Chapter 52: Dangers of The Secret Realms

With a scent of impending peril thickening the air, the library turned sinister as shadows darkened its venerable corners.

Like ink flowing from an overturned pot, a viscous black substance started to seep in from the sides of the room, staining the hallowed ground with its ominous presence.

As the black substance advanced, a nauseating scent of decay permeated the air, a putrid reminder of its sinister presence that clawed at their senses, provoking an instinctive revulsion.

The black tendrils stretched and intermingled, a grotesque dance of darkness ascending gracefully yet menacingly, slowly giving rise to humanoid figures, forged of black slush that dripped and reshaped with a fluid dynamism that belied their seemingly solid forms.

In the heart of the looming chaos, Brandon and Crystal's eyes met, a silent understanding crystallizing in their shared gaze.

Their understanding was immediate and wordless.

Like choreographed dancers, they simultaneously swooped down, each scooping up one of the twins.

Brandon's feet barely touched the ornate library floors as he sprinted towards the military truck parked incongruously in the center of the grand library.

Crystal, right beside him, matched his pace.

Safely depositing Jade and Baron into the truck, Brandon turned urgently to Crystal, gesturing for her to get in

But she met his eyes with a spark of defiance.

"I'm no damsel in distress ya' know, I was, after all, a SpecOps Captain!"

Her voice sliced through the chaos.

But before Brandon could respond, she shut the door firmly, pivoting toward one of the oncoming black figures.

With a dancer's grace and a fighter's precision, Crystal's ethereal armor encompassed body lunged towards one of the encroaching black slush figures, her movements blurring into streaks of white and pink.

Her fist connected with what should have been the figure's head, but there was no satisfying thud from what should have been a powerful impact.

Instead, her hand seemed to sink into the black void.

As her fist made contact, a sudden jolt of coldness enveloped her, her hand seemingly lost in a cold abyss.

"Ughhh…"

She grunted, muscles straining as she tried to retract her hand, but the figure's hold was merciless, her hand appearing to be swallowed by a bottomless pool of darkness, a chilling sensation crawling up her arm, threatening to swallow her whole.

Elsewhere, Baph and Asmo, more seasoned and cautious, didn't rush to make contact with these strange apparitions.

Asmo's eyes narrowed, the experienced assassin assessing the enemy as he reached for his daggers.

With a swift motion, Asmo hurled two gleaming daggers straight at one of the black entities.

For a moment, it looked as though they would pierce its chest, but instead, they were swallowed whole, only to be expelled from its back with a muted force.

*Clink…* *Clink…*

The daggers clattered to the ground, echoing eerily in the expansive hall.

Baph's eyes widened in alarm and disbelief, glancing towards Asmo who had taken note of the black apparition's uncanny resilience.

The weight of their predicament clearly pressing down on them.

"These things seem impervious to physical attacks!"

Asmo's voice rang out, a note of urgency cutting through the atmosphere.

Without hesitation, he summoned his ethereal armor, which shimmered into existence with bursts of brilliant color, enveloping him in a vibrant plated armor of energy as seven colorful vortexes appeared, swirling with playful light.

"[ Mirthful Burst ] !!!" Baph roared.

The air tingled with pulsating energy as Baph channeled his playfulness into a focused beam.

For a split second, the library was bathed in a riot of colors.

A beam of colorful confetti-like energy burst forth, piercing straight towards the black figure advancing on him.

The radiant assault connected, carving a thick hole through the creature's torso. However, like oil meeting water, the black fluid merely ebbed and flowed, the hole slowly sealing as if it was never there.

"These are troublesome fuckers!"

Baph grunted, the frustration evident in his tone.

Simultaneously, Crystal evoked her own force of righteousness.

Energy surged as she called out with a voice echoing in the grand chamber,

"[ Divine Judgement ] !!!"

From the eight vortexes hovering behind her, tendrils of pure white electricity sparked to life. These bolts of divine energy twined and writhed, converging upon her.

She absorbed their power, her body acting as a conduit.

Her fist, previously engulfed by the black substance, was now charged with a blinding light.

And with a burst of might, she released it.

The atmosphere in the library felt charged, a storm of righteousness clashing with the dark force.

The black figure met the explosive power of Crystal's wrath.

In a shocking, sound-defying moment, white lightning overwhelmed the creature, its form dissipating in a sudden evaporation that left a lingering cloud of black smoke.

Breathing heavily, Crystal turned, her skin glowing faintly with the residue of her skill's energy.

In the midst of the fiery battle, Crystal lifted her chin defiantly, locking eyes with Brandon.

The smug pride radiating from her eyes spoke louder than words, shouting silently yet clearly,

'Hmph! Never underestimate me again.'

"WOHOOO!!! Gwoo Mommyyy~!!!"

Jade and Baron cheered from within the truck, their face almost plastered against the window.

A playful and almost helpless smirk broke across Brandon's face as he met her confident gaze.

'Still as feisty as ever…'

Echoed within him, a nostalgic twinkle glinting in his eyes for a fleeting moment before duty called him back to the reality of the raging battle.

He raised his hand high, the air around them trembling as he summoned his God Artifact, the Celestial Pen.

As it appeared, the sleek spear-like pen began to hum and vibrate, resonating with an almost sentient excitement as it materialized.

Suddenly, the artifact jerked forward with an unexpected force, dragging a wide-eyed Brandon behind it like a ragdoll, straight towards the menacing black figure that had cornered Asmo.

*VRRRROOOSSHHH!*

The sight was oddly comedic amidst the grim backdrop of the battle: the mighty Brandon being hauled helplessly by a pen on a mission.

But as Brandon drew near, a mesmerizing sight unfolded.

The pen acted as if a giant inkwell, greedily absorbing the viscous black substance that constituted the figure's form, sucking it in with a fluid grace that was strangely beautiful yet eerie.

The pen slurped the darkness up with gusto, as though it were the most delicious ink it had ever tasted.

Letting go of the Celestial Pen, a look of surprised realization painted Brandon's face as he watched the pen suddenly burst into frenzied activity.

*Vrooshh~* *Vrroosshh~* *Vrroooshhh~*

It shot around the room with joyful abandon, resembling a child unleashed in a candy store, the pen absorbed all the inky antagonists with increasing vigor, turning their threatening presence into a whirling dance of black and silver.

Turning his gaze back to Crystal, Brandon smirked, mirroring her earlier defiant gesture. His eyes playfully challenged hers, as if saying,

"Heh... Beat that!"