CHAPTER 68 — THE CHEETAH'S STRIKE
The streets of San Juan had turned silent again. The air was thick—dense with the metallic tang of ozone and the faint shimmer of distorted energy still leaking from the ruins of the Chrono Citadel.
Moro led the squad through the debris-lined alleys, his eyes glowing faintly blue from the remnants of the Matrix energy that had fused into his blood. Kaya followed close behind, scanning rooftops and keeping her pulse-guns armed. Behind them came Kiro, Herbet, and Wolf Hunter, now walking in uneasy alliance.
> Herbet (panting): "Where could he have gone? The whole city's pulsing like a dying reactor."
Kiro: "Revo won't hide. He's heading straight for the one place powerful enough to channel the Chronos Element—the Rainbow Bridge."
Moro: "Then that's where we'll end him."
They turned down an old mag-line tunnel that once connected the citadel to the bridge sectors. The tunnel was warped, humming softly with chrono-static pulses. Even the air vibrated with the residue of time manipulation.
But somewhere deeper in the shadows, something moved—a streak of motion too fast for even Kiro's trained eye.
A whisper echoed through the tunnel, feminine but sharp as a blade.
> Voice: "You shouldn't have survived the citadel collapse. That makes you interesting prey."
Moro stopped walking. Kaya immediately raised her gauntlets. Kiro's one eye gleamed gold with the Lion's Sight, but even then he barely caught the after-image of the intruder.
And then—she appeared.
Yaya, special agent number two of the Shadow Monarchy. Her body was slim, wrapped in stealth armor threaded with silver lines that pulsed faintly as if alive. Her hair, streaked white at the edges, whipped in the crosswind of her own speed. Her eyes were feline—amber and piercing.
> Wolf Hunter (gritting teeth): "I know that insignia. Shadow Monarchy… she's one of Scaro's high assassins."
Yaya (smiling coldly): "Number Two. Number One is Hawks, my superior. You're in my hunting zone now."
She crouched slightly, one hand touching the ground. The air trembled—then exploded outward in a shockwave. A golden aura flared around her, shaped like the spectral outline of a Cheetah. The sand beneath her boots liquified from the sheer friction of her speed.
> Herbet: "Oh, no—here we go again."
Kiro stepped forward, his voice calm yet commanding.
> Kiro: "Stand back. She's mine."
He unsheathed his sword. The metal shimmered under a heatless golden flame. The Lion Aura burst from his body—majestic, roaring, ferocious. The aura collided with Yaya's Cheetah energy, forming an expanding field of pure kinetic chaos.
Buildings cracked. The ground caved in. Energy waves rippled through San Juan's lower district. People far from the area felt the tremor and thought it was an earthquake.
Moro's team could barely stand. Kaya shielded Herbet and Wolf Hunter as the two legendary Auras collided—Lion versus Cheetah, strength versus speed.
> Yaya (smirking): "You're strong, old lion… but you can't catch what you can't see."
In a blur, she vanished—appearing behind Kiro, slashing with a blade made of condensed kinetic force. But Kiro's all-seeing eye flickered; he caught her movement a fraction before it landed. Their weapons collided, sending sparks that ignited the air.
> Kiro: "Fast… but not faster than instinct."
Their fight became a storm—flashes of gold and amber dancing in spirals. Each time Yaya struck, Kiro's counter came heavier, pushing her back by inches. But her speed increased beyond physics; she multiplied her after-images, confusing the senses.
Moro clenched his fists, wanting to jump in—but Kaya grabbed his wrist.
> Kaya: "Don't. That's a battle between spirits."
Meanwhile, high above the chaos—Scaro watched from his surveillance chamber deep beneath the CD9 Agency headquarters. The holographic screen illuminated his face in a cold green hue.
He smirked, fingers steepled beneath his chin.
> Scaro: "So… Yaya finally engages the Lion. Let's see how long the old beast can hold before he bends to the Monarchy."
Behind him, multiple monitors displayed other feeds—Revo and Pisya standing at the Rainbow Bridge, the swirling energy around them already beginning to distort space.
Pisya stood barefoot at the edge, her long silver hair flowing in the temporal wind. She held a crystalline orb infused with violet light—the Chronos Element. Revo extended his hand toward the bridge, murmuring incantations as the arc of the structure pulsed alive.
> Revo: "The time of sleeping gods is over. Rise, Kuzak, ruler of flame and ruin… the new age begins now."
Pisya (smiling softly): "And when he rises, what becomes of San Juan?"
Revo: "Rebirth always begins with ashes."
Back at the battle site, Yaya and Kiro locked a final clash. Their auras intertwined—Cheetah lightning and Lion flame spiraling upward into the sky, forming a massive beam that split the clouds.
Moro shielded Kaya as debris rained down. The shockwave blew through the ruins, rattling the entire district.
When the light finally dimmed, both warriors stood panting. Yaya's armor was scorched; Kiro's sword dripped with golden plasma.
Yaya smirked despite the burn marks along her neck.
> Yaya: "Not bad… for an old lion. Let's see how long you can protect your cubs."
And with a flash of golden motion, she vanished—leaving only a streak of wind and the faint echo of her laughter.
The silence that followed was thick.
Kiro sheathed his sword, staring toward the east, where the Rainbow Bridge pulsed with rising light.
> Kiro: "She was a message. Scaro's telling us we're already too late."
Moro clenched his fists, veins glowing faintly blue.
> Moro: "Then we move. If Revo is at that bridge, he's about to unleash something we can't contain."
Wolf Hunter: "And I can already smell it. That stench… it's the beast. Kuzak's flame."
The group turned toward the horizon. The rainbow-colored arc glowed brighter than ever, reaching across the sky like a celestial scar.
And in his secret base, Scaro leaned back, eyes narrowing with satisfaction.
> Scaro: "The pieces are in motion. Let the storm of gods begin."
The screen flickered, showing one final feed—Kuzak's silhouette stirring within the bridge's heart.
End of Chapter 68 — "The Cheetah's Strike."
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