Chapter 80: Duel with Venti?

Venti slowly emerged from the dense grass, gripping the Elegy for the End tightly, bowstring drawn taut, as if a single breath would loose a fatal arrow.

His braided hair radiated a dazzling teal glow—brighter than the moonlight itself.

Wind elemental energy surged around him like razor-sharp blades, swirling like a storm awaiting his command to shred the intruder into nothingness.

Glaring at the man before him, Venti's tone carried a blend of vigilance and warning.

"Who are you?! Why are you in Mondstadt!" His voice, amplified by the Anemo Archon's power, echoed with striking clarity and force.

The top-hatted man calmly adjusted his tie, his expression serene and unbothered, as if entirely indifferent to Venti's hostility.

"Hello, I'm an accountant. Just here to enjoy the scenery."

Before the last syllable fell, a deafening dragon's roar thundered from the sky.

Dvalin, the Stormterror, spiraled overhead, his massive silhouette blotting out the moonlight in an ominous eclipse.

"Stranger deity—leave Mondstadt!"

The man glanced up at Dvalin, observing for a moment before turning his gaze back to Venti.

"You should keep your pet on a leash."

Venti's face darkened immediately. His voice turned sharp. "My child needs no concern from some foreign god. What are you? A defeated war-god from another nation—or…"

He paused, eyes narrowing. "Or are you from the Abyss?"

The top-hatted man answered with unshaken composure: "No need for alarm. After all, this isn't our first meeting."

His tone was quiet, assured—like the calm center of a gathering storm.

Venti's eyes widened—struck like lightning by the realization. 'You're the one I couldn't perceive, no matter how I tried.'

The revelation hit hard. The man's presence alone was a disruption to everything Venti thought he understood.

The man sighed, almost wistfully. "Had I followed when he left, maybe you wouldn't have noticed me. As long as I remain near Shao Yun, no one else can see me."

That answer both solved and deepened the mystery.

Venti's voice took on a different timbre—less combative, more cautious. "You too… Are you from beyond the stars?"

But the man scoffed lightly, almost derisively. "You mistake a tattered curtain for the heavens. Tsk."

Venti blinked, silently chiding himself for even entertaining the notion.

Then he exhaled deeply, refocusing. "Who are you, really? Answer me."

The man turned his back to Venti, replying calmly, "I'm just an accountant. A simple one. I'm only here to admire this world's beauty."

But the glow on Venti's braid intensified. Winds gathered, roaring to life around him—like summoned soldiers awaiting the signal to charge.

He locked his gaze on the man's back, voice full of steel.

"I don't care if you're a god, an abyssal agent, or an outsider from beyond creation—you're the first being in five hundred years to force me to use my full strength."

The man merely nodded, face wistful.

"Five centuries… That's quite a stretch of time."

Venti wasted no more words. He spoke directly to Dvalin via windborne message. 'Dvalin, together. He must not remain in this world.'

The dragon's thunderous roar was his reply.

Together, Venti and Dvalin unleashed their full might. Two devastating gales tore through the air, capable of shearing mountains, aiming straight at the top-hatted man.

Dust exploded around them like a detonated battlefield.

Even a god-level being couldn't walk away from that unscathed—or so it should have been.

As the dust settled, the man stood exactly where he had been. Unharmed. Untouched. As though their combined assault had never reached him.

He inhaled the fresh air slowly. Then, his neck twisted at an inhuman angle as he looked back at Venti—eyes filled with playful malice.

"You and your pet… Got that minty breath thing going on. Mouthwash?" he asked dryly, smirking.

Venti and Dvalin exchanged glances. Both saw the same unease mirrored in the other's eyes.

The man wasn't just powerful—he was untouchable.

Venti struggled to steady himself, voice rising: "You're not afraid this world's will shall erase you?"

But the man only chuckled softly. Turning forward again, he walked into the grass.

"Do you have anything else? I'd like to enjoy the view."

Venti gritted his teeth, shouted after him: "I don't care what your plan is. If you threaten Mondstadt—I will destroy you!"

"I'll look forward to that. But Mondstadt's fate? It doesn't lie with me."

And with that cryptic remark, the man vanished.

Venti stood in place, mind racing. 'If not him… then—Shao Yun?'

He sighed. 'Dvalin, go rest. Sorry to trouble you.'

The dragon departed. Venti glanced at Scrooge's corpse… then dissipated into the wind.

…

[You've received: Schofield Revolver ?, Schofield Revolver ?]

[Cowboy Revolver updated: Cowboy Revolver ?/? (Blessing of the Goat)]

"Blessing of the Goat, my ass—it's the devil's curse!"

…

Shao Yun galloped back toward Mondstadt, hooves pounding like war drums in the night.

Suddenly, a figure emerged ahead.

He yanked the reins—his horse reared, whinnying sharply before halting.

It was Venti, standing calmly in the moonlit road, smiling in that usual ambiguous way.

Shao Yun frowned. "Venti? What are you doing here?"

Venti walked closer, smiling. "Seeing you off, Shao Yun."

Shao Yun's gut twisted. "You're not acting like yourself. What's going on? Why now, of all times?"

Venti's eyes held something strange—something darker. "I came to send you off myself."

Shao Yun's horse stepped nervously. He gripped the reins, calming it.

Then his eyes sharpened. "You met him, didn't you?"

Venti nodded. "I did."

Shao Yun stepped forward, voice pleading. "Venti, don't let him cloud your mind. He's a devil—you can't let him win."

Venti shook his head. "I know what I'm doing. You'd give everything for Lumine—I'd give everything for Mondstadt."

Shao Yun clenched his fists. This devil was too dangerous—it had even gotten to Venti.

"Venti, I've only helped you. I never meant harm. I drank with you, I fought beside you, I—"

"Which is why I'll be the one to send you off," Venti cut in, eyes full of sorrow.

Shao Yun smiled bitterly. "Alright then, let me see the true power of the Wind God."

He dismounted, stuffed chew tobacco between his teeth, and breathed in deeply. A calm focus settled over him.

He adjusted his Dead-Eye—everything slowed.

Venti drew Elegy for the End, glowing with holy power.

"Show me what you've got."

[You have accepted a duel with Venti.]

The wind howled. The duel began.

Shao Yun's perception sharpened—every movement, every sound magnified. His Vision flared. He drew his revolver.

Bang!

The bullet, infused with fire, cut through the air.

Venti unleashed a slicing wind blade in return—an unstoppable tempest.

They collided mid-air—blinding light erupted.

But Shao Yun's bullet broke through, piercing Venti's side.

The braid's glow vanished. The bow dropped.

Venti looked down at the wound in his chest. Then up at Shao Yun—with a soft smile.

"You win."

He collapsed gently, like falling into a peaceful dream.

But Shao Yun frowned. 'No way you're dead. I didn't hit anything vital.'

He waited ten… twenty… thirty minutes.

Venti didn't move.

Finally, Shao Yun snapped: "Quit playing! I know you're not dead—get up already!"