When the terrifying Ursa the Drake suddenly appeared, everyone's first thought was naturally of the Knights of Favonius. The Knights were their only hope. But the dragon's attack was far too sudden. The Knights couldn't arrive in time.
In that short span, Kaeya, trying to shield his father and brother, had been beaten back by the dragon until he coughed up blood, rising again and again only to fall once more, until he could no longer get up. Diluc, protecting his father, had taken two heavy blows from the dragon and was already severely wounded.
Yet even so, when he saw the dragon preparing to strike again, Diluc gritted his teeth and forced himself to his feet.
"Father, I'll hold off the dragon. You run. Find the Knights of Favonius and let them handle this."
Blood trickled from his mouth as he raised his sword, determined to block the dragon's advance with his own fragile life, to buy his father time to escape. But Diluc was still a rookie knight, even as a Captain. His experience was lacking. The dragon's speed far exceeded his expectations.
The moment he saw the dragon gathering elemental energy, it had already lunged toward Crepus in the blink of an eye.
Seeing the terrifying sight, Diluc gripped his sword and charged with all his might, dragging his battered body forward, hoping to intercept the dragon's strike once more. But even as he braced himself to be sent flying again, as the dragon drew nearer, an uncontrollable fear gripped him from within, making his sword arm tremble.
Was this how he would die? He had just become a knight, just become a Captain, just learned powerful swordsmanship. How unwilling he was.
In his despair and fear, Diluc clenched his sword and closed his eyes, waiting for the collision.
But at that very moment, just before the dragon struck, Crepus finally made his choice. He pulled out the glove hidden in his coat and put it on, the Delusion embedded within.
The instant he wore it, he raised his sword and pushed the Delusion to its limit.
In that instant, elemental power surged toward Crepus from all directions, and a transformation occurred within him. As the Delusion activated at full power, waves of life force were stripped from his body and drawn into the glove.
In the blink of an eye, the middle-aged Crepus seemed to have aged ten years. Deep wrinkles etched themselves across his weathered face.
Then Crepus raised his sword and took a single step forward. That single step carried him dozens of meters, crossing half the battlefield in an instant to stand before Diluc.
He raised his sword.
One strike.
It landed on Ursa the Drake.
With a resounding crash, the blade met the dragon's body, unleashing a cataclysmic explosion of elemental power. The shockwave sent trees flying and hurled Diluc backward.
It all happened too fast. Kaeya, lying wounded on the ground, didn't react. Diluc, charging forward to block the dragon, didn't react either. They both saw a figure rush past and, with a single blow, halt the dragon's charge.
Could it be reinforcements from the Knights? Had the Grand Master arrived?
Hope flickered in both brothers' hearts. They breathed a sigh of relief. A true Knight's power—a single strike was enough to stop the dragon. Now, not only their father, but both of them could survive.
But when the dust settled, when the dragon and its opponent were once again visible, both Diluc and Kaeya stared in disbelief.
It wasn't a knight. It wasn't the Grand Master. It wasn't even the great Anemo Archon.
It was their father.
Their father had no Vision. Their father, who had no elemental power. Their father, whom everyone called a swordsmanship failure. Their father, who had tried and failed the knight selection time and again, yet never gave up.
In this moment, their father radiated immense elemental power. In this moment, their father wielded a sword and held back the dragon. In this moment, he was a stranger to them.
But it wasn't just the power that shocked them. It was his face, suddenly aged beyond recognition.
Diluc shouted, "Father—watch out for the dragon!"
Kaeya also yelled through the pain, "Father!"
At that moment, Crepus, who had pushed the Delusion to its limit, was losing not only his life force but also his sanity, his spirit eroded by the Delusion's power. He was beginning to lose focus.
Still, he turned to look at his two wounded sons.
A faint, bitter smile crossed his face.
"Sons, watch your father's swordsmanship. This is the last lesson I'll teach you."
With that, the man everyone called a failure raised his sword, pushing the Delusion to its utmost limit. Elemental power exploded from his body once more, even as more life force was drained from him, devoured by the glove.
Under Kaeya and Diluc's stunned gazes, Crepus charged at the dragon with the simplest, most basic sword techniques: horizontal slashes, thrusts, diagonal cuts. Every move was plain and unadorned. Every move was wreathed in elemental flames, consuming everything they touched.
The dragon, driven back, was enraged. It wanted to kill Crepus. But under the Delusion's full power, Crepus was far too fast and far too strong.
For a time, relying on the Delusion, he actually suppressed the terrifying Ursa the Drake.