The water seemed to glide like flowing silk beneath Akako’s feet as he darted upon the surface of White Lily Lake, each leap he took propelled by a small burst of fire that sparked beneath his heels. The dark, golden haze of the fading sun blurred at the edges of his vision, yet Akako paid it no mind as his eyes were fixed squarely on Kami, the so-called god of the Crescent Half-Moon who stood upon one of the rafts in the center of the lake, appearing to bask in the moment of his stolen attention.

Eventually, with one final bound, Akako landed on the same raft, the wood groaning beneath his feet as it dipped slightly into the water, before steadying once more as it reached a new equilibrium.

“Kami!” Akako called, once he was certain that he’d caught his footing and would not wobble off the raft, “That’s enough! Haven’t you caused enough trouble already! This celebration is for everyone! If you’ve any shred of decency left, you’ll step aside and let the fireworks continue on as planned!”

Instead of shame, however, Kami’s face twisted into that of a sneer.

“Ha! Foolish insect!” Kami said, voice oozing with pity and disgust, “I haven’t even settled my score with you yet! But, since you’ve so generously delivered yourself to me…”

At this, Kami’s emerald eyes gleamed, “Then I’ll finish you off right here and now!”

With a flick of his hand, Kami let loose a barrage of silver light, and Akako was forced to leap over, landing upon a neighbouring raft as the silver streak missed its mark and slammed into the lake with a thunderous roar. Instantly, mist exploded upwards in steaming clouds, and the surface of the water appeared to tremble from the force of the impact before the hiss of water droplets gradually began cascading back down towards the lake in sheets. Upon the shore, the onlooking crowd stirred in confusion and unease.

“What’s happening?” One voice cried.

“Were the fireworks cancelled?” Another asked nervously.

Aria’s pulse spiked, panic threatening to crack his composure as he glanced towards the commotion now unraveling at the center of the lake. But then, inspiration struck. Straightening his shoulders, he called out, in a loud, confident tone, “Everyone- Please remain calm! There’s just been a change in our schedule!”

As the weary crowd turned their attention from the lake’s surface towards Aria continued, “Please, enjoy this reenactment of the Vermilion Bird repelling the Celestial Snake from swallowing the moon!”

There was a beat of silence. The crowd hesitated, caught between awe and doubt. Just then, there was another loud crack as one of Kami’s silver lights streaked across the lake, painting the water in shimmering brilliance before descending into the water’s depths like a falling star with another stunning crackle. Upon this, someone began cheering. Then, another. Soon, the crowd’s prior uncertainty had all but melted into whoops and applause as the entire village was swept up in the spectacle.

Meanwhile, Akako was still ducking and weaving between Kami’s relentless barrage, heat searing the air with every near miss.

“Insignifigant fool!” Kami taunted, fury and arrogance dripping from every single word, “You’re completely outclassed! You’re no match for me!”

Akako cursed quietly beneath his breath. As much as he hated to admit it, Kami was right; There was no way Akako could win in a direct fight against Kami. Kami’s powers were simply too overwhelming, and any head-on confrontation would only end in his defeat. 

But then, through the haze of light and mist, a distant sound had caught Akako’s attention, and he stole a quick glance backwards to see the villagers still on the shore, cheering and clapping as they watched.

‘Strange. Maybe they think that Kami’s interruption is also another performance?’ Akako mused, ‘Well, at least the celebration hasn’t been ruined entirely just yet…’

And then, everything clicked- He didn’t need to defeat Kami, no- He only needed to make sure that the festival can continue on to its final conclusion, no matter what.

A smirk gradually found itself onto the corner of Akako’s lips. With one last duck and weave, Akako now perched himself steady on a drifting raft, his long scarf trailing like a crimson banner behind him as he stood, proud and tall. Then, making sure that Kami would be able to hear him across the distance, Akako raised his voice.

“Ha, an insect am I?” Akako’s words were accompanied with a teasing laugh, “Then what kind of god struggles to swat away a fly?”

Kami’s face visibly darkened with rage. With a furious roar, he summoned a single, blinding beat of silver light, pouring every last ounce of his anger and fury into the attack. Then, with one, final bang, the beam cut across the lake, churning up waves upon the water’s surface as it shot rapidly towards Akako.

Instead of fleeing, however, Akako remained where he was, standing silently upon the same raft even as he allowed the beam to roar closer, closer, and closer still. Then, the single instance before impact, Akako finally leapt, the tail of his scarf igniting into a brilliant, crimson flame before the fire had reshaped itself into the form of a sword. With every fiber of his strength, Akako gripped the sword and swung, the unyielding steel of the blade meeting Kami’s attack with a resounding CRACK! as the beam of silver light now arced wildly off course… And straight into the cluster of firework crates still hidden within the rafts.

Kami’s eyes widened, “NO!” He screamed, but it was already too late. A fused hissed. Then, another. And just as the last colours of dusk had given away to the dark purple of the night, the first firework shot up into the heavens. With a deafening boom, it bursted into a spray of gold and crimson across the lake, mirrored in the rippling waters below. One after the other, more fireworks followed, until the night sky was cast into a dazzling array of light, and the crowd on the shore erupted into awe-struck cheers.