My Navigation Device registered the level of threats I faced based on the color of the markers it displayed.
White
Yellow
Blue
Green
Orange
Red
Purple
... And the worst of all...
Black!
I already determined within myself that if I ever saw anything bearing the black marker... I would immediately retreat.
Unfortunately for me and my comrades... that was no longer an option.
"HUUUUUUUUU..."
The black-marked entity that stood before us was a monstrous amalgamation of everything nightmarish. Its towering silhouette loomed ominously, casting a ghastly shadow that swallowed the dim light of the chamber.
Its form was a grotesque parody of existence.
Veiny, muscular limbs, too many to count, sprawled in chaotic directions, each ending with a set of razor-sharp claws that gleamed wickedly.
Its torso was thick and barrel-shaped, covered in scales that shimmered in an eerie palette of purples and blacks, reflecting a non-existent light.
Its head was a grotesque masterpiece of terror. Multiple eyes, as black as the void, dotted its elongated cranium, gleaming with malevolent intelligence.
Its mouth was a horrifying gash that stretched across its face, filled with countless jagged teeth, each one large enough to impale a man.
From its back sprouted appendages that could have been wings, but they were unlike anything found in the natural world.
They appeared skeletal and leathery, crisscrossed with pulsating veins that gave off an ominous glow, as if brimming with pure, destructive energy.
This creature was an embodiment of despair, a creation born from the darkest recesses of fear.
It exuded an aura of power and malevolence that transcended everything we had ever encountered, etching an image of impending doom into our minds.
It was despondency incarnate.
Yet... YET...!
We had to fight!
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!~
The deafening cacophony of battle reverberated through the massive chamber, swallowed by the suffocating darkness that surrounded us.
Beams of light, summoned by Aria's desperate magic, danced against the titanic monsters towering over us, casting grotesque shadows against the cold stone walls.
"There's too many of them!" Aria yelled, her voice barely audible above the clamor.
But I was already acutely aware of that grim fact.
Throwing my Aether bombs at the creatures, I watched as they detonated, sending waves of destructive energy rippling through their ranks.
~BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!~
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!~
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!~
The Aether Bombs served to completely bombard the Nether properties of the opponents, and so far they seemed to be working.
There was only one problem, though.
The quality of Aether I have can't match the amount of Nether that they're generating. I had one which was immensely destructive, but using it would mean the death of everyone in the room.
It was a last resort that would kill everyone, perhaps even destroy my barrier, which would ultimately kill even me.
I couldn't use it even if I wanted to. Not in this enclosed space.
'Please let these be enough! Please!!!' I cried internally, facing over a dozen of the monsters myself while Aria struggled to merely keep one at bay.
For a moment, it seemed like we had an advantage... but the monstrous beasts quickly recovered, their towering forms undeterred.
'Come on!'
Frantic, I reached into my satchel and pulled out every magic item I could grasp, hurling them towards the approaching horde.
But it was like trying to hold back the tide with a teacup.
"Get behind me!" I yelled at Larry and Drake, who were huddled together, their faces painted with terror.
I had thought of escaping. Perhaps using a very volatile bomb to destroy the study wall that had formed behind us and escape, but even that proved problematic.
The several monsters that covered my line of sight and surrounded us made it virtually impossible to move past their ranks.
We were slower and weaker.
We wouldn't stand a chance the moment we decided to go on the run.
'But...'
In that moment of hesitation, my eyes widened as I took in a sudden sight.
"Larry! Drake! Behind you!" But even as the words left my lips, I knew it was too late.
"ROAAAAARRRRR!!!!" With a savage roar, one of the purple monsters lunged towards them, its gargantuan form moving with an agility that belied its size.
With a single, brutal sweep of its claw, they were flung aside, their lives extinguished as easily as a candle's flame.
"No!" Aria's scream echoed in my ears, a piercing note of despair.
Tears poured from her eyes as her voice pierced the air; sadness and rising rage evident from her face.
But her grief was swiftly rewarded with a monstrous claw impaling her, lifting her off the ground.
"Gurk!" Her crimson blood splattered across the ground as she made a weak groan.
I could only watch as the light faded from her eyes, her body falling limply to the ground.
"No... no..."
Despair and rage welled up inside me, as potent as any spell.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
With a roar, I activated the magic stored within my nine remaining rings.
"ARRRRGHHHHHHHH!!!"
Spells of destruction rained down upon the creatures, obliterating several and pushing back the rest. Mists of Aether spread across the room, poisoning and destroying all the enemies around me.
'They're dead...!' My thoughts echoed as I witnessed all of them, seeing their pale bodies having no life within at all.
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!~
Multiple high-end Spells burst out, all chipping at the integrity of my barrier, but leaving me unharmed.
But even that wasn't enough.
"Why...?"
More monsters filled the gaps, their hideous forms relentless and undying. My trump cards, my best strategies, they all meant nothing.
"Why won't all of you die...?"
The black-marked creature simply watched, its multiple eyes gleaming in the dark.
The realization was as cold and unforgiving as death itself. It mocked me, almost as if telling me I wasn't going to survive this.
"JUST DIEEEEEEEEEE!!!"
As the monstrous horde closed in, my heart pounded in my chest, the echo of each beat a countdown to the inevitable end.
I glanced at my fallen friends, their lifeless forms a stark reminder of our futile struggle.
I had failed them.
As the final wave of monsters descended upon me, I braced myself for the end, my breaths ragged, and my body trembling with the force of my impending demise.
I had fought, and I had lost. Now, there was nothing left but to face the end.
"No... not yet..."
I grabbed the necklace tied around my neck, gritting my teeth in a frenzy of rage and desperation.
I knew using it was tantamount to suicide. The explosion would obliterate my barriers, leaving me exposed to both the crushing force of the detonation and the toxic aura of the Nether.
It was a death sentence - but then again, I was already living on borrowed time.
With trembling fingers, I rubbed up the necklace, its cold metallic surface searing against my skin.
I hesitated for a moment, the deafening roars of the monsters surrounding me fading into a distant echo as my focus narrowed on the task at hand.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to the still bodies of my friends lying amongst the rubble. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."
Taking a deep breath, I clenched the necklace in my fist, forcing myself to confront the inevitability of what I was about to do.
*
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[A/N]
This is such a dark place.
I wonder what will happen next...
