"He's coming right to me?" Watching Dvalin dive, Tang Wang wore a strange expression.
During the earlier round of ping-pong, he had accumulated a terrifying amount of Gang Qi. The golden light flickering around him was already nearly brighter than an ordinary incandescent bulb.
In this state, an ordinary god could never be his match. That was why, when The Captain first fought him, he had already reached a judgment: if he were to fight Tang Wang, it was best to finish the battle quickly.
Once a fight dragged on and allowed Tang Wang to accumulate Gang Qi beyond a certain limit, even The Captain might not come out on top.
Clearly, Dvalin knew none of this. Eroded by the poisoned blood and tormented by pain, he was merely destroying everything around him without conscious thought.
"Take care of her." Albedo swiftly placed the still-dazed Paimon in the arms of a knight nearby, then strode toward the city gates with his sword in hand.
In fact, Tang Wang and Albedo had known each other for some time. A while ago, Linaya had wanted to go to Dragonspine to study data on some of its living creatures.
Unlike the icy plains of Snezhnaya, Mondstadt's snowy mountain was filled with indescribable power and warmth. Many adventurers flocked to uncover its secrets.
While exploring the mountain, they had met Albedo. In the end, through the efforts of all three, the Skyfrost Nail had reappeared in the skies above Dragonspine, and Tang Wang had been ranked as an S-rank adventurer as a result.
"The poisoned blood in Dvalin came from Durin," Tang Wang said. As the enormous figure plunged to the height of the city walls, he pushed off with his right foot and was instantly level with the dragon. "In that case, Albedo might know how to deal with it."
As he spoke, he twisted his body in midair in an indescribable way. Golden light burst through the wall of wind, and Dvalin's enormous body flew backward like a sandbag, out of Mondstadt City.
Danika, who was evacuating the people with Ronava, and the other Knights of Favonius naturally saw it happen. Aside from the two women, everyone wondered whether they were hallucinating.
"Danika, just how strong is Tang Wang among humans?" Ronava asked curiously.
To her former self, Dvalin, who had yet to reclaim his authority over wind, had not been an opponent worth troubling herself over. But as she was now... let alone Dvalin, if a "wind Vishap" with enough mobility really existed, she might be beaten to her knees in a one-on-one fight.
"One of the strongest," Danika answered truthfully according to her own judgment. "You could count the humans stronger than him on one hand:
"The Pyro Archon of Natlan, The Captain of Snezhnaya, Varka on his expedition at most, and any reclusive masters who might be found in Liyue..."
"Albedo!" Outside Mondstadt City, the enormous Stormterror was now pinned firmly to the ground by a golden figure. "Can you deal with this poisoned blood?"
"It has similarities to the crimson agate in the snowy mountain," Albedo said. Ignoring the enormous dragon's struggles and beating wings, he walked straight toward the blood clot on the lower part of his back, near his tail. "I think it's worth a try."
"Hold him down. I'm starting." As Albedo spoke, a pale golden Solar Isotoma appeared in his palm.
"Earth, fire, water, wind, heed my command. Reshape the eight elements and remake the five phases!" Amid the flickering light of Mora, the alchemical array in Albedo's hand began to shine with a pure white light.
"Roar, roar..." Dvalin's roars grew much quieter, because one of the blood clots on his body really was slowly being dissolved by Albedo's alchemy.
"It's a troublesome thing," Albedo concluded. "I never expected a nigredo-level creation running out of control to have such severe consequences."
"Fortunately, with Mora as a medium," he said as a large handful of Mora slowly vanished from his hand, "it isn't impossible to refine it away."
"Cough, cough... cough..." Heavy but much more normal breathing came from Dvalin's throat. "Who... who are you?"
"We're here to save you." As he spoke, Tang Wang pressed down a little harder.
"...What have I done?" Dvalin turned his head to look at the storm outside Mondstadt City, his deep voice filled with remorse.
"It wasn't your fault," Albedo said, seemingly trying to comfort the dragon. "The poisoned blood of the dragon Durin remains in your body.
"It has corroded your mind. Removing it will probably cost several hundred thousand Mora."
In Teyvat, Mora was not only currency, but also the most important catalyst for alchemy.
And now, Albedo was using Mora to transfer the Abyssal power within Durin's blood. It was a risky move, but he was confident he could do it.
"Human," Dvalin, who had stopped struggling, suddenly raised his head and said in a deep voice to Tang Wang, who was holding him down, "use all your strength to restrain me... I can't control my body."
"I'd like to," Tang Wang said, his expression somewhat grim, because the golden light around him had dimmed considerably. "But as you can see, my strength is limited."
"Only one left." After a large pile of dark red earth had accumulated at Albedo's feet, the first blood clot vanished without a trace. "Now, Dvalin, please stay as still as you can..."
"Roar!!!" At that moment, as the golden light around Tang Wang weakened, the clarity in the dragon's eyes vanished in an instant.
With a furious roar, an enormous whirlwind rose from the ground and swept across the fields of Mondstadt.
"Albedo! Hurry!" Tang Wang abruptly exerted more force, and for a moment, the terrifying sound of an earth-shaking impact rang out from the outskirts across all of Mondstadt City.
"Abiogenesis!" Aiming at the enormous blood clot on Dvalin's back, Albedo unleashed the golden light in his hand at full power.
But just then, a triangular array appeared on the blood clot.
Though the light at two of its corners had dimmed, the remaining purple apex stubbornly maintained the triangle's overall shape.
The spike of poisoned blood on Dvalin's body lay at the very center of the triangle.
"Is this... a joint sealing array?" Before Albedo could take a closer look, a terrifying light erupted from the blood clot.
Boom! With an enormous bang, Albedo's body was sent flying backward, scattering blood that was both human and inhuman across the ground.
"Albedo?" Tang Wang immediately sensed something was terribly wrong, for his Gang Qi had almost completely dissipated as well.
"Noble dragon of the wind, how much longer will you let this boy hold you down?"
Just then, a dignified, elderly figure appeared in the outskirts directly opposite Mondstadt City. It was an old nobleman of the Lawrence Clan, holding a deep purple crystal aloft in his palm.
"Roar!!!" The raging winds around Dvalin abruptly condensed. Having lost his Gang Qi, Tang Wang was first flung high into the air by the dragon's twisting force as he broke free, then struck by an oncoming storm that left him drenched in blood.
The might of the Wind Dragon King was on full display at that moment.
"Kill those two damned usurpers." At his command, waves of light capable of destroying heaven and earth truly began to gather in the dragon's mouth.
"Ding~ ding~ ding..." Yet the melodious sound of a lyre carried on the breeze, ringing throughout Mondstadt. Dvalin seemed to sense something; he twisted around and flew back toward Stormterror's Lair.