In the mountain ranges surrounding Dornman Port, northeast of Mondstadt's mainland—
Barbatos lay sprawled flat on the ground.
By calculating the timeline, the future shown on the light screen aligned perfectly with the period after he had awakened.
That was exactly what troubled him.
Mondstadt was clearly on the brink of catastrophe—
and yet he had received no warning at all.
At first, Barbatos had panicked.
As the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt, he was painfully aware of his many flaws.
But there was one thing he never questioned—
He loved every single one of Mondstadt's people.
If Mondstadt were truly facing annihilation, there was no way he would simply stand aside.
Aerin had already marched to Mondstadt's doorstep.
If he, the Anemo Archon, still refused to show himself, the other Archons would tear him apart with their words alone.
"Barbatos."
Dvalin suddenly called out, his tone strange, before rolling his eyes at him.
"Are all Archons this shady?"
"Even when you help Mondstadt, you insist on making them think it was my thousand-year winds empowering them."
Dvalin looked utterly exasperated.
"If Valkyrie Eula hadn't added that last line confirming your presence, who in the real world would even know you were helping from behind the scenes?"
He paused, then added bluntly,
"At this rate, you'll truly vanish into the river of history."
"Ehe~"
Barbatos blinked and smiled.
"But… people in the real world already know the truth, don't they?"
Dvalin choked slightly.
"…You're not wrong."
Man and dragon fell into silence once more.
Indeed—
the real world mattered far more than the future shown on the light screen.
Only changes in reality truly counted.
"So," Dvalin asked at last, "what now?"
Barbatos was quiet for a long time before finally making up his mind.
"I need to find the Fifth Descender."
"I want to talk to him properly."
"Try to convince him to achieve his goals… in a different way."
With Dvalin and Alice joining the battlefield, and the thousand-year winds flooding the area with elemental power—
the tide of battle shifted dramatically.
Alice's terror was never an exaggeration.
With the winds amplifying her strength, she became downright monstrous.
The mutated Hilichurl Brutes—
the same ones that had sent Jean's squad flying and tanked Diluc's attacks without budging—
Even when three or five charged together, they couldn't withstand Alice's unrestrained bombardment.
As for the ordinary mutated Hilichurls and archers—
They simply vanished under her explosions.
"These Hilichurls are really strange," Alice muttered, curiosity sparked.
"The moment they take any damage, the whole body collapses and disappears?"
She tilted her head.
"Not that they're especially scary… but compared to normal Hilichurls, their strength, speed, and defense are all leagues higher."
"Honestly, they'd be perfect for labor."
"Lock them up and make them work nonstop—
they could power every workshop in Mondstadt."
"No… not just Mondstadt."
She sighed in mild disappointment.
"Too bad they can't be processed into food for other Hilichurls. Though… maybe they don't age at all?"
Nearby, Jean had just driven back a mutated Hilichurl.
Hearing Alice's casual musings, her body stiffened.
"Miss Alice, please don't underestimate them," Jean said quickly.
"According to the intelligence Amber brought back—these mutated Hilichurls aren't ordinary monsters."
"They're all summoned by someone named Aerin."
"And they don't possess individual will. They move collectively under his consciousness."
Jean's gaze sharpened.
"I suspect Aerin is hiding somewhere nearby."
"We should find him as soon as possible and end this calamity."
Summoned… directly?
Alice's expression shifted.
When Barbatos had found her, he'd mentioned a strange individual appearing in Mondstadt—someone hostile.
The moment she heard Mondstadt was in danger, her concern for Klee had driven her to immediately ride Dvalin back.
"So he's strange to this degree," Alice murmured.
"Summoning Hilichurls like this… controlling them as a collective…"
Her mind flashed with an image—
Ants, perfectly coordinated.
And Aerin as the queen.
On the battlefield, Alice remained relaxed.
Amber, however, was anything but.
She hurried over, panic written all over her face.
"Miss Alice, you have to catch that man, Aerin!"
"Because of him… Eula—Eula still hasn't come back…"
She relayed everything—
including her past conversation with Aerin.
Including the Stigmata Serum.
"Stigmata… Serum?"
"Valkyrie?"
Alice's eyes sharpened instantly.
Could this Aerin be an alchemist like that madwoman?
Her thoughts immediately jumped to Rhinedottir.
Alice had traveled across countless worlds—she had seen far more than most.
Yet she had never once heard of anything called a Stigmata Serum.
Nor of Valkyries.
Even without thinking too hard, she could guess—
Aerin had created some kind of alchemical compound capable of fusing with the human body.
Eula…
She might already be his test subject.
But seeing Amber on the verge of tears, Alice swallowed her suspicions.
Instead, she gently patted Amber's head.
"Don't worry. I'll catch that despicable Aerin."
"And I'll make him tell me where Eula is—using the cruelest methods possible."
Amber nodded desperately, still unaware—
That this very attack was being commanded by Eula herself.
Watching from beside the campfire, Eula felt her heart tighten painfully.
She silently prayed—
That the Eula in the future would never, ever appear before Amber.
"If I did…"
"…Amber would be heartbroken."
Fontaine — Palais Mermonia.
Furina's eyes were practically glued to the screen.
She did not condone Aerin's assault on Mondstadt.
As a citizen of Teyvat, she saw his actions as outright invasion.
But—
Viewed as a carefully directed stage play?
The director was a genius.
"Falling into darkness to save a friend."
"Reuniting, only to stand on opposite sides."
"What would Amber feel if she learned Eula was commanding this war?"
"And when Eula is misunderstood… what expression would she wear?"
Furina's imagination ran wild, vividly reconstructing the scene.
Then—
Her pupils trembled.
She snapped back to reality.
"…Don't tell me Aerin's second step…"
"…is sending Valkyrie Eula to deliver the final blow?"
"If that happens…"
"How devastated would Amber and the others be?"
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