What's going on? Why are so many people gathered here? There shouldn't be any event today.
Kaeya had only been doing a routine patrol, yet the huge crowd at the city gate immediately piqued his suspicion.
Could it be the Fatui again?
With that thought, he hurried toward the people.
"What are you all doing here?"
He reached the back of the crowd and casually pulled someone out.
"Which bastard—oh, Captain Kaeya!"
The Mondstadt citizen who was about to curse instantly swallowed his words when he saw who grabbed him.
"What's happening here?"
"Master Diluc is sparring with a white-haired girl."
"What? Sparring?"
Kaeya's frown deepened. He knew Diluc. Diluc would never spar with someone out of nowhere—much less in a public place like this. It wasn't like him at all.
So…
Something forced his hand?
"Yeah, Captain Kaeya, I—"
"I got it."
Before the man finished, Kaeya squeezed into the crowd.
"Hereby, I pass judgment!"
Kaeya had barely made it inside when he heard Diluc shouting from the distance.
Looks like the battle is serious…
He hurried his steps.
"Make way! Make way! Knights of Favonius investigating a suspect—unrelated persons clear out immediately!"
With so many people blocking the entrance, Kaeya had no choice but to use authority to disperse them.
"The Knights!"
"A suspect? Where?"
"I'm not a suspect—!"
The tactic worked instantly. The dense crowd parted to create a path.
Snap—
The moment Kaeya stepped through, he heard a sharp, loud snap.
What was that?
He hadn't even seen the battlefield yet when he noticed a strange, circular sigil appear behind Diluc—purple lit patterns on the rim, pitch black in the center. Diluc seemed completely unaware.
What…? Isn't that Diluc's phoenix?
Before Kaeya could process it, the sigil suddenly spat out the flaming phoenix. He had no time to think.
"Diluc! Behind you! Move!"
At the same time, he sprinted toward him as fast as he could.
Ice Wall!
Judging the distance to be enough, Kaeya summoned a thick wall of ice just ahead of Diluc.
BOOM—
Ice and fire collided, filling the area with thick steam. It soon dissipated.
"You alright?"
The ice wall didn't stop the phoenix completely, but it bought Diluc enough time to dodge.
"Not dead yet."
Dusting off his clothes, Diluc stood on his own instead of taking Kaeya's hand.
"You two okay?"
Jean, Lisa, and several knights arrived shortly after.
"We're fine, we're fine. Both of us are good."
Kaeya smiled, then turned his gaze toward the white-haired girl in the distance.
"Who is she? And what does she want?"
His mind brimmed with questions.
Who was this girl?
What was she trying to do?
Why fight Diluc?
What was that strange formation?
And why did Diluc's phoenix come out of it?
None of it made sense, but one step at a time…
"I don't know who she is," Diluc said quietly, expression complicated. "But it seems she noticed our god hasn't appeared in a long time… so she wants to replace him."
It was the first time Diluc had ever faced such a terrifying opponent.
No matter how he attacked, the white-haired girl never moved from her spot—not even slightly. She barely lifted a hand, her expression calm, entertained.
And he'd already lost.
The hopelessness of the power gap… was worse than the night he stood helpless in the rain.
"What? She—"
"Well well, Captain Jean."
Su Mo approached with a smile. "How about letting me be your god? Your current one hasn't shown up in ages. Maybe he's dead already. I could—reluctantly—take over."
"Absolutely not! Only Lord Barbatos is our god!"
Jean stared at the approaching girl with sharp alertness. She'd wanted to question her, but now the situation was clear.
Still—she was shocked. Someone openly claiming they wanted to replace a god? The arrogance was absurd.
Even the old Lawrence clan never dared think such a thing.
Unless this girl… was a demon-god?!
Jean felt a chill at her own thought.
"Hehe… this child seems even worse than Fischl—"
"Lisa," Diluc snapped, "don't joke. She's not a child lost in fantasy. Her strength is real."
"Of course I know," Lisa replied, though she too let her smile fade.
She sensed no trace of elemental energy from the girl—only one explanation remained: a god-like being.
"I hear your god loves his people," Su Mo said. "Yet he still hasn't shown himself. Looks to me like he thinks the threat to this city isn't big enough. In that case… I suppose I should make my threat a little bigger."
Since the Knights were all here, Su Mo decided to escalate.
He stomped lightly—and the surrounding hillocks shattered, sucked into the Imaginary Space in an instant.
Then he smiled.
"So… where do you think all those rocks are going to fall from? Want to guess? Guess right and you get a prize."
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