Hollow Knight: Hallownest

Delia did not get an answer to her question. The only response she got was a figure standing motionless beside the tank with a slightly bent back.

"You are wearing the mask given by the king, which means you are also a living being of this land. Why are you obstructing my actions?"

Quirrel raised the bone nail in his hand and placed it across the jar.

He didn't say anything, but his answer was powerful.

"Really? But I have to take the teacher away. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Delia sighed softly. She knew that the other party had no hostility towards the teacher, otherwise, with the strength that had just blocked her attack, he would be able to do something bad to the teacher before she arrived. But a mission was a mission after all, and even if the other party tried to stop her, she would take the teacher away.

This is Hallownest's great mission.

This is the battle named 'Guardian'.

The fight between the two sides was decisive and swift. Drya has always been known for her speed, and the surrounding environment was quite suitable for her to perform. In addition, as the offensive party, her fierce attacks were one after another, suppressing Quirrel in almost all aspects.

Sparks generated by the friction of the bone nails continued to appear next to the tank. Any one of them, even half a millimeter closer, would have destroyed the tank. However, even with such extreme conditions, there had not been a single scratch on the tank since the fight.

The collision stopped abruptly, the dust settled, and Drya appeared in her original position again, with a slight frown on her face.

This guy is a bit difficult to deal with.

There was nothing wrong with his bone nailing skills, and he clearly had the upper hand in speed and strength during the fight, but every attack he launched was gently resolved by the opponent, just like the direct attack on the giant jellyfish not long ago. As a result, after more than a dozen rounds, the result was an even split, with no gains...

“Huff…Huff….”

No, there is still gain.

Delia turned her eyes to Quirrel who was standing next to the tank. Although the latter tried to cover up his breathing, his heavy breathing still exposed his current state of exhaustion.

It was really unexpected that the fighting skills that I was so proud of did not play much of a role, but my young body overwhelmed the scales of victory.

"Give up. You can't stop me in your current state. Don't add unnecessary casualties."

Seeing that he had been exposed, Kui Ruo no longer suppressed his breath. He took a deep breath and took the initiative to attack.

There is no way out by passive defense, but active attack can create a chance.

Delia was a little stunned when she saw this. Just now, Quirrel was only defending around the tank and did not reveal his full strength. Now that he took the initiative to attack, she realized that the latter's speed was not inferior to her own apprentice.

If it weren't for his old age, he might even be able to compete with me in speed.

It’s a pity that there are no ifs in battle.

Quirrel was defeated. He forced himself to stand up with the help of his bone nails and stood in front of the tank, but he could no longer stop Delia.

"If you want to take the teacher away from me, you have to step over my dead body."

Even so, he couldn't just watch Drya take Monomon away.

"You..." Delia could feel Quirrel's sincerity. After a moment, she sighed and told him her mission.

This was supposed to be top secret, but she believed the queen would forgive her.

"How can I trust that you are not lying?"

"You just have to trust me now."

Quiro lowered his eyes and bent his back a little more. After a few breaths, he looked back at Monomon floating in the jar, and after a few more breaths, he nodded.

"You said you could wake up my teacher. Is that true?"

"I don't have to lie to you."

"...Okay, I believe you."

Delia helped Quirrel to the highest platform next to the room, turned around and opened a hole in the tank, allowing the acid to flow out while ensuring Monomon's safety. When all the operations were completed and Monomon lay quietly in Delia's arms, Quirrel's strength had recovered a little.

"Follow me."

Quirrell left a word and walked outside. Delia followed him and saw that the acid pool began to boil again. When Wum appeared, she hurriedly reminded him: "Be careful of that..."

She wanted to remind Quirrel how to subdue Wum, but the latter simply took out a bone nail and pierced through his body. When he landed on the other side, Wum's outer membrane had collapsed.

"Let's go, hurry up, or it will recover."

Delia nodded blankly, not yet realizing what had just happened.

After leaving the archives, the two ran all the way. On the way, Quirrel had to stop many times because of headache and shortness of breath, but he forced himself to move forward after Delia's persuasion.

"Compared to this little bit of pain, the teacher has to bear more than me."

......

Kingdom's Edge, Ashland.

The White Lady leaned quietly against Badong's fat body, looking towards the hazy cave entrance in the distance.

"Badong, how is your recovery going?"

"Well, don't worry, I've recovered a long time ago."

"If you feel uncomfortable, you must speak up. You are very important now."

Badong shook his head without comment, and his eyelids gradually drooped again.

I am getting more and more sleepy...

The strong wind carried the ashes across the bumps and holes in the rocks, making waves of trembling wails. As the White Lady looked eagerly, she finally saw the figure she had been expecting to see.

"Hey, why are there three?"

......

Quirrel's memories were picked up bit by bit. Every time he passed by a place in Hallownest, the bits and pieces began to fit together. It was not until he passed through the City of Tears that he remembered the 'Five Horsemen' and recognized Dryya.

And when he saw Delia bowing to the extraordinary woman in front of her, he remembered that there was a queen in this kingdom.

"Excuse me, your Excellency?"

The White Lady cast a gentle gaze at him, and Quirrell spoke softly, his voice a little hoarse: "Greetings, Queen, my name is Quirrell..."

"I am the teacher's disciple."

After Quirrell finished speaking, Delia and the White Lady were both stunned. The former had guessed it before, and now she suddenly realized: "No wonder you are willing to risk your life to protect the teacher..."

"I always remember that Mo Nuomeng once told me that she had a disciple she loved very much. It turned out to be you. But how did you ..."

The White Lady frowned. She could feel that Quirrel's life was coming to an end and was in danger.

"Don't worry, Queen. If I can see the teacher wake up again in this life, I will have no regrets."

"That would be the miracle I look forward to most in my life."

Quirrell's eyes were extremely bright, like a child's.