As Paimon stood there voicing her grievances, the four members of the Knights of Favonius nearby fully understood what had just happened.
Realizing that their own Archon could be so utterly shameless, they felt a bit embarrassed.
Diluc wore a sullen face, indicating he had nothing to say; Lisa crossed her arms, having no intention of offering an opinion; and even if Jean wanted to say something at that moment, she had no idea how to smooth things over.
It was the cunning Kaeya who finally smiled:
"My, I never expected our Lord Anemo Archon to have this kind of personality.
I really worry about the future of Mondstadt..."
Ah, a direct jab dripping with sarcasm—truly Kaeya's style.
Yet this lack of favoritism genuinely vented Paimon's frustration, and she couldn't help chiming in repeatedly:
"Exactly, exactly! I really worry about the future of Mondstadt!"
Venti simply scratched his head and gave an awkward smile.
Shaking his head, Guchen took the initiative to step forward:
"All right, the pre-battle relaxation session ends here. It's time to get serious.
First of all, how are we going to get through this layer of Wind Barrier?"
"Isn't that simple?"
Paimon gestured with her little finger as she pointed around:
"Can't Venti just dismiss it?"
Guchen shook his head again:
"That won't do. If we dismiss it entirely, what happens if the maddened wolves inside run out and hurt people?
Venti, can you control the Wind Barrier and open just a single opening right in front of us?"
Venti smiled genially:
"My, while that is a bit difficult for me, it's not entirely impossible, you know."
As he spoke, Venti lifted his lyre:
"Next, the best bard in the world shall play his melody..."
Right under everyone's gaze, Venti plucked a few crisp notes on his lyre.
The crisp notes transformed into Anemo energy, attaching themselves to the Wind Barrier before them.
The Wind Barrier indeed parted to form a doorway just large enough for a few people to pass through.
Without a word, the group hurried through, thus entering Wolvendom.
The moment they stepped inside, Diluc's brow furrowed:
"Something's wrong—the aura here is off!"
Guchen twitched his nose:
"The air is permeated with the stench of the Abyss. I'm afraid the entirety of Wolvendom is gradually being tainted by it."
At this, Guchen cast a deliberate glance at Venti:
"No wonder you used the Wind Barrier to seal off the whole of Wolvendom right from the start.
If you let these dense abyssal energies continue to spread, I'm afraid it would trigger a disaster far worse than any plague."
Venti merely smiled and said nothing.
Suddenly, Lisa produced her catalyst, looked ahead in battle-ready posture, and warned her companions:
"Everyone, be careful! The enemy is approaching!"
Sure enough, they could already hear the sound of rapid running drawing near from a distance.
That chaotic aura grew closer and closer; no doubt the entities of Wolvendom had discovered their intrusion.
Seconds later, massive packs of wolves emerged among the trees!
Every single one of these wolves bared their fangs with glowing red eyes, their bodies wreathed in an ominous black aura, instantly surrounding the group completely.
Not just ordinary wolves—closely following them came a staggeringly large number of Rifthound Whelps and Rifthounds!
Seeing this massive crowd of obnoxious bleed-dogs, Guchen felt a sympathetic twinge in his liver and a visceral disgust welling up from within.
Kaeya gripped the sword in his hand, cold sweat beading on his forehead:
"A pack of wolves this huge is one thing, but what are these floating monsters? I've never seen them before!"
Jean also gripped her sword, her caution absolute:
"They are monsters from the Abyss—Rifthounds and Rifthound Whelps. I've heard the Grand Master Varka mention them!
Everyone, be careful! These monsters are said to be exceptionally difficult to deal with!"
No sooner had Jean finished speaking than the vast horde of Rifthounds and Rifthound Whelps, accompanied by the massive, chaotic wolf pack, lunged forward all at once!
Goodness gracious, the sight of so many monsters pouncing simultaneously truly had an air that blotted out the sky!
The members of the Knights of Favonius felt their nerves stretch to the absolute limit!
They had truly never encountered such a dire situation, nor had they expected to face such terrifying danger the moment they stepped into Wolvendom!
At this critical juncture, Guchen stepped up.
He stood before the group, a brilliant light radiating from his palms, and pushed forward, activating the Barrier of Light!
Like the swirling of azure ripples, a dazzling yet stable barrier of light protected everyone before them!
Whether it was the ordinary wolves or the terrifying Rifthounds and Rifthound Whelps, every single one of them was intercepted.
These monsters crashed against the Barrier of Light and could advance not an inch further.
Griping their respective weapons, the others watched this scene, too stunned and tense to even breathe properly.
Clearly this enchanting blue Barrier of Light looked thin, yet it completely blocked the onslaught of so many monsters!
It was simply unbelievable.
Paimon was overjoyed, hiding in the middle of the group:
"Guchen, is this one of the new tricks you learned?"
Maintaining the Barrier of Light with one hand, Guchen looked back and smiled:
"That's right. Pretty cool, isn't it?"
Paimon excitedly stomped her feet, clenched her fists, and wriggled her hips mid-air:
"So cool, so cool!"
Guchen smiled with satisfaction.
Having Paimon as a companion by his side had one major benefit: she provided emotional value 24/7.
In other words, she was a fantastic hype-woman!
Then Paimon excitedly pressed on:
"What about the other trick? The other trick?"
Unflustered, Guchen walked forward:
"You'll get to witness it in just a moment..."
As he pushed the barrier forward, the maneuvering space for the others behind him expanded as well.
The wolf packs and Rifthounds still crazily assaulting the front were inevitably pushed backward by the barrier!
Guchen pressed steadily forward in this manner, and no matter how frenzied the front-line wolf packs and monsters were, they could not halt his advance.
Protected behind Guchen, the rest of the group felt an unprecedented sense of security.
Watching Guchen's back, Venti felt almost dazed.
This... looked just like the shielding Jade Shield Morax used for defense.
Back in the war that destroyed Khaenri'ah, Morax had done precisely this.
He alone, using a single hand, pushed the Jade Shield at the very front; no matter what attacks came, it could block them all, leaving the other gods behind him free to deal out damage.
In a word: peace of mind!
Yet Guchen could do more than just bring people peace of mind—he had offensive power, too.
At that very moment, the Rifthounds frantically attacking and tearing at the barrier with their claws finally snapped.
They were bewildered, too.
Normally, this pair of sharp claws could even tear the void itself apart; why couldn't they break through this thin barrier?
Grown desperate, the Rifthounds and Rifthound Whelps launched an Elemental Energy attack simultaneously!
Massive waves of Electro attacks and Geo attacks came crashing down like a concentrated bombardment, overwhelming them from every direction!
Seeing this, a sharp gleam flashed in Guchen's eyes:
"Right on time!"
The terrifying concentrated attack slammed viciously into the Barrier of Light!
With a deafening roar that practically shook the earth, the ground beneath everyone's feet quaked and trembled!
Yet Guchen, holding the Barrier of Light aloft with both hands, remained utterly unfazed, successfully defending against this terrifying barrage.
Not only that, but taking advantage of the automatic rebound tendency triggered when the Barrier of Light took damage, he pressed forward fiercely:
"Ultra Psychokinesis!"