The Supreme Archbishop of Fontaine

In Mondstadt, Stormterror finally arrived as Ye had anticipated.

Amid the howling winds, Astrea trembled in fear, her legs shaking uncontrollably, while Lumine was swept into the sky.

"Astrea, let's go!"

Amber grabbed Astrea's hand. Though worried about Lumine, her priority was protecting Astrea and helping the citizens escape.

But despite her trembling, Astrea stood firm, refusing to flee.

"N-no… I can't."

Her voice quivered, yet there was a strange determination in it, as if she had mustered every ounce of courage within her.

"In the name of the God of Justice, Focalors… I cannot ignore a disaster that harms the people. I cannot run away. I must… drive away the evil dragon."

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Amber crouched down, intending to carry Astrea away—but at that moment, a cry pierced the air.

"Mommy…!"

Amber turned and her eyes widened in horror.

A little girl had fallen to the ground, and above her, a billboard torn loose by the wind was hurtling straight toward her.

Amber's face paled.

It's too late!

Just as she thought this, Astrea, who had been in her arms, vanished.

With unimaginable speed, Astrea appeared over the girl, shielding her with her own body.

The next moment—

BANG!!!!!

The wind whipped Astrea's cape as the billboard slammed into her slender, snow-white back.

"Ah!!!"

In front of her computer screen, Axue couldn't help but scream, covering her mouth in fear.

Earlier, after Lumine was swept into the sky, the perspective shifted to her. With the help of a mysterious voice, Lumine engaged in a battle with Stormterror.

In gameplay terms, Axue controlled Lumine, firing missiles at the dragon. There was no real intensity—Stormterror didn't even fight back.

Quickly, Stormterror's health dropped to half.

Then… the dragon entered its second phase.

In the cutscene, Stormterror roared, and the world seemed to lose its color.

The battle resumed, but this time, it wasn't so easy. Stormterror retaliated with missiles, taking out most of Lumine's health in one hit and finishing her off with the second.

Another cutscene played—the one where Astrea shielded the little girl from the falling billboard.

Axue's heart ached.

Astrea's timid, weak, and pain-averse nature had already been deeply ingrained in players' minds. After just a few story segments, everyone instinctively saw her as a little girl in need of protection. Her design was crafted to evoke a strong protective instinct.

So, seeing this scene, who wouldn't be shocked? Who wouldn't feel heartbroken for Astrea? Who wouldn't… be moved by this moment?

Amber rushed over and lifted the billboard, her face filled with concern. "Astrea, are you okay?"

The little girl Astrea had protected stared at her in awe. "S-sister, you…"

"I'm fine."

At this moment, seeing the smile on Astrea's face in the cutscene, Axue's heart trembled.

It wasn't a forced smile, nor one of weakness or fear. It was the smile of a knight who protected the people—a smile that brought comfort.

If this smile had appeared on another character's face, it might not have been remarkable.

But here, on Astrea's face, it was soul-stirring.

"Don't worry. I'm a knight—a knight who can even protect a god. So, don't be afraid. I'll protect you."

Amber watched in stunned silence as Astrea stood up and walked step by step toward the battlefield. This time, she didn't try to stop her.

Astrea looked up at the sky with a resolute expression she had never shown before, her hands outstretched.

In the next moment, a scale appeared between her hands, floating and rotating.

She closed her eyes, and a surge of aqua light pierced through the dark storm, shooting toward the Traveler.

A deep blue halo appeared above Lumine's head.

"I'm sorry… I can't fly, so I can't fight the dragon. But I'll give you all my strength. Please, big sister… you must defeat the evil dragon."

The cutscene ended, and the battle resumed. Lumine's health was fully restored.

But this time, there was a decisive difference.

A water-blue halo now floated above Lumine's head.

Stormterror's attacks still took out most of Lumine's health, but the next moment, the halo glowed, and her health was instantly restored.

Another attack, another near-death, and again, Lumine's health was fully replenished.

"Holy—! Astrea, you're freaking amazing!!"

Axue was ecstatic. She stopped fighting the dragon, stopped firing missiles, and just danced in front of Stormterror, taunting it.

"Come on! Hit me! Little dragon! Go ahead! If you can kill me, I'll kowtow to you! No, ten times! Come on! Hit me!!"

「66666」

「This is the power of a knight who can protect a god?」

「Stop messing around, Axue! If you keep dragging this out, Astrea might die!」

「???」

「???」

「???」

Axue noticed the unusual comment. "What do you mean, chat?"

「You'll understand when you finish the fight.」

A sense of foreboding washed over Axue, and she finally got serious.

With no fear of dying, Axue quickly whittled down Stormterror's health. Another cutscene played: the dragon fled, and Lumine slowly descended from the sky.

She landed in front of Astrea, who stood with her eyes closed.

Astrea's face was pale, as if drained of blood. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled at Lumine. "Thank you… big sister…"

In the next moment, the scale dissolved into light, and Astrea collapsed forward.

"Astrea!!"

Lumine caught her in a panic.

"It's okay… big sister… I just… need to… sleep for a while…"

With those words, Astrea's eyes closed, and her consciousness faded.

"Astrea?! Astrea?! Astrea?!!!"