"Little tree, don't forget I'm still here!"
Ellin smiled and winked.
After Ellin cut off one of its branches, the Cryo Regisvine she called "little tree" twisted its entire stalk in pain.
But the Hoarfrost Core at its base soon began to glow. It drew vast amounts of elemental energy from the ley lines, and within mere seconds, the branch Ellin had severed grew back.
"Feng'er has failed you. Please punish me, Master!"
"It's fine. This is only your second battle, and you've already done very well. Every failure is a chance to improve. Just be more careful next time."
Ellin smiled. "All right, let's work together and chop this tree down to take home!"
"Yes, Master!"
With that, the battle erupted once more!
In truth, Ellin had safer, more effective ways to fight an immobile enemy like the Cryo Regisvine.
After obtaining her Electro Vision, Ellin could use a bow to channel Electro into ranged attacks, but an easy fight wasn't what she wanted.
She had fought too few battles and lacked experience, and her newly acquired power needed testing. That made the Cryo Regisvine an excellent sparring partner.
The Cryo Regisvine had extremely high resistance to Cryo, so Ellin could only use Electro attacks.
Lightning embodied speed and destruction!
Now, lightning flared around Ellin, and a faint aura of destruction rose from her body.
With the Skyward Blade in hand, she charged at the Cryo Regisvine!
Naturally, the Cryo Regisvine didn't dare let an enemy who had severed one of its branches with a single strike get close. It unleashed its signature move: New Year's Headbutt!
An immense amount of Cryo energy gathered in its crown, and without hesitation, the Cryo Regisvine smashed its head into the ground.
The earth shook, and Cryo energy surged!
Freezing air spread, and a vast swath of ice spikes burst through the earth, racing toward Ellin.
"Hmph! Cheap tricks!"
Ellin held the Skyward Blade at her waist.
At that moment, the Electro Vision at her waist glowed, and lightning flashed in her blue eyes!
Under the influence of Electro, her white hair stirred without a breeze. Even its tips began to shine with the purple glow of lightning!
Vast amounts of Electro gathered, and she poured it into her sword.
Wreathed in countless serpents of lightning, Ellin moved at incredible speed. She showed no fear of the ice spikes rushing toward her and charged straight at them!
Just as she was about to meet the ice spikes, the Electro energy stored in her sword reached its limit.
Facing the densely packed ice spikes surging toward her, she swung her sword!
With that swing, the Electro Power already charged to its breaking point erupted!
In that instant, purple light became an ocean that swallowed the enormous pit!
The moment the Electro Power touched the ice spikes summoned by the Cryo Regisvine, the relentless lightning crushed every last one into shards!
The white-haired girl raced through the flying ice shards and lightning, her blue-and-white sword in hand.
The ice crystals filling the air made her look like a sprite dancing through snow.
Yet the purple lightning cast her in the image of a war god!
An overwhelming pressure swept over the Cryo Regisvine. Even a creature of its limited intelligence could now feel how terrifying this white-haired girl was!
An intense sense of danger seized it. No longer daring to hold anything back, it straightened its entire body and let out a silent roar toward the sky!
The temperature inside the cavern plunged, and wave after wave of freezing air rolled through it.
As though driven mad, the Cryo Regisvine released dense volleys of ice spikes while its two branches blasted freezing air, attacking Ellin in a frenzy.
"Out of tricks!" Ellin sneered.
An ordinary person would indeed struggle against the Cryo Regisvine, since the freezing air it released alone was enough to kill many adventurers.
But against Ellin and Feng'er, it was rather helpless.
First, Feng'er was a creature born of Cryo and had no fear of bitter cold. Though Ellin was flesh and blood, she had been cleansed by Cryo and likewise possessed a high resistance to it.
Besides, the Cryo Regisvine only had a handful of moves: freezing blasts, ice spikes, or spinning sweeps with its body.
Yet neither its freezing blasts nor its ice spikes could hit Ellin. As for spinning sweeps, it didn't even dare let her get close, so how could it possibly sweep her away with its body?
And the Cryo Regisvine had one fatal weakness: no matter how powerful it was, it was still just a tree. It couldn't move!
Several times, it created an opening and almost managed to hit Ellin, but she simply backed away a few steps, leaving it helpless again.
"Hey, I'm back in! Hey, I jumped out again! Hit me, idiot!"
Having gotten carried away with her fun, Ellin even started taunting the Cryo Regisvine. Enraged, it unleashed one New Year's Headbutt after another, all to no avail.
Watching from her hiding place in the distance, Sucrose covered her mouth and giggled at the sight.
She had never imagined that the Cryo Regisvine, a terrifying creature that froze ordinary people as soon as they approached, would be reduced to such a farce before Ellin.
"That's just like her!" Sucrose watched Ellin fight with a smile on her face.
Thirty minutes later.
After fighting for so long, Ellin and Feng'er had become increasingly coordinated in battle as master and servant.
Boom!
With a dull crash, Feng'er summoned an ice wall to block an attack for Ellin. Then, with a flap of her wings, she summoned two bolts of lightning that struck the Cryo Regisvine's two branches!
Both branches lurched sideways when struck, throwing their streams of freezing air off course.
And so, with Feng'er's support, Ellin made it all the way to the Cryo Regisvine without being hindered by any of its attacks.
"Thanks for helping us train. Now it's time to chop you down and take you home!"
With that, Ellin took the Skyward Blade in a reverse grip. Lightning blazed in her eyes, and purple light shone at the tips of her hair.
Holding the Skyward Blade, she unleashed a backhand slash!
The Skyward Blade was a divine weapon according to its lore. Relying on its divine sharpness and the tremendous destructive power of Electro, Ellin didn't even need to destroy the Hoarfrost Core. A single slash cut clean through the entire Cryo Regisvine!
Summer came, silkworms chirped, and people wilted.
Although the knights guarding Mondstadt City's gates were well trained, even they couldn't help growing drowsy in the dull summer heat.
One knight was struggling to keep his eyes open when he suddenly saw an icy-blue tree rise into view on Mondstadt's bridge!
"AAAAH! C-C-C-Cryo Regisvine! The Cryo Regisvine is attacking the city!"
The guard snapped wide awake and cried out repeatedly!
"Hahaha! Ehlers, did you drink too much, or are you still half asleep? How could a Cryo Regisvine possibly come here?"
The other knights burst into laughter. But when they looked toward Mondstadt's bridge and saw the Cryo Regisvine's crown rising above it, their faces all went white!
"Holy crap! It really is a Cryo Regisvine!!!"
"Quick, report this to Captain Kaeya!"
The squad leader drew his sword and was about to charge forward, but suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Wait, something's wrong. Aren't there people underneath that Cryo Regisvine? Two of them!"
"Aren't those Sucrose and Hermann's daughter, Ellin?"
"My goodness, what... what is going on?!" the Knights of Favonius exclaimed.
On Mondstadt's bridge, beneath the blazing sun.
The white-haired girl carried the Cryo Regisvine's crown on her shoulder. Beside her were an Ice Phoenix and another girl.
Under countless stunned gazes, they dragged the Cryo Regisvine all the way into Mondstadt City...
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