments—derivatives spawned and directly controlled by the concentrated will of the Spine King Worm. And ultimately, they were bound to Bringer, who had fully merged with the creature."
"Therefore, defeating the swarm wouldn't count as individual 'kills' in the system's eyes. The reward calculation naturally focused entirely on the final leader. This chest represents the consolidated spoils of war for eliminating Bringer."
Standing near the edge of the crater, Soukaku blinked her large eyes. She looked at the extravagant, glowing treasure chest that had literally materialized out of thin air, and then looked back at the outlanders, who all seemed completely unfazed by this blatant violation of reality.
Her small, horned head tilted to the side, practically overflowing with question marks.
She reached out and gently tugged on Yanagi's sleeve, leaning in to whisper loudly. "Sister Yanagi... I don't really get what they're talking about. After we smash up the Ethereals... aren't we supposed to be collecting Aether materials? Or securing the mission objective items?"
She pointed a blue finger at the golden box. "Where did that shiny box 'drop' from? Why haven't we ever seen a Hollow do that before?"
Her tone was laced with pure, unadulterated confusion. As an experienced Hollow investigator of Section 6, the RPG-like scene playing out in front of her completely shattered every ounce of common sense she had ever learned.
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