The map Nyra had woven trembled in midair.
One of the glowing points flared, then blinked out.
Kiel's expression darkened. "That wasn't just a signal loss. Someone just died."
Before anyone could respond, a rumbling filled the temple. The floor trembled, dust raining from the ceiling. The golden scorch mark Vael had left pulsed again—then exploded outward into a tear.
From it crawled a creature unlike anything they'd seen—its body a twisted braid of scales, fur, and living threads, each strand alive with Qi and seething with magic. It radiated both draconic flame and vampiric shadow, with a faint wolf's aura lurking beneath.
A hybrid war-beast.
Nyra stumbled back. "That's… that's not from this realm."
Zaira unsheathed her blade, Qi running along its edge in shimmering violet arcs. "It's a Rewoven Chimera. The King's mixing bloodlines now."
The creature roared, three voices at once, and lunged.
---
Kiel moved first. His sword—wreathed in fire Qi—met the beast's claws. Sparks and embers sprayed across the temple walls. The impact blasted him back two meters, boots carving deep lines in the stone.
Riven's hands blurred through seals, dark smoke spilling from his fingers. Shadow-tendrils shot up from the floor, wrapping the chimera's legs, but the threads in its flesh glowed and burned through the bindings.
It countered with a thread-whip tail, slicing through a stone pillar like paper.
Zaira dashed in low, blade slicing at its underbelly. For a moment, her enchanted steel bit through scales—but the threads pulsed and stitched the wound shut instantly.
"Great," she spat. "It heals faster than it bleeds."
---
The chimera's eyes locked on Nyra. It lunged again, faster this time, body flickering between shadow and flame.
Kiel reacted instinctively, triggering his Dragon's Vein Qi Burst. A shockwave of molten energy erupted from his core, propelling him forward in a blur. His blade connected with the beast's jaw, sending teeth and fire flying.
Nyra's voice rang out, strange and layered, as if a dozen echoes spoke with her.
> "Thread severing pattern… initiate."
She raised her hands, weaving strands of pure Null energy—anti-thread essence. The glowing lines formed a net in midair.
The chimera sensed danger. It roared and unleashed a bloodflame wave, a fusion of vampiric life-drain and dragonfire. The heat sucked the breath from the room.
Riven stepped in, driving his palm to the floor. "Shadow Abyss Gate!"
A vortex of black mist swallowed half the flames, redirecting the rest into the temple roof.
---
The net fell.
When it touched the chimera's body, the golden threads inside it screamed—an unholy, metallic wail—as they began to unravel.
The beast thrashed violently, tail smashing through the wall. It grabbed Nyra with one claw, lifting her like a doll.
Kiel's blood surged. His vision narrowed, and the Werewolf Qi inside him—half dormant—ignited. Muscles swelled, nails lengthened into claws, and his aura became a savage blend of dragon's fire and wolf's fury.
He vanished in a single step, reappearing mid-air above the chimera's head. His sword plunged down, charged with triple Qi infusion—flame, shadow, and beast. The strike cleaved through skull, through threads, straight to the creature's core.
The net tightened, and with a final wail, the chimera burst into a shower of burning thread fragments.
---
Nyra landed hard, coughing. Zaira rushed to steady her.
Kiel stood panting, steam rising from his skin. The mix of powers still burned in his veins—unstable, intoxicating.
Riven looked at the pile of smoking threads. "That wasn't random. The King sent that thing here for her."
Nyra nodded slowly, still pale. "And next time… he'll send more."
Kiel sheathed his blade, eyes glowing faintly gold and crimson. "Then we get to them first."
Outside, the sky rippled—not with clouds, but with golden stitches forming new rifts.
The war had begun.