Have I mentioned how much I hate teleporting enemies?

'I hate teleporting enemies.'

So far, the mages have been taking turns hurling their spells at me. If I come close to destroying one of their shields, then they'll teleport away to recover, before going back once their shield is at full strength again. The lector would occasionally fire his electro sphere's towards me, but most of the time he focuses his attacks on Barbatos.

'Thankfully, Jean managed to block its attacks just fine.'

I considered helping the trio below, but from the several times I was able to glance at them, they seem to be doing well. Jean and Lumine seem to be focusing on protecting Barbatos, while Diluc is having a grand old time soloing an entire army. Then again, the three of them are powerhouses in their own right so worrying about them is counterproductive.

Seeing its attack blocked, the lector decided to focus on Dvalin instead. Thankfully, whatever it is that Barbatos did, Dvalin no longer responded to any attacks they threw at him, which means getting the dragon out of Barbatos' influence by agitating him is impossible.

'I could just kiss you right now, Barbatos.'

Dodging yet another fireball, I responded by creating a large vortex, sucking the nearby mages into it, while dodging any attacks coming my way. Despite managing to luckily catch the cryo and hydro mages together, the pyro one managed to unfreeze them with its fire, causing the two to escape.

'God fucking dammit. They can't keep getting away with this shit.'

Dodging the lector's attack, I decided to try something different, something a lot more daring. I don't really know if this would work, but at this point, I've ended up using most of my potions with little to show for, so there's not much else to lose.

Condensing the anemo energy surrounding the three mages, I tried to lock them in place despite their shields.

'Huh. That worked?'

Capitalizing on this opportunity, I dragged them towards each other before creating another vortex to swirl the elements together. The elemental reactions ended up shredding their shields in no time.

Not wasting any time, I launched three wind blades at them, each one finding their mark, killing the mages instantly.

'What the hell? Am I always this strong?'

So far, I've only ever fought against hilichurls, and despite the numerous fights I've had, there was never really a need to push myself, hence I never really found out what exactly is my limit. Even back then in the fight against the herald, except for nearly getting bisected, I wasn't that worried throughout the fight. After all, I had Lisa, one of the most powerful mages in Mondstadt, to rely on should things go south.

'Either I never fully tapped into this body's potential before this fight, or the exercises I've been doing contributed a lot more than I thought.'

Either way, it seems I could afford to be a lot more reckless.

'I wasted a lot of potions for nothing, dammit! All those Moras down the drain!'

The two remaining abyss mages, seeing their comrades slain in quick succession, teleported away, choosing to assist the dwindling hilichurl army below.

"Meddlesome insects." With irritation clear in its tone, the electro energy surrounding the lector started to crackle, gradually intensifying by the second. Before he could do anything else, I took control of the anemo energy around him, only to have my control over them whittled away by the overwhelming electro around the lector.

"I've seen through your petty tricks, human." Shaping the wild electro around it into several bolts of lightning, the lector let them loose towards me and the ones down below. "I'll make sure you and your companions are erased from existence."

"Look out!" Seeing the incoming attack, I shouted as loud as I could, hoping that the three below would be able to react.

'Too fast…!'

Unable to dodge in time, I crossed my arms, hastily creating a shield.

Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough.

Bang!

…

…

…

'...it …it doesn't hurt? At least, not as much as I thought it would?'

Checking the place where the lightning struck my body, there were no signs of any injury. Despite the intensity of the attack, aside from the knockback and a slight tingling feeling across my body, there was little to no pain.

'Right, vessel for the electro gnosis. I forgot.'

Looking down towards the group below, I noticed that the ground surrounding Jean, Lumine, and Diluc was covered with anemo, with its symbol apparent on the ground alongside what looked like dandelions floating around them.

Meanwhile, the small hilichurl army was practically decimated. Since most of them have some kind of char on their body, it's hard to tell whether they were the result of Diluc's flame or the lector's indiscriminate attack.

Even the abyss mages were no exception. The cryo mage was convulsing on the ground, while the electro mage, despite its element, was overwhelmed by the lector's attack, considering its shield was nowhere to be found.

"Not even sparing your fellow kin?"

"Hmph. Expendable, the lot of them. As far as I am concerned, the end justifies the means."

"I expect nothing less from a creature of the abyss."

The indifferent attitude it's showing is quite surprising, but probably not unexpected. Given the constant corruption of the abyss, maybe some are too far gone than the others.

Launching myself forward, I focused on the rapidly expanding electro around the lector. Noticing the subtle changes on its left side, I dodge to the right, narrowly avoiding a lightning bolt to the face.

Firing wind blades towards the lector, I was just about to reach it before he managed to teleport out of the way.

'God, I really hate teleporting enemies.'

The fight ended up becoming something of a chase. Every time I got close or fired an attack, it teleported away, and despite the lector's attempt to attack Barbatos, it couldn't afford to because of my constant pestering.

Eventually, too focused on evading my approach, the lector made the mistake of teleporting a bit too close to the ground.

"Flames! Burn them to ashes!"

With flames coating the entirety of his greatsword, Diluc swung forward in horizontal sweep. The moment he did so, the flames separated themselves from his greatsword, manifesting into a phoenix. Letting out a faint cry, it flew towards the Abyss Lector, burning the grass below along the way.

Seeing it caught off guard, I condensed as much of the anemo energy around the lector, locking it in place. Despite that, the intense electro surrounding it is actively weakening my control, rendering me unable to hold it for too long

Fortunately, that was enough.

Unable to teleport away, the lector took the full brunt of the attack. The tome in its hand burnt to a crisp, as was the robe it's wearing. Its armor-like carapace charred black by the intense heat.

"Ugh…."

Letting out a pained groan, the lector hangs loose in midair, unable to put up any more resistance.

Making sure the elements are still in my control, I lowered myself towards the ground before approaching the trio with the lector in tow.

"Acting Grand Master, what do you suppose we do with this one?"

Staring at the lector hanging next to me, Jean grips her sword harder, never once letting her guard down. "Personally, I would like to bring them into custody for further interrogation, but…." Looking at the devastation around her, she lets out a resigned sigh. "Killing it is probably for the best. If it somehow manages to escape, I could only imagine the destruction it'll bring to Mondstadt."

"Wise choice, Jean. Can you bring it down, traveler?"

"Sure thing."

Since its fate has been decided, I no longer held back on my hold on the lector. Condensing the anemo around his neck, torso, and legs, I tightened them as much as I could, to the point that I heard a cracking sound coming from its carapace, before laying it down on the ground.

'Just in case. A cornered rat would do anything to escape, after all.'

"Filthy… humans…." Despite being basically roasted alive and shackled to the ground, the lector still has some fight left in it. "Struggle… as much as you can. In the end… the Abyss… shall prevail…."

"We'll see. All yours, Diluc."

Nodding his head, Diluc raises his greatsword and, without hesitation, swings down at the Abyss Lector.

"You cannot stop the inev–"

Crack!

Putting as much strength as he could towards that swing, the Abyss Lector was now left without a head, dead as can be. Lifting his greatsword from the small crater on the ground, Diluc gives it one last swing before putting it away.

'Sigh. I hope that's the end of that.'

The four of us stared silently at the deceased creature. Suddenly, cracks started to form along the Abyss Lector's body, before it slowly started to crumble, eventually dissolving into motes of light, leaving not a trace of its existence in the waking world.

'Not even a body left to remember. The heavens can be quite cruel if it wants to be, huh.'

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"You okay?"

After making sure there were no more enemies left alive, the four of us regrouped near Barbatos who was still occupied with Dvalin. We decided to take a rest for a bit, but none of us let our guard down. Though we managed to stop the Abyss Order, there's still a chance that they would send more our way.

"I'm fine."

"You sure? I saw you get hit by that lightning back then."

Placing my hand on the right side of my chest, I rub the spot where the injury was supposed to be. "It does sting a bit, but other than that, it doesn't hurt that much."

'I suppose that's one perk of being a puppet designed entirely to house an electro gnosis. This 'resistance' towards electro should come in handy, particularly in Inazuma. Though I should probably not count on it to withstand Musou no Hitotachi.'

"That's good."

'Is there a chance that, since this body is created by a god, the 'resistance' would extend towards other elements? Better yet, wouldn't a godly creation like this be super durable? What if regular attacks won't even put a dent on me?

'Hell, I might not actually feel pain from them at all. It's easy to test too. I just have to stand around and let myself get hit.

'But what if it actually hurts? That lector's lightning was pretty much the first attack that hit me without a shield. What if the puppet is only really resistant towards electro and nothing else? What if it's surprisingly easy to destroy? I mean, logically it shouldn't be, but in the small chance that it does….

'Besides, I'm not a masochist. My mind is screaming at me to not take any chances, while my body is practically begging to be tested. What a conundrum.'

"Hey."

Feeling myself being shaken out of my thoughts, I cursed my lack of attentiveness. I should stop getting too absorbed in my own head. "Sorry, what was that?"

Lumine, who was currently standing in front of me with both her hands on my shoulder, gave me a worried look. "Are you really okay?"

Placing my hand on top of hers, I gave it a gentle squeeze in the hopes of reassuring her. "Don't worry, I was just lost in thought. Nothing to worry about."

Nodding her head, she returned my gesture with a squeeze of her own before letting go of her hands from my shoulders, before making her way next to me.

While waiting for Barbatos to finish his business, the two of us talked about the battle with the Abyss Order.

"I saw what you did with those abyss mages. I never thought you were that powerful." She said, as she pulled her sword closer towards herself, carefully inspecting its condition.

"Neither did I actually. It was a spur of the moment thing. Never thought it would actually work." Seeing the dull blade in her hand, I couldn't help but ask the question that's been burning in my mind. "What's with the sword, anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

"It looks kind of dull, I guess? Like it could get destroyed if I touch it wrong."

Letting out a hum, she had a faraway look on her face, as if reminiscing about something. "It wasn't like this before, you know? Before my powers were taken away, it was quite the piece of art."

Running her hands along the blade, she had a sad smile on her face. "What used to be a beautiful gold-white sword with a curved crossguard, reduced to something like this." She said, as she waves the sword around carelessly, as if to emphasize its current state.

"Surprisingly, if nothing else, it's just as durable as it used to be."

"...oh."

'Well that's one mystery solved, I guess.'

"Ah, travelers! Can you come here for a moment? I need your assistance."

Hearing Barbatos calling out towards us, the two of us looked at each other before moving towards the waving bard.

"What is it, Venti?"

"I need to borrow your power, traveler." He said, as he looked towards Lumine, before pointing at the protrusions on the back of its head. "See those purple spikes? Those are the source of Dvalin's corruption, blood clots from his fight against the Black Dragon. I need you to purify them like you did with Dvalin's tears."

"I see. Sure, I'll do it. Yuu."

Holding out both of her hands towards me, I sighed before getting closer and sweeping her off her feet, carrying her in her usual position. "Is this all I am to you, princess? A ride?"

"Fufu, of course not." Bringing her head closer to my neck, she took a deep breath before letting them out. "Should I prove it to you now?"

"Sigh. Time and place, princess. Time and place."

Levitating the both of us towards Dvalin's head, I fly towards the blood clot before gently lowering her in front of them.

"The stage is all yours."

"Thanks."

Placing one hand on the spike, she closed her eyes. Immediately, just like she did with the tears, the spike gradually lost its color, the impurities slowly being purified. After a while, it completely disappeared, leaving behind a small purple crystal.

Picking up the crystal into her hand, she stored it away in her inventory before I picked her up once more and flew towards Barbatos.

"It's done, Venti."

"Thank you, traveler." Nodding his head in gratitude, Barbatos turns towards Dvalin. "Now then, please take a step back, it's time to wake up an old friend of mine."

After the two of us moved closer towards the others, Barbatos let go of his hand from the dragon's mouth, dispelling the spell he was using. Immediately, Dvalin started to jerk in surprise, moving his head around trying to check its surroundings, before looking straight at Barbatos.

"Barbatos."

"Hello, old friend. It's nice to meet you. Properly, this time."

Cupping both of his hands, Venti gathered numerous anemo energy into a ball before pushing it towards Dvalin.

"Hmm… is this… the power of the Anemo Archon? After everything I've done, despite no longer being part of the Four Winds, why would you give this to me? Are you going to have me become Mondstadt's protector once more?"

"What?" Tilting his head to the side, Barbatos laughed at Dvalin's words. "Of course not, old friend. Do you think so little of me?"

"Hmm… well, given how frivolous you can be–"

"Ah ah ah! No bringing up the past!" Seeing the dragon stop talking, Barbatos cleared his throat before continuing. "Listen, Dvalin. Me not wanting you to listen to the Abyss Order is one thing, but that doesn't mean you have to listen to me either."

Spreading his arms, Barbatos lets out a brilliant smile. "After all, what does freedom really mean, when demanded to you by an archon?"

At his words, Dvalin was silent before flying away, only to return with his back on an even level with the edge of the cliff. "How about it, Barbatos? Care for a flight with an old friend?"

"Haha, you read my mind!" Turning towards the rest of us, Barbatos waved his hand excitedly. "Come on guys, it's not everyday you get to ride a dragon!"

Looking at the others, I saw the excitement in Lumine's face, while Jean and Diluc were understandably skeptical about the whole thing. But, after much persuasion from Barbatos, they finally relented before stepping into the dragon's back.

"Should we get Paimon?"

"Oh yeah. Come out Paimon, it's safe now."

Appearing out of thin air next to Lumine, Paimon looked around before focusing straight at Dvalin. "Whoa! Why is Dvalin so close?! Are we in danger?!"

"No, we're not, you dingus. Everything's fine and we're about to have a ride on a dragon's back. Figured you wouldn't want to miss out on this."

"Ooooh! Riding a dragon?!" Her fear instantly disappearing, she grabbed my and Lumine's hand excitedly, trying to drag us towards Dvalin with her meager strength. "Come on! Let's go, let's go!"

Laughing at Paimon's behavior. Lumine followed closely behind her, letting herself be dragged by the little fairy. "She's like a child, don't you think so Yuu?"

"Has she ever not acted like a child?"

"Fufu, that's true."

Stepping into Dvalin's back, I took a seat next to her. Looking around, I couldn't help but shiver when I remembered that this is, in fact, the back of a dragon. Which means aside from some scales to hold on to, there's nothing holding me back from being launched off of its back.

'This is reminding me why I don't like flying on a plane. Except this is even worse. Ugh, the fact that I used to watch a lot of air crash documentaries before going to school doesn't help either.'

"What's wrong?" Looking towards Lumine, I realized my mistake immediately. Seeing the smug smile on her face, I already knew what she's going to say. "Ara, are you shaking, Yuu? Perhaps, out of fear?"

"...no?"

"Really?" Pulling me closer to her, she locked my arm on hers, leaning her head closer towards my own. "Of course not. Surely, the one who flies all the time wouldn't be afraid of flying with a dragon, no?"

"...ok, hear me out."

"I am all ears."

Resisting the urge to wipe the smile off her face, I tried my best to calm myself down. "It's different, okay? When I'm flying, I was the one in control the entire time, so I felt safe. But this? How am I supposed to feel safe when there's no safety precautions?!"

"I'm sure Venti wouldn't let that happen."

"I know, but–"

"Is everybody ready? Good. Take us away, Dvalin!"

Without waiting for a reply, Barbatos gave Dvalin the go ahead. Feeling the dragon gradually moving faster, I tried to pry my hands away from Lumine's. "You know what? On second thought, I should just fly on my own–"

Unfortunately, before I could escape, the dragon went full throttle towards Mondstadt.

And no, unlike what Lumine claims, I did not, in fact, scream like a little girl.