The Problem Is Huge; Panicking Won't Help

—Don't go into the eye of the storm; the eye of the storm is a trap.

It evades, channeling all thrust downwards at full speed before exploding. It rapidly increases its angle of attack using a cobra maneuver. And as the massive vortex of wind is thrown beneath it, the snake's head, positioned in the extreme sky, suddenly dives downwards!

Overtaking from above is the key to air combat.

The vortex, which was hiding a trap, exploded behind, and the stronger thrust fueled the flowing fire.

And so the fire line was just barely attached to the tail of the wind dragon!

—I've got you.

The greatsword in her hand plunged into the dragon's tail with a force akin to piercing it with a steel needle, eliciting a low roar from the dragon. Strands of wind swirled around the dragon's body, its tail thrashing about, yet the swordswoman remained unfazed by the storm. The girl abruptly looked up, her gaze falling upon two enormous, deep purple crystals on the dragon's spine. These were the source of the pollution, the dragon's wounds, and its weakness. And now, her task was to destroy these two wounds!

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the dragon's body; the unconscious Elafia was still firmly held in its claws. Alina was temporarily unharmed, but a victor still needed to be decided quickly.

Then, let's use our feet instead of swords to stabilize our stance.

With a slight thought, the girl's leather boots tore to shreds in the clash of force and elemental power. Her slender toes sank into the wind dragon's back feathers, locked firmly. Even after drawing her greatsword, she remained stable amidst the storm.

Sensing the danger, the dragon desperately thrashed its massive body and climbed higher into the sky. A chilling tide surged from the heavens, but even faster than that, a giant sword burning with flames struck the first wound!

Flames surged, and there was never a moment of silence in the deadly battle. As large swaths of flame violently spewed from the dragon's wounds, a mournful howl escaped its throat—its ascent abruptly halted, and the next instant, the colossal creature plummeted downwards without regard for its surroundings!

Its movements were no longer perfect, its claws no longer firm. The excruciating pain of its torn wounds overwhelmed it, preventing it from controlling its body to move perfectly.

And that is the opportune moment.

It's not about killing, or slaying, the dragon. It's about seizing the opportunity to snatch the captured Little Deer back from under the dragon's claws.

Hand over Alina!

Flames erupted suddenly. On this land called Mondstadt, everyone, all those with ability, saw at that moment a deep red line of fire wrapped around the massive dragon's body and fell from the top of the sky.

Surtr cradled the still unconscious Little Deer, conserving her energy as she plummeted to find a stable landing spot. The wounded wind dragon struck the ground before her, quickly fading into silence amidst the rising dust. What she saw was a desolate ruin, heavily shrouded and surrounded by vortexes of wind.

The dragon is inside the ruins, she is outside the ruins.

Outside the ruins lies fertile land where dense forests and plains intertwine. Between the ruins and the outside lies a powerful barrier, barely wide enough for a wind dragon to pass through.

—The Stormterror's Lair, the dragon's sanatorium... They actually flew all the way here.

—Tsk, if I grit my teeth and go for it now, and take down that dragon before the protagonist does, could I open the gate between the two worlds and send Alina back to Terra first?

She landed in a field near the woods and a water source. Finding a soft patch of grass, she laid Alina down— the Little Deer's breathing was steady. She wasn't even frowning in her sleep...clearly, at least for now, she wasn't having a nightmare. This was the only piece of good news amidst a pile of bad news.

—In the game, the wounded wind dragon will recuperate there. To reach that place, you must pass through the guardian outside the ruins.

This means confronting the Abyss Order controls these guardians, fighting against intelligent adversaries rather than the still somewhat chaotic wind dragons... I must settle Alina first. After all, the wilderness of Genshin Impact is not a place for benevolent people.

The girl slightly closed her eyes, and the moment she released the breath from her chest, waves of excruciating pain emanating from both inside and outside her body nearly made her lose her footing. Reckless behavior always comes at a price; although she was still alive, how long this body could survive was unknown.

"It's worth it." She gently bit her lower lip. "At least I saved Alina."

She planted the greatsword in the ground, tilting her body slightly to at least give herself some support against this makeshift pillar. She struggled to regulate her breathing, sensing the extent of damage to her bones and organs.

—The bones are still somewhat attached. But the liver and kidneys are barely functioning. However, there's still hope. I remember there are healing methods using fire in the game. With some effort, I should be able to find a way to heal the internal injuries before this body dies... At worst, I can use elements to replace the internal organs and regulate the internal circulation to tough it out. At least I can maintain some fighting ability for a day or two.

As she pondered, the waste blood and organ fragments in her body were expelled from her body under her willpower.

Then--

A familiar low hum came from beside her.

Alina opened her eyes.

A jumble of conflicting memories swirled in her mind. She vaguely remembered that not long ago, she opened her eyes to find herself in a bustling, exotic city. The people around her were dressed in strange clothes, but she could vaguely understand what they were saying.

A lively girl in a red dress, with hair ornaments resembling rabbit ears, was skipping along, pulling another girl with a small white flower tucked behind her ear. They looked at the horns on their heads as the girl approached, seemingly about to say something. But the next moment, the sky was engulfed by dark clouds.

Storm, wind—I remembered, I was swept into the air by a gale. And just as I was about to fall, a giant claw emerged from the storm and grabbed me!

That's—a dragon!?

Was it a dream? Or...?

Her confused consciousness gradually cleared, and she found herself lying on a soft patch of grass. Sunlight streamed in, and a young girl leaning on a sword stood guard beside her.

That is—

"Al? Is that you? Where is this..." Alina asked instinctively, noticing that the girl did not have Sarkaz horns on her head.

"Yo, Alina, you're awake." — She saw the girl turn her head, smile, and utter a familiar voice. "Sorry, I thought you were going to sleep a little longer. It's a little inconvenient now..."

Fear gripped Elafia's heart.

She knew that the girl in front of her was the one from her memory.

She saw necrotic blood foam continuously gushing from the corners of the girl's mouth and nose.

In the distance, the howls of wolves suddenly resounded.

This update at this time means there's another session tonight _(:з"∠)_

Chapter 89. The problem is huge; panicking won't help.

Wolves, ordinary wolves, wild wolves, carnivorous wolves.

The wolves smelled the blood, so they rushed out of the forest in packs.

Miss Surtr is not afraid of wolves. Whether it is an ordinary wild wolf, the wind wolf commonly seen at the beginning of transmigration novels, or Boreas, the North Wind Wolf King in the Genshin Impact universe, they are all creatures that she can face and kill without hesitation, whether she has a sword in hand or not.

She wasn't afraid of them, but she had to make sure, make sure Alina wasn't taken away by these predators.

So...

"Sorry, Alina, now is not the time to speak." She forced a breath, ignoring her own deteriorating health. Grabbing the blazing sword with one hand, she pulled the still bewildered Alina into her arms with the other. Then, she charged towards the direction from which the wolf howls were coming from, carrying Alina with her.

Strike first and you'll have the upper hand; strike later and you'll suffer the consequences.

The best way to deal with carnivores is to inflict pain on them.