[Sky Trace World – The Dragon's Lair]
The news was grim. The Kongtong Seal had been stolen, and the Diren race was enslaved.
Chen Jingchou, the protagonist, was panicking. Without the seal, he couldn't save his master. But for the Teyvat Squad, the mission was simple: Find the Dragon. Kill the Dragon.
Thanks to the young merman Fu Chi, they bypassed the outer wards.
"I've watched him for years," Fu Chi whispered, leading them through a hidden coral tunnel. "He eats my people to gain power. Please... end him."
"Don't worry, kid," Beidou grinned, cracking her knuckles. "We're professional monster hunters."
They emerged into a massive underwater cavern protected by a water-membrane dome. Inside sat a magnificent palace.
Surrounding it were ten thousand Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals.
"Stealth is out," Jean sighed, drawing her sword. "There are too many."
"Then we go loud!"
Beidou roared, charging forward.
[Battle Start]
"Shikai: Snow Princess!" Ayaka released her blade, transforming into her ice-queen form.
"Shikai: Dark Shadow!" Xiangling summoned her spear, stripping the senses of the nearest guards.
"Shikai: Valkyrie!" Beidou donned her lightning armor.
"Shikai: Nightmare!" Rosalyne unleashed a wave of terror.
The battlefield erupted into chaos.
Ganyu and Shenhe took the high ground. Like two artillery turrets, they rained charged Cryo arrows onto the army.
Freeze. Shatter. Freeze.
Thousands of monsters were turned into ice sculptures within seconds.
"WHO DARES?!"
A roar shook the cavern.
A massive cloud of black mist exploded from the palace. The Black Dragon King descended.
He was in human form—a tall man in black robes with crimson eyes and a long spear. His aura was suffocating.
"Humans? And Diren trash?" He sneered. "You dare disturb my meal?"
He thrust his spear.
BOOM.
A beam of pressurized water shot toward Shenhe. It was faster than lightning.
"Look out!"
Jean flashed in front of Shenhe.
"Dandelion Breeze!"
She blocked the beam with her Zanpakuto, Wind Beauty. The impact drove her boots into the stone, blood trickling from her lips.
"He's... heavy!" Jean gasped. Her sword glowed green, instantly healing her internal injuries. "I can tank him! Attack now!"
Beidou launched herself like a missile. "Valkyrie Strike!"
Bang.
The Dragon King didn't even look. He backhanded Beidou mid-air.
The Crux Captain flew backward like a ragdoll, smashing into a cliffside and creating a crater.
"What?!" Eula and Diluc gasped. Beidou had Haki and Shikai active. She was swatting away like a fly?
"You think mere brute force works on a Dragon?" The King laughed.
Diluc and Eula attacked together. Fire and Ice crossed in a deadly X-slash.
The Dragon King raised a hand. A thin film of water appeared.
Fizz.
The attacks were absorbed instantly. Then, two water fists shot out from the shield, punching both Claymore users in the chest.
Crack.
Ribs broke. Diluc and Eula were sent flying, vomiting blood.
"Is the gap this big?!" Eula wheezed, struggling to stand.
"Pathetic," the Dragon King scoffed. "You don't even have spiritual energy. You fight like children."
[Multiverse Mission Chat Group]
Lisa: "This doesn't make sense. Beidou has Observation Haki. Why couldn't she dodge?"
Ningguang: "It's not just speed. It's the quality of power."
Su Han: "Correct. In Teyvat, we use Elemental Energy. In this world, they cultivate Lingqi (Spiritual Energy). The Dragon King has formed a Neidan (Inner Core). His body has been tempered for a thousand years. Without a similar energy density, your attacks are like throwing cotton at a steel wall."
Unless they hit him with concentrated, high-tier attacks, they wouldn't scratch him.
Rosalyne: "Then we use high-tier attacks!"
[The Battlefield]
Rosalyne stood amidst the chaos.
"Shikai: Hell's Nightmare!"
She didn't target the Dragon directly. She targeted his army.
Two thousand Shrimp Soldiers suddenly turned, their eyes glowing red. Under her control, they charged their King.
"Traitors!" The Dragon King roared, preparing to wipe them out.
"Now! Ash Calamity Array!"
Rosalyne slammed her hands onto the ground. The controlled monsters exploded into blood mist, which ignited into crimson Hellfire.
Using the formation techniques she learned from Shushan (via Su Han), she created a trapping array.
Runes of fire surrounded the Dragon King, boiling the water around him.
"Xiangling!"
"On it!" Xiangling hovered in the air, her hair turning into flames. "Awakening: Sea of Fire!"
She injected her Mera Mera no Mi power into the array.
The water dome turned into a steam cooker.
"You insects!" The Dragon King roared, feeling the heat penetrate his scales. "Break!"
He summoned a tsunami to extinguish the fire.
"Not today!"
Ganyu and Shenhe drew their bows in unison.
"Frostflake Arrow!"
"Spirit Mantra: Glacial Heart!"
The tsunami froze mid-air, blocking the water from reaching the Dragon.
Trapped in the fire array, deprived of water, the Dragon King finally looked worried.
"Fine! You forced me!"
He ripped off his robe, revealing armor made of shimmering, rainbow scales.
"This armor is forged from the essence of ten thousand Diren souls! It is impervious to all elements!"
The fire washed over him, but the armor glowed, nullifying the damage.
"Despicable," Jean whispered, gripping her sword.
"He's wearing his victims," Beidou growled, climbing out of the crater. "Now I'm really pissed."
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