Chapter 16: Sky Egg Incident (2)

"Levitate!" Yuki's voice rang out as he released Shoto and Momo from his grasp. In an instant Shoto and Momo were enveloped in the effects of his spell, their bodies defying gravity's pull. The air around them seemed to shift as they gained the ability to navigate the skies, even if their control was limited to vertical movement. Yet, for Shoto and Momo, this new skill was a lifeline, a chance to aid their friend and make a stand against the impending chaos.

With a determined glance, Yuki conveyed his plan to his friends. "I'll handle the remaining bombers," he declared, his voice resolute and unwavering. The urgency of the situation pushed them into swift action, and Yuki wasted no time. Turning to Shoto and Momo, he urged. "Help me where you can."

Upon seeing them nod, Yuki surged forward, his enhanced speed propelling him through the air like an arrow aimed at its target. Every second counted, every movement calculated. His eyes never wavered from the looming threat ahead, the remaining bombers that sought to wreak havoc on the Sky Egg.

Momo's mind was a whirlwind of amazement and urgency, her ability to levitate sending shockwaves through her perception of reality. As the wind tousled her hair and the city's panorama unfolded beneath her, she needed a moment to steady herself, to ground her thoughts amidst the chaotic scene.

In the span of a heartbeat, Momo's initial impulse to scold Yuki was quashed by the gravity of their predicament. Even if she would have tried to scold him, Yuki was no longer there to hear it.

Shoto, on the other hand, already thought Yuki would do something like this. The sensation of levitation was familiar to him, a result of their previous training sessions.

"Momo," Shoto called, his voice firm but reassuring, "you can control your levitation to some extent. Focus on where you want to move." His words were a lifeline, pulling Momo back from the edge of uncertainty. There was no room for doubt now. The exhilaration of the moment was matched only by the gravity of the task at hand.

Momo absorbed his instructions, her mind quickly processing the mechanics of their newfound skill. With his guidance, she began to focus, successfully moving upwards.

"Use your quirk to create something to propel us forward," Shoto continued. "We need to reach those bombers before they can do any more damage."

Momo's mind raced, spurred by urgency and the need for swift action. In a matter of seconds, she envisioned a solution. She needed something that would provide controlled propulsion, a way to effectively grant their levitation forward momentum.

In her mind, she envisioned the molecular structure of a glider wing, visualizing its intricate composition. Her quirk thrummed to life, responding to her understanding, as her skin shimmered with a multitude of colors.

Two Glider Wings took shape, of which she handed one to Shoto. As the glider wings found their way into their respective hands, they equipped them. The wings allowed them to glide forward, while their levitation allowed them to change heights.

Yuki surged through the sky with unrestrained velocity. While still flying he invoked his magic, "Shift," he said.

In the blink of an eye, Yuki vanished from his trajectory, only to reappear directly ahead of one of the bombers. A split second before impact, he thrust his body forward with unrelenting force, channeling the speed of his flight into the bomber's path. The collision was like lightning striking, that resulted in the complete disruption of the enemies formation.

The explosive impact sent shockwaves through the air, causing chaos among the once-coordinated bombers. The targeted bomber flew off-course, its trajectory altered by the unexpected intervention.

Next the affected bomber collided with another, taking it with him. In a tumultuous whirl of motion, the two bombers spiraled through the skies. Amidst the upheaval, the combined momentum of the two bombers threatened to spiral them into an uncontrollable descent. But then the flaps of their wings acted as the catalysts for a desperate reversal, resulting in them once again changing direction.

The two bombers, now recognizing Yuki as their adversary, hurtled through the sky with unbridled speed. Their determination to eliminate him and proceed with their sinister mission was obvious.

As the bombers closed in, Yuki's mind raced, driven by a surge of anticipation. This was the moment he had been waiting for, a chance to unleash his full power. Amidst the escalating chaos, a thought ignited within him.

"I've always wanted to try this," Yuki says to himself, as begins to charge his strongest attack. Elementals were forcefully extracted from his body, compressed, condensed, compacted and glowing, manifested themselves in Yuki's hands as a swaying, amorphous lance.

Without a doubt, this is the manifestation of a Heavenly Smite, the strongest and only named attack of the Flügel. For the very first time, Yuki uses this attack in the heat of battle. Yet, amidst the awe of such power, an echo of frustration reverberates within him. 'Is this truly the pinnacle of its strength?' he contemplates, the Heavenly Smite now having reached the limit Yuki is capable of creating without harming himself.

Having fully charged it, Yuki releases it with unbridled precision. The two encroaching bombers, their menacing advance a mere blur in comparison, find themselves squarely in the crosshairs of his Heavenly Smite.

BOOOOM!!! The world convulses as a colossal explosion erupts. In the heart of Tokyo, a searing burst of light momentarily banishes the darkness of the night, imprinting its brilliance across the city's landscape. Yet, the grim realization hits Yuki in its wake, had this cataclysmic force been unleashed at a different altitude, devastation on a scale unimaginable could have been wrought.

Yet, a silent gratitude pervaded Yuki's consciousness, a silent acknowledgment of his fortuitous position. The Sky Egg is the highest location in the vicinity and they were high enough up in the air so that aside from a sudden flash of light that only lasted for an instant nothing else happened.

The explosion was so grandiose that it invoked a sense of déjà vu for some, invoking recollections of the earth-shattering nuclear events that they only knew from the internet when viewing this nation's history. Although these events happened hundreds of years ago, the average Japanese still learns about the devastation it caused until now.

In hushed trepidation, they braced for a wave of devastation. Their minds veered toward apocalyptic scenarios, dreading the impending shockwave that would soon reverberate through their city.

Yet, as the infernal luminance subsided, an unforeseen calmness pervaded the atmosphere. Contrary to their expectations, the cityscape remained unscathed.

The reason lies in the nature of Yuki's Heavenly Smite, which is a magical construct untouched by the shackles of physical laws. Within the crucible of its detonation, the very fabric of reality buckled and bent, yet its impact yielded no discernible alteration to the surroundings. Such is the inexplicable essence of Flügel magic, nonsensical that can not be explained with reason.

Immersed within the heart of the explosion, the two bombers found themselves instantaneously consigned to oblivion, their corporeal forms obliterated by the Heavenly Smite. Shards of their once-vital integuments were cast asunder in a frenzied way, disintegrated into the void.

In the aftermath of the Heavenly Smite's discharge, the villains met annihilation in its purest form, every vestige of their existence vanishing without trace, not even a single threat of hair overcoming the impact.

Amid the dissipating echoes of the cataclysmic display, an introspective notion cascaded through Yuki's mind like a dissonant refrain. 'I thought it would be stronger, looks like that shitty 'god' truly did something like seal my potential' he mused, while thinking of the No Game No Life movie he watched in his previous life. There Jibril also once used Heavenly Smite, but compared to his, hers was many times larger and stronger.

Following this comparison, an acknowledgment resounded. "Mine, in contrast, appears as nothing more than a mere party trick." Yuki said in a low voice.

In another sector of the battlefield, Shoto and Momo engaged in pursuit of a different assailant. Their relentless chase carried them to a rooftop. "It has taken refuge on the roof," Shoto announced.

"Grr," emanated from the villainous figure. Swiftly arcs of lightning surged forth, a torrent of sparks deliberately aimed to disrupt the electromagnetic integrity of the towering Sky Egg. An instantaneous blackout ensued, enveloping the building in a darkness. This particular bomber was an EMP-Bomber.

With a decisive intent, Shoto executed a controlled descent, landing deftly upon the building's surface. Swiftly, his quirk surged forth, channeling frigid power towards the lurking EMP-Bomber. In an instant, the assailant's legs became ensnared in a lattice of ice, restricting its mobility and halting its potential to sow further chaos.

Meanwhile, Momo remained acutely focused even as she maintained her aerial advantage. She conjured forth an array of knives. Aiming from her elevated position, she unleashed this arsenal with a precision that spoke volumes. The glinting blades rocketed towards their target, further propelled gravity's pull. As the knives found their mark, a sound of impact reverberated, inflicting substantial damage upon the bomber.

Seizing the opportune moment, Shoto's ice forged an unyielding embrace around the incapacitated EMP-Bomber. A stillness settled over the once-menacing figure, now encapsulated in a block of ice. Their plan was to hand over the now firmly restrained bomber to the heroes.

"Could you lend me a hand?" The words, tinged with a trace of embarrassment, escaped Shoto's lips as necessity took precedence over his pride. His earlier descent had deactivated Yuki's levitation spell, leaving him perched within the towering confines of the building, hundreds of meters aloft, with no avenue of egress. Thus, a reluctant request was extended to Momo, who never landed and whose levitation therefore still granted her the ability to fly.

Determined as she was, Momo's initial attempt to liftShoto was met with an unexpected challenge. His weight, formidable beneath his unassuming exterior, posed an unforeseen hurdle. With a blend of perseverance and subtle strain, Momo overcame this hurdle, eventually achieving her goal of lifting Shoto.

Each step in the process had demanded a concentrated effort, Momo's features alternating between a resolute expression and the fleeting creases of exertion.

And so, the spectacle unfolded before the unblinking gaze of any observers present. Here was a young woman, her delicate frame challenged by the task at hand, carrying a figure that, in contrast, exhibited an unassumingly sturdy build. The incongruity of their roles and the unexpected scene they created etched itself into the memories of any fortunate enough to bear witness.

The fifth and final bomber was dealt with by Captain Celebrity. This last bomber was created to fight Captain Celebrity, so its main target was the American hero from the start.

Meanwhile, Yuki's gaze shifted from the immediate battlefield to the sprawling cityscape beyond. His keen eyes discerned a figure that stood apart from the rest, observing the chaos through the focused lens of binoculars. A name, "Number 6," surfaced in Yuki's memory, a fragment of knowledge he once read in the manga he had immersed himself in. Yuki remembered this guy in particular because he thought that the man's face seemed to mimic the archetypal protagonists from the Chinese cultivation manhuas.

In that moment, Yuki's resolve surged, an urge to propel himself towards the mysterious figure with the binoculars. But as his determination solidified, fate interceded in the form of Lady Nagant. Before Yuki's forward momentum could fully take hold her voice reached him with an undeniable directive.

"Enough fun, Master Takehara is awaiting you," she declared.

The word "Shift" fell from Yuki's lips like a catalyst of transformation. In the wake of its utterance, reality itself seemed to warp and twist, propelling him across the intervening space to stand before the figure with binoculars.

However, before Yuki could unfurl his intentions, fate's unseen hand interceded once more. The sound of a gunshot could be heard and the suspicious looking man had been shot by another person.

'This is the perfect opportunity to acquire an excuse,' Yuki thought. With the battlefield swirling around him, he saw a path toward a justifiable rationale for his impulsive actions. In his thoughts, the scheme crystallized, capturing the observer to quell his father's discontent and grant himself a semblance of legitimacy.

As Yuki wanted to engage Number 6 in a battle the stage was invaded once again. Yuki's confrontation with Number 6 was abruptly interrupted by the arrival of Lady Nagant before it could even begin. Nonetheless her presence could not deter him from his newfound resolve.

In a quick maneuver, Lady Nagant seized control of the situation. Her capable hands grasped the two central figures of the chaos, Yuki and Number 6, as her artificial teleportation quirk teleported them away from the chaotic scene. Her actions mirrored that of a diligent worker deferring to their superior, opting to entrust the resolution of this chaotic affair to someone with higher authority.

As the fabric of space knit itself back together, the trio reappeared in the presence of Shinji Takehara. A storm of reprimand awaited Yuki as his father's voice boomed forth in a torrent of anger.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE AGAIN," the walls seemed to shake with the force of Shinji's fury. The words were laced with frustration, a response to a pattern of behavior that had tested the limits of his patience time and again.

"Can't you be like your sister," the words followed like a lash.

"She's so cute," the words carried a bittersweet note, tinged with a parent's fondness.

"And then there is YOU!"