The street outside turned into a storm of light and noise.
Blue beams tore into the monster's chest in an endless stream, carving trenches through stone and vine alike. The creature reeled back, its massive feet gouging deep furrows into the asphalt. Each step cracked the road, buildings shuddering as if caught in an earthquake.
Nina, Astrid, and Kyouka stared through the half-collapsed wall in stunned silence.
The mountain-sized guardian roared again, but this time the sound was different. It was not rage. It was struggle.
"That thing…" Astrid breathed. "It's actually retreating."
As if to prove her words, the behemoth slammed both fists into the ground. Vines erupted outward like whips, smashing cars and lampposts into scrap. Dust and debris exploded into the air, blinding everything.
When the cloud cleared, the monster was already moving away, its massive body tearing through buildings as it fled down the ruined road, each step faster than the last.
