God of Destruction: Living Among Mortals

Nova's mind raced as the fireball ignited the shop further, licking every single atom, the heat pressing in tightly. The fire manipulator on the rooftop kept his rhythm, his hands reignited with fire as he summoned another fireball, with very good precision.

The blast shook the ground, sending debris flying and igniting small fires around the front of the store. Nova pressed his back against the pillar, as if trying to hold the pillar down. Sweat dripped from his body, though it was not a lot.

He counted silently, five, four, three, another explosion rocked the floor, splintering wood and scattering dumplings across the floor.

He couldn't stay pinned down. The four guys through the door, underneath the fire manipulator, were moving, their shadows shifting silently, in the little light they had. The seated one lifted his head slightly, his calm demeanor cracking into a smirk, as if he knew the chaos was unfolding just as he had planned.

The lackeys smirked as well, gripping their weapons tighter, waiting for their turn to come; the bloodlust was clearly visible on their faces.

Nova used his ability, Doomwrithe Apex, summoning two entropy daggers, which glowed with a red-black aura. He gripped the daggers tightly, still thinking of a way to distract the fire manipulator, his mind racing, calculating everything.

He needed a distraction, and spotting a loose chunk of brick from the wall, he grabbed it, his muscles coiling like a spring. He waited for the next fireball, two seconds after a fireball hit nearby, scorching the counter further.

With a grunt, he threw a brick toward the rooftop, aiming for the manipulator's head. It arched high, clattering against the edge of the building, forcing the man to glance down for a split second. His rhythm broke, his hands vanishing the fireball.

Then, Nova burst from cover, his legs pumping as he sprinted into the open street. The manipulator's eyes locked onto him, widening in surprise. Nova leaped, using a parked scooter as a launchpad, propelling himself upward toward the rooftop.

His daggers flashed, ready to carve two scars on the fire manipulator's face. The distance closed, ten meters, five, the manipulator recovered fast, flames igniting in his palms quicker than before. A fireball formed, larger and hotter, thrown straight at Nova's chest.

Time slowed as Nova twisted in the air, but he had no leverage, no way to fully dodge. The fireball hurtled toward him, the heat scorching his face, the air vibrating around it. He raised his daggers to block, but it was too late; the impact would shatter him.

"No," he muttered, bracing for the burn. "Not like this. I can't give up now."

A blurred shot from the shop. Elesch, in her adult form, leaped out, her hand outstretched. "Nova, watch out!"

But she didn't stop. Her void ability activated, a thin, paper-like, black sheet of the Void forming at her palm as she intercepted the fireball. She timed it near-perfectly, her touch erasing half the flames in the Void sheet, the energy vanishing into nothingness.

But the other half slammed into her side, exploding against her ribs with a thunderous crack. She screamed, her body twisting as flames burned her skin, throwing her backward like a rag doll.

"Elesch, no! Get back, don't!" Nova yelled, his voice cracking with fear, his heart slamming in his chest like a warm drum.

Panic flooded him, like Chernobyl, his eyes wide as he watched her defy him, her small frame throwing itself into danger all to protect her big brother. It tore him, the sight of her risking her newly found life, her innocence clashing with the brutal reality.

She hit the ground stridently, rolling into the street, smoke rising from her burned clothes. Her eyes fluttered, then closed, her body going limp. Unconscious, breaths swallow.

Nova landed awkwardly on the rooftop edge, rage igniting like a supernova. He leapt down faster than a fireball, pulling Elesch's body behind the counter with a desperate yank, shielding her from the next incoming blast.

Li helped drag her, eyes wide in shock. Nova knelt beside her, checking her pulse, weak but still alive. Flames burned in his veins, not from power, but with something primal, beyond just typical chaos.

"Elesch, I will avenge you," he growled, voice low and thunderous, knitted with fury that shook his core. "That bastard will pay for every burn, every scar. I'll tear him apart, make him beg before I end it. I'll make it a slow, hideous death. I promise you, El."

His fists clenched, knuckles white, the promise burning into his soul like a brand.

The manipulator didn't let go. Another fireball hurled towards him, pounding the shop's front, forcing Nova to dodge shards of glass. He darted low, using the counter as cover, his mind sharpening into a blade.

He cracked his neck, rolled his shoulders, back then looked at Li, who nodded at him, looking over Elesch, until Nova was done with the fight.

His eyes weren't wide; they were serious, burning with primordial rage, something that he had only experienced when he was fighting ___. He rolled towards a pillar, as another fireball scorched the store. The store was breaking down every second, not as much as if it were an American store.

He waited for another two fireballs to hurdle before throwing a rock in the air, which the fire manipulator fell for again, then took Li and Elesch to another location, the store next door, as Li's story was burning passionately.

He quickly took them, breaking through the door, and placed them behind two shelves, then shut the door, as the fire manipulator snapped out, scorching the store even brighter, until the store fully collapsed. He laughed stridently, almost gutturally, jumping from the street to check the damage.

He went inside the collapsed store, just to find anything inside, as he felt an immense aura right behind him. He turned back to see no one, then his neck hair tingled again, and he blasted through the large chunks of rocks, just to find blank.