Chapter 256: War Zone Auxiliary System
Warriors fell one after another under the relentless assault of monsters. The air, thick with the coppery tang of blood, was made fouler still by the corrosive, acrid stench of the Abyss—a nauseating miasma that clung to the back of the throat.
Worse still, ominous dark purple patterns began to creep across the skin of the wounded, a telltale sign of their bodies being eroded by Abyssal energy. The defense line was just moments from collapsing entirely.
It was then that a brilliant pillar of blue light erupted from an open space on the battlefield's flank, its sudden appearance drawing the eyes of both the desperate defenders and their monstrous foes.
As the light dissipated, a golden-haired Traveler and her small, floating white companion materialized.
"It's reinforcements!" a sharp-eyed warrior cried out, his voice cracking with excitement.
Lumine's gaze swept across the chaotic scene, instantly locking onto the most menacing Mitachurl and the swarm of monsters surrounding it. Without a shred of hesitation, Anemo energy gathered at her feet, and her figure blurred, streaking like lightning straight into the heart of the battle.
"Palm Vortex!"
An emerald tempest of Anemo energy condensed in her hand, forming a miniature vortex. A Mitachurl, raising its heavy wooden shield to block her path, was caught in the pull. It was lifted off its feet, shield and all, before the Anemo energy erupted outwards, blasting the creature away with explosive force. Its shield splintered into a thousand pieces in mid-air.
She moved without pause, the Prototype Rancour in her hand gleaming with the light of different elements as she weaved through the Mitachurl horde. Each flash of her sword was a precise, lethal strike that claimed another monster's life.
Whether it was a common grunt or a stronger, axe-wielding variant, none could withstand a single exchange with her.
Geo energy coated her blade, allowing her to cleave through wooden shields with contemptuous ease. A burst of Electro energy erupted, paralyzing a cluster of Mitachurls in their tracks. The Aggravate reaction sparked between Dendro and Electro, clearing out entire swathes of enemies in a cascade of crackling green lightning. Her mastery over the elements was extraordinary, her combat efficiency simply astonishing.
Meanwhile, Paimon demonstrated her own crucial importance.
Her tiny form zipped directly into the center of the huddled caravan survivors. She looked at the people groaning in pain, their bodies wracked by injury and Abyssal erosion, and her small face filled with a mixture of anxiety and fierce determination.
'Can't wait any longer!'
"Optimization Power, activate!"
She waved her little hand, and the iconic phantom of a silver wrench materialized above her head. But unlike before, where she required physical contact, this time her focus was absolute. Several miniature phantoms of the silver wrench detached themselves and, as if possessing a will of their own, shot forward, precisely entering the bodies of those most severely corrupted by the Abyss.
A soft, purifying golden magic circle unfurled beneath each of them. The wrench phantoms above their heads began to rotate slowly, emitting dense, golden sparks of light that seemed to drive back the darkness.
The sinister purple patterns receded at a visible pace, and their pained, contorted expressions gradually softened into serenity. Though the purification left them in a temporary state of weakness—some even falling unconscious from the energy drain—their lives were saved. The erosion was gone.
"Paimon, be careful!" Lumine called out during a brief lull in her assault.
"Got it!" Paimon chirped back. At the same time, a command formed in her mind. "Paimon's Star, come help!"
A flash of silver light, and the exaggerated, muscular, stern-faced phantom of "Paimon"—Paimon's Star—made its grand reappearance.
Compared to its last appearance, its form seemed more solid, the lines of its muscles more distinct. The oppressive aura it subtly radiated was undeniably stronger; it had clearly grown during the intense battle against Nikador.
After appearing, Paimon's Star didn't charge directly into the enemy ranks as Lumine had. Its primary duty was, and always would be, the protection of Paimon and Lumine. Its keen gaze swept across the battlefield, ensuring no monster could possibly threaten its master.
But it wasn't about to remain idle. It bent down, its powerful arms easily scooping up a large handful of fist-sized stones from the ground.
The next moment—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—!
The sound of stones slicing through the air was continuous, a torrential downpour of deadly projectiles. Paimon's Star threw the stones with astonishing speed, its arms blurring into afterimages, transforming it into an efficient, human-shaped machine gun. The only limit to its firepower was the number of available rocks on the ground.
Any Mitachurl struck by the stones, common or otherwise, was instantly sent flying, its bones shattering as if hit head-on by a heavy battering ram. Most disintegrated into black smoke before they even hit the ground. Its accuracy was also terrifyingly high, each stone finding its target through the narrowest of gaps in the crowd, perfectly avoiding the Natlan warriors fighting on the front line.
Between Lumine's efficient close-quarters clearing and Paimon's Star's long-range "artillery" cover, the once-precarious battle situation underwent a drastic reversal in less than two minutes.
When the last common Mitachurl turned to dust under Lumine's sword, the battlefield fell silent. The hulking Mitachurl that had led the charge was caught off guard as Lumine unleashed a rapid series of elemental bursts, shattering its rock-hard armor. It let out a final, agonized howl before collapsing and dissipating into nothingness.
The surviving Natlan warriors stared at the nearly empty battlefield, then at Lumine and Paimon, who was now checking on the injured. Their faces were a mask of deep relief, the look of those who had stared into the abyss and been pulled back, mixed with immense gratitude for their two saviors.
The caravan leader quickly organized his people, briefly sorting their supplies. He separated the most important strategic materials, like medicine, preparing to travel light and head quickly towards the Holy Fire Arena, where a welcoming party dispatched by Mavuika awaited them.
Lumine and Paimon, however, did not linger.
As they began to move, Lumine sent a brief report to Mavuika via the Wind Network, informing her that the caravan was safe and heading to the rendezvous point. She was already preparing to search for the next group that needed assistance.
Just then, the brilliant blue light screen automatically popped up again before the eyes of every Chat Group member who had accepted the World Commission, accompanied by a clear, crisp system notification.
[System Notification: Detecting a continuous increase in combat intensity in the Natlan war zone. To improve the combat efficiency of reinforcement troops, the [War Zone Auxiliary System] is now officially activated.]
The Chat Group's newly activated system was a godsend, providing a clear overview for the reinforcements scattered across the vast expanse of Natlan.
Miles away, March 7th, Dan Heng, and Stelle were taking cover behind a temporary shelter on the outskirts of the Yawning Mystery Main Tribe. They were all studying the virtual map projected by the blue light screen before them.
"Whoa! This is so convenient!" Stelle, the Trailblazer, exclaimed in a low voice. Her own position was marked by a prominent blue arrow, while Dan Heng and March 7th were represented by green dots. The map also displayed the surrounding terrain contours and a scattering of constantly moving red markers indicating enemies. "It's like playing an immersive war game! The distribution of friend and foe is clear at a glance!"
The light screen even thoughtfully displayed status prompts for her teammates, with the word [Healthy] appearing next to Dan Heng and March s names. It was a design clearly meant to prevent a team member from getting into an accident that their companions might not discover in time.
"It is indeed practical," Dan Heng said, calmly analyzing the clustering trends of the red dots on the map. "It can help us locate threats and plan our routes more effectively."
He noticed several areas on the edge of the map where the red dots were unusually dense, flashing a deep, ominous crimson that indicated a high threat level.
March 7th, however, was more focused on the [Emergency Mission Marker] feature, which listed active distress calls from the surrounding areas.
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