As the battle continued all over the world, Platoon A-1 was facing eight Chimera Beasts of their own.
---
Battle 7
The Chimera Beast had the body of a dragon, the head of a hyena, spider-like legs, and the hood of a cobra.
It was clearly venomous, as it could spit acid through its mouth.
Facing it were the Fourth Captain of Golden Paradox, Abyss, wielding a machete in each hand.
Alongside him stood the Sixth Captain of Golden Paradox, Piercer, Alisha, holding a rapier with thunder crackling around it. A sharp grin appeared on her face.
Two more members of Golden Paradox were also present.
There wasn't much to do. This fight was the first one to finish.
Abyss and Alisha had known each other even before they became part of Golden Paradox. Their chemistry was top-notch.
One was a silent assassin.
The other was quick destruction.
The other two members simply had to sit back and wait.
Before the Chimera Beast could even make its move, Alisha went on a rampage.
She continuously pierced through its body, her rapier striking again and again from different directions.
At the same time, Abyss used his shadow magic to bind the Chimera Beast, making it unable to dodge.
The Chimera struggled against the shadows, but it couldn't escape. It tried to use its acid to retaliate, but Pierre was constantly putting it down.
Alisha kept striking. Again. And again.
Soon, she had pierced through the Chimera Beast enough for its core to become visible.
That was the signal.
The other two members immediately joined in, keeping the exposed area open and preventing the Chimera Beast from protecting its core.
Alisha saw the opening.
She struck.
The Chimera Beast was destroyed in a single decisive attack.
There was no complicated plan.
There didn't need to be one.
Years of shared experience and the bond between Abyss and Alisha were enough to end the battle within minutes.
---
Battle 8
Indigo stood with her grimoire floating beside her.
Alongside her were three other members of Golden Paradox, facing the final Chimera Beast.
It had the body of a polar bear, wings of an owl, lynx-like ears, and an ice-coated wolf tail.
Its movements were silent, and a chilly aura surrounded its body.
Indigo lifted her hand and cast a support spell on the other three members, who immediately took the frontline.
She constantly kept casting defensive spells and buffs onto them simultaneously, doing so with ease. She also used her Time Magic to heal them, undoing actions that may have led to injuries.
She handled everything with incredible precision without putting too much pressure on them.
The Chimera Beast constantly tried to freeze the area around them, but Indigo kept unfreezing it.
Before the battle had even begun, she had spread her mana throughout the area of the battlefield.
Because of that, she had control over time within that area, which made everything much easier for her.
The three members on the frontline had ice magic, water magic, and one who relied mainly on his weapon.
That combination put them at a disadvantage against an ice-based Chimera Beast.
But they distributed their forces between themselves, allowing each of them to use their speciality properly.
The battle continued for a while.
The Chimera Beast kept attacking and freezing the surroundings, while Indigo continuously supported the three members and countered its effects.
The three Golden Paradox members coordinated their attacks, covering one another whenever necessary.
It took time.
But eventually, through their continuous coordination and Indigo's support, they managed to bring down the last Chimera Beast as well.
---
And with that, one by one, every Chimera Beast turned into ash.
Then... Nothing happened.
They waited.
They were expecting more enemies.
More challenges.
Or at least something that would tell them what to do next.
But nothing happened.
The members of Platoon A-1 searched around the area, trying to find some kind of clue or a way out.
But they found nothing.
After some time, the ground suddenly began to shake.
Everyone immediately became alert.
The ceiling started to crack.
Then the floor cracked as well.
The cracks spread rapidly.
There was no escape.
Suddenly, the entire ground gave way.
Everything fell downward.
Every member of Platoon A-1 began falling with it.
As they fell, they could see something beneath them.
Something dark.
Something corrupted.
It looked as if the darkness itself was pulling everything toward it.
The darkness grew closer.
And before anyone could do anything... Everyone was swallowed by that same darkness.