Paimon and Lumine had just exited the ruins and hadn't gone far when they encountered Dain.
Dainsleif was also surprised: "A reunion... it came sooner than I expected."
"Oh, it's Dain."
At this moment, Paimon and Lumine were still thinking about what happened in the ruins.
"By your expressions, it seems you've experienced something strange."
"Did you perhaps come face to face with an Abyss Herald in that ruin?"
Paimon's small face showed surprise: "Eh, how did Dain know?!"
"I am still hunting Abyss Heralds, and I didn't expect to run into you here."
Lumine looked at Dain and added: "Actually, what we experienced wasn't just a Herald... there was a deeper strangeness within the ruins."
So, Lumine and Paimon described to Dain the inverted statue deep within the ruins, the dead in a bizarre scene, and... the lurking presence that worried Lumine the most.
After listening, Dain fell into deep thought: "An inverted statue... Abyssal energy in its hand, and what you mentioned... the guy in the shadows. I've never seen anything similar while fighting the Abyss."
"Hmm? Something's not right."
Dain's face suddenly darkened, and his gaze sharpened as he looked towards a certain spot.
'Malice' was somewhat surprised. Although he hadn't deliberately disguised himself, with the buff enhancements, it was truly not simple that Dainsleif could discover him so easily.
He truly lived up to his reputation as the one who constantly sought revenge on the five Sinners.
"Hiding, sneaking around!"
Dain locked onto Malice's position and charged directly forward.
Bang ~
Malice's right hand condensed a black great cleaver, which solidly collided with Dain's fist.
Dain's right hand felt a bit numb from the shock, and his expression became solemn.
"Eh, what is that thing?"
Paimon was startled by Malice's appearance.
And Lumine, the moment she saw Malice, knew that this guy was the one who had been lurking and observing them inside the ruins; the feeling was exactly the same as before.
"Dain...sleif!"
Malice's voice was rough and hoarse.
Dain clenched his fist. It seemed this guy was here for him; Lumine and Paimon might just be caught in the crossfire.
"But, did you cause this, Aether...?"
Lumine took out 'Endless Acuity' and stood beside Dain: "He's the guy I mentioned who was observing us in the ruins. Be careful, he feels... very dangerous!"
---
Livestream chat.
: "Is this the guy who crushed the orb in the inverted statue's hand before? To be honest, he felt terrifying before, but now that he's revealed, he's not as scary."
: "All fear comes from the unknown; this is our unique Chinese horror."
: "Can Dain fight? Or should he hide behind the Traveler?"
: "What are you guys talking about? Dain has been fighting the Abyss all this time; you're telling me, he can't fight?!"
: "Here we go, here we go, another battle. I wonder how many times the streamer will die before she can win this one."
However, the netizens were clearly mistaken, because there was no fight at all this time, let alone any combat mode.
---
Teyvat.
Seeing Lumine and Dain standing together, Malice did not foolishly charge in for a bloody fight.
The previous clash had given him a rough idea of Dain's strength; a fight would be very troublesome, not to mention Lumine also being there.
Moreover, fighting would not benefit him in any way; he just needed to show his face and then leave.
According to his set up , he was just such a monster.
Thinking this, Malice instantly transformed into a puff of black smoke, disappearing without a trace.
"What?"
Dain went to where Malice had disappeared and sensed carefully, but he found nothing, which truly annoyed him.
Paimon flew over: "Dain, what was that thing?"
"He is full of Abyssal energy, but I have never seen him during my fight against the Abyss. I'm sorry, I don't know much about him."
Lumine put away her longsword: "He escaped. I'm not sure if there will be any serious consequences. Dain, do you have a way to track him?"
With Malice having escaped, Lumine felt uneasy, always sensing that something bad might happen, which made her eager to find him and deal with him!
Dain shook his head.
This was also what he didn't understand. Logically, with so much Abyssal energy on him, he should have left some traces, however faint, after escaping.
But the anomaly was here: that guy seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace whatsoever!
"Even Dain can't track him..."
"Both of you... I have a conjecture that might help us find him..."
---
Mondstadt, Dragonspine.
The location of Durin's heart.
Malice reappeared here.
"Who's there?!"
The Fatui stationed here heard the commotion and all rushed over.
However, as soon as they arrived, they all collapsed, sleeping soundly.
Stepping closer to the seemingly beating heart, Malice forcefully plunged his hand into the heart. The Abyssal energy within his body rapidly surged into the heart, polluting the originally red heart until it was pitch black.
About ten minutes later, seeing Durin's heart slowly regain 'vitality', Malice stopped his actions.
Having consumed a large amount of Abyssal energy and his own essence, Malice was almost exhausted, transforming back into a puff of smoke and dissipating into the air.
To get enough emotional feedback, the scene must be grand.
Even for Malice, it was almost impossible to kill 'himself' right under the Anemo Archon's nose. Don't be fooled by Venti's seemingly lazy demeanor.
He's very powerful!
You should know there's a saying that if you stay in Mondstadt long enough, even a dog will bark:
"May the Anemo Archon protect you!"
---
Inside the Knights of Favonius Headquarters.
"Kaeya, what's the situation?"
"The trade routes have been blockaded, most of the Mondstadters who were outside have returned, and thanks to that person's intervention, the monster riot actually didn't cause much casualties. The Knights of Favonius have also garrisoned key passes and strategic locations, so the situation has temporarily stabilized."
"Good, you've worked hard. Go rest now."
Kaeya waved his hand: "No problem. Are there any clues about the monster riot?"
Jean looked at Lisa beside her.
Lisa: "No leads. Those extra monsters seem to have appeared out of thin air. Perhaps we can ask the astrologist living in Mondstadt."
Kaeya: "You mean Mona? I'll go now."
"Wait, Kaeya."
"What is it, Jean?"
"Just now, Klee went missing. I'll take care of finding Mona. You're more familiar with where Klee usually goes. Please, I'm counting on you."
This morning, many monsters suddenly appeared outside Mondstadt City, and they were extremely aggressive. After a day of busyness, by the time Jean realized it, Klee was already gone.
Mondstadt City had been blockaded, so Klee should be within the city, but Jean was still a bit worried.
Kaeya helplessly rubbed his forehead. That little girl, if she's found, she's getting a spanking.
.
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_