Outside Stormterror's Lair, Paimon tapped on the Anemo barrier enveloping the domain. The dense concentration of Anemo energy stung her little fingers.
"Wow, Venti, what are you thinking about? Hurry up and open this thing! This eggshell-like thing is so weird!"
"Hmm? Oh, right."
It took a few prompts from Paimon for Venti to snap out of it. Venti's distraction put Diluc on alert—he had a feeling this unreliable Anemo Archon would stir up some kind of trouble.
Jean glanced worriedly at Venti, assuming he was concerned about Dvalin. The truth was quite different—Venti had just sensed that someone had dug up the fine wine he'd buried in Wolvendom. Stealing from him? Venti felt he might need to make a citizen's arrest.
---
Near Wolvendom, Yae Miko cheerfully excavated a large bottle of wine from the earth. Boreas, who had never tasted alcohol, looked completely bewildered. This was it? He'd thought it was something precious, the way Barbatos had buried it so deep.
"I thought it was something valuable, little fox. Did Dvalin provoke you?"
"Not exactly. It's more like... similar to you, Lord Andrius. He bullied one of my juniors."
Andrius nodded in understanding. No wonder—harm the young, and the elders come calling. That made perfect sense. Poor Dvalin—it seemed today's beating was unavoidable.
"Let's go, little fox. Don't fall behind."
Andrius launched himself forward, instantly vanishing from his spot. A massive lupine shadow raced across the grassland, the emanating Cryo energy turning everything in its path into a frozen wonderland. Even Yae Miko had to acknowledge—Andrius's reputation was well-deserved.
---
Outside Stormterror's Lair, Lumine caught her breath after dealing with the Hilichurls. The dense Anemo energy around her made her uncomfortable. Finally, Venti did something productive—with his lyre playing, the Anemo barrier surrounding the domain gradually dissipated, revealing the ruined lair in all its dilapidated glory.
"So... Mondstadt's architectural style is certainly unique."
"This place wasn't originally called Stormterror's Lair. But after Aunt Alice's 'renovations,' it ended up looking like this."
Diluc stared with dead fish eyes. Klee, that headache-inducing child, had perfectly inherited her mother's talent. He'd lost count of how many times he'd seen Klee wandering near Good Hunter's stove with a bomb.
"Um... Lumine, does it feel colder to you?"
Paimon breathed onto her little hands and rubbed them together. The warm breath turned cold before even reaching her skin. Paimon shivered—this was freezing! Wasn't this Stormterror's Lair? Why did it feel like Dragonspine?
Paimon's observation made Jean and the others notice the abnormal temperature drop. Venti looked puzzledly toward Wolvendom. This Cryo energy felt familiar—he'd fought its owner many times back in the day.
"Andrius? Is that you?"
"Andrius? The Wolf King deep within Wolvendom?"
The Gunnhildr Clan's ancient records mentioned that name. Jean remembered seeing it as a child while flipping through family archives—she'd always assumed it was just a legend.
Having already arrived inside Stormterror's Lair, Andrius sensed the group's presence. To prevent the battle's aftermath from harming them, he stomped the ground, instantly erecting an ice wall around the domain, sealing Jean and the others out.
The group was dumbfounded. So all their effort had been for nothing? They'd finally reached the point of confronting Dvalin, and now some ancient powerhouse showed up and blocked the path completely.
"Don't look at me. This level of ice is beyond what my Pyro can melt."
Diluc's statement made everyone turn their gazes toward Venti instead. Venti spread his hands with a 'helpless' expression.
"I'm just a powerless wind spirit. This thick ice wall is beyond me too."
---
Inside Stormterror's Lair, Andrius's wolf eyes locked onto the tower protected by dense Anemo energy. Even after all these years, thirty percent of the barrier remained intact.
"Hmph. You think hiding in there will save you, Dvalin? You've grown so cowardly over the years."
"Dvalin... it's time to settle everything."
Andrius howled at the sky. Dense Cryo energy coalesced into a sphere floating before him—then, to Yae Miko's astonishment, he swallowed it whole. Yes, swallowed it in one gulp.
"Little fox, you were curious about my prime? Watch closely."
After charging up, Andrius opened his massive maw and unleashed a devastating beam of mixed Anemo and Cryo energy against the tower's barrier. The Swirl reaction triggered by the collision sent Cryo energy spreading outward in all directions.
Terrifying Cryo energy radiated from the tower, instantly coating Stormterror's Lair in a layer of ice. Caught completely off guard, the monsters in the area froze solid on the spot, disintegrating into ash and vanishing. Even the wandering Ruin Guards weren't spared—they ground to a halt, their mechanisms silenced.
The group, floating by Venti's Anemo, watched the scene inside the domain with stunned expressions. Was this a battle between gods? Was it always this terrifying? Lumine stared blankly at the elemental beam erupting from Andrius's mouth.
"What the heck... Tailed Beast Ball?!"
No matter how sturdy the three layers of barriers were, under Andrius's unrestrained assault, they shattered into fragments. Yae Miko nodded approvingly from behind Andrius—choosing this ally had been the right decision.
"Since Lord Andrius is putting in so much effort, this junior should contribute as well."
Yae Miko produced a black Jumpy Dumpty the size of a human head. This 'little toy' was the fruit of her and Klee's labor over many days—Klee had named it 'Angry Jumpy'.
Casually tossing the 'little thing' toward the tower, Andrius glanced sideways at Yae Miko. Was this little fox joking? Throwing a 'rock' counted as helping?
The specially crafted Jumpy Dumpty arced perfectly through the air. Just as it was about to strike the barrier, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking the bomb directly.
And so? Andrius inwardly lamented—the youth of today just weren't what they used to be. Back in his era, any god who couldn't blow apart a mountain with a single lightning strike was considered weak. Now the youngsters couldn't even aim properly...
Beside Andrius, Yae Miko held up her Kamera, watching the steadily glowing bomb with great interest.
"I wonder if Klee will see this fireworks display. After all, we made this together. I should take a picture—as a memento."