Although Amber and Lumine pushed their speed to the limit, racing along the trail of elemental residue, they still lost Strange Bird's trail in the end.
Yet just as they found themselves at a loss, fate seemed to remain on the side of justice.
Not far from where the elemental traces faded, in a hidden corner at the end of the valley, they unexpectedly discovered an ancient, dilapidated ruin.
"There's only one path here. Strange Bird must be up ahead!" Amber stood on tiptoe to peer deeper into the ruins, her expression growing increasingly grave.
They were standing at the edge of a broken platform, with a drop of several meters beneath their feet. The cliff face was as smooth as if it had been polished, making it almost impossible to climb.
Countless monsters wandered aimlessly along the only path leading deeper into the ruins.
"Judging by what's ahead, we'll have to fly if we want to catch up."
"But there are so many enemies down there! They'll definitely attack us if we fly!" Paimon shook her head in protest as she gazed at the densely packed dark figures below.
"If we want to get across... we'll have to attack while flying..." Amber lowered her head in thought for a moment. Then, as if something had occurred to her, her eyes lit up and she turned to Lumine. "Right, you still have one last test to take, don't you?"
"Yes," Lumine replied, puzzled. "Why bring that up now?"
Seeing her expression, Amber smiled slightly. "Then how about making this the theme of your third test?"
"So this is what the test involves?!" Paimon's mouth fell open in shock.
"This is a special version I designed just for you! You're the hero who saved Mondstadt, after all. How could an ordinary test do you justice?"
"What do you think, Lumine?"
Faced with this far too hardcore "third test," Lumine was only taken aback for a moment before tightening her grip on her sword, resolve filling her eyes.
"I'll pass it."
"Hehe, that's the spirit!" Amber nodded approvingly.
"Then take off, Lumine. Defeat every enemy. Strange Bird and your Gliding License are both waiting up ahead!"
Before her words had faded, both figures leaped from the platform. Their Wind Glider unfurled in midair, carrying them over the passage through the ruins.
At the same time, the Hilichurls below let out piercing howls, and arrows and Slimes rained upward at them!
"Now! Use these!" Amber shouted, tossing several specially made Baron Bunnies toward Lumine.
Lumine twisted nimbly in the air and caught the dolls with precision. Like a hunting falcon, she locked onto her targets below, snapped her wrists, and hurled the dangerous red toys straight into the densest clusters of monsters.
Boom-! Boom-!!
Deafening explosions rang out one after another, deadly flames and searing heat raging through the narrow passage.
The Baron Bunnies blasted the Hilichurls off their feet, while the sticky Slimes burst into splattering elemental fluid.
Lumine darted through the blast waves and flying debris, sometimes turning sideways to dodge, sometimes diving sharply. Her movements flowed like a dance, golden hair streaming behind her, each throw accompanied by the monsters' cries below.
Amber provided covering fire from the flank, never missing a shot. She precisely ignited the explosive barrels along their route, triggering chain explosions that cleared the way for them.
After this exhilarating "bombing raid," most of the monsters in the passage had been eliminated.
Yet when their feet touched the ground again, a broken stone bridge blocked their way.
A bottomless fissure stretched before them like a hideous scar across the earth. The bridge on the far side flickered in and out of sight through the thin mist, impossibly distant.
"It looks like there's no way forward... Where could that guy be hiding?" Amber looked around anxiously.
"Amber, look over there!"
At Paimon's warning, both of them immediately looked toward the other end of the broken bridge.
A silver-haired man in practical, close-fitting clothes stood there at ease, his arms folded across his chest.
"So you caught up after all. Guess I have no choice... Huh? Why is it a little girl...?"
Amber stepped forward, planted her hands on her hips, and glared fiercely at the man across the gap. "You're Strange Bird, aren't you? You can't escape now!"
But instead of panicking at Amber's words, Strange Bird burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! You're right, I don't need to run anymore-" Strange Bird drew out his words, smugly pointing at the abyss beneath him. "Because... you can't get over here in the first place!"
With a sneer, the man kicked at the cliff's edge.
A small pebble dropped silently into the depths. Time stretched in the silence, and several full seconds passed without even an echo.
"Ugh-" Amber gritted her teeth in frustration and cautiously leaned out to look beneath the broken bridge.
Darkness completely shrouded the depths of the fissure, with nothing but emptiness as far as she could see. A thin layer of gray-white mist drifted slowly between the cliff walls, as though even light could not escape once it fell inside.
"This drop really is deep... and the gap's wide, too."
"Little girl, why don't you go back and fetch your Grand Master? Maybe I'll get scared and surrender right away." Strange Bird spread his hands leisurely, making no attempt to hide the mockery in his voice.
"Are you provoking an Outrider of the Knights of Favonius? I'll fly over there and arrest you right now!"
Just as Amber was about to unfurl her Wind Glider, Lumine quickly reached out and held her back. "Calm down first, Amber."
"Ugh... you're right."
"Damn it, he's right there. If only we could just fly across..."
"But... how did Strange Bird get over there?" Paimon asked in confusion.
"Could there be some kind of moving mechanism?" Lumine rested a hand against her chin, carefully scanning the rock walls on either side of the broken bridge. "Come to think of it, Paimon, can't you just fly across?"
"I can... sure, but am I supposed to fight him all by myself?"
Lumine imagined that ridiculous scene and nodded helplessly. "Fair point."
"Tch... if Gabrielina were here..."
While they stood at a loss, Strange Bird waved smugly from the other side and shouted, "Since you can't get across, I'll be on my way! Goodbye, little girls-"
"Ah, he's getting away!"
"We can't hesitate any longer. Other than flying, there's no way across this chasm."
"But..."
"Don't worry." Amber gave them both a confident smile. "I'm Mondstadt's gliding champion! Though... I'm definitely no match for Miss Gabrielina, if Strange Bird can do it, then I can too!"
Strange Bird, who had already announced his departure, heard her words and began jeering again. "Hey, Outrider! If you want to die, you'd be better off jumping from the Anemo Archon's statue in Mondstadt without your Wind Glider!"
Ignoring the man's taunts, Lumine looked at the determined light in Amber's eyes and slowly nodded.
"I understand what you mean."
"That's right... Lumine thinks we've ruled out every answer except flying, too."
"Lumine, Paimon, remember that book I picked up by mistake... the guide that wasn't really a guide?" Amber said softly.
"The first birds could not fly. Flight was their reward for bravely leaping into the canyon."
She took a deep breath, a resolute smile appearing on her face as she stared intently across the gap. "Whew... now, watch me!"
"You can do it, Outrider!" Lumine waved a fist to encourage her.
"Roger! Let's show him an Outrider's courage!"
"D-don't be ridiculous..." Strange Bird's voice was clearly growing panicked. "You can't fly across here! Be a good girl and go back!"
"Is that what you think, Strange Bird?" Amber's voice was unusually calm as she slowly closed her eyes. "But listen carefully to the faint sounds around us..."
Amid the deathly silence, the faint, almost imperceptible whisper of moving air arose, stirring the strands of hair beside her face.
Amber's eyes snapped open, as though flames had ignited within her deep brown pupils!
"The wind says-it's time to fly!"
The moment she finished speaking, she leaped with all her strength, gliding toward the far side of the fissure at tremendous speed.
Of course, the abyss was far wider than an ordinary gap. As she drew closer to the other side, she continued to lose height, and even her Wind Glider began to tremble slightly.
"Amber, you're going to fall, you're going to fall, you're going to fall..." Paimon stamped her feet in midair, frantic.
At that critical instant-
Whoosh-!
A clear howl of wind suddenly echoed through the ruins. Without warning, a powerful updraft appeared beneath Amber, firmly catching her falling body and carrying her forward.
"Huh? Wind... it's an updraft! Amber! Amber's flying again!"
Watching Amber rush straight toward him, Strange Bird gaped in disbelief and roared in frustration, "...You crazy girl! D-did you spot the hidden updraft here beforehand? Is that why you dared to jump?!"
Riding the wind, Amber easily swept across the remaining distance and landed steadily before the man, a victorious smile lighting her face.
"The wind favors the brave. Stay right there and let me arrest you!"
Almost at the same moment Amber landed, Lumine leaped from the platform as well, riding the lingering updraft across the chasm and landing precisely beside her.
The two exchanged a glance. Without another word, they immediately chased Strange Bird as he fled deeper into the ruins in panic.
They were greeted by an assault even fiercer than the one in the valley. Alchemical dirty bombs and crossbow bolts came at them thick and fast, mixed with dust and debris that obscured their vision.
"Don't get so full of yourselves!"
Amber shouted sharply, firing flaming arrows in rapid succession at the enemies. Arrows rained down, and explosions and fire instantly engulfed a large swath of them.
Lumine slipped into the crowd like the wind, her sword unleashing one emerald-green Wind Blade after another, sweeping aside every incoming projectile.
Driving her elemental power so intensely seemed to place an enormous strain on Lumine's body. Her breathing grew labored, fine beads of sweat appeared at her temples, and her face became increasingly pale.
Even so, her gaze remained as sharp as ever and her steps just as nimble. Amid the flashing sword light, every thrust forward and every slash maintained a clean, efficient rhythm.
Almost all the Treasure Hoarders' crudely made weapons crumbled at the first clash, utterly incomparable to the creation from the Angel in Lumine's hand.
Wherever her blade swept, the enemies' weapons snapped, falling like stalks of wheat beneath a sickle.
Seeing his ragtag followers rapidly routed, Strange Bird knew he was outmatched. He seized an opening and slipped away from the battlefield.
"Don't even think about escaping!" Amber immediately drew her bow, only for a dark blur to cut through the air even faster-
Clang-!!
A massive black spear fell from above, striking precisely in front of Strange Bird's toes and plunging deep into the ground.
Scared out of his wits, the man scrambled backward on his hands and knees.
Before he could regain his footing, however, a second black spear came whistling down with even greater force. With a thud, it buried itself in the ground right beside his trouser leg, cutting off his retreat completely.
"Gabrielina! You're here!" Lumine cried in delight.
"Miss Gabrielina!"
A pure-white figure descended lightly from above, folded her wings, and stood gracefully atop a broken stone pillar.
Gabrielina first cast a cold glance at Strange Bird, who lay collapsed on the ground, his face ashen. Then she turned toward Lumine and Amber and smiled at them.
"...Thank you for your hard work, everyone."
Before you continue