Dainsleif gave a bitter smile.
Fight?
Impossible.
The Witch of Purple Rose, Lisa. The Crimson Witch of Flame, Luo Lin. The Adeptibeast Qilin, Ganyu. And the Knights of Favonius were closing in.
His chance of escape was zero.
"I am a survivor of Khaenri'ah," Dainsleif stated, raising his hands. "I am only here to investigate the recent Abyssal activity. I mean no offense."
"Save your breath for Su Han," Lisa said coldly. "Chains of Purgatory!"
"Thunder Spike!"
Two seals, one of fire and one of lightning, slammed into him. Dainsleif tried to use his Abyssal power to cut them, but the Witches were faster. Their power, honed by Senjutsu and Haki, bypassed his defenses completely.
In an instant, Dainsleif was bound.
"Guard him well," Lisa ordered the knights. "The Lord Pope will interrogate him personally."
"Yes, Lady Lisa!"
As Dainsleif was dragged away, he tried to corrode the seals with the Abyss, but found them impregnable.
"How…?" he murmured. "Even a Witch's power shouldn't be this pure."
...
Back in the Jade Chamber, Luo Lin reported the capture to Su Han.
"You caught him?"
"Yes. Ganyu found him. He claims to be from Khaenri'ah."
"He's telling the truth. But a stray dog who enters my territory without permission can sit in a cell for a while."
"Is he really from Khaenri'ah?" Luo Lin asked, surprised.
Su Han sneered. "He despises the Seven because his nation was destroyed. But he forgets how many people Khaenri'ah killed with their 'research.' The death of the Yakshas… the fall of the previous Electro Archon… the chaos in Mondstadt… Durin… it all started with them. He only remembers his own nation's fall, not the scars they left on the world."
In the game, Su Han had always found Dainsleif a bit hypocritical. He helped Lumine find her brother, sure, but his attitude was nauseating. He only talked about the Seven destroying Khaenri'ah, never about the calamity Khaenri'ah unleashed on the world.
"That's true," Luo Lin said quietly. "Those kinds of people are disgusting. I'll make sure he's 'comfortable.' How is it on your end?"
"I've just cleared out the Rifthounds. I'm heading to Wolvendom."
At this moment, Su Han was flying towards Wolvendom with Jean.
The landscape below was a sea of white. Even Springvale was covered in frost.
"Will the citizens be alright?" Jean asked worriedly.
"Don't worry. They've lit the furnaces. They'll be safe."
When they arrived at the edge of Wolvendom, the battle had already begun.
Diluc and Kaeya were slaughtering the Abyss forces. Bennett was helping, and Noelle was clearing out the large Mitachurls.
"Status report!" Su Han shouted.
"Save Lumine!" Diluc roared, his voice urgent. "She was taken by the Abyss! They're heading deep into the forest!"
"What?" Su Han's heart skipped a beat.
"Put me down," Jean said decisively. "Go save the girl and Paimon. I'll help Diluc."
"Alright. Be careful."
Su Han dropped Jean off and shot towards the depths of Wolvendom on his sword.
The closer he got, the stronger the Abyssal power became.
"AWOOOO!"
A wolf howl tore through the air, followed by a terrifying blade of frost.
"Good timing!" Su Han sneered. "Qilin-Tessusaiga! Wind Scar!"
BOOM!
Fire and ice collided, shattering the forest for hundreds of meters.
"Su Han! Help!" Paimon's voice cried out from the smoke.
"I'm coming!"
He flashed forward, arriving at the ancient arena.
Lumine was being dragged by several Abyss Heralds towards a portal.
Su Han's eyes turned cold.
"Gravity!"
CRUNCH.
The Gravity-Gravity Fruit activated. Six Abyss Heralds were instantly pinned to the ground, their bodies trembling under the crushing weight.
"Damn it… just a little more…"
"I can't move!"
Lumine seized the chance, broke free, and ran to Su Han's side.
"Thank you, Su Han!" she gasped.
"It's fine. Stand back," Su Han said, his gaze fixed on the center of the arena. "The real fight starts now."
The Wolf of the North, Boreas, his eyes glowing a corrupted crimson, stared at him.
"Destroy him! Unleash your rage!" an Abyss Lector cackled from the shadows.
Boreas roared, his noble spirit submerged in madness. He charged.
This was not the benevolent Andrius. This was a puppet, infused with Archon Residue and Abyssal filth.
BOOM!
Boreas arrived in front of Su Han in an instant, swiping with a massive claw.
The ice froze the air itself, threatening to encase the Tessusaiga.
But Su Han's Pure Yang True Fire flared, melting the ice instantly.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Man and wolf clashed, sparks flying. Su Han coated his entire body in flames to prevent being frozen.
Even with Observation Haki and Conqueror's Infusion, fighting a half-Archon level enemy was exhausting. But the pressure only made Su Han sharper.
"So fast…" Paimon muttered, dizzy just watching.
"Su Han is using technique to bridge the gap in raw power," Lumine analyzed.
After a moment, Boreas leaped back into the sky. He opened his maw, and a river of silver frost poured out.
"Not good!"
Su Han jumped in front of Lumine. "Backlash Wave!"
A waterfall of fire met the galaxy of ice. The shockwave annihilated the remaining Abyss Heralds instantly.
Lumine hugged Paimon, hiding behind Su Han's back. In the face of the storm, his figure was an unshakeable wall. She felt... safe.
The clash lasted for a full minute before Boreas stopped.
Su Han panted heavily. He had used the Gravity Blade, Pure Yang Fire, Haki, and Senjutsu. He was running on empty.
And this was just a remnant soul.
"If I can't even take down this guy, how am I going to handle the Raiden Shogun or that sly fox?"
A trace of savagery flashed in Su Han's eyes.
He turned to Lumine. "I can't protect you anymore. Look after yourself. Because I'm angry now."
His pupils contracted into vertical slits.
Lumine gasped. His eyes…
In the next instant, azure scales erupted across Su Han's skin.
Dragon-Hybrid Form.
This was the first time he had unleashed the Azure Dragon bloodline. He was no longer just a man. He was a dragon in human form.
"ROAR!"
Su Han bellowed, a sound that rivaled the wolf's. He charged, the Tessusaiga burning with a hotter, brighter flame.
His speed doubled. His strength tripled.
Boreas, who had held the upper hand, was suddenly turned into a punching bag.
The wolf king roared and swiped a claw, a blow that should have crushed Su Han's ribs.
Su Han didn't dodge. He tanked it with his dragon scales.
"You may be an Archon's remnant," Su Han snarled, grabbing the wolf by its fur, "but I am a DRAGON! KNEEL!"
He slammed his knee into the wolf's snout, then drove the massive beast into the ground with a earth-shattering smash.
The arena collapsed.
Su Han had gone berserk.