"Wait up, brothers!"
Parting ways with Venti, Farmas successfully slipped into the marching column of slimes.
"Hurry, or there'll be nothing left to eat,"
a group of little Hydro slimes around him chirped back.
It seemed that, unlike the Geo slime with intelligence he met upon revival, most slimes were born with extremely simple minds—only "eat" and "attack" existed in their thoughts.
"Too bad that Geo slime died to Diluc…"
Farmas bounced higher, lumine the enemy formation.
In front marched hilichurls and Abyss mages; behind, a cluster of Electro Cicin Mages drifted like purple fireflies.
"Hey, buddy, what are you doing?"
A floating Anemo slime dropped to eye level, staring at Farmas with suspicion.
"Nothing, nothing. I'm just checking how many of our brothers and sisters are joining the invasion of Mondstadt."
Farmas answered sincerely—
well, as sincerely as a slime without facial expressions could look.
"Invasion? No no,"
the Anemo slime corrected proudly.
"This time, we're taking Mondstadt."
It spoke in the strange sound-frequency only slimes could understand.
"If we gather more essential oils and elemental materials, more of our kin will gain intelligence, just like us."
So this one was intelligent as well—that explained why it floated above the army, directing them.
"And we have a secret weapon…"
Apparently unused to meeting another "smart slime," the Anemo slime became unusually talkative.
"A Stonehide Lawachurl! The shamans of the Black Sun tribe summoned it with great effort."
"To conquer Mondstadt will be but a moment!"
It puffed itself up with pride.
Meanwhile in Mondstadt—
Upon receiving Kaeya's report of the approaching monster horde, Acting Grand Master Jean immediately ordered all soldiers to man the city walls.
From atop the ramparts, one could see tens of thousands of hilichurls pushing forward across the plains.
Every tribe was present, neatly arranged, with hordes of slimes trailing behind.
"With hilichurl intelligence, they could never coordinate like this…" Kaeya muttered, brows furrowed.
"The Abyss Order is serious this time."
"Grand Master Varka is still away on his expedition," Jean said quietly.
"That means defending Mondstadt falls to us."
She tightened her grip on her sword.
Though uncertain, her gaze firmed when she saw Venti lounging atop the ballista platform.
"The Anemo Archon is with us!"
Then, as the Abyss mage in the distance raised its staff, the order was given—
The attack began.
The shield-wearing hilichurl berserkers charged first toward the gate, followed by vanguards pushing tall ladders.
Fortunately, only one bridge led to Mondstadt.
Wide as it was, it still allowed only five berserkers to advance side by side.
Thus, despite their overwhelming numbers, only a small wave could reach the front at once.
Blocking their path was Mondstadt's first defensive line:
A triangular barricade of wood and starsilver, leaving only a narrow one-person passage.
The shield hilichurls slammed into it but couldn't break through—it was far too sturdy.
From the walls, arrows rained down in sheets.
Shot from above, they fell into the tightly packed hilichurl ranks, killing the rear lines in swaths.
But compared to the enormous army, such casualties were a drop in the bucket.
Spotting the blockage, a Pyro Abyss Mage drifted forward.
With a wave of its staff, three fire-spitting masks appeared, surrounding the barricade.
Within seconds, the defense melted into ash and molten metal.
The path was open.
At the gate, Diluc—who had been waiting—cracked his neck, unsheathed his massive claymore, and walked calmly forward.
With one swing, a gigantic flaming phoenix soared into the horde.
As its wings beat, monsters burst into ash.
Soon, only a handful of Abyss mages with fiery shields remained.
But they were unfazed, commanding the next wave forward.
On the walls, knights manned the ballistae again.
The bolts pierced through multiple hilichurls at once—their power enough to punch through even berserker shields.
Yet it was still far from enough.
The battle's outcome depended on those wielding Visions.
Soon, the battlefield reached a fever pitch.
Every Vision holder had joined the fight.
The top contributors were Venti with his endless Stormshots, and Klee bombing everything within range.
Wind and fire combined into massive Swirl explosions, annihilating entire ranks.
Thanks to everyone's efforts, the hilichurl advance slowed.
Though still attacking fiercely, their momentum was failing, and at this rate—
The invasion would eventually be crushed entirely.
But deep within the enemy's middle ranks, the Abyss mages began to laugh.
The earlier hilichurls?
Just cannon fodder to drain Mondstadt's stamina and elemental reserves.
Now that the defenders were tired…
The true battle could begin.
With their chanting, a colossal figure emerged.
Exactly the "big move" the Anemo slime bragged to Farmas about:
A Stonehide Lawachurl.
Towering several meters high, muscles like boulders, the monster was terriflumine even from afar.
The knights' expressions tightened.
Every nerve braced for this new threat.
Thunderous footsteps shook the ground as the behemoth approached the gate.
Arrows struck its hide but left only faint scratches.
Diluc—still fighting below the walls—instantly cut down nearby hilichurls and charged despite his exhaustion.
"Dawn—Rising Phoenix!"
His flaming sword slashed at the Lawachurl's face—
But the giant moved faster.
One hand caught Diluc's blow mid-swing.
Then—
WHAM.
Its fist slammed into him like a meteor.
Diluc flew across the battlefield, crashing hard into the ground.
Even though it was just a "normal punch," the sheer force was monstrous.
If it weren't for his exceptional physique, that punch would've killed him outright.
~~---------------------------
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