The Lord's Summons

Pale blue magic power rapidly condensed in Elara's right hand. Without the amplification of her staff, she couldn't gather enough energy for a Water Cannon in such a short time. Instead, the magic transformed into dozens of dense, fist-sized water bullets!

Gleaming with fragmented blue light, these water bullets were like hailstones before a torrential storm. Driven by her will, they shot toward the approaching goblins at an incredible speed—

There was no lengthy incantation and no complex charging process. Relying entirely on muscle memory and the profound magic reserves of a Tier 3 Mage, the attack erupted in an instant!

"Guguga?!" Before the leading goblin could even react, three water bullets struck its right arm simultaneously!

With a crisp crack, its thick arm was instantly snapped by the impact of the water bullets. Jagged bone shards pierced through the skin, and dark green blood spurted out!

The goblin let out a shrill, miserable shriek and staggered backward!

The rest of the goblins were also caught in the dense barrage of water bullets. Some had their eyes blinded, while others had their knees pierced through. Their originally ferocious momentum collapsed in an instant, and they shrieked bizarrely as they tried to retreat.

Although the water bullets were small, they made up for it with their high speed and density. They perfectly countered the goblins' chaotic and approaching formation, completely disrupting their offensive.

"Now is the time... It hurts so much..." Elara gritted her teeth. Enduring the severe pain and numbness in her left arm, she staggered forward and lunged for her dropped staff.

The moment her fingers brushed against the staff, she gripped it tightly and planted it on the ground to support her swaying body.

The movement tugged at the wound on her arm, causing a cold sweat to break out on her forehead from the pain, but her gaze grew even more determined.

Taking a deep breath, she forcibly suppressed the chaotic magic within her body. The tip of her staff lit up with a pale blue glow once again.

This time, she didn't condense a single, massive Water Cannon. Instead, she split her magic into three thinner water cannons, blasting them in a triangular formation toward the remaining goblins:

"Water Cannon!"

The water cannons struck a few goblins trying to flee, blasting them directly into the air. They crashed heavily against the stone wall, the sound of shattering bones clearly audible;

They lay paralyzed on the ground, unable to move, letting out wails of despair.

Elara showed no mercy. Raising her hand, she fired off a few more water bullets that accurately struck their vital points, completely ending the battle.

It wasn't until all the goblins lay motionless on the ground that she could no longer hold on, slowly sinking to her knees while leaning on her staff.

The wound on her left arm was still bleeding, and the numbness had already spread to her shoulder. The swelling on her cheek still stung. Tears slid down uncontrollably, not out of fear, but as a reaction to sheer exhaustion.

She panted heavily, her chest heaving violently. Looking at the goblin corpses and scattered weapons all over the ground, her eyes were filled with the relief of surviving a disaster.

Ye Chuan walked slowly to her side. His slightly raised eyebrows gradually relaxed as he gave a gentle nod:

"Not bad. Even though it's your first time in actual combat, you handled it decently."

Elara's eyes instantly welled up with tears, a mix of grievance and gratification intertwining within her.

She raised her uninjured right hand and wiped her tears. "Teacher... my wound hurts so much."

Ye Chuan bent down and condensed a wisp of pale green healing magic on his fingertip, gently tapping it against her wound.

The moment the magic flowed in, the numbness quickly faded, and the pain lessened significantly. The bleeding wound began to heal in an instant.

Feeling the changes in her wound, Elara looked at the goblin corpses on the ground and said:

"Teacher, I understand now... Even though goblins are weak, they are cunning, excel at sneak attacks, and come in large numbers. Spells like Water Cannon, which have great power but take a long time to charge, are completely unsuitable for dealing with such agile and swarming enemies."

She continued, "Although water bullets have low power, they can be cast quickly and in high density. They can instantly disrupt their formation and create an opportunity to counterattack."

"I was too arrogant just now. I kept thinking about defeating the enemy in one move with a powerful spell, but I ignored the need for flexible adaptation in actual combat."

Ye Chuan withdrew his healing magic. Seeing that she could realize her own mistakes, he was quite satisfied,

"You've got some brains. Actual combat isn't a magic competition. There's no need to pursue flashy power. A good spell is one that allows you to survive and defeat the enemy."

Elara nodded vigorously,

"Teacher, can you find some more monsters to be my opponents? I still want to fight those goblins."

"Alright."

Ye Chuan was more than happy to bring Elara some opponents for combat practice. However, there really weren't many monsters left in the Miral Labyrinth; it seemed that Torres had already taken care of most of them.

"Teacher, there aren't any monsters."

"Hmm... It doesn't matter if there are no monsters. I can still get you some opponents."

"Eh—"

Ye Chuan picked Elara up with one arm. "Let's go, we're heading back."

"T-Teacher, fly a little slower."

"What? I can't hear you."

...

...

Princess Irena soon received the news of Torres's return.

"Your Highness, I have returned." Torres knelt on one knee and said to Irena, "I am very sorry for making you spend your energy worrying about me."

"No..." Irena helped Torres up.

However, she also noticed the giant sword strapped to Torres's back and seemed a bit puzzled. "Torres, where is your shield?"

"Ah..." Torres reacted and told Irena, "Lord Xi Xi taught me that if I want to protect others, blindly improving my defensive capabilities is useless. The most important thing is to be able to defeat the enemies."

Irena was stunned for several seconds, but then she felt that what Ye Chuan said made a bit of sense.

It was just a little unorthodox.

"But in that case, Torres, are you planning to no longer be a Holy Knight?"

"No, I am still a Holy Knight, just a Holy Knight with unique characteristics!" Torres clenched his fists and said with a smile,

"Even if I'm wielding a giant sword the size of a door, I am not a Berserker!"

Irena: "..."

Is that so?

However, since Torres had safely returned, Irena had nothing more to say. To her, this was enough.

After chatting briefly with Torres, Irena let him rest early, while she herself went over to the garden, looking for Ye Chuan.

Soon, she saw Ye Chuan sitting on a chair. Not far in front of him was Elara, who was undergoing special training.

Ye Chuan also noticed Irena. "Oh? Princess, what's the matter?"

"Lord Xi Xi, thank you for saving Torres."

"It was nothing."

"I see..." Irena hesitated to speak, but after seeing Elara not far away, she kept her thoughts to herself. After a simple farewell, she turned and left.

Ye Chuan: "?"

What's wrong with this little princess?

Paying no mind to Irena, Ye Chuan continued to supervise Elara's magic training until a maid walked over and told him that Kaiaolen was looking for him.

"Lord Xi Xi, the Lord has requested your presence."