The guards behind them immediately drew their swords and charged at Ying, intending to protect their leader.
Of course, Ying wouldn't pay attention to such minor characters. With a slight shift of her body, she dodged their attacks and, raising her right hand, controlled her strength to condense a powerful Anemo Vortex Sword, slamming it forcefully into the nearest guard.
*Boom!*
The immense impact sent the guard flying far away, where he eventually fell to the ground and passed out.
Paimon, standing nearby, was so startled by the sudden action that she froze in place, completely bewildered by what had just happened.
After dealing with the guard, Ying moved in front of the official, crouched down, tilted her head, and looked at his face, saying with a friendly smile.
"Reciprocity, since I've given you a gift, I'd like one in return. Don't worry, I'm not greedy, I just need you to take me to the Sanctuary of Surasthana. After all, it would be a tiny bit troublesome to find it myself~ (^_^)"
Hearing this, the official's pupils shrank to the size of needle points, and a strange expression flickered across his face as he repeated in disbelief.
"Sanctuary of… Sanctuary of Surasthana?"
Saying this, the official swallowed hard, his voice filled with panic.
Ying immediately realized from his reaction that he was one of the participants in the operation, and couldn't help but smile.
Hmph… I was just thinking I might have gone too easy on them. If he was involved, this will be much easier~
"Halt!"
"Release the esteemed Official!"
As Ying was contemplating, several sharp shouts suddenly rang out, and dozens of Sumeru soldiers instantly emerged from all directions, surrounding the two of them.
"Waaah?!"
Seeing their aggressive approach, Paimon quickly flew behind Ying and said somewhat fearfully.
"We've been captured again."
Upon seeing the suddenly attacking army, Ying instantly grasped the situation and glanced coldly at the official before her.
"Ordering through the Akasha, weren't you…"
"Heh… there's certainly no problem with that, but unfortunately, you overlooked one crucial thing."
Saying this, Ying slowly stood up, her gaze sweeping over the surrounding soldiers, and she spoke with a playful expression.
"Take a guess how long you'll last."
"Arrogant!"
"Take down this little brat!"
Following a series of angry shouts, dozens of soldiers simultaneously brandished their weapons and charged at Ying.
Witnessing the spectacular scene before her, Ying felt no trace of nervousness. She merely offered a wry smile and slowly uttered a few words.
"What was that move called again… Ah, yes, Senki Ryu…"
As Ying's words fell, a piercing sound suddenly echoed in everyone's ears, followed by a blindingly brilliant arc of electricity.
Streams of electric light erupted from Ying's body, like ferocious, roaring venomous snakes, lunging towards the charging Sumeru soldiers.
In an instant, all the soldiers collapsed to the ground, with many even emitting smoke.
After completing this, Ying looked at the official, whom she had intentionally spared, and said softly.
"The answer to your question just now was… less than a second. (^_^)"
Gazing at the adorable young girl before him, the official trembled uncontrollably, his eyes wide with terror, his mouth agape, unable to utter a single coherent word.
Ying knew that the person before her had already informed the higher-ups about her quest for the Sanctuary of Surasthana. To prevent them from moving Nahida again, she didn't linger. With a swift strike, she knocked him unconscious and called out to Paimon to hurry inside with her.
"Let's go, Paimon."
"Huh?"
Paimon quickly followed, asking the question she had been wanting to ask since earlier.
"Um, Ying, what are we doing? Why did you attack the residents here?"
Hearing Paimon's worried words, Ying turned her head and smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry, I didn't intentionally attack innocent people. I'm taking you to rescue a friend."
"A friend?"
Ying nodded.
"Yes, you'll meet her soon."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ying grabbed Paimon and, with incredible speed, traversed the entire city of Sumeru.
After knocking down an unknown number of reinforcements from Sumeru, Ying finally found the place she was looking for.
With a casual sweep, she knocked out the few guards at the entrance. Ying glanced at the imposing gate before her and finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew… finally found it. Those scoundrels were truly infuriating, their skin was so thick. My hands are sore from hitting them."
Paimon: "……..."
Uh… is this blaming the victim?
"Halt!!"
The familiar voice echoed from behind again. Ying sighed helplessly and turned around, complaining to them.
"I say, couldn't you all gather and attack me at once? Clearing you out wave by wave is too troublesome."
"Cough… cough… cough… truly arrogant!"
Hearing the slightly hoarse voice, Ying curiously looked at the speaker and her eyes lit up.
"Oh my~ I was actually planning to find you after I rescued Nahida, but you've come to me instead. Not bad, not bad, you seem to have some self-awareness, esteemed Grand Sage."
Seeing Ying's demeanor, the Grand Sage frowned and said sternly.
"Outsider, why did you suddenly attack the people of Sumeru? Are you trying to provoke a war between nations?"
Seeing that the other party was feigning ignorance, Ying saw no point in beating around the bush and stated directly.
"No reason, because you deserve it. Besides, I never attacked the people of Sumeru, only your Akademiya members."
Saying this, Ying took a few steps back, placed her hand on the large gate behind her, and then looked at the Grand Sage with a playful expression.
"Want to know why I'm here? Since you're so eager to know, I'll mercifully tell you then~"
Upon seeing Ying's action, the Grand Sage felt a surge of intense danger and quickly tried to stop her.
"Don't…"
*Rumble!!!*
Before he could finish speaking, the gate was blasted open by Ying's massive Anemo Vortex Sword. As the dust settled, the scene inside the gate was revealed to everyone.
Seeing Nahida floating inside a sphere she didn't understand, Ying nodded in relief, turned around, and looked at the Grand Sage with feigned surprise.
"Wooooah~ I never would have imagined, someone secretly imprisoning their own god. Could it be that you want to take over the divine seat yourself? Tsk tsk tsk~ That's truly audacious~"
As the surrounding people's gazes became increasingly intrigued, the Grand Sage's face turned red with embarrassment.
"Nonsense! I clearly intended to…"