As a creature created from elemental crystals, Azhdaha could change his attack methods by absorbing elements.
He himself was a Geo Element creature. Besides the Geo Element, he could also absorb Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, and Electro. Whenever he changed elements, he would gain corresponding elemental DMG reduction. If other elemental attacks were not used against him, the DMG would be greatly reduced.
But the power Durandal wielded did not belong to any single element. No matter how Azhdaha changed his own element, the DMG Durandal inflicted on him would not be affected.
No, Durandal wasn't even using her full strength. She had been holding back, as if... as if she was worried that if she used too much force, she might accidentally kill him, so she kept her strength within a moderate range.
Realizing this, Azhdaha was practically fuming. He was Azhdaha! Even the Geo Archon wouldn't dare to show any contempt when fighting him, yet this fellow dared to hold back in battle!
In extreme anger, Azhdaha simultaneously absorbed both Hydro and Pyro elements, attempting to deal high DMG to Durandal through Vaporize DMG.
This was a struggle for the Abyss Mages who had not yet been defeated. The only reason they had lasted until now was that their shields were Pyro-aligned, making Klee's attacks ineffective against them, and Qiqi and Shenhe's attacks couldn't quickly break their shields.
But after Azhdaha absorbed Hydro Element power, giant Hydro Element orbs appeared on the surrounding field. They could effectively break the shields on these Abyss Mages, helping Klee and the others deal with the Abyss Mages.
The situation was now reversed, but the Abyss Mages were not without a countermeasure. Waving the branch in her hand, accompanied by a thick cloud of smoke, an enormous Armored Rock Hilichurl King appeared before them.
Taking advantage of the Armored Rock Hilichurl King distracting Shenhe, Qiqi, and Klee, the Abyss Mage quickly reformed her shield, making the shield they had just broken reappear.
This was a bit troublesome. It was unclear how many Hilichurls the Abyss Mage could summon using the same method. If it continued to summon them, their side would fall into a disadvantage.
Shenhe frowned slightly, looking at Durandal, who was fighting Azhdaha, then at the somewhat hesitant Qiqi and Klee. She made a fist with her right hand, and a talisman condensed in her palm.
At this moment, an extremely fast figure suddenly darted out from Klee, bypassing the Armored Rock Hilichurl King and appearing before the Abyss Mage who had hidden behind it. It opened its mouth, and the elemental shield on the Abyss Mage was easily absorbed.
"Diko!"
This sudden helper was Diko, whom Durandal had given to Klee. This was Diko's first time demonstrating its combat abilities.
Since it was a life form formed by the Pyro element, the Abyss Mage's shield was naturally within its absorption range.
Not only that, the originally small and cute Diko transformed at this moment. The Pyro element on its body began to condense, and its size grew enormous, shining brilliantly like a phoenix.
"So amazing, Diko is so amazing. In that case, Klee can't lose to Diko. 'Everything can be blown up!'"
Seeing Diko's impressive performance, Klee didn't want to lose to it and immediately unleashed her elemental skill, launching the fiercest bombardment against the Armored Rock Hilichurl King.
Seeing this, Qiqi and Shenhe together condensed a talisman to help Klee attack.
"True Name, True Lord of Deliverance!"
"According to the Law!"
Durandal, who was fighting Azhdaha, noticed the situation there. Seeing the three display their divine power, her last worry completely vanished.
Gripping the great scythe in her hand, Durandal dodged several consecutive elemental attacks from Azhdaha, finally cleaving through the rock blocking her path and arriving before Azhdaha. From bottom to top, she sent Azhdaha's massive body flying.
Azhdaha couldn't believe what was happening before his eyes. This fellow could actually send his enormous self flying? Like a turtle, she had flipped him over? How... how did she do it?
After a short period of Stunned, Azhdaha, regaining his senses, became enraged again. He was Azhdaha! To be treated like this, he must make this fellow pay the price.
He swayed his body, trying to right himself, and at the same time, burrowed underground to attack Durandal.
But Durandal didn't give him a chance to struggle. She placed her hand on his massive head, using her clearance to let the poison invade Azhdaha's body.
So what if he was a creature made of elements? One should know that poison wouldn't spare you just because you were a stone, and don't forget that some poisons are corrosive.
With just a thought, Azhdaha began to wail in pain. Unlike the angry wails from before, this sound was full of agony, yet in the pain, there seemed to be a sense of relief? What was going on?
Durandal frowned. Suddenly, her eyes met Azhdaha's massive pupils. In the instant their gazes met, Durandal entered Azhdaha's memories.
She saw many things in Azhdaha's memories, from when he was just a spiritual stone to when he was later discovered by the Geo Archon, who personally carved him into an exquisitely crafted, lifelike giant dragon.
After that, he fought alongside the Geo Archon, Morax, establishing and protecting Liyue Harbor. Over the long years, erosion gnawed at his memory, and humans began exploiting the environment he relied on, eventually causing a drastic change in his temperament, leading him to attack the very people he once protected.
In the end, the Geo Archon sealed him beneath the Dragon-Queller Tree, where he has remained ever since.
"Time... erosion? Even a powerful God can experience this. Even rock can gradually crack due to time... is that right?"
Durandal stopped what she was doing. Although the loosening of the seal on his power caused the surrounding monsters to go berserk, considering his past contributions to Liyue Harbor, making him suffer like this was clearly not appropriate.
If Lumine were here, she definitely wouldn't approve of her doing such a thing to him, but... what should she do next?
Durandal didn't have the ability to seal. If she couldn't eliminate Azhdaha, what other way was there to deal with him?
Durandal thought for a long time, wanting to give it a try. Anyway, this guy was already under her control, so even if she failed, she could find other methods.
If this plan succeeded, then he would owe her a huge favor. She believed he would be very happy to see the grand gift she had prepared for him.
Thinking this, Durandal once again gathered her strength. Only this time, she wasn't injecting 'poison' into Azhdaha's body, but rather drawing out the 'poison' from within Azhdaha's body—that poison called 'erosion'.
There was a lot of 'poison' in Azhdaha's body, much of which Durandal couldn't even name. Anyway, her goal was to extract Azhdaha's 'poison', so she might as well get it all out at once.
As Durandal absorbed more and more 'poison', Azhdaha's struggles grew weaker and weaker. Finally, he just lay there, waiting for Durandal to extract all the 'poison'.
While Durandal was absorbing the 'poison', Klee's battle had already ended. It must be said that the Abyss Mage was quite formidable, managing to hold on for so long.
But no matter how strong he was, he was no match for three people, not to mention Shenhe hadn't even used her full strength yet.
Watching Durandal's actions, the three of them tacitly refrained from disturbing her. After waiting for about half an hour, Durandal finally retracted her hand.
This guy... did he have this much 'poison' inside him? She felt that emotions were the most prevalent among these 'poisons', with his anger towards the Geo Archon being the most prominent.
Why? Was it because the Geo Archon sealed him here? That might account for some of it, and it's also possible there were some hidden truths she didn't know about.
When Durandal withdrew her hand, Azhdaha also got up from the ground, looking at the tiny Durandal before him with a dignified posture.
At this moment, he no longer had his previous anger. Now clear-headed, he understood Durandal's identity and was surprised by her actions.
"You... can even deal with 'erosion'. That's truly eye-opening."
"I didn't know I could achieve such a degree. I don't really understand the 'me' I am now. I just feel that ever since coming to this world, I can do many things I couldn't before."
Durandal felt a little emotional. She knew her power could do anything she wanted in this world, but she hadn't expected her abilities could be used in this way.
"How do you feel now, Azhdaha? Do you still think about avenging yourself on the Geo Archon? Do you still want to harm the residents of Liyue Harbor?"
"...No."
Even if he hadn't recovered, he wouldn't dare to say he still wanted to do that.
If he really said that, Durandal would probably give him another good beating. He didn't want to experience the feeling of being on his back with all four limbs in the air again; honestly, it was really unpleasant, like a turtle.
"Eh? What... what's going on? Why did the big guy, who was so fierce just now, suddenly become able to communicate normally?"
Klee looked at Durandal and Azhdaha in confusion. Why did the big bad guy suddenly become so kind? This wasn't quite like the final big BOSS she had imagined.
"I cured his illness. Without the torment of his illness, he won't go berserk like he did just now."
Patting Klee's hat, Durandal briefly explained the situation, then told Azhdaha about the rampaging Hilichurls they had found outside. Azhdaha nodded after hearing Durandal's account.
Those Hilichurls indeed went berserk because of the aura he released, but he had now regained his sanity and also returned to his optimal state from back then. It would be too embarrassing if such a thing happened again.
"In that case, what should we do next? Does he... still have to stay here?"
Shenhe looked at Azhdaha. He was undoubtedly sealed here by the Geo Archon. Now that Durandal had resolved the problem, would he still have to stay here as before?
Durandal pondered for a moment, looking at the silent Azhdaha who was waiting for her final conclusion. An idea gradually formed.
— — — — — — — — — —
"Last time, we spoke of the Geo Archon traveling alone through the mountains, when in a fissure in the earth, he heard a distant sound unlike any he had ever heard."
At the Three Bowls Not Over the Ridge, the storyteller was, as usual, recounting tales to the customers. Zhongli, who had personally experienced this story, sat below, listening quietly.
He calmly took a sip of hot tea, recalling his old friend sealed beneath the Dragon-Queller Tree, and let out a long sigh: "Desire..."
"Is the consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor really this leisurely? Why do I feel like every time I find you, it's in places like these?"
Durandal came and sat beside Zhongli, looking at the relaxed Zhongli, and couldn't help but ask.
Having finished his millennia of responsibility, he certainly could enjoy a retired life. But most people have to work to earn money. As the consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, his salary was considerably higher than other jobs, but... wasn't this a bit too idle?
Do you have nothing else to do every day besides going for walks and drinking tea?
"It's you. Is there something you need me for?"
"There's something I need your help with. Someone I find quite decent wants to find a job in Liyue. I don't want to bother the Qixing, and after thinking it over, you seemed more reliable."
"Oh? To be noticed by you, that certainly makes one curious."
Zhongli's interest was piqued. It was rare for someone to catch Durandal's eye. He was a little curious about what kind of person it was that she would personally ask him for help in finding a job.
Durandal showed a strange smile and clapped her hands. A burly man came to Durandal's side, looking at Zhongli with complex eyes.
"You... are you Azhdaha?"
"It's been a long time, Morax."
Azhdaha's voice was very soft, and with the storyteller still telling his tale upfront, no one noticed Azhdaha's words.
Zhongli snapped back to reality and looked at where Durandal had been, but she had already walked away. Zhongli could only catch a glimpse of her retreating back.
Truly... it seems he owed her another big favor.
Zhongli shook his head and looked at his old friend, nodding.
"It's been a long time, old friend. How about we listen to a play? You'll find it interesting. We can talk about the rest later."
"Alright."
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