Chapter 26 The Goddess's Dispute (2) He is really... to you.
"Never mind, let's give it a try." Xia Ying raised her voice, "Fenrir, fly to the right!"
Fenrir faithfully carried out her orders. As Xia Ying drew closer to the magic mirror, she drew the [Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi], waiting for the moment to shatter the gem... However, the Frostwolf flew too far, and Xia Ying's sword barely touched the mirror frame, making a harsh scraping sound.
"Ah, we flew too far!" Xia Ying tried to make her instructions clearer, "Move about 6 meters further in the 8 o'clock direction."
Frostwolf was confused.
"Uh, so how about moving it 6 meters at a 30-degree angle to the west of south?"
Frostwolf was unsure of what to do.
"Then, if we describe it using three-dimensional coordinates, it would be..." The giant lashed out with a long whip, and Xia Ying quickly shouted, "Forget it, let's dodge the whip first!"
This time, without any command, Fenrir accurately avoided the attack based solely on his senses, leaping out of the whip's reach.
Xia Ying asked in surprise, "Fenrir, how did you avoid it?"
“The wind,” Fenrir said simply, “because the wind direction changes.”
She activated the [Wind God Earring], and the airflow around the Frostwolf condensed into wind. By sensing the direction of the wind, Fenrir accurately understood the action path indicated by Xia Ying.
Without further hesitation, he swiftly took action. The giant once again swung his whip, and Fenrir keenly sensed the brewing attack, unleashing a frost storm before it could take shape.
The whip was frozen in place, the magic mirror was covered with frost, and Xia Ying seized the momentary opening that Fenrir had gained and swung down the [Kusanagi Sword] with force.
The Kusanagi Sword pierced the gem, and cracks spread silently and rapidly. With a soft, crisp sound, the pink gem, the magic mirror, and the giant god's body shattered together.
"Beep! Aphrodite's avatar has been defeated!"
After the first beep, the second beep follows immediately.
"Beep! Hera's avatar has been defeated!"
Two consecutive prompts finally awakened Qiongqi, who was fighting Athena's incarnation to the point of oblivion.
She looked at the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow in her hand, then at the giant god opposite her, and belatedly realized: Ah, so the gem was on the shield.
At this moment, two groups that had finished off the other battlefields were converging on this spot, so Qiongqi roared and quickly launched a final charge.
As the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade shattered the gems on the shield, the third notification sound announced the end of the mission.
"Beep! Athena's avatar has been defeated!"
"Beep! Wilderness Quest #84: [The Goddess's Conflict] is complete."
"The challenger defeated three goddesses, and Eris, the goddess of discord, was very pleased with the outcome. She decided to bestow upon the challenger the most generous reward."
"Please distribute the following spoils: 10,000 Opal Coins, Magical Tools..."
Xia Ying and Yu Zhao gazed at each other from a distance, their respective companions gathering around them, splitting from a shared strategy partner into two distinct teams.
"Xia Ying, do you know?" Tamamo asked with a smile, subtly switching the Demon-Slaying Bow to her preferred hand, "Actually, the quest guide itself is not the whole story of the Wilderness quest."
“Although this is my first time experiencing this, I have indeed seen it on the forums before.” Xia Ying gripped the [Ama-no-Murakumo Sword] tightly. “Occasionally, players will disagree on how to distribute the loot, right?”
In the split second before the conflict between the two teams was about to erupt, Xia Ying's mind was racing:
Tamamo's squad is clearly led by Tamamo. Among them, the Red-faced Demon Unicorn has a relatively strong offensive capability, while the Spider Woman plays a supporting role and has hardly ever made any offensive moves. However, her spider silk can both control and divide the battlefield, making her a very troublesome opponent.
On the other hand, both Qiongqi and Fenrir are outstanding in individual combat. Fenrir's ice-type abilities are more versatile, but in the current situation, they are confident of winning against either of them.
What about me? What about me?
Xia Ying thought hard for a moment.
It seems there's no particular area where I'm exceptionally skilled; if I had to say, I'd probably be very good at escaping.
However, in terms of overall strength, Xia Ying's side still has the advantage.
If Xia Ying were to assign opponents according to her wishes, she would choose to face the Spider Woman herself, and Qiongqi and Fenrir against Tamamo and Unicorn, as long as she could restrain the opposing support characters with minimal cost...
Just then, Xia Ying suddenly heard Tamamo say, "Let's go."
Before Xia Ying could even formulate her various plans, the three-person team opposite her had already launched their operation with perfect coordination and efficiency.
Huh? Doesn't that count as a sneak attack?
Xia Ying had no choice but to run away, looking rather disheveled.
Wait, wait, wait! I haven't even had time to discuss the plan yet!!
Spider Woman spewed out spider silk to cut the battlefield, confronting Xia Ying one-on-one, Unicorn faced off against Qiongqi, and Tamamo chose Fenrir.
As Xia Ying ran quickly, constantly dodging the spider woman's silk, she muttered to herself, "Strange..."
The current situation was shaped by the Tamamo team, but it is almost identical to Xia Ying's plan... Do they think this is more advantageous to them?
"But why?" Xia Ying muttered to herself, unable to help but be distracted by her companion's battle.
Qiongqi herself prefers opponents who are strong offensively, so she is quite satisfied with the unicorn. Although the unicorn is probably no match for her, Qiongqi clearly intends to fully enjoy the battle, so this battlefield is unlikely to end anytime soon.
“In my opinion, you are the strongest abyssal creature here.” Tamamo stepped forward. “Even if the three of us attacked at the same time, we probably wouldn’t be able to defeat you.”
The enormous white wolf looked down at the fox boy, sharp icy rain forming before him, yet its gaze remained unmoved.
"But after the battle just now, I'm convinced you have a weakness that's quite advantageous to us."
Tamamo said, his form rapidly changing.
The boy's elegant and handsome face began to transform into a fox head with long ears and a pointed snout. His body swelled into a beast-like shape, and nine fox tails bloomed, scattering points of light that reflected chaotic consciousness.
Xia Ying was taken aback and turned sharply to look at the Jorogumo in front of her: "Aren't you looking for companions with charm properties? Why does Tamamo herself possess charm?"
“We never said there wasn’t a member in the team skilled in charm,” the Spider Woman said calmly. “It’s just that having one more member is more beneficial for completing the mission.”
“No, Tamamo did it on purpose.” Xia Ying said with certainty, “He had a plan when he decided to join the mission. He deliberately hid his abilities and then observed during the mission to confirm our individual characteristics and weaknesses before refining the details.”
The spider woman was taken aback by the question, and her movement of casting out spider silk showed a slight hesitation.
Xia Ying seized the opportunity, quickly slipped through the gap in the spider web, and ran towards Qiongqi.
“…Ah.” The Spider Woman was left standing there forlornly, and answered a beat late, “It’s definitely the Shadow Scale Ring.”
On the other side, Xia Ying ran towards Qiongqi while shouting, "Stop playing around, Miss Qiongqi! Let's finish this quickly!"
"What?" Qiongqi looked up in confusion from the exhilarating battle, only to be suddenly confronted by a barrage of ice spikes. He roared in fury, "Are you insane, Fenrir?!"
Before she could finish speaking, the three members of Tamamo's team, along with Fenrir who was under the influence of charm, surrounded Xia Ying and Qiongqi. Xia Ying broke out in a cold sweat and nudged Qiongqi with her elbow: "Miss Qiongqi, can you win?"
Another deadly frost began to condense, and veins bulged on Qiongqi's forehead: "If we lose, it's Fenrir's fault!"
Nevertheless, she still held the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow horizontally in one hand and Xia Ying in her arms with the other, ready to fight her way out.
The next second, the frost and wind exploded, but the target was not Xia Ying and Qiongqi.
Tamamo, who was the first to notice the anomaly, quickly commanded, "Spider Woman, spread your webs for defense!"
But this time his command was a step too slow. Spider Woman didn't have time to act and was pierced through the throat by the spike. She fell backward, her body shattering upon landing, and she exited the mission scene.
The mist formed by the ice crystals slowly dissipated, and the Frostwolf, now back in human form, stood opposite him, his eyes no longer showing any trace of being affected by the charm.
"It actually broke free from the allure on its own..." the fox murmured. "Why? It's just a mission, why did it provoke such a strong will to resist?"
He glanced over again and saw Fenrir protecting Xia Ying behind him.
Tamamo sighed, "So that's how it is..."
In any case, there's no turning back now.
So, before the next wave of attacks came, Tamamo turned around with a relaxed expression, giving her companion a regretful smile: "Sorry, Unicorn, I miscalculated..."
The freezing rain brought the 84th Wilderness Mission to a close.
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Xia Ying counted the spoils she had obtained from completing the mission.
"Let me see the magical artifacts... They are [Hera's Peacock Feather], [Athena's Shield], [Aphrodite's Mirror], and [Eris's Blessing]. I said I only need [Eris's Blessing], you can choose the rest."
"Then I'll take the [Shield of Athena]." Qiongqi said cheerfully after a satisfying fight. "Remember to call me next time there's something like this."
“No problem.” Xia Ying readily agreed to Qiongqi’s request, then turned to Fenrir, “And you, Fenrir?”
Fenrir thought for a moment and chose [Hera's Peacock Tail Feather], which could enhance magic energy.
There is one more item left to enhance allure: the Mirror of Aphrodite.
Xia Ying turned her head and naturally handed it to the Tamamo team beside her: "This is what you want, right? Here, take it."
"..." Tamamo paused. "But we just had an internal conflict, you know?"
"Actually, we were planning to take it too, but we were a little slow," Xia Ying said bluntly. "Your team is very strong. If our strength stats weren't so much higher, we definitely wouldn't have been able to beat you."
"It sounds a little unpleasant, but..." Tamamo smiled slightly, "I'll just take it as a compliment."
He accepted the Aphrodite Mirror and paid each of Xia Ying and her group one thousand opal coins.
Xia Ying's eyes lit up immediately at the sight of money: "Wow! Thank you!"
"Although this doesn't seem like the first time I've said this, I hope you're not angry with us." Tamamo took out her phone. "Can we add each other as friends?"
Xia Ying nodded and exchanged friend slots with the members of Tamamo's team.
What a fruitful day! Xia Ying thought to herself happily, and just as she was about to turn and leave, Tamamo called her back alone.
Tamamo said solemnly, "I have a few last words to say to you, Natsuki."
Xia Ying also became serious: "I'm listening, please go ahead and speak."
“In fact, it is difficult for different species of abyssal creatures to cooperate with each other.” He looked at the mission teams coming and going in the Wilderness Hall. “Before entering Cocytus, I never thought I would see such a scene.”
Xia Ying pondered, "Someone else has said something similar to me, saying that the existence of Cocytus is incredible or something..."
"The purpose of the Demon Lord in establishing Cocytus has always been a mystery that has been the subject of much debate. However, that's not what I want to talk about with you."
Tamamo shifted her gaze to Natsumi's face and spoke to her intently.
"What I want to say is, Xia Ying, you have the potential to become the leader of the abyssal creatures."
Xia Ying asked in surprise, "Leader?"
"right."
Tamamo nodded.
"Perhaps it's related to your succubus identity; you're able to gather powerful abyssal creatures around you and make them obey your commands."
That alone isn't enough. But you also possess excellent insight and are calmer than most abyssal creatures—essential qualities for a commander… However, Xia Ying, there's one thing you should be mindful of.”
Xia Ying couldn't help but ask, following his words, "What is it?"
"Take care of yourself," the fox-like boy chuckled. "You should pay more attention to your role on the battlefield and your influence on your comrades."
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After saying goodbye to Tamamo and the others, Xia Ying wandered around the desolate hall for a while, pondering what Tamamo had told her.
Cocytus was a completely new world to her, a foreign land filled with terrifying creatures. Before stepping into it, she had already prepared herself for the situation and action plan of carefully surviving among the creatures of the abyss.
Could it be...?
Xia Ying stared at her hands, thinking to herself.
Could it be that I'm actually capable of more than I imagine?
She let out a sigh of relief, raised her head, and strode quickly to the entrance of the Wilderness Hall.
On the edge of the noise, Xia Ying stopped and turned around.
"What's wrong, Fenrir?"
Frostwolf, who had been hiding himself and quietly following behind her, stepped out from the crowd but slightly averted his gaze.
Xia Ying quickly stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and turned his face with both hands, forcing him to look directly at her.
"What's wrong?" Xia Ying carefully observed any hesitation or fluctuation in his eyes. "You have something to tell me, right?"
It was extremely difficult for Fenrir to escape and hide from the gaze of a young girl.
A struggle flickered in his icy blue eyes. Xia Ying stopped speaking and just stared at him stubbornly. In the end, Fenrir still lost to her.
“…Xia Ying,” Fenrir began, “is he really that important to you?”
Xia Ying was taken aback: "Who?"
Fenrir uttered the name with great difficulty: "Cerberus."
“…” Xia Ying slowly released her hand. “Yes. Ker is very important to me, just like I am to him.”
Something in Fenrir's eyes suddenly shattered, and more emotions surged forth, surging endlessly.
But he still closed his eyes.
When those eyes opened again, Fenrir had already sealed away the complex emotions within them.
"Okay, Xia Ying."
"Frostwolf said."
“I know where Cerberus is trapped.”
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Author's note: Going to look for the dog now.
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