The chanting of the remaining Solarii cultists was a chilling, primal sound that echoed through the frozen corridors of the Citadel. They were the desperate remnants of Mathias's crew, driven by fanaticism and rage.
"They're disorganized but numerous," Lara observed, securing the Advanced Grapple-Axe to her utility belt. "They'll flood the area, trying to overwhelm us."
"They'll try," Leo confirmed, drawing the Partner Bow and nocking a Fire Arrow. "We're not fighting them head-on. We're using their zealotry against them. The path to the tomb is up that final flight of icy stairs—we hit them hard and fast, then seal the path behind us."
He turned to the SABOTEUR tree. He had one last skill to prepare for the final ascent. He had enough high-grade components to craft the powerful Chain Lightning Trap.
[Skill Point Allocation (Level 12 Unused)]
* Chain Lightning Trap: (A powerful, crafted trap using insulated wire and salvaged batteries that incapacitates multiple targets instantly.) Rationale: The perfect Tier 3 utility to deal with the inevitable, swarming final ambush.
Leo worked furiously, using the insulated wiring and circuit boards he had looted, quickly assembling a complex, multi-contact trap.
"I need a few seconds to set this at the top of the stairs," Leo instructed, his hands flying across the wires. "They're starting their push now."
Lara took position at the foot of the icy stone staircase. Three Solarii Hunters, armed with axes and torches, rounded the corner and immediately spotted them.
"Leo, cover!" Lara yelled, engaging instantly. She fired her Stabilized Pistol with precision, dropping the first two cultists with headshots.
The third Solarii, however, was a brute, charging Lara, axe raised.
Lara didn't flinch. She dodged the clumsy, enraged swing with a move that blended her natural agility with her sheer fighting experience, then drove her Climbing Axe—the newly upgraded Grapple-Axe—into the cultist's exposed back.
The cultist roared and dropped, and the path was temporarily clear.
"Go! Go!" Leo yelled.
They sprinted up the icy stairs, the slippery conditions barely registering thanks to their supreme Dexterity (17). They reached a narrow landing that overlooked the path below—a perfect kill zone.
Leo immediately deployed the Chain Lightning Trap, running the thin, near-invisible wires across the mouth of the stairwell, securing the small battery unit behind a jagged piece of stone.
"The trap is set! We move through the door!"
Just as they reached the heavy stone door leading to the final chamber, the main force of the Solarii—a dozen men, some armed with rudimentary guns, most with axes and blades—flooded the lower landing, their eyes fixed on Leo and Lara.
Leo pulled out a Tier 2 Improvised Grenade and tossed it directly into the center of the mass.
BOOM!
The resulting explosion didn't kill them all, but it stunned and scattered the mob, forcing them to press forward quickly to escape the blast radius.
The cultists charged the stairs, rushing into Leo's strategically placed trap.
The sound was immediate and terrifying: a high-pitched CRACKLE, followed by simultaneous screams. The Chain Lightning Trap activated, arcs of salvaged electricity snapping across the line, instantly seizing the limbs of the leading cultists. Half a dozen men collapsed in a stunned, twitching pile.
Leo didn't waste the chance. He pulled out his Recurve Bow and fired two rapid Fire Arrows into the tangle of stunned bodies, igniting the dry cloth of their clothes. The sight of the writhing, burning bodies was enough to break the resolve of the remaining Solarii. They broke ranks, scrambling back down the stairs in panicked retreat.
"That's the last of the cultists," Leo said, his voice hard. "We're clear."
They approached the stone door. It was locked, secured by a complex, ancient mechanism.
Lara immediately stepped up. "This is a mechanical puzzle. I need to realign the tumblers—it will take two levers and coordination."
The door required a classic split-puzzle solution. Leo took the left lever, Lara took the right. Using Leo's precise timing and Lara's quick reflexes, they manipulated the levers, listening for the internal CLACK-WHIR of the ancient tumblers falling into place.
Lara smiled, sweat on her brow. "Got it. Always a puzzle before the prize."
The massive stone door groaned open, revealing the final chamber: a vast, dark ceremonial hall dominated by a crumbling, frozen throne. This was the Sun Queen's Tomb.
And standing in the center of the chamber, waiting for them, was Mathias—the desperate, messianic leader of the Solarii, flanked by the two remaining elite Trinity mercenaries who had successfully evaded their previous attacks.
Mathias was no longer the frail priest; he was cloaked in ancient armor, his eyes alight with zealotry.
"You should not have come this far," Mathias intoned, his voice echoing in the chamber. "The Sun Queen requires a sacrifice. You will serve her, or you will break."
This was the end of the line for the Tomb Raider (2013) plot. The final boss fight.
Leo looked at Lara, who was breathing deeply, her Advanced Grapple-Axe held ready, her pistol holstered.
"Mathias is the key to the storm, Leo," Lara said, her voice steady, despite the overwhelming odds. "If we stop him, the storm dies, and the Endurance can get a true signal out."
Leo nodded, pulling out both his Stabilized 9mm Pistols. His Mind (16) was already calculating the complex strategy needed to defeat the three final bosses simultaneously.
[Host Level Up! Level 13 Reached!]
[New Attribute Points Available: 3]
Leo had three new points, a Tier 3 Arsenal, and the final confrontation before him.
"You distract the Trinity guards, Lara. Force them to separate," Leo instructed, his voice low and tactical. "I'll handle Mathias. We end this now."
Chapter End.