In the night sky, the bright moon hung high, spreading its silvery light across the land, while stars twinkled to form a sparkling galaxy.
On the cliff at the edge of Dadaupa Gorge, Kazuma Satou peeked out from the bushes, looked around, and then carefully covered the hole on the ground with grass before sneaking away.
The bright firelight illuminated the interior of the cave. A group of people sat in a circle around the flames. Hiroshi looked up as Kazuma returned.
"Kazuma, how did it go?"
Kazuma grinned confidently and gave Hiroshi a thumbs up. "Don't you know who I am? Mission accomplished!"
"Very good. Then everything is ready."
Hiroshi motioned for Kazuma to join them in the center and used a long stick to mark a circle on the ground map.
"This is where we are right now."
He pointed to a spot on the top side of the map, marked with a distinctive symbol, and looked up at everyone gathered around.
"To the northeast of us is where the enemy's teleportation array is located. This area is guarded by multiple boss-level units, but I already have a plan for dealing with them, so don't worry about it."
Suddenly, a gust of wind rustled the leaves, and a small hand shot up. Klee, her big curious eyes wide open, stared at Hiroshi.
"Big brother, I'm so curious!"
Hiroshi gently pushed Klee's raised hand down and patted her head. "Don't worry, you'll see soon enough. Just remember to stay with this big sister, Kuroneko, later, alright? Are you still sleepy?"
Klee obediently nodded and hugged her stuffed toy, Dodoco. "I had a good nap just now. I'm not sleepy anymore."
Nodding in satisfaction, Hiroshi marked two additional points on the map, one in the southeast and one in the southwest.
"There are large concentrations of monsters and Demon King's army soldiers in both the southeast and southwest directions. However, according to the plan, most of them will be cleared out, and those left won't be in good shape. That's where Xiaobai and Kazuma come into play."
Glancing at Kuroneko, who was watching him, Hiroshi added, "Klee will be in your care later."
Kuroneko walked over to Klee, who had a cheerful expression, and nodded.
Seeing Klee so happy, Hiroshi took a deep breath, turned, and said, "Alright, let's begin the operation."
As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Xiaobai grabbed Kazuma's hand, and they both disappeared in a flash.
Watching the two vanish, Hiroshi extinguished the fire, opened the passage above them, and let the moonlight pour through the gap.
He held Klee's little hand and lifted her into his arms. A gentle breeze enveloped Hiroshi and Kuroneko, and two sword lights flashed as they flew into the night sky.
Hovering over Dadaupa Gorge, Hiroshi didn't fly too high this time. He looked at Klee, who was smiling and eagerly looking around, and said with a laugh, "Klee, next time I'll take you on a proper flying trip, okay? Now it's time to detonate all your Jumpy Dumpties."
Klee stopped her curious exploration and looked down at the huge gorge below. Memories of her mother's teachings flashed in her mind, and an excited expression crossed her face. She raised her hands and was about to shout the "Boom" when she suddenly hesitated.
Hiroshi looked at Klee, who had suddenly gone quiet, puzzled. He noticed she had lowered her head and was mumbling something to herself.
"If there's an explosion in the city, it's off to the confinement room. If a bomb hurts someone, Jean will come after me. If I burn a mountain, Klee is done for!"
"If there's an explosion in the city, it's off to the confinement room..."
Seeing Klee repeating her survival rules over and over, Hiroshi couldn't help but chuckle and tap her gently on the head.
"It's alright, Klee. This time, you're not going to be in trouble. I've got your back."
Klee looked up at Hiroshi, her eyes filled with hope. "Really?"
"Really. I already reported it to Acting Grand Master Jean, and she approved it."
"Really?! Jean actually approved it?!" Klee's eyes widened with excitement as she sought confirmation.
Seeing Hiroshi nod, Klee cheered with joy, raising her hands.
"Awesome! Klee is going to take it seriously now—full firepower, here we go!"
A powerful elemental surge emanated from Klee's body, and waves of red energy rippled across the sky.
The Abyss Mage and the Demon King's Captain, who had been startled awake by the elemental fluctuations, stepped out of their rooms near the teleportation array, only to see what looked like a miniature sun in the formerly dark sky.
Without hesitation, they poured their magic into the pre-set barrier.
"Boom!!!"
An excited child's voice echoed through the night, followed by an earth-shattering explosion. A massive shockwave mixed with dust shot up into the sky.
Riding the wind, standing on sword-light, Hiroshi shot upwards until they reached an altitude of about 5,000 meters.
Looking at the small mushroom cloud below, he was left speechless.
Kuroneko floated beside Hiroshi, her legs trembling slightly as she steadied herself on her sword. She stared in confusion at the scene below—the four basins that once made up Dadaupa Gorge were now history, replaced by a vast, cratered landscape.
Hiroshi rubbed Klee's chubby, sweat-covered cheeks and gently wiped away her sweat.
"Alright, you can rest in the spectator's area for now. Big brother will handle the rest."
He pulled Klee's head away from looking downward and flew towards a nearby mountain.
On the mountain peak, in a newly carved-out cave, Barbara clasped her hands together, praying for everyone as she watched the soaring smoke in the distance.
A gust of wind swept in as Hiroshi arrived, carrying Klee and Kuroneko with him. He handed the weakened Klee over to Barbara for recovery and nodded at Kuroneko before flying back out of the cave.
Watching Hiroshi leave, Kuroneko bit her lip in frustration. She walked over to Barbara, held Klee in her arms, and allowed Barbara to concentrate on healing the little girl.
The wind roared past Hiroshi's ears, and a fire burned steadily in his heart.
When the mission first started, he had already sensed a large number of monsters. When Luo Xiaobai returned from scouting with his "Hey Xiu" skill, they found out that there were actually thousands of them. No wonder Hiroshi hadn't encountered too many monsters upon his arrival—they were all gathered here.
With that many enemies, his initial plan of poisoning them had to be abandoned. Kazuma's supply of poison simply wasn't enough for such numbers. Though a direct attack from above was an option, the sheer number of hilichurl archers and other monsters made it impossible to complete within the mission's timeframe. He needed a new plan.
After observing the terrain of Dadaupa Gorge and the distribution of the enemies, Hiroshi came up with the bomb plan.
He quickly flew back to the city and explained the situation to Jean, who was handling affairs in Mondstadt. She brought Klee, who had been in confinement, and assigned Barbara as the support.
Hovering at an altitude of 10,000 meters, bright green wind elements gathered around Hiroshi. He focused his spirit energy into his eyes, making the elemental glow of the barrier around the teleportation gate visible below.
Wind swirled around his hands, and with a downward swing, two wind elemental-accelerated channels—derived from the Anemo Archon's power—formed beneath him.
Large chunks of metal appeared, quickly reshaping into missile-like forms. Glaring down at the target below, Hiroshi gritted his teeth, let out a low growl, and hurled the missiles downward.
Dozens of metal missiles passed through the acceleration circles, with the surrounding winds making micro-adjustments to their positions. They tore through the sky, breaking through sound barriers, and homed in on their target.
Sitting cross-legged on his sword, sweat pouring down his face, Hiroshi listened to the deafening explosion and looked on, his eyes filled with determination.
Never wanting to feel so powerless again, Hiroshi was resolute in his desire to grow stronger.
A notification from the chat group indicated that the mission was complete. Hiroshi looked up at the bright moon and stretched out his right hand. One day, he vowed, he would hold it in his grasp.