Dark clouds churned like spilled ink, and the once-clear sky descended into instant chaos. The sun was swallowed whole, and a suffocating pressure surged down toward the two figures on the grass below.
"Agh—!"
A pained dragon's roar echoed from the heavens.
Su Bai still wasn't certain whether Dvalin had truly gone mad. Acting rashly could easily provoke him further—and that would be disastrous.
Before Su Bai could fully prepare himself, the dragon, clearly having lost his reason, unleashed a torrent of Anemo breath straight toward Su Bai and Diona.
Watching the Anemo blast rapidly close in, Su Bai's expression darkened. The attack had come far too suddenly—he barely had time to mobilize the Lightning element and his adeptal energy.
If he were alone, he could have dodged.
But when he glanced back at Diona—trembling uncontrollably in fear—Su Bai clenched his teeth. He spun around, pulled her tightly into his arms, and forced the Electro and adeptal energy within him to circulate at full speed. A thin Electro shield flickered into existence around them.
"Dvalin, just you wait. From today on, we're officially enemies. You really think a fox is easy to bully?"
The Anemo breath collided violently with the Lightning shield. A fierce elemental diffusion erupted, completely engulfing Su Bai's body. Excruciating pain flooded his mind, every nerve screaming that he had already reached his limit.
But even at his limit, he couldn't retreat.
If that Anemo blast hit him directly, even his adeptal body would be gravely injured. If little Diona took it head-on… she wouldn't survive.
"Little Diona… when we get back, you owe me another grilled fish. This hurts like hell."
Sensing the worry in her arms, Su Bai bared his teeth and forced a crooked smile through the pain. The expression was a bit feral—but to Diona, it felt unbelievably reliable.
At last, the Anemo breath broke through Su Bai's hastily formed Electro shield. He shut his eyes, bracing himself for serious injury. At this point, his only hope was that the violent wind wouldn't strip the fur from his tails—if that happened, he'd never be able to face anyone again.
Just as Su Bai resigned himself to his fate, a jade pendant and a protective omamori on his body activated simultaneously.
(TL Note: Omamori are Japanese amulets commonly sold at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, dedicated to particular Shinto kami as well as Buddhist figures and are said to provide various forms of luck and protection)
A powerful surge of Anemo and Electro burst forth. Crane-shaped wind energy intertwined with fox-shaped lightning, the two forces spiraling together in a dazzling collision.
Not only did they completely erase Dvalin's Anemo breath, they slammed brutally into the dragon himself. With a mournful cry, Dvalin staggered midair. Whether from pain or a brief return of clarity, he hesitated—cast one glance at Su Bai below—then beat his wings and fled toward Stormterror's Lair.
As the danger passed and sunlight once again spilled over the grass, a massive crater remained behind.
Inside it, Su Bai slowly loosened his grip on Diona. Only then did he remember that he'd been carrying life-saving items gifted by Cloud Retainer and Yae Miko. Taking a hit from the two of them at once—Dvalin was lucky to have escaped with just a beating.
"Big Fox… why… why did you do that?"
Before Su Bai could even check his tails, Diona threw herself into his arms. Feeling her tears soak into his clothes, he gently patted her head.
"Little Diona, I'm an adeptus. If I can't even protect one little cat like you, how am I supposed to protect Liyue?"
"And even if I weren't an adeptus… I'd never watch my friend die right in front of me."
"W-who's your friend… I—I—ugh, fine! Since you saved me, I'll reluctantly be your friend!"
Diona's face burned red. She tried to jump out of his arms—but pain shot through her ankle, and she tumbled straight onto the grass.
After a quick check, Su Bai let out a breath of relief. It was just a scrape from the residual Anemo energy—no bone damage.
"Big Fox, what are you doing? Why'd you suddenly squat down?"
"If I don't, how are you supposed to climb onto my back with those short legs?"
He crouched and gently hoisted Diona onto his back. She wanted to refuse at first, but the injury reminded her she couldn't walk properly, so she fidgeted restlessly instead.
"Little Diona, behave—or we'll both end up rolling down the hill."
"I'm not worried about myself, but if you get covered in mud, Mondstadt might start spreading rumors tomorrow about Diona loving to play in the dirt."
That shut her up instantly. If that rumor spread, she might as well quit the Cat's Tail altogether. Just imagining those adults' looks made her want to smash them with a cocktail shaker.
"Better now?"
"Hmph. N-no. Not at all. Didn't improve one bit."
Su Bai laughed quietly. Her leg had stopped shaking entirely, yet she still insisted it hadn't improved. He didn't bother exposing her bluff.
"Diona, have you ever seen the sea?"
"No. Dad says it's too far and won't let me go."
"Then next time, how about I take you to see it? We could even have a picnic by the shore."
"A picnic? Well… since you're inviting me so sincerely, I suppose I can reluctantly accept."
The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the ground. White clouds drifted lazily overhead, and even the free wind seemed to slow—as if celebrating the birth of a new friendship.
"Eh? Big Fox, my foot doesn't hurt anymore. The wind blew on it and now it's fine. Put me down!"
Diona hopped off and took a few careful steps. Her eyes widened—no pain, not even a mark left behind.
"Wow! This must be a blessing from the Anemo Archon!"
"Hmph. That Barbatos bastard finally did something useful."
Su Bai ignored the distant ehe. Since Diona was fine, he felt comfortable letting her walk on her own.
"Come on, Big Fox! I'm treating you to something good at Good Hunter. My treat!"
"Hey, slow down—your injury just healed!"
Far away, in the mountains of Jueyun Karst, within the abode of Cloud Retainer atop Mt. Aocang, the atmosphere had grown dangerously tense.
Moments ago, she had been chatting with Ganyu about Shenhe's antics. But the instant she sensed the jade pendant she'd given Su Bai activate—in Mondstadt—her aura surged uncontrollably.
Her most cherished child had faced mortal danger.
Even ordinary parents would be enraged by such a thing—let alone an overprotective adeptus.
"Mondstadt…" Cloud Retainer's voice was icy. "You'd best pray Little Bai returns to Liyue unharmed. Otherwise, even if this one must swallow her pride, I will personally invite the Geo Archon to Mondstadt to demand an explanation."
The killing intent filling the abode was reminiscent of the Archon War itself. Ganyu wanted to soothe her—but didn't know where to begin.
Meanwhile, across the sea in Inazuma, a certain pink-haired fox casually eating fried tofu paused and looked toward Mondstadt.
"Hm? The kid's omamori activated?" she mused. "But my backup hasn't triggered yet, so it shouldn't be serious. Ah well—might as well keep enjoying Lady Hanachirusato's fried tofu."
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TL Note: The more I keep reading and translating this, the more I love Su Bai. I love how funny bro is and also the way he handles Diona and Klee.