Chapter 91 Nightmare (2)



Ring... Ring...

The bell of a distant city church echoed in the plain fields surrounded by shadows of creepy trees that seemed to stretch endlessly.

Every single shadow seemed to dance, their movements flickering and swaying in the dim light of the moon.

It almost seemed like the shadows were alive...

The silhouettes seemed to be in various shapes and sizes, some swaying like menacing figures, while others looked like innocent creatures running playfully around.

However, some Shadows appeared to be deep and dark, as if leading to the bottomless abyss.

These 'abyss' Shadows loomed over the fields, making even the grass beneath them quiver with fear.

Tap... Tap...

A soft sound disturbed the silence of the fields as if someone or something was running away.

All the Shadows seemed to shudder in unison and grow longer as they stretched toward the source of the sound.

Tap... Tap...

The echoes of the footsteps grew louder, reverberating through the stillness of the night. The mysterious figure, enveloped in darkness, sprinted desperately, a sense of dread trailing in its wake. Each tap of its feet seemed to stir the shadows, making them writhe and twist in sinister anticipation.

The Shadows could hear the figure's heart pounding in its chest, its breath ragged and shallow.

Huff... Huff...

While the figure was making its way from the field, the Shadows seemed to churn and pulsate, reaching toward the figure like dark tendrils, ready to engulf it whole and drag it into their all-consuming abyss.

The 'abyss' Shadows appeared to be stronger and hungrier, their long, gnarled arms stretching out further in the direction of their prey.

Clank... Clank...

Suddenly, far in the distance, another sound pierced the night, interrupting the Shadows.

"Catch him! Don't let him escape!!!"

A group of voices could be heard shouting, making the Shadows quake with excitement.

It seems that they found more prey to consume...

As the echoes of the voices grew louder, an army of humans revealed themselves, emerging from the cover of the surrounding trees. Their footsteps pounded against the earth, a cacophony of determined resolve. Clad in armor, their weapons gleaming in the pale moonlight, they advanced with a sense of purpose, oblivious to the living Shadows that awaited them.

The figure they pursued stumbled forward, desperation etched on its face. It glanced back, eyes widened with terror, as it realized the Shadows were no longer its only pursuers. The army closed in, their shouts blending with the thundering beats of their hearts. They were resolute in their mission to capture the figure, unaware of the malevolent presence lurking in the darkness.

Suddenly, as the army charged forward, the Shadows struck. Like a tidal wave, they surged forward, enveloping the unsuspecting humans in their sinister embrace. The soldiers screamed, their cries lost amidst the chaos. The shadows coiled around their bodies, constricting and suffocating their every movement.

Steel clashed against the darkness as the soldiers fought back, their weapons slicing through the shadowy figures that emerged from the night. The moonlight revealed glimpses of the gruesome battle, where blood spilled and bodies fell, both human and Shadow alike. The air reeked of iron and fear as the conflict intensified.

The Shadows, however, seemed to possess an uncanny resilience. For every defeated foe, more emerged from the inky depths, their malevolence feeding on the life force of the fallen. Their forms were amorphous, their tendrils lashing out with a hunger that defied comprehension.

"Help!"

One of the soldiers screamed being devoured by a Shadow that coiled around him like a serpent. He tried to strike the Shadowy figure with a desperate swing, but his weapon barely managed to inflict a wound on the massive creature before it engulfed him completely.

The soldier's anguished cry echoed through the battlefield, a haunting plea for aid that was swallowed by the chaos. The clash of steel against darkness intensified as the remaining soldiers fought with unwavering determination.

"Hah!"

Another valiant warrior, her armor gleaming with the marks of countless battles, lunged forward with swift grace. Her blade sliced through the air, leaving a trail of ethereal light in its wake. With each strike, she aimed to sever the shadowy tendrils that coiled and writhed, seeking to ensnare her.

The Shadows responded with a sinister dance, their forms twisting and contorting to evade her blows. They moved as a unified force, their inky bodies undulating with an otherworldly rhythm. They were not mere silhouettes, but manifestations of pure malevolence, an embodiment of the darkness that resided in the depths of the human psyche.

Undeterred, the warrior pressed on, her movements a whirlwind of steel and determination. She spun, parrying a strike from a shadowy appendage that slithered toward her and retaliated with a swift slash, carving a deep gash into its form. The shadow recoiled momentarily but soon regenerated, reforming its shape with an eerie resilience.

Click...

Suddenly, the air around the soldier became still, and silence descended upon the battlefield.

She warily looked around, trying to find out a reason, but all she saw was a massive shadow looming over her, it was one of the 'abyss' Shadows.

The soldier's heart pounded in her chest as she faced the abyss Shadow. Its presence loomed over her, its darkness swallowing the surrounding moonlight. The air turned cold, and a chill ran down her spine, but she refused to yield to fear. Gripping her weapon tightly, she took a step forward, her eyes never leaving the menacing form before her.

The abyss Shadow extended its long, gnarled arms, reaching toward her with an insatiable hunger. Its touch would mean certain doom, an eternity swallowed by darkness. But the soldier was determined to resist, to fight against the encroaching abyss.

With a swift motion, she swung her blade, aiming for the heart of the shadowy creature. The weapon sliced through the air, leaving a trail of shimmering light, but as it struck the abyss Shadow, it seemed to pass right through, as if the darkness itself were intangible.

Chick... Chick... Chick...

The shadow let out some kind of a sound that seemed like a laugh to ridicule the soldier, its frame inching close and closer, its dark tendrils stretching out to ensnare her.

The soldier's heart raced as her strike missed its mark, the abyss Shadow mocking her efforts. Determination flared within her, refusing to be discouraged by this formidable foe. She knew that facing the abyss meant confronting the deepest, most primal fears that lurked within.

With every fiber of her being, the soldier summoned her courage, delving into the reservoirs of strength that lay hidden within her. She had trained for this moment, honing her skills to combat the darkest manifestations of evil.

Gritting her teeth, the soldier adopted a new strategy. She refused to engage the abyss Shadow head-on, knowing that its intangible form would only thwart her efforts. Instead, she focused on exploiting its weaknesses, seeking a way to dismantle the insidious creature.

She circled the shadowy mass, observing its movements and behavior. The abyss Shadow twisted and writhed, its tendrils reaching out to snare her. But she remained elusive, deftly evading its advances with calculated steps and agile maneuvers.

Her mind raced, analyzing every detail, every nuance of the abyss Shadow's movements. And then, she noticed it—a flicker of vulnerability, a brief moment when the darkness wavered, revealing a glimmer of its true nature.

Seizing the opportunity, the soldier struck. She aimed not for the shadowy tendrils or the ethereal mass but for the center of the creature's essence—the very core of its darkness. Her blade sliced through the air with precision, finding its mark.

The abyss Shadow recoiled, its form momentarily disrupted. The soldier pressed her advantage, striking again and again, focusing her attacks on that fragile center. Each blow weakened the creature, causing its darkness to falter and shrink.

But the abyss Shadow fought back, its tendrils lashing out in a frenzy of desperation. The soldier danced around its assaults, her movements fluid and graceful. She evaded and parried, her blade cutting through the darkness with unwavering determination.

As the battle raged on, the soldier felt exhaustion creeping into her limbs. The weight of her armor pressed upon her, her muscles ached with fatigue. But she pushed through, drawing strength from her resolve and the camaraderie of her fallen comrades.

With a final surge of energy, the soldier launched a decisive assault. She focused every ounce of her being into a single strike, her blade slashing through the air with a blinding light. It cleaved through the darkness, piercing the heart of the abyss Shadow.

A deafening roar reverberated through the battlefield as the abyss Shadow convulsed, its form unraveled by the soldier's strike. Darkness shattered into fragments, dissipating into the night.

The Soldier raised her hand high in the air and shouted a triumphant cry.

"We can kill th-"

However, before she could finish the sentence the same abyss Shadow she had killed used one of its tendrils to pierce through her chest, making her vomit blood.

"Wh-"

She turned around to face the dark mass, only to see two Golden Eyes staring back at her.