The Abyss Heralds climbed to their feet, each of them drawing upon elemental power to launch their attacks.
That aside…
"Using Hydro and Anemo against the archons of Hydro and Anemo—aren't you looking down on us a little too much?" Lora said calmly. As the attacks flew toward her, a towering waterfall appeared in an instant, washing away all the Hydro elemental assaults.
Venti guided the wind, intercepting the opposing gales.
Lora swung the " Judgment of the Raging Sea," cleaving apart every attack that came close!
Aether remained where he was. Spatial rifts tore open at his side once more, and even more Abyss Mages and Abyss Heralds poured out—along with numerous Hilichurl—charging straight toward the two of them. He didn't need to defeat them here. All he needed was time.
Once Dvalin was completely eroded by Abyssal power, everything would be settled.
"A numbers game?" Lora looked at the steady stream of Abyss Heralds and Abyss Mages emerging from the rifts, her expression still carrying a faint smile.
Such tactics were rarely effective against gods—especially against her and Venti, who were the least afraid of being overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
"Hydro has no fixed form."
Lora tightened her grip on the "Judgment of the Raging Sea" and spoke softly.
As her clear voice rang out, countless droplets of water surfaced from the chessboard-like ground beneath them. The droplets gathered together, and one after another, humanoid figures formed entirely of water appeared before her.
Under Lora's control, these water beings charged straight into the Abyssal army.
Venti manipulated the winds to restrain the enemy's movements, while he and Lora crossed the battlefield together, heading directly toward Aether.
Seeing them rush in, Aether made no attempt to flee. He drew his weapon and met Lora head-on. The Traveler's Handy Sword collided with the "Judgment of the Raging Sea," producing a sharp, ringing clash of metal.
Lora felt a flash of frustration. She was wielding a divine artifact—so why was she evenly matched against the Traveler's Handy Sword in Aether's hands?
No… that wasn't the point.
She wasn't a Martial God, nor was she a battle-hardened Electro Archon. Why was she insisting on close-quarters combat in the first place?
The moment she realized this, Lora abruptly stopped. Even Venti was startled.
"Lora, what's wrong?" he asked. "Is your body not holding up?"
Aether took a step back as well, frowning slightly as he watched her.
He didn't seize the chance to attack.
Even if Lora seemed to have run into some trouble, the vigilant Anemo Archon was right beside her. Striking her partner in such a situation could very well provoke the Anemo Archon into an outright rampage.
"No… I just remembered something," Lora said, shaking her head. She looked straight at Aether. "Why should I fight you up close?"
As her words fell, she swung the "Judgment of the Raging Sea" again. With the motion, Hydro elemental power was continuously drawn from the surrounding air, condensing into long swords—each one resembling the "Judgment of the Raging Sea"—that shot toward Aether.
At the same time, water kept seeping out from the chessboard, floating upward and forming more and more water beings.
Seeing this, Venti smiled and joined in, coordinating his attacks with Lora. Even so, neither of them was fighting at full strength—or rather, neither was using their true power.
If they truly unleashed everything they had, it wouldn't just be this space that was destroyed. The entire Mondstadt region would suffer an unimaginable catastrophe.
Aether retreated step by step, fending off the onslaught of divine power. Soon, he reached the edge of the chessboard, with the boundless, unfathomable Abyss stretching out behind him. Then, he suddenly laughed.
After destroying another water being, Aether looked at Lora and Venti and said, "Time's up. This dragon is mine."
"What?" Both Venti and Lora froze.
A dragon's roar rose from beneath the space. A dark shadow shot upward, carrying with it a boundless, raging gale.
"That's… Dvalin?" Lora frowned as she stared at the figure in the sky.
Dvalin's once-blue body was now streaked with crimson lines. The wounds on its back, tainted by Abyssal power, had grown even more grotesque and terrifying.
The aura it radiated was wildly frenzied, and even the surrounding winds were filled with a murderous, violent intent.
"The Abyss's power has already eroded its very essence!" Venti said grimly. Fury flashed in his eyes as vast winds condensed into blades and slashed forward.
Aether immediately retreated, slipping into a spatial rift and vanishing from the space. Venti's attack struck the chessboard instead, instantly shattering one corner and causing the entire platform to begin collapsing.
Hilichurl and Abyss Mages who failed to escape fell into the void below, disappearing without a trace. Seeing this, the remaining Abyss Heralds quickly withdrew into spatial rifts and retreated.
But at this moment, neither Lora nor Venti had any attention to spare for them.
The Abyss-corrupted Dvalin roared, its cries filled with pain and savage fury. The space around them continued to crumble, cracks spreading rapidly in every direction.
"This space is collapsing—it's about to disperse!" Lora noticed the instability at once and warned Venti.
The instant she finished speaking, the temporary space constructed by Aether shattered completely. Lora and Venti, along with Dvalin in the sky, were expelled back into the real world—above the tower itself.
Violent winds swept across the entire Old Mondstadt region, and Dvalin's roar echoed through the heavens.
Lumine and the others, who were dealing with Hilichurl and Abyss Mages around Old Mondstadt, looked up toward the sky. They saw Dvalin soaring overhead and felt the terrifying, chaotic aura pouring from his body.
"It's Dvalin! Something feels wrong…" Paimon frowned deeply. "Did Venti and Lora fail?"
"No," Lumine said, shaking her head. "Venti is the Anemo Archon. There's no way he would fail."
Though Venti often claimed he didn't have much power, Lumine never truly believed that. Anyone who could become one of the "Seven Archons of the World" could not possibly be lacking in strength or means.
Even so, her expression remained tense. Compared to Venti, she was far more worried about Lora.
Venti stepped onto the high sky, positioning himself directly in Dvalin's path.
"Dvalin! It's me—I've come to see you!" he called out. "Don't let the power of the Abyss control you, Dvalin!"
Lora flew to Venti's side, her gaze fixed solemnly on Dvalin. From its body, she could sense an overwhelmingly dense concentration of Abyssal power.
Dvalin locked its eyes on the two before it, opened its jaws, and let out a thunderous roar. A torrent of furious winds surged straight toward Venti and Lora.