Chương 360: Chapter 351 - Nothing Left to Give

Chiara felt it. The raw intensity of the creature's EM field bordered on the absurd — reality itself seemed to bend beneath its pressure. Metrics far beyond anything her simulations had ever dared to predict. However, this creature, born of power beyond comprehension, was still bound by its own ignorance, shackled by inexperience. And she would use that. She would use that and face it head-on. Since it had made its move toward them, with its Eclipse compact and impenetrable, she knew its objective. And thus…

she called her own. Under Lukas's boost and the foundation of her latest research, she manifested the strongest, most perfect domain she had ever forged — a force to rival the monster's own, anchored to the limits of what her three minds could endure. The air rattled. Light vanished. Darkness faced darkness as static flared to life, distorting the space around them like a shuddering veil between worlds. And in that darkness… she saw light.

As the claw came down, she ignited a Sun Pulse — pushing with all she had — while commanding the Dark Stars she had hidden as Lukas' vest, forming them into a tailored barrier to absorb the impact. They collided. Shards flew as the EM fields convulsed and screamed. And yet… she pushed further. Her Eclipse was now capable of seizing control of other frequencies, so instead of the enemy's, she reached for her own—sending the signal to Mei, Lukas, Alonso and Wang.

Their pulses answered, merging into her sphere as she drew them in. She threaded them together, weaving their wavelengths as she locked every sense onto the abomination before her. Her focus tightened — the strain in her mind burning, biological limits collapsing one by one — and she unleashed it all. A pure bullet of energy. A Sun Pulse driven straight at its mind. Waves stacked and compressed by all of them — the strongest EM assault ever unleashed upon this world. And it pierced.

It pierced through every defense. The creature's form recoiled, its massive field faltering from the invisible collision. Through the void of its Eclipse… a single ray of light was born. Yet— It fractured. Just as it was about to strike the skull, the seven-tail detonated its field, sparks drawing the wave away by sheer, impossible power, disintegrating the attack into a chaotic storm of fragmented pulses. Then it moved and— Froze. Chiara's eyes narrowed.

Blood trailed down her nose as her overloaded minds screamed. But she didn't care. She muted the pain. Silenced every alarm — unless it meant her death, it could wait. And in that moment — through blood, through exhaustion — she smiled. Because hidden within that light… lay a shadow. Her true purpose. A pulse buried inside the detonation. One that would trigger upon disruption. A seed waiting to feed on its counter. A virus. Her ultimate skill — one the creature did not possess, and thus could not predict.

Cognitive Mirage. She knew it would not hold long — but they didn't need long. Even a single instant would suffice. Even if it broke her in the process… it was enough. The others moved in. Ayu's daggers flashed toward its spine from behind. Imani's hammer roared toward its flank. Wang's blade cut through from the other side. This was it. Chiara maintained the illusion, locking the monster's perception in her fabricated world. A god, is it? But what is a god… to a non-believer? The strikes landed.

The air cracked as Imani's warhammer crushed into its side, forcing its scales to cave with a metallic shriek. Wang's sword followed, biting deep into the wounded shoulder that hadn't yet sealed. Ayu's daggers carved twin arcs through its back, nearing the spine when— BOOM! Thunder erupted. The creature screamed, its voice splitting the air as a violent EMP burst from its core. Its scales detonated outward in a storm of molten shrapnel, slicing through the air and tearing into those around it.

Ayu spun away before the impact, dodging most of the scales as her daggers deflected the rest. Wang took the blast full-on. His mech suit screamed as metal plates burst apart, shrapnel punching through his chest and limbs. He hit the ground hard, sliding across the rocks in a spray of red and steel. A harsh, broken gasp escaped him—and then silence. Imani's heavy armour endured the worst of it, but not all. Splinters of metal tore through the gaps, carving deep furrows into his arms and neck.

He staggered back, teeth gritted as hairline cracks split his chestplate. The seven tail's flesh showed beneath—a deep, raw crimson threaded with pulsing veins that glowed black with corrupted light. And still, it pushed forward, roaring in defiance against all that dared live. It willed the world itself to obey him, to turn against them. The shards of scale hovering around it began to hum, connecting with bright veins of lightning that danced between them.

One by one, they aligned—forming a spinning lattice of thunder, a living storm chained to the creature's will. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Ayu disengaged instantly. Alonso stopped mid-charge, his instincts screaming. Imani tried to step back—too slow. The static caught him, arcs of lightning snapping through his armour and flesh. His body seized as electricity crawled under his skin, charring it black.

Chiara roared, flooding her waves into the field, forcing the feedback away from him. She wrenched his body free with a surge of magnetic force, but the damage was done. Smoke rose from Imani's frame. His heartbeat flickered weakly—erratic, fading. Burned skin. Cracked ribs. His fate unknown. Chiara's eyes widened. How… how had he broken through so quickly!? But she couldn't let panic take hold. She crushed the feeling, forcing herself back into focus. Wang was down—maybe dying. Imani barely clinging to life.

Mei's interference disrupted the enemy's field, but only slightly. She had to do something— Then the creature's gaze locked on her. She felt it. That fury. That pure, inhuman hatred burning through the air. But that wasn't what made her blood run cold. Its scales—glowing like a storm of thunder and Dark Stars—flared bright, then launched outward. Not just at her. Lukas and Mei too. Thousands of micro-scales, charged with kinetic force she couldn't bend or deflect, hurtled toward them.

Her minds raced, simulations flaring—hundreds, thousands—running faster than ever. The world slowed to a crawl. And yet— Her stomach twisted at the result. She closed her eyes… and made her choice.

Lukas felt a rush of emotions—too many, too fast. For one brief moment, he'd thought they had it. Victory within reach. And now… the tables had turned. Power flooded the battlefield, wild and senseless, bending reason itself. Two of them were already down. Five remained. How were they supposed to pierce its Storm Domain? How— Then it came. A wave of charged micro-scales, thousands of them, shrieking through the air. He braced. His mind flared, waves pulsing out to dull the impact—trusting Chiara completely.

He forced his brain to hold all three links at once, pain lancing through every neuron as his focus began to tear apart under the strain. And— Impact. The Dark Stars wrapped around him, most scales colliding against the barrier, though dozens still tore through, embedding in his arms, shoulders, legs. Pain lit up every nerve, but he was alive. He'd survived. Chiara had saved him—again. He turned towards her—"…" The words died in his throat. Everything froze. The links, the world, even time itself.

His mind went blank, his chest hollow. What stood before him wasn't her. Only a dense cluster of flickering Dark Stars hovered in the air, shielding her head. The rest—what was left of her body—was mangled, torn open in ways that defied mercy. Flesh ripped away. Bones splintered. Organs exposed, twitching. Ligaments strained, holding together what little remained of her torso. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. Then—" Lukas, focus!" The voice cut through the void, straight into his mind. It was her."

I can keep fighting—my brain can survive for several seconds without the body in the Third State. I won't die yet, Lukas. But if your links break… we all will."

"Chiara…" His teeth ground together, emotion threatening to tear through the fragile control he had left. His heart screamed, but he forced it down. He turned his gaze forward—toward the storm. Ayu and Alonso fought within it, their figures flickering between thunderbolts and shards of light, the world itself breaking apart around each clash. And then he stared to his right— He saw nothing. In the distance, where Mei had been—only an orb remained. She was dead. Just like that. Lukas' throat tightened.

He swallowed hard, fists trembling, fury and grief clawing at his chest. He couldn't falter. Not now. He couldn't even divert a link to heal the woman he loved—had to watch her shredded body continue to fight on, a mind without flesh. The weight of it all crushed down on him, threatening to drown him whole. And yet… he stayed standing. His mind screamed, fragments splitting from the strain of the links, but he endured. Because they'd made a choice. And the only path left—was forward.

Alonso swung his blade. Again and again—each motion faster, heavier, more desperate. His form flickered through the chaos, cutting through smoke, thunder, and scales as the world tore itself apart around him. The storm howled. Bolts of lightning curved through the air like living veins, scorching the ground as his Path of Shards danced through the maelstrom—fractured reflections of him, each slash leaving a trail of distorted light behind. His heart hammered. Not just from Overdrive. Not just from fury or grief.

But from everything. Imani's body shattered, burnt. Chiara's mangled form—her head suspended by sheer will alone. Mei's death, silent and final. Wang's blood on the rocks, his breath a thread. And yet, Alonso didn't break. He couldn't. He had to channel it. Control it. Shape the chaos into precision. His mind split between instinct and calculation. Every strike mattered. Every breath. Every blink. Steel crashed against scale, the sound drowned beneath roaring wind and crackling thunder.

Each collision sent shockwaves that shattered boulders and carved trenches in the snow-slick earth. The air was heavy with ozone and blood. Feints. Slashes. Cuts. Thrusts. Kicks. He weaved through the storm's rhythm, dodging tails and claws, reading its and Ayu's movements in sync, adjusting the tempo mid-battle. It was then he finally saw it—right after she moved in with a knee strike. A sequence. Alonso's eyes narrowed. His mind burned white-hot, tracing vectors, pressure lines, wind flow.

Every possible motion collapsed into one perfect path towards the outcome he visualized. The world slowed. The lightning bent. The shards froze midair. And then—he moved. His body blurred, cutting through the storm in a pattern of absolute control. Each motion built upon the last, leading toward one inevitable end. His pulse steadied, his vision sharpened, and all sound vanished—only the hum of energy through his veins remained. He exhaled. No-Strike. Light and darkness tore apart. The storm split in two.

And with it— The head of the seven-tail was severed. They had done it. Together, they had overcome it. Alonso's eyes locked on the suspended skull, its gaze still burning even as blood drifted in weightless ribbons through the shattered air. There was confusion in those cold, reptilian eyes—something between disbelief and hate. But there was also something else, something odd. There was—"Alonso!!" The scream cut through the ringing in his ears. Ayu. His head snapped down—too late. A flash of motion.

A streak of black. A claw. It carved across his face like molten fire, splitting skin and bone, tearing through his eyes in a blinding flash. His scream caught in his throat as the world erupted in red. Pain. Blood poured down his face, hot and heavy, drowning his breath. The sky vanished. The storm vanished. Everything vanished— All went black.