Supreme Insight talent activated. Congratulations, Master, on learning Fischl's ability to summon a familiar. With ice as its body, countless barely conscious Cryo elements gathered to give it life, and your powerful wish and will as its soul. Your familiar, the Ice Phoenix-Feng'er-has been born.
The system's notifications echoed in Ellin's mind.
Ellin stared in astonishment at the ice bird on her shoulder: its slender neck, wings that seemed intricately carved from ice, tail feathers formed from rising frost, narrow phoenix eyes, and proudly raised head.
Its bearing radiated nobility and an aloofness that kept strangers at bay.
Wasn't this the legendary sovereign of all birds-a Phoenix?
"I actually did it!"
"Ellin, you're amazing! You really summoned a familiar!" Fischl was both astonished and delighted!
She was astonished because she had truly never expected Ellin to be able to summon a familiar!
She was delighted because Ellin now had a familiar just like her. Perhaps the two of them really were bound by fate!
"Your name is Feng'er, right?" Ellin asked tentatively.
"Yes. Feng'er was born in answer to your wish. I am your most loyal familiar and will faithfully carry out your will!"
The Ice Phoenix inclined her head slightly. Only when she answered Ellin did her nobility and coldness soften.
"Wonderful!"
Ellin was delighted. She stroked Feng'er's head, then said, "Things are urgent right now. Could you help Fischl hold off those two Whopperflowers while doing your best to contain the forest fire they've caused?"
"Of course. Feng'er will do everything she can to carry out your will!"
With that, the Ice Phoenix spread her wings, took flight, and attacked the Whopperflowers!
With a powerful beat of her icy wings, she summoned a small frost storm that forced back a Whopperflower attempting to burrow underground for a sneak attack, while also extinguishing the flames in a small area!
With Feng'er's help, the situation eased considerably, and Fischl joined the fight.
Although Fischl couldn't shoot as quickly as Ellin, she had far more combat experience.
She was like a seasoned assassin. She never struck carelessly, but whenever she did, her timing was perfect.
Although Feng'er was a being created from the elements, her life was bound to Ellin's, and they shared the same life force.
Thus, Feng'er's strength was tied to Ellin's. The stronger Ellin became, the greater Feng'er's vitality would grow, allowing her to absorb and contain more elemental power to strengthen herself.
As such, holding off two Whopperflowers on her own was still a little beyond Feng'er's current abilities.
The moment one Whopperflower escaped the Ice Phoenix's attack range, it tried to burrow underground for a sneak attack. Just then, Fischl, who had been lying in wait among the trees, struck!
An arrow shot out of the woods and hit the Whopperflower squarely in its flower crown, knocking it sideways and interrupting its attempt to burrow.
Feng'er seized the opening to unleash another ice storm, bringing the Whopperflower back under control.
The seconds ticked by, and soon, a minute had passed.
Hidden behind a large tree, Ellin had already drawn Amos' Bow. An ice arrow had formed on the string, but she had yet to release it.
An ordinary ice arrow wasn't enough to kill both Whopperflowers instantly, so she intended to use the charged attack from Trail of the Qilin-Frostflake Arrow!
Frostflake Arrow was Ganyu's primary means of dealing damage in the game. It involved gathering a large amount of Cryo onto an arrow. Once the arrow struck an enemy, the Cryo attached to it would trigger a frost explosion, dealing massive Cryo damage!
The damage unleashed by a Frostflake Arrow depended on how long it was charged. The longer the charge, the more Cryo gathered on the arrow.
This was the real world, so theoretically, if Ellin charged it for a month, she might be able to level the entire city of Mondstadt with a single arrow.
But that was only worth entertaining as a thought. Even setting aside how she could charge an arrow for a month without sleeping or resting, her current body couldn't handle such an enormous amount of Cryo.
Still, she didn't need an attack that powerful to deal with two Whopperflowers. With just two minutes of charging, Ellin was confident she could kill them both instantly with one arrow!
Time continued to trickle by.
Suddenly, Fischl's expression changed!
Enraged by the relentless pressure, the Whopperflowers went berserk!
Both Whopperflowers threw their heads back in silent howls. Vast amounts of Pyro immediately surged toward them, forming a layer of Pyro shielding around their bodies!
Protected by their shields, the furious Whopperflowers unleashed even greater power. Dense Pyro gathered on their flower crowns, and they went straight into machine-gun mode!
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...
They spat out an endless stream of fireballs as though they cost nothing.
The fireballs were incredibly fast and devastatingly powerful!
That barrage completely disrupted Feng'er and Fischl's coordinated assault.
There was nothing they could do. The fireballs were simply too fast and destructive. A single shot could blast a basketball-sized crater into a tree trunk a meter thick!
Imagine what it would feel like to be raked by two Gatling guns at once.
Under an attack of that intensity, simply staying alive became a challenge, let alone stopping the enemy's assault.
Fischl acted without hesitation, putting away her bow and retreating at full speed. Yet even in such a crisis, she still spared some attention for Ellin. If Ellin was in danger, she would risk everything to protect her.
Fortunately, Feng'er was desperate to protect her master and made Ellin's safety her highest priority. As she spread her wings and flew swiftly to dodge the fireballs, she kept summoning icicles to intercept those headed toward Ellin.
Oz could no longer worry about anything else. To him, his lady's life mattered more than anything. He kept firing bolts of lightning to intercept the Whopperflowers' fireballs and keep Fischl safe.
Explosions from Overloaded reactions and bursting fireballs rang out incessantly.
In just a few dozen seconds, by the time the Whopperflowers stopped attacking, the surrounding area had been devastated.
The ground and trees were riddled with craters. Flames ignited the fallen leaves and dry branches that had accumulated in the forest over the years, and a raging fire surrounded the two girls and their two birds.
Everywhere they looked, there was nothing but crimson flame...
Terrifying heat filled the air. The relentless crackling of burning branches and leaves made the atmosphere within the sea of fire even more oppressive!
The two Whopperflowers stepped through the flames, approaching Fischl one step at a time.
Behind Fischl lay a sea of fire. She had nowhere left to retreat.
Oz resolutely placed himself in front of Fischl. No matter what happened, even if he died, he would die before his lady!
Despair settled over Fischl's heart. Yet beyond that despair, what she felt even more keenly was an unwillingness to accept this fate!
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