Ying's eyes widened as the roar of Stormterror echoed across the sky. The ground trembled beneath her boots, and a shadow — vast and terrible — blotted out the sun as Dvalin streaked through the clouds above Mondstadt.
She swallowed hard. "This… shouldn't be that big of a problem, right?"
Her words carried little confidence.
If this were the old her — the Ying who had crossed countless worlds, who had fought kings and gods alike — she could've swatted this dragon aside like a fly. But now, after so much time cut off from her true strength, that felt like a distant dream.
Still… she wasn't helpless.
She straightened, brushing back a strand of hair. "Even in my current state, that lizard shouldn't be able to kill me… probably."
"Probably?!" Paimon squeaked, zipping in front of her face. "Ying, that's not exactly reassuring! Look at him — he's huge! If that Wind Demon Dragon tries to bite us, we'll end up as appetizers!"
Ying shot her a deadpan look.(Honestly, with how much you eat, you'd probably eat him instead.)
Paimon blinked, clueless to the insult, and continued nervously fluttering in circles.
Ying sighed. "There's no time for this. We already took the commission reward — if we run now, who's going to protect everyone?"
Below them, the streets of Mondstadt were chaos.The wind screamed through alleyways as terrified civilians scattered. The Knights of Favonius tried to maintain order, but even they could barely hold their footing. Crates, carts, and banners flew through the air like leaves in a hurricane.
And then — through the howling storm — a familiar voice rang out, warm and unmistakably smug.
"Traveler, lend me your strength!"
A column of pure emerald wind spiraled upward. From its center stepped a man clad in white and teal robes, his braided hair fluttering in the gale. His eyes, bright as the morning sky, locked on Ying's.
Paimon blinked. "Ying… doesn't that voice sound really familiar?"
Ying squinted.(Wendy. Of course.)
That easygoing bard who'd been drinking and joking around Kael's house days ago…
He's Barbatos?!
Her jaw tightened. So that's why Kael had been so cryptic — he'd known all along!
That infuriating man had watched her ask about the Anemo Archon with that smug little smile and said nothing!
"Kael, you absolute bastard," Ying muttered under her breath. "You tricked me into this!"
But there was no time to fume. The sky cracked with thunder as Stormterror roared overhead.
"Get ready!" Venti called out. "I'll use the Thousand-Year Wind to launch you upward! Don't hold back!"
Before Ying could reply, a powerful gust swept her off her feet. The world blurred as the current lifted her skyward.Paimon shrieked and clung to her shoulder as Ying unfurled her Wings of Wind — Amber's glider catching the gale perfectly.
She soared high above Mondstadt, wind tearing past her ears, the world below shrinking to a sea of rooftops and terrified faces.
The people below looked up — and gasped.
"She's flying toward the Wind Demon Dragon!""Is she crazy?!""No, look — Lord Barbatos is with her!"
Within seconds, awe replaced fear.The people of Mondstadt, who had always sung to the wind in times of despair, now raised their voices once again.
"Lord Barbatos! He's come to save us!""Protect Mondstadt, our beloved god!""Barbatos, please — end the dragon's suffering!"
Their faith filled the air like a song. Even Kael, watching from a nearby tower, could feel the wind hum in response.
The Sky Battle
"Traveler!" Venti shouted as the winds howled around them. "I'll lure Dvalin away from the city. You'll have one chance — I'll open a current strong enough to send you onto his back. You'll need to destroy the corruption on his spine!"
Ying nodded, tightening her grip on her sword. "Understood."
Venti smiled faintly. "Thank you. Let's save an old friend."
Without another word, he flew forward, a trail of emerald light following his path. His lyre shimmered into existence, strings glowing as he plucked the first note.
The melody rolled across the sky like thunder made music.Wind gathered around him — not wild and violent, but graceful, harmonizing with the storm rather than fighting it.
Then Dvalin appeared, his eyes burning with Abyssal corruption. "Barbatos…" the dragon's voice thundered, distorted and furious. "You… betrayed us!"
"Dvalin, no!" Venti's plea was almost drowned out by the storm. "Your pain was never forgotten!"
The dragon's reply came as a blast of concentrated Anemo energy, so powerful it fractured the air itself.
Behind Venti was Mondstadt — his people, his home.
He couldn't dodge.
If he moved, the city would be annihilated.
"Damn it…" he whispered, lifting his lyre.
The next note he played wasn't gentle. It was sharp, defiant — a hymn of protection.The winds bent to his command, weaving into a barrier that met Dvalin's blast mid-air.
The collision erupted in blinding light — a roar that shook mountains.For a heartbeat, the sky became fire and wind intertwined.
When the light faded, Venti was still there — barely — his figure wavering but unbroken. He had stopped the attack. The people below cheered louder than ever, their faith roaring like a storm of its own.
"This is not the place for your rage," he said softly, extending a hand toward the dragon. "Come with me, old friend."
But Dvalin didn't hear him. He had long since been consumed by the Abyss.
Kael's Observation
From atop the cathedral's spire, Kael watched in silence.
Even at this distance, he could feel the power colliding in the sky — the harmony and fury of the Anemo element twisted together.
He couldn't help but marvel. To control the wind so perfectly that even violence becomes art… that's Barbatos.
But he also saw the truth others couldn't:Venti was holding back.
"Your compassion will be your downfall, god of wind," Kael muttered under his breath. "A breeze can heal or destroy. But only one of those wins wars."
Ying's voice snapped him from his thoughts."Let's go, Paimon! We can't just float here!"
She adjusted her wings and dove into the current, letting Venti's wind carry her upward — straight toward the raging dragon.
The Abyss Watches
Far beyond the chaos, atop a distant cliff, a cloaked figure watched the battle unfold.The Abyss Prince, Kong, stood motionless, the black-blue light of the Abyss flickering across his cold expression.
"Your Highness," an Abyss Mage whispered beside him, voice trembling, "your sister… she's joined the fight."
Kong's eyes didn't waver. "Let her. That beast won't kill her."
His voice was calm, detached. "Stormterror is merely a vessel. The longer Barbatos fights, the deeper the Abyss corrodes him. He can't win."
He turned away from the sky, cloak fluttering. "When the Archon falls, Mondstadt will descend into chaos. That's when we strike."
The Abyss Mage bowed deeply. "Your wisdom is unmatched, my Prince. The city will crumble, and the people will curse their god."
Kong's expression darkened. "Let Barbatos feel what we felt when Celestia destroyed Khaenri'ah — let him taste despair."
The Lawrence Estate
While storms raged outside, another storm brewed within the walls of Mondstadt's most infamous noble house.
The Lawrence estate, once a mansion of elegance and pride, now stood hollow and decaying. The chandeliers hung with dust, the floors cracked beneath the weight of old arrogance.
Schubert Lawrence stood before his dwindling followers, eyes burning with delusion.
"Master… are we truly going through with this?" one man asked nervously. "That's Lord Barbatos out there…"
Schubert's laugh was bitter. "Lord Barbatos? You mean the thief who stole our birthright? The god who cast down our family to favor a slave named Vanessa?"
His words dripped venom. "He betrayed Mondstadt first."
Silence fell. The others shifted uneasily. They knew their master's words were madness — but desperation made even fools listen.
"Look outside!" Schubert hissed. "Barbatos can't even defeat one corrupted dragon! Do you still think he's a god?"
He slammed his fist against the table. "When the Abyss Order opens the gate, Mondstadt will fall — and the Lawrence name will rise again!"
His followers hesitated. Then, slowly, one by one, they nodded.
Not because they believed him. But because there was nothing left to believe in.
From outside, the sky rumbled — the sound of gods at war.And within the crumbling halls of a dead dynasty, desperate men mistook destruction for destiny.
"Fools," Kael murmured as lightning flashed above the cathedral."Even in a storm, they build their towers on sand."
The wind roared again — Dvalin's shadow passing over the city like a curse.
The true battle for Mondstadt had begun.
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