I'm in Genshin Impact, and I started by teaming up with Luna.

Noelle deftly dodged with a turn, then grabbed the Hilichurl thug and forcibly stopped him.

With a loud thud, the Hilichurl slammed to the ground. Noelle raised her greatsword and ended the Hilichurl's life in an instant.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at Wu Qiu again. The three Hilichurls had found a way to deal with Wu Qiu.

The three of them surrounded Wu Qiu, placed their hands on the shield, and then shook it clockwise.

It was spinning wildly inside. Then it suddenly stopped, and then started spinning counterclockwise again.

The three Hilichurls were swaying around energetically, while Wu Qiu was vomiting inside! His face turned pale.

Fortunately, Noelle arrived at this moment and dealt with the three Hilichurls, otherwise Wu Qiu would have been tormented to death by them.

Chapter 71: Noelle, Severely Wounded

"Are you OK?"

Noelle stepped forward to help Wu Qiu up. Wu Qiu waved his hand, but quickly bent over and vomited!

"Damn it, from now on, if anyone ever says that Hilichurls have no intelligence, I'll fight them!"

However, looking at the Hilichurls lying all over the ground, Wu Qiu clicked his tongue in amazement. "Noelle, with your combat power, I really can't imagine how you failed the knight assessment."

Noelle lowered her head and remained silent. Wu Qiu realized she had said the wrong thing and wanted to apologize.

But at that moment, Wu Qiu froze, his pupils contracting slightly. He saw that the large rock behind Noelle had moved.

Slowly, the large rock actually stood up. Wu Qiu finally saw what it was.

What is that big rock? That guy is the "Hilltop Helmet King".

This thing was six meters tall when it stood up, and its eyes emitted a beam of yellow light as it looked at Noelle.

Wu Qiu saw the anger and murderous intent in his eyes. Clearly, this guy was asleep for some reason and hadn't woken up at first.

Now, the awakened Hilichurl King sees all his subordinates lying on the ground. He is enraged and immediately targets Noelle.

Bending over and placing one hand on the ground, Wu Qiu sensed danger. Sure enough, the next moment, the Rock Helmet King leaped up and slammed towards Wu Qiu and his companions.

"careful!"

Noelle turned around when she heard the noise, but Wu Qiu suddenly grabbed her shoulder and shoved her aside with all his might.

Then, Wu Qiu crouched down on the ground and slipped the shield over himself. Having done this, Wu Qiu already saw the dark figure approaching.

Noelle was thrown off balance by Wu Qiu so suddenly that she was lying on the ground and had just lifted her head when she heard a loud bang.

Boom!

The earth cracked open, and a powerful shockwave spread out. Noelle didn't see anything clearly before she was thrown away.

The entire room was completely unrecognizable, with cracks and flying debris everywhere.

Noelle rolled a few times to her feet and looked in Wu Qiu's direction. The area was covered in thick smoke, and nothing could be seen.

"How could that be?"

Noelle stared at all in disbelief. But before she could make any other move, something slammed into her.

"Heart-protecting armor!"

Gritting her teeth, Noelle activated her breastplate. The next second, the massive object slammed into Noelle.

With a loud bang, Noelle was sent flying and crashed into the wall.

And that object was none other than a fist. After knocking Noel away, the owner of that fist also leaped forward.

He arrived at the crater Noelle had created at lightning speed and threw another punch.

With a loud boom, the rubble around the cave entrance was sent flying in all directions by the powerful impact, revealing Noelle inside.

Her protective armor was now tattered and on the verge of breaking. She also had multiple wounds, and blood was trickling from the corner of her mouth.

The damaged breastplate could no longer fully protect her. Moreover, this Hilichurl King was far too powerful; Noelle simply couldn't handle it.

On the other side, Wu Qiu suddenly emerged from the rubble.

"Holy crap, I almost died. Luckily I wasn't hit directly, otherwise even with Noelle's shield, I wouldn't have escaped death."

Just now, the attack from the Rock Helmet King landed on the ground in front of Wu Qiu. Wu Qiu was then thrown away by the powerful wave.

Fortunately, he was unharmed. But that Hilichurl Helmet is incredibly powerful; that punch caused a small earthquake.

"By the way, how is Noelle?"

Wu Qiu looked around; the surroundings were dusty, and visibility was very limited. Just as Wu Qiu was wondering what to do next, there was movement ahead.

Then, a figure flew through the smoke and crashed heavily to the ground, creating a crater.

The powerful force propelled the man into the air again, before he landed back on the ground. This time, the force was much weaker than the first time, and after landing, the figure tumbled and rolled towards Wu Qiu.

The figure stopped not far from Wu Qiu. Wu Qiu could also see the figure clearly.

Noelle!

Yes, it was Noelle. She was lying on the ground, trembling as she tried to get up. Her armor was tattered and torn, some pieces completely broken off, with only small parts hanging on.

He was a little unsteady, and finally managed to stabilize himself by planting his greatsword in the ground.

"Cough cough!" He coughed heavily twice, and a mouthful of blood flowed from his mouth. Wu Qiu didn't even need to look; Noelle was seriously injured.

Slowly turning her head, Noelle saw that Wu Qiu was alright and gave him a smile. But she quickly looked ahead again, raised her greatsword, and gritted her teeth.

A colossal figure hurtled down like a meteorite from outer space. Noelle didn't retreat; instead, she raised her greatsword to parry.

Boom! With a loud crash, Wu Qiu saw it clearly this time: Noelle had already fallen into a disadvantageous position the moment they collided.

The ground beneath her feet suddenly cracked open, and bursts of energy scattered, dispersing the surrounding debris. Noelle's hands trembled from the exertion; clearly, even in a contest of strength, Noelle was no match.

A sharp crack echoed, still jarring even under such circumstances. Noelle's pupils contracted slightly, and then cracks began to appear on the silver greatsword.

The sword was about to shatter. In that instant, Noelle tried to retreat, but it was too late. The enormous fist crushed the already tattered greatsword and slammed it down in front of Noelle.

Although it didn't hit directly, the power was still terrifying. Furthermore, since Noelle wasn't wearing her breastplate, the blow sent her flying.

Watching Noelle's figure fly backwards through the air, and feeling the shield in his hand disappear, Wu Qiu knew that Noelle had reached her limit.

Perhaps she had already reached her limit when she took off. But she held herself up, pushing herself beyond her limits for one last hurrah.

Clearly, Noelle was utterly crushed. Facing the Hilichurl King, Noelle was completely powerless to retaliate.

But this is not shameful. On the contrary, Noelle truly succeeded in making Wu Qiu, a carefree and scoundrel-like person, respect and admire her.

It wasn't just what Noelle did for herself. It was also...

Rating: 45

The level 45 Hilichurl Rock Helm is an almost impossible opponent for Noelle, who is only level 28.

You must understand, the Hilichurl King Rockhelm is not an ordinary Hilichurl. If he were an ordinary Hilichurl, Noelle wouldn't be in this situation.

But the Hilichurl Rockhelmet King is different; it's a true boss-level creature. It's simply incomparable to other monsters of the same level.

Upon landing, Noelle's eyes were already rolled back, her mouth slightly open; she was unconscious. But the Hilichurl King clearly wasn't going to let her go yet.

Step by step, that mountain-like figure drew ever closer.

"Oh no, oh no, what do we do? Noelle is going to die."

Wu Qiu's mind raced. If things continued like this, Noelle would really die here, which Wu Qiu absolutely could not tolerate. After all, Noelle had done this for him...

Suddenly, Wu Qiu noticed something beside him. It was a crossbow, a crossbow already strung and equipped with lightning element bolts.

Seeing that the Hilichurl King was already in front of Noelle, Wu Qiu no longer hesitated, grabbed his crossbow, and pulled the trigger.

With a whoosh, a bolt of lightning flashed, and Wu Qiu was thrown backward by the powerful impact. Fortunately, Wu Qiu's attack actually hit, striking the Quel'Thuzad in the face.

A bolt of lightning exploded on the side of the Hilichurl Rock Helmet. The damage was almost zero, but the insult was extremely strong.

Turning around, the Celestial Helm looked at Wu Qiu. A hint of disdain flashed in its eyes. "Weak human, give up your futile struggle and welcome death."

He can talk. Wu Qiu was stunned. This Rock Helmet King can talk, although not very fluently, but it can still talk.

But that's normal, since all the Hilichurls in the Demon King's Lair can talk, so it's normal for him, a Hilichurl King, to be able to talk as well.

Just as Wu Qiu was lost in thought, the Rock Helmet King had already raised its fist. Seeing this, Wu Qiu hurriedly shouted, "Stop! Stop! Wait a minute!!!"

Thankfully, this Hilichurl Rock Helm didn't attack without stopping like the previous one, Luminous.

Upon hearing Wu Qiu's words, the Rock Helmet King stopped. Seeing this, Wu Qiu hurriedly spoke first, "Hey! Are you crazy? Don't you want to live? Believe me or not, I'll make sure you die a very miserable death."

Wu Qiu threatened. The Rock Helmet King laughed, "Huh? Hahahaha... I'm curious, how do you, such a piece of trash, plan to make me die such a miserable death?"

................................................

"Damn it, bro, I know I'm useless, but you didn't have to yell it out loud like that, did you?"

And what's wrong with what you're saying? You could have said "You're so weak," but why the hell did you say "You're so useless"? Does that mean I don't even deserve the word "weak" anymore?

"Hmph! Do you know who I am? You'd be terrified if I told you."

Wu Qiu put his hands on his hips and spoke with an air of arrogance. Qiuqiu Rock Helmet King seemed thoughtful. "Oh, I'd like to know who you are."

"Hmph!" Wu Qiu, ever the arrogant old man, pointed at the Hill Crest King, "Let me tell you, I am a spy sent by the Ghosts to Mondstadt. You are now seriously hindering my operations. Believe me or not, I'll go back and report you, and you'll be dead!"

Wu Qiu was a little nervous; he was truly out of options and could only resort to deception. For the Hilichurls, the "Ten Thousand Ghosts Without Intention" was the most shocking.

Sure enough, the Rock Helmet King was stunned by Wu Qiu's words. Then, a hint of fear appeared on its face.

But he quickly returned to normal: "Don't lie to me! You're just a human being, and a piece of trash at that."

"So what if I'm useless! So what if I'm useless!"

Wu Qiu pressed forward aggressively, step by step, until he actually forced the Rock Helmet King to retreat. He began to doubt Wu Qiu's identity; though he couldn't trust him, he was afraid of the worst.

Although he is loyal to the Abyss, and the Abyss's strength is certainly no weaker than that of the Ten Thousand Ghosts, what are the Ten Thousand Ghosts? An assassin organization that has never failed in its killings.

If he were being targeted, he would surely die. Therefore, he needed to figure out that even if Wu Qiu and Wan Gui seemed unrelated, Wu Qiu knew about Wan Gui, and he had to be careful.

Chapter 72: Choice

"Why should I believe you're one of the Ten Thousand Ghosts?" King Qiuqiu looked at Wu Qiu with a threatening gaze. Wu Qiu tossed his head and pulled something from his robes, throwing it at him.

I remember Paimon saying that the most reliable proof of a ghost's identity is its mask. And there are two kinds of masks: complete and broken.

The complete mask can only be possessed by those who have truly reached that level. The broken mask, on the other hand, is made of the same material, but requires a gift from someone who possesses the complete mask.

It's like a token; seeing the mask is like seeing the person. And what Wu Qiu took out was the broken red diamond mask that had been taken from the red diamond assassin.