"Later, I'll handle Stormterror; you take care of that Abyss Mage," Chen Luo said to Senti, whom he had just woken up.
As for how he woke her up...
Well, the fastest way to wake someone relaxing on a yacht is to summon a storm.
Of course, doing that comes with its drawbacks—like the fact that the Herrscher of Sentience was currently very, very angry.
"Hmph!" The Herrscher of Sentience crossed her arms and snorted coldly.
I'm mad. You'd better coax me.
She didn't say it out loud, but her expression might as well have spelled those words across her forehead.
"Alright, alright, don't be mad. I only did it for Venti's sake. How about this—tonight, I'll let you stay in my Sea of Consciousness, okay?"
Realizing that his plan was already set in motion and he couldn't delay things any longer, Chen Luo decided to make a major sacrifice.
"Deal." The Herrscher of Sentience's frown instantly melted into a smile.
"Honestly, why do you even like staying in there so much?" Chen Luo muttered under his breath.
"Anyway," he continued, "one more time—later, I'll handle trimming Stormterror's claws and removing the poison. You handle capturing that Abyss Mage, rewriting his consciousness, and turning him into one of our people."
Solving the Stormterror problem was actually fairly straightforward.
Stormterror's biggest issue was the poisonous thorn lodged in the back of its neck. Once that was removed, it would basically return to normal.
However, Chen Luo's commission required him to fully restore Stormterror, so he also had to cleanse the remaining poison. That meant pulling the creature into the War Domain.
Chen Luo promised he'd return a completely purified and healthy Stormterror to Venti—no half measures.
There was also another reason to drag Stormterror into the War Domain: the thing could fly.
While Chen Luo was busy handling Stormterror, he couldn't afford to let the Abyss Mage escape—that part was Senti's job.
It wasn't that the others lacked strength. The Darknight Hero of Mondstadt, the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, the Reconnaissance Captain Eula, and even the semi-retired Anemo Archon could all easily defeat the Abyss Mage.
But that was exactly the problem—they'd defeat it by killing it.
And if it died, who would help them find Lumine's brother?
Capturing it alive was the only option.
Technically, Chen Luo could have switched roles—Senti handling Stormterror while he dealt with the Abyss Mage—but this time, he wanted to challenge himself.
"I say," Venti interjected with a weary sigh, "why are you all assuming from the start that Dvalin won't listen to persuasion?"
"Dvalin is a good child," Venti insisted. "He's actually quite reasonable if you just talk to him."
"Ahem, sure. You, the bard—just start playing already. We're ready," Chen Luo said dismissively, waving his hand.
If Dvalin didn't listen and flew off, they'd have to chase it all the way to Stormterror's Lair for a second round.
Venti might have time for that—Chen Luo didn't.
It was just a commission, after all. The request didn't specify how to solve the problem. Trying persuasion first was already generous enough.
Chen Luo's time was far too precious; lately, he hadn't even had the chance to work on making new puppets.
Life was just too hard for Chen Luo.
"Fine," Venti finally relented with a sigh.
After all, when brave heroes set out to slay a dragon, they can't always rely on gentle persuasion.
Sometimes, using force is just... more efficient.
Although Venti didn't want to hurt Dvalin, sometimes, there's no other choice.
I'm doing this for your own good.jpg.
"Then let's begin."
Venti took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on the Holy Lyre in his hands.
"I hope this works in one go and awakens Dvalin's mind. Mondstadt has suffered enough." Jean, standing nearby, sighed softly.
She knew that suffering firsthand—during the days of Stormterror's rampage, her head had been spinning nonstop.
Official documents had flown in like snowflakes from all corners of the city.
It had gotten so bad that even Hilichurls had nearly reached the city gates.
"It's just that, in the end, the ones solving the crisis are all outsiders. Oh, and one bard. The Knights didn't really do much," Diluc said, his tone laced with its usual disdain.
To be fair, his prejudice wasn't entirely wrong—the Knights' performance during the Stormterror incident had been, frankly, abysmal.
"Ahem, I can't just ignore that comment," Eula said from the side, arms crossed.
"At least I was the one who brought A'Luo into the city."
But as soon as all eyes turned to her, she realized... she hadn't really contributed much either.
"Alright, alright, everyone step back. The best bard in the world is about to begin." Venti waved his hand theatrically, drawing everyone's attention.
The Holy Lyre shimmered with overflowing Anemo energy as Venti walked to the edge of the cliff and began to pluck its strings.
Standing behind everyone else, Chen Luo had to admit once again—Venti really was talented when it came to music.
As the melody flowed, countless gentle breezes carried his song far and wide. The dense Anemo energy even caused the sea winds to grow stronger.
Two minutes later, the air around Starsnatch Cliff turned wild and turbulent, laced with strange, resonant cries.
Holding his Anemo Vision, Chen Luo could clearly feel the anger and pain riding on the wind.
"Roar!"
The storm suddenly exploded into full force. A massive creature surged upward from beneath the cliff, the gales wrapping around its form so fiercely that Starsnatch Cliff itself trembled.
A majestic yet frenzied, awe-inspiring dragon shot into the sky, circling once before leveling itself with the cliff's edge.
The sheer force of the wind made everyone present raise their arms to shield themselves.
Only the Herrscher of Sentience looked unimpressed by the colossal creature before her.
That's it? Seriously, that's all?
Back in her day, she'd seen way bigger monsters than this.
This oversized lizard was nothing compared to the things she'd faced before.
Ever heard of Chiyou? The one who could swallow half of Shenzhou in a single bite?
Now that was a real behemoth.
Still, she had to admit—Stormterror was a lot larger than the version in the game.
It even reminded her of the difference between Chiyou and Benares.
Both were Judgment-class Honkai beasts, but Chiyou could probably squash a dozen Benares just by sitting on them.
"It's you… there's nothing left to say," Stormterror growled, its massive wings stirring up the wind as it glared at Venti.
"Is that so? Or have I misjudged you?" Venti's tone was calm, almost sorrowful.
"Your eyes… they look like they still remember this melody."
He spoke sincerely, holding the Holy Lyre in his hands as he looked up at the dragon.
"Hmph!" Stormterror didn't confirm it—but it didn't deny it either.
Jean, Lisa, and the others standing farther back were all shaken by the sight.
The bard… was actually talking to the dragon.
Some of them had already guessed who Venti truly was, but seeing it with their own eyes was still astonishing.
Then, without warning, a blast of Cryo energy shot out from behind Stormterror, slamming directly into the Holy Lyre.
The sacred instrument flew out of Venti's hands and crashed onto the ground.
Though it was a holy relic, it was still just a lyre—not some indestructible artifact—and the attack shattered it instantly.
As for why Chen Luo, who had already anticipated this, didn't stop it?
Well, he was a little busy—finishing his sky net.
He'd underestimated Stormterror's size earlier, and his net had turned out too small.
So, while Venti was busy trying to reason with the dragon, Chen Luo had been hard at work expanding it.
"Don't be deceived by him, poor dragon…"
A Cryo Abyss Mage floated out from behind Stormterror, its staff glowing faintly.
"He has long abandoned you. And now he dares to return, pretending to care. Look—those warriors rushing forward? He brought them here to slay you!"
The Abyss Mage gestured toward Jean, Lisa, and Diluc as they moved to shield Venti, his voice dripping with venom.
"Feel the hatred. Let the rage consume you. You and Mondstadt are already enemies—there is no turning back."
The Mage's words slithered into Stormterror's mind like poison, while the power of corruption pulsed through Dvalin's blood.
Chen Luo, watching this unfold, couldn't help but sneer.
This is what you call "erosion"? Pathetic.
Real erosion wasn't this clumsy.
Under the dual assault of words and magic, Stormterror roared furiously.
"Barbatos! Did you bring these humans to hunt me down?!"
The dragon's voice thundered, the force of its gale making it hard for anyone to even keep their eyes open.
"That's not true!" Venti tried to explain, but Stormterror, already enthralled by the corruption, refused to listen.
If it were in its right mind, it wouldn't have trusted either side—but now, reason was gone.
"This dragon will serve its true master! You can rage in vain, false god!"
The Abyss Mage cackled wildly.
"Why are you yelling so loud, huh?! You almost spat on me!"
The Herrscher of Sentience, blasted by the wind, marched right up with a scowl.
"And you! The reincarnation of a housefly—buzzing around, rubbing your legs together all day! Gross!"
She flipped the Abyss Mage off.
"Fu Hua…" Venti muttered nervously, watching the furious girl advance. "Maybe don't provoke—"
"Now!"
Chen Luo's pupils flashed as he gave the command.
Instantly, countless black-and-red threads materialized across the sky.
They didn't just stretch above the cliff—the entire airspace for dozens of meters around was filled with them, forming a colossal net that enveloped Stormterror, the Abyss Mage, Venti, Jean, Diluc, and even poor little Paimon.
"Gotcha!" Chen Luo shouted.
The massive net of glowing threads snapped tight in an instant.
The lines slipped harmlessly past Venti and the others—and even the Abyss Mage—but the moment they touched Stormterror, they became solid, unyielding cables that wrapped around the dragon like steel chains.
All of the threads converged toward Chen Luo's hands.
The scene looked less like a battle and more like a fisherman hauling in a very, very large catch.
"Holy crap—this thing's heavy!" Chen Luo grunted, pulling hard on the threads.
Since he'd been standing behind the others from the start, he wasn't right at the cliff's edge—meaning at least he wouldn't fall off if things went south.
"ROAR!"
Feeling itself restrained, Dvalin thrashed wildly. Its wings beat with hurricane force, yanking backward—and pulling Chen Luo forward with it.
"A dragon's strength really is no joke…" Chen Luo hissed through clenched teeth, bracing his feet.
"Get over here!"
He stomped down, leaving two deep trenches where his feet dragged across the stone. A faint green glow flickered in his eyes.
Then, something even stranger appeared—a massive, shadowy serpent of dark jade light coiled behind him.
Active Honkai Reaction · Modified!
A surge of impossible power coursed through the black-red net, yanking Stormterror several meters toward him and scraping its belly across the cliffside in a most undignified fashion.
From Dvalin's perspective, this little human might as well have been an ant trying to arm-wrestle a dragon—so when that unnatural force hit, the dragon was completely caught off guard.
With a thunderous crash, Stormterror slammed into Starsnatch Cliff.
The others, already stunned by the sight of a man literally wrestling a dragon, had wisely retreated earlier thanks to the Herrscher of Sentience's warning—avoiding becoming collateral damage.
"ROAR!"
Rage exploded in Dvalin's chest. It reared its head, glaring down at Chen Luo.
No more underestimation.
Its claws dug into the ground as it spread its massive wings.
The dragon's raw power was terrifying. Even with Chen Luo's feet buried a full ten centimeters into the earth, he was still being shoved backward, leaving twin furrows in the rock.
Realizing that trying to outmuscle a dragon was, in fact, incredibly stupid, Chen Luo promptly let go of the net.
The sudden release made Stormterror, which had been straining against him, stumble backward awkwardly.
Not that Chen Luo cared—he'd already confirmed what he wanted to test.
There was no point continuing a contest of brute force.
"Venti! I'm taking Stormterror with me. See you later—I'll bring back a cured Dvalin!"
He waved casually, glanced once at the struggling dragon—
—and vanished.
Both he and Stormterror disappeared without a trace.
"…Be gentle," Venti muttered under his breath.
"Ha… haha… well, uh, if there's nothing else, I'll just… go now."
The Abyss Mage gave two nervous laughs and turned to fly away.
He could fly; they couldn't stop him. Easy escape.
"Where do you think you're going, brat?"
Before he could even process the voice, a sandbag-sized fist crashed squarely into his face.
The Herrscher of Sentience had appeared behind him at some unknown point—grinning ear to ear.
The Abyss Mage could fly.
But so could she.