God of Destruction: Living Among Mortals

Nova knelt on one knee, panting out of his mind, as the corpse of the fire manipulator vaporized by the intense heat, which also vanished after another minute. His eyes were wild, he smiled, then a low chuckle escaped him.

He looked up, resting his head back, closing his eyes, smiling even wider and brighter, as he lost consciousness for a second. Then, gritting his teeth, he realized that there were still three more lackeys and a boss monster to take care of. He slowly got up, trembling in every single twitch that his body produced.

Then, exhaled through his mouth, chest rising, and then tried to switch back to his nose, but he was too exhausted to be able to inhale and exhale from his nose. He lifted his dagger until it was completely horizontal, and facing the three lackeys and the boss.

The boss smirked at him, thinking he was arrogant enough to challenge. But before he would fight, he sent his three lackeys to take over, testing how far Nova would push himself to keep the other two fragile mortals safe.

The three lackeys stepped out, as Nova put his dagger to the side, smirking at them weakly. Closing one eye, feeling it overheat, one of the lackeys closed the gap between them. He used his dagger to effectively remove the lackey from existence.

The other two laughed as their dead comrade was beheaded in front of them. The one who had a bat cracked his neck as he lifted his hands, summoning tree roots from the ground, trapping Nova. Nova used his daggers to carve himself out, then lunged at the one who summoned the roots, but was then hit by water.

The one with the knife was a water manipulator, so he summoned a large chunk of water, engulfing Nova and pressing him against the wall. Nova fell to the ground, sprawled wildly, as the two walked to him. His daggers vanished, as he had no mana left and no energy, then a knife plunged into his back, the lackey slowly moving it down, dealing colossal amounts of pain to Nova, who fainted.

But just as they were about to kill him off, a faint light erupted, exactly like a laser. Nova was no longer sprawled against the floor, but instead with Li and Elesch, all covered in mini light shields.

Then, in the blink of an eye, a woman appeared. She had blond hair, about five feet five inches. She looked young, even though she was in her mid-thirties, her lips curling into a menacing smile.

She summoned a razor-thin light blade that radiated with a powerful light that cut through the alley's darkness. She stepped once, the world frozen, then in the next nanosecond, she was behind them. They didn't move, they didn't even twitch an atom. They just collapsed, blood leaking on the floor, as they died.

The boss's laugh echoed through the alley as he came onto the road. The woman's face twitched as her smile faded into seriousness. Her eyes narrowed, lips neutralized.

Her eyes stayed locked on him, steady as a sniper. Her blade of light shimmered one last time before dissolving back into nothing, leaving only the faint glow of her aura.

The boss's boots echoed against the pavement as he stepped forward, his arm loose, shoulders relaxed, as though none of the corpses on the ground were worth a second glance. His lackeys were like use and throw.

"Didn't expect you here, Hana," Cain said, his voice smooth but carrying an edge, as if he was more entertained than threatened. "You don't usually get your hands dirty, especially to take out a few lackeys."

Hana tilted her head slightly, her mouth twitching. "You think you're worth me getting my hands dirty? she replied flatly, her voice laced with sarcasm. "Cain, don't flatter yourself."

He chuckled, shaking his head once, eyes narrowing. "Then why? Why show up here of all places? You could've let your little shield trick run its course. But no... You decided to step in."

She crossed her arms, her expression cold, as he replied, "I came because I am done letting you people spill into the streets unchecked. TNT thinks it can keep using the front line, planting rats wherever it pleases. But you're not slipping past me anymore. Not today."

Cain smirked, tilting his head back as if he'd just heard a joke only he understood. "So it's official then," he said. "Hana, the Saint, finally admits she's running interference."

"Call it what you want." Her eyes hardened, voice steady. "I'm here for your criminal ass. You've burned through enough lives, enough ground. This is where it stops."

"You talk like you can cut off TNT with a single stroke," he said, as he let the words hang, his smile slowly fading into something sharper. "But you and I both know, the network runs deeper than your reach. You kill lackeys. You shield stragglers. That's not shutting down the line. That's just..." he paused, his smile returning. "Patchwork."

"And yet, here you are." Hana's gaze didn't flicker, not even for a second. "Out in the open. Laughing, strutting, acting untouchable while you bleed soldiers in alleys like this. TNT's strength isn't limitless, Cain. You make noise, but noise doesn't win wars."

Cain's smile turned into a smirk, smaller and more calculated. "So, this is personal for you then. All that righteous talk—" he pointed lightly at her chest with two fingers, grinning, then said something even more personal. "—but underneath, you're here because you want to see me fall. And I thought we had a connection. A very deep connection."

Cain was talking about how he and Hana had known each other since childhood, best friends turned to lovers, and even having a child together, when they were both twenty-four. Both of them were treated as geniuses. But Cain turned evil in 2019, the same year that his daughter was born. But he and Hana still have feelings for each other, and are also technically still married, living in the same house.

"In another life," he said, voice tender and smooth, coming close to Hana, who didn't summon her weapons, kissing her on the lips, then saying. "Maybe we would've done it your way." There was a hint of sadness, as if he regretted his decision, but couldn't back down now.

And in the blink of an eye, he was gone, leaving Hana as she touched her lips, looking down, as a tear betrayed her.