Fate's threads had already begun to shift. As Lumine prepared to enter Mondstadt and begin a new chapter of her journey, the city itself was undergoing its worst assault in decades.
"Barbatos!" Stormterror Dvalin, circling high above in the clouds, growled low in his throat as he gazed at the wind elemental aura protecting the entire city.
Descending rapidly, Dvalin unleashed a breath of pure wind element energy. The breath tore across the stone-paved streets, and despite Barbatos's protective blessings, it still carved a trench one meter wide and two meters deep.
Hundreds of buildings were destroyed in the wake of the dragon's attack. While the people inside were protected from the breath itself by the Wind Archon's grace, collapsing debris and flying shrapnel still caused injuries across the city.
Most citizens had taken shelter indoors, but some still braved the raging storm to reach areas devastated by the dragon's assault.
"Hurry, hurry! A residential building collapsed up ahead—we need to dig out the survivors and move them somewhere safe!" Knight Borto led his three-man team to the wreckage. They quickly found a young man groaning in pain beneath the rubble.
As soon as he saw them, the man pointed desperately. "My wife… and daughter… over there! Please save them first…! I'm just stuck—my leg—I'll be fine!"
After rescuing the man's wife and daughter, the knight team returned to pull him from the rubble, only to find his right leg horribly mangled and bloody.
Fortunately, a medical team sent by the Church arrived soon after. They administered emergency treatment, instructed the wife and daughter to take shelter in a nearby intact building, and transported the injured man to the Cathedral of Favonius for further care.
Barbara greeted the arriving medics and immediately began scanning the patient with her healing bracelet. Seeing the leg was the most serious injury, she focused her healing powers there before rushing to the next wounded civilian.
The Adventurers' Guild was equally overwhelmed. Many adventure teams had gathered in the lobby, listening to Catherine as she coordinated rescue efforts.
"Blazing Flame Adventure Team, head to the three districts north of Mondstadt."
"Purple Rose Team, please deploy to this marked area!"
"Bennett's Adventure Team… please have your leader wait in that abandoned, uninhabited area. The rest of your team, proceed to this zone." (T/N: Bruh)
Only a portion of adventurers had made their way to the Guild—many more had begun aiding in evacuation and search-and-rescue efforts as soon as the attack began.
Meanwhile, Jean calmly held command at the Knights of Favonius headquarters, issuing orders to organize the defense and coordinate relief operations.
The current situation was far from ideal. Dvalin's flight altitude typically exceeded 100 meters, while even advanced gliders could only reach a height of 50 meters. The knights had no choice but to watch helplessly as the dragon wrought destruction from above, scrambling only to help the injured in his wake.
After delegating responsibilities to various squad leaders, Jean herself led an elite team into the fray. Just then, a massive pigeon carrying a child swooped toward them at full speed.
"Help! The gates—!" the boy stammered, breathless with urgency.
The pigeon spoke clearly, startling Jean: "A large number of monsters are attacking the city gates! Only Shen Qin, Sucrose, and a few scattered knights are holding the line! Immediate reinforcements are needed!"
Jean wasted no time questioning the giant talking pigeon. She ushered the boy to safety and set off toward the gates with her team.
What she saw when they arrived was a nightmare—swarms of monsters filled the area across the lake, charging toward the city in an unending tide.
Not only were the bridges under siege, but Frost Slimes had also frozen parts of the lake, allowing enemies to cross the ice directly.
Shen Qin and Sucrose were holding their ground near the gate, staying close to other scattered defenders. Many monsters had already crossed the lake and were now attacking from all directions. Holding the bridge was no longer feasible.
"Time for — retribution!"
A blazing phoenix swept across the lake, melting the ice and sending countless monsters plunging into the water below, stalling their assault.
It was then, a red-haired warrior—Diluc—charged into the enemy ranks with a flaming greatsword, cleaving a path through the horde.
Jean and her knights joined the fight, giving the troubled defenders a much-needed breather.
What caught her attention most was the pink floating sphere by Shen Qin's side. Every time it shot a red beam, it annihilated an elite monster in a burst of flame—its sheer power stunned her.
But while the monster numbers thinned, the defenders were growing weary. Twenty minutes in, injuries piled up, and the defensive perimeter shrank to a mere 20-meter radius.
Diluc shattered a Hilichurl Berserker's shield, darted behind it, and kicked out its knee, engulfing its joint in explosive flame. As the monster collapsed, he decapitated it with one fluid strike.
Jean darted through the battlefield, alternating between taking down elites and tending to the wounded.
Shen Qin and Sucrose activated their overclocked energy shields, forming a solid left-right barricade at the city gate to provide a safe retreat path for other fighters.
Though Jean and Diluc could only activate their own shields intermittently—balancing offense with defense—the primary barrier held firm.
Still, the monsters kept coming. The defenders had to launch constant counterattacks to thin their numbers, or they would eventually be overwhelmed.
More elite enemies began appearing, and high-altitude Wind Cores flew over the city walls. Shen Qin had to order Harrow to break off from the gate defense to intercept them elsewhere.
"It's just like that ambush in Windrise," Sucrose shouted across the battlefield, "These monsters reek of Abyss energy… It's unbearable!"
"It's the Abyss Order! They've taken control of both Dvalin and the monsters to attack Mondstadt!" Shen Qin called back.
"I haven't seen any Abyss Mages on the field," Jean said, catching her breath within the shielded area.
"They're hiding," Shen Qin said grimly. "One escaped during the ambush at Windrise. This time, they're prepared to avoid our assassination tactics."
"Curses!" Venti watched helplessly as Dvalin ravaged Mondstadt with wind breath from low altitude. He couldn't join the battle—his power was fully committed to shielding the city's people from the indiscriminate wind projectiles still raining down from the sky's magic arrays.