Mondstadt, earlier that day.
After seeing her older brother and his companions off, Rola returned to her house in Mondstadt.
She filled a basin with water and washed her hands and face.
Gazing at her reflection in the basin, Rola gently stroked her smooth, delicate cheeks. So soft and tender—the texture is heavenly!
This persona would have to retire after today. As the moment drew near, she felt a pang of reluctance. She wouldn't be able to interact with everyone like this anymore.
After a moment of self-reflection, Rola undid her hair and neatly tied it back into a sleek ponytail.
She retrieved her spear, replaced the training tip with the combat-ready one Wagner had forged for her, and slung the spear over her shoulder.
With a flourish, Rola swiped her thumb across her nose and declared:
"Let's go! Time to show my brother his little sister is stronger than ever. I was never exaggerating!"
-
Player World
Guojia, controlling Lumine, traveled to Dragonspine to confront the so-called source of the calamity. The Fell Dragon Durin, formed from Abyss Power, left both her and the live stream audience utterly stunned.
"Ugh, that dragon is so ugly!"
The Fell Dragon's massive size, comparable to Dvalin's, exerted immense pressure on the players. Combined with the frequent low-angle shots, the sense of its colossal presence felt even more real.
[Yeah, it's pretty hideous, and utterly repulsive!]
[This thing must be incredibly powerful. Let's see how Venti keeps up his act now.]
[Ha ha, you nailed it! But don't forget about Dvalin.]
Chen Xiyao had braced for a battle with the Fell Dragon, but to her surprise, the creature simply flew toward Mondstadt.
Just as she prepared to teleport to Mondstadt, the screen abruptly shifted.
The perspective switched from Lumine's point of view to Mondstadt itself.
-
In the instant following the explosion on Dragonspine, the monsters outside Mondstadt City seemed to be triggered by something, swarming toward the city gates in relentless waves.
As an Outrider, Amber was the first to sense the anomaly. She swiftly returned to the city, first instructing the gate Knights to seal the city gates, then rushing to inform Jean without a second glance.
Knights stationed near the city gates gathered quickly, and Swan climbed the ramparts, witnessing a scene he would never forget.
A dense, endless swarm of monsters stretched as far as the eye could see, sending chills down his spine.
The live stream erupted into chaos:
[Trypophobia triggered! Holy shit!]
[Where did all these monsters even come from? How could there be so many?!]
[Anemo Archon, come quick! We need you to save the day!]
[Even if I pounded my keyboard until it smoked, I couldn't take them all down.]
[What are you even thinking? If we went out there, we'd be dead for sure.]
Soon, Jean arrived with a contingent of Knights, followed by a large group of adventurers led by Cyrus, the Vice President of the Adventurer's Guild.
Jean stepped onto the ramparts and swiftly surveyed the monstrous horde massing outside the city gates.
The monsters attacking this time were no longer simple Hilichurls or slimes. The horde included numerous Hilichurl Berserkers, Hilichurl Shamans, and, looming behind them, the colossal Frostarm Lawachurl.
Even Jean, with her vast experience, frowned deeply at the sight.
Amber stood close behind Jean, accompanied by familiar faces from Mondstadt's player community: Noelle, Bennett, Diona, Razor, Sucrose, Fischl, Mona, and others—perhaps the most complete gathering of Mondstadt's heroes ever assembled.
Amber, Diona, Fischl, and others swiftly drew their bows and began raining arrows down, eliminating monsters approaching Mondstadt's city gates one by one.
Amber tossed out Baron Bunny, then unleashed her Skill:
"Fiery Rain!"
With a deafening boom, a massive area below was instantly cleared.
Fortunately, the monsters dissipated upon death; otherwise, the ground would already be piled high with corpses.
Roar~
The colossal Frostarm Lawachurl lumbered closer. Its thick hide and ice armor rendered ordinary arrows useless.
With just a few strikes, Mondstadt's gates were already teetering on the verge of collapse.
"Commander Jean, what do we do?"
"Don't panic, Amber," Jean said, swiftly analyzing the situation and making an immediate decision.
With a Frostarm Lawachurl present, defending the city gate would be extremely difficult. For Vision bearers like them, keeping the battle outside the walls was the best strategy.
Just as Jean prepared to leap down and confront the monsters directly, Rola's voice rang out.
"Everyone, we're here!"
Rola, carrying Little Klee, rushed to the group's side with a flurry of energy.
After setting Klee down, Rola turned to her and said:
"Klee, these monsters are villains! They're attacking our Mondstadt! Quick, get your bombs and blast them all to pieces!"
Klee didn't hesitate. She immediately pulled out her oversized Jumpy Dumpty bomb and hurled it toward the base of the city gate.
"Blast them all to pieces!" she declared.
"Not so fast, Klee! Throw it farther—don't blow up the gate!"
Klee's movements were lightning-fast, clearly rehearsed. Rola's warning came too late.
Though Klee threw with all her might, her small size limited the bomb's range.
Everyone seemed well-versed in such matters. As soon as Klee announced she was throwing a bomb, whether they were blocking the gate or firing arrows from the city walls, they all scattered at lightning speed.
Rola, quick-witted and swift-handed, scooped up Klee and sprinted to the side.
Boom!
The explosion rivaled even the one on Dragonspine. Needless to say, the Mondstadt city gate was instantly obliterated, and even the surrounding wall section vanished.
Player World
Chen Xiyao suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to raise Klee. She had pulled Klee initially because she found her adorable, but after hearing reviews about her low damage output, she had never bothered leveling her up.
Now she was determined to max out Klee!
"My girl is amazing!"
[Here it comes! The moment of glory for Mondstadt's top pyrotechnician!]
[Hahaha, as soon as I saw this horde of monsters, I immediately thought of Klee. I never expected this scene to actually happen! So satisfying!]
[Blow them all to smithereens!]
On the City Walls
Fortunately, everyone had fled swiftly, preventing any friendly fire incidents.
The explosion created a massive vacuum, obliterating both the ordinary monsters and the Frostarm Lawachurl without a trace.
Seeing that everyone was safe, Jean let out a sigh of relief and turned to Klee with a stern expression.
"Klee, bring out all your bombs. We're going to throw them!"
Klee, who had been worried about being scolded by Acting Grand Master Jean for causing the chaos, brightened at the lack of reprimand and obediently handed over her little leather pouch. "Here.( ≧ᗜ≦)"
Jean accepted the pouch and peered inside, her eyes widening in surprise. It was brimming with bombs.
Didn't I confiscate all of Klee's bombs before?
But there was no time to dwell on that now. She grabbed a handful and hurled them into the densest concentration of monsters.
The bombs landed with barely a ripple. Minutes stretched into an eternity, yet they remained unexploded.
Klee timidly raised her hand.
"These Jumpy Dumpties need a bit of pyro power to detonate."
Jean: "..."
"Amber, you're up!"
"Understood, Jean."
Klee spoke up again, "No, no! If you inject too much Elemental Power, it'll explode right away!"
Amber withdrew her outstretched hand.
Jean sighed, glanced at the little girl, and handed the small pouch back to her. Turning to Rola, she said, "Rola, keep a close eye on her."
"Mm-hmm!"
With the door destroyed, Jean and her team jumped down directly into the fray, engaging the monsters in combat.
Jean's Gale Blade swept across the battlefield, clearing large swaths of ordinary monsters.
Noelle shielded herself, imbued her Claymore with Geo Elemental Power, and spun across the bridge in a whirlwind attack, sweeping numerous monsters into the river below.
Seeing Noelle charge into the monster horde, Jean immediately moved to provide support.
Meanwhile, Rola and Klee observed the situation from above.
"Klee, to Brother Bennett's right—that Hilichurl Shaman! Quick, blow it up!"
"It's too far! Klee can't throw that far..."
"Klee, infuse it with Elemental Power! I'll throw it!"
Boom!
The Hilichurl Shaman and the surrounding monsters were instantly annihilated.
"Klee, one more! This time, let's blast those ambushing archers!"
Boom!
The archer group was obliterated.
"Klee..."