Chapter 143: Battle Ensues

The air crackled with tension as Captain Hato stood before the group, his towering form exuding an oppressive, dark energy that weighed heavily on their shoulders.

His eyes, now glowing with a sinister red light, swept over them with disdain. The very ground beneath his feet seemed to tremble in response to the demonic aura surrounding him.

"You still think you can stand against me?" Captain Hato sneered, his voice deep and menacing. "You're nothing but insects, and I will crush you like the insignificant worms you are."

Without warning, he lunged forward with a terrifying speed, his armored fist glowing with dark energy as he aimed a devastating punch at Ruchir.

"Dark Rupture!" he roared. The air itself seemed to shatter as his fist tore through it, a shockwave exploding outward as the attack barreled toward Ruchir.

Ruchir barely managed to sidestep the attack, but the sheer force of the blow sent him skidding across the ground, his feet digging trenches into the earth as he struggled to regain his balance.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath, feeling the weight of Captain Hato's power bearing down on him. "We can't keep taking hits like that."

Garret, with his usual bravado, stepped forward, his body glowing with the golden light of his perfected Golden Body Technique.

"You think your fancy punches scare me?" he taunted, his voice laced with mockery. "I've taken worse beatings in my sleep!"

Captain Hato's eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a snarl.

"You're nothing but a fool, Garret," he hissed, his voice dripping with venom. "I'll make sure you regret those words."

With a surge of energy, Captain Hato launched another attack, his fist now crackling with dark lightning.

"Void Crusher!" he shouted, the air around his fist distorting as the dark energy condensed into a massive, destructive force.

Garret, though inwardly quaking with fear, maintained his poker face, bracing himself as the attack barreled toward him.

The impact was brutal, sending him flying across the battlefield. He crashed into the ground with a sickening thud, the earth beneath him cracking under the force of the blow.

As he lay there, pain radiating through his body, Garret cursed himself internally. Why did I have to provoke this bastard? he thought bitterly.

But even as the pain threatened to overwhelm him, he couldn't resist one final, internal jab.

And why does he have to be so damn strong?

He cursed Captain Hato in his mind, making sure not to let the words slip out loud this time, lest he find himself on the receiving end of another devastating attack.

Meanwhile, Robert was weaving through the battlefield, using his Grass Root Magic to summon thick, thorny vines that lashed out at Captain Hato, attempting to bind him.

"Emerald Snare!" he called out, his voice filled with determination. The vines wrapped around Captain Hato's legs, tightening like a vice.

But Captain Hato merely laughed, his voice a deep, rumbling sound that sent shivers down Robert's spine. "You think your feeble tricks can hold me?"

With a surge of his dark energy, he shattered the vines with ease, sending shards of green energy flying in all directions.

Robert cursed under his breath, but quickly followed up with another attack. "Nature's Fury!" he shouted, summoning a storm of razor-sharp leaves that swirled around Captain Hato like a deadly tornado.

The leaves cut into Captain Hato's armor, but they barely left a scratch, the demonic energy protecting him like an impenetrable shield.

Professor Aanya, her body still glowing with the righteous energy she had awakened, stepped forward, her expression grim. "Enough games," she said, her voice filled with resolve. "It's time to end this."

She raised her hands, summoning a ghostly figure that materialized beside her—a spirit warrior clad in ethereal armor.

"Spirit Guardian!" she called out, the ghostly figure charging at Captain Hato with a spectral blade in hand. The blade clashed against Captain Hato's armor, sending out a burst of energy that rocked the battlefield.

Captain Hato staggered slightly under the force of the attack, but quickly recovered, his eyes blazing with fury. "You think your pathetic spirits can stop me?" he snarled, lashing out with a powerful counterattack.

"Nightmare Strike!" His fist, coated in dark energy, slammed into the Spirit Guardian, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

Professor Aanya winced as the backlash of energy hit her, but she quickly summoned another attack, her eyes narrowing with determination.

"Righteous Cleansing!" she shouted, sending out a wave of pure white energy that washed over the battlefield.

The energy seared through the darkness, momentarily weakening Captain Hato's demonic aura.

Ruchir, seeing an opening, quickly formulated a plan. "Garret, Robert, we need to work together," he called out, his voice filled with urgency.

"We can't beat him head-on, but if we coordinate our attacks, we might be able to wear him down."

Garret, still grimacing from the pain of his earlier injury, forced himself to his feet, his golden aura flaring up once more.

"I'm with you, Ruchir," he said, determination in his voice despite the fear gnawing at him. "Let's teach this bastard a lesson."

Robert nodded, his eyes steely with resolve. "I'm in. Let's do this."

As Captain Hato recovered from Professor Aanya's attack, Ruchir, Garret, and Robert launched a coordinated assault.

Ruchir led the charge, his sword glowing with a brilliant light as he unleashed a powerful technique.

"Celestial Slash!" he cried out, his blade cutting through the air with a blinding arc of energy that slammed into Captain Hato's chest.

Garret followed up with his own attack, his fist glowing with a radiant golden light. "Golden Meteor!" he shouted, launching himself at Captain Hato like a human missile.

His fist collided with Captain Hato's side, the impact sending shockwaves through the battlefield.

Robert, using his Grass Root Magic, summoned a massive, thorn-covered whip that lashed out at Captain Hato.

"Verdant Lash!" he called, the whip wrapping around Captain Hato's arm and pulling him off balance.

But even as the attacks landed, Captain Hato's demonic aura flared up, absorbing the brunt of the damage. He snarled in fury, his red eyes blazing with anger.

"You think you can defeat me with these pathetic attacks?" he roared, unleashing a devastating counterattack.

"Abyssal Wave!" A torrent of dark energy erupted from his body, sweeping across the battlefield and slamming into the group with crushing force.

Ruchir, Garret, and Robert were thrown back by the sheer power of the attack, their bodies battered and bruised.

The situation looked grim, the odds stacked heavily against them. But despite the overwhelming power of their opponent, they refused to give up. Professor Aanya, though injured, stood tall, her righteous energy still burning brightly.

"We're not done yet," Ruchir muttered through gritted teeth, his mind racing as he tried to think of a way to turn the tide of the battle. "We need to keep fighting, keep pushing until we find a way to break through."

Garret, despite the fear gnawing at him, forced a cocky grin. "I'm not going down that easily," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "We've come too far to lose now."

Robert, his usual sarcasm replaced by grim determination, nodded. "We'll find a way," he said, his voice filled with resolve. "We have to."

Captain Hato, sensing the desperation in their voices, laughed coldly. "You're already finished," he taunted, his voice echoing with dark amusement. "You just don't realize it yet."

But even as the situation grew more dire, Ruchir's mind continued to work, piecing together a plan, a strategy that might just give them a fighting chance. The battle was far from over, and though the odds were against them, they were determined to fight with everything they had.

And so, the fight continued, the air thick with the clash of weapons and the crackle of powerful energies.

The ground shook with each impact, the battlefield a chaotic whirl of light and shadow as the two sides clashed with all their might.

Despite the overwhelming power of Captain Hato, the group fought on, driven by their determination to protect the innocent, to uphold the justice they believed in.

Captain Hato's eyes gleamed with malevolence as he raised his arms, drawing upon the dark power that coursed through his veins. With a sweeping motion, he unleashed a torrent of water, infused with demonic energy, that surged toward Ruchir and his companions.

The water spiraled around them, forming an enormous, swirling sphere that lifted them off the ground, trapping them within its inescapable grasp.

The water was no ordinary element. It shimmered with an eerie, dark glow, pulsating with the sinister energy of Captain Hato's magic.

As the sphere closed in around them, Ruchir, Garret, Robert, and Professor Aanya found themselves completely submerged, struggling to keep their heads above the rapidly rising water.

"Dark Abyssal Tide!" Captain Hato bellowed, his voice echoing with cruel satisfaction.

The water within the sphere churned violently, growing denser and colder with each passing second. The pressure increased, crushing down on them from all sides.

Garret, flailing his limbs in a desperate attempt to stay afloat, quickly realized that this was no ordinary water.

His lungs began to burn as he struggled to hold his breath, and panic threatened to overtake him. "Damn it!" he thought, his mind racing. "Of all the times for this to happen!"

His thoughts flashed to Flippy, the mischievous water spirit who had insisted on teaching him how to swim.

Garret had grumbled through the lessons, never imagining he'd actually need the skills in a life-or-death situation like this.

Through the water, his voice came out garbled and muffled, but still carried his signature humor. "Flippy… I swear… if I get out of this… I'm gonna let you give me a piece of my mind…"