SSS Ranked Awakening: I Can Rewind Time!-Chapter 37: Psyche Of Monochrome [1]

Looking into those hollow black eyes, I felt as though I was staring into the abyss, and the abyss was staring right back at me.

’Damnation!’

Seeing the grotesque shadowy face that masked its features —despite the myriads of harrowing, nightmarish entities I’d encountered— I felt it was truly, probably the ugliest and most menacing creature I’d ever seen.

...Yet, at the same time, it was strangely alluring. Its deep, dark mass of shadows were hauntingly beautiful. However, there was something about the mesmerizing glow in its hollow, black eyes that sent chills running down my spine.

...Its presence drowned the surroundings in total silence, and caused the lightless void to grow darker. Light flickered continuously, as though it were being toyed with by an invisible, profane force.

"Huk."

Just as an endless darkness swarmed over my vision, I withdrew my gaze, chest heaving as uncontrollable panic surged through me.

’Calm down Dean. Calm down.’ I repeated, trying to the best of my abilities to bind the surge of dark emotions.

Shifting my gaze to the others, it became apparent to me. Just like I was filled with solemn dread, the others were also filled with a grim sense of apprehension. Perhaps even more so.

After all, luckily and perhaps, unluckily for me, I had faced... worse.

My expression darkened at the thought.

Shifting my eyes back to the nightmarish entity, it slowly shifted its body, its bones cracking and squirming as it continued to bend its body at an inhuman angle.

Staring at it with a solemn expression, I felt as though countless unseen eyes were staring right back at me, and... something was roaring within me:

’Don’t look!! Don’t look... DON’T!!!!’

Grimacing, I shoved down the unease slowly settling within me, and then—

"...!"

When the glowing, crimson-dark eyes stared right back at us, its head slowly tilted to an inhuman angle, as it... studied us? Right about then, a suffocating pressure descended upon the entire space.

’Crap! Just how strong is the bastard!’ I thought, groaning in pain from the original pressure while my eyes pierced through the dark shadow.

In that moment, I felt as though my neck was being clenched tightly by numerous unseen forces.

...Mia gripped her weapon tighter. Her expression calm and inscrutable as she said:

"Be prepared, Aezel."

Just as she spoke, her body shone with a bright incandescent light, and I could feel a terrifying energy emanating from her.

Aezel nodded, a grim sense of resignation settling on his face.

And then,

Crack--!

The nightmarish entity suddenly moved. The ground it stood on moments prior had spiderweb cracks running across its surface. And within the blink of an eye, it was already right before us.

...Now just a few meters away from us. And the distance was only shortening with each step it took.

’What speed!’

My eyes widened at the sight as a cold sense of dread held onto my heart.

’Weird. What’s with the sudden heat?’

I scowled, turning to my side. It was then that I caught a glimpse of Mia. Or rather...

A figure wreathed in immolating light. A white, incandescent light shone from her body, piercing through the veil of darkness that surrounded her, enclosing closer with each breath she took.

The incinerating light moved to her sword, and in the world of darkness, a blinding light illuminated its nightmarish landscape.

Before I could do so much as to blink, the crimson haired lady was already moving.

CRACK!!!

The ground beneath her cracked, and her hand gripped her sword even tighter.

With each step she took, the distance between her and the nightmarish entity rapidly shrunk and diminished, and then....

BOOM!!

The figure wreathed in light and that drowned in shadows eventually clashed. The impact of their collision sent an instant shockwave rolling through the jagged landscape.

...However, just a few seconds before the collision occurred. A subtle crimson glow illuminated the dark space for a split second, and then, the crimson blood in the surroundings crept and writhed towards the dark shadow at an astounding pace.

Right about then, a cracked grin settled on its face, its eyes spilling with an indescribable madness that threatened to spill out completely. With the mass of blood now at his fingertips, the crimson blood swirled into the form of a long, crimson sword —almost a replica of Mia’s— that glittered ominously in the endless darkness.

And then,

...The deafening collision occurred. Both figures were thrown backward, twisting mid-air before skidding to a stop.

In that moment, the nightmarish entity’s grin grew wider, its breath coming out in short, ragged gasps as its chest rose and fell in what appeared to be... excitement?

"Huh, Hah...."

It inhaled and exhaled. Clenching its hand, the blood surrounding it flew towards it at a terrifying pace, and my expression darkened at the sight.

The ability to manipulate blood was fearsome enough. But the ability to manipulate all blood —be it that of an enemy or friend— that was even more dreadful.

And with the morbid pool of crimson blood that surrounded us —as though all the previous massacres were all part of its grand plan. All for this moment— it could be said, in every sense of the world to have the absolute upper hand.

Be it in the favor of terrain, in aspect, or the time it could go on with this harrowing clash. After all, compared to Mia who probably only had one soul core of bright burning, incandescent nature to choose from, he had much more at his beck and call.

...That was after all, one of the numerous advantages of being a profane creature.

The scowl on my face only further deepened at the chilling realizations. It was then that a loud, crisp sound echoed through the darkness.

Click.

"..."

Turning my head towards the source of the weird sound, I caught a glimpse of a figure wreathed in darkness.

Save for the fact that this figure of darkness was surrounded by numerous floating razor-sharp blades. There were as many as I could count, and each one radiated... a sense of inevitable death.

A crooked smile tugged at the corner of its lips, one that sent cold chills running down my spine. And then, with a flick of its hand—

Creak!

"...!"

The crimson blades descended, each one piercing through the darkness at breath neck speed, as they rapidly closed in on the figure wreathed in burning, incandescent light.

Thump.

...As they rapidly closed in on Mia.