Light suddenly flooded the entire sky.
The enormous meteor, which had been carved apart by countless flashes of blade light, shone like a blazing sun, releasing a dazzling radiance.
"...?!"
On the ground, countless civilians who witnessed the scene instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes. Unable to bear the intense light, they shut their eyes tightly and let out yet another round of terrified screams.
Even Fubuki, Bang, and Genos had to raise their arms, their vision completely overwhelmed by the brilliance pouring down from the sky.
Only Sylvia kept her eyes open, calmly gazing at the source of that blinding light.
Around her body, blue, spark-like Prana drifted into the air.
Rich mana gathered around her, sweeping across the surroundings like a tide.
Almost at the exact same moment,
The meteor exploded.
'BOOM…!'
Accompanied by an ear-splitting explosion, the countless fragments of the meteor, which had been sliced into perfectly even pieces by Fang Li's innumerable blade strikes, turned into a vast meteor shower.
Wrapped in blazing flames created by atmospheric friction, the fragments descended with terrifying speed, covering the heavens and blotting out the sky as they rained toward Z-City.
It looked as though a storm of burning fire was falling from above.
The entire city was within its range.
"This is bad!"
The expressions of both Genos and Bang changed dramatically.
"..."
Only Fubuki forced herself to remain calm and turned toward Sylvia beside her.
Sylvia's entire body shimmered with brilliant starlight.
Her violet eyes slowly closed.
The next moment,
She began to sing.
-- '"I stand here dancing, praying for a good future..."'
Her beautiful voice echoed through the air.
The mana swirling around her transformed into invisible waves that spread outward like ripples across a calm lake.
In the blink of an eye, those invisible ripples expanded across the entirety of Z-City, enveloping the whole city within their embrace.
Then...
The countless meteor fragments carrying terrifying destructive force crashed into the invisible barrier.
The clash had begun.
'Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom, !'
Heavy impacts rang out one after another.
The meteors rained from the heavens, but before they could reach the ground, they struck what seemed to be an unseen wall.
Each collision erupted like an explosion.
Fragment after fragment slammed violently into the barrier like missiles, sending shockwaves and fireballs rippling through the air.
Every single meteor fragment possessed enough destructive force to instantly level an entire building.
Yet at this moment...
All of that terrifying power...
Was stopped by a single person.
By the Diva standing on the rooftop.
Her body glowed with brilliant starlight.
Bathed in a spotlight of celestial radiance, she kept her eyes closed as she poured her heart into her song.
"...Truly incredible."
"So... Sigrdrifa is a Level 5 Esper?"
Only then did Bang and Genos fully realize what they were witnessing, both showing expressions of genuine astonishment.
Meanwhile...
Fubuki stared fixedly at Sylvia.
Her gaze shifted back and forth between Sylvia and the countless meteor fragments crashing down from the sky.
'A single one...'
'Could I even stop one of those?'
The answer...
Was probably no.
With Fubuki's abilities, stopping even a single meteor fragment from falling would require an enormous amount of effort.
Yet Sylvia accomplished it with effortless ease.
'(My sister... could probably do the same thing, couldn't she?)'
That thought threw Fubuki's heart into turmoil.
Once again, she was forced to recognize the overwhelming gap between herself and those who truly stood above ordinary limits.
'(When... will I ever be able to catch up to them?)'
Holding on to that thought, Fubuki watched the countless collisions unfolding across the sky, as though trying to engrave every moment of the scene into her memory.
Only when the final impact faded away...
Did the spectacle finally come to an end.
High above the city, Fang Li was watching the same scene.
Then, a familiar notification echoed in his mind.
`Serial Number 11273 has completed B-Rank Side Quest.`
`Reward Obtained: 30,000 Exchange Points.`
Hearing the system notification, Fang Li smiled faintly.
Holding the pure white nodachi, over two meters long and looking as though it had never once been drawn from its scabbard, he turned and flew back toward the ground.
---
Afterward, news of the giant meteor that had appeared above Z-City spread across the entire country.
"According to the Hero Association's official assessment, this incident reached Dragon-level Disaster status. Experts agree that had the meteor struck the ground, not only would Z-City have been completely destroyed, but the surrounding cities would also have suffered catastrophic damage. The scale of the danger can hardly be overstated."
"However, thanks to the heroic efforts of the Hero Association's professional heroes, the incident was resolved perfectly. Not only did Z-City escape without suffering any damage, but astonishingly, there was not a single casualty. It is truly an unbelievable outcome."
"According to reports, one of the heroes responsible for perfectly resolving this disaster was the world-famous diva, Sylvia Lyyneheym, who was promoting her latest song in A-City at the time. Upon receiving news of the emergency, she immediately abandoned her live broadcast and rushed to the scene."
"In addition, several S-Class heroes were present, including One-Way Rakshasa, who joined the Hero Association alongside Sylvia Lyyneheym and was immediately recognized as an S-Class hero."
"To provide the public with a detailed account of the incident, a press conference will be held in the coming days. Diva Sylvia Lyyneheym and senior representatives of the Hero Association will attend to share the latest information."
---
As a result...
Fang Li and his companions instantly became the center of nationwide attention.
The public reaction in Z-City was especially intense. Wherever one went, people could be heard discussing the incident.
A Dragon-level disaster...
A catastrophe capable of destroying multiple cities...
Had been stopped completely.
Not only had it been stopped...
It had been resolved perfectly, without a single casualty or any damage whatsoever.
It truly was nothing short of a miracle.
The Hero Association had originally intended to use this incident to improve its public reputation. Now that such a miraculous outcome had been achieved, they naturally spared no effort in promoting it.
The primary focus of the publicity became Sylvia, who was already beloved by the public, and Fang Li, whose existence became widely known because of her.
Bang and Genos, who had also participated in the battle, likewise appeared prominently in the reports, causing the public's admiration for the Hero Association's S-Class heroes to rise dramatically.
In contrast...
Although Metal Knight had answered the Association's emergency summons, Fang Li's interference had prevented him from making an appearance at all.
With the publicity reaching this level, it was only natural that Fang Li's group would receive substantial rewards.
Essentially, aside from Bang, whose already lofty position as the Rank 3 S-Class Hero left little room for further promotion, the rankings of Fang Li, Sylvia, and Genos all rose significantly.
"I should climb quite a bit this time..."
Thinking that, Fang Li logged onto the Hero Association's official website.
'(End Of This Chapter)'
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