Chapter 14：The Clash with the Abyssal Legion

The airlock hissed shut behind us, the metallic clang echoing the hammering in my chest.

 Cosmic cockroaches.

 Right.

 That's what I called them to keep my hands from shaking, but these things were anything but insects.

 They were nightmares given flesh, twisted parodies of life, all claws, teeth, and shadow.

And they were swarming towards us like a tide of black oil.

My breath hitched.

This wasn't some back-alley brawl in the Undercity.

This was… different.

This felt like staring into the abyss, and the abyss was staring back, hungry.

Captain White barked orders, his voice sharp and clipped against the rising whine of the alien weaponry charging up.

Sergeant Gray, a mountain of a man with eyes as cold as space, stood at the ready, his weapon humming a lethal lullaby.

He looked like he'd eaten a bowl of nails for breakfast and was ready for seconds.

The first strike came like a black lightning bolt.

One of the creatures, a blur of shadow and claws, shot forward with impossible speed.

I reacted instinctively, lunging to meet it, my own makeshift blade singing through the air.

 Too slow.

 The creature flowed around my attack like smoke, its claws raking across my armor, sending sparks flying.

I staggered back, the metallic tang of blood filling my mouth.

Damn, these things were fast.

"Ace!" Luna's voice, sharp with worry, cut through the din of battle.

Her eyes, wide and filled with fear, locked onto mine.

 I forced a grin, a bravado I didn't feel.

"Just getting warmed up, sweetheart!

"

I circled the creature, trying to gauge its movements.

 It stalked me, a predator toying with its prey.

 Fine.

Let's play.

I feigned a stumble, leaving my left flank exposed.

 The creature, all arrogance and teeth, lunged.

 Gotcha.

 I sprang onto a nearby console, using the momentum to spin and bring my boot down hard on its head.

 The creature shrieked, a sound like nails on a chalkboard, and stumbled back, momentarily disoriented.

That shriek, however, drew the attention of the others.

 Great.

Just great.

 They surged forward, a wave of darkness crashing towards me.

Across the battlefield, Captain Johnson and Professor Lee were holding their own, but barely.

They were surrounded, their movements becoming increasingly desperate.

Captain White roared something about providing support fire, but he was cut off by a monstrous figure that emerged from the swarm.

This thing was huge, easily twice the size of the others, its skin like polished obsidian.

 With a single swipe of its massive claw, it sent Captain White's ship rocking violently.

Aria and Eve, thank the stars, were a whirlwind of controlled chaos.

Aria, ever the strategist, darted through the fray, identifying weak points and exploiting them with ruthless efficiency.

 Eve, on the other hand, was a mesmerizing distraction, her movements fluid and graceful, drawing the creatures' attention before delivering swift, deadly strikes.

 They were a beautiful, deadly ballet of destruction.

But it wasn't enough.

 Not nearly enough.

 The creatures were relentless, their numbers seemingly endless.

 I felt a cold dread creep up my spine as they closed in, their claws dripping with a viscous, black ichor…

"Guys…" I choked out, my voice barely above a whisper.

"A little help here?

"

"Just a little scratch," I muttered, spitting out a mouthful of grit and something suspiciously like motor oil.

 These Abyssal Legion goons hit hard.

 I backpedaled, dodging a flurry of claws that would have turned me into space dust.

 My makeshift blade, fashioned from a busted ventilation pipe and sheer desperation, felt pathetically inadequate.

 They were closing in, a writhing mass of teeth and shadows, and I was starting to feel like a donut in a cop convention.

My lungs burned, my muscles screamed, and my head spun.

This wasn't how I envisioned my Tuesday going.

I glanced around wildly, searching for an escape route, a miracle, a winning lottery ticket… anything.

 Nada.

Zilch.

 Just more cosmic cockroaches.

I ducked under a swipe that would have taken my head clean off, rolled across the scorched metal floor, and came up swinging.

 Got one!

 A satisfying crunch echoed as my boot connected with its… face?

 Whatever.

 One down, a zillion to go.

My hand instinctively went to my pocket, clutching the small device Dr.

Smith had slipped me just before things went sideways.

 "Just in case," he'd said, his eyes gleaming with that unsettling mix of madness and genius.

 At the time, I'd figured it was another one of his wacky inventions – a self-folding napkin dispenser or a pocket-sized black hole generator.

 Now, it felt like my only hope.

Ignoring the creeping sense of doom that was starting to resemble a full-blown panic attack, I fumbled with the device, my fingers clumsy and unresponsive.

 Come on, you stupid piece of junk… work!

 With a click and a whir, the device sprang to life, bathing the immediate area in a blinding white light.

The effect was instantaneous.

The creatures recoiled, hissing and screeching, their movements slowing to a sluggish crawl.

They shielded their… eyes?

 Sensor clusters?

 Whatever those glowing red orbs were, they didn't like the light.

 Bingo!

"Now's our chance!

" I roared, feeling a surge of adrenaline replace the creeping despair.

 "Light 'em up!

"

Captain Johnson and Professor Lee, looking battered but not broken, seized the opportunity.

 They unleashed a barrage of suppressed fire, the whine of their weapons a welcome counterpoint to the creatures' tortured shrieks.

 Aria and Eve, bless their beautiful, deadly hearts, moved with renewed vigor, their attacks precise and merciless.

Across the battlefield, Captain White bellowed in triumph.

"Sergeant Gray!

 Target the central node!

 Now!

"

I squinted through the glare, just in time to see Sergeant Gray unleash a devastating blast of energy directly into the chest of the giant obsidian monstrosity.

The creature roared, a sound that shook the very foundations of the ship, before collapsing in a heap, its body dissolving into a cloud of black smoke.

We were winning!

 Actually winning!

But just as hope began to blossom in my chest, a chilling wave of power washed over the battlefield.

 The air crackled with dark energy, and the remaining creatures seemed to freeze, their glowing red orbs fixated on a single point in the distance.

A figure emerged from the shadows, a figure of pure darkness, radiating an aura of malevolence that made my blood run cold.

The Dark Entity.

 He had arrived.

 And he did not look happy.

A wave of pure black energy erupted from his outstretched hand, hurtling towards us with terrifying speed.

 I braced myself, knowing, with a sickening certainty, that this… this was going to hurt.