Beneath the sky, the furious roar of the dragon resounded through heaven and earth as it soared back toward the distant ruins amidst violent winds.
"Has it really come to this..."
Venti gazed wistfully in the direction of Dvalin's departure, while Rover helped Aether up from where he had been half-crouched in the grass. From the moment they had faced Dvalin directly, the overwhelming pressure of the dragon's gaze had nearly brought Aether to his knees.
"Are you okay?"
Rover patted the dust off Aether, who shook his head. This was his first time confronting such a formidable enemy, and his legs still felt a little weak.
"Senior Diluc, the direction Dvalin flew toward... Could it be...?"
Jean looked into the distance at the ruins faintly visible within the storm, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.
"Stormterror's Lair."
Diluc sheathed his Favonius Greatsword, confirming her suspicions.
"Rover, Dvalin didn't mean it."
Jean had also witnessed the confrontation between Rover and Dvalin earlier and wanted to say more, but Rover simply shook his head.
"I'm not holding it against him. But now, I have no choice but to head to Stormterror's Lair and face Dvalin in battle."
A heavy silence fell over the group, though most eyes eventually turned to Venti.
"Then let's go. Every ballad must reach its finale—let the last stroke be painted with the melody of heroes."
Venti pursed his lips together for a long moment before finally lifting his head and speaking to everyone with unwavering resolve.
...
Upon arriving at the entrance to Stormterror's Lair, they found it blocked by a barrier of Anemo energy. The others had already gathered there ahead of time, just as planned.
"Aether, Rover, once you're inside, it'll all be up to you."
Indeed, after discussion, it had been decided that Aether would accompany Rover.
First, Aether was not a citizen of Mondstadt, so Dvalin's hostility toward him would be much weaker. Second, this battle needed a witness. And most importantly, if Rover won, Aether could immediately step forward to purify and heal Dvalin. If Rover lost, Aether would retreat with him.
Once Venti truly opened the barrier for the two of them, they slowly stepped forward.
The melody drifting from Stormterror's Lair was one of sorrow, evoking a deep sense of desolation. The broken ruins stood as silent records of ancient history.
At the very top of the ruined tower, Dvalin looked down upon the two from above. The open space before the ruins became their battlefield.
After Aether stepped forward to explain their intentions, Dvalin said nothing. Instead, it chose a position and then gave Rover a signal.
Rover drew his long blade, pointing it at the dragon in the sky, his eyes sharp with determination.
"I'm here, Dvalin."
"Hmph! Then come!"
The dragon's roar once again shook the entire space before it took to the skies, diving down toward Rover.
Rover focused, continuously dodging Dvalin's assaults.
After several attacks proved ineffective, Dvalin landed, swiping at Rover with its claws. Seeing Rover evade, it had already prepared its next move—a torrent of dragon's breath erupted from its maw.
Rover's eyes widened as dark wings unfurled from his back, shielding him from the fierce breath. Gripping the hilt of his blade tightly, he tore through the wall of flames before him and used his Grapple to launch himself upward.
The power of Spectro gathered on his blade, and as Rover swung it midair, a golden arc of light struck Dvalin's body. To its shock, Dvalin found itself unable to move. It could only watch as Rover landed and then sprinted up its body, starting from its claws.
But Dvalin let out a muffled groan, breaking free from the time freeze. With a violent beat of its wings, it soared back into the sky. Rover, now halfway up, had no choice but to deploy his glider.
Seeing its chance, Dvalin roared, spreading all its wings wide. Countless wind bullets rained down upon Rover in midair. Rover retracted his glider, plummeting rapidly to evade the barrage before deploying it again just above the ground, landing safely at last.
"Let's see where you can hide now!"
Dvalin continued bombarding Rover with wind bullets. Rover touched the gourd at his waist.
"Echo and form, as one."
The moment the words left his lips, Rover transformed into a shielded Mitachurl, blocking the storm of wind bullets with a massive wooden shield.
The endless barrage of wind bullets pounded the plaza, kicking up thick clouds of dust. Aether's heart clenched—he was ready to retreat with Rover at any moment.
Dvalin also landed, its emerald-green eyes fixed on the dust. The next instant, a flash of cold steel split the smoke in two as a dark figure charged toward Dvalin once more.
But Dvalin knew its enemy wouldn't be defeated so easily. It had already prepared—with a whip of its tail, a gale-force wind sent the figure flying.
"Rover!"
Aether's eyes widened as he saw the familiar figure adjust midair after the clash of scales against metal.
The sheer momentum forced Rover to plunge his blade into the ground, skidding several meters before coming to a stop.
Rising from his crouch, Rover stared at the massive dragon before him. Slowly, he stood, the dark semi-wings at his back dissolving into particles, the Spectro energy enveloping him dissipating. Blade in hand, he stepped toward Dvalin.
The edge of Rover's blade gradually became sheathed in Anemo energy. With each step, the wind around him grew stronger, whipping at his clothes. His dark eyes held only cold detachment, as if boundless power simmered beneath the calm surface.
"Hmph! Cheap tricks."
A sense of unease rose in Dvalin's heart. It spread its wings once more, unleashing another volley of wind bullets.
Rover broke into a sprint, nimbly dodging the attacks. Using the wind particles in the air, he ran through the sky itself.
Dvalin tried to take flight, but Rover, now right before it, refused to let it escape. Seizing the moment, he dodged one last wind bullet.
In that instant, time slowed. Countless wind particles surged into his blade, transforming it into a blade of pure Anemo. The entire sword glowed with brilliant emerald light.
Midair, Rover swung his blade once.
A massive wind slash tore through the air with the force to rend everything in its path.
A cry of sorrow—a dragon's lament filled with boundless fury—burst from Dvalin's maw.
A gash split open across Dvalin's body, blood gushing forth. In pain, it crashed to the ground.
A second slash followed.
As Dvalin's vision filled with emerald light, it knew it couldn't evade. Slowly, it closed its eyes.
In what should have been its final moments, it felt no fear of death. Nor did it question why this human wielded the power of Barbatos, the Anemo Archon. Instead, a voice from ancient times seemed to echo in its ears.
It remembered the soothing melody of a lyre, played as it once soared freely through the skies.
"Dvalin, from now on, you shall roam the skies with freedom as your companion."
The bard plucked the strings, softly singing his ballads.
But... none of that could ever return.
The battles of blood and fire, the wicked dragon, the curse it bore, the fear in the people's eyes...
Yes... A creature like me... should die in battle...
The deafening crash of a collapsing tower echoed behind it, the tremors shaking the ground. Only after a long moment did everything settle, the resulting shockwave nearly knocking Dvalin over.
To its surprise, Dvalin realized it was still alive. It opened its eyes—Rover was nowhere to be seen. Instead, it felt a presence atop its head.
Rover stood there, a scythe in hand. With a single slash, he shattered the dark, corrupted crystal before him, then leaped down to face the now-defeated Dvalin.
"Why didn't you kill me?"
"Because Venti told me you have the right to embrace life and freedom—a reward for protecting Mondstadt for a thousand years."
Dvalin's fury died completely. As Rover's words sank in, images flickered in its eyes once more.
"Barbatos..."
Rover sheathed his blade and nodded at Aether, who had been watching nervously from the side.
Having witnessed everything, Aether had seen it clearly—that deadly second wind slash had been aimed at the tower behind Dvalin, not the dragon itself.
"Wow, Rover, you're really amazing! Can you teach me that move? The one where you go 'whoosh' and make that huge wind slash?"
Paimon popped out of nowhere, eagerly recounting the intense battle.
Aether shook his head helplessly and tossed his Dull Blade toward Paimon. She caught it but struggled to even lift it.
"You can't even lift a sword properly, and you want to learn? Rover, teach me instead."
Aether chuckled as Paimon stomped midair, putting all her strength into trying—and failing—to raise the sword.
With Dvalin finally subdued, Aether purified the remaining corruption from it.
"Dvalin!"
Venti was the first to appear in their field of vision. The moment the barrier around Stormterror's Lair disappeared, he rushed forward—only to trip over a pebble and faceplant right in front of Dvalin.
Seeing its master in such a state, Dvalin turned its head away with a sigh.
"Barbatos, do something useful for once!"
Jean, who had arrived shortly after, coughed lightly and averted her gaze, unwilling to witness her Archon's embarrassing display. Diluc, meanwhile, walked past Venti without so much as a glance—his illusions about gods had long since shattered.
This god still owed him a mountain of debt, after all.
But Venti had never cared about his image. He channeled his power into Dvalin, healing its wounds.
"Aether, Rover, you are the heroes who saved Mondstadt from the dragon crisis. Upon our return, I shall grant you the title of Honorary Knights of Favonius."
Aether opened his mouth, somewhat embarrassed.
"But I didn't really do anything..."
"Nonsense. Having the courage to stand beside Rover against a dragon is itself a remarkable feat."
Diluc's understated remark drew nods of agreement from everyone.
"Later, I must return the Holy Lyre der Himmel to the church. Thankfully, it's still intact—otherwise, Barbara would lose her mind."
...
Only Aether, Venti, and Kaeya went to return the lyre. Diluc had returned to the tavern, while Jean was busy handling the aftermath of the dragon crisis—along with the mountain of other problems awaiting her—so she didn't join them.
"By Barbatos' grace, the Holy Lyre is unharmed!"
At the church, Barbara joyfully accepted the lyre, cradling it like a treasure. Seeing this, Venti shot Aether a meaningful look, and the two quietly slipped out.