Chapter 116 : The Fall
The Fall
The biting, furious wind swept past her ears at high speed, and beneath her feet loomed a towering cliff, with jagged, sharp rocks below, rising skyward like bamboo shoots.
If she slipped and fell—given Cecilia's one hundred percent pain simulation rate—should she land just right and hit some indescribable spot, she might just wish she were dead.
However, this time, because she also had to bring Gu Yanxi with her, the difficulty of the descent was several times greater than the first time. The combined weight of the two pressed entirely onto Cecilia's right arm, feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds. Even though her body strength was extraordinary, her slender muscles kept sending sharp, tearing pain.
The roaring wind kept Gu Yanxi from opening her eyes. It wasn't until she turned sideways and buried her head against Cecilia's neck that she could take in their surroundings. Immediately, she cried out with both excitement and fear, "Chen Zixuan, it's so high!"
"Hold on tight, I'm going to jump down."
Cecilia, enduring the discomfort in her right arm, whispered softly into Gu Yanxi's ear.
The freefall wasn't long—only a matter of seconds, nothing one couldn't get through by gritting their teeth. In fact, the most dangerous and lethal moment was the sudden deceleration just as the Darkwing Demon Bat neared the ground.
A bat could spread its wings in an instant to increase air resistance and cushion the fall. Humans didn't have that ability: the powerful inertia could throw them off in a split second, hurling them hard onto the sandy beach below. That was why Yuewu and Dawn's Light had been so disheveled before.
Upon hearing Cecilia's instructions, gu Yanxi didn't hesitate. She clung tightly to Cecilia's slender waist and back, shut her eyes, and quietly braced herself for the impending impact.
Meanwhile, the three people below were stunned. Yuewu even forgot to spit out the sand in her mouth, staring blankly at the demon-like dark silhouette plummeting from the sky.
Having already experienced the bat-glider once themselves, the three on the beach knew just how fierce the wind resistance during descent could be. Even hugging with both arms, it was tough to withstand that terrifying pull, as if countless ghostly hands clutched at your ankles, trying to drag you into the depths of hell.
And now, Cecilia was enduring double the burden with just one hand. No one could comprehend what kind of hidden strength was in her seemingly petite and slender body.
"She's about to jump—everyone get out of the way!"
In the blink of an eye, a few seconds had passed, and the Darkwing Demon Bat had already swooped down from the cliff and was right above the beach. As Cecilia was about to leap off, Dawn's Light quickly backed up and shouted a warning to the others.
No sooner had he spoken than Cecilia released her right hand. Together with Gu Yanxi, she leaped down from a height of four or five meters. Bolstered by the tremendous inertia, their forms blurred for an instant as they fell diagonally toward the beach.
Bang!
It was as if a shell exploded—a deafening noise echoed, and yellow sand filled the sky. The sand and gravel thrown up by the impact nearly blotted out the sun above the whole beach.
Immediately after, a fierce sandstorm swept along the ground, tinged with the repressed, low growl of some monstrous beast. Having already tasted mouthfuls of sand, Dawn's Light and Yuewu quickly turned and ducked out of the way. Only Little Persimmon Puppy still stood dumbfounded, staring at the epicenter of the blast.
Before the yellow dust obscured her vision, she caught sight—vaguely, inside the sun-blotting sandstorm—of a gigantic bat-shaped specter, throwing its head back and letting out a silent roar.
.......
The explosion came suddenly and went just as quickly. There wasn't much dust on the beach to begin with, only densely packed sand. A few seconds later, once the disturbed sand had settled, Dawn's Light and Yuewu turned around—and then saw an unbelievable scene.
Cecilia and Gu Yanxi were both still standing. Not only were they not disheveled like Yuewu and Dawn's Light had been before; they actually stood unharmed at the very center of the blast, not a speck of sand on them.
Apart from Cecilia's face being a little pale, gu Yanxi was perfectly fine; she was even curiously examining the surroundings.
Around them, a circular pit about ten meters in radius had formed. Though not very deep—only about half a meter—it was still incredible that two girls of their age could crash down from four or five meters up and make such a huge pit.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
After a few seconds of awkward silence, little Persimmon Puppy's coughing finally broke the calm.
"Um... Sister Ce, are you alright?"
Stepping forward to the edge of the soft sand pit, Yuewu gingerly poked her head over and cautiously asked the two girls below.
"I'm fine..."
For a moment, Cecilia was at a loss for words. Looking at the pit at her feet, she realized things might have gotten a little out of hand. She wasn't sure how she could possibly explain this to the others.
After all, an assassin player simply landing had produced an explosion like a mage's ultimate spell. Anyone who saw this scene would find it hard to believe.
Luckily, the commotion had spread to the nearby sea, startling the D-rank Harpy again.
That ethereal, haunting singing sounded in their ears. White mist began to rise over the ocean surface. Upon hearing the singing—and recalling Cecilia's earlier explanation on the street—Yuewu and Dawn's Light immediately tensed, exchanging glances instinctively.
"You heard that too? Someone seems to be singing,"
Dawn's Light asked.
"Yeah."
Yuewu nodded and focused her gaze into the depths of the ocean to the side.
About two hundred meters from the shore, a large grayish-white mist was gathering over the sea's surface. Through the haze, the faint outline of an enormous black figure could be seen.
In addition, that sorrowful, lingering song floated from the mist, mournful and plaintive, as if a demonic melody pierced their ears, resounding among them.
"Get ready to fight—the Boss is coming."
Suddenly, a girl's cool, crisp voice sounded in their ears. They didn't know when Cecilia had walked out of the damp sand pit without a sound, quietly coming up beside Dawn's Light and Yuewu.
"What should I do?"
Yuewu was startled by Cecilia's sudden appearance but quickly turned to ask.
"Can you freeze a path for me? From here all the way to that white mist over there. It doesn't need to be wide—just enough for me to use as a foothold."
Cecilia pointed to the coastline, then raised her hand toward the sea.
"The distance is too far—I can't reach that far,"
Yuewu answered without needing to estimate the distance.
Cecilia understood that this request was a bit much and changed her approach: "Then what's the best you can do?"
This time, Yuewu thought for a while before replying slowly, "Seven floating ice blocks on the sea, that's the maximum I can manage."