Wendy's warning spread through Mondstadt like wildfire.
The battle already raged on the ground and in the sky — Jean's Knights fighting to hold the walls while Barbatos struggled to restrain the corrupted dragon Dvalin — when his words struck like thunder.
A new danger was coming.
A massive surge of elemental energy bled from the earth, and the air itself began to twist. The ley lines screamed, their rhythm disrupted by something unnatural.
Then, outside the city's eastern plains — five kilometers beyond the walls — the world split open.
A rift tore across the sky like a wound in reality. From within came a roar so deep it shook the mountains.
A colossal beast emerged — plated in gold and obsidian, each movement cracking the ground beneath it. Its size dwarfed even Stormterror.
[Zhongli]:"That is… the Golden King Beast — a creation of Rhinedottir, the alchemist known as Gold. Be cautious. Its claws carry the taint of the Abyss. Even a graze may spread corruption."
[Kael]:"…They actually summoned that thing? The Abyss must be desperate. This is going to be a problem."
[Keqing]:"Problem? Even the adepti would struggle against something that size!"
[Kael]:"They could fight it, yes. But it wouldn't be quick or painless."
[Madame Ping]:"The humans of Liyue once faced beasts like these during the ancient calamity. Many perished, yet through unity and resolve, we endured. Even monsters born from Gold's alchemy can bleed."
[Kael]:"…Then it's settled. It's my turn."
The arrival of the Golden King Beast shattered what little composure Mondstadt had left.
For a moment, the cheers of victory froze into silence.
They had barely held against the previous waves of the Abyss. Even now, Barbatos was locked in aerial combat with Dvalin. If that beast reached the city…
The very walls would crumble.
And then — a second roar.
Then a third.
Two more Golden King Beasts dragged themselves from the widening rift, each as massive as the first. Their roars merged into a dreadful chorus that drowned out all other sound.
Jean steadied her breathing, her knuckles white around her sword's hilt.The defenders around her faltered. Even the Fatui soldiers at the gate hesitated.
Three of them… that was impossible.
The ground rumbled — then a golden streak of light shot out from Mondstadt, crossing the plains like a shooting star.
Kael landed between the advancing beasts and the city. The impact cracked the earth, sending a shockwave that rippled through the air. His coat billowed in the residual wind, his eyes calm but sharp.
He extended one hand.
An enormous sphere of compressed wind began to form in his palm, spinning faster and faster, its surface flickering with streaks of light. The air screamed around it, pressure bending space itself.
Wendy's voice drifted faintly over the gale. "Wait—what is he doing? Isn't that my technique?!"
He gawked from afar. That was unmistakably Anemo manipulation — but not the gentle, musical kind he used to heal or guide the wind.
Kael's version was violent, weaponized — every particle of air honed into a blade.A distortion of Barbatos' own art, reshaped for destruction.
The winds thickened until they roared like an approaching storm.
"Spiral Shuriken," Kael said quietly.
Then he threw it.
The world exploded.
The sphere hit the first Golden King Beast dead center — and then expanded.
Hundreds of compressed wind blades erupted in every direction, carving through armor, scales, and flesh. The resulting Anemo field consumed all three beasts, shredding them apart within seconds.
The sky howled as energy waves spread outward, flattening nearby hills. When the storm finally subsided, what remained were fragments — the beasts reduced to molten, golden ash.
Silence followed.Even the sound of the wind seemed to hold its breath.
The defenders on the walls stared, unable to speak.
Jean's sword arm trembled slightly. Kaeya's smirk faltered.Even Wendy — the god of Anemo himself — stood dumbfounded.
Who was the true god of the wind here?
Barbatos had struggled against one corrupted dragon.Kael had annihilated three Abyssal titans with a single strike.
The difference in power was undeniable — and terrifying.
But Kael didn't smile.His expression darkened as his gaze turned toward a distant cliff.
Far away, the figure of Sora stood — cloaked in shadow, watching him.
Though kilometers apart, their eyes met.
The air between them seemed to freeze.
Sora hadn't anticipated this. The Abyss had prepared to destroy a weakened Mondstadt, not face a force rivaling the Archons themselves.
Who was this man?Where had he come from?
The attack's structure… even its resonance… it reminded Sora of something familiar — an echo of power he had once felt in another world. But that couldn't be right.
A single truth became clear: with someone like Kael defending Mondstadt, the Abyss's conquest here was over before it began.
If he stayed, he would expose himself — and perhaps even draw out Morax.
Sora clenched his fists. His plans were collapsing. But not all was lost.
He turned his gaze to Barbatos — the Anemo Archon's divine body visibly dimming. The corruption was spreading fast; even his music carried faint traces of abyssal taint.
The infection through the Statues of The Seven was working faster than expected.
Soon, Barbatos would weaken enough to fall — and when he did, the Abyss would take him.
They didn't need to win the war today.They only needed time.
"Let's go," Sora murmured. He gave Kael one last look — then turned away, his cloak fluttering as he stepped into the waiting rift.
The Abyss Mage followed without a word.
As the portal closed, Sora whispered to himself,"This war with Celestia has only just begun."
On the plains below, the defenders erupted into cheers.
"We did it!""The monsters are gone — attack!""For Mondstadt!""For Lord Barbatos!"
The tide turned. Knights, adventurers, and even the Fatui surged forward, cutting down the remnants of the abyssal horde.
On Stormterror's back, Wendy allowed himself a small, weary smile. "It's almost time for me to act."
He strummed his lyre, and the wind obeyed — spinning into elegant spirals that sliced through scattered monsters. Each note carried healing and protection, guiding the weary to safety.
Even exhausted, Barbatos was still a god.
All of this, of course, was being broadcast live through Kael's device — the chat group lighting up with reactions.
[Ganyu]:"As expected of Lord Barbatos. Even weakened, his divine power is awe-inspiring."
[Keqing]:"So this is the might of an Archon… If the Anemo Archon can do this, how terrifying must the Geo Archon be?"
[Zhongli]:"Barbatos may appear carefree, but his strength is absolute. Do not let his demeanor fool you."
[Ningguang]:"But who was that person you were looking at earlier, Kael? Someone from the Abyss?"
[Kael]:"Yes. A senior figure — the one orchestrating this attack. Luckily, he chose not to act. If he had, Mondstadt might not have survived. He's… very strong."
[Keqing]:"Wait, you say he's strong? But didn't you just one-shot three giant monsters?"
[Beidou]:"...Either he's being humble, or that guy's the real deal."
Kael didn't respond immediately. He just stood quietly, watching the sky settle.
The energy in the air was changing — stabilizing. But the unease in his chest didn't fade.
That man… Sora…There had been something in his eyes — ancient, mournful, furious.
Someone who had seen too many worlds burn.
Kael knew a foe like that wouldn't simply disappear.
Meanwhile, high above, Lumine — Ying — finally managed to grip the edge of Stormterror's scales. The chaotic wind battered her relentlessly, but she refused to let go.
"Whew! Finally made it!" Paimon panted. "Now hurry, let's purify Dvalin so we can go to the celebration banquet!"
"...Banquet?" Ying muttered, glaring as she pried Paimon's tiny fingers out of her hair. "You've been pulling my hair this whole time!"
Paimon stuck out her tongue. "Hey, it's how I hold on!"
Ignoring her, Ying crawled forward to Dvalin's wound. Dark veins pulsed through the dragon's scales, corruption oozing like black tar.
She drew her sword — the wind roaring as it cut through the festering scales. Beneath them, the raw wound throbbed with sickly energy.
Ying placed her palm against it and closed her eyes. Her elemental energy flowed forth — light surging against darkness.
The corruption hissed, recoiling. For a moment, the air around them stilled, and a faint blue glow spread across the dragon's back.
Dvalin's roar softened into a low rumble. The madness in his eyes dimmed.
It was working.
Below, the citizens of Mondstadt watched as the sky began to clear. The dark vortex that had hung above the city for days slowly dispersed.
The winds no longer screamed; they sang.
And at the heart of it all stood Kael — silent, golden eyes watching the horizon, the faint light of his wind still dancing in his hand.
He hadn't done this for praise.He'd done it because no one else could.
Still… he couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.
The Abyss had tested the waters today. Next time, they would strike deeper — stronger.
And when that time came, even gods might not be enough.
End of Chapter 76
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