The thrill of battle, the exhaustion of her body—it all vanished in an instant, replaced by a terrifying sensation of falling.
‘Am I really going to exit the stage like this?’ Qin Yu was filled with disbelief and overwhelming resentment.
There had to be a way to fix this!
Thinking quickly, Qin Yu gripped her staff tightly in her right hand and swung it toward Chen Yufei.
Qin Yu expended the last of her magical power, releasing a dense network of Wood Attribute Magic vines that shot toward Chen Yufei, binding her firmly.
Chen Yufei had no time to react before Qin Yu yanked her off the mountain as well.
The sound of rushing wind roared in her ears as their falling speed kept increasing.
The magic just now had drained Qin Yu completely; most of the vines on her staff had already vanished.
Chen Yufei wrenched her hands free from the vines.
She knew Qin Yu was out of magic.
If they were to avoid being dashed to death, it was all up to her now.
Although she knew some magic, she was only at the second tier, and her abilities were quite limited.
Atmospheric Magic was summoned by Chen Yufei.
A strong wind slowed their descent.
But the deceleration was minimal.
Fortunately, a river lay at the mountain’s base.
The water’s cushioning effect meant that, although they hit the surface with considerable speed, it didn’t cause them catastrophic injury.
Icy river water instantly engulfed Qin Yu.
Her armor became her greatest hindrance, dragging her relentlessly deeper.
Even though the river was shallow enough for Qin Yu to potentially stand, she was at the end of her rope.
Between exhaustion and shock, she couldn’t manage to find her footing.
Qin Yu flailed in the water, trying to stand, but the round, slippery river stones at the bottom made all her efforts futile.
In her struggle, she swallowed several mouthfuls of water.
The more she struggled, the more panicked she became, ‘I didn’t die from the fall, only to drown?’
Just then, a strong hand grabbed Qin Yu’s wrist and began dragging her toward the shore.
The water gradually grew shallower.
Finally, Qin Yu was pulled to the water’s edge, where the depth was only a few centimeters.
Her wet bangs blurred her vision.
The sound of gurgling water and a girl’s heavy panting filled her ears.
Only then did Qin Yu realize that Chen Yufei, who had fallen with her, was not only alive but had even been able to drag her out of the water.
‘I have to… stay on guard..’ Qin Yu rolled over, pushing herself up slowly with her hands.
“Stay down!” Chen Yufei’s voice came from above and behind Qin Yu, “You are my prisoner!”
Qin Yu tilted her head slightly.
Chen Yufei was leaning against a large rock by the riverbank, her face etched with exhaustion.
“In this state, you dare to take me prisoner?” Qin Yu scoffed, ignoring Chen Yufei’s words as she slowly crawled away from her.
Even though Qin Yu could see Chen Yufei was spent, she still wanted to put distance between them, fearing she might recover enough strength to capture her.
“You dare run!”
Staggering footsteps approached.
Qin Yu saw Chen Yufei catch up to her and deliver a fierce kick to her abdomen.
“Ugh…” The armor absorbed the impact well.
Though the kick sent Qin Yu tumbling several times, she only felt a dull ache, letting out a low groan.
After her attack, Chen Yufei seemed to run out of steam, staggering back a couple of steps.
‘She can still attack?‘ Qin Yu was shocked that Chen Yufei’s fighting spirit remained undiminished even in such a state of exhaustion.
She drew the sword at her waist, plunging its tip into the small stones of the riverbank, using it as leverage to struggle to her feet.
“I… haven’t lost yet!” Qin Yu shouted at Chen Yufei.
“Heh…” Chen Yufei panted heavily, also drawing her own sword.
“Is that so? I hope your sword is as tough as your mouth!”
Hearing Chen Yufei’s provocative words, Qin Yu was furious.
Her adrenaline spiked.
Not willing to be outdone, she raised her sword with both hands, ready.
“Bring it on!”
Chen Yufei stepped forward and launched an attack.
Qin Yu simply held her sword horizontally, blocking the strike.
The force behind the blow showed that Chen Yufei, too, was nearly out of strength; her attack had little power.
Even so, her swordsmanship was methodical and precise, which shocked Qin Yu.
Qin Yu refused to yield.
After blocking, she used the momentum to counterattack.
After several exchanges, they were evenly matched, neither able to decisively defeat the other.
Gradually, the last of their stamina faded.
The adrenaline’s effects began to wane, and overwhelming fatigue slowly took over.
Their duel devolved from a contest of skill into a simple brawl.
Their bodies weak, their swords feeling as heavy as dumbbells, Chen Yufei simply threw her sword aside and launched a bare-handed assault.
Without her sword, Chen Yufei’s punches were swift, arriving almost instantly at Qin Yu’s chest.
Qin Yu couldn’t react in time.
Struck, she was forced back several steps to steady herself.
Seeing Chen Yufei discard her sword, Qin Yu sensed her chance!
She thrust her sword at Chen Yufei, but the other girl easily dodged.
Qin Yu tried to recover for another attack, but Chen Yufei grabbed her wrist, pulling her close.
Chen Yufei raised her knee, driving it hard into Qin Yu’s abdomen.
A wave of nausea churned up from Qin Yu’s stomach.
Gathering her strength, Qin Yu punched Chen Yufei in the face, forcing her to let go.
Both retreated several steps, breathing heavily.
Each was teetering on the edge of physical collapse.
‘I can’t keep fighting like this…’ Qin Yu knew this couldn’t go on.
On the mountaintop, without her, her army was at a disadvantage and would surely be defeated.
‘Once Chen Yufei’s troops come down the mountain, it’ll be dangerous…’ With that thought, Qin Yu turned and ran.
‘If I can just get back to the camp at the base, I can get a horse and get far away from here!’
Though utterly exhausted, driven by the fear of capture, her speed didn’t falter; she even ran faster.
“Stop!” Seeing Qin Yu trying to flee, Chen Yufei gave chase.
Qin Yu felt her muscles burning, a sweet, coppery taste of blood rising in her chest.
To her relief, she wasn’t far from the military camp.
After a few minutes, rounding a mountain pass, she saw the camp’s firelight.
She had no time to order soldiers to block Chen Yufei.
She chose the nearest warhorse, leaped onto it, and charged straight out of the camp gates.
The soldiers in the camp barely had time to process what was happening before another girl burst in, mounted a horse, and galloped off in pursuit of Qin Yu.
Qin Yu lay flat against the horse’s back, her body rising and falling with its gallop.
She lacked the strength to steer, leaving the horse to choose its own path.
Low-hanging branches scraped against her armor.
The only sound in her ears was the crisp clatter of hooves.
Looking at the increasingly dark forest around her, Qin Yu knew she had completely left her troops behind.
‘Alone again…’ Qin Yu thought, beginning to fumble for the tools carried on the saddle, already planning her next move…