Mondstadt.
Whoooo—whoooo—!!
Wind.
Only wind.
A deafening storm tore through all of Mondstadt in an instant.
Above the city, clouds spiraled into a colossal eye of the storm—
like a giant's pupil peering down from beyond the sky, fixing its cold gaze upon Mondstadt.
A sight that made one's bones tremble.
And more—
The thick clouds swallowed every trace of sunlight.
What should have been daytime turned as dark as night.
"Lord Barbatos is angry…"
"It must be because we mistook our god… this is divine punishment…"
"But… would the Anemo Archon really do this…?"
The citizens whispered in fear.
Of course—
None of this was divine wrath.
It was simply the side effects of Su Mo entering the second phase of his form.
He wasn't even trying to cause this.
If he were trying, Mondstadt would already be gone.
Right now, he hovered calmly within the storm's eye—feathered and transformed.
If he so wished, he could generate a storm large enough to blanket all of Teyvat…
and tear this fragile world apart with ease.
And that was merely the beginning of what he could do.
He was even suppressing his Honkai energy on purpose.
Otherwise, this incomplete world would crumble under the energy alone.
Where… Did she get this power?
A force from… outside the world?
Wendy raised an elemental shield to protect the nearby citizens,
yet his eyes remained fixed on the sky.
The situation had spiraled far, far beyond his expectations.
He originally thought the impostor was just here to imitate him.
But now…
The power she emanated—
It was the same kind that caused the calamity five hundred years ago.
No—much, much stronger.
What was he supposed to do…?
At this point, Wendy was no longer thinking about victory.
He was thinking about how to protect Mondstadt, even just for a little longer.
"Lord Barbatos!"
Jean and Diluc rushed to his side.
They had cleared the plaza, and evacuation was underway.
"Get out of here!" Wendy urged.
"Evacuate the citizens! Do not stay close!"
"Lord Barbatos, we can—"
"No. Go! Get them as far from Mondstadt as possible!
If you remain here too long… her aura alone will harm you."
He didn't take his eyes off the figure above.
He knew the truth—
Five hundred years ago, he had fought alongside Mondstadt.
But now?
The gap between their power was unfathomable.
This will be my last battle, won't it…?
But… will this world survive long enough for it to matter?
The leylines beneath Mondstadt were collapsing rapidly.
And not only Mondstadt's—
the continent-wide leylines were being corroded by her presence.
This was not a battle.
This was an extinction event.
Even the Sustainer descending… wouldn't be enough.
The realization chilled him.
"You almost had it, you know," Su Mo said, voice tinged with pity as she hovered in the stormlight.
"You really could've gotten this power earlier.
But you backed out. What a waste."
"Y—yes, I backed out…"
The Lady laughed weakly, eyes wide with despair.
"Burn the world…? What a joke…"
She now understood—
She knew nothing.
This world was far vaster, far darker than she had imagined.
She wasn't a savior—
Just a clown who thought she could play with fire.
She had no qualifications to burn anything.
"Your name is Wendy, right?
Then tell me—why do you want to destroy this world?"
Wendy seized the moment.
He needed to stall for time.
The longer she talked, the farther the citizens could run.
He discovered she could hold a conversation…
as long as her mood didn't suddenly shift.
He was a bard.
Talking was his specialty.
"Destroy the world? Oh—
I was just saying that casually.
Why would I destroy this world?"
Su Mo blinked.
"…Huh?"
Wendy froze.
"Wait—then why did you attack the leylines?!
And what's with this storm?!"
"Leylines?"
Su Mo tilted her head.
"I didn't touch them. They're just reacting to my power.
Wow… this world is fragile.
Good thing I suppressed myself.
Otherwise the world collapsing all of a sudden would look like I was being… What do humans call it?
Ah—'scammed' into paying for damages?
As for the storm—
It made itself.
Same reason: my power leaked out a little."
She sighed.
"What a boring world.
I show a little bit of power and everything falls apart."
Wendy: "..."
She… she's not lying… is she?
She doesn't seem to have a reason to.
But that level of power…
Wendy's scalp tingled.
If she did "nothing" and the world nearly broke…
Then what kind of monster had wandered into Teyvat?
Just then—
"Huh? Morax? Ei?"
Wendy sensed two familiar divine auras racing toward Mondstadt.
But instead of relief, dread sank deeper into his bones.
Three Archons wouldn't be enough.
Not even all Seven.
Even the Heavenly Principles probably couldn't win.
This…
This wasn't something Teyvat could handle.
This… can't be played.
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