Absolute Cheater - Chapter 503
Chapter 503: Bionics VI
The chimera staggered from the headbutt, its metal skull dented and leaking streams of blue flame. Asher didn’t wait. He stepped in and hit it with a straight punch to the face, sending it sliding backward across the cracked floor.
The creature planted its claws, stopping itself. Its void cores spun harder. Its flames grew brighter. It was preparing another rush.
Asher wiped blood from his cheek.
“Come on, then.”
The chimera charged again, blinking forward in short bursts. Each teleport brought it closer, faster. Asher tracked it with sharp movements, waiting for the real attack. On the last blink, the chimera stabbed straight at his throat again—its favorite kill spot.
Asher knocked the blade aside with his forearm and countered with a hard kick to its stomach. The impact dented its metal plates, but they reshaped instantly. The creature swung back with a flaming claw. Asher ducked and punched upward into its chin, lifting it off the ground.
It recovered mid-air, twisted its body, and fired a stream of blue fire downward. Asher jumped aside as the flames hit, melting the floor into a pool of glowing liquid.
He didn’t slow down. He moved around the edge of the pool, closing the distance. The chimera landed, swung its tail—regrown already—and tried to whip him again. Asher caught it this time and yanked the chimera forward. He slammed his knee into its chest, then drove an elbow into the side of its head.
The metal cracked again.
The chimera roared and blasted him point-blank with blue fire. Asher blocked with crossed arms, but the flames burned straight through his skin. He gritted his teeth and pushed forward through the fire. When he broke through the flames, he grabbed the chimera by the throat and lifted it.
The creature thrashed, its claws slicing into his arms. Blue fire leaked from its mouth, heating the air between them. Its void cores pulsed wildly, trying to blink it away.
Asher tightened his grip.
“No more running.”
The chimera blinked anyway—halfway. Its body flickered in and out. Asher yanked it back into reality and smashed it into the floor again. The stone cracked under the impact. The chimera clawed at his chest, leaving burning marks, but Asher slammed his fist into its face again and again, keeping it pinned.
The chimera’s armor began to break apart. Its blue flames weakened. Its void blink failed to trigger. Its movements slowed.
Asher could feel it.
The creature was nearly done.
He raised his fist for the final hit—
—but the chimera suddenly grabbed him with both hands. Its claws dug into his shoulders. Its blue flames flared one last time. And its void cores spun so fast they screeched.
Asher’s eyes narrowed.
“Oh, don’t tell me—”
The chimera tried to self-destruct.
Asher reacted instantly. He ripped one of its arms off, punched into its chest, grabbed its main core, and tore it out. The chimera’s entire body froze, its flames dying out. The unstable energy inside the core pulsed once—
Asher squeezed.
It shattered.
The blast collapsed in on itself, dissolving into harmless blue sparks.
The chimera’s body fell limp, metal liquefying into a dull, lifeless heap on the floor.
Asher stood over it, breathing hard, smoke rising from his burned arms and shoulders.
“Finally,” he muttered. “Stay dead.”
He stepped back from the melting remains.
Then he turned toward the deeper hallway.
“…Alright. Who’s next?”
Asher took one step toward the next hall—
—and froze.
A low growl rolled through the darkness ahead.
Then another.
Two shapes stepped out of the shadows at the same time.
Not one.
Two.
Both were nearly as big as the first chimera. Both had molten metal bodies, demonic limbs, and swirling void cores. Their eyes glowed with the same hungry blue fire—and both were staring straight at Asher.
He stared back.
Smoke still curled off his burned arms.
His coat was torn, half melted.
He was bleeding from several places.
And the two new chimeras stepped forward in sync, claws scraping against the stone, void energy pulsing around them like a storm ready to break.
Asher exhaled once.
“…Oh boy.”
The two chimeras charged at the same time.
One jumped high, void-blinking toward his throat.
The other slid low, molten tail whipping toward his legs.
Asher moved instantly, sliding backward as the top chimera’s claws sliced through the air where his head had been. The lower chimera’s tail swept past his feet, cutting a deep groove into the floor.
He didn’t get time to stop.
The high chimera teleported again—appearing right behind him—and slashed down. Asher leaned forward, feeling the heat of its claws scorch the back of his neck. The second chimera rushed from the front, its metal arm reshaping into a blade.
Asher twisted sideways.
Both chimeras crashed into each other, metal smashing against metal with a loud clang.
They didn’t slow down.
They blinked again—separating instantly—and came at him from opposite sides.
Asher raised his fists.
“Alright. Two at once. Let’s try this.”
One chimera swung a flaming claw.
The other stabbed with a void-forged spike.
Asher ducked under the claw and blocked the spike with his forearm. Pain tore through his arm, but he held on and twisted, redirecting the stab into the first chimera’s chest.
The two monsters didn’t care.
They tore away from each other and attacked again.
This time they synced their movements perfectly—one going high, one low, both swinging with intent to kill.
Asher backflipped, both strikes missing him by inches. He landed on cracked stone, slid forward, and punched the low chimera in the jaw. Its head snapped back, and blue flames burst from its mouth.
The high chimera blinked behind him again.
Asher spun and kicked upward, catching it in the ribs. It flew into the wall, cracking stone, then reappeared in front of him mid-air with a teleport slash.
He blocked with both arms, sliding backward from the impact.
The second chimera rushed in behind him.
Asher jumped and twisted, letting both attacks miss him by a hair.
He landed between them and muttered under his breath:
“You two are seriously a pain.”
Both chimeras lowered their stance.
Both cores glowed bright blue.
Both prepared to strike at the same time.
Asher’s eyes narrowed.
“Alright then,” he said, cracking his knuckles, “round four.”