CHAPTER 217: CHAPTER 217- OVERHEATING

On the other side of the battlefield, near the main cannon, Veronica struggled to hold Lucy back. Her black wings flapped violently, scattering blood and ash through the air.

Sebas aimed his device at her, trying to stun the creature, but the pulse missed.

Rea darted forward, his movements light and precise. He leapt high, straight toward Lucy, and with his Mirage Skill, he split into multiple afterimages, each slashing from a different angle. One strike landed deep, drawing dark, oozing blood, but Lucy’s wounds sealed almost instantly.

"It’s useless," Lucy hissed, her voice distorted, half-human, half-mutant.

Veronica scoffed, flipping her hair with a proud smirk. "Please. I’m far from done, and when I win, it won’t even be close."

Lucy sneered, eyes glowing crimson. "How foolish."

She lunged again, wings tearing through the air, but this time Veronica activated her Enchanter’s Buff, golden runes spiraling around her arms as her body surged with magical energy. She countered Lucy’s strike head-on, the impact shaking the entire platform.

Lucy staggered back, just in time for Aya to release her shot.

From above, her Eagle Eye Skill locked on. The crossbow bolt flew with deadly precision, embedding itself into Lucy’s side, followed by a faint, ominous tick... tick...

Then—BOOM!

A burst of flames engulfed the monster, sending her crashing to the ground.

Sebas adjusted his glasses, eyes narrowing as his analyzer flickered with readings.

"With that reaction... I see. She’s showing vulnerability to explosions and fire. Makes sense, her mutation’s insect-based. Their exoskeletons can’t handle heat."

He looked up at the smoldering smoke where Lucy writhed in pain.

"That’s our advantage."

Veronica smirked, brushing off the soot that clung to her cheek. Her golden eyes gleamed as she stared down at the wounded Lucy, who was still twitching amidst the smoke and scattered embers.

"Well, well," she said, voice laced with mockery. "It seems the mighty insect queen has a soft spot for fire. How tragic. Should I fetch you some bug spray while I’m at it?"

Lucy’s laughter rasped through her cracked lips, a sound that was half hiss, half scream. "You think a little flame can stop me?" she growled, her wings spreading wide once more, still smoldering at the edges. "You’re nothing compared to me. I was chosen to evolve beyond weakness."

Veronica tilted her head, feigning sympathy. "Evolve all you want, bitch. You’ll still burn the same."

Before Lucy could charge again, Sebas’s calm but firm voice cut through the comms. "Mr. Rea, focus your Mirage strikes near her thoracic joints, they’re overheating. Miss Aya, prepare incendiary bolts. Miss Veronica, maintain the enchantment buff, maximize the output on your next cast."

Rea gave a sharp nod, blades gleaming. "Got it."

Aya reloaded swiftly, the faint click of her crossbow syncing with the tension in the air.

Veronica cracked her knuckles, a confident grin spreading across her lips. "Perfect. Let’s roast her."

Lucy let out a shriek of rage, her aura pulsing violently, wind and ash swirling around her. "You’ll regret mocking me!"

The ground shook violently as Lucy’s body swelled, her insectoid limbs twisting into a monstrous form that resembled a gorilla, muscular, towering, and pulsating with a sickly, molten glow beneath her cracked skin. Her roar shattered what was left of the cannon deck, sending shards of metal flying in every direction.

Rea stumbled backward, barely dodging a massive swing that dented the floor where she’d just been. "What the hell—she’s evolving again?! I’m out, I’m so out!" he yelled, panic cracking his voice.

"Stop whining!" Veronica snapped, blocking a debris chunk with her barrier sigil. "We don’t have time for your cowardice!"

Sebas’s fingers flew over his control pad. "Focus! The heat output from Miss Aya’s last explosion destabilized her shell. She’s overheating, this is our chance!"

Aya crouched behind a broken column, her crossbow reloaded with glowing incendiary bolts. "Copy that. I’ll light her up!"

Lucy roared again, slamming her fists into the ground, sending shockwaves through the platform. Sebas activated his gauntlet, releasing a surge of plasma fire that roared from his shoulder-mounted cannon, bright orange against the ashen sky. The flames struck Lucy’s chest, searing through the thick, mutated hide.

Veronica’s enchantments flared, amplifying the weapon’s power. "Keep the pressure on!" she commanded, her voice cutting through the chaos like steel.

Aya’s bolt struck a heartbeat later—exploding on contact, coating Lucy’s arm in fire. The creature screamed, thrashing wildly, her claws tearing through the steel supports.

Even as the team pressed the assault, Lucy refused to fall. Her burning silhouette towered amidst the inferno, roaring in pure defiance.

Sebas narrowed his eyes. "She’s adapting again... and she’s still regenerating."

Veronica clenched her fist, glaring up at the monster. "Then we’ll just have to break her faster than she can heal."

Lucy’s roar deepened into something distorted—more pain than power. The molten glow beneath her skin pulsed erratically, flickering between red and violet. Cracks split across her chitinous surface, and steam hissed from every wound as if her own body couldn’t contain the chaotic fusion of energy anymore.

Sebas adjusted the sensors on his wrist device, eyes narrowing. "Her internal temperature is skyrocketing. She’s burning herself out."

"Good," Veronica said coldly, stepping forward through the smoke. The sigils circling her glowed faint gold as she reinforced everyone’s defenses. "Let her destruction finish the job for us."

Lucy slammed her fists into the deck again, splintering the metal. "You think this—" she hissed, her voice rasping like multiple tones at once, "—is enough to kill me?!"

Her back split open, releasing a swarm of flaming insect wings that writhed uncontrollably. The air shimmered with the heat, and the smell of scorched flesh filled the space.

Aya reloaded swiftly, breath trembling. "She’s not even fighting rationally anymore..."

"Exactly," Sebas muttered. "That’s what makes her dangerous."

The moment Lucy lunged forward, Rea dashed aside, using his mirage skill to leave afterimages that confused the beast. "You handle the big one!" Rea shouted. "I’ll try not to die!"

Veronica ignored her tone and lifted her hand. "Sebas—now!"

Sebas fired another blast from his cannon, the burst of controlled fire colliding with Aya’s explosive bolt midair, merging into a single violent detonation. The explosion engulfed Lucy, swallowing her in flames that blazed brighter than before.

Through the inferno, her silhouette staggered, screaming, twisting, shrinking as her monstrous features began to collapse in on themselves.

Veronica’s eyes narrowed. "She’s losing control of the mutation... her body’s rejecting it."

For a moment, it looked as though Lucy might fall. But then, from within the flames, two glowing red eyes snapped open—brighter and fiercer than ever.

Aya gasped. "No way... she’s still—"

Lucy burst out of the firestorm, charred but relentless, her wings shredded yet still beating. Her voice was no longer human. "I’ll tear you apart!"

Veronica raised her fist and met her gaze head-on. "Then come and try."