They crashed into each other again — Kouhei and the angel — blades of searing light smashing together with a sound like thunder and glass. The impact didn't just glow, the impact detonated, a white-hot bloom that ripped the air and sent a concussive pulse shivering through the alley. Dust trembled, stray trash skittered, and the world seemed to blur at the edges from the afterimage of the flash.
Kyouka couldn't force her eyes open. The light crawled under her lids like heat, searing and relentless, so all she could do was press both hands over her face and try to drown the brilliance out. She had no idea what was happening, only the sense of being small under something far too bright and far too violent.
