CHAPTER 215: CHAPTER 215- CHIMERA

"Wait—almost there," Cindy’s voice crackled through the comms, her tone sharp, calculating. "Just stall it for a few more seconds. I’m still tracing the energy flow inside that thing!"

Kevin barely heard her. His breathing was uneven, heart pounding harder than it should. His mind—it wasn’t clear.

’Nia..?’

The Chimera dove again, its three maws spewing different elements—fire, acid, and wind—blending into a storm of chaos. Kevin reacted a beat too late. He raised his radiant shield, but the blast sent him crashing into the debris below.

"Kevin!" Luke’s voice cut through the dust.

"I’m fine," Kevin groaned, though his arms shook from the impact. His thoughts were all over the place.

Luke landed beside him, panting, shards of his mirrors circling protectively around them. "No, you’re not fine. You’re spacing out again."

Kevin looked up, sweat dripping from his jaw. "We don’t have time—"

"Exactly," Luke snapped, pressing a hand on his shoulder. "We don’t have time for you to lose your head now." His tone softened, but his eyes stayed fierce. "Hey. Look at me, You’re going to be just fine, and let’s focus on our main goal, defeating that monster first, So pull yourself together."

The Chimera roared above them, energy crackling across its armor.

Kevin clenched his fists. "...Right."

"Good," Luke said, smirking faintly. "Now light it up. I’ll handle the angles."

Kevin took a breath, the familiar golden glow reigniting across his arms and chest, the chaos in his mind clearing little by little. He dashed forward again, zig-zagging through falling rubble, firing radiant bursts that exploded against the Chimera’s face, forcing it to reel back.

Luke followed, summoning several mirror shards that spun around Kevin, amplifying and redirecting each blast to strike from multiple sides.

"C’mon, big guy," Luke shouted. "We’re not done dancing!"

The Chimera countered, its wings flaring and shell gleaming with molten light. It launched a volley of spikes from its carapace, each one trailing smoke. Kevin dodged some, deflecting others with light barriers, while Luke’s mirrors cracked under the pressure.

"Cindy," Kevin barked through the headset, voice strained, "how much longer?"

"Just—two seconds!" Cindy hissed, her breathing rapid. "Its core’s not in the chest or the head... it’s beneath the shell! You need to crack the underplate!"

Luke scoffed mid-dodge. "Of course it’s under the damn turtle shell."

Kevin gritted his teeth. "Then we’ll flip it."

Luke blinked. "You serious?"

Kevin’s eyes blazed. "Completely."

Luke’s lips curved into a grin. "Alright then, Leader. Let’s flip a monster."

And with that, both of them launched forward again, Kevin channeling his pure light energy into explosive strikes while Luke warped the battlefield with mirrored angles, setting up a synchronized assault that made the entire field blaze like a fractured sunrise.

Luke darted between falling debris, his mirrors flashing like shards of lightning. Each reflection distorted the battlefield, one moment he was on the ground, the next his afterimage appeared behind the Chimera, hurling a refracted blast straight at its hind legs.

"C’mon, move, dammit!" Luke yelled, gritting his teeth as the Chimera’s massive claws dug into the ground, anchoring itself. The creature’s shell glimmered like molten armor, refusing to budge.

Kevin charged in beside him, aura flaring bright gold. "On three!"

"Wait, what—three what?!" Luke barked, but Kevin was already sprinting, light gathering in his fists.

"One!" Kevin shouted, slamming a glowing punch into the Chimera’s plated side.

"Two!" Luke followed up, his mirrors converging and exploding in a focused concussive burst.

"Three—!" Kevin leapt, his entire body glowing like a flare as he tried to forcefully flip the massive beast.

It didn’t move.

Instead, the Chimera roared, its wings beating furiously before swiping Kevin with its tail, sending him flying straight into a pile of concrete rubble.

"KEVIN!" Luke yelled, nearly tripping over his own mirror shard as he dodged another strike. "You said on three, not on suicide!"

Kevin groaned from the crater, his voice muffled. "I had to try—!"

Luke ducked under a fiery claw. "Try? You just punched a mountain wearing armor!"

The Chimera’s lion head roared again, gathering another surge of energy in its maw. Luke cursed under his breath, sliding to Kevin’s side. "Get up, Leader, unless you want your face turned into barbecue!"

Kevin coughed, shaking off the dust. "Yeah, yeah... just a warm-up."

"Warm-up, my ass," Luke snapped, blocking another attack with a mirror barrier that cracked instantly. "Next time, how about we think before we play sumo with a flying Chimera huh?"

Kevin smirked faintly, light flickering back to life around his arms. "Noted. But I think I’ve got an idea."

Luke groaned. "Hey.. Every time you say that, something explodes."

"Exactly," Kevin said, standing tall as golden energy pulsed brighter than before.

Luke sighed. "...And here we go again."

The Chimera bellowed, wings spreading wide as the battlefield trembled, just as the two men prepared for another reckless, synchronized attack.

Kevin dashed forward again, his light surging so bright it carved streaks across the dust-filled air. He struck the Chimera’s chest, but instead of flinching, the creature roared, wings flaring wide as a violent wave of energy burst outward.

The ground split open beneath them. A swirl of fire, water, and lightning erupted from the Chimera’s body, twisting together into a blinding storm.

Kevin skidded back, shielding his face with one arm. "What the hell is that energy?!"

Cindy’s voice crackled through the intercom, breathless but composed.

"It’s not just one element, it’s a fusion. Fire, lightning, wind, water, and who knows what else. It’s combining them!"

Luke stumbled, barely keeping his footing as the air turned scorching and cold at the same time.

"You’ve got to be kidding me!" he yelled, throwing up a mirror barrier that instantly cracked under the pressure. "Can we get a five-minute break before this thing decides to nuke the town?"

The Chimera’s centipede tail slammed down, sending shockwaves through the ground. Kevin leapt aside, his light aura flickering under the immense pressure.

"Luke! Stay behind me!" Kevin shouted.

The Chimera let out another distorted roar, its three heads opening at once—lion, eagle, and serpent—all glowing with chaotic energy.

Cindy’s voice came again, tighter this time.

"Guys, listen! That energy fusion can’t last long. It’s unstable, just hang on until it burns itself out!"

Kevin clenched his fists, light coiling violently around him. "Then we’ll hold it off, no matter what it takes!".