After a moment of panic, Eris quickly regained her composure.
She had seen many of these monsters that split apart from physical attacks among the monsters summoned by Rudeus.
The most effective way to deal with this type of enemy is through fire magic.
Light magic is itself a derivative of fire magic.
Thinking of this, Eris's eyes narrowed, and she immediately covered the sword with light magic.
The next moment, the sword light flashed again.
Accompanied by a dazzling golden light, the split Slime were destroyed one after another, never to be able to reassemble.
After the battle, Eris glanced down at her tattered clothes, but didn't seem to care at all. Instead, she deliberately put on an indifferent expression, as if she wanted to show someone her spoils of war.
However, when she turned around, she found that there was no one behind her.
Rudeus had already left with Roxy at some point, without anyone noticing.
"That guy!"
Eris gritted her teeth in anger and chased after the commotion coming from afar.
Before long, she finally caught up with the two, only to find that Rudeus and Roxy were surrounded by a group of zombies.
"It's time to show that!"
Eris's eyes lit up, and she instantly drew her twin swords from her waist.
Golden light flowed around the sword like water, and its sharp aura suddenly surged.
" Magic Sword Style - [ Light Wheel Slash ]!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Eris's figure flickered and vanished from the spot in an instant.
The next second, she was already in the middle of the horde of corpses.
The two swords crossed, their golden light like a spinning wheel, instantly sweeping across the zombies.
Pfft!
Wherever the sword light passed, the zombies didn't even have time to make a sound before they turned into specks of light and dissipated into the air.
This happened too fast.
Roxy was still in a ready-to-attack stance, frozen in place.
Even Eris herself was somewhat taken aback.
"Strangeness..."
She glanced at the longsword in her hand, then at the vanished zombies.
"Why are these monsters so strange?"
"When the blade pierced their bodies, there was almost no resistance, and..."
Eris frowned, her face full of confusion.
"Why did they turn into particles of light and escape after only one attack?"
"Could it be... that this monster knows the Light Escape Technique?!"
As she spoke, she turned to look at Rudeus, clearly hoping to get an answer from him.
Rudeus's eyebrow twitched slightly.
What does it mean to escape as particles of light?
"That guy's dead!"
"Fool!"
After saying that, he ignored Eris and pulled Roxy along to continue forward.
Eris pursed her lips, but still silently followed.
Before long, a sea of flowers glowing with purple light suddenly appeared in front of them.
Countless purple flowers covered the ground, radiating a dreamlike glow in the dim environment of the maze, while a faint fragrance wafted in the air.
Roxy instinctively tried to get closer, but Rudeus stopped her.
"Teacher, don't approach rashly."
Rudeus looked grave.
These flowers are likely poisonous.
However, before the words were even finished, a figure had already rushed out.
"Just a few wildflowers!"
Eris, wielding two swords, charged into the sea of flowers without hesitation.
"I'll see if it can still release poison after I've cleaved it in two!"
The sword light flashed continuously.
In the blink of an eye, a path was forcibly cut through the flower bushes in front of them.
Having done all this, Eris gracefully sheathed her sword and turned to look at Rudeus triumphantly.
"See? Nothing's wrong at all."
"I'll lead the way, you just follow!"
Rudeus remained silent as he watched Eris stride confidently forward.
He simply activated his internal magic power, forming a faint magical shield around himself and Roxy.
The next moment--
A sudden change occurred.
Suddenly, a large amount of pink mist gushed out from the severed flower stems.
The fog churned and spread rapidly, covering a large area in the blink of an eye.
Eris's expression changed, and she instinctively held her breath, covered her mouth and nose, and backed away.
Even so, she still inadvertently inhaled a small amount of the mist.
"What... what is this?"
Eris gasped and quickly turned to look at the two people behind her.
Roxy also looked worried and subconsciously glanced at Rudeus.
In this situation, he is clearly the most reliable person.
However, Rudeus looked away somewhat guiltily.
"Well..."
I don't know either.
Eris quickly realized that something was wrong with her body.
The moment the pink mist entered the body, an indescribable heat spread from the chest, as if countless tiny flames were burning along the bloodstream.
Her breathing quickened, and an alluring blush spread across her fair cheeks.
"What... is this thing...?"
Eris gritted her teeth, struggling to stay conscious.
Upon seeing this, Roxy quickly approached.
"Miss Eris, are you poisoned? I'll use antidote magic right away—"
"Etc!"
Eris suddenly raised her hand.
Her voice was a few decibels lower than usual, and even she could hear a slight tremor in the last syllable.
The next moment, she suddenly turned around and grabbed Rudeus's wrist.
"You, come with me."
"Huh?"
Before Rudeus could react, she had already dragged him deeper into the cave.
" Eris, calm down."
Rudeus frowned, trying to analyze her condition.
"The effects of this fog are likely related to the mind or nervous system. I can first—"
Before she could finish speaking, Eris suddenly stopped in her tracks.
The distance between the two suddenly closed.
In the dim cave, the girl's breathing could be clearly heard.
Those usually sharp red eyes were now veiled with a hazy, watery light.
"Stop talking..."
She said in a low voice.
I don't want to hear this right now.
Rudeus paused for a moment.
The next moment, Eris reached out and grabbed his collar, pulling him towards her.
The two were so close that there was almost no gap between them.
" Eris..."
"Don't speak."
She closed her eyes, as if trying to suppress the strange churning deep within her body.
But the more it was suppressed, the stronger the heat became.
In the end, she could only rest her forehead against Rudeus's shoulder, her voice so low it was almost inaudible.
Hold me...
Those two short words seemed to freeze the air in the cave instantly.
Rudeus remained silent for a moment.
Then, he sighed softly.
"I see."
Outside the cave, Roxy could vaguely hear noises coming from inside.
She stood there, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately decided not to rush over.
"I hope... I'm really alright."
Time passed little by little.
The commotion deep inside the cave gradually subsided.
After an unknown amount of time, Eris finally emerged again.
Her cheeks still had a faint blush, but her eyes had regained their clarity.
Compared to when she went in, her aura was even more flamboyant.
"Call..."
She let out a long breath and stretched.
"That feels much better."
Rudeus slowly stepped out from behind.
In comparison, his condition was noticeably worse.
His clothes were slightly disheveled, and a trace of undisguised fatigue lingered on his face.
Roxy blinked when she saw this.
"Miss Eris, are you alright?"
"Certainly."
Eris smiled brightly.
"It's completely fine now."
After saying that, she gave Rudeus a meaningful glance behind her.
The latter coughed lightly and looked away.
Roxy's gaze swept back and forth between the two.
"But..."
She looked at Rudeus's obviously tired appearance, and her tone became more questioning.
Rudeus doesn't seem to be in good form.
"Was the treatment just now... very strenuous?"
"Haha..."
Rudeus chuckled twice.
"Nothing."
"It's just that the consumption was a little higher."
Eris listened from the side, a subtle smile playing on her lips.
She didn't say anything.
However, her obviously cheerful demeanor made Rudeus glare at her.
"They're gone."
Rudeus turned around first.
"Keep going."
The three of them continued deeper into the maze.
This time, however, Eris's steps were noticeably lighter.
Rudeus, however, sighed inwardly.
These were originally intended for Roxy, but Eris snatched them all away.
Fortunately, he had anticipated that Eris would secretly follow him.
Therefore, before entering the maze, he specifically instructed Yanli to keep a backup plan.
Now it seems --
This move was definitely worthwhile.
Just then...
Eris's leather boots stepped onto an inconspicuous stone slab.
Buzz--!
A deep, resonant thud suddenly rang out.
The floor tiles beneath their feet instantly lit up with a dazzling light.
"What?!"
Roxy suddenly turned around.
Rudeus's expression changed slightly.
Before the three could make a move, a dazzling magical light suddenly rose up, completely engulfing their figures.
The next second.
The light suddenly contracted.
All three disappeared at the same time.
On the once empty stone slab, only a ring of magic runes remained, slowly fading away.