"Is this right? Is this reasonable?"
Watching the group of crudely-drawn "Placers" below suddenly transform from comical characters into Musou-style killing machines, Albedo felt his knowledge of alchemy and aesthetic understanding were being tortured.
He fell into deep self-doubt, as if the rigorous logic of his life's research had turned into a joke in this moment.
"Um... Mr. Albedo? What's wrong? Your face looks really strange..."
A tender, slightly sticky voice came from behind Albedo.
A small, cute dragon, covered in scales and with eyes as brilliant as rubies, flew over, flapping its wings, and curiously rubbed its head against Albedo's arm.
This was Little Doolin, born from the adventure in the "Fairy Tale Kingdom."
However, he did not follow the Balladeer; instead, due to a strange twist of fate, he ended up following the Raiden Shogun, whose personality had become gentle (even a bit naive) after being "humanized (?)" by the quartet.
"It's nothing, Little Doolin..."
Albedo rubbed his brow, his tone carrying a hint of exhaustion.
"I just suddenly realized that even I can't avoid making the mistake of judging a book by its cover... Hmm, a profound lesson."
He shook his head and turned his gaze toward the even more out-of-spec battle in the sky—the giant silver-white mecha Wolf King, locked in a deadly struggle with the wildly roaring and constantly resurrecting Demon Dragon Durin.
Albedo couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
According to his original plan (or rather, conjecture), he had hoped that the innocent Little Doolin would resonate or fuse with the cursed Demon Dragon Durin, allowing the Demon Dragon to gain new life, and Little Doolin to inherit its power and existence while retaining its pure self-awareness.
But now, in this situation... Demon Dragon Durin was being beaten into an "eternity resurrection package" by the Wolf King. It was a blessing from the Anemo Archon that Mondstadt had not been torn down. What fusion was there to talk about? The plan was completely ruined!
— — — — — —
High in the sky, the battle was fierce.
"Bang!"
The Wolf King delivered another powerful side-kick, sending the pouncing Demon Dragon Durin flying again like a kicked ball.
Immediately afterward, the armor on its mechanical arm slid open. Accompanied by the humming sound of converging energy, a long, cold, giant High-Frequency Vibration Sword was drawn, slicing through the air with a shriek and precisely cutting across Demon Dragon Durin's neck!
The enormous dragon head flew off instantly!
However, the next second, the despairing sight occurred again.
What erupted from the severed neck of Demon Dragon Durin was not blood, but countless wriggling black flesh tentacles, emitting a thick, ominous aura!
These tentacles, as if alive, quickly grabbed the flying head and forcibly dragged it back into place. The flesh frantically wriggled and spliced, restoring it to normal in the blink of an eye!
Blue light flashed in the Wolf King's eyes. The plasma cannon muzzle on its shoulder lit up with dazzling light again. After charging to the limit, a thick pillar of energy shot out with a roar, instantly engulfing Demon Dragon Durin, who had just reattached its head!
"BOOM—!!!"
Amidst the massive explosion, Demon Dragon Durin's colossal body was blasted into dark red gore and shredded flesh that flew everywhere.
But it was still useless!
The scattered gore and shredded flesh seemed to be pulled by invisible threads, reversing their course at an even faster speed, frantically converging and reassembling in the air... A complete Demon Dragon Durin was about to take shape again!
Just as this despairing cycle seemed destined to continue without end—
"DONG—!"
A heavy, distant tolling sound, as if traveling through ancient time and space, resonated without warning in the heart of every living creature.
"Listen..."
A low, ancient voice, containing endless majesty, echoed in the air.
At some unknown moment, that massive figure draped in a black cloak and wearing a skull mask—King Hassan—was already floating quietly in mid-air.
The Greatsword in his hand, symbolizing death itself, was slowly being raised.
"The Evening Bell has revealed your true name..."
As he chanted, the invisible concept of death began to condense, and the sky seemed to dim slightly.
"Feather of Revelation, sever the head..."
The instant the words fell, King Hassan's figure vanished into thin air, as if merging with space itself.
In the next moment, he had appeared directly in front of Demon Dragon Durin, which was rapidly reassembling!
That Greatsword, wreathed in the aura of death, carrying a power that was not physical but aimed directly at "existence" and "concept," swung down seemingly slowly.
"Azrael, the Angel of Death!!!"
"DONG! DONG! DONG—!!"
Three even louder tolls of the Evening Bell, sounding as if struck deep within the soul, erupted consecutively!
"AWOOO—!!!"
Demon Dragon Durin let out a howl completely different from before, filled with extreme agony and a certain meaning of "finality"!
Its reassembling body twisted and struggled violently, as if an invisible force was erasing it from the very root of its existence!
The thick aura of the Undying Curse surrounding it began to rapidly melt and dissipate, like ice and snow exposed to sunlight!
The power that had forcibly dragged it back from the brink of death was completely corroded and overwritten by an even more absolute, more fundamental concept of "Death"!
The Undying Curse was forcibly broken!
The Wolf King, which had been analyzing calmly, had its sensitive sensors immediately capture the fundamental change in Demon Dragon Durin's life signal—the stubborn power that constantly "refreshed" its state had vanished!
An opportunity!
The Wolf King's combat system instantly made the optimal judgment.
The thrusters on its back erupted with unprecedented light. The massive machine transformed into a silver lightning bolt, and the Longsword that had just been sheathed was drawn again, tracing a perfect cross of cold light in the air at a speed exceeding the limits of human vision!
"Swoosh—!"
The sword light flashed.
The next moment, Demon Dragon Durin, which had just finished reassembling and was still in the stunned state caused by the curse being broken, suddenly froze. Immediately, a clear cross-shaped fissure appeared in the center of its torso and rapidly expanded.
Demon Dragon Durin was completely split into two by the Wolf King's precise and fatal strike!
The gigantic remains lost all vital signs and crashed heavily onto the wilderness outside Mondstadt, showing no signs of resurrection.
The Wolf King hovered in the air, its electronic eyes scanning the two halves of the dragon corpse falling below.
It raised a mechanical arm. The arm armor opened, revealing a device emitting a soft green light.
A stream of green purifying light, full of life energy, poured down like a waterfall, precisely enveloping the remnants of Demon Dragon Durin.
The dragon blood, which had previously emitted corrosion and ominous aura, was rapidly purified and neutralized in the flowing light, turning into harmless dust, even carrying tiny specks of starlight, and dissipating into the air.
Having completed this, the Wolf King's massive head turned toward King Hassan, who was still standing silently in mid-air, and gave a slight nod. Its cold electronic eyes seemed to convey a sense of "Pleasure working with you."
The gaze beneath King Hassan's skull mask seemed to shift slightly. He did not speak, but just as he had arrived, his figure slowly faded, finally melting completely into the Akasha, as if he had never appeared.
On the ground, Little Doolin looked at the purified dragon corpse in the distance, which was no longer terrifying. He blinked his ruby-like large eyes and whispered to Albedo, "Mr. Albedo, that big guy... looks a bit like me, but also different. He looked... so sad, and so much in pain. Now that he's sleeping, does it mean he won't hurt anymore?"
Albedo paused slightly upon hearing this. Looking down at Little Doolin's pure eyes, the slight irritation he felt due to the plan's failure strangely subsided.
He gently stroked Little Doolin's head but did not reply.
Meanwhile, the quartet looked at the word "Victory" on the tablet screen and the zeroed-out budget, celebrating with satisfied high-fives.
"Done and dusted!"
Jesse snapped his fingers.
"It's just that Hundred Faces must be scared silly..."
Elliot muttered softly, looking at Hundred Faces, who had instantly knelt down beside him.
"It's better than Mondstadt being torn apart."
Zane put away the tablet.
Matt nodded honestly: "Yeah, I think those Placer Units were quite impressive."
Lumine and Paimon looked at this group of clowns, and at Mondstadt, which was messy but ultimately saved, and sighed in relief.
Paimon patted his tiny chest: "It's finally over... Although the process was a bit... er, unique."
Acting Grand Master Jean directed the Knights of Favonius to begin cleaning up the battlefield. She looked at the "Placers" who were gradually disappearing, then looked at the Wolf King in the sky, finally letting out a helpless sigh, but her lips carried a smile of relief.
It seems that Mondstadt's peace always needs some... unusual "friends" to protect it.