CHAPTER 216: CHAPTER 216- KEY WORD

The explosion cracked through the air like divine thunder. A pillar of light and shadow rose from the blast, scattering dust and debris across the ruins. Kevin shot through the smoke, his body glowing gold as he charged head-on toward the Chimera.

The creature unfurled its wings, scattering molten feathers that burned through the ground like meteors. Its lion head roared, summoning waves of fire, while the serpent head spat arcs of lightning that forked through the air.

Kevin gritted his teeth. ’Too fast—!’ He ducked under the lightning, his boots skidding across the charred ground, and countered with a flash of pure radiance that slashed through the serpent’s jaw.

"Luke, now!" he shouted.

Luke snapped his hands together, summoning a swarm of mirror shards that spun around Kevin’s beam, refracting the light and amplifying it into a kaleidoscope of destruction. The beam struck the Chimera’s chest and detonated, sending it reeling back with an enraged bellow.

But the victory was short-lived. The Chimera’s shell shifted, its turtle-like carapace closing around its body as blue energy pulsed between the cracks.

Cindy’s voice cut through again, tense.

"Kevin! That carapace, it’s absorbing your light attacks! Don’t use the same move twice!"

Kevin clicked his tongue. "Then we’ll improvise!"

Luke groaned, throwing up another mirror to deflect a tail strike. "Oh sure, because improvising against a flying death tank always ends great!"

The Chimera took to the air, its enormous wings flapping once, sending a shockwave that shattered Luke’s mirrors and hurled both men backward.

Kevin hit the dirt hard, gasping. His body felt like it was burning from the inside. He saw Luke land awkwardly a few meters away, muttering curses.

Then the Chimera dove, spinning midair, its lion head charging another blast.

Kevin’s mind raced. ’Think, damn it. You can’t overpower it. Outsmart it.’

He glanced at the glowing ground under the creature—liquid fire pooling where it had been hit before. That energy’s unstable... if I can make it implode—

"Luke!" Kevin shouted, forcing himself up. "Reflect my next shot back at me!"

Luke blinked. "Wait—what?"

"Just do it!"

Kevin thrust his hands forward, light gathering in his palms until it screamed. He fired a radiant beam at the Chimera, but before it could reach, Luke tilted one of his shattered mirrors into place, redirecting the beam downward.

The blast hit the molten ground beneath the Chimera. For an instant, the air froze.

Then everything erupted.

A chain of explosions tore through the earth, fire and lightning swallowing the Chimera midair. The blast was deafening, the shockwave hurling Kevin and Luke several meters back.

When the dust began to settle, the creature was still standing—but its wings were scorched, one of its serpent heads gone.

Luke coughed, spitting dust. "Heh... you actually had a plan that didn’t kill us both. Nice."

Kevin smiled weakly, blood dripping from his lip. "Don’t sound so surprised."

Then Cindy’s voice came again, quieter this time, but firm.

"Good work. But don’t celebrate yet. That thing’s not done... and neither are we."

The Chimera’s lion head lifted slowly, molten eyes burning with fury as its shell began to crack apart, something darker, more monstrous writhing beneath.

Kevin’s grip tightened on his weapon. "Then let’s finish this."

The air vibrated with a low, monstrous growl.

Smoke parted, and what emerged from it wasn’t the same Chimera they’d been fighting, it was worse.

Its shell split apart, falling away in molten chunks. Underneath, a mass of glowing veins pulsed like magma coursing through flesh. The lion’s mane had turned obsidian-black, each strand sparking with static. The serpent head regenerated, larger this time, its scales gleaming like metal. And behind its wings, new limbs, spiked insect legs, burst outward, stabbing into the ground with a thunderous crack.

"Phase two..." Luke muttered, eyes wide. "Why do they always have a phase two?!"

The Chimera let out a distorted roar that shattered nearby debris, then lunged. Its movement was a blur of fury and raw energy.

Kevin threw up a radiant barrier, but it cracked immediately under the force of the creature’s claws. He was flung backward, tumbling through the air until Luke caught him mid-fall using a mirrored field.

"Hey, I said no dying without telling me first!" Luke gritted, barely holding the field stable.

Kevin coughed, his vision flickering. "Not... planning to."

Then the Chimera spun its serpent head forward, lightning burst out like a whip, snaking through the air. It caught Luke by the leg, slamming him into the ground before he could blink.

Cindy’s voice shouted through the comms, panicked:

"Its energy readings just doubled! Get out of there—!"

"Too late!" Kevin yelled, raising his palm as light burst from his hand, colliding with the incoming blast. The impact created a shockwave that forced both him and the creature back. His hand trembled from the strain.

The Chimera’s eyes glowed, a swirling mass of fire, lightning, and wind spinning in its throat. It opened its mouth—

And the air howled.

"Luke, MOVE!" Kevin shouted.

But before the beast could fire, a single bullet of blue energy shot from the distance and pierced its open jaw, detonating in its mouth. The blast forced the creature’s head to snap backward, silencing its roar.

"Bullseye," said Rogan’s calm voice through the comms.

On the ridge above, Rogan adjusted his massive rifle, barrel glowing faintly from the heat. His eye shimmered as he lined up another shot.

"You two look like hell," he said evenly. "Time for a little divine intervention."

Another shot rang out—BANG!—the bullet striking one of the Chimera’s wings. The creature screamed, crashing into the ground in a shower of sparks.

"Nice shot!" Luke shouted. "Do that again!"

Rogan smirked faintly.

"Working on it. Keep it still for me."

Kevin rose, light flickering around him. "Then let’s pin it down."

He dashed forward, drawing the Chimera’s attention as he fired beams of concentrated light that curved midair. The beast countered with venom bolts and energy bursts, but Luke intercepted, bouncing them back with his remaining mirrors.

Cindy’s voice came again, focused and sharp now:

"Kevin, its weak point’s shifting, it’s the core behind its rib plating, glowing red! Aim for that!"

"Copy that!"

Kevin charged another blast, golden light swirling violently in his hands. The Chimera lunged at him again, but Rogan’s bullet pierced one of its legs, staggering it for half a second.

That half-second was all Kevin needed.

He unleashed his energy in a single, point-blank shot.

A burst of radiance exploded from his palm, slamming into the Chimera’s chest and tearing through the outer shell. The creature howled in agony, thrashing, trying to shake him off.

Luke jumped beside him, slamming his hand to the ground as mirrors rose around the monster, forming a shimmering cage of light to trap it.

Rogan’s voice crackled through the comm again, steady and deadly calm.

"Hold it there. Let’s make this count."

The rifle’s core charged—hum, click, flash.

Then came the shot—

BOOOOM!

A perfect strike right through the glowing rib cage. The Chimera convulsed, its roar echoing into a fading gurgle as its massive body crashed into the earth, trembling, then fell still.

Silence filled the air.

Only the faint crackle of lightning and the hiss of burned ground remained.

Kevin fell to one knee, breathing heavily. "Tell me... that’s the last phase."

Luke groaned beside him, wiping soot off his face. "If there’s a phase three, I’m quitting this man."

The Chimera’s corpse trembled.

A low, guttural rumble came from deep within it—a sound too alive, too hateful. Kevin’s eyes widened. "Wait... no, no, no—!"

Before he could finish, the monster’s body burst open, shards of broken shell and blood spraying in all directions. A new form emerged from the ruin—leaner, slick with black ichor, and burning with raw elemental chaos. Its veins pulsed like liquid fire, and a half-torn wing dragged uselessly behind it, still crackling with static.

Luke’s jaw dropped. "Oh come on! We killed you already!"

The Chimera’s scream tore through the battlefield—half roar, half shriek. Its serpent tail whipped forward, smashing the ground and sending debris flying. Kevin barely raised a shield in time; the impact shattered it like glass and sent him skidding back.

Rogan’s voice came through the comm, tense for the first time.

"It’s unstable—its core’s overloading. You need to end this now before it takes the whole sector down!"

Kevin gritted his teeth. His aura flickered like a dying light. "We’ll end it... one way or another."

The monster leapt. Its claws came down, smashing Luke’s mirror barrier into fragments. Luke coughed blood, collapsing to one knee. "I can’t keep up...!"

"Don’t stop!" Kevin shouted, charging forward.

The Chimera turned its lion head toward him, mouth glowing with searing blue energy—its final breath.

Rogan fired, but the bullet ricocheted harmlessly off the reinforced hide.

"It’s too dense—my shots can’t pierce it anymore!"

Kevin clenched his fists. "Then I’ll burn through it."

He sprinted forward, light exploding from his legs like rockets.

The Chimera unleashed its devastating beam—pure, condensed chaos. Kevin crossed his arms, summoning every ounce of his light to form a radiant shield. The collision was apocalyptic, thunder cracked, air turned to fire, the earth split beneath them.

"KEVIN!" Luke screamed.

When the beam faded, Kevin was still standing, barely. His armor was shattered, blood dripping from his lips. But his eyes still glowed. "Luke..." he gasped. "Now!"

Luke, teeth gritted, slammed his hand into the ground. The remaining mirror shards that surrounded the battlefield rose into the air, spinning, refracting every particle of light around Kevin.

Cindy’s voice came through the comm, shouting through static,

"Kevin! I’ve synced the mirror frequencies, amplify your beam through them!"

Kevin nodded once. "Understood."

He raised his hands, light bursting between his palms. The shards glowed in response, forming a prism of energy. The Chimera roared and charged, its claws raised.

"Let’s finish this!" Kevin shouted.

He unleashed his power. The mirrors focused and multiplied the beam, turning one light into a thousand.

The blast tore through the Chimera, every element in its body shattering apart, ice melting, lightning imploding, flames dying midair. It let out one final scream before collapsing, the glow in its core flickering out for good.

Silence.

Then, a single heavy breath.

Luke fell backward, laughing breathlessly. "That... that’s what I call teamwork."

Kevin collapsed to his knees, trembling but smiling faintly. "We nearly died for that."

"Yeah," Luke wheezed, looking at the smoking crater where the monster had been. "But hey... nearly is the key word."

From his vantage point, Rogan let out a relieved sigh, lowering his rifle.

"Good work, team. Cindy, mark that target as neutralized."

"Already did," Cindy replied, her voice shaky but proud. "You guys actually did it..."

Kevin chuckled softly, resting his head against the rubble. "Next time," he murmured, "someone else gets the big one."

Luke smirked weakly. "Yeah man."