"The priority now should be this guy."
Gu Sanqiu turned his gaze to the Abyss Lector, who was being pushed into a corner by Diluc. The Lector's momentary distraction had sealed his fate, and the battle had become one-sided.
Gu Sanqiu's only thought was to urge Diluc to finish the job—preferably in the most brutal, drawn-out way possible.
A distant rumbling echoed from outside the cave, accompanied by strange howls. The creatures that had survived the avalanche were clearly attacking the snow barrier.
"Well then, everyone. Now that we're all in position, let's hold our ground for a bit longer."
Each fighter had already taken their places, prepared to engage in battle according to their skills. Eula and Kaeya, both close-combat specialists, stood near the fray, their intentions to steal the finishing blow from Diluc blatantly obvious.
"I never thought you'd work together!"
The Lector's artifact flared with brilliance, conjuring fiery chains that lashed toward Diluc while his body ignited with dark crimson flames.
"Let the holy fire cleanse you wretched creatures of the surface!"
"Feel the scorching truth!"
Gu Sanqiu clutched his chest instinctively.
Albedo glanced at him. "Are you overexerted?"
"No," Gu Sanqiu replied. "It's just... unsettling, that's all."
The fiery chains writhed like serpents. While some coiled toward Diluc, others lashed out at Gu Sanqiu and Albedo.
"Oh?" Gu Sanqiu's expression darkened as he drew his spear. "If you're so eager to fight us, why don't I join in? Diluc, mind if I take this one?"
"That's a problem," Diluc replied flatly.
Gripping his greatsword tightly, the blade now shrouded in an ominous black aura, Diluc's condensed Pyro energy caused his weapon to swell in size.
Whoosh!
Diluc moved in irregular steps, like a graceful dancer, slashing through the chains one by one.
Despite the chaotic density of the chains, Diluc carefully deflected them, creating just enough space to continue his assault. His movements, while seemingly erratic to an untrained eye, demonstrated a warrior's impeccable adaptability in battle.
"You're distracted," Diluc said coldly, his eyes blazing with crimson fire. From within the flames, a gem-like cyan light radiated.
"Here and now, I deliver your sentence!"
Breaking through the chains, Diluc closed the distance in an instant. Fire and wind surged from his body, merging into his blade as he unleashed a devastating strike.
A fiery phoenix and a cyan bird erupted from his sword, their piercing cries reverberating through the cave. The Lector was sent flying, crashing into the wall where he lay immobilized.
"Figures," Gu Sanqiu remarked, observing the peculiar cyan wind accompanying Diluc's attack. "Is that strange wind element something every Mondstadt native can use?"
With his Delusion absorbing the residual energy from the chains, Gu Sanqiu turned his attention to the Lector, who was on the brink of collapse.
Why isn't this guy transforming? he thought. Shouldn't there be some kind of dramatic last stand by now?
Diluc exhaled deeply and drove his greatsword into the ground. The Lector's defeat had been swift—thanks in no small part to his own carelessness. Diluc himself felt a twinge of embarrassment. Had the Lector been more focused, the fight might have dragged on.
While Diluc stepped back to catch his breath, Kaeya and Gu Sanqiu approached the fallen enemy.
Kaeya's motives remained unclear, but judging by Gu Sanqiu's smirk, his sole intention was to add insult to injury before finishing the job.
"Hey, don't you think you should show a little professionalism? Even if you're half-dead, as a proper villain, you're supposed to say a few grandiose lines, right?"
Gu Sanqiu poked the Lector with his spear. "And what's with that comment about us 'working together'? Care to explain?"
The Lector chuckled hoarsely. "To think… to think it would be this way. How amusing."
"Creatures of the surface… mere subjects of a false ruler… with such power?"
Boom!
Flames erupted as the Lector's already dark attire burned away, leaving his body encased in fiery crystalline formations. His artifact transformed into a dark red orb of flames.
"Feel the ultimate grace!"
He thrust his hands forward, unleashing a blazing pillar of heat toward the snow barrier at the cave's entrance.
Gu Sanqiu and Kaeya didn't hesitate. Their combined attacks—a solid strike of frost and a piercing lance—hit the Lector square in the chest.
Boom!
Dark crimson flames surged toward them, but Gu Sanqiu's Delusion flared brightly, absorbing the Abyssal flames completely.
"Hahaha! You truly can wield the sacred flames! Incredible!"
Despite his injuries, the Lector laughed hysterically.
"The power of the Abyss, the grace of truth—this power is beyond your grasp, false beings! Today, you will be buried here!"
Boom!
The snow barrier shattered, letting in a cacophony of monstrous roars and the guttural chatter of abyssal creatures. It was as if a bomb of chaotic noise had gone off.
"Hahaha! Your decapitation strategy was clever, but futile!"
The Lector grinned wildly. "Because of your delay, I've had time to unleash my final power. Had you attacked together at the start, I wouldn't have had this chance!"
"They're coming," Albedo said calmly.
"Everyone, prepare for battle."
"The tide is here!"
An Abyss Herald wielding dual blades burst through the opening, charging toward the group. Eula's lips curled into a smirk as she met the foe head-on with her claymore.
"Eula Lawrence, Reconnaissance Captain of the Knights of Favonius, joins the battle!"
Her movements were fluid and precise, each swing of her sword as graceful as a dance.
"To defile my favorite place like this—I won't just hold a grudge. No, this vengeance will be immediate!"
"Ice-Tide Vortex!"
From above, Amber loosed a flaming arrow, triggering a powerful explosion.
"All firepower, go!"
Klee giggled, tossing bombs into the advancing horde. The earlier explosions had been a trap she and Amber had set, designed to disrupt the initial charge.
"Klee, Spark Knight of the Knights of Favonius, ready to blow things up!"
Albedo observed the fiery Lector, now protected by waves of abyssal creatures.
"You thought we wouldn't anticipate you breaking through the snow barrier?" Albedo's voice was steady.
"This was merely step two of our plan."
The golden barrier flared to life once more as Albedo summoned his weapon.
"Our analysis was correct. The monsters you've summoned are insufficient to overwhelm Mondstadt. You can't afford to abandon the source of your power."
This was their second phase:
Phase One: A defensive strategy to stop the enemy from reclaiming their power source.
Phase Two: Using themselves as bait to draw the enemy's attention and buy time for their allies outside the mountain to thin the monster numbers.
For their comrades. For the citizens of Mondstadt.
This is the will of the winds!