Claire and Yves stood stunned at the passage exit, watching helplessly as Bacon was engulfed by one of the black monsters.
They vaguely saw his white fur rapidly thicken, seemingly forming a protective layer around himself, momentarily blocking the creature's complete envelopment.
"We're dead," Yves stated flatly, his expression unchanged. He wasn't just referring to Bacon, but to himself and Claire as well.
Before them stretched a seemingly boundless underground space, teeming with countless black monsters packed so densely it was enough to make one's scalp crawl on sight.
Hsssssssss! "You've arrived!" The sinister, eerie voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere at once.
Claire and Yves exchanged a grim look, then took a determined step forward. Retreat was impossible now. The only option left was to fight!
An endless tide of black surged towards them as hordes of the colossal monsters stirred. Countless giant claw-arms descended from the darkness above, forming a solid ceiling of black, leaving virtually no gaps, making evasion impossible.
"Tempest Kick!" Claire shouted, unleashing her power. Dozens of sharp purple arcs of light burst outwards, slicing through the descending claws! With a deafening crash, the appendages shattered, filling the air with swirling black mist.
Immediately following her attack, a shimmering, faintly iridescent film spread rapidly outwards from the ground where Yves stood, climbing the walls and extending across the ceiling.
"Seamless Membrane!"
The film spread with incredible speed, sealing the space above and connecting perfectly with the film on the ground, creating an unbroken, spherical membrane. In an instant, at least a hundred monsters were trapped within the barrier.
"This will temporarily restrict their movement. Buy us some time," Yves explained, his hands still pressed to the ground as he continuously channeled power, thickening and reinforcing the membrane.
The monsters sealed inside the barrier were indeed hampered, their movements restricted. The film strained under their pressure, turning taut and white, but under Yves's sustained effort, it held firm, refusing to break.
The trapped monsters also effectively blocked the path for the hordes pressing in from behind and the sides.
Claire gave Yves a brief, understanding nod.
Her thoughts briefly flashed to Bacon, then inevitably to the missing Ashin and the dozens of crew members. Her eyes scanned the vast cavern, but the view was completely obscured by the endless sea of monsters. For now, she could see nothing else.
Hsssssssss! "Do you truly believe this can stop them?" the eerie voice mocked again.
Claire and Yves's expressions tightened. That voice undoubtedly belonged to the mastermind. And the implication in its words was clear…
Trouble!
The thought had barely formed when a low hissing sound reached their ears. The space within the membrane barrier rapidly filled with thick black smoke. Inside, the trapped monsters began to dissolve, melting away into the swirling fumes!
Hsssssssss! "Give up resistance!" the voice commanded as the black smoke inside the barrier vanished instantly. Simultaneously, all around Claire and Yves, outside the now-empty barrier, thin wisps of black mist began to rise from the ground, coalescing, thickening… forming the nascent shapes of monsters!
Their pupils contracted in alarm. Within just a few breaths, the monsters had fully reformed – outside the barrier!
"These monsters can dissipate and reappear anywhere!" The horrifying realization struck them both at once. They… truly were unkillable!
Even shredding them to pieces was useless; they could simply reform from the black mist!
A wave of helplessness washed over them, threatening to drown their resolve. But just as quickly, it was replaced by grim determination.
"Looks like the plan failed," Claire stated resignedly.
"Let's fight," Yves replied simply.
Claire moved first. Launching herself high into the air with a powerful kick off the ground, she unleashed another barrage mid-flight! Chaotic purple slashes flew outwards in all directions!
Thwack! Splat! Puff! The sounds of impact and bursting black mist filled the air. Individually, the monsters weren't particularly durable; their regenerative ability was the true nightmare.
A large number of monsters were quickly shredded into pieces again, the black smoke billowing so thickly it threatened to completely obscure their vision!
Vmm!
For the first time, Yves showcased his offensive capabilities. Previously, he had only demonstrated defensive or supportive uses of his power. Now, he counterattacked.
He gathered the membrane substance between his hands, compressing it into a dense ball, then flung it forward with incredible force.
It shot out like a cannonball, striking one of the monsters and exploding! No, not exploding – it blasted through the creature!
Black smoke plumed as the monster collapsed. Yves continued to form and hurl these membrane projectiles, each capable of blasting a hole the size of a person clean through a monster's body. A few concentrated hits, and a monster would completely shatter.
One after another, monsters crumpled and fell! But just as quickly, they reformed. The area immediately surrounding Claire and Yves became thick with black mist, almost viscous, like liquid darkness. They had taken down at least forty or fifty monsters by now.
But soon… the tide began to turn.
Their stamina was draining rapidly. They could no longer destroy a monster with a single coordinated attack. Their fighting space shrank continuously as the relentless tide of black pushed them back. Their breathing grew ragged.
Swoosh…! Yves hurled another membrane ball, sweat pouring down his face as he stumbled back a step.
The projectile struck an incoming claw-arm, but its power was noticeably diminished. It only managed to knock the claw back slightly before the appendage swung forward again.
"Damn it…! Claire! Get over here!" Yves yelled, his usual cold composure finally cracking, his voice strained through gritted teeth. Claire, fighting nearby, assumed he couldn't hold his position any longer. She used Moon Walk to flash over, slicing the threatening claw-arm to pieces. But unexpectedly, Yves quickly blew a small bubble of film from his hands, instantly encasing Claire within it. He then blew another, enclosing himself.
Meeting Claire's startled gaze from within her bubble, Yves explained tersely, "Can't hold out. I was… observing… these things… they probably don't have direct attack power. So… if… the membrane can block them… we might as well just let ourselves be caught." It was a desperate gamble.
Claire stared at him for a moment, surprised, then frowned in thought. Looking at the monsters now swarming towards their bubbles, she gave a curt nod, accepting the desperate plan without a word.
Hsssssssss! "I told you, you alone are not enough! Isn't it better to just give up resistance peacefully like this?!" The eerie voice drifted around them, its source impossible to pinpoint. Suddenly, an enormous black hand, large enough to seemingly blot out the sky, materialized above them and began to press down fiercely.
Claire and Yves met the descent with calm eyes. Further struggle was pointless now. They could only bet – bet that Yves's observation was correct and the monsters lacked true offensive power, and bet that these small membrane balloons could somehow insulate them from whatever happened next.
They had no idea what being engulfed by these creatures entailed, but they were certain it wouldn't be pleasant. If the monsters lacked direct attacks, their primary method must be capture and assimilation. Otherwise, why attack with such relentless ferocity?
"Sink into depravity! Hsssssssss!" the voice shrieked, sharp, hoarse, and filled with manic excitement. The swarming monsters below suddenly pulled back, clearing a path for the colossal black hand descending from above!
The hand pressed down hard! Strangely… its descent stirred no air currents, created no wind.
Almost silently, the massive hand loomed over Claire and Yves's bubbles, about to crush them.
"You're right," a cold, familiar voice suddenly echoed from one of the side passages. "Sink into depravity."
A powerful torrent of swamp erupted from the tunnel entrance, slamming directly into the descending giant hand! The impact resounded through the cavern as, in the blink of an eye, the colossal black hand was completely engulfed and overwhelmed by the thick, heavy swamp!