"Chimeras can manifest in various forms. Analyzing the dungeon's archetype suggests this one likely possesses web-shooting capabilities, akin to Arachnomantis. Mana scans indicate it may harbor unique magical abilities, while physical analysis reveals its use of scythes for attack. Its vulnerability remains uncertain; traditionally, the head is a weak point, but given its placement at the tail's tip, it also utilizes it in its assaults."

"Regrettably, my clone was vanquished. Let's retreat." I replied after seeing the chimera leaped at my clone and munched it. I felt a little itchy on my body for some reason. it was probably the sensation my clone transmitted to me when its body was devoured.

"The Chimera is located in section F, central to the zone. We're commencing a retreat. Serene Night, have you concluded your engagement there?"

"Not yet; additional foes are stalling us. I've reserved my signature move for the boss, so I cannot waste it here. Could you distract it for five or ten minutes?"

"Phoenix, any other anathema in proximity?"

"None visible. Yet, caution is paramount; anathema gravitate towards mana. A confrontation with the boss spells doom for us. It's unlikely we could withstand both it and a D-rank adversary."

"Given your reasoning, shouldn't the boss gravitate towards Serene's group, currently engaged in active combat?" I asked

"Boss entities typically remain near their curse seed."

"It's approaching us," I announced, conjuring another clone. The boss, tearing through a wall, loomed ominously.

"Disgusting..." Sapphire expressed her revulsion, yet we had no leisure to dwell on its form as we hastily evaded the monstrosity.

"Everyone, run! Follow me and keep it at bay," Alice instructed, firing arrows and retreating.

We retreated, with the boss in pursuit. Contrary to Arachnomantis, this boss launched webbing from its front, ensnaring a clone and revealing a monstrous maw beneath its flesh.

"Activating scan protocol for unidentified anathema. Initiating anathema analysis system," Felicia stated as she observed the chimera.

We reached a backyard, momentarily halting our retreat. I decided to confront the beast, with the group aligning with my decision. Engaging the chimera, I parried its scythe attacks with my naginata, each strike pushing me back. The creature's assaults were relentless, but I persisted, repelling its attacks.

"Flame slash!" Red Flame unleashed his skill, his sword igniting as he slashed at the chimera from the side. The chimera turned its focus, kicking Red Flame aside. As it was about to chase him, Alice's barrage of arrows kept it at bay. It lunged at me again, and I managed to deflect its blows with my glaive.

A beam of light shot past me, latching onto the chimera. Sapphire and Alice, working in tandem, dragged the beast aside. The forceful pull staggered the chimera, but it effortlessly shed its flesh to free itself from Alice's hook. Observing its regenerative capabilities, I opted not to rely on my usual harpoon strategy for disrupting its balance.

Despite our efforts, we were gradually pushed back. My shield aura diminished by ten percent, even though I hadn't suffered a direct hit.

"Hold on, Black Lily! Sapphire, assist Red Flame!"

"Right away! Boosting vitality and treating injuries."

"Damn, think I took a hit to the stomach. Did it pierce through? Phoenix, check it out!" Red Flame grunted from a distance, having been thrown back by the chimera's force.

"You are okay, just bruised on the stomach and chest. I will add a pain relief spell." Sapphire said.

"Come on, hurry up! I can't stand being shown up by a newcomer!"

"Done!" Sapphire completed her spell, as we prepared to continue our fight against the formidable chimera.

"Black Lily, give me two seconds! I'm using my signature!" He screamed.

I summoned two clones, and they each grabbed a javelin. Together with my clones, I lunged at the chimera, pinning it against a tree in the backyard. Concurrently, Red Flame unleashed his signature attack. A brilliant blaze enveloped his sword as he cleaved through the chimera and one of my clones from behind. Through the connection with my clone, I felt the intense heat of his attack.

"We did it! We took down a D-rank monster! We're on a roll, baby!" Red Flame celebrated with a dance as he split the anathema into two pieces.

"Pull back, Red Flame! There were no kill chimes!" Alice warned urgently. A sense of dread enveloped us as the bisected chimera swung its scythe, delivering a slashing blow to Red Flame's torso. Despite being severed in half, it remained active. A red spark signaled the breach in Red Flame's shield as he tumbled away to escape further harm.

"Red Flame!" Sapphire rushed to his aid.

"Just one hit?" Alice said, incredulously.

"Watch out." I directed one of my clones to intercept an attack aimed at Sapphire. My clone blocked the descending scythe, but the force propelled all three away. Alice came to their aid, leaving me to confront the remaining half of the chimera. As I watched, a grotesque mass of flesh sprouted from the chimera's severed side, forming a new leg to replace its lost half. The creature's movements became erratic as it tried to stabilize, then suddenly accelerated, the newly formed limb solidifying to bear its weight.

"New data acquired. Identifying the chimera as Type 103. Limited capability for transferring cellular material confirmed. Regeneration classified as mass and volume conversion for replacing lost organs or limbs. Updating combat strategies. Information parsed with the team's familiars. Fire or explosive weaponry is recommended; blunt force is less effective. Slashing attacks must aim to sever parts no larger than one decimeter cubed, or ten centimeters in length," Felicia reported, her tone devoid of emotion as she provided crucial insights into our enemy's vulnerabilities.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Felicia?" I called out to her robotic voice.

"Just strike it, nyaa. I'm running an enemy analytics software to analyze the enemy's weaknesses and strengths to assist you in battle," she responded, transitioning from her robotic tone to a higher-pitched voice sprinkled with meows.

"Keep the analysis going." Felicia isn't just any cat; she's a familiar, a robotic assistant from Zenith designed to aid in my battles against anathema. Her cat-like demeanor is merely a facade to facilitate favor from humans.

The chimera's right side, reconstructed with a hardened flesh substitute and not the black carapace, failed to resist my slashes. Thus, I consistently maneuvered to its right, severing its newly formed limbs with my naginata whenever it attempted to stab me.

"Emergency shield aura transfer! Reboot!" Sapphire's command was followed by a surge of blue light transferring from her to Red Flame, who promptly rejoined the fray alongside my clones.

"Serene! When will you come?" Alice pleaded.

"Sorry, but the boss just showed up here. Are you in trouble? Could you hold on for ten more minutes?"

"Can you send a group here?" I inquired.

"Uh…"

"That's not possible, Shining. We're dealing with about fifteen Arachnomantis on Serene's end. They need our support." other members replied in her stead. Serene knew our opponent was too hard on us, but she couldn't abandon her boss fight either.

"Understood. Black Lily, are you okay there? Stay focused."

"I'm okay. Keep your attention on the other half."

"Alright, everyone! Let's overcome this! With the power of love and friendship, we will triumph over a D-rank monster today! Team Shining will not falter!" Alice's cringeworthy declaration, dripping with the typical magical girl enthusiasm, went ignored by me as I methodically dismembered the chimera, leg by leg, like a meticulous butcher. After severing what felt like the twentieth leg, they began to resemble crab meat, almost appetizing if not for the grotesque, pulsating pink flesh reminiscent of horror films. If it were otherwise, I might've considered bringing some home to my chef.

On the twenty-fifth leg, the chimera's onslaught halted, and its movements grew increasingly sluggish. Maintaining my position to its vulnerable right side, I relentlessly swung my naginata, preventing any further regeneration and methodically dismembering its main body into fragments. As its ability to resist dwindled with the loss of its legs, pinning it down with a javelin became trivial.

"Now's our chance! Shining Breaker!" Alice's call was followed by a resounding boom. Glancing back to the chimera's other halves, I saw it obliterated into countless pieces, its flesh and dark blood spraying over us. The kill chime then sounded, signaling the end of the battle.

[Defeated: Chimera Level 47]

[Reward: 40 Points]

[You have defeated several Arachnomantis! Here is the summary of points received.]

[Reward: 50 Points]

[Remaining Points: 1546 (1456 + 50 + 40)]

[You have leveled up to Level 17]

STATISTICS

Strength: 125

Dexterity: 15

Vitality: 10

Agility: 15

Willpower: 30

Spirit: 15

Bonus Point:20

"Hah... so tired! But we won!" Alice and Red Flame lay down, completely carefree. Sapphire, observing the mess around us, cast Purify, causing the repulsive remnants and dark blood to vanish as if they had never been.

"We need to back up Serene," I stated, gathering my weapons.

"What? Come on, we've already done more than our share. Don't we deserve a break, right, Shining?"

"We can rest while moving. Serene needs our help urgently. They're trapped, battling both D and C-ranked monsters simultaneously."

"If that's the case, let's move. But I'm exhausted. My signature won't be available for another two hours."

"Same here. But we'll do what we can."

"Alice, you've failed to be promoted to D rank before, haven't you? Will we have to face that challenge?"

"One day, we'll conquer it solo! Once you hit level fifty, there's a boost to your signature, grimoire, and augment."

"Wow, Black Lily, you're truly remarkable. Engaging that chimera's half alone... I've only heard rumors about Blacks, but you surpass even those tales. Yet, you haven't revealed your full arsenal. I know Blacks possess unique grimoires, augments, and signatures, and you've only shown us your illusions..." Red glanced at me, his eyes betraying a hint of envy.

"I apologize. That was impolite of me. Please disregard my comments," he said, straightening up and bowing. "I'm truly sorry. Sometimes, my competitive nature gets the better of me. The fact that you've already outpaced me has made me somewhat jealous. Please forgive me."

"No, it's okay."

"You're incredible! Just as I'd expect from my Yuri," Shining exclaimed, embracing me with genuine joy.

"Hey, it's impolite to use real names when we're in our Magical Girl personas."

"Don't worry, we all know her identities."

Arriving to assist Serene Night, we found the devastation there far exceeded what we encountered. Our battle with the chimera had damaged two houses, but here, nearly a third of the entire usurpation zone was obliterated, amounting to almost ten houses. The scene was chaotic, with flames, flying boulders, ice, and lightning everywhere.

"Watching this is giving me a headache."

"What, do flashing lights trigger epilepsy for you?" Red Flame joked, but I replied with controlled calmness.

"No, it's the extent of the destruction that's troubling." I facepalmed, not wanting to witness further destruction.

"Don't stress about it! Every junior high student knows about the Anathema Usurpation Act. We're allowed to destroy anything necessary to combat the anathema or survive an usurpation. The government will cover the costs." I gave him a stern look, and Sapphire nudged him to hint at something he'd overlooked.

"What's the issue?" he asked innocently, missing the point of my concern.

"She's a Shirayuki. Her family will likely be footing the bill for this damage." Sapphire's whisper was loud enough for me to hear, leading to a moment of realization for Red Flame.

"Ah... my bad. But what choice do we have, seeing the challenge we're up against?" he pointed towards the combative Arachnomantis queen and empress. The empress unleashed a volley of thunderbolts, countered by an equal barrage of ice lances from White Ocean, a blue MG in Serene's group.

"Do you need help?" Red Flame inquired, somewhat insensitively to Serene through telepathy.

"Why even ask? Look at the mess, you twerp! If you're done with the chimera, get over here at once!" Serene exclaimed.

"You know, kill-steal protocol and that shit. Had to ask."

"Help is needed! Serene Night is requesting support. Satisfied? Now, get over here!"

"Understood. It's not every day juniors get to assist a senior. Let's go, team!"

We tackled the lower-level enemies that were hounding Serene's group. I utilized my clones to distract the queen Arachnomantis. After the queen's defeat, Serene went all out, and the empress fell shortly thereafter.

[Quest Completed! -Usurpation Zone S009Cleared]

[Description: Clear an usurpation zone. High-level anathema detected. Caution is advised.]

[Difficulty: hard]

[Reward: 100 Points]

[Quest completed! Clearing a way for Southern District Shelter 1]

[Description: A shelter was running low on resources. Soon, they will open their emergency barrier. You must get ready to rescue them if that happen. Start by clearing nearby usurpation zones (10 out of 10)]

[Difficulty: Hard]

[Reward: 400 Points]

[Remaining Points:2046(1546+100+400)]