CHAPTER 219: CHAPTER 219- IMPACT

Veronica braced herself, golden aura flickering like a flame battered by wind. She clenched her fists tighter. ’Stay calm. Read her rhythm. Wait for the opening.’

Lucy lunged again, faster this time. Her claws slashed in a blur, each strike heavy enough to break the sound barrier. Veronica blocked the first, dodged the second, but the third tore across her arm, blood splattering the ground in bright red streaks.

"Got you bitch," Lucy hissed, swinging again.

But this time, Veronica smiled. She twisted her body midair, sliding past the blow, then launched a sharp uppercut glowing with golden light. The impact cracked through Lucy’s jaw and sent her stumbling backward.

Lucy growled, wiping blood from her mouth. "Still smiling? You’re bleeding."

Veronica tilted her head, golden strands of hair sticking to her sweat-soaked face. "I’ve bled worse. You’ll need more than that, insect bitch."

Lucy’s wings flared open, feathers dark as tar. "Then I’ll give you more."

She launched herself upward, spinning like a cyclone, her claws coated in a corrosive green energy. From below, Veronica saw her descending like a meteor. She crossed her arms, then shouted—

"[Aegis Pulse]!"

A dome of radiant energy burst around her, meeting Lucy’s attack midair. The collision was deafening, shockwaves tore through the ruins, dust billowed into the sky.

Aya and Sebas barely held their footing from afar.

"She’s buying time," Sebas muttered, typing furiously on his device. "Miss Aya, aim for her wings when the shield drops. Fire-type explosives only!"

Aya nodded sharply, loading her crossbow. "Yes."

Back in the smoke, Veronica and Lucy clashed again, trading blow for blow, light against dark, grace against rage. Lucy’s monstrous power began to dominate, forcing Veronica on the defensive.

Then—Aya’s arrow streaked through the smoke, whistling.

BOOM!

The explosion hit Lucy’s left wing, bursting into flames. She roared, thrashing violently.

Sebas smirked, adjusting his glasses. "Bingo. She’s vulnerable when her balance is off."

Veronica seized the moment. Her eyes glowed gold. "Now!"

She sprinted forward, aura blazing like the sun itself, leapt into the air, and landed a devastating kick straight into Lucy’s abdomen. The shockwave sent Lucy crashing backward into the remains of a wall.

Dust and ash filled the air. For a moment, silence.

Then Lucy’s laugh echoed again—low, guttural, furious. "You think... that’s enough?"

Her body began to twist, reshape—veins glowing crimson, skin hardening like armor. The ground around her turned black, pulsing with energy.

Sebas’ eyes widened. "She’s evolving again, this isn’t good."

Veronica lowered her stance, her aura dimming as fatigue caught up with her. She gritted her teeth. ’Damn it... I pushed too hard’

Aya shouted, "Veronica! Fall back—her power’s unstable!"

But Veronica didn’t move. She clenched her fist and whispered under her breath, "Then I’ll just break her before she finishes changing."

The shockwave from Lucy’s transformation cracked the ground. Her new form towered over Veronica, muscles tightened like steel cables, wings tattered yet pulsing with dark energy. Every breath Lucy took hissed with venom.

"Still coming at me?" Lucy sneered, her voice layered with an inhuman distortion. "You’ve already lost, Veronica."

Veronica exhaled slowly, golden aura flickering weakly around her. Her ponytail swayed as she tilted her head down. ’Lost? Maybe. But I don’t stop until I’m ash’

Lucy lunged. The impact of her claws shook the air, Veronica barely dodged, sliding back across cracked stone. The moment Lucy charged again, Veronica thrust out her hand.

"[Bind—Solar Chains]!"

Golden chains of pure light erupted from the ground, wrapping around Lucy’s limbs midair. The monster shrieked, thrashing violently as the bindings seared her skin with a hiss.

"You—!" Lucy roared, tearing one chain apart, wings flaring wide. "These tricks won’t—"

But before she could finish, Veronica’s eyes snapped open, now glowing like twin suns.

"[Celestia Drive: Awakening Form]."

A radiant burst exploded from her core. The golden aura that had dimmed before now roared back with terrifying brilliance, winds howled, dust lifted, the entire battlefield bathed in blinding light. Her hair burned gold, her movements sharper, faster, divine.

Lucy shielded her eyes with a snarl. "Impossible—how can your mana spike that high?"

Veronica stepped forward through the light. "Because unlike you, I don’t fight alone."

She vanished.

Lucy blinked—but Veronica was already in front of her.

A blinding punch connected squarely with Lucy’s chest. The impact detonated like an explosion, hurling the monster backward with a scream. Before Lucy could recover, Veronica spun, her leg glowing with spiraling gold light.

"[Solar Nova Kick]!"

Her strike slammed into Lucy’s ribs, launching her through the air. The shockwave flattened everything within meters, craters forming beneath their feet.

Rea barely managed to cover Aya and Sebas from the force. "Holy hell... that output, she’s overclocking herself!"

Aya gasped. "That’s suicide, her body won’t hold!"

Lucy, panting, staggered to her feet. Her jaw was cracked, blood dripping down her chin. "You think... this light will save you?"

Veronica steadied her breathing, sparks crackling from her skin. "It’s not about saving me. It’s about ending you."

Lucy roared and charged again, darkness spiraling around her arms.

Each clash sent shockwaves across the battlefield. The air itself burned from the friction of their auras. Veronica’s attacks became faster, sharper, each strike aimed not just to wound, but to end it.

Finally, Veronica gathered her last ounce of energy, her hand glowing brighter than ever. She thrust it forward, shouting:

"[Solar Cataclysm]!"

A beam of pure light erupted from her palm, engulfing Lucy in its brilliance. The scream that followed shook the walls, echoing through the entire fortress.

When the light faded, the battlefield was silent. Smoke rose from the crater where Lucy had fallen, her monstrous body motionless.

Veronica stood at the edge of the crater, panting, her golden aura flickering out. She fell to one knee, sweat and blood mixing on her face, but her eyes were steady.

"...Told you," she whispered hoarsely. "You’d regret underestimating me."

Smoke drifted across the battlefield. The golden light had vanished, leaving only the faint hum of scorched air.

"...No... not yet," Lucy rasped, her voice barely a whisper through the blood that filled her throat. She tried to lift her arm, but it trembled and fell limply to her side.

"I... can’t go yet," she murmured, staring up at the sky that was slowly clearing from the chaos of battle. "My master still needs me... he still..."

Her breathing grew shallow. Pieces of her corrupted flesh began to flake away, like burning paper in the wind. The energy that had fueled her began to unravel, breaking her apart from the inside out.

"Master... forgive me," she whispered again, tears streaking through the grime on her face. "For being a burden... for being too weak..."

The golden remnants of Veronica’s aura reflected in Lucy’s fading eyes, light meeting shadow one last time.

Lucy’s body disintegrated into fine ash. The wind carried her away, scattering what remained of her across the ruined battlefield.