144 The Battle of Mondstadt

"It's finally time," Allen stood on the floor reserved for Columbina in the Goth Hotel. She took off her tie and let her long hair down, watching it change color from pale blue to black as it fell.

"Now, which weapon shall I use?" Allen walked into her armory room and scanned the display of swords and other weapons. Today, she was neither Columbina nor Allen. Today, she was the enemy of Mondstadt.

She examined each sword carefully, but even the five-star weapons didn't seem better than the Flute for her. Suddenly, she stopped and smiled brightly, "That's it. I'll use you."

Returning to the changing room, Allen donned a black bodysuit that wouldn't impede her movements during combat. "Are you ready, Endora?" she asked, glancing over at Endora in her Lochfolk form, resembling a water angel.

"Yes, sister," Endora nodded quickly.

"Everything is prepared." Allen took a mask made of ice and covered her face, revealing only her eyes that seemed paler than ever. "Let's begin!" She donned a cloak and headed out.

...

*Cla* *Cla* As Allen stepped into the plaza, her footsteps echoed through the empty streets. The sky was pitch black, and ominous clouds threatened a storm, keeping most people indoors.

*Pa* *Pa*As she reached the plaza of Barbatos, the first raindrops began to fall. "It's time to begin," Allen muttered.

"Grand Orchestre: Lyre!" She raised her arms, summoning a blue lyre. The Grand Orchestre had never followed her will before, but it seemed to think that the situation was worth of its presence. And without any doubt there was no better weapon for the actual Columbina.

"Go, Endora♪" Allen played the lyre, and the sound reverberated throughout Mondstadt.

The water from Cinder Lake trembled, and waves started to form. Twisting and spinning, the water created whirlpools that surrounded Mondstadt completely.

Water pillars surged from the lake, and Lochfolks emerged from them, led by Endora. Though she was the smallest, there was no doubt that she was the strongest, her presence being special within them.

Endora had been preparing for this moment for a long time, slowly taking control of the Cinder Lake and making it her own, not much different as Bishui Plain was Rhodeia's territory.

Many believed that Klee's destruction of the route towards Dornman Port was a mistake, she using more strength than necessary, but the truth was that Allen had planned the position and power of the explosions carefully, achieving her desired result.

Lochfolks could not travel across the ocean, making that route over the Port useless for them and a possible dangerous point from where support could come. Moreover, the new route over the Cinder Lake was opened towards Snezhnaya's mountains. This allowed the Lochfolks living there to join the attack, all of them following Endora's orders, believing her to be their leader.

Without a doubt, Mondstadt had become Endora's territory, and she was at her strongest here.

"Attack!" Endora declared, summoning along the others Lochfolks countless mimics that crashed towards the walls of Mondstadt.

"Oceanids?!" "It's an attack!" "Sound the alarm!" The guards quickly reacted, sounding the alarm and warning all of Mondstadt of the impending attack.

The Knights of Favonius surged to protect the city, but quickly found themselves overcome by the situation. The sheer number of mimics was too much and seemed to have no end with the Lochfolk having taken control of the lake and the rain, making their energy almost inexhaustible.

The Knights found themselves in a perilous situation, forced to use all their forces to barely be able to defend, using the bare minimum to evacuate the people of Mondstadt, sending them over the church for their protection while defending the gates.

"Endora did a good job keeping the knights busy. Now, it's my time." Allen jumped, reaching the hands of Barbatos's statue and started playing her lyre.

"♪Should you be trapped in a Windless Land♪" Allen immersed in her own music, feeling that time over the false memory, perfectly playing and singing like that time, her music extending all over Mondstadt.

"♪Oh poor little bird, unable to see the blue sky...♪" Suddenly, Allen stopped and turned around over the head of the statue where a bard appeared looking at her.

"Who are you? How do you know that song?" The bard glared at Allen.

"Who might I be?" Allen said playfully "Merely a nameless bard caged in this city, with a little wish of freedom and wanting to see the birds fly over the blue sky."

"You!" The young bard made a serious face that did not go well with his young appearance.

"Let's stop the play, Barbatos" Allen revealed "Or do you prefer to go as Venti? In the end, that's the body's name that you took as yourself."

Venti's eyes went wide at Allen's revelation, knowing his secret "Really, who are you?!"

"That's not important now, the important is my reason to be here. And that would be to take out your Gnosis" Allen's eyes became fierce and she played her lyre.

"♪" The sound rumbled, the rain reacting to it, becoming sharp blades that fell over Venti. However, Venti summoned wind around him, creating a shield protecting him from the rain. But even that was expected by Allen, this being only the first part of the attack as water started accumulating in front of her.

"Take this♪" Allen shot an immense geyser of Hydro towards Venti.

Venti quickly reacted, jumping down the statue, avoiding the attack and landing in a near ceiling "That's the only thing that you have? You won't be able to catch me like this."

"Yes, I am well aware of how good are you at running away." Allen nodded "However, are you really sure that you have the time for it?" Allen playfully asked "Will Mondstadt be able to last unlike you?♪"

*BANG!* A explosion was heard over the gates of Mondstadt, followed by some cries of people, the knights being pushed by the infinite swarms of mimics that had already reached the gates and were slowly destroying the door, not needing much time to actually destroy it and invade Mondstadt.

"Give me the Gnosis and I will leave Mondstadt alone. There's no need for any damage" Allen offered her hand to Venti.

"Why do you want the Gnosis? What would you do with it?" Venti glared at her.

"That's for me to know. It's none of your business" Allen declared.

"I see..." Venti's glare became fiercer "You don't know anything about them and the danger of it. You are moved by other people's ambitions. A Fatui, no?" Venti discovered.

"I might be" Allen nodded "But that doesn't change anything. Give me the Gnosis or run away and see your precious Mondstadt be destroyed. Make your decision."

"I understand" Venti put his hands over his heart. After a little light, over his hands, stood an aqua-green queen chess piece "You are looking down at Archons!" Venti clenched the Gnosis that started to shine brighter.

A pillar of light surged piercing through the storm clouds, swallowing Venti while illuminating the full sky with his constellation, Carmen Dei.

Allen was shocked by the immense strength liberated by him, making it impossible to even approach him until the light was gone, Venti now wearing those white and blue robes of his time as a spirit, plus two big white wings over his back.

Venti presented himself as a true god all over Mondstadt, his mere presence, causing the clouds to go away. Both his power and temperament became completely different with nothing that resembled his bard style, only a powerful divinity and strength could be felt from him.

'So this is a True Archon. It's stronger than what I expected' Allen was shocked by the power of the considered weakest Archon, not really expecting it to be so much. However, she didn't doubt as she stepped forward.

"Cello!" Allen's lyre changed form, becoming the bow of a cello, Allen wielding it as a sword.

Venti, now in his true Archon form, looked down at Allen with a stern expression. "You have no idea what you're getting into," he warned to Allen.

"I might not. But I'll do anything to achieve my mission"

"Your mission? Is your mission worth risking the lives of innocent people?" Venti asked.

"It is for me" Allen answered lifting her cello. She charged toward Venti, her cello bow glowing with hydro energy. She swung it at Venti with all her might leaving a tray of water with it, but Venti effortlessly dodged the attack and retaliated with a powerful gust of wind.

Allen quickly blocked the gust with her cello, but nevertheless, she was sent flying back, crashing into a nearby building. She quickly got back up, her eyes narrowed in determination. "That's all you've got, Barbatos?" she taunted, her voice filled with confidence.

"♪" Allen swung her bow, a beautiful melody sounding from it

"You are too confident in yourself" Venti raised his hand and summoned wind around him countering the vibrations of the sound. At the same time, Venti summoned a powerful gust of wind that sent Allen flying into the air again.

She managed to regain her balance midair, landing over the wall of a building, kicking it and charging again, quickly swinging her sword at Venti, but he easily dodged the attack and sent another gust of wind at her.

"It won't work!" Allen was thrown off balance once again, but this time she managed to use the water around her, twisting her body to stabilize herself in midair. She then swung her sword at Venti with a flurry of attacks, each one imbued with hydro energy.

But Venti's movements were too quick for her to keep up with. He dodged each attack with ease, his movements graceful and effortless as he barely avoided every strike while using wind to stop the water from approaching. He then countered with a powerful blast of wind that sent Allen crashing to the ground.

'He is holding back. Fuck!' Allen realized. He wasn't using his full power, yet he was still overpowering her. She gritted her teeth, determination burning in her eyes. She couldn't afford to lose, not after everything that she had done to reach this time.

"I'll win!" *BANG!* Allen charged at Venti once again, this time using the water around her to propel herself towards him. Venti was caught off guard by the sudden burst of speed and was momentarily stunned. Allen took advantage of his lapse in concentration and swung her sword at him with all her might.

Venti barely managed to dodge the attack, but he was caught off balance. "♪" Allen used this opportunity to unleash a flurry of attacks, creating wave after wave of Hydro, each one stronger than the last. Venti struggled to keep up with her, his movements becoming more frantic as the fight intensified.

But even with all her might, Allen found her strength wasn't enough, being unable to deal that final attack and break up his defense.

Venti summoned a bow in his hands, blocking Allen's cello with it "STOP!" Venti unleashed a powerful gust of wind that sent Allen flying across the city, crashing into several buildings before coming to a stop.

'I'm really too weak yet' As Allen got back up, panting heavily, she realized that she couldn't win this fight. Venti was too powerful, too skilled, being able to counter her, reading her movements and attack patterns and having a far superior Elemental Mastery. She had given it her all, but it wasn't enough.

"Haha" Allen laughed as she cleaned the blood from her wounds.

"What are you laughing at?" Venti glared at her "You can't win against me"

"I never had any need to truly be stronger than you" Allen smiled "It's about time"

*BANG* "The gates had broken!" "Every knight charge!" "Protect the city!" Over the gates, the mimics were finally able to overpower the defenses, breaking the gates and finally being able to invade Mondstadt, forcing the knights to directly face against them.

"That's why I attacked Mondstadt. This was never a fight between us, Barbatos" Allen grinned "Now, I'll let you choose again, Barbatos. Mondstadt or the Gnosis."

"You are truly rotten" Venti furiously glared at Allen "As I said before, you are looking down at me!" Venti lifted his bow, drawing a powerful arrow with it, concentrating wind and his divinity over it.

'Shit!' Allen quickly crossed her bow, using all her strength and summoning a shield of water around her to stop the attack. She could feel it, that attack wasn't something that she would be able to face, it was a completely different level able to easily break her defense and kill her.

"GRAND ODE!" Venti shot the powerful arrow, but against Allen's thought, he did not target her. Instead, the arrow flew over her, directing over Mondstadt gates, exploding over the bridge, destroying multiple mimics and creating a Stormeye that started pulling every mimic towards it, destroying them while ignoring the knight.

"Y-you!" Allen fell to her knees and started trembling. She could accept being weaker as she knew that there were many people stronger out there and that she needed time to chase after them

"HOW YOU DARE..." Allen shouted furiously. What she couldn't accept was being ignored like that, Venti acting to help the knight while completely disregarding her. That hit over her Pride, and she won't accept it. "...LOOKING DOWN AT ME!?"

Allen's eyes turner paler, the purple of it completely disappearing as became pure gray as they shined with fury.

"You have wanted it, Barbatos! Koto!" The cello bow transformed becoming Koto as Allen started playing it.

"♪" Allen's chaotic music reverberated through all of Mondstadt, affecting even the sky that started to cloud again. However, the ones with the most reaction were the Lochfolk and their mimics, they started vibrating with the melody, their colors changing to red resembling blood and with it, their strength increased, reaching a new level and even being able to leave Venti's arrow's influence, being able to charge again to the gates.

"This...?" Venti froze at the image, completely shocked about it before turning over Allen "You are not a simple Harbinger using a Delusion, you are..."

*BOOOM!* Some mimics started exploding, creating powerful waves of Hydro and for the first time injuring the knights that were pushed away, breaking their defenses for more mimics to charge against them.

"That's the price of your futile resistance, Barbatos!" Allen spatted without stopping her play "Now, give me the Gnosis!"

Venti clenched his teeth in fury, but he was able to realize the situation. He was able to defeat Allen, but that would take some time and in the end, she was not the one who controlled the Lochfolks, needing to take care of them after her. During that time, the damage towards the city will be disastrous, with knights dying in it.

"You win" Venti said in a low voice, landing next to Allen as he broke his transformation, returning to his bards' clothes with the Gnosis in his hands, offering it to Allen "Take it, but promise me to not damage anymore Mondstadt."

Allen stopped her play and walked over Venti, taking the Gnosis from his hands "It's too late to request anything" Allen whispered to him as she hit the back of his neck, causing him to fall.

"If you do something. I'll never forget you, Vepar!" Venti threatened with his last strength as he fell unconscious on the ground.

"You must pay for looking down at me, Barbatos" Allen grinned looking at Venti lying on the ground "And what would be better than make your dear Mondstadt suffer? Hihi" Allen giggled as she looked over the gates, the knights' defense crumbling.

"My work here has ended" Allen made one look over the Gnosis, keeping it inside her robes before turning away, preparing to leave the place.

"Where are you going so calmly?" Suddenly, something wrapped around Allen's ankle, stopping her steps.

Allen looked over it, seeing a chain made of black flames wrapping her right ankle. She turned around seeing a masked man in black clothes "It seems that we have another ant."