"Searing Onslaught!"
Diluc shouted, more Pyro surging from his hand and flooding into the length of his sword.
The flames that had already been coiling around the blade flared even hotter and brighter.
It was like a greatsword forged entirely of fire.
The Cryo Abyss Mage whirled around and hastily raised its staff, trying to block the downward strike from above.
But it had no way to resist the heat. In the blink of an eye, the flames swallowed the staff completely.
And in terms of raw strength, there was an unbridgeable gap between it and Diluc.
Its body was smashed sideways into a stone pillar, knocked out cold on impact, its robe scorched in patches where the flames had licked it.
"Tch."
"Good thing I did not swing harder," Diluc muttered.
He stepped forward and grabbed the Abyss Mage by its collar.
He intended to drag it back for interrogation.
"Never thought you would be one of the people coming to save me," Kaeya said with a wry smile, leaning against another pillar.
"I am only here for the Abyss Mage," Diluc replied, accepting no gratitude.
"The role of heroic rescuer suits Jensen better."
"If Jensen had not told me we needed to hurry, you might already be a corpse by the time I got here," he added bluntly.
"I was just preparing for the worst," Jensen said lightly. "I did not expect you to be this unlucky, Kaeya, running into an Abyss Mage of the same element."
"Yeah, I walked right into its ambush."
Kaeya let out a relieved breath. "In any case, I owe Jensen for this one. I will remember it."
He nodded toward the altar at the back of the hall.
The crystal that had condensed the dragon's aura was still intact there.
"After the ambush, I deliberately protected that crystal. That way, when you saw the storm over Mondstadt had not cleared, you could guess I was in trouble and come to the rescue."
"Though it seems that precaution ended up being a bit unnecessary."
Kaeya raised his hand and sent several ice spikes hurtling toward the crystal. It shattered under the assault.
With that, the Temple of the North Wind Wolf was cleared as well.
"You are still as composed as ever," Diluc remarked.
Even in a life or death situation, the man had been scheming out ways to save himself.
He had to admit, Kaeya was frighteningly clever.
"Heh, should I take that as you mocking me?" Kaeya gave a self deprecating smile.
"Suit yourself."
Diluc's tone was cool as ever.
"If you are going to help, help all the way. Give me a hand," Kaeya said.
"I told you I came for the Abyss Mage."
Diluc grumbled, but he still walked over and let Kaeya lean on him.
Jensen took position on the other side.
The two of them supported Kaeya between them as they left, Diluc still dragging the unconscious Abyss Mage like a sack.
They stepped out of the Temple of the North Wind Wolf.
"I wonder how Lisa is doing," Kaeya said, gazing toward the south.
"Lisa? No need to worry about her," Jensen shook his head.
In his system, Kaeya was Level 10.
Lisa was Level 18.
What did that mean?
Jean was Level 15, for reference.
Diluc was currently on par with Lisa.
The woman's depths were extremely well hidden.
On top of that, Electro was a brutally dominant element in Teyvat at the moment.
"If that woman were willing, she could be the one person the Knights rely on most," Diluc said, for once sounding unusually approving.
"Lisa actually gets that kind of praise from you two?" Kaeya was genuinely surprised.
He was not that familiar with Jensen yet, but for Diluc to praise someone... just being strong was not enough.
Take Jean for example. In Diluc's eyes, she was the type who held him back. He would stay as far away from her operations as he could.
Jensen, on the other hand, treated Jean very well.
But in Kaeya's opinion, that was just because Jensen was shamelessly attracted to her and was very close to succeeding.
"The seriously injured should worry less about other people," Diluc cut him off, already annoyed.
By the time they got back near Mondstadt, the wild, chaotic elements from the day were nowhere to be felt.
"The flow of elemental energy and the ley lines are back to normal. Looks like Lisa has finished up at the Temple of the South Wind Lion too," Kaeya said, finally convinced that his earlier worries were unnecessary.
"Jensen, I will leave this guy to you."
Diluc shook Kaeya off without ceremony, then disappeared into the darkness with the Abyss Mage in tow.
There was no way he could march through Mondstadt's front gate like that.
If the Knights saw him dragging around a prisoner like this, they would bombard him with questions for half the night. They might even try to take over the interrogation entirely.
"That man..." Kaeya gave a helpless smile. "I will trouble you, then, Jensen."
"We are already here. No point talking about trouble now," Jensen said.
Kaeya was just starting to feel moved.
Then he saw Jensen raise his hand and wave toward the city gate.
One of the Knights on duty ran over.
"Captain Kaeya. Jensen."
The knight, Lawrence, snapped to attention and saluted the moment he saw who it was. "You two..."
"Here, I am returning your Cavalry Captain to you."
Jensen cut him off and cheerfully shoved Kaeya onto the knight. "Take him back to headquarters to rest and recover."
With that, he turned and strolled toward the city.
"Uh..."
Kaeya was speechless.
"So that is what he meant by 'we are already here', huh..."
It really did feel like Jensen was completely done with him.
Jensen passed through the city gate.
By now, Mondstadt's lanterns were all lit.
Knights of Favonius were everywhere, maintaining order, while citizens cleaned up in front of their houses.
Jensen returned to the front of Good Hunter and immediately spotted a suspicious figure peeking around furtively, a wide witch's hat bobbing up and down as she fidgeted.