Chapter 28
The moment Lily's aura spread across the city, everything stopped.
Not slowly.
Not gently.
It was as if the world itself had decided to pause.
Rajah screamed internally "Calm down idiot you are releasing to much power.. you'll die if you continue and regeneration won't work ..
The sky remained the same, clouds torn and uneven, but below it the city fell into an unnatural silence. Buildings stood cracked, their walls split like broken bones. Windows were shattered, glass scattered across the streets like frozen rain. Cars were abandoned where they stopped, doors left open, alarms long dead.
People hid.
Some crouched beneath collapsed shops, hands over their heads, whispering prayers they barely remembered. Others clutched their children in dark stairwells, bodies shaking, afraid to breathe too loudly. Somewhere far away, a woman cried quietly, the sound thin and fragile, as if it might break if heard.
And in the center of it all beneath all this chaos
Lily stood, she did not move, unwavering in her resolve
Her feet were planted firmly against the broken street, cracks spreading out beneath her like veins. The air around her still trembled from the force she had released. Her shoulders rose and fell with heavy breaths, each one slower than the last.
Her hands shook just slightly and she didn't notice it.
Damn it my body can't keep up anymore!!
Her eyes were locked on Choji, burning with a sharp, quiet anger. But inside her body, the strain was already there. Her muscles screamed. Her chest felt tight, as if something heavy was pressing down on it.
Rajah noticed.
Within her consciousness, the great spirit beast watched silently. Her eyes narrowed, her massive form unmoving. She could feel it clearly now—her body was reaching its limit faster than she realized.
But Lily stood anyway.
Choji hovered several meters away, his feet barely touching the air. The dark spears he had summoned were gone, erased as if they had never existed.
For a moment, he said nothing.
His eyes were wide.
Only for a moment.
Then he laughed.
"Haha… hahaha—are you serious?" he said, wiping a thin line of blood from his nose with his thumb. "Just standing there… and my magic disappears?"
He tilted his head, smiling lazily, as if amused.
But inside, something cold crawled through him.
We got it wrong if she's not the vessel of vendova then she's the vessel of.... Shit she wasn't bluffing.
That presence… it's real.
I misjudged her.
His gaze sharpened as it settled on Lily but this power… it's not mature yet. Good. I can use that as leverage
The thought made his smile widen.
"Well, well," Choji said, stretching his arms behind his head. "Look at you, little Lily. All grown up."
Lily didn't respond.
"Do you remember?" he continued, his voice light, teasing. "You used to hide behind people. Always scared. Always shaking."
Her fists tightened.
"ooh you do remember you cried so easily back then," he said softly. "I almost forgot what your voice sounded like."
Still, she didn't scream,her jaw clenched so hard it hurt.
Choji's smile faded just a little. He took a step closer, eyes gleaming. As he noticed something, An opening!!!
"What's wrong?" he mocked. "Did I hit a nerve?"
Lily slowly raised her head.
Her eyes met his.
Cold. Steady. Burning.
"I remember everything," she said quietly. "That's why I won't stop."
Inside her, Rajah finally spoke.
Enough.
The word was calm. Firm.
Lily's breath caught.
Lily, Rajah continued, her voice steady and heavy, listen to me.
She swallowed.
One more release like that, he said, and your body will break from the inside.
Her hands trembled again.
You are not ready yet. Your body can only handle so much. Victory now will cost you your future.
For the first time, doubt flickered across her face.
Just for a second.
Choji noticed.
"Oh?" he said, eyes narrowing. "What's that look? Feeling tired already?"
Before Lily could move....
Something pulled at Choji.
Not physically.
Something deeper.
His smile froze.
"…Tch," he clicked his tongue.
The air around him warped, shadows twisting unnaturally. A faint pressure wrapped around his body, urging him away.
Choji sighed dramatically.
"Looks like that's my cue," he said, glancing back at Lily. "Such bad timing."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes locking onto hers.
"You survived," he said softly. "But survival isn't winning."
Then.....
He vanished.
The pressure disappeared. The shadows dissolved. The city was left with nothing but silence and broken ground.
Sakura scaremed januza-sama we need to follow him
Nooo.... If we fight him here people will die Renji answered
Look !! Just little conflict and see how much destruction, I won't be blinded like I was 3 years ago
Lily stood there for a heartbeat longer.
Then her legs gave out.
She collapsed forward.
Renji was there instantly, catching her before she hit the ground.
"Lily!" he shouted, Sakura followed suit as both gripping her tightly.
Her body felt heavy in his arms. Her breathing was uneven now, shallow and strained.
"I'm… fine," she whispered, though her voice shook.
Sakura, silent as her eyes scanned lily , then the ruined city, then Lily. As she said nothing.
There was no cheering just a sign of worry and exhaustion.
Moments later, Hiroto arrived.
He landed hard on the cracked street, chest rising fast as he took in the scene. Destroyed buildings. Burned streets. People slowly emerging from hiding.
Then he saw Lily, supported by Renji.
Alive.
He exhaled sharply.
Without a word, Hiroto stepped forward and bowed.
Deep.
Not as a soldier or a fighter.
But as a human being, grateful that the city still stood.
And for the first time since the battle began, the silence felt earned.The city did not scream anymore.
After the shockwaves faded and Choji vanished, an unnatural quiet fell over everything.
The cracked roads still stretched across the streets like broken veins. Windows lay shattered on the ground, glittering under broken streetlights. Smoke drifted slowly between buildings. Somewhere far away, a car alarm wailed once… then died.
People hid.
Under desks.
Behind walls.
Inside prayer.
Some cried quietly.
But Lily had found her footing again but her hands trembled just a little. Her shoulders rose and fell with heavy breaths. Sweat rolled down her face, soaking into the cracked ground beneath her.
She didn't notice.
But Rajah did.
Inside her, the great spirit beast watched in silence.
You crossed the line today Rajah thought.
Just barely.
Lily clenched her fists, her eyes still burning as she stared at the empty space where Choji had been.
Gone.
"Tch…" she muttered.
Her jaw tightened, teeth grinding together.
She hated that smile.
She hated that laugh.
She hated that he walked away.
Behind her, footsteps echoed softly over broken stone.
Renji slowed as he approached, his breathing uneven. Sakura followed, her expression unreadable, eyes scanning the city with quiet concern.
Renji stopped a few steps behind Lily.
"…You stopped it," he said at last.
His voice was calm, but his chest felt tight.
Lily didn't turn around.
"I had to," she replied. Her voice was steady, but thin. "If I didn't… everyone here would be dead."
Renji looked around "Look around Lily, there are broken buildings, shattered streets but the most important things is people are still alive hands curled into fists.
If we had fought him casualties will occur !!
Sakura spoke softly. "The city survived. That alone is a miracle."
Lily's shoulders finally relaxed just a little.
Then her knees buckled again and this time her body gave up before her mind could.
"Lily!" Renji moved instantly, catching her before she hit the ground.
Her weight fell against him, lighter than he expected. Her breathing turned shallow, uneven. The fire in her eyes dimmed, replaced by exhaustion.
You overused your energy....
"I'm fine…" Lily muttered, trying to push herself upright.
Renji shook his head. "Don't lie."
He held her firmly. Not as a commander or a warrior but as her brother.
Sakura watched quietly. She said nothing. There was no victory here. Only survival.
Inside Lily's consciousness, Rajah finally spoke.
the spirit said calmly. You are lucky today one more release like that, and your body will break from the inside.
Lily swallowed.
"…I know," she whispered inwardly.
No, Rajah corrected her. You feel it now. But understanding comes later.
Lily closed her eyes.
Her hands still shook.
Elsewhere far from the city, in a place untouched by light, Choji leaned against a broken wall.
Blood ran from his nose. He wiped it away with the back of his hand and stared at it for a moment.
Then he laughed.
"Heh… hahaha…" his laughter echoed, hollow and sharp.
"That hurt," he muttered. "Really hurt."
He straightened slowly, rolling his shoulders.
Inside, something twisted.
She nullified it, he thought.
My attack… erased by aura alone.
His smile stayed in place, but his eyes were cold.
Rajah is real, he realized.
And she's the vessel.
But who's the vessel of vendova I'm sure my king sensed the vessel....
Choji clicked his tongue.
"This power…" he murmured. "It's not mature yet."
That thought calmed him.
"Good," he said softly. "That means there's time."
A strange pull tugged at his body. A command he could not ignore.
He sighed.
"Survive for now, little Lily," Choji said, his smile widening. "But survival isn't winning."
His form dissolved into shadow.
Back in the City — The Cost
Sirens finally began to sound.
Emergency vehicles rushed through damaged streets. Rescue teams shouted orders. Stretchers rolled over debris.
Renji carried Lily carefully, every step heavy with thought.
Mother… he thought.
Is what you said really true?
That Lily would surpass him.
That she would walk a path even he couldn't follow.
He looked down at her face.
Peaceful now. Exhausted.
She's already tronger than my current strength, he admitted.
And that scares me.
Sakura walked beside him.
"She protected them," Sakura said quietly.
Renji nodded. "At a cost."
They reached a secure area. Medics rushed forward, gently taking Lily from his arms.
As they moved her away, her fingers twitched.
"Renji…" she murmured weakly.
He stepped closer. "I'm here."
Her eyes opened just a little.
"…Did we… save them?"
Renji smiled faintly. "Yes. You did."
Her lips curved into the smallest smile before sleep took her.