Kael stood atop Mondstadt's outer wall, quietly streaming the battle into the group chat so the others could respond as fast as possible.
Keqing:"I didn't expect Stormterror to be this powerful. Even if Barbatos himself has appeared, he can only hold it off for so long."
Ningguang:"Stormterror is tied to the Anemo Archon. Barbatos is unlikely to go all out against him. What surprises me more is Captain Jean — she's developed far beyond what we expected. Keqing, we need to train harder."
Ganyu:"Jean's strength is comparable to some adepti. Yuheng, Tianquan — don't underestimate her. I wouldn't be confident in a one-on-one fight with her."
Keqing:"You're serious? Ganyu might be stronger than Jean?"
Keqing bristled. The idea that Jean might have overtaken her rankled — especially since Keqing had joined the chat earlier and had more practice with Liyue's problems. Still, Liyue had fewer monsters right now and thus fewer battlefield opportunities. The thought that Jean had grown so quickly stung.
Ganyu:"I've never liked fighting for its own sake. But if needed, I can be formidable."
Kael:"I don't believe that. Ganyu — didn't you defeat a powerful beast when you were young?"
Ganyu:"!!! How do you know that!?"
Ganyu froze. Who had told Kael? Had Madame Ping mentioned it? The question sent a ripple through the chat. Keqing smugly smiled—gossip traveled fast.
Kael:"Ganyu is powerful; she just doesn't flaunt it. Still, Jean and Ganyu are close in strength. I'd say Ganyu holds a slight edge — 60 to 40."
Keqing:"Jean really is remarkable… she's become someone to admire."
Ningguang:"Kael, are you going to intervene? If this keeps up, Mondstadt could be in serious danger."
Kael:"Not yet. The real heavy hitter hasn't shown up. Besides, Mondstadt needs to pull itself together. This is a wake-up call. Knights who drink the night away aren't fit for duty — this battle will sort the brave from the complacent. There will be losses, but Mondstadt must grow."
Zhongli:"Indeed. A Knight of Favonius drinking on duty is a disgrace. Mondstadt must awaken — much like when Vanessa reshaped its course."
Venti:"Haha… the wise old man speaks truth. A new wind must blow. Pain is painful, yes, but sometimes necessary."
Ningguang:"I didn't expect the Fatui to be this involved. There are over a hundred of them in Mondstadt — that's comparable to the Knights' current manpower."
Keqing:"Most of the Knights' forces are still on expedition. Jean hasn't finished rebuilding the order. Ironically, Kael's sealing of Rosalyne at the gate forced the Fatui to act in the city — and that has helped buy us time."
Kael:"Let us welcome Mondstadt's most enthusiastic guest—La Signora—as she now helps defend the city."
Ningguang:"You're saying this wasn't planned?"
Kael:"Completely spontaneous. She came to me on her own. I sealed her on impulse. Imagine her fury when Barbatos appears and she finds the Fatui suddenly stuck fighting for Mondstadt instead of attacking it. I wouldn't want to be in her place."
Kael watched the battle unfold across the courtyard and the approaches. Below, Jean moved like a storm incarnate. With Barbatos buying time in the sky, she cut through waves of monsters with a precision and urgency that left her peers speechless.
Kaeya watched her with something like stunned envy. He had long thought himself only a hair's breadth behind Jean — nearly Diluc's equal in ability. Now, watching her, bitter knowledge settled in his chest: Jean had outpaced him in ways he hadn't expected.
Lumine (the Traveler) watched from the fray, and there was no triumph in his eyes. The hordes were many, yes, but if Barbatos chose to commit fully, numbers would not matter. The presence of gods in a battle changed its scale drastically. Mondstadt was holding — but barely.
Aether clenched his jaw on the outskirts, eyes narrowed. Nearby, an Abyss Mage's gaze flicked to Lumine — and for a heartbeat a chill ran up the Traveler's spine. He had no business in a fight of this magnitude without his full power, and yet there she was, attempting to reach Stormterror's back to strike at the corruption on the dragon's spine.
"Yuanxia and the others were ambushed," the Abyss Mage reported quietly. "It looks like Mondstadt anticipated the lawrences' betrayal — they set a trap."
"They had to," Aether muttered. "The Lawrences are reckless." His face hardened. "But Mondstadt isn't the real target. Barbatos is. We must push him to expend more divine power."
He turned to the Abyss Mage. "Summon tougher monsters."
The Abyss Mage hesitated. Opening a space rift requires a lot of leyline energy — energy that could attract Celestia's attention. That was dangerous.
"If we open the wrong kind of rift, Celestia will notice," the mage warned. "That endangers Her Highness — and the plan fails."
Aether's expression went cold. He didn't want a confrontation with Celestia yet. Too much was unstable between the planes.
"Then summon monsters that can challenge the Archons but won't wake Celestia," he ordered. "Big, focused threats — powerful, but not world-rupturing."
"Understood."
Moments later, a massive explosion shattered a cluster of Abyss forces as a trap detonated. Kael's heart tightened. The city was prepared. Jean's defenses had been placed cleverly, anticipating ambushes.
Keqing:"Incredible… this is Mondstadt's heavy ordinance?"
Jean (quickly):"Klee inherited her talent for explosives from her mother Alice. If unguided, she could cause disaster. But these bombs were specially made for this battle. Klee's designs were refined with Albedo's alchemical enhancements so they detonate only under precise conditions — essentially coded to avoid collateral damage. They even mimic Albedo's signature, so suspicion falls on the element of alchemy rather than on Klee herself."
Kael (dryly):"Nice. Throw Albedo under the bus. He'll be in Liyue soon anyway."
Ningguang:"Are these bombs available for purchase?"
Jean:"They don't store well — they're not like Alice's originals."
Keqing:"How about a lease? Liyue has roadworks and mountains to be cleared. Klee could legally blast a lot of problems away. Mondstadt will need resources after the battle."
Jean:"We'll talk after the battle. I don't like the idea of turning Klee's passion into warfare, but she'd be thrilled to help with reconstruction — under strict supervision."
Venti:"Save trade talks for later! I can feel energy siphoning now — they're opening a portal!"
The warning spread like lightning through the group. Kael's eyes narrowed as he tracked the novel leyline spike on his map. The Abyss had found a spot to tear into reality. The city's defenders moved to cut it off — squads guided by Jean's calls and Kael's streamed coordinates converged on likely rift sites.
Kael already had teams assigned: small, mobile squads led by adept fighters who could reach rift generators and destroy them before the Abyss could pour out more reinforcements. He keyed a message to Jean.
Kael (over comm):"Prioritize sealing nodes and defending rift-clearing teams. I'll direct reinforcements to the Eastern Gate."
Jean acknowledged with a curt nod and redirected her units. Diluc and Eula fought like grim tides on the estate's periphery, cutting down traitors and Heralds. Venti — Barbatos — threaded mobility through his windcraft, making the battlefield a constantly shifting set of currents to buy the defenders space.
The battle sharpened into focus: fight the rifts, hold the gates, push the portals closed. Chaos had a pattern — a center that could be choked off if the right hands moved fast enough.
All the while, Kael's stream kept the group abreast of the key moments. He didn't intervene personally yet; his role — for now — was coordination. The city needed to learn to defend itself, he thought. But he was ready to step in the moment the balance tipped too far.
The clouds over Mondstadt swirled with wind and smoke; the city's light fought to stay unbroken. Citizens sheltered under overhangs and in cellars while heroes — Knights, Vision wielders, and grim strangers with private motives — labored and bled at every breach.
This was no single victory or loss. It was a crucible. And from within it, Mondstadt would either melt into ruin or be reforged.
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