Above Mondstadt, the sky now looked as though it had been sealed beneath a vast dome of ice, enclosing the entire city within.
From the outside, only the city walls wrapped in frozen crystal could be seen.
At that moment, everyone's expressions froze as well.
No one was unfamiliar with the limits of a Vision.
Some Vision holders couldn't even defeat a slightly stronger ordinary human.
Yet after consuming the Stigmata Serum, Eula had directly sealed Mondstadt beneath an icy firmament.
The magnitude of her transformation was utterly unbelievable.
[Navia]: "So this is what happens after taking the Stigmata Serum? That's… terrifying."
[Kamisato Ayaka]: "To generate such a massive freezing phenomenon without relying on water… this already borders on divine authority."
[Shenhe]: "..."
[Ganyu]: "Miss Eula has become incredibly strong."
[Amber]: "Eula… the future you, as a Valkyrie, is really amazing."
[Sangonomiya Kokomi]: "Impressive, yes—but she's attacking Mondstadt."
[Lisa]: "No wonder even Miss Alice admitted defeat. That display rivals the power of a god."
[Wriothesley]: "The only word that fits the current Eula Lawrence… is terrifying."
[Venti]: "Ehe~ What a powerful ice big sister."
Dvalin glanced at the chat group and felt an overwhelming urge to slap the Anemo Archon beside him.
"Stop fooling around in there," Dvalin growled.
"If the Fifth Descender notices you, the consequences will be frightening."
Even Eula—after consuming the Stigmata Serum—had become this monstrous.
That only highlighted how terrifying her creator, Aerin, truly was.
"You're really going to meet the Fifth Descender?" Dvalin asked uneasily.
Facing such an existence, even he didn't know how to respond.
Barbatos nodded calmly.
"There's no choice. For Mondstadt's sake, I have to try."
"Whether I live or die… at least it counts as hope."
Elsewhere.
Eula sat blankly beside a campfire, not even noticing that the flames were about to die out.
"That person in the light screen… is that really me?"
She murmured to herself.
At first, she had only thought that becoming a Valkyrie made her more beautiful—
her temperament colder, more fitting of an ice-cold beauty.
She remembered that her future self had mentioned feeling a strange, powerful force upon taking the Stigmata Serum—
—but she never imagined it would be this powerful.
A mere gesture, and she could freeze all of Mondstadt.
Even the legendary Alice openly admitted inferiority.
For Eula herself, the shock was nothing short of soul-shattering.
As captain of the Reconnaissance Company, constantly battling threats to Mondstadt, she understood better than most how dangerous this world truly was.
Only overwhelming strength guaranteed survival.
Just as shown in that future vision.
In Mondstadt, no one could stop Aerin's advance.
There was only one reason—
No one could match him in power.
In that instant, Eula's state of mind changed completely.
["Ah—!"]
[A wave of extreme cold surged from behind them. The women turned their heads, and in the next instant, all stood frozen in shock.]
["Eula! You—" Jean glared at the Eula before her, fury blazing in her eyes.]
[She could not believe that her former comrade of the Knights had frozen Mondstadt with her own hands.]
[Nor could she comprehend how the Valkyrie Eula had become so powerful—no wonder Alice had admitted defeat.]
[Only now did Jean truly understand Alice's meaning.]
[This was no longer a matter of surpassing Alice.]
[The current Eula could only be described as terrifying.]
[Her transformation completely overturned common sense.]
["So this… is the change brought by the Stigmata Serum… cough…"]
[Alice spoke calmly, suppressing the shock in her heart.]
[Yet even so, she couldn't stop blood from staining her lips.]
[Amber and Lumine rushed over, trying to support her.]
["Miss Alice, are you okay?" Paimon asked frantically.]
[Fear left her momentarily at a loss for what to do.]
[She couldn't understand it—Aerin had always seemed kind.]
[Why would he suddenly wage such a horrifying war against Mondstadt?]
[Was there someone in Mondstadt who had wronged him?]
["What's going on? Is there someone in Mondstadt who's his enemy?"]
["Or did you hurt him somehow? Why else would he do this?"]
[Paimon demanded anxiously.]
Alice shook her head. Her crimson-gold eyes never left Aerin.
Suppressing the pain, she said quietly,
"No one in Mondstadt should even know him."
"The power he uses is… strange. It doesn't belong to Teyvat."
"If my guess is correct—he comes from beyond this world."
"Beyond this world…?"
Lumine's heart skipped a beat.
She turned sharply, staring at the figure leisurely walking toward Mondstadt.
He too… was from beyond this world?
Before her thoughts could settle, warmth spread through her palm.
Alice was gripping her hand tightly, eyes filled with desperate hope.
"Traveler, you must leave. Now."
"I'll hold him back with my life if I have to."
"You need to gather the power of the seven elements and restore your true strength."
"The future of Teyvat… depends on you."
"On me…?"
Lumine froze.
Amber looked at Lumine in equal shock, unable to understand why Alice would suddenly say such things.
She was just a traveler searching for her sibling—
Why would Alice entrust her with something so heavy?
"Traveler."
Alice's tone hardened, her expression grave.
Lumine fell silent instantly.
From Alice's gaze, she knew—what came next was crucial.
"I believe Aerin may be like you."
"An existence from beyond this world—known as a Descender."
"A Descender…?" Lumine whispered.
Alice nodded heavily.
"You are beings capable of bringing enormous change to Teyvat."
"Descenders."
"I don't know much about Aerin."
"But I know this much, Traveler."
"You… are the Fourth Descender of Teyvat."
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