"Be careful, these creatures are cunning!" Diluc warned, glancing back at the assembled knights. "All non-Vision holders and Klee, retreat to the city immediately!"
They only dare emerge now that the Anemo Archon has departed—scum crawling out of the mud!
Monsters of this caliber were beyond the capabilities of ordinary knights. Even seasoned Vision holders like themselves couldn't guarantee victory. To minimize casualties, they had no choice but to send the Vision holders to the front lines.
Jean coordinated with Diluc, issuing orders in agreement with his strategy. As for Klee, the child was too young for such battles; these affairs were best left to the adults.
"Grand Master, the Knights of Favonius fear not death in battle! There's no such thing as a Knights of Favonius knight who flees the battlefield!" one knight protested.
With time running out, Jean asserted her authority as Acting Grand Master: "Obey orders! Your duty is to defend Mondstadt, while our duty is to hold these monsters back until Lord Barbatos returns!"
"But..."
Smack!
Kaeya slapped the protesting knight on the head. "What, rebelling now? Ignoring the Grand Master's orders?"
"Th-this... Yes, sir!"
Rola handed Klee to a knight, preparing to face the monsters alongside her brother and the other Vision bearers.
"Sister Rola, I have another Jumpy Dumpty here! It's super powerful—just inject it with Pyro Elemental Power, any amount will do. It'll explode in one minute! Here, take it! You have to come back safe! Klee will be waiting—we'll go fish-blasting together when you get back!"
The battle had already begun behind her, but Rola still knelt down to pat Klee's head.
"I remember, Klee. We'll definitely go fish-blasting together sometime! We'll blow them sky-high!"
"Yay! Blow them sky-high!"
After carefully stowing away the Jumpy Dumpty, Rola drew her spear and dashed into the fray.
Rola's spear towered over her, taller than she was herself. She braced the tip against the ground, using the momentum to leap high into the air. With a mighty swing, she brought down her fire-infused spear in a sweeping arc.
"Eat this! Blazing Spark!"
A searing slash of flame arced toward a Ruin Guard.
With a thunderous boom, the Ruin Guard split in two, its mechanical life extinguished in an instant.
Diluc, who was sparring with an Electro Lawachurl, happened to witness the spectacle. His worry for his sister eased somewhat, though he still managed to squeeze out a warning: "Don't get distracted! Stay focused!"
"Got it, Brother!" Rola replied.
The Ruin Guard was just an ordinary guardian among the many here. After defeating it, Rola immediately encountered a Ruin Grader.
This hulking machine proved much tougher to handle; her spear strikes inflicted only minimal damage.
Seeing the behemoth preparing to spin, Rola turned and fled.
She darted between two Lawachurls, then collided with a spinning Ruin Grader that Lumine had lured over.
A shared glance revealed their plan.
Under their deliberate provocation, the two Ruin Graders crashed into each other with a thunderous boom.
To their astonishment, the colliding Graders, spinning at the same frequency but in opposite directions, perfectly neutralized each other's momentum, leaving them unharmed.
Fortunately, the collision had dragged the two nearby Lawachurls into the fray. The four behemoths became entangled in a chaotic maelstrom, all collapsing to the ground severely wounded.
Rola and Lumine exchanged a celebratory high-five before rushing in to deliver the finishing blows.
The others were faring equally well. Diluc had single-handedly eliminated two Lawachurls and toppled a Ruin Grader in a remarkably short time. Meanwhile, Fischl and Oz were still skillfully kiting another Ruin Grader.
Bennett and Razor were ganging up on a Frostarm Lawachurl, while Diona and Amber exchanged fire with two Ruin Hunters.
But what surprised Rola the most were Lisa and Noelle.
Lisa's side of the battlefield was scorched black. With a single ultimate move, she annihilated every monster within range, including several Lawachurls and Ruin Graders. She undoubtedly had the highest kill count on the field.
However, Lisa couldn't use that ultimate too frequently.
Noelle, facing a swarm of Ruin Graders and Ruin Guards, wielded her Claymore with such ferocity that she seemed to embody the might of a thousand troops.
Just moments ago, her leaping strike had sent a Ruin Hunter plummeting from the sky, crippling it beyond recovery.
Noelle's Favonius Greatsword shattered, but she immediately drew another and plunged back into the fray.
Witnessing this, Rola finally understood the meaning of "there's always someone stronger."
She also realized something else:
So Noelle was holding back completely during our training sessions!
Meanwhile, Lumine effortlessly switched between Anemo and Geo Elemental Power, her Unrelenting Will blade shimmering with unnatural sharpness. She truly lived up to her reputation as the protagonist.
Rola's competitive spirit ignited as they unleashed their signature moves:
"Time for — retribution!"
"Everybody stand back!"
"Time to clean up!"
...
The battle line stretched outward, reaching the open area between Whispering Woods and Mondstadt.
-
The largest Abyss Gate loomed.
Suddenly, a colossal hand reached out from within, followed by another.
The two massive hands forcibly tore open the Abyss Gate, and a towering Ruin Grader crawled out.
This grader was much larger than the previous variants
Malice stood perched on the grader's shoulder.
As soon as the Grader emerged, all the Abyss Gates slammed shut.
The Grader cared little for friend or foe. Each stomp crushed several monsters that failed to flee in time.
Witnessing this colossal machine, the Mondstadt forces immediately ceased fighting and retreated from the fray, while the monsters made no attempt to pursue them.
"Is everyone alright?"
"Bennett got hit by debris from the exploding Ruin Guard!"
Fischl supported Bennett.
Rola turned to look at Bennett, noticing a large bump on his head.
Jean: "Fischl, take him to Barbara for treatment. What about the others?"
No one spoke. By this point in the battle, everyone had sustained minor injuries, but none were severe.
Kaeya: "What's the deal with this massive thing?"
Lumine pointed at the figure on the Ruin Grader's shoulder:
"I encountered that creature before. It's extremely dangerous! Everyone, be careful!"
Diluc: "Damn it, it's here! Scatter!"
The Ruin Grader's massive fist slammed down, and the Mondstadt team quickly scattered.
The Malice that had been perched on the Ruin Grader's shoulder vanished instantly. Lumine, who had been watching it intently, immediately grew alert. She shouted to the others:
"The creature on the Ruin Guard's shoulder has disappeared! Everyone, be vigilant!"
Instead of targeting Rola, Malice concealed itself and first approached Diluc's position. Seizing the moment Diluc dodged the Grader's attack, it launched a sneak attack.
Malice's concealment was undetectable even to the Seven Archons, let alone Diluc.
Diluc was struck in the side, losing control of his body and crashing heavily into a tree before collapsing to the ground, unable to rise for a long moment.
"Brother!"
"Diluc!"
The group was horrified, and Rola rushed forward first.
"Brother, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Rola's eyes rimmed with red, tears welling up like small pearls.
Diluc pushed himself up, wincing in pain. Though the blow hurt badly, it wasn't life-threatening.
"I'm fine. Don't... don't cry. It's embarrassing."
Kaeya, his face cold and alert, scanned the surroundings vigilantly. Suddenly sensing a chill on his back, he reacted instinctively, striking behind him without hesitation.
A resounding clang of metal against metal rang out as Kaeya's blade was knocked aside, forcing him back several steps. He had barely managed to parry the blow.
"Stay alert! That thing is strong!"
In the distance, the long-ignored Ruin Grader once again swung its massive fist. Initially aimed at Eula's position, the attack abruptly changed direction mid-swing, now targeting Diluc and his companions.
"Look out!"
Eula, Rosaria, Noelle, and others nearby surged forward, throwing themselves in front of Diluc to shield him from the impending blow.