NOVEL WEB Chapter 59: Struggle
Ethan's POV
I smiled but didn't elaborate as she wouldn't believe me even if I told her that I practiced an ascension art like the Eternal Eclipse Ascension technique and being coupled with my overlord category talent in the darkness element, the effect was extraordinary, to say the least.
Such an art and talent was unheard and impossible to coexist and even my master only had an inkling about my talent but no actual idea about the eternal eclipse ascension technique. The siblings took out a crimson flying disk each and we boarded it.
The discs zoomed across the main gate while passers-by and pedestrians turned their heads to see two streaks of glaring crimson light shooting in the sky.
It was nighttime at the surface and as if to mimic that, the huge glowing crystal ball suspended above the Scarlet Hollow City had also dimmed and darkness covered the city outskirts. Due to no moonlight in the underground, it looked very creepy but I felt at home here.
Even in my previous life, I had been used to conducting night operations so surviving and living in the dark were second things to me. As for my condition in this life, I didn't need to explain that.
I turned and saw Virelle looking at my smiling face with an odd look in her eyes. But suddenly her eyes widened and she pointed her fingers into the distance,
"What is that?", her voice was low and I could sense some fear in it as she pointed at the front. I immediately became solemn and turned my head to look ahead. I could see a shadow floating in the air.
It wore a hood and was strangely bloated at its sides with the height of a normal human. It stood like a statue in our path to the mountain tunnel. I activated my dark vision and what I saw unnerved me.
Behind the hood were two glowing crimson eyes that were stretched and looked like they would pop out any moment.
I breathed a sigh of relief as the shadow seemed like a vampire and not an unknown ghost but its whole face was wrinkled and black worm-like liquid squirmed underneath its skin giving me goosebumps.
We had long stopped and I tried to make out its gender and identity but the inhuman creature only roused disgust and abhorrence inside me.
I became instantly vigilant as an overwhelming sense of danger washed over me, my instincts screaming at me to escape from this creature.
The air around us grew heavy and I could feel an almost tangible malevolence seeping from it.
Before anyone could react or even attempt communication, I sensed three dark red projectiles each aimed unerringly at our heads.
My eyes widened in horror. There wasn't enough time to warn Virelle or Victor as the attacks were too swift. I had but an instant to act.
Without hesitation, two black, sinister-looking chains burst forth from my palms. One intercepted the projectile racing toward me while the other clashed against the one targeting Virelle.
The silence of the night was shattered by the harsh sound of the collision. Sparks erupted, accompanied by eerie, shrieking noises as my Umbra Shackles struggled to withstand the relentless force behind the projectiles.
The sound was unnerving like the wailing of the damned and it seemed like the chains themselves were mourning under the pressure.
I soon realized the projectiles weren't ordinary. They were small awls with dark red tips, shrouded in a thin veil of blood mist. The mist was potent, resisting the encroachment of my dark energy while actively working to erode and destabilize my chains.
Virelle, now aware of the peril moved with swift precision. Without questioning how I had sensed the danger first, she crossed her hands and sharp, blackish-red nails extended from her fingers gleaming like polished obsidian in the dim light.
She whispered rapid incantations, spinning on her heels and blood-red threads emerged from her nails.
With a graceful yet deadly motion, Virelle crossed her arms and the threads elongating into lethal tendrils. They lashed out with a speed that rivaled a flash of lightning, piercing the already weakened awl aimed at her.
The projectile shattered into particles of blood-red energy which dissipated into the darkness.
Despite the apparent success, I didn't relax. The chain that had freed itself from defending Virelle shifted and coiled with the other.
Together, they twisted into a spiraling drill rotating furiously like a vortex. The renewed attack created a shower of sparks and with a resonating crack, the remaining awl fractured and disintegrated.
Though it seemed like a lot of time had passed, the entire clash lasted only two seconds.
Without exchanging a word, Virelle and I instinctively adjusted our positions on the floating disk standing with our backs to each other.
I marveled at how seamlessly we coordinated despite having no prior experience fighting alongside one another or knowing each other's techniques.
The attacks ceased momentarily and no new awls emerged. I extended my soul sense into the darkness and focused on locating the attacker.
My affinity with the darkness granted me an edge allowing me to detect their position earlier than Virelle.
Simultaneously, I split my soul sense to glance at Victor, curious about how he was faring. My breath hitched as I spotted two thick, blood-red shadows clashing violently in the distance. They moved like wraiths their movements eerily similar to my own techniques.
One of the shadows was clearly Victor but he was struggling against the other which was the bloated and grotesque creature. Its attacks were ferocious and Victor was on the defensive.
Before I could act, my attention snapped back to my immediate surroundings. A bloody streak flashed across my vision,and six crimson lines slashed through the air, aimed directly at me.
My reflexes kicked in, analyzing their trajectories in an instant. I realized my long chains wouldn't be fast enough to counter the close-quarters assault.
Adapting on the spot, I employed a tactic I had refined over the years.