Hiss— Lumine gasped sharply, two deep, bone-exposing wounds tearing across her arm. Dark purple blood surged from the gashes, carrying frigid air and toxic fumes that instantly invaded her body.
Before she could react, the Poison Dragon Knight kicked her viciously in the abdomen!
Like a kite with a severed string, Lumine was sent flying, crashing heavily against a rocky outcrop. A mouthful of blood sprayed from her lips.
The poison began to spread rapidly, while the frigid chill lowered her core temperature.
Lumine's body began to tremble uncontrollably, fine beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead. She even lacked the strength to grip her Dull Blade.
"Lumine!" Lydia cried out in alarm.
Just as she lunged forward to help, the Poison Dragon Knight turned his icy gaze upon her, his Ice Sword lashing out with bone-chilling cold.
Lydia instinctively raised her Wind Blade to parry, but to her shock, the Wind Blade shattered into countless shimmering motes of light the moment it collided with the Ice Sword.
Pfft!
Before Lydia could react, the Poison Dragon Knight's elbow slammed into her back, followed by another brutal kick that sent her flying.
Lydia was struck as if by a sledgehammer, her body flying uncontrollably through the air before crashing heavily to the ground some distance away.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as she braced herself with Festering Desire, kneeling on one knee. Blurry, phantom-like images began to swim before her eyes.
Meanwhile, the Poison Dragon Knight without a Vision launched a deadly surprise attack.
Moving like a wraith, it materialized behind Kaeya and Diluc, its black miasma-condensed fist striking both men squarely in the back with the force to shatter steel.
"Ugh!" Kaeya and Diluc groaned simultaneously, blood welling at their lips as they staggered forward, nearly collapsing.
Worse still, a torrent of Abyssal Black Miasma erupted from the gaps in the knight's armor, and before the two could react, they had inhaled a significant amount.
The poison spread rapidly through their bodies, forcing both men to double over, their faces ashen and their breaths rasping with pain.
Jean, Lisa, Noelle, Bennett, and Fischl were about to rush to their aid when they were suddenly engulfed by the expanding black miasma!
The poison seeped into their lungs with each breath, slowing their movements to a crawl. The agonizing corrosion of their internal organs left them drenched in cold sweat, struggling to remain upright.
In a mere ten seconds, the tide of battle had completely turned.
Two Poison Dragon Knights stood in the center of the battlefield, their crimson eyes sweeping over the fallen Lumine, Diluc, and the others.
Seeing them covered in wounds and too weak to even stand, the Knights dismissed them and slowly advanced toward Lydia.
Abyssal Black Miasma trailed from their feet, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly, as if proclaiming their ultimate victory.
Lydia knelt on one knee, Festering Desire planted firmly in the ground to support her swaying body.
The searing pain hadn't subsided, and the metallic sweetness welled up in her throat, forcing her to cough, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
She watched the Poison Dragon Knights close in, then glanced at Lumine, who was struggling to rise nearby.
Blackish-purple blood continued to seep from Lumine's arm, her body trembling slightly as the poison spread, yet she still reached out, attempting to crawl toward Lydia.
"Don't come... Lumine..." Lydia's voice was hoarse.
In her current state, she couldn't protect anyone. Blindly seeking help would only burden Lumine further.
Just then, a unified shout rang out from the city walls: "Miss Lydia! We're here to help you!"
Following the sound, everyone looked up to see the Favonius Knights on the city walls, no longer able to restrain themselves. They leaped over the ramparts, spears raised and swords drawn, charging toward the battlefield.
The lead knight's eyes were bloodshot, his voice urgent: "We must not let the monsters harm Miss Lydia!"
"Defend Mondstadt! Now is the time!"
The clash of the Knights' armor and the sharp ring of weapons being drawn mingled together, forming a warm current that instantly dispelled the despair looming over the battlefield.
But they were too far away from Lydia, and the Poison Dragon Knights moved with astonishing speed.
The Poison Dragon Knight with the Vision embedded in its chest suddenly accelerated, its figure blurring into a fleeting afterimage as it materialized before Lydia in an instant!
Lydia's pupils constricted sharply. She barely raised Festering Desire to defend herself when the Knight moved faster.
The Poison Dragon Knight's black-armored hand clamped down on her throat, lifting her completely off the ground!
"Cough... Let go..." Lydia gasped, her feet dangling. Her breathing became labored, and she instinctively grabbed at the Knight's wrist, only to feel cold, unyielding armor.
Festering Desire slipped from her grasp, clattering to the ground. The icy glow on its blade gradually dimmed as she choked.
"Lydia!" Lumine's voice tore through the air, filled with heart-wrenching anguish.
She struggled to rise, but the poison flared, causing her to collapse again. Her forehead struck the ground heavily, drawing blood.
The knights on the city walls watched with eyes burning in fury. The fastest among them had already charged to the edge of the battlefield, only to be intercepted by another Poison Dragon Knight.
Wielding chains condensed from Abyssal Black Miasma, it instantly ensnared the ankles of two knights and hurled them violently against distant rocks. The knights groaned in agony as their lances flew from their hands.
"Don't come any closer!" Lydia forced her eyes open, gazing desperately at the charging knights. Her heart pounded with desperation. "They're after me... Don't sacrifice yourselves in vain..."
But the knights paid no heed, continuing their relentless assault on the Poison Dragon Knight.
A young knight raised his sword, thrusting at the back of the Poison Dragon Knight that held Lydia captive. With a swift counterstrike, the knight was pierced through the chest by an Ice Blade.
The knight's body froze instantly, dark purple blood seeping from the corner of his mouth as he slowly collapsed to the ground. His eyes remained fixed on Lydia's direction, burning with unyielding resolve.
The Poison Dragon Knight gripped Lydia's throat, lifting her to face it. Its crimson eyes scanned her pale face, while the dark red heart in his left chest pounded faster.
It seemed to be observing Lydia, as if confirming something.
Its other hand slowly rose, and the Ice-blue Vision beneath its armor glowed with icy light. An Ice Blade materialized at its fingertips, aimed at Lydia's heart.
Lydia's consciousness began to fade, the suffocating grip blackening her vision.
She could vaguely hear Lumine's desperate cries, the Knights' furious roars, and the buzzing vibrations of Festering Desire.
"Father... Mother... I'm coming to join you now," Lydia whispered, closing her eyes in despair.
The Ice Blade's frigid chill pierced through her thin clothing, pressing against her chest. Even her breaths brought icy stabs of pain, and her consciousness flickered like a candle in the wind, on the verge of extinction.
In this moment of near-death, the Anemo Vision at her waist suddenly erupted with a dazzling azure light, weaving a soft, luminous halo around her.
In response, within the Poison Dragon Knight's body, the Ice-blue Vision flared to life with equal intensity!
Two beams of light converged in mid-air, as if bound by invisible threads, instantly unleashing a deafening resonance!
Buzz—! Cryo Elemental Power erupted from the Cryo Vision with earth-shattering force, surging along the resonant energy and freezing half of the Poison Dragon Knight's body in the blink of an eye!
Ice encrusted the black armor, hairline cracks spiderwebbing across its surface. The Poison Dragon Knight's chest cavity shattered, and the ice-encased Vision tore free from its body and soared into the air.
Simultaneously, the Anemo Vision at Lydia's waist slowly ascended.
The two Visions illuminated each other in mid-air, their cyan and ice-blue glows intertwining to form a massive vortex of energy.
Snowflakes mixed with razor-sharp icicles poured down from the vortex, and a terrifying blizzard instantly engulfed the area, centered on the two figures.
The battlefield temperature plummeted, freezing the still-wet blood on the ground into shimmering ice crystals. The air filled with the whoosh of icicles slicing through the air.
The moment the Vision detached from its body, the Poison Dragon Knight let out a distorted, ear-splitting shriek, its frozen half beginning to shatter.
Unable to hold onto Lydia any longer, the Poison Dragon Knight abruptly released her, flinging her aside like discarded trash!
Lydia crashed into the thick snowdrift, the impact forcing a muffled groan from her lips.
Through the blurry, swirling blizzard, a towering dark figure staggered toward the injured Poison Dragon Knight.
Another Poison Dragon Knight!
The Abyssal Black Miasma surrounding it had thinned in the blizzard's frigid temperatures. Each step it took made it wobble, yet it pressed urgently through the snow and wind to reach its companion.
There was no savage roar, no hostile movement. It simply shielded the injured Poison Dragon Knight with its massive frame, gently cradling it in its arms.
Huddled together in the heart of the blizzard, the pair resembled lone birds warming each other against the biting wind.
That clumsy yet tender gesture vividly conjured Lydia's dream: her father's towering figure and her mother's protective embrace beside a warm campfire.
The image of her parents in that dream eerily mirrored the scene before her—the two Poison Dragon Knights huddling together in the blizzard.
"No..." Lydia murmured to herself.
A headache surged through her like a tidal wave, distorting her vision. The dark figure of the Poison Dragon Knight and the images of her parents repeatedly overlapped in her mind, blurring the line between reality and hallucination.
Tears welled up uncontrollably, streaming down her cheeks and melting small pits in the snow.
Meanwhile, the two Poison Dragon Knights seemed to sense the Vision's call.
The wounded knight struggled to rise, Abyssal Black Miasma seeping from its chest wound. With unwavering determination, it reached out toward the Vision.
The other knight carefully supported its companion, shielding it from flying ice shards with its own body.
But the searing light radiating from the Vision formed an invisible barrier before them.
The moment the light touched their bodies, black flames erupted, hissing and crackling as they burned through the armor. Dark smoke billowed from their wounds.
As if impervious to pain, they continued to advance, step by step.
The towering Poison Dragon Knight shielded its injured companion behind it. The armor on its arm had already shattered, exposing its bone-white skeleton to the searing light.
The wounded Poison Dragon Knight reached out toward the Vision, desperately trying to grasp the familiar light.
Lydia watched the scene, her heart clenching so painfully she could barely breathe.
Amidst the blizzard, the Vision's light grew brighter, and the image before her eyes became increasingly clear.
The Poison Dragon Knight's dark figure gradually dissolved, replaced by two vibrant figures: a man dressed in adventurer's attire, a heavy pack strapped to his back; and a woman with a fresh Cecilia flower tucked behind her ear, her smile as gentle as the spring sunlight.
It was... her parents!