"This Barbatos… he's really quick to protect his own statue."
As Jiang Chen flew high into the sky, that thought crossed his mind.
The mysterious force that caused Stormterror's tornado to shift away from the Statue of the Anemo Archon was clearly the work of Barbatos, the Anemo Archon hiding in the shadows.
Jiang Chen flew straight into the tornado that had swept Lumine away.
An ordinary person entering such a tornado would be torn apart instantly.
But both of them were Anemo users, so they barely managed to protect themselves.
The black tornado carried them straight above the clouds.
The sudden transition from dark storm clouds to bright blue sky and white clouds made their eyes struggle to adjust.
With their Wind Gliders open, they slowly descended through the clouds.
"Jiang Chen, why did you fly in here?"
Lumine looked at him with bright, flowing eyes.
She had clearly seen him deliberately fly into the tornado earlier.
"I was worried something might happen to you."
Jiang Chen answered honestly.
"I told you to pay attention to your safety, didn't I?"
Lumine's cheeks reddened.
"I… got distracted and didn't run in time."
Jiang Chen was about to respond when his expression suddenly changed.
"It's coming!"
He wrapped an arm around Lumine's slender waist and flipped in midair.
Stormterror's massive jaws swept past them.
Its huge body rushed by, and the powerful wind currents sent them tumbling several times before they stabilized.
"You okay?"
Jiang Chen finally relaxed.
"Yes… I actually sensed it too."
Lumine said softly, her voice becoming shy.
She had originally intended to pull Jiang Chen away herself.
But her reaction hadn't been fast enough.
Now the situation had reversed—she was being carried in his arms like a princess.
"Lumine, your skirt flipped up!"
Paimon suddenly appeared and said.
"Ah!"
Lumine realized the wind had lifted her skirt, revealing a portion of her white thigh-high stockings and smooth thigh.
Thankfully she was wearing shorts underneath, but she still felt extremely embarrassed.
She hurriedly pulled her skirt down, her face bright red.
Paimon suddenly noticed something strange.
"Huh? Why aren't we falling?"
"Jiang Chen, can your Wind Glider just hover in midair like that?"
Paimon unintentionally helped Lumine escape the awkward moment.
"It is I who commands the thousand-year winds to support you… so that you will not fall."
"Now imagine gathering this wind and using it to pierce through the clouds."
A gentle voice echoed beside them.
It was a voice carried by the wind.
At the same time, a symbol of Anemo energy formed before them.
Jiang Chen felt he could control the symbol and condense the ancient winds into arrows of wind.
"Who said that?"
Paimon looked around for the owner of the voice.
"Barbatos."
Jiang Chen answered.
"The Anemo Archon?!"
Lumine looked surprised.
She hadn't expected to receive help from the god worshipped by Mondstadt.
"Lumine, you control it."
Jiang Chen let her hover in the air with her Wind Glider.
"What about you?"
"I'll try testing Stormterror."
Jiang Chen clenched his hand as if gripping something invisible.
Lumine didn't ask further.
She focused on controlling the wind arrows and fired them toward Stormterror.
With Barbatos' assistance, they were able to stay behind Stormterror, attacking repeatedly.
No matter how the dragon twisted through the sky, it couldn't find a good angle to strike them.
ROOOAR!
Stormterror's roar carried deep frustration.
Its hateful gaze turned toward both of them—and toward Barbatos.
Then it spread its wings and flew even higher into the sky.
"It's escaping!"
Lumine said.
"Yeah."
Jiang Chen had already understood the situation.
"Wind King Barrier!"
The moment he spoke, powerful Anemo energy erupted from his body.
His Wind Glider beat fiercely as he shot forward.
He rushed toward Stormterror at incredible speed.
The Wind King Barrier, which could even modify complex machines like motorcycles, was more than capable of enhancing a simple Wind Glider.
"Oh?"
Barbatos' voice carried a hint of surprise.
"He concentrates Anemo energy into a single point to release immense wind pressure and vacuum…"
"It both propels him forward and reduces air resistance."
"This speed is equivalent to repeatedly using acceleration wind rings in a short period."
"He can actually catch up to Dvalin."
"Is this the ability Boss Jiang Chen possesses?"
"What exactly does he plan to do?"
Barbatos grew interested.
"Boss Jiang Chen?"
Lumine immediately noticed something strange.
"It's understandable for Mondstadt's people to call him that…"
"But why is even the Anemo Archon calling him that?"
She quietly wondered.
"Wow! Jiang Chen is about to crash into Stormterror!"
Paimon shouted nervously.
High above the clouds—
Jiang Chen raised an invisible greatsword and smashed it toward the purple-red crystal on Stormterror's back.
BOOM!
The dragon, which had been flying upward, was struck hard and knocked downward.
It roared in pain and glanced back at Jiang Chen.
Then it flapped its wings and flew higher again, escaping.
Dvalin believed this was power granted by Barbatos to Jiang Chen.
It had no intention of continuing the fight.
"Tch."
Jiang Chen hovered in the air, slightly displeased.
His gaze turned toward several places in Mondstadt that were now glowing with mysterious light.
"The power of the Four Winds Temples is this strong?"
"I thought the world level was still low… and since Dvalin was fighting in enemy territory…"
"I might've had a chance to solve the problem directly."