[M] Darkness and Gravity III (1/1)

C h a p t e r F i v e

Darkness and Gravity III.  Unfortunately, there was a reason not many people used the ability so frequently. Holy Charges were for those with high Moxie Pressure and as a result easily drained a persons energy if they weren't powerful or the ability had been used too much at a time. In Min, Jiyong and Taeyang's case, the three had watched the monsters continue to multiply while they battled them before they discovered they were weak to the Holy ability. Now the number had doubled in a short amount of time from the original dozen and as it got later into the night, they were nowhere close to finishing them off in one go.  "My powers are weakening," Min warned as her breathing was beginning to accelerate from how much oxygen she was losing her lungs. The air was getting thicker and the overpowering smell of sulfur was beginning to get to her since there had been so many of them. It only made inhaling even more difficult.  Now only a handful of the monsters were left and Min was having trouble seeing straight. Even the glow of her eyes had dimmed. But she wasn't alone. Jiyong was starting to feel the side effects too and was having trouble standing upright; his red eyes becoming a darker hue. Even Taeyang, who despite him using his Amplification Charges, was also growing weaker by the moment; his golden eyes dulling as he furrowed his brows. "Shit. How many more are there?" "I don't know." Min tried summoning another round of Holy Charges but failed as the light flickered for a moment and then went off. Her eyes trailed the monsters in front of them which had become still once again. She closed her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth at the thought of what it meant. She hunched over and continued to catch her breath, hoping to recover some type of energy.  "Ji." Jiyong looked over at her when he back flipped back beside her after slaying another beast. "How many minutes have passed since the last Photon Beam?"  Taeyang, who had been listening, stiffened; his eyes widening as he looked over his shoulder in time to look at Jiyong close his eyes and clench his fists. "Nineteen minutes." Min sighed and looked ahead. "If what I'm suspecting is right, then in one minute... they'll attack again." After learning they were weak to Holy Charges, it had become easier to take the giants down. But Min realized early on that the reason she, Jiyong and Taeyang were having a difficult time had nothing to do with the fact that the creatures were stronger, but that they were actually a lot more cunning then she originally gave them credit for. They were purposefully exhausting their powers to the point that it was weakening them and making them more vulnerable to their Photon Beam. So they were constantly moving quickly, throwing quick hits upon occasion, and multiplying if they were hit by the wrong kind of Charge that they were immune to. The three of them weren't weaker than the giants. No. That was no where near the actual truth. Min figured out that the creatures had been specifically designed for battle against Hunters. Hunters that couldn't use Holy. And unfortunately, those Hunters made up 95% of the entire RED Division. The only exception to this was her team. Which made her curious to think that maybe whoever was truly behind this wasn't aware of that fact, or wasn't expecting to go against the 4th Elite. "No way." Taeyang couldn't believe it. There was no way those things were capable of that again. Especially since it caused such damage the first time around. If they manage to take a direct hit again in their current condition, there's no doubt that they would surely die. "They've been in defensive mode all this time again. That's why it was so easy to wipe most of them out once we figured out they were weak against Holy Charges." She wiped the sweat off her brow and blew her bangs out of her face as she straightened. "Twenty minutes was the amount of time between the time we started fighting them to the time they executed the first attack." Once again, Taeyang was impressed with how sharp the little Hunter was. She had noticed something that Taeyang would've and actually had easily overlooked. "I only have enough power for one more Holy Charge," Jiyong informed as his hands glowed a faint white instead of the more vibrant light from earlier. Min managed to summon her charge and sighed, content that she managed to do it, but disappointed when she saw she was no different. "Me too." She looked at Taeyang and saw that his power had also weakened immensely since they started. "Same here." Had it been anything other than a Holy Charge, the three of them probably would've stood a better chance. Especially had it been their own abilities and charges. Holy was a secondary Charge for them and that came with more of a cost than had it been a Primary Charge.  "Time?" Min asked Jiyong. He looked down at his watch and clenched his teeth. "30 seconds." Min nodded and slowly began summoning as much of her energy as she possibly could before looking back at Taeyang and Jiyong. "You two ready?" Both of the boys nodded and mirrored her action as they summoned their energy as well. Their blood pulsed and their veins protruded against their skin, the burning sensation of channeling all of their energy igniting against within them. It was painful, but nothing unbearable. Min charged forward, with Taeyang and Jiyong close behind; The three of them yelling out as their eyes brightened up, showing the increase in the power they were summoning. Min's eyes sharpened as she zeroed in on her target, hoping to get at least four of the monsters in one go. But before Min could take a swing the creatures suddenly disappeared from their sights, making them stop in the center of the place where they had once been. "They just... disappeared?" The three of them looked around and Taeyang sniffed the air. "I can still smell them though." A creased formed in between Min's brows. "It was because there was so many." The three then pressed their backs together, each one watching a different direction. Everything had suddenly gone quiet, and they couldn't help but feel like something else was up. Something big. "Stay on guard," She then whispered loud enough for the other two to hear. Min had now materialized her gun-kusarigama's, the bladed twin pistols that were attached by a chain, and concentrated on evening out her breathing. "What the hell were those things?" Taeyang then asked softly, not expecting much of a response since it was obvious neither one of the two Hunters had a clue. The ground all around them started vibrating beneath their feet, making them become unstable to the point that their legs were beginning to buckle. Their hands shot up when a deep hum appeared from nowhere and it was as if all they could see and hear was an unbearable kind of static. The three immediately knew what it meant. It was someone's Moxie Pressure at play and the force was one to be reckoned with. "They're called Shades," A low and velvety voice spoke out suddenly, echoing in the darkness and stunning them in their place. They weren't sure whether it was because of all the power they had just used up, but the Moxie Pressure that suddenly appeared was frightening and they hated to admit it, but it was weakening them even more. "Taking out almost an entire horde of them." Now the three followed the sound of the voice and glanced over towards the sky where three darkly dressed figures were perched using the Float ability. "Impressive." This pressure. Min gritted her teeth. This was the force that L and Zelo were talking about earlier. "Who the hell are you?" Min snapped, capturing the attention of one of the mysterious men who bit his lip in amusement. He was darker than the other two beside him and wore a black tanktop exposing his muscular arms. He was strong looking and athletically built, but though he looked a lot more fit than one of them, he also looked scrawnier in comparison to the taller looking one. His hair was dark brown and spiked up. "She's feisty," He smirked before lifting his nose to give the air a good whiff and making his eyes glow burgundy. "And she smells delicious." Min recalled the injury she sustained earlier, during the Photon Beam attack and concluded that he had to be a Vampire. Wolves weren't too fond of the smell of blood and his eyes said it all. His intense stare that continued to linger on her, studying her and becoming hungrier by the minute. "Sexy. I bet she tastes good too." Something about his stare and the way he trailed his tongue against his shapr white teeth was unsettling. He then looked over at the quiet looking member of the group who stood beside him. "What do you think, Mute?" The quiet member, sporting shaggy bright red hair similar to Jiyong's, shrugged languidly, showing little to no interest in the topic at hand. He sported a similar look to Jiyong's too but instead of a coat or cloak, wore a long and thick cloth that he wrapped around his neck and fell behind him like a cape. He also wore a long black sleeve shirt with an attachment to the collar, like a thick oversized leather turtleneck that covered the lower half of his face, but managed to emphasize his sharp slit for eyes and chubby cheeks. The third and tallest member sighed and looked down at Min and her group. "My apologies for my comrade's rude comments." Min immediately recognized the voice to be the one they originally heard before they came into view. His complexion was pale and his eyes burned a golden topaz, much different to the other two's burgundy ones. Something was off about him, but there was no doubt he was a vampire like the rest. His stare was as intense but held no threat like the the first one.  "I'm Woobin, leader of the Northern Vampire Tribe." He was dressed the most formal, wearing a black button up shirt, black fitted pants and combat boots. His hair was slicked back, showcasing his prominent brows and chiseled features.  "The quiet one to my left is Sunggyu and the rowdy one on the right is Yongguk ." Min looked down, her face darkening at the new piece of information they had just been fed. What is the strongest and most dangerous Vampire Tribe doing all the way down in the southern regions? "Don't look away, Sweetheart," The rough looking vampire, Yongguk, coaxed in a flirtatious manner as he suddenly appeared in front of Min, extending his hand out to grab her. "How about we get out of here?" Jiyong, who was quick to react, moved in front of her to block him; making Yongguk growl in annoyance. "Who the fuck are you?" He furrowed his brows and stepped back, looking up and over his shoulder at the quiet one, Sunggyu. "Hey, this fucker is just like you," He said dryly as he pointed at Jiyong. "Take care of him." "I'll handle him," Jiyong assured Min under his breath, earning him the okay from her as she nodded. The vampire Sunggyu then rose to his feet, his eyes now brightening. "My pleasure." Faster than the average eye could determine, Sunggyu had Rushed his way over to Jiyong, catching him by surprise before grabbing him and sending him flying toward the sky, where Jiyong had managed to recover and now stood in mid-air using the Float ability. "I normally don't waste my time fighting the weak," Sunggyu said, his bored tone matching his appearance. "You seemed to have lost a lot of your energy. Too bad. I would've preferred a match where the both of us were on equal playing field." Jiyong scoffed lightly. "You talk too much." To this, Sunggyu cocked his head to the side in confusion. "I've never had anyone tell me that before." He then straightened up and materialized a sword out of thin air. "I'll make this quick." Rushing forward, Sunggyu sliced the air narrowly missing Jiyong who managed to dodge and jump back into a crouch. He watched Sunggyu, who even though had half of his face covered, could be seen smiling from the way his eyes crinkled and turned into crescent shapes.  He was obviously amused. And though it was easy to say he and Jiyong seemed similar in appearance, maybe even demeanor, the same couldn't be said about their personality or mentality. It was obvious that Sunggyu seemed somewhat sociopathic in nature. And that mixed with his quietness made for a deadly combination. Jiyong could feel a rise in the one named Sunggyu's Moxie Pressure, intensifying the static in his head. This kid isn't messing around, Jiyong concluded as he felt the surge of Moxie Pressure slowly begin to overwhelm his own weakened body and senses. Luckily Bom gave us those boosts, or else I don't think I would've been able to react as fast as I did. His eyes then snapped over to Min who was watching him with a worried expression. Because of Bom's boosts he had also managed to protect her, but now he couldn't allow himself to be distracted. His chest tightened. Seeing her expression made him recall everything that happened earlier that day. How he quickly went and searched for his brother and his friends once word got out about the attack. How he saw countless of people slaughtered. How Zelo, his baby brother, had to witness it first hand. And how the Master looked when he...  I have to fight. I have to keep everyone safe. "Eyes here," Sunggyu's voice flowed through Jiyong's ear, catching him off guard from how fast he was as he appeared beside him and managed to land a punch against his jaw. Jiyong went flying again but only this time landed on his back and getting the air knocked out of him as a result. There was no denying how strong the two men were. The amount of moxie pressure in the air created a chemical reaction and every hit and impact caused for a loud and devastating explosion, even in the air. The dust settled and Jiyong kneeled on one leg, supporting himself with his arms as he glared up at Sunggyu who stood arrogantly across from him. What's up with this guy? He isn't even breaking a sweat. Jiyong could then feel the warm blood trickle down the side of his left temple but chose to ignore it as he set his eyes on his opponent. He had to think fast if he wanted everyone to survive and get back to their group alive. Shit. I guess I have no choice.  The atmosphere around them grew quiet and Jiyong was quick to catch the gleam of Sunggyu's blade in the short distance. "Hmph." Sunggyu smirked and Charged up an ability that had his sword glowing a bright wine color similar to his eyes. "Destroy, Conteratur." Rushing forward with a speed that would've been undetectable to anyone else, Sunggyu drove his sword, which had doubled in size, in Jiyong's direction. "No! Jiyong!" Another loud explosion echoed over Min's panicked yell as she watched the fight above her in horror. Because of the strength of the impact, the two men had completely disappeared within the large smoke cloud and now Min stood looking up, her stomach dropping at the thought of something