The dust had barely settled when Kirihai narrowed her eyes at the new arrival.
"Who are you?" she asked coldly. "And what do you want?"
The Veronica who'd just arrived had long, flowing pink hair and sharp, piercing eyes. She looked down at the destruction with disinterest.
"I was on my way to the city," Veronica said calmly, "when I heard explosions and buildings collapsing."
"Be careful," a weak voice came from the ground. It was Serena, bruised and battered. "She's... too strong."
Kirihai smirked. In an instant, she vanished and reappeared behind the Veronica, blade in hand, ready to stab her.
But without even turning around, Veronica kicked Kirihai with enough force to send her flying across multiple buildings.
Veronica finally glanced back, her expression calm. She noticed Raquel and Sukuna lying unconscious on the floor, clearly injured.
"If a weakling like that gave you two a hard time," she said flatly, "you both need to step up your game."
Raquel, struggling to stand, stared at her in disbelief.
"How... did she one-shot Kirihai like that? With just a kick."
Just as the Veronica turned away, a kunai flew toward her. Without so much as a blink, she stopped it mid-air using only her finger.
Kirihai stepped out of the rubble, smirking as she approached.
"You're strong," she said. "I've been searching for someone like you. Everyone I've faced lately ended up mutilated within seconds."
Veronica didn't even bother turning around. "Get lost. I'm not in the mood to fight."
Kirihai smiled devilishly and drew her sword. The moment the blade was unsheathed, a powerful wind blasted outward, wiping out countless city blocks. Debris and buildings flew into the sky as chaos spread.
"I said," Veronica repeated, her tone still calm, "I'm not in the mood."
"By the time I slice two of your arms off," Kirihai said with a wicked grin, "you'll be begging to fight."
She dashed forward at incredible speeds, sword aimed at the Veronica's neck.
But Veronica swiftly pulled out two daggers from her pockets, blocking the strike effortlessly. Their weapons clashed, and the two women moved at blinding speed, shaking the city with every collision.
As their battle escalated, buildings collapsed, shockwaves rippling outward. Kirihai suddenly activated a technique.
"Ten Thousand Blades!"
Swarms of swords materialized from thin air and flew toward Veronica like missiles. But Veronica simply smiled, flipping through the air, dodging every single one with graceful precision.
"Child's play," she muttered.
Kirihai, now more aggressive, charged in to overwhelm her with close combat. Each of her sword strikes tore through buildings, carving through concrete and steel alike. But Veronica danced around her, blocking and countering with ease.
Then—bam!—a wild kick from her sent Kirihai crashing backward.
"Let's try something more entertaining," Veronica said, creating distance before raising her hand.
Suddenly, the ground quaked. A giant bear, as tall as a building, emerged beside her. Its claws gleamed with metal, and a massive horn jutted from its forehead. The bear had a pink magical circle on its head.
Kirihai's eyes widened. "Where the hell did that come from?!"
The bear charged at top speed, claws slashing toward her. But Kirihai reacted swiftly, keeping up with its attacks with difficulty. She managed to kick the beast away, sending it tumbling into buildings.
As she prepared to charge again, the bear reappeared behind her and slammed her into more rubble.
"I can summon Shinigami Beasts," Veronica explained casually. "Most of them are as strong as I want them too, although it depends on the level of power im using currently. But I'm holding back. I'm not really in the mood."
Kirihai leapt into the air and unleashed a barrage of energy slashes toward the bear. The beast tried to block with its claws, but one of its arms was severed.
"Hm," Veronica murmured. "C-rank, maybe."
She raised her hand once again. "Orochi."
The ground split open, and ten enormous serpents rose from below—each one colossal, each one radiating menacing pink energy.
Kirihai's smirk faded slightly "What the fuck?"
"If you can get past them," Veronica said, "I might take you seriously. If not... you're fodder."
Kirihai clenched her blade, her smile returning.
"Are you underestimating me?"
She shot forward, slashing through the first wave of beams that the snakes shot at her. She sliced off the heads of three snakes before one whipped her across the city into a building.
Two more snakes loomed above, charging up beams. Kirihai barely rolled out of the way as the blasts vaporized the street behind her.
In the air again, she counted. "Seven left…"
Veronica stood calmly, arms crossed, sighing.
"I was hoping to come into the city, have some sex with Diablo, grab a bite to eat... not deal with this crap. Worst of all, im not in the mood to fight."
Kirihai dived from the sky, sword glowing—ready to strike. But before she could reach her target, five of the snakes launched a massive lightning attack that detonated with catastrophic force.
Even Diablo, far away in his home reading a book, looked up. He felt the tremor.
As the smoke cleared, the snakes lay in pieces—dead.
Veronica looked a little surprised. "Well, that's something. You got through them."
But Kirihai reappeared behind her in a blur, blade poised to stab.
"Blight Erasure."
A radiant white beam blasted from Veronica's hands, hitting Kirihai directly. The resulting explosion shook the entire area, vaporizing the battlefield.
When the dust finally settled, Kirihai was unconscious on the ground. She had burn marks on her body and was bruised badly.
Veronica looked around at the destruction. "I wasn't even taking this seriously…"
She walked over to Kirihai and crouched beside her.
"What were your objectives? Why invade the city? Hey, you still alive? Im not in the mood, so dont be mad at me for being rude"
No answer.
Before she could ask again, a massive yellow lightning bolt shot from the sky and blew Veronica back.
When the smoke cleared—Kirihai was gone.
"Hmph," she muttered. "One of her comrades must've saved her. I feel so dull today. Damn, I'm tired. I'm not in the mood for this fighting crap today."
She looked at the ruined city around her and sighed.
"I wasn't expecting today to go like this."