Paimon and Lumine had barely emerged from the Ruins when they encountered Dain.
Dainsleif was equally surprised:
"Our reunion... has come sooner than I anticipated."
"Ah, it's Dain!" Paimon exclaimed.
At that moment, both Paimon and Lumine were still preoccupied with the strange events within the Ruins.
"Judging by your expressions, you must have encountered something strange," Dain observed. "Could you have crossed paths with an Abyss Herald in those Ruins?"
Paimon's small face lit up with astonishment.
"Eh?! How did you know, Dain?!"
"I'm still hunting Abyss Heralds," Dain replied, "but I hadn't anticipated meeting you here."
Lumine looked at Dain and added, "Actually, we encountered more than just the Herald... There were deeper, more bizarre phenomena within the Ruins."
Lumine and Paimon then described to Dain the Inverted Statue deep within the Ruins, the bizarre circumstances surrounding the deceased, and... most troubling to Lumine, the lurking presence in the shadows.
After listening intently, Dain fell into deep thought.
"An inverted statue... wielding Abyss Energy... and this... lurking presence you mentioned... I've never encountered anything like this in my battles against the Abyss."
"Hmm? Something's wrong."
Dain's expression suddenly darkened, his gaze sharpening as he focused on a distant point.
Malice was somewhat surprised. Though he hadn't deliberately concealed himself, Dainsleif's ability to detect him so easily, even with his buffs, was truly remarkable.
No wonder he keeps vowing to avenge himself against the Five Sinners.
"Hiding in the shadows, skulking about!"
Dain locked onto Malice's position and charged forward.
Boom!
A massive black greatsword materialized in Malice's right hand, clashing heavily against Dain's fist.
The impact numbed Dain's right hand, and his expression grew grave.
"Eek! What's that thing?!" Paimon shrieked, startled by Malice's appearance.
Lumine, however, recognized him instantly. This was the same entity that had been lurking in the Ruins, spying on them—the sensation was identical to that earlier encounter.
"Dain...sleif!" Malice's voice was rough and hoarse.
Dain clenched his fist. It seemed this creature had come specifically for him; Lumine and Paimon were likely just collateral damage.
But... is this your doing, Aether?
Lumine drew Unrelenting Will and stepped beside Dain. "He's the one I mentioned earlier, the one watching us in the Ruins. Be careful—he gives me a... very dangerous feeling!"
Live Stream
[Is that the guy who crushed the pearl in the Inverted Statue's hand earlier? I gotta say, he seemed terrifying before, but now that he's shown his face, he doesn't seem as scary.]
[All fear stems from the unknown—that's the essence of our unique horror.]
[Can Dain even fight? Maybe he should just hide behind Lumine.]
[Are you guys serious? Dain has been fighting the Abyss all along! How can you say he can't fight?!]
[Here we go again—another fight's coming. I wonder how many times the streamer will have to die before they finally win.]
However, the viewers' predictions were completely wrong. This time, no fight broke out at all, let alone any combat mode.
-
Teyvat
When Malice saw Lumine and Dain standing together, he didn't lose his head and charge into a bloody confrontation.
The brief clash earlier had given him a rough estimate of Dain's strength. Engaging him would be extremely troublesome, not to mention Lumine's presence complicating matters further.
Moreover, fighting would offer him no benefit. He only needed to show his face and leave.
That was simply how his character was designed.
With that thought, Malice instantly transformed into a wisp of black smoke and vanished without a trace.
"What was that?"
Dain arrived at the spot where Malice had vanished, meticulously sensing for any lingering traces, but found nothing. This truly infuriated him.
Paimon flew over. "Dain, what was that thing?"
"He was saturated with Abyss Energy, but I've never encountered him in my battles against the Abyss. I'm afraid I don't know much about him."
Lumine sheathed her sword.
"He got away. I wonder if this will have serious consequences. Dain, can you track him?"
Malice's escape left Lumine deeply uneasy, as if something terrible was about to happen. She felt an urgent need to find him and eliminate him!
Dain shook his head.
This baffled him too. Logically, someone saturated with Abyss Energy should leave some trace, no matter how faint, upon fleeing.
Yet the anomaly lay precisely here: the creature had vanished without a trace, as if disappearing into thin air!
"Even Dain can't track him..."
"You two... I have a hunch that might help us find him..."
-
Mondstadt, Dragonspine.
The location of Durin's heart.
Malice revealed its true form here.
"Who's there?!"
The Fatui soldiers stationed at the site rushed over upon hearing the commotion. But as soon as they arrived, they all collapsed into a deep, blissful sleep.
Step by step, Malice approached the pulsating heart. With a forceful thrust, he plunged his hand into the heart. Abyss Energy surged from his body into the heart, corrupting its crimson flesh until it turned pitch black.
After more than ten minutes, when Durin's heart seemed to slowly regain its "vitality," Malice finally withdrew his hand.
Exhausted from expending vast amounts of Abyss Energy and draining his own essence, Malice nearly collapsed. He transformed back into a wisp of smoke and dissipated into the air.
To elicit sufficient Emotional Feedback, the scale of the event had to be grand.
Even for Malice, killing "himself" under the watchful eye of the Anemo Archon was virtually impossible. But don't be fooled by Venti's laid-back demeanor—that guy's power is immense!
After all, there's a saying in Mondstadt: spend enough time here, and even a dog will bark, "May the Anemo Archon protect you!"
-
Inside the Knight Order's office.
"Kaeya, what's the situation?"
"The trade routes have been sealed off. Most Mondstadters abroad have returned, and thanks to that person's intervention, the monster rampage didn't cause significant casualties. The Knights of Favonius are stationed at key passes and strategic locations, so the situation has stabilized for now."
"Good. You've worked hard. Go get some rest."
Kaeya waved his hand dismissively. "No need. Have you found any leads on the monster rampage?"
Jean glanced at Lisa beside her.
Lisa replied, "Absolutely none. The extra monsters seem to have appeared out of thin air. Perhaps we should consult that astrologer who lives in Mondstadt."
Kaeya: "You mean Mona? I'll go right away."
"Wait, Kaeya."
"What is it, Jean?"
"Just now, Klee went missing. Leave Mona to me. You know Klee's usual haunts better than anyone. I'm counting on you."
This morning, a sudden surge of highly aggressive monsters had appeared outside Mondstadt. After a day of frantic activity, Jean realized Klee had vanished.
Mondstadt was under lockdown, so Klee should still be inside the city, but Jean couldn't shake her unease.
Kaeya sighed, rubbing his forehead in exasperation. That little rascal... when I find her, she's getting a spanking.