Hilichurl camp.
On the continent of Teyvat, these camps are everywhere, and many adventurer missions consist of clearing them out.
Though hilichurls are not especially strong monsters, they often cause real trouble for humans—blocking caravans, injuring adventurers, and so on.
"Those are hilichurls, a very common kind of monster. Lumine, do you want to test your new elemental power?" Paimon, ever the encyclopedia, suggested.
Lumine nodded. Before obtaining Anemo, she was just a normal human again and hadn't fought in some time.
"Lumine, allow me to demonstrate my throwing power first."
Koji's hand produced a silver one-handed sword—Dull Blade of Dawn, a three-star weapon with a crit bonus. He had pulled it from a treasure chest in the wild, though such drops were rare.
Lumine glanced at her own Traveler's Sword and sighed. His weapon was clearly better. Same outsiders, but the gap was obvious. Envy struck.
Before losing her power, she had a shining golden blade and wings of light.
Since Koji wanted to demonstrate, she didn't fight him for the chance. It was a good chance to see his true strength.
"Haa…"
Koji inhaled deeply, both hands gripping the hilt. An intense aura radiated around him, making the grass sway.
Lumine frowned. Against hilichurls? Why so serious?
The violent pull of Anemo gathered on the sword blade, even tugging at the elemental energy inside Lumine herself. She hurried to steady her flow, shocked at the pressure he generated.
No way. Was this necessary?
The energy gathered more and more until the blade glowed green, razor-sharp and terrifying.
"Storm Ion Slash!"
With a shout, Koji raised his sword overhead. A massive pillar of Anemo shot skyward, then cleaved downward toward the hilichurl camp.
Like dropping a nuke on ants.
Boom!
The impact erupted like an explosion, vaporizing every hilichurl in an instant. None even had time to feel pain.
The earth shook. Winds tore outward. Lumine shielded her face with her arms. Paimon clutched her golden hair to avoid being blown away.
When the dust cleared, Lumine opened her eyes and froze.
The camp was gone. In its place stretched a massive crater and a long gouge tearing across the land.
That wasn't a boss fight. That was overkill.
"W-Wow!"
Paimon's mouth formed a perfect O. Koji looked like Superman.
"This normal attack is decent, right?" Koji calmly sheathed the sword, as if nothing happened.
"This was… a normal attack?!" Lumine gawked. It looked like a full ultimate, yet he called it basic.
"Koji, was that really necessary?"
"Actually, I wasn't using full power."
Lumine's jaw dropped. Was he serious? She couldn't match that even at her peak. Yet traveling beside such a powerhouse gave her an odd sense of safety.
"Don't move! What did you just do here?"
A girl's voice cut in.
Thump!
A brunette with a red bunny-ear ribbon leapt from a slope. But her landing was ruined—her foot slipped in a crack, momentum carried her forward, and her face planted hard into the dirt.
So much for a heroic entrance.
Everyone stared silently. The newcomer, Amber, must have wished the earth would swallow her whole.
"…Are you okay?" Paimon asked, wincing in sympathy.
"I'm fine. May the Anemo Archon bless you, travelers. I am Amber, Outrider of the Knights of Favonius."
Despite dirt on her cheeks and a sore face, she stood tall, hands on hips, forcing herself back into knightly dignity.
"State your identities, and explain this scene."
Amber gestured at the devastated landscape. Even Vision holders couldn't normally unleash such destruction. With the dragon crisis looming, anyone wielding such power arriving in Mondstadt made her wary.
"We're not suspicious—" Paimon began.
"Paimon, only suspicious people protest like that," Koji chuckled.
Amber nodded in agreement.
Paimon pouted, scratching her head.
"Hello, I'm just a passing traveler. Koji."
Lumine copied his pose, hands on hips. "Me too, just a passing traveler. Lumine. And this is Paimon, an emergency food—"
"Paimon is not emergency food!"
Amber blinked, amused. She studied Koji. "Your name sounds like it comes from Liyue, but your clothing style doesn't match."
Koji shrugged. "My homeland is somewhat similar to Liyue's nation."
"I see. You're all travelers, then. But what was this huge commotion?"
"I was testing a move on a hilichurl camp," Koji admitted.
"…What?"
Amber blinked, scanning the ground. There was no sign of any camp left—just ash and a crater.
"Did you… have some deep grudge against them?"
She honestly couldn't understand why such force was used here.
At last, Lumine felt vindicated. Someone else understood her earlier disbelief.
"No grudge. I just didn't expect them to be so fragile," Koji said, almost smugly.
The dead hilichurls would have cursed him if they could.
(End of Chapter)
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