The roar of azure lightning, the flash of electricity piercing through the concrete of the abandoned street, the reinforced concrete walls crumbling as easily as tofu. The enchanting blood-red flames, like the karmic fire of hell, burned everything they touched. A single spark landing on a nearby utility pole instantly melted its metal casing, even exposing the copper wires within.
One after another, abandoned buildings collapsed like rotten wood, the sound of their fall drowned out by the thunder and the explosions of flame… This was a battle between gods.
"Whoa! Why did those two suddenly start fighting?!" Kiana clutched her head, rubbing the large bump she had gotten from a flying rock while retreating, her expression annoyed.
"They're gods, after all. It's normal for their way of thinking to be a bit off, right?!" Li Xuan said quite calmly. The flying rocks and dust created by Sol and Lucian were deflected by an invisible shield as they approached him.
"…That actually makes a lot of sense," the disheveled Kiana said, looking at the spotless Li Xuan with envy. She felt an urge to go over and rip his clothes off.
…
"My flat chest… no, the glory of the Aesir will not be defiled by demons! In the name of my lord, Thor, I shall deliver the thunder of judgment!" Sol said with a straight face, swinging her giant hammer. The hammer came crashing down, bringing with it a bolt of blue lightning from the sky. The dazzling light was so bright it was impossible to open one's eyes.
"Such a dim light is like that of a firefly against the thousand-year curse of my clan…" Lucian, bathed in the brilliant lightning, said with a voice tinged with both sorrow and disdain. She was completely unfazed by the light that had blinded Li Xuan and the others, the blood-flames surrounding her hands burning fiercely, holding the lightning at bay.
"Damn it! Why isn't my power still not enough?!" Sol grumbled in frustration as she found herself locked in a stalemate with Lucian.
"Hmph, a false god can naturally not defeat the Night Clan…" Lucian said proudly, continuously blocking Sol's attacks.
From a safe distance, Mei said to Kiana, "Kiana, they both came from your weapons. Can't you stop their fight? If this continues, they might destroy all of Nagazora City." Mei's face was filled with worry.
"Uh… I…" Kiana glanced at the center of the now-ruined street where the two girls were fighting fiercely and swallowed nervously. Getting close would definitely be fatal, right?! Kiana, who usually courted death unconsciously, had no intention of actually seeking it out.
"Bronya calculates a ten percent chance of Kiana stopping them… and a ninety percent chance of being injured or killed by the aftershocks…" Bronya said seriously.
"What?! How could I die? I have protagonist plot armor!" Kiana said, puffing out her chest with a proud expression. "Just watch…"
…
"So you're just going to use me as a shield?!" Li Xuan, holding the 'Stone of Stellar Resonance,' looked speechlessly at Kiana, who was hiding behind him and clutching his clothes.
"Ahem… well, I have no choice," Kiana said in a flirtatious, high-pitched voice, which thoroughly disgusted Li Xuan, who was used to her usual boisterous self. It was like a critical hit to his mind and soul.
"Don't worry. If you help me this time, I'll treat you to my special reserve of potato chips that I just opened a few days ago," Kiana said with the air of a big sister, which surprised Li Xuan. He hadn't thought Kiana knew how to win people over; he had always thought she was just a clueless, arrogant young lady. But… What's with the chips that have been open for a few days?! Is that something you treat someone to?! And wait, didn't I give you that bag of chips in the first place?!
Li Xuan was speechless. The table of his mind had already been flipped over. The corners of his mouth twitched, but in the end, he didn't say anything.
"Calm down, you two!" Kiana shouted from behind Li Xuan, her hands cupped around her mouth, toward the two girls facing off in the center of the ruins.
"Don't stop me! This one reeks of evil! She must be a demon sent by Loki!" Sol waved them away impatiently. However, in her peripheral vision, she noticed the 'Stone of Stellar Resonance' in Li Xuan's hand.
"Do not compare me to such a lowly creature. I am of the noble Night Clan!" Lucian said angrily, hearing Sol's words.
Hey! That thing, why does it make me feel a desire to have it? As if I could get stronger, strong enough to defeat this demon vampire in front of me… Sol thought, her eyes drawn to the 'Stone of Stellar Resonance' after just a glance.
"Kid! Let me see that stone in your hand…" Sol held out her hand to Li Xuan.
"Don't even think about it!" Before Li Xuan could answer, Lucian suddenly charged forward again, her hands manipulating the blood-flames as she engaged Sol in battle once more.
"Damn it, demon! Taste my hammer!" Sol, having been sneak-attacked, raised her delicate eyebrows and lifted her giant hammer, swinging it at Lucian.
"Whoa!! What do we do now?! Do we have to wait until they're both exhausted?!" Kiana shouted from behind Li Xuan, dodging the flying debris.
Heh, wait until they're exhausted? Nagazora City would probably be half gone by then.
"…" So this is the divine war caused by a stone, Li Xuan thought, looking down at the 'Stone of Stellar Resonance' with a complex feeling.