[Valkyrie — Eula Lawrence.]
Alice's expression darkened instantly.
So such a thing truly existed in this world—
something capable of elevating an ordinary person's strength as if crossing an entire hierarchy in a single step.
["Eula! What are you saying?"]
Amber felt as though she were hallucinating.
A sudden thought struck her, and her gaze snapped toward Aerin.
["Did you force the Stigmata Serum down Eula's throat?"]
["Did you control her will the same way you control mutated hilichurls?"]
Amber wasn't the only one thinking this.
Jean and Alice shared the same suspicion.
They trusted Eula's character and resolve. She was never someone who feared death.
Seeing Amber point at Aerin with such hostility, Eula hurriedly explained,
"You've misunderstood, Amber."
"With Lord Aerin's strength, there's no need for such methods."
"This was my own choice."
"Eula…?"
Amber's breathing quickened, an indescribable pressure tightening her chest.
She was about to say more, when she noticed Eula's expression suddenly turn impatient.
Eula clearly had no desire to continue arguing over this.
Regardless of her original reasons for consuming the Stigmata Serum, she was no longer Mondstadt's Spindrift Knight.
She was now Aerin's Valkyrie.
More importantly, no one understood Aerin's terror better than she did.
In this world, there was likely no one capable of stopping him once he set his mind on something.
"My self-introduction is complete, Miss Alice."
Eula replied calmly, then stepped back to stand silently behind Aerin.
"Mm~ how obedient," Alice said softly, biting her lip with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"To think, Mr. Aerin, you're not only good at training hilichurls—
even Mondstadt's former Spindrift Knight listens to you so well."
Her smile remained, but frustration churned violently within her.
As the only person in Teyvat with legitimate authority to traverse worlds, Alice was sharp enough to see through Aerin's intent.
Given how Eula had been treated in Mondstadt…
Bringing her here was clearly an act of mockery.
"Eula!"
Jean stepped forward, intending to explain—
—but Alice grabbed her arm.
"Jean."
Alice spoke quietly,
"Go back to the city immediately. Find a way to evacuate the citizens of Mondstadt."
"What?!"
Jean trembled violently.
Evacuate?
She stared at Alice in disbelief.
Was this really the fearless Scarlet Witch she knew?
"Miss Alice… you want me to abandon Mondstadt?"
Jean's lavender eyes shook violently.
Madness. This was madness.
Yet Alice's seriousness frightened her even more.
This was the first time Jean had ever seen Alice like this.
"Yes," Alice replied calmly.
"If you move now, you might still make it in time."
She subconsciously glanced toward the sky.
Barbatos should still be nearby.
With the authority of the Thousand Winds, he could help the citizens evacuate swiftly.
"What is this about—" Jean tried to ask.
Alice cut in quietly,
"I can't sense Aerin's presence at all… but I can sense Eula's."
"Even though this all feels like a dream, I can tell—
as a Valkyrie, Eula is far stronger than I am."
"And as for Aerin…"
Alice looked toward him warily.
Aerin was smiling at her—relaxed, almost playful.
Yet that sunlight-bright smile sent chills crawling up her spine.
Such a sensation could only mean one thing:
the gap between them was so vast that when Aerin concealed his aura, Alice was effectively blind.
"Traveler."
Lumine was startled as Alice suddenly called out to her.
Turning her head, she saw Alice looking at her with unmistakable hope.
"In a moment, you must run. Leave Mondstadt.
Run as fast as you can—the faster, the better."
Alice left Lumine with words she couldn't comprehend.
In the next instant, the light of the Thousand Winds surged violently around Alice.
"Go— I'll hold him—"
She never finished the sentence.
Like a deflated Anemo Slime, Alice was suddenly flung away, shooting through the air and crashing violently into the rocks beneath the bridge.
"Alice!" Jean cried out in horror.
Amber, Lumine, and Paimon stood frozen.
They hadn't seen any attack.
They hadn't sensed any movement.
They didn't even understand how Alice's power had activated—
Only that she had been sent flying.
Alice reacted quickly. After striking the rocks, she flipped herself back onto the bridge.
But the turmoil within her body forced her to cough violently.
"Wah—!"
A mouthful of blood splattered onto the ground.
"What did you just do?" Alice demanded weakly, lifting her head.
"Did you see me do anything?" Aerin replied seriously.
"I was standing right here. I didn't move at all."
"I only saw you fly away on your own."
"You—!"
Alice's fury surged, and she spat another mouthful of blood.
Aerin ignored her entirely, continuing with a light smile.
"I heard Mondstadt was lively—drums beating, celebrations underway.
So I thought I'd drop by for a visit."
"But you insist on having them abandon the city," he continued calmly.
"Is that how Mondstadt welcomes guests, Alice?"
His tone suddenly turned cold.
Then he smiled again.
"No one is leaving."
"Eula. Your turn."
Eula's body trembled as she snapped out of her shock.
Truth be told, she didn't understand how Alice had been sent flying either.
That alone proved Aerin was even more terrifying than she had imagined.
"Yes, Lord Aerin."
Understanding his intent, Eula accepted the order.
Behind her, Song of Broken Pines resonated—
—and in an instant, transformed into a streak of solid ice that shot into the sky.
Moments later, countless ice spikes rained down, embedding themselves around Mondstadt's walls.
In the next breath, the frozen structures began to spread and interlock.
When the final connection formed—
A colossal ice prison sealed Mondstadt completely.
Only a single passage remained—
the road leading straight to Mondstadt's main gate.
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