(This fanfic is now on Patreon, please support it and leave a review with your thoughts.
P.S. Sorry for the delay xd)
By noon the next day, Koji and Lumine gathered at Mondstadt's city gate.
Jean, Diluc, and Venti would participate in the crusade. Kaeya and the others stayed behind in the city—Mondstadt couldn't be left unguarded.
Against a Wind God's familiar like Dvalin, numbers didn't mean much. A few elites were enough.
Since the Anemo Archon Venti was tagging along this time, things should go smoothly. At least, he ought to act reliable in a situation like this.
"Want one?"
Koji held out a bag of steaming meat buns—Noelle had made them fresh that morning. Still hot. If you didn't eat well, you'd have no strength to fight.
Lumine and Paimon each grabbed one, faces lighting up with pure enjoyment.
Oishiii~
"No need for more," Jean said firmly. "We can depart now. Our target: Stormterror's Lair."
Her tone was resolute. Diluc hefted his Wolfs Gravestone—there weren't enough Knights left, so even he had to step in. The dragon disaster had dragged on long enough.
It was time to end it.
At Stormterror's Lair, violent winds formed an impenetrable barrier, connecting sky and earth. Dvalin's volcanic fury could be felt from afar.
"Dvalin…" Venti sighed softly. He knew the source of that rage. Already tormented endlessly by Abyssal poison, and yet the people of Mondstadt still branded him "Stormterror."
"Follow me."
The tip of Venti's braid began to glow—that telltale sign of him using divine power.
Koji immediately recalled how fake Venti's acting had been when La Signora ripped out his gnosis. That time, he barely stirred a breeze, and not a single braid-light. The performance was terrible.
Ding—
Venti strummed the lyre, and the Anemo notes shattered the barrier instantly.
"Well, well. So the bard can actually do something useful," Paimon gawked.
"Hey, hey! I am the Anemo Archon. Isn't this normal for me?" Venti groaned.
To these guys, was he really that useless?
"But the fight against Dvalin, that's up to you."
Lumine raised a brow. "What about you? Isn't Dvalin your familiar?"
"…I'll support you from the backlines?" Venti stuck his tongue out. He didn't have the strength to solo this.
"After this is done, I can teach you some finer uses of Anemo, Traveler. Deal?"
Lumine thought for a moment, then nodded. "…Fine."
He might be lazy, but as the Archon, Venti's insight into Anemo far surpassed anyone else's.
After dismantling the mechanisms, they reached the tower's platform.
"Barbatos… are you here to hunt me?"
Stormterror Dvalin roared. Poison-corrupted, his sanity was hanging by a thread.
"No, Dvalin. I came to free you," Venti replied gently.
"Ha! Free me? Where were you before?!"
Dvalin spewed a massive breath of Anemo straight at them. His hatred for the Archon's negligence was palpable.
Clang!
Koji drew the Dawn Sword, cutting the dragon's breath clean in two with a single, graceful strike—his stance like that of a sword saint.
Fast in action, stylish in posture!
Cold light gleamed on his blade as he leveled it at Dvalin.
Even through the haze of poison, the dragon felt a chilling dread.
[Blessing of Dragon-Slayer: Damage against draconic beings massively increased.]
"Wait, Koji! Don't kill Dvalin!" Venti panicked, sensing the lethal aura flowing along the blade.
Friend, are you seriously planning to finish him?
"He's hard to hit while flying. If I slice off his wings, it'll be easier." Koji said with deadly seriousness.
Jean and Diluc both twitched. Technically true… but would those wings ever grow back?
"No need, leave it to us."
Venti's aura finally flared in full—the Archon unmasked.
For Dvalin's safety, he unleashed a terrifying surge of Anemo divine power. It condensed into a giant hand of pure wind and slammed the dragon onto the platform, pinning him like a chick caught by its neck.
That was the might of a god. Dvalin thrashed violently, but to no avail.
If Dvalin were just an enemy, Venti wouldn't have bothered. He would've let Koji chop him down. But this was different.
Everyone silently thought: So you really did have the power, huh? And all this time you were playing useless…
Koji smirked. That was exactly why he'd pressured Venti—force him to quit slacking.
This wasn't the game. They weren't going to "slowly chip away" while the Archon sat idle.
"Everyone, now!"
Lumine and the others bombarded the Abyssal blood crystals on Dvalin's back with elemental attacks. Shards shattered one after another. Surprisingly, it wasn't as hard as they'd feared.
Turns out, the Archon was pretty useful after all.
"Barbatos…"
Dvalin's eyes cleared. He recognized the little green figure before him.
"Dvalin, welcome back," Venti smiled.
"…Yeah. I'm back. Now hurry and get this hand off me."
But the massive wind-hand still pinned him flat.
Dvalin was beyond exasperated. "You clearly have this much power, yet you still laze around? Barbatos—do something useful for once!"
Official roast. Most lethal kind.
Venti's smile froze. Bro… you didn't have to expose me like that in front of everyone.
Jean suppressed a laugh. This was the Archon, after all. Best to keep appearances.
If anyone else had said such words, it would've been "disrespect to a god." But from Dvalin? It was gospel truth.
Rumble—
The platform crumbled beneath them. Everyone leapt onto Dvalin's back to escape.
"Dvalin, you ever considered becoming a taxi service? Like… Dragon Uber?" Koji sprawled comfortably across his back.
"…What nonsense is that?" Dvalin snorted.
"Venti lives off street busking. Broke as dirt." Koji shrugged.
"Barbatos, you disgrace. Don't claim you know me." Dvalin immediately cut ties.
So many years, and this freeloader was never reliable.
"Think of it: Dragon Uber. Fast flights, Mondstadt to Sumeru in no time."
"…Huh, kinda interesting," Venti's eyes lit up. "Dvalin, you in?"
Ka-ching, easy Mora.
"Get lost! If anyone's hauling passengers, it's you. I'm Dvalin, not some taxi!" the dragon snapped.
Broke bard eyeing him for rides… what had he done to deserve this friendship?
"Just kidding. You're free now, Dvalin. Do whatever you like." Venti chuckled, resting on his back.
"…Even if I said I wanted to be the Anemo Archon?" Dvalin asked.
"You serious?"
Venti's eyes gleamed. If someone wanted the Archon seat, he'd gladly hand it over—he'd never been interested.
"Heh." Dvalin gave a dry laugh. You'll figure it out someday.
Koji chimed in: "Venti, why not give the title to Jean instead? At least she's reliable. She's even Anemo-aligned."
Honestly, this Archon was divine one minute, total slacker the next.
Jean shook her head. "I don't have Lord Venti's power."
The power of gods was far beyond mortals. No one had ever heard of such a seat being handed to a human.
"…Not impossible," Venti muttered, suddenly thoughtful.
After all, he had once been nothing more than a weak little wind spirit.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]