Chapter 189: Apocalypse Imperium: Dominion Over Heaven and Earth

While the rest of the world’s scientists were frantically searching for geological explanations, claiming it was a sudden tectonic slip, or perhaps a volatile energy release caused by portal instability, none of those theories even brushed close to the truth.

It wasn’t tectonic.

It wasn’t a rift event.

It wasn’t even natural.

The cause of the tremor that had rattled the planet for those brief, terrifying seconds...was Nadia Lunayeva Terranova, the Celestial Maiden of Heaven and Earth.

Her SSS-Class Blessing, "Apocalypse Imperium: Dominion Over Heaven and Earth," was no mere gift.

It was an absolute weapon.

A blessing so overwhelming that even its very name carried the word Apocalypse, and unlike the poetic exaggerations used by most blessed, hers was meant quite literally.

Her power was the control of the earth itself, the ground, the rock, the dust, the soil. Every grain, every plate, every mineral answered to her command.

With a flick of her fingers, she could raise colossal fortresses of stone that could withstand bombardment from magical artillery. With a single step, she could make the ground ripple like water, creating barriers or encasing entire cities in unbreakable mineral domes.

She could compress mountains into dust, weaponize soil itself, or turn a calm beach into a storm of cutting sand. But her control didn’t stop there, her dominion extended to the forces that moved the Earth.

Because if she could manipulate the ground beneath her, she could also influence its gravitational field, bend weight, shift balance, and crush her enemies beneath pressure so intense it could flatten even steel-armored titans in a single instant.

And there were also the fact that she could even makes tectonic plates react to her and cause devastating earthquakes like she did now.

It was these abilities that made her a living natural disaster.

And yet—that still wasn’t the full extent of her might.

The true terror of her blessing came from the second half of its name—Heaven.

For in her eyes, even the stars above were part of the earth’s domain.

Asteroids, comets, celestial stones drifting in the void, all were, at their core, made of rock. And thus, they too belonged to her.

When she willed it, she could call down meteors from the heavens themselves. Entire cities could vanish under the shockwaves of her command.

During the Great War, when she fought alongside the other Battle Angels against the Eternal Queen, it was said that the skies themselves turned crimson as meteorites fell like divine judgment at her call.

One memory still lived vividly in history—the siege of Vryshan, when Nadia’s bombardment of divine stones rained upon the corrupted plains for seven days and nights, eradicating millions of cursed beings. It was that very onslaught that turned the tide of the war.

And it was precisely because of that terrifying potential that no one in the modern world dared to ever oppose her and the battle angels.

Not the royal families, not the Federation, not the Hunter Leagues...No one.

Because if Nadia ever decided to destroy a nation, it wouldn’t be a war.

It would be a burial.

Even the strongest warriors, those hailed as humanity’s champions, knew they couldn’t so much as scratch her. And when she spoke, the world listened in silence.

That was the power of one Battle Angel.

And there were five of them.

So, it was only natural, together, the Battle Angels stood above governments, above law, above all authority.

They didn’t rule by title or decree, they ruled by presence.

But right now, that goddess of unstoppable ruin, the woman whose composure had withstood the collapse of civilizations—was standing there, her pale cheeks faintly pink, her lips parted ever so slightly, and her eyes just a bit unfocused.

All because of one digital kiss.

Mika was the first to break the silence. He crossed his arms, leaned back, and smirked.

"What’s this, Nadia?" He said, his tone laced with teasing amusement. "What is this childish behaviour?"

Nadia blinked once, still disoriented.

"You were the one who taught me how to control my emotions and abilities, remember?" Mika went on. "You said a calm mind prevents the flow of uncontrolled energy. You even lectured me for days when I first started controlling my power."

He tilted his head with mock reproach.

"And yet here you are, causing an earthquake over a kiss...Doesn’t seem very composed to me."

That finally broke her trance. Her eyes flickered in realization, and for the briefest moment, a faint flush deepened across her cheeks. It was so subtle that almost no one in the world would’ve noticed it.

But Mika noticed.

And he grinned.

"You know..." He continued mercilessly. "...if I told the others about this, the family chat would explode...Can you imagine?"

"The great ’Celestial Maiden,’ the ’Eternal Ice Wall,’ the most stoic woman alive, setting off a planet-wide earthquake because of a virtual kiss...Everyone would tease the hell out of you and would never let it down, not even your own daughter, Astrid."

He leaned closer to the screen, smirking even wider.

"So, tell me, Nadia. Is this really you?...The calm goddess herself, blushing like a girl who just got caught sneaking sweets before dinner?...Come on tell, me? Is this really you and not someone else disguised as you?"

For a long second, Nadia said nothing. Her eyes stared at him, emotionless as ever...except for the faint shimmer in her pupils and the deepening color on her face.

Then, finally, she exhaled, and without a word, clicked a button.

The screen went black.

The call had ended.

Mika froze—then burst out laughing, doubling over.

"She actually hung up! She actually ran away!"

Turning to Yelena, he continued to laugh like he wanted to share the hilarious news with her.

"You saw that, didn’t you? One little kiss through a screen, and she caused an earthquake." He gave a low chuckle. "Imagine what would happen if I kissed her for real."

Mika looked towards Yelena with his usual smug grin, expecting her to laugh with him, maybe even tease Nadia alongside him.

That was what she always did. Every time Nadia had lorded her authority, Yelena was the first to smirk and throw a jab back. But this time...she didn’t laugh.

Instead, she was pouting, arms crossed, brows furrowed, glaring daggers at him.

"Sure, sure, Mika." Her voice came out sharp, almost trembling. "Go ahead. Just give kisses to everyone. To Nadia, to my daughter—hell, maybe the neighbors next! Your kisses are so cheap anyway, aren’t they? You don’t even care who you’re giving them to!"

For a moment, Mika blinked, surprised. Then a slow, mischievous smile curled on his face.

He stepped closer, leaning slightly toward her with that familiar, teasing lilt.

"Wait, wait, wait...Yelena." He said softly, amusement dripping from his tone. "Don’t tell me you’re actually...jealous?"

Her head snapped toward him immediately, her cheeks faintly pink, but her eyes darted away again.

"Jealous?" She repeated too quickly. "Don’t be ridiculous."

"Oh, come on." He chuckled under his breath, seeing her adorable reaction. "I didn’t even kiss Nadia for real, it was through a screen. A virtual kiss, Yelena. And you’re pouting like I betrayed you."

She stiffened, her shoulders tensing as his words hit closer to truth than she wanted to admit.

Because deep down, when she’d watched that kiss, even through a monitor, something had twisted in her chest. She hadn’t wanted to feel that way, hadn’t wanted that irritation, that strange, burning tightness.

But she couldn’t help it.

And what made it worse, unbearably worse, was that she’d already seen him kissing Charlotte earlier...Her own daughter.

That image alone had been enough to send her fleeing in embarrassment and confusion. And now, this, seeing him give even a digital kiss to Nadia, only stirred those messy, inexplicable feelings again.

Mika, seeing her flustered silence, leaned closer, his tone soft but full of mischief.

"Come on, Yelena. You know it’s nothing serious. I used to give kisses all the time, you remember, don’t you? You and the other. And half the time, you’d push into it yourself and make get close with them for a photo or something whenever we went out."

He gave a casual shrug, flashing that smug grin.

"I’ve probably left more kisses on everyone’s faces than I can count and you didn’t mind back then...So, why are you so upset now?"

She hesitated to answer as he wasn’t wrong.

Back then, she never cared, she even found it endearing, wholesome, sweet, playful, harmless affection among family.

But now...it was different. She didn’t understand why, but she didn’t want him giving that affection to anyone else. It made her chest feel tight, her heart pound unevenly, emotions far too complicated for someone like her, who’d lived years beyond such foolishness.

Mika watched her closely, his expression softening slightly.

"So tell me." He said, stepping even closer, his eyes locking with hers. "Why the change, huh? Why are you so angry over this?"

Yelena tried to look away, her throat tightening. She wanted to say something, anything, but the words wouldn’t come.

"You know..." He chuckled softly, his voice lowering. "When I came back, the first thing I tried to do was give you a kiss. You remember? I wanted to pamper you, like before...But you—you were the one who ran away. You were the one avoiding me every time I came close."

Yelena froze.

"So..." Mika continued, his tone gentler now. "You really can’t be mad at me for this. You’re the one who keeps running. I’m just giving affection to whoever still lets me."

She wanted to argue, to tell him he was wrong, but she couldn’t. Because every word was true. She had been the one avoiding him. She had been the one running away. And even though she was furious at his teasing, she also knew...she was at fault.

Still, the feelings wouldn’t go away, irritation, longing, confusion, tangled together so tightly it hurt.

Mika sighed, straightening up again, as if deciding to let her be.

"You know." He said casually. "I was actually going to give you a kiss on the cheek too. Maybe a few more, since you’ve been pouting all day. But..." He shrugged dramatically. "You seem pretty angry. So maybe I’ll just give them to Charlotte instead."

"...You’re going to do what?"

Yelena blinked as this was going according to the script she had in mind, as she was expecting for him to continue to soothe her until she finally gave in...Not this.

"Yeah. I mean, she’d definitely appreciate them." He smirked. "She already seems to like them. So why not? I’ll just give your share to her."

He turned as if to leave.

And that was when Yelena snapped.

Her heart jolted with panic, and before she could stop herself, she jumped forward, blurting out in a flustered rush.

"W-Wait! Mika, wait! The...The kiss—I want—I want the kiss!"

Her voice cracked, childlike, her words stumbling over themselves.

Mika stopped mid-step. He turned, one eyebrow raised, grinning as he slowly faced her again.

"What was that?" He teased. "You’re mumbling. I didn’t catch that."

Her cheeks flushed. "You heard me!" She huffed.

"I don’t think I did." He said with feigned innocence, walking back toward her. "Say it again. Clearly this time."

"You—!" She sputtered, fists tightening at her sides. But then, as his teasing gaze lingered, she faltered, lowering her eyes and gripping his sleeve instead.

"I..." She muttered softly, her voice trembling. "I want those kisses from you, Mika. They’re mine."

He blinked, while she looked up at him, face bright red, but her expression oddly firm.

"D-Don’t give them to anyone else. Not Charlotte. Not Nadia....They should only go to me! I’m their rightful owner!"

For a moment, Mika just stared at her. Then, slowly, a tender smile crept across his face.

He leaned in close, so close that she could feel his breath against her ear. "You really are adorable when you’re jealous, you know that?" He murmured.

She tried to glare, but the heat rising to her cheeks made it impossible.

"Alright, Yelena." He whispered, his tone soft but teasing. "I’ll give you what you want. But first..."

He tilted his head, meeting her gaze.

"Tell me, why have you been avoiding me all day? Why do you keep running away every time I try to get close?"

Yelena’s breath caught.

"Come on, tell me." He smiled faintly, waiting. "Then maybe, just maybe, I’ll give you all the kisses you want."

Hearing this, Yelena’s mind spun. Her mind screamed at her not to confess anything because of how taboo her thoughts were—but her heart, and her burning cheeks, betrayed her.

And Mika just stood there, smiling faintly, watching the flustered woman squirm under his gaze, waiting for her next move...