Lumine's face was full of question marks.
"Who is he? And who are you?"
Paimon clung tightly to Lumine's back, gripping her clothes for dear life.
"And who's that voice?!"
In the very next moment, both Lumine and Paimon understood who that startled voice's "him" was.
A black-haired man wearing Mondstadt-style clothing was riding the howling gales with a Wind Glider on his back, charging straight through the sky while laughing wildly.
"Hahahahaha!!! Stormterror! Your old man is here to flip you over!!!"
Treating the Wind Glider as an extension of his body, Jia Changjiang had already fully adapted to aerial combat. He precisely caught the high-altitude wind currents that could propel him forward, letting the raging storm carry him straight toward the Wind Dragon.
Watching all of this unfold, Venti fell into a long, stunned silence.
Why is Jia Changjiang up here too…?
Wait—didn't he say he wanted to flip Dvalin even before he came to Mondstadt? Still, I didn't think he'd show up at this moment…
Surprised though he was, Venti reacted quickly.
"O martial warrior, and you, traveler from afar."
Lumine and Jia Changjiang heard Venti's voice echo in their ears at the same time.
"I shall let the winds of the high heavens aid you both. From here on… it's up to you."
Lumine and Paimon hadn't even finished processing his words, but Jia Changjiang immediately felt it.
His body became lighter.
Controlling the Wind Glider grew noticeably easier.
And swirling wind wrapped itself around the battle axe in his hand.
More than that—he felt something appear inside his coat.
Reaching in, Jia Changjiang pulled out… a book.
"…A book?"
[Grimoire of the Four Winds]
Five-star catalyst. A sacred tome penned by anonymous wind-worshipping ancestors. Faith passed down for millennia has earned the favor of the winds, brimming with blessings and power.
Passive — Boundless Blessing:
Movement Speed increased. Elemental damage increases over time.
"…?" Jia Changjiang froze.
"Why did I get a catalyst? And elemental damage—what does that have to do with me? I don't even have a Vision!"
Then he thought of something and glanced at his weapon.
[Eikason's Axe: Anemo Infusion Active]
"Ohhh. I get it now."
His brain clicked instantly.
Before Stormterror could launch its next attack, Jia Changjiang pulled a thick, heavy iron chain from his system inventory. He'd picked it up during daily commissions—a chain whose only virtue was being absurdly sturdy.
With swift, practiced motions, he tightly bound the Grimoire of the Four Winds to his battle axe using the chain, locking it firmly in place. One end of the chain was wrapped around his left arm; his right hand gripped the axe's handle alone.
Grimoire of the Four Winds + Battle Axe + Chain = Meteor Hammer.
Today, Jia Changjiang thought, I'm flipping the Wind Dragon with a wind-infused, four-winds battle-axe meteor hammer.
"Heh! Little girl—and that emergency food."
He shouted across the sky at Lumine.
"Give me a hand! I'll charge in front—you provide fire support from the back!"
"Huh?"
Lumine looked confused, but she instinctively felt it—she could now condense Anemo into compressed wind projectiles and fire them freely.
"Wow… what a weird uncle…"
Paimon muttered from behind Lumine.
"Who are you?" Lumine asked, tilting her head at Jia Changjiang.
"Is now really the time for that?" Jia Changjiang shot back, eyes already locked on the approaching dragon.
"If you don't help—then I'll just take this Wind Dragon all for myself!"
With that, he surged forward, flying straight toward Dvalin, where Anemo breath was already gathering in its jaws.
Facing the dragon's assault, Jia Changjiang showed not the slightest hint of fear—he accelerated.
Lumine blinked.
"Paimon… are people in this world just… not afraid of dragons?"
"Of course they are!!!" Paimon shouted.
"That uncle is just really strange!"
"Lumine! Let's go too!"
"Huh… sounds troublesome. Didn't he say he'd handle it alone?"
"Hey! This isn't the time to slack off!"
"…Fine, fine. I know."
Muttering, Lumine followed.
Stormterror locked onto the two figures in the sky and unleashed its breath.
"COME ON!!!"
Even in midair, Jia Changjiang stood firm like a lone gatekeeper. He swung the chained meteor hammer overhead with brutal force, the chain screaming as it cut through the air.
The civilian Wind Glider behind him creaked violently under the strain. Without Venti's earlier assistance, it would've shattered long ago.
Stormterror's breath was devastating—capable of annihilating buildings.
But Jia Changjiang had a better answer.
The Anemo breath reached him first…
And was dispersed, ground apart by the spinning storm of weapon and wind in his hands.
Stormterror had assumed its power would overwhelm these tiny humans—especially since neither carried a Vision.
But then—
It entered Jia Changjiang's chain range.
And met his eyes.
Eyes blazing with unrestrained exhilaration.
The next instant, excruciating pain erupted from Stormterror's lower jaw.
The sheer force sent the massive dragon's head snapping upward, its enormous body reeling in the air.
[Counterattack Storm!!!]
Across Mondstadt, every citizen who dared look skyward witnessed a breathtaking sight.
A human—tiny as an insect compared to the dragon—had swung a chained weapon upward, smashing Stormterror under the jaw like a brutal uppercut.
"ROOOOAAARRR!!!!!!!"
Shaken from its daze, Stormterror's already-cursed mind exploded with rage, its roar echoing across the entire city.
Then it felt something tighten around its claws.
Before it could react, countless compressed wind blades slammed into its face from the side.
Distracted—
And in the next heartbeat, someone climbed onto its body.
"Stormterror…"
A voice rang out near its ear.
"Fight me in the skies."
The indestructible chain slid under Stormterror's neck—
And was yanked tight.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOARRRRRR!!!!!!!!"
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