It wasn't just Lumine and Paimon who felt the chill.
Across Mondstadt City, citizens paused in their work, shivering.
"Is it just me, or did the temperature just drop?"
"Hachoo! Yeah, it's the middle of summer... why is it so cold?"
"Is it a cold front from Dragonspine?"
"Hahaha... Scott, don't be ridiculous. Dragonspine is miles away..."
But the laughter died in their throats.
Inside the Angel's Share, the tavern was packed. Knights, adventurers, and even ordinary citizens huddled together, seeking warmth. The usual lively atmosphere was dampened by an creeping, unnatural frost.
Diluc sat in the corner, his expression grim. He swirled his glass, watching the condensation freeze on the rim.
"This temperature..." he murmured. "This isn't weather. It's magic."
His red eyes, now sharpened by Haki and Chakra cultivation, scanned the room. The air was thick with Cryo energy.
Ten minutes later, the first snowflake fell.
In the height of summer, a blizzard descended on Mondstadt.
The streets emptied in seconds. The bustling market, the vibrant flower shops—all were buried under a rapidly accumulating layer of white.
Inside the Knights' headquarters, Kaeya slammed his hand on the table.
"This is an attack," he stated, his usual lazy demeanor gone. "The temperature just dropped thirty degrees in ten minutes. Someone is manipulating the weather."
"Agreed," Diluc said, walking in from the storm, shaking snow from his coat. "But where is it coming from? My Observation Haki is blank. It's like the cold is coming from everywhere at once."
The Knights fell silent. If even Diluc couldn't pinpoint the source, the enemy was either incredibly powerful or incredibly far away.
"We can't just sit here," Amber said, shivering despite her heavy coat. "Should we contact the Lord Pope? Maybe he knows something..."
"I tried," Lisa said, her voice tight. "No response. And Jean isn't answering either."
They were likely together, deep in cultivation or... other activities.
Lumine stood up, her face resolute. "We can't wait for them. If this blizzard continues, the crops will die, and people will freeze. We have to find the source."
"But Lumine... we don't have a target! We can't just run blindly into the storm!" Paimon wailed, rubbing her arms.
Diluc looked at Lisa. "Can your magic sense anything?"
"I tried," Lisa said, her eyes serious. "My detection spells are being scattered by the wind. Whoever is doing this... their power is on the level of an Archon."
The room went cold, and not just from the weather.
An Archon-level threat.
In the Multiverse Mission Group chat.
Eula:This is bad. The city is in chaos. The snow keeps piling up. If we don't find the enemy soon, we'll be buried.
Ningguang:Can you guess who is doing this?
Lisa:No. Even Haki can't find them. It's hard to even go outside now. Ordinary knights would get lost in the blizzard instantly.
Ganyu:What about Springvale? Is it affected?
Diluc:According to the Transponder Snail report, the spring water there has frozen solid. The whole region is under attack.
Keqing:It's that serious? Do you need backup?
Mona:Definitely! But the train will take an hour. Who is free right now? Sign up!
Xiangling:I'll go!
Hu Tao:Count me in!
Beidou:I'm bored anyway. Come to the Jade Chamber. I'll fly you over on my sword. But I can only carry three people!
Ganyu:I'm going too. I can fly myself.
The situation was critical. Liyue moved instantly.
Ten minutes later, Xiangling and Hu Tao arrived at the Jade Chamber. Beidou led the team, flying towards Mondstadt at breakneck speed.
...
Inside Mondstadt City.
The wind howled like a dying beast. The cold had invaded every home, every crack in the stone.
Fortunately, Lisa had prepared. The heating system, originally designed for winter, was activated early.
"Ensure the safety of the civilians! Crank up the heat!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
After inspecting the underground boiler room, Lisa flew into the air, lightning crackling around her body.
Even if she couldn't find the enemy, she could at least slow down the snow.
"Thunder: Interweave!"
Countless bolts of purple lightning erupted from her body, weaving a net of electricity in the sky. It formed a barrier, vaporizing the falling snow before it could hit the ground.
But Lisa's power was limited. She could only cover the residential district, not the entire city.
"Damn it... it's still not enough!"
Lisa looked at the sky helplessly. She was reaching her limit.
But the snow kept falling.
Suddenly, a cluster of red flames ignited in the plaza.
"Let the flames of purgatory burn..."
BOOM!
Scorching red flames transformed into a Vermilion Bird, charging straight into the clouds.
The fire clashed violently with the blizzard.
A woman in black robes stood in the plaza, frowning. "As I thought. A strange power is at work here. Shatter!"
The flames intensified, tearing a hole in the sky. The temperature instantly warmed.
Lisa looked at the figure with relief.
"I didn't expect Rosalyne to come back... how rare."
The other party hated Mondstadt. One could even say she had wanted to destroy this country before. But now, she was the first to rush to its defense.
Who could say she was truly heartless? She had just been blinded by hatred.
Lisa stabilized the barrier and quickly landed in front of Rosalyne.
Before she could speak, Rosalyne said, "The hole I tore in the sky will close soon. This power... it's definitely not something the Fatui can do. In fact... it's not a power mortals can wield."
"You mean..."
"Yes. To do something like this... the enemy must be an existence on the same level as Dvalin. Or even stronger."
At this point, Lisa could already guess who possessed such power. Her face turned incredibly ugly. She looked in the direction of the Church.
If it really was that guy... Mondstadt was in trouble.
...
On the other side of Cider Lake.
The lush green forest of Wolvendom had turned into a frozen wasteland.
Silver frost covered the earth. The entire territory had fallen into a world of ice and snow. And the temperature was even more terrifying than on Dragonspine.
Countless Abyss monsters were active in the depths.
One of the Abyss Heralds looked at the torn corner of the sky above Mondstadt and sneered. "You think that's enough to dissolve the power of Andrius? Ridiculous... feel the pain in the ice and snow."
Along with his voice, a wolf howl resonated through the sky.
"AWOOOOO!"
The snow intensified again. And it began to spread violently.
Cider Lake had long since frozen into a glacier.
And the Church of Favonius had become a frozen fortress.
Barbara, guarding inside, felt the threat approaching and quickly said to everyone, "Everyone, stay alert! Don't relax! We need to comfort the injured... The Lord Pope will come to save us..."
At this time, Zz'rali also spoke up. "I will release my power to protect the church."
As soon as her voice fell, a layer of shimmering light spread from her body, forming an oval protective shield over the church grounds.
However, Zz'rali's power was limited.
She said to Barbara, "I can only maintain this for two hours. If the snow continues to increase, I can only maintain it for one hour. Or even half an hour... You must find the source of the malice and destroy it... otherwise, I will fall into a slumber."
"Mm, I understand... Zz'rali!"
Barbara mustered her courage and circulated her Holy Light power.
She felt for the birth of malice.
If it were normal Observation Haki, she would definitely be like Lisa—finding nothing.
But the power of the Holy Light could track malice. Or rather, the power of sin.
In Barbara's vision, a dark power was blooming... in that direction... the South. The direction of Wolvendom.
"I know! The enemy must be controlling the existence in Wolvendom..."
That terrifying malice. It was like a volcanic eruption. There was no mistake.
When Barbara arrived at the Knights' headquarters and told them of her perception, Diluc and Kaeya exchanged a glance.
"It seems Lisa's guess was right. Is the enemy really that dead Archon?"
"Even if it's just a remnant soul, it's still an Archon..."
"Heh... I didn't expect us to encounter such a tricky day."
The Archon who could freeze the earth. Now, he had finally extended his fangs towards Mondstadt City.
Barbara asked worriedly, "What should we do? Do we need to go to Wolvendom? I feel like the temperature outside is already very low..."
"Go. Even if we die... we have to stop the Archon's power. Otherwise... the Mondstadt that has just risen will fall into darkness again."
Diluc said with absolute seriousness.