Protectors- Consequence

Chapter Twenty Eight: The Calm Before the Storm

Icy air swirled between Noctum and Shu as they left the other two Gods, propelled through the air by Aura. Noctum pushed his speed to mach seven, which was the highest he was able to reach with his current power, and Shu retaliated by matching the speed. His eyes burned with raw determination as they stared down Noctum, searching for any thoughts of fleeing or   attacking preemptively. Noctum stared back, his colour contacts which he still used out of habit burning into Shu's eyes with a cold fury. Shu gestured at the city which had just come into view, massive buildings towering over them as they landed, the first snowflakes drifting down around them as people ran from the two,

"Nice of you to land so close to Tokyo," Adam spoke without emotion, face to face with Shu, who towered at over seven feet tall, "care for a last meal?"

"I'm not going to let you hurt these people," Shu shot, cracking his neck, "If you make a move against any of them, I'll kill you before you even have the chance to react,"

"Bold talking coming from someone who lost to Apis," Noctum smirked beneath his bandanna, 

"You..." Shu growled, his fists shaking with fury, 

Noctum knew that he wouldn't be able to win the upcoming battle unless Shu truly believed that he was a villain. That was why he had wanted to fight the youngest, and probably the most rash of the three, one who would be much more likely to give in to rage and lose the battle. Noctum led Shu to a ramen shop, pointing at the place,

"Sound like a good place for a last meal?" Noctum asked calmly, "I plan to..."

"I don't care, villain," Shu interrupted, "I'm not going to let you kill the person inside of there and take his things,"

Noctum glared at Shu, who did the same right back, the tension between them growing insurmountably,

"You're going to attack before we even have the chance to complete this ritual, aren't you?" Noctum asked Shu, his voice calm and level, 

"I might just snap," Shu replied, "I might just have to put an end to you early,"

Adam opened the door to the shop, holding it open for Shu,

"After you,"

They both entered, tensions high, and were greeted by a jolly old Japanese man who started complimenting the accuracy of their cosplays. They sat at a booth, facing each other as he brought over two bowls of hot pork ramen, telling them that it was on the house for the accuracy of Shu's costume. Noctum slipped him a grand when Shu wasn't looking, just in case the later fight would get out of hand, 

"Enjoying yourself?" Noctum asked, finishing the remainder of his pork and starting on the broth, 

"This stuff is amazing!" Shu gasped, chowing down on the fresh wheat noodle, "you guys are really out here eating foods like this?"

He seemed to come to his senses as he remembered who was next to him,

"You don't deserve to eat foods like this," Shu fired, "you don't deserve to eat anything nice, villain,"

Noctum looked up, smiling slightly at the sheer determination Shu possessed to destroy him,

"What kind of abilities do you have?" He asked the God, trying to make some conversation, and although it was strange talking to someone with a bird head, he had fought against a guy with a bull head before, so it wasn't that bad,

"I'm going to be honest, because only villains like you lie," Shu explained, "my race prefer warm climates, as our cells regenerate faster and are stronger in hot places,"

"I'm talking about the qualities of your Aura,"

Shu eyed Adam for a second before beginning, "Alright, I'll tell you. My powers include the ability to shape-shift to a small extent, just changing my face,"