The Guardian gods Chapter 845

"The last one to the palace will be tasked with writing the mission report for the King!" she bellowed.

Before the sentence even concluded, Nova, spurred by a sudden, ferocious surge of impetus, blazed a trail into the distance. His paws hammered the luminous pathway, his face a portrait of sheer, desperate resolve. He held the King in high regard, yet he was acutely aware that the King's definition of a "detailed report" entailed prolonged periods of painstaking inscription and mind-numbing administrative meticulousness. Nova would sooner confront ten Beast Kings than endure a night tethered to a writing desk.

Lunara halted for a mere instant, aghast at his brazen head start. Then, a primal, draconic roar erupted from her core, resonating through the expanse of the bridge. She propelled herself forward, her formidable wings snapping shut before unfurling wide to harness the ethereal zephyrs. With each titanic downbeat, she diminished the expanse, her talons scything faint trails of sparks upon the iridescent light.

The percussive cadence of colossal wings drawing nearer registered upon Nova, prompting a growl of vexation. He refused to yield. Harnessing the latent power coursing through him, thick, arboreal tendrils sprouted from his flanks, intertwining to form additional, multi-jointed limbs. These aided in propelling him forward with an explosive burst of velocity.

Perched high upon the gilded battlements, a contingent of sentinels clad in resplendent armor observed the twin streaks of light hurtling toward the far horizon. They stood not in rigid formation, but rather lounged against the ramparts with the practiced nonchalance of those who had witnessed this spectacle countless times.

"I'm wagering fifty moon-coins on the Princess securing victory," declared one guard, idly flipping a polished silver disc into the air. "She possesses the advantage of wings. Physics invariably prevails in the end."

The guard adjacent to him emitted a derisive snort, gesturing with a gauntleted digit towards Nova's distant, sprinting form. "Nonsense, observe those newly manifested appendages. He's fleeing as if his existence hinges upon it, which, considering the King's tedious paperwork, it practically does. I'm betting a hundred on the wolf."

In a swift turn, the stoic quietude of the boundary wall dissolved into the jingle of coins and the boisterous banter of the soldiers. Betting ledgers were procured from sashes, and wagers were hastily inscribed as the guards vociferously rooted for their chosen competitors.

Miles ahead, the serene tranquility of the lower townships was abruptly fractured. A dual sonic boom reverberated through the atmosphere, rattling window panes and sending avian flocks scattering from the thatched eaves of the dwellings.

Commoners and merchants alike thronged the thoroughfares, shielding their eyes against the effulgent glare. High above, the rainbow bridge thrummed with the sheer magnitude of the pursuit. To the observers below, they appeared as mere shimmering specks, yet their astonishing velocity narrated the tale: the Princess had returned, likely engaged in yet another contest with Nova.

The spires of the Royal Palace finally emerged on the skyline, glinting like diamond shards against the deepening azure. Nova maintained a tenuous lead, his wooden limbs functioning effectively. Perceiving the imminent finish, Lunara concluded that adherence to "fair play" was an indulgence she could not afford, especially with a ten-page report hanging in the balance.

She retracted her wings and drew a deep, localized inhalation. Instead of flame, she expelled a concentrated torrent of absolute-zero frost directly onto the rainbow pathway preceding Nova.

An immediate layer of treacherous, frictionless ice encrusted the bridge. Nova's paws skidded for a fleeting moment, but his reflexes were razor-sharp. With a snarl of intense concentration, robust wooden claws extended from his footpads, burrowing into the frozen surface like unyielding grappling hooks. He did not decelerate; if anything, it compelled him to exert greater force.

He cast a glance over his shoulder, offering Lunara a glinting, toothy grin, as if to taunt, "Is that the extent of your power?"

Yet, his heart plummeted as he observed the expression on her face. She displayed no frustration, but rather an effervescent joy.

Nova snapped his head forward once more, just in time to witness a colossal ice wall surge upward directly from the bridge itself, propelled by the ambient moisture in the suddenly chilled air. There was insufficient time to maneuver. He collided headlong with the frozen barrier, producing a resounding thud that echoed across the heavens.

The collision left Nova disoriented and seeing phantom lights, his wooden limbs fracturing slightly as he tumbled. Through his blurred vision, he perceived Lunara's winged form streaking past him, her melodious, triumphant laughter trailing in her wake like a mocking farewell.

"Better luck next century, Nova!" she called out.

By the time he cleared his head and struggled back to his feet, Lunara was already a receding silhouette of silver and black. The rainbow bridge commenced a sharp downward tilt, angling directly towards the palace's grand courtyard. She plunged with the elegance of a falling star, her wings flattened against her body to maximize her descent, consigning a stunned Nova to the inevitable summons of inkpot and parchment.

Nova arrived at a stark realization: adhering to the established path meant certain defeat. With a desperate roar, he launched himself from the side of the rainbow bridge, abandoning the designated route entirely.

The pull of gravity seized him instantly. As he plunged thousands of feet toward the palace courtyards below, his form contorted and condensed. He focused on a single, aerodynamic objective. His mass underwent a transformation, the wood hardening into a dense, iron-like substance until he solidified into the shape of a gargantuan, blunt-headed hammer. Two radiant amber orbs, his eyes, gleamed from the 'face' of the mallet. By concentrating his entire weight into the hammer's head, he became a living projectile, slicing through the air with terrifying velocity.

Lunara, accelerating down the final segment of the bridge, cast a glance backward only to find the path behind her deserted. A fraction of a second later, a swift, dark shadow flitted across her peripheral vision. She peered into the open sky, observing the enormous wooden hammer whistling through the air, leaving a turbulence of displaced wind in its wake.

"He wouldn't dare," she hissed, her ears flattening against her head.

The rainbow path beneath her was arcing towards its terminus, the final Rune Pillar situated at the base of the Royal Ascent. If she maintained her course, the distance was immutable. However, Nova, having transformed into a falling anvil, was taking the most direct route between the two points.

He was targeting the landing pad at the pillar's foundation. This was feasible due to his ability to alter his trajectory mid-flight.

Lunara pushed her legs to their utmost capacity, her claws scraping against the luminous path as she perceived the shrinking gap. She understood Nova was poised to reach the pillar before her, propelled by sheer gravitational force. He was currently on course to impact mere moments before her paws could make contact with the stone.

"No, I can still win," the princess thought to herself, her pace unwavering.

In that final, frantic microsecond, the world seemed to halt. The Royal Ascent was mere feet away. Nova, still descending under gravity's relentless pull, began to shed his hammer form. He required only a single point of contact to achieve his goal, not his entire being. Like a rapidly unfurling bundle of wood, his fibrous tendrils shot outward, lashing towards the rune pillar with incredible speed.

Concurrently, Lunara's snout was inches from the glowing stone, her lungs searing, her eyes wide with the exhilaration of the pursuit.

A violent shockwave erupted as both forces converged upon the terminal point at the precise same instant. Dust, frost, and fragments of splintered wood obscured the scene, concealing the victor. For a fleeting moment, only the sound of ragged breaths and the settling debris filled the air.

Then, a triumphant, melodious laugh echoed through the dissipating haze.

As the dust settled, Nova's expression morphed from eager anticipation to sheer horror. His wooden tendrils were now rigidly encased in a thick, jagged block of ice, halted just an inch short of the pillar's surface. Lunara had utilized her frost breath in the critical final moment, erecting a solid barrier between his touch and the objective.

Meanwhile, Lunara herself had not depended on her reach. While Nova had been focused on his tendrils, she had propelled her long, powerful draconic tail forward. It was now coiled firmly around the base of the pillar, resembling a serpent in repose.

"I touched it first," she panted, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Nova reverted to his humanoid form, his gaze fixed on the icy prison that had cost him victory. He emitted a prolonged, disheartened groan, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"You cheated! That was a blatant foul!" Nova bellowed, his humanlike form practically quivering with outrage. He stood amidst the melting slush and scattered wood fragments, levelling a trembling finger at Lunara.

"It's called environmental manipulation, Nova," Lunara countered, standing tall and adjusting her hair, ensuring the flower Magnus had gifted her remained perfectly positioned. "Now, if I recall correctly, the King prefers his reports in triplicate. Employ your finest calligraphy; he detests smudges."

"You froze my reach!"

"You were on the verge of winning," she retorted, a playful glint in her eyes. "You lose. And you'd better write well; I want the descriptions of the battle with the Beast King to be particularly heroic on my part, detailing how little assistance you provided."