Indeed, the intelligence was correct.
There was indeed something wrong with Dvalin.
La Signora raised her eyes, gazing at the dragon perched atop the layered clouds and mountains. The latter, borrowing the power of the Temple of the Four Winds, conjured up a huge storm out of thin air.
The entire Mondstadt City was on the verge of collapse under this towering dragon disaster. The whole city-state let out wails. The huge clock tower crashed down.
The tiles of the ancient church flew off one by one, stirring up immense dust. The cries and screams of the Mondstadt people were smothered under that gray haze.
The Fatui had the most outstanding intelligence system in all of Teyvat. It was by relying on this intelligence ahead of their enemies that Snezhnaya's diplomacy was invincible.
This was an opportunity to pressure Mondstadt City using the dragon disaster stirred up by Dvalin.
If matters went one step further—if Mondstadt's knights proved unable to contain the disaster—she would have an excuse to deploy troops and hunt down Stormterror.
She watched all this with a cold expression, as if unable to hear the cries and wails of the Mondstadt people. Her light purple eyes held not a ripple.
As for whether Stormterror lived or died?
She didn't care.
Monsters should be killed.
Especially [demon dragons].
La Signora was pure in her purpose, and she was also mad. For the sake of realizing that pure white world in her heart, achieving that great ideal, and securing everyone's happiness, she would watch any number of sacrifices with cold eyes. They were necessary sacrifices.
She watched the dragon let out wails, its voice half crying, half angry, and the corners of her mouth curled up in a pleased smile.
Yes, yes. Five hundred years ago, another demon dragon did the same. Another demon dragon loomed over you, people of Mondstadt. Even after five hundred years, you are still so weak and powerless.
What Knights, what knightly spirit... Ridiculous. You did nothing. You ran. You let him die alone on the battlefield!
No matter how many people died, it had nothing to do with La Signora.
Nor would she care.
The Knights of Favonius were gradually losing ground to Stormterror. The demon dragon drew upon the power of the Four Winds Temples and stirred up a storm that engulfed all of Mondstadt.
The knights were already straining just to evacuate the people. They loosed arrows at the demon dragon, but after piercing layer upon layer of storm, the shafts struck Stormterror's scales with all their force spent. The demon dragon only grew more enraged.
"Hah..."
Kiyono Fugin left the Knights' headquarters. Grand Master Jean had gone to gather forces. She told Kiyono to take shelter on his own.
But Kiyono had no intention of following her orders.
Some people, even after several lifetimes, even if their memories were no longer the same, even if their appearance had completely changed, there were always things ingrained in their bones, rooted deep in their soul that wouldn't change. It was this essence that allowed him to forever be himself.
And the essence of Kiyono Fugin was: 'saving face'.
To put it in a high-sounding way, it was dignity. But to put it bluntly, it was just being stubborn and putting on a front.
He wouldn't run away, much less let others protect him.
What the hell was this woman thinking?
[Dvalin]
[Level: 83 (Borrowing the power of the Temple of the Four Winds)]
He gazed at the dragon above his head. The entire sky trembled with its roars. This imposing aura was undoubtedly god-tier. Facing such a powerful enemy, his heart beat with long-lost excitement.
This inherited heart was beating excitedly, accompanied by the tremors of his blood vessels. All the blood in Kiyono Fugin's body was boiling.
He slowly drew out Kamigiri. The lightning serpent patterns flickered with a profound light. As Kamigiri was unsheathed, those patterns grew more active. This blade trembled, emitting a thunder-like low ringing.
He sheathed the sword, suppressing that restless heart.
Kiyono had no intention of clashing head-on, nor did he hope to defeat such a powerful enemy. He was only level 27 right now.
He would only do what he could do.
Jean was always preaching about knightly spirit, that knights should protect the people, that knights should be noble. But Kiyono didn't have any lofty knightly spirit. He was simply stubborn about saving face.
Dvalin continued to roar. It lowered its body, diving down, the huge wind pressure it stirred up making the streets of Mondstadt crack in layers. Several Mondstadt residents were in the plaza that Dvalin was about to pass through.
The Knights wanted to rescue them, but it was too late.
Kiyono lowered his stance. In an instant, Kamigiri was unsheathed. The patterns of the wind rapidly appeared in the Fudoshin's vision.
He stepped into that wind, accelerated to the extreme, instantly vanishing from the center of the street. Stepping across the roof tiles, he steadied himself on a tile. The huge inertia drove his right arm. Kamigiri left his hand, carrying immense wind pressure.
That wind belonging to Kiyono crashed into the people before Dvalin did. They were thrown high into the air by the wind. The next second, the dragon trampled past, the entire plaza was blown away.
The dragon rolled, its four wings stirring up towering vortexes. For a moment, the sky darkened and the sun lost it light.
"Hah..."
Kiyono drew a shallow breath. The wounds across his body had split open, along with several ribs. He had exerted too much force just now and aggravated the injuries Stormterror had left him. Immense pain tore at his nerves.
"Cough."
He spat out some blood.
After taking a direct hit from Stormterror, he was lucky this body had not been reduced to a bloody mist.
"Fugin."
Jean also arrived at this place. She had just rescued dozens of people from the ruins. Her pure white armor was already covered in dust, but those eyes were still bright. She gazed at the boy on the roof tiles, pursing her lips,
"Didn't I tell you to take shelter!"
Stormterror roared again. The hurricane tore boulders from the ground and sent them raining down. Jean swung her Anemo blade, and a cold arc of wind sliced the rocks to dust.
She wielded her sword while reprimanding Kiyono, "Go take shelter quickly. This is no place for you to be!"
Who would have thought, that injured boy said,
"Why? I still want to stay here. You can't actually beat the dragon either, right?"
Why...?
His words made no sense to Jean. Wasn't this a matter of course?
"Protecting the people is the Knights' duty!"
Jean said sternly.
Duty, huh...
Kiyono gazed at the dragon. The crazed dragon wailed and roared. The entire world trembled in the dragon disaster. The leaden sky was dark without light. He felt this scene seemed familiar.
"I also want to join the Knights of Favonius. I mean officially join."
He suddenly said.
"You said I don't have the qualifications to become a knight, so I'm going to prove my qualifications."
"What?" Jean was a bit surprised.
"I want to join the Knights of Favonius, so that I'll have the qualifications to stay here."
Kiyono lowered his head, his violet eyes earnestly gazing at Jean's. Jean suddenly had an illusion that she wasn't looking at a boy, but at some other existence.
From the ancient temples, from the whispers of the wind, from those portraits hanging in the corridor, she suddenly found it very hard to refuse this gaze.
He wanted to prove himself, so he stayed. For a knight, honor was everything.
Jean had heard the boy's self-introduction before, things like "the Knights of Favonius provide meals", which made Jean very displeased, thinking it was an insult to the ancient family.
But what about now?
The dragon had descended. Those noble knights, who knew where they had run off to. But this boy from a foreign land had stayed, even though he was covered in wounds.
There was no reason to refuse.
Finally, she slowly said, "...You are a knight."
"That's enough."
Kiyono said, showing his trademark smile. That smile was both familiar and unfamiliar. It was the smile unique to a certain stubborn old man.
[Mission: Join the Knights of Favonius (Complete)]
[Reward: Memory Fragment Playback (No Side Effects)]