Chapter 556

Sixty-Eighth Passionate Flame, Cure Sunny!

Although possessing the ability to bring distant things closer, even capable of bringing down asteroids from the universe, generally speaking, enemies with special abilities have low practical combat performance, which is also a certain law.

The trio worked together again, using their signature finishing moves to purify the Telescope Clown Monster. Seeing the plan fail, Wolfrun as usual left after issuing a threatening statement. Miyuki, relieved, was just sitting down to rest when Sugar, perched on her shoulder, looked up and caught sight of a crimson glow on the horizon, which startled her so much that she fell backward and rolled on the ground, not even having time to respond to others’ exclamations. She pointed in astonishment at the skies, her mouth agape in shock.

“Everyone, quickly look! What is that, Kuru!?”

It was already approaching nightfall above the Earth, and far beyond the twilight sky which blended the light of day and night, a firebird with wings spread was soaring through, stirring the darkness in the heavens. Those wings were incredibly bright and intensely hot, like烈羽.

“Could this also be something Mr. Ash did?” Rihua’s expression turned gloomy at first suspicion.

While pondering the possibility, she suddenly recalled something, hurriedly looking around but failed to see who she was looking for.

Naoko Mikutagawa did not follow Ash’s orders and instead violated the plan by coming here, confronting the enemy. So… Akane? Could she have gone home?

No! Knowing Akane’s passion, making her stay aloof while knowing what happened would be absurd!

“That is—”

Without any basis, relying solely on instinct, Miyuki’s eyes shimmered with starlight as she shouted out the answer.

“That is Akane’s flame; it must be the flame that will save the world!”

From the warmth transmitted through close contact, Ashe woke up from almost falling asleep.

The ruthless cosmos had reduced his body to an icy state, but within the warm, non-burning flame, a man breathed in the scent-infused warmth. His plummeting vital signs began to perk up once more.

So warm were these flames that they almost made him mistake them for the sun. Specifically, it was the warmth that made him nearly confuse one sun with another.

But unlike the blinding glare of sunlight that dared not be stared at, this flame’s brightness was cozy, like a fireplace enveloping him in its warmth and healing him.

Opening his eyes, he found himself held in the embrace of an orange-haired girl with pigtails, whose fiery wings fluttered in the weightless cosmos, pushing away the heat generated by atmospheric friction, carrying them back to the orbit outside the Kaijō.

“Ashe, did you see that? How incredible I am!”

Expecting his praise, CureSunny was filled with elation.

After all, she never had such big, stunning wings pop out from behind or had the power to defeat a powerful enemy like Joker with a snap of her fingers! Even asking herself, aside from the burning desire to save friends at that moment, she had no idea how she did it.

“Who are you? This fire is too hot, it burns me to death.”

“Heh, the handsome and beautiful me of course!” Akane, understanding Ashe’s awkwardness, put him gently down and stood upright, striking a rather vain pose, mimicking punching gestures before his face.

“Radiant Sun, Hot Blood Power! — [CureSunny] (Sunny Angel)!”

An explosion occurred无声ly behind Akane.

“Mmm… the naming pose was not quite standard.” Supporting the girl’s arm, Ashe nodded, giving feedback. “And it was too late, Akane. This time, only 25 points!”

“What? I raced against time to save you—I mean?”

Akane immediately started complaining but was cut short by Ashe patting her head affectionately.

“However, with the resolve to break the seal, the determination that sparked a miracle, and such passion to save others…”

How could I not like such you?

“You shouldn’t score less than 300!”

“Huh? Huhuh! Really that impressive? Wow… I could get 300 points? Last week’s test scores added up weren’t this high either… Hehe, heheh!”

Since being praised by Ashe, Akane kept repeating it until returning to the Kaijō’s cockpit, occasionally emitting a few silly laughs, making Ashe wonder if she had burned her brain in the flames.

“The gravitational pull of the ‘Nibiru’ asteroid is weakening; it seems they succeeded there too,” as he said, it drifted off into space after being pushed off its original orbit.

“That wraps it up for now… Wait!”

Just as he was about to conclude the plan successfully, an unexpected change caused Ashe to grab the controls and sharply turn them.

“Aaaah!”

Suddenly changing direction made Akane scream, grabbing onto Ashe’s waist just in time to avoid hitting the ceiling. The massive vehicle completed a barrel roll, then Kaijō immediately crossed its arms like in boxing.

“Hold on tight!”

Seeing Akane desperately clutch his leg amidst the chaos, Ashe spun the control wheel frantically!

In the next moment, the massive asteroid began to crack from the inside and exploded, showering countless fragments onto Kaijō, creating a thunderous noise and impact.

As if a solitary boat enduring the storm, Kaijō exhibited a surprising maneuverability, leaving a trail of rainbow-like streaks as it dodged between the debris. By blocking incoming attacks with its crossed arms, Ash and Akane finally got a glimpse of the true state of the asteroid.

“What is this… Oh! That is tragic energy, did that Joker do something to it?!”

Rather than disintegrating instantly, the exploding scattered asteroid left behind a ‘core’ comparable to Kaijō’s size. The deep purple tragic energy slowly wrapped around the core, distorting it into an unsettling form.