If she really had to keep fighting recklessly with her meager remaining mana, she wouldn't be able to play gentle house-playing games anymore.
It would become a desperate, life-or-death struggle where she would have to play for keeps.
“Looks like I need to slip away before things get even more troublesome.”
As she kept a wary eye on her surroundings while thinking of a way to escape...
...the surrounding blockade suddenly split open.
Eve walked out with a dark expression.
In her hand, she was actually carrying a dazed little creature who still had sleep crust in the corners of her eyes.
It was none other than Xiaomi.
“Hmph, are you still refusing to surrender?!”
Eve gritted her teeth, shouting with a mix of smugness and anger.
“If you dare take another step, I will kill her immediately!!”
Faced with this sudden villainous hostage trope.
Qimeng didn't even twitch an eyebrow.
Crossing her arms, she swept a look of disdain over Eve and sneered.
“Ah? Are you threatening me?”
“Listen here, little loli, the thing I hate most is being threatened.”
“Go ahead. If you want to kill her, just do it.”
Qimeng's emerald eyes darkened, emitting a bone-chillingly cold pressure.
“However, you'd better think carefully before you act. You are holding my servant.”
“The moment your blade falls, the price for your disrespect will be the lives of your entire tribe. I think the Wood Elves of this entire valley should be just enough to cover the interest.”
This incredibly arrogant speech, laced with a hint of yandere darkness, sent a collective shiver down the spines of all the Wood Elf leaders present.
Meanwhile, Xiaomi, still dangled in Eve's grip, stared at this textbook beautiful-girl-villain performance and the incredibly tense atmosphere.
She was so terrified that she burst into loud, wailing tears.
“Waaahhhh...!!”
“My Lord, don't say that so casually! In times like this, aren't you supposed to say, 'Let her go, come at me instead'?! Why did you jump straight to burying the entire tribe with me?!”
“I was literally just sleeping! It's bad enough these elves have no honor and took advantage of me while I was down, but why are you planning to treat me as a disposable pawn too, My Lord?! Waaahhh!!”
Massive tears poured down Xiaomi's face, a sight that would break the heart of anyone listening.
What an utterly useless, garbage vassal.
“I'm sorry... My Lord, waaah...”
Xiaomi hiccuped from crying. Realizing how embarrassing she was being, she sniffled and shouted in despair.
“If there's really no other way... then don't save me! My Lord, there are too many of these women. Just run! Leave me behind!!”
Hearing Xiaomi's words, Eve and the others sneered. Eve tightened her grip, utterly convinced that this black-haired monster was just talking tough and would eventually compromise for her vassal.
However, in the very next second...
“Alright, take care then.”
Qimeng coldly dropped those words.
Xiaomi: “???”
Wait, you're actually leaving?!
Shadow Step!
Before anyone could react, the black-haired girl in the center of the battlefield, along with the colossal Water-Wood Spirit, right before everyone's eyes...
...literally vanished on the spot.
Leaving behind only a scattering of petals drifting in the wind, and a crowd of dumbfounded Wood Elves.
“Damn it! We've been tricked!!”
Stomping her feet in rage, Eve's face turned livid as she roared:
“Quick!! Find her!! Our territory is surrounded by Hidden Gate spells! Without the specific formula to open them, no matter how capable she is, she can never escape this valley! Search!!”
On the ground, the elf guards were still shouting in anger.
But the noisy clamor was cut off by an invisible force in Qimeng's ears, fading away along with all sound and light.
Accompanied by a slight sensation of weightlessness...
...her surroundings plunged into darkness.
“Sigh, where is this now?”
Qimeng sighed and activated 【Night Vision】 to look around.
Taking in the damp, uneven rock walls, it was clearly an underground cave.
Originally, when she was above ground, she had only planned to use the explosive speed of Shadow Step to snatch Xiaomi back from the little loli Eve.
But the moment she moved, the world before her eyes suddenly went dark.
This was definitely not the effect of her own skill, but rather someone using teleportation magic in close proximity.
Just as she lowered her center of gravity and prepared to take a defensive stance, a faint ripple of mana suddenly surged from the darkness not far ahead.
Although she couldn't make out the other party's face even with her Night Vision, she could feel someone walking toward her.
Calm and unhurried, Qimeng elegantly rubbed her thumb and index finger together.
【Shimmer Secretion】.
Instantly, a soft fluorescence radiated from her palm like an exquisite night light, dispelling the surrounding darkness and illuminating her immediate vicinity.
After seeing the person's appearance, Qimeng raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Oh, it's you? Yinzhi?”
“Yes, it's me...”
Yinzhi leaned against the cold rock wall, her expression complex, a lingering trace of deep shock still visible in her eyes.
This was only natural.
After all, just a few minutes ago, she had witnessed with her own eyes how Qimeng had single-handedly turned the entire Wood Elf tribe upside down.
Facing so many elite guards and rampaging magical plants, this black-haired beauty had actually been able to unleash all kinds of rule-breaking ultimate moves while devouring the Sacred Spirit magical plants like after-dinner snacks.
That logic-defying strength and ease made her look exactly like a demon king straight out of legends...
Though she was reluctant to admit it, Qimeng was indeed so cool that it was impossible to look away.
“It was really too dangerous up there just now, but... you really are strong like a monster.”
Yinzhi smiled bitterly, catching her breath.
“To be safe, I just borrowed the withered tree veins of the Mother Tree and used the Tree Vein Movement spell to forcibly teleport you down here.”
Hearing this, Qimeng paid it no mind.
“Actually, that wasn't really necessary. It's not like I couldn't handle them. If anything, I still have plenty of trump cards up my sleeve~”
“Yes, yes, I know you're super strong.”
Yinzhi laughed.
Seeing how lightly Qimeng treated the heavy siege, Yinzhi couldn't help but elevate her opinion of this lady even further.
Perhaps this was the kind of height a vassal should look up to.
Such courage and strength were truly admirable.
“But I didn't want to see you actually go on a killing spree and slaughter my people just to escape, so I had to take matters into my own hands.”
“Hmph, it's not like I went out of my way to show mercy. I just found cleaning up the scene too troublesome.”
Qimeng talked tough, but she actually didn't want things to reach an irreconcilable, life-or-death point either.
Then, crossing her arms, she looked around the enclosed cave and awkwardly changed the subject.
“Setting that aside, where on earth is this place?”
“This is the root space beneath the Mother Tree. When I made mistakes or felt unhappy as a child, I would secretly hide here. You could say it's an underground room the Mother Tree specifically made for me.”
Rate on N.U.
