The clear sky was once again devoured by darkness as Stormterror, Dvalin, arrived.
A churning storm swept over the entirety of Mondstadt City.
This time, however, the citizens did not panic. Instead, they executed the plan Su Han had put in place. Non-combatants escorted the old and young into the underground shelters, while the Knights of Favonius and the Church of Favonius prepared to meet the dragon in battle.
Atop the Church's highest tower stood the twin heroes of Mondstadt: the Crimson Flame, Diluc, and the Frost Blade, Kaeya.
"To think that this time, it's Stormterror again. We can't let the citizens down a second time!"
"Well said. If we always rely on Liyue, the Knights of Favonius will lose all face!"
Flame and frost bloomed in the sky simultaneously. They were ready.
At that moment, Lisa and Jean rushed to Su Han's side.
Lisa stared at the dragon circling in the distance, her brow furrowed. "Didn't you say this creature had been purified? Why has it lost control again? And why does it feel… even more terrifying than the last time?"
Perhaps due to her cultivation of Senjutsu, Lisa's perception was now incredibly sharp. She could feel the raw hatred and intent to destroy rolling off the incoming storm.
Su Han's gaze was fixed on the dragon's shadow. "Stormterror's Lair is protected by the Anemo Archon's barrier, and my own power is suppressing it. Logically, the black blood of the dragon Durin shouldn't be able to affect Dvalin. Unless…"
"Unless the Fatui are interfering!" Jean gritted her teeth. Only those bastards, who desired chaos above all else, would act with such impunity.
She had been wondering why the Fatui were being so quiet. Now she understood. Their goal had never changed.
Since they couldn't gain control of Mondstadt from within, they would simply use other means to destroy it.
Su Han sighed. It seemed Schubert's dying words were coming true.
He had wanted to warn Venti these past few days, but the bard was nowhere to be found, neither at Windrise nor in the city. Who knew where that slacker had run off to play.
Seeing the two women's worried faces, Su Han warned them, "The Fatui's plan definitely doesn't end here. I think you'd best be careful. It's very likely they have other cards up their sleeve."
No matter how berserk Dvalin became, he was no match for Su Han. The Fatui knew this, yet they still chose to make their move. The high probability was that they had another, deeper conspiracy.
Jean's expression was grim. "I understand. This area is yours. I will go and command the Knights! I will absolutely not let the Fatui destroy Mondstadt!"
"You be careful, too."
"Mm."
Jean leaped from rooftop to rooftop, quickly arriving at the city walls to join her Knights.
At this moment, Stormterror circled above, its furious roar shaking the heavens.
"BARBATOS! I WILL CRUSH YOUR CITY, AND DESTROY ALL THE PEOPLE WITHIN IT! FACE THE WRATH OF THE STORM!"
As its voice fell, it angled its massive body and dove straight for the city.
"Not good! Stormterror is crashing into Mondstadt!"
"Damn it! There's no time to retreat!"
"It's fine! We have Lord Pope! And the Vice-Grand Masters! We have to trust them!"
"We will not retreat! This is our home!"
"Have you forgotten the oath we took? Anyone who wants to destroy Mondstadt must step over our dead bodies!"
"Defend Mondstadt!"
"DEFEND MONDSTADT!"
The Knights of Favonius raised their weapons, not a trace of fear on their faces.
Liyue dared to face an Archon head-on. Then we, Mondstadt, dare to face Stormterror!
Atop the church tower, Diluc began to gather his power. "They're good men. We cannot betray the trust of so many people."
"That's right. All those nights of training until midnight… it was all for this day," Kaeya replied. The longsword in his hand had already turned a deep, icy blue.
In the next instant, both men shot into the sky.
The citizens of Mondstadt watched as, just at the moment the dragon was about to descend, pillars of blue and red light rose to meet it.
"Searing Onslaught: Black Dragon!"
"Glacial Waltz: Three Thousand Worlds!"
BOOM!
A shocking explosion erupted over Mondstadt.
The frenzied dragon felt a sharp pain from its abdomen. It looked down and saw that the attack had come from two humans.
Suddenly, the pain seemed to trigger a memory. Long ago, another person had stood in its way. But this attack was not as fierce as that one had been.
Even so, the assault had undeniably halted its dive.
Helpless, Stormterror could only flap its wings and ascend back into the sky.
The citizens of Mondstadt, seeing this, erupted in cheers.
"Did you see that?! It was Vice-Grand Master Kaeya and Vice-Grand Master Diluc!"
"Heavens! They stopped Stormterror!"
"I heard the two Vice-Grand Masters have to handle official business all day and then undergo extensive training at night! Their strength is astonishing!"
"Well said! I never knew our leaders were so powerful!"
"No wonder so many people are joining the Knights! They're just too strong!"
The crowd was abuzz. But Stormterror was not about to give up. After its first attack failed, it wheeled around in the sky and flew towards the main city gate.
"Not good! Stormterror is trying to get around the Vice-Grand Masters!"
"That beast! Why is it attacking us?!"
"Huh? What's that…?"
Amidst the panic, two figures intercepted the dragon's path.
The first had short, blue hair, fluttering in the wind. The ice-blue greatsword in her hand announced her identity: the Spindrift Knight, Eula!
The crowd instantly fell silent. The last descendant of Mondstadt's old aristocracy was now standing in the way of Stormterror.
Although the Pope had spoken of her in a new light, many residents still didn't trust her. But today, Eula was standing before the dragon. Who could possibly question her heart now?
The second person was Jean's secretary, the recently-promoted knight, Noelle.
"Are you ready, Noelle?"
"Yes, Lady Eula! I have been waiting for this day for a very long time!"
The former maid held her greatsword, her expression incomparably resolute.
"As long as one works hard, nothing is impossible. Noelle, I believe you have the potential to become a Geo-Lord Princess."
Those were the Pope's words to her. And Noelle had been striving for that ever since.
Erupt, elemental power within me!
A golden light began to pulse from the young woman's body, layer upon layer.
Eula, meanwhile, was wreathed in the storm she controlled.
"Fall back, Stormterror! Mondstadt will not be destroyed by you! Song of Broken Pines, help me block this enemy!"
"Even if my foe is a dragon, I WILL NOT RETREAT!"
Two giant longswords, in a massive "X" shape, slammed viciously into Stormterror's body.
Having been nourished by precious meat for so long, the two women's strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.
The dragon in the sky shuddered, and was then actually knocked off course, forced to skid sideways into the ground.
Countless trees and swathes of earth were torn apart, but Mondstadt City had been kept safe.
Instantly, the city boiled over with cheers for its two new knight-heroes.
Of course, many people also spat curses at the former Cardinal Calvin.
"That damn bastard! Do you see how much fighting power he almost cost Mondstadt?"
"Exactly! He said Miss Noelle wasn't fit to be a knight? What garbage talk is that!"
"Stormterror must have really eaten dirt this time!"
"It must have!"
Having blocked Stormterror's attacks twice, the city's morale was incredibly high.
However, on a cliff in Wolvendom, a figure revealed a cruel smile.
"You all look very impressive blocking Stormterror, but what will you do about the second dragon?"
The man speaking wore a half-mask. It was the Fatui Harbinger, Il Dottore. He had been planning this operation for a very long time. How could he let it end here?
Inside Mondstadt City, a man disguised as a merchant took an exquisite wooden box from his coat. To others, it looked like a simple jewelry box, but it had three layers. The first and second held jewelry, but the third was a hidden compartment.
When the man took the item from the hidden compartment, something that had been dormant for a long time slowly awakened.
"Lord Dottore, this is all I need to do, correct?"
He released the object from the dark box out the window. If one looked closely, it was a mechanical bird!
The small bird began to emit strange sound waves, and it was these sound waves that were luring that terrifying other creature.
Just as the people were celebrating that they could resist even Stormterror, a second dragon shadow appeared in the sky.
Stormterror was a verdant-cyan, its body enormous, flying from the east.
This new behemoth, however, was a deep, dark purple, and it was flapping its wings as it approached from the west.
A dance of two dragons. Two demon dragons were attacking at the same time.
Diluc, seeing that shadow, was filled with rage.
"That bastard! He actually released that thing!"
The evil dragon, Ursa! The true culprit behind his father's death! It had also come to Mondstadt City!
The moment Kaeya saw Ursa, he immediately stood in front of Diluc.
"Brother, you must calm down! What happened to our father is already set in stone! Our primary mission now is to protect Mondstadt! You cannot be distracted!"
"But…"
"Diluc! Have you forgotten what Lord Su Han said? Sooner or later, he will let you destroy Dottore!"
Faced with Kaeya's plea, Diluc took several deep breaths and finally regained his clarity.