Nōhime's pupils contracted to pinpoints.
Her face tightened for an instant, then slowly relaxed. A cold snort escaped her, thick with undisguised killing intent.
She took half a step forward. The hem of her white robe brushed the outside of Yongye's knee as her bare foot came down where a patch of moonlight met the carpet. She lifted her chin to meet his gaze, her pale violet eyes blazing with fury.
"Yongye, you'll regret this!"
"The Gods of Takamagahara will not be insulted!"
Her voice rose slightly, carrying a chill that ran down the spine.
"The Gods of Takamagahara have far more ways to deal with you than you imagine."
Yongye looked down at her, his smile as bright as the afternoon sun over Manhattan. The composure in his eyes never wavered.
"Is that so?"
"Then I'll be waiting."
"Come to think of it, as Earth's strongest hero, I'm still missing the title of Godslayer."
Nōhime's teeth ground together.
She shot him one last glare. Rage churned in her eyes, along with humiliation, wariness, and a hatred that burned up from her bones after the dignity of a divine envoy had been shattered.
Then she spun around and strode toward the floor-to-ceiling window.
The hem of her white robe flared as she turned, revealing a slender calf. She stepped barefoot onto the marble windowsill, her foot making the faintest sound against the stone.
She did not look back.
She merely turned her head a fraction. Neon light from outside cast broken patches of brightness and shadow across her profile, while one last warning burned alongside the killing intent in her pale violet eyes.
"I hope you're still this calm the next time we meet."
With that, she leaped from the windowsill. Her white robe streamed into a straight silver line