Lumine, Paimon, and Lydia had just rushed onto Mondstadt's city walls when a frigid night wind, carrying the roars of monsters, slammed into them.
Lydia braced herself against the crenellations, her heart sinking as she surveyed the scene beyond the walls.
On the distant plains, a dense, seething mass of monsters stretched as far as the eye could see, surging toward the city gates like a living black mist. The torches held by the Hilichurls flickered in the darkness, resembling countless malevolent eyes.
At the forefront, Rifthounds crouched low, their crimson pupils locked onto Mondstadt. With each swipe of their Abyss energy-infused claws, faint, dark purple trails lingered in the air.
Screech— The piercing sound of space tearing apart echoed as new rifts materialized out of thin air.
More Hilichurls, slimes, and even Mitachurls poured through the rifts, crushing and trampling many of their own kind. Yet the monstrous horde pressed onward relentlessly, trampling over the corpses, creating a horrifying spectacle.
"Attention everyone! Archers, advance three steps and target the Rifthounds in the front ranks!" Jean's voice rang out from the center of the city walls, carrying an unwavering resolve. "The rest of you, defend the gates! We must not let a single monster approach the walls!"
Lydia followed the sound and saw Jean standing on the highest battlement, her cloak billowing in the wind.
Diluc stood beside her, Wolf's Gravestone materializing from his Vision and landing firmly in his hand. Flames surged from his Vision, instantly engulfing the sword's blade.
Kaeya leaned against the battlement, tiny Cryo icicles forming around him. The tight grip on his sword hilt betrayed his seriousness.
"Commander Jean! Master Diluc! Kaeya!" Paimon floated over first. "We're here to help!"
Jean turned to see the trio, her taut lips relaxing slightly. But when her gaze landed on Lydia, her expression softened instantly, her voice tinged with concern. "Lydia? What are you doing here? It's too dangerous—you should be sheltering at the Cathedral."
Lydia shook her head and stepped forward, tightening her grip on Festering Desire. She looked up at Jean, her eyes unwavering. "Commander Jean, I can't take shelter."
"Lucy, Tom, and Jack are gone forever in the Whispering Woods, and Amber is critically injured. How could I hide while they suffered?"
Her voice was soft yet each word rang with clarity.
The wind lifted her snow-white hair, revealing the glowing Anemo Vision at her waist. The Vision pulsed faintly, as if resonating with her resolve.
"I know the battlefield is dangerous," Lydia paused, her fingertips brushing lightly against the hilt of Festering Desire. "But it's precisely because of the danger that I want to join you."
Diluc stood silently beside them, nodding slightly.
Kaeya broke his silence, raising an eyebrow at Jean. "Since the little girl is so determined, why not let her try? With the Honorary Knight and us watching over her, she'll be safe."
Jean took a deep breath and finally relented. She stepped forward and gently patted Lydia's shoulder.
"Alright, you can stay, but you must stay close to us and never act alone."
"Yes! Thank you, Sister Jean!" Lydia's eyes lit up instantly, the earlier heaviness lifting slightly from her face.
Lumine gazed at Lydia, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips, then turned to nod at Jean. "Commander Jean, I'll keep an eye on her."
"Paimon, stay here and don't go anywhere."
"Okay!" Paimon nodded vigorously.
The monster army outside the city was drawing closer, the howls of Rifthounds and the roars of Hilichurls merging into a cacophony that made the city walls tremble slightly.
Jean gripped her sword tightly, her gaze sweeping across the knights stationed on the walls. Her voice rang out with rousing force: "Everyone, prepare! The monsters are coming!"
"For our families behind us! For all our fallen comrades! For the sake of defending Mondstadt! We will never retreat! May the Anemo Archon protect us!"
"Defend Mondstadt! Never retreat! May the Anemo Archon protect us!"
The knights roared in unison, nocking arrows to their bows and drawing swords from their sheaths. The glow of Visions blazed across the walls.
"Release!" At Jean's command, arrows rained down like a storm upon the advancing monster army.
Empowered by Elemental Power, the arrows accelerated to several times their normal speed, striking the lead Rifthounds precisely in the eyes.
Several of the beasts let out piercing shrieks as they staggered backward into the rear of the monster army, but the gaps were quickly filled by more monsters.
-
On Earth, Lu Nanqing's live stream was in an uproar.
The screen showed a breathtakingly majestic view of Mondstadt's city walls.
A dark, oppressive horde of monsters, Favonius Knights bracing for battle atop the walls, and elemental light crisscrossing the night sky—every detail radiated tension and impending doom.
What made viewers' hearts race even faster was the "Siege Countdown" timer ticking down relentlessly at the top of the screen.
With each tick, a deep, muffled thump echoed through the game, like a heart pounding in its chest, tightening everyone's nerves.
"Holy crap! When did Mihoyo start doing siege battles?"
"Damn Rifthounds! So strong they get knocked back a single hit? Where's that ferocity they showed when fighting me earlier?!"
"Amber's still lying unconscious in the Cathedral! These monsters must die!"
"..."
Lu Nanqing sat at her computer, her fingers clenched tightly around the mouse, her palms slick with sweat.
As she watched Lydia standing on the city walls in the game, her mind involuntarily replayed an earlier scene:
Beneath a tree behind the Cathedral, the girl murmured to herself before a wooden cross, her snow-white hair disheveled by the wind. Her voice carried both longing for her friends and yearning for her parents.
Though Lydia's eyes burned with unwavering determination, Lu Nanqing could still see the faint tremor in her shoulders, betraying her anxiety.
"Lydia... you have to be okay..." Lu Nanqing murmured unconsciously.
The live stream chat scrolled frantically. Some spammed "Protect Mondstadt!" slogans, others analyzed tactics, and still others offered prayers. The once-lively channel now radiated a solemn, united resolve.
As the countdown ticked down to "3," the monster horde suddenly surged forward. The front-line Hilichurls raised their wooden clubs and hurled them fiercely at the city gate, causing it to shake violently and splinters to fly.
"2," space rifts began to materialize beneath the city walls. Mitachurls crawled out of the fissures, their massive axes glinting coldly in the moonlight.
"1," sparks from Hilichurls' torches ignited the barrels of explosives they held aloft. Another deafening explosion shook the earth!
Diluc leaped from the city walls first, unleashing the flames imbued in Wolf's Gravestone to engulf the monster horde.
"Judgment! Haaah!"
Amidst the explosions, black-aura-wreathed monsters were engulfed by flames, yet more continued to advance, trampling over the corpses of their fallen comrades.
"Zero!"
As the final second ticked down, the game screen abruptly switched.
The animated cutscene vanished, replaced by manual control.
Simultaneously, the monsters' roars echoed through the game world.
Favonius Knights on the city walls followed Diluc's lead, leaping down to engage the monsters in close combat.
"Manual control activated!" Lu Nanqing took a deep breath, her fingers flying across the mouse as she steered Lumine toward the monsters on the right flank.
An Anemo surge erupted, swirling several Hilichurls into the air. With a swift slash of her Dull Blade, the monsters dissolved into white light.
Just as she finished dispatching those few, fresh waves of monsters poured through newly formed space rifts. Some Hilichurls had already scaled the walls, lunging at the archers stationed above.
The live stream chat exploded:
"Charge, streamer! This is the Battle for Mondstadt!"
"Holy shit! The NPCs have health bars! Immersion level: MAX!"
"Low attack and defense! These NPCs are as fragile as paper in a market fight!"
-
Lydia took a deep breath and leaped off the city wall, the black and white light intertwining along her sword's blade, drawing the attention of numerous surrounding monsters.
With each swing of Festering Desire, she dispelled the Abyss black mist shrouding the creatures. The Abyss-enhanced monsters seemed utterly vulnerable before her blade.
Yet the sheer number of monsters was overwhelming. As soon as one wave was cleared, another surged forward.
"This can't continue!" Kaeya's voice rang out. His Cryo icicles shot forth, freezing a Mitachurl in its tracks. "Someone needs to destroy those space rifts! Otherwise, the monsters will keep pouring in endlessly!"
Lumine and Lydia exchanged a determined glance.
Lydia tightened her grip on Festering Desire, her Vision's glow intensifying once more. "I'll go! My sword seems to suppress Abyss energy—maybe I can close the rifts!"
"I'm going with you!" Lumine declared without hesitation.
Anemo energy coalesced beneath their feet. Before Jean and the others could dissuade them, the two charged straight into the monster horde.
The surrounding Hilichurls instantly swarmed them, but their seamless coordination quickly turned the tide, leaving the creatures dead in their wake.
Just as they were about to reach the space rift, a Rifthound suddenly lunged from the side, its claws aimed straight for Lydia's back!