The chapter began where the previous one ended.
Hikari witnessed Lothar lying unconscious beneath Kael's foot.
Without a second of hesitation, she drew both of her swords and pointed one of them directly at Kael.
Voltra gathered at the tip of her blade, condensing into a beam of pure energy.
Kael looked toward her and immediately released the Voltra stored within his suit, shaping it into a large shield.
But Hikari didn't fire a normal beam.
She compressed it into a razor-thin laser.
Kael hadn't expected that.
The laser pierced straight through his shield as if it weren't there.
His eyes widened.
At the last possible moment, he tilted his head to avoid a direct hit—but it was too late.
The laser sliced across the left side of his face.
His left eye was destroyed.
Kael staggered backward, clutching his face.
"GHHHHHHH!!"
Before he could recover, he saw Hikari already charging another attack.
Realizing he couldn't block another laser like that, Kael immediately flew into the air to avoid the next strike.
Kael, now in the air, gritted his teeth.
Kael: "Damn... that woman has incredible control over her Voltra."
Back in the laboratory, Veylor watched everything unfold on the screen.
Veylor (to Kael): "I told you to be careful around them. Your suit is made from an extremely durable metal combined with the remains of high-level Kaijus. It's a full-body suit... but it doesn't protect your face."
"Remember, you're an ordinary human, unlike these hybrids. Your body is fragile, and so is your face. If anything lands there... you'll die."
Kael: "Shut up! I know that!"
He clutched the side of his face, screaming in pain.
"AHHHHHH!"
Then he glared down at Hikari with pure hatred.
"You'll pay for this, you illegitimate Draekor, Hikari!!"
Hikari stopped charging her beam and looked up at Kael.
Hikari: "Well then..."
She suddenly threw one of her swords at him.
Kael easily dodged it.
He looked down—
Hikari was gone.
Realizing the sword had only been a distraction, Kael instantly looked behind him.
Hikari had already appeared at his back.
Swinging her remaining sword, she shouted,
"MAKE ME PAY!"
She aimed directly for Kael's neck, intending to cut off his head.
Her blade hit the metal armor protecting his neck. Sparks flew, but it failed to cut through
Hikari: "What?!"
Kael immediately grabbed her sword.
With his free hand, he punched her hard in the stomach.
Then he followed up with another punch to her face.
Grabbing her by her long hair, he hurled her toward the spot where Lothar lay unconscious.
Hikari: "Ghh..."
After witnessing everything, Light slowly got back to his feet.
Hikari looked toward him.
Hikari: "Light, could you buy me some time so I can heal Lothar?"
Light: "I can try."
Meanwhile...
Kael hovered in the sky, looking down at Hikari and Lothar.
Veylor (to Kael): "Now that you've successfully taken both of them down, focus on our main objective. Bring them here to me."
Kael: "She's still conscious. This fight isn't over yet."
Unlike Hikari and Lothar, Light's Voltra pool was much smaller, and his control over it wasn't nearly as refined. He still hadn't learned how to fly using Voltra.
Looking up at Kael, Light noticed streams of Voltra flowing from the boots of Kael's suit, keeping him airborne.
A thought crossed his mind.
Light focused all of his Voltra into his feet and jumped.
The boost sent him soaring high enough to reach Kael.
He grabbed him.
Kael: "What?!"
A moment later...
Both of them came crashing toward the ground.
Meanwhile, Hikari began healing Lothar.
Kael slammed into the ground with Light still holding onto him.
Landing on top of him, Light raised his fist and swung straight at Kael's face.
But Kael instantly formed a circular shield, covering his face.
Light concentrated every ounce of his remaining Voltra into his fists and began throwing punch after punch, trying to break through the shield.
Veylor (to Kael): "Get up! You don't have much time. Hikari is healing Lothar, and once he's back on his feet, taking all of them down at once will be nearly impossible!"
Kael grabbed both of Light's hands.
Then, using the Voltra shield covering his face, he slammed his head straight into Light's face.
CRACK!
"GHH!"
The impact made Light's nose bleed instantly.
Kael then grabbed Light by the neck and hurled him toward Hikari.
Hikari caught Light before he could crash into the ground.
Kael got back to his feet and looked toward Lothar.
Lothar had regained consciousness.
Kael: "Shit... That damn Draekor. Her healing technique is troublesome."
Now...
All three of them stood on their feet once again.
Facing Kael.
Veylor spoke through the Bluetooth.
Veylor: "I've said this before, and I'll say it again—you can't beat them together. Lothar is awake now. Yes, you knocked him down once, but don't let that make you think you can do it again so easily. He possesses an immense amount of Voltra. You know that. He just doesn't know how to control it yet."
"As far as I can see, you witnessed it yourself back then... how he completely obliterated the humanoid Kaiju I created."
Kael didn't answer.
He simply stared at Light, Lothar, and Hikari.
The three of them stood together, facing him.
Hikari: "First that humanoid Kaiju... and now this. A human dressed like a Kaiju, wearing some strange suit made from Kaiju remains..."
"I just don't get it. Why does our team always have to deal with these strange enemies? Why do they keep coming after us?"
Light: "Maybe because we're the main characters."
Hikari chuckled.
Lothar looked at him in confusion.
Lothar: "What? What the hell are you talking about? Isn't it obvious? We're the King's children... and she's a Draekor."
Light: "Relax. I was just being sarcastic."
Hikari: "Yeah... he was just being sarcastic."
The three of them continued arguing with each other, completely ignoring Kael.
Kael's eye twitched as he watched them.
Kael: "Shut up!"
End of the chapter!