Chapter 5 : The Darkness Grows As All Light Dies.

(MC pov)

There was a theory in my old world saying that when a super hero is born, he will always attract new threats to him. Sometimes without even doing anything.

And now, faced against those humans transformed into monsters, when all we did previously was just chilling in a bar. I start to agree with this rumor.

But I wasn't pleased at all with this. Unfortunately I had other problems to take care of, than thinking about metaphysical questions on destiny.

The couple and the Witch spot us the moment I erect my barrier and interestingly enough only the couple panicked after seeing my Green Lantern suit.

"Th–that's the Green Lantern ?! Why is there an Avengers here?" Said the glasses wearing man with clear panic in his voice.

"Well, if it was any other day, I would have told you that I've been on your tail or something. But honestly, I would have preferred if you didn't show up today, because this was supposed to be our day off." I grumble.

Clearly I was unhappy with what happened. Civilians who were just here to relax, being transformed into monsters simply because those villains were drawing too much attention?

Looking at the feet of the Witch cosplaying woman I saw the young man transformed into a metallic looking guy. Honestly, with how some people in the bar successfully morphed into tentacles monsters or some kind of acid slimes, I'll say that he's pretty lucky to still look human, with only a skin color change.

But after seeing the ferocious look thrown our way by the other 'monsters', I didn't have to much hope for him. However, I did noticed that while the other people were already on their foot, he on the other hand seemed to be out for now.

As for how to deal with them, well I didn't want to take any decisions that I would regret, so I turn to Jessica.

"Just knock them out for now. Or at least restrain them." Replied Jessica after catching my look.

"I that case, I'm taking care of those wannabe wizards and you the 'civilians'. I'm much more resistant to their spell than you are."

After assigning the tasks, I immediately went towards our troublemakers. And greet them with a giant glowing green hand.

Unfortunately, my surprise attack didn't connect, because the witch took action.

As red-gold glowing mandalas start to appear in front of them, before growing to meet the size of my green fist. Even though that magic circle look thin, it was still powerful enough to block my attack.

And while I shouldn't have been surprised of this result, I was. And that allowed the witch to strike back, by summoning orange floating glowing balls in her left hands and throwing them at me.

Not knowing what it was exactly, I gave up on my glowing green fist and construct a green barrier in front of me.

Strangely enough, upon the impact, I felt nothing. No loss of spiritual energy, nothing.

[That's because it was only a projection. Her attack wasn't real at all.]

...

Looking at the woman in front of me who had a teasing smile on her face, I knew that I've been play with.

"You are cautious, which is good. But you don't understand magic green boy, and that's very bad for you." She said as more orange balls appear around her.

'So she threw those projection at me to see if I was a magician or something? But why?'

[Probably because your Ring can do things that chaotic magic can do too. So she previously thought that you were an adept of that branch of magic because of that. Which is why she sent a bait.]

While I didn't understand what was chaotic magic, I did understood that my opponent was afraid of that. So...

'What are the characteristics of chaotic magic?' I asked Ion.

[Manipulation of reality. This is also the ultimate power of Willpower.]

...

'???? How in the world did that woman thought that I could do something like that??'

Not having more time to think, I focus on the incoming orange balls. Which under the witch command surround me from all angles.

Not wanting to test if those where real or not, I extand the barrier to cover me entirely. A wise judgement, because a second latter, I felt multiple impact on my shield.

Knowing that I couldn't stay on the defensive forever, I took action the moment the last spell explode on the barrier.

Dissipating my construct, I immediately shoot some laser ray at the woman while flying towards her.

The latter however didn't respond like I anticipated. She opened a portal with orange edge in front her before summoning another one above me .

Because it happened too suddenly, I wasn't prepared for hit in my back. Even though I wasn't hurt, but those lasers were very strong. And the impact caused me to unexpectedly fall a few meters in front of the witch.

And she didn't miss the opportunity. With a wave of her hand, black ropes sprouts out from her shadow and immediately bind me.

"Well, that was easy. I honestly expected more from an Avengers." She taunt me with an exaggerating surprised face.

I won't lie. Being captured so easily hurt my pride more than I wanted to admit. But while I wanted to insult her back at her comments, I noticed that her bleck ropes were 'eating' my automatic barrier.

So while I wasn't sure what would happen if my skin touch those ropes, I could still understand that I was in a dangerous position.

"In Brightest Day"

With a little help of the oath, I reinforce my inner barrier and broke free with some effort and a lot of will, surprising the woman who didn't expect it.

Not missing the occasion, I immediately construct an old style shield that I sent crashing into her. That hit stunned her a little and forced her to take some step back. But she seems to forgot that lying on the floor was the young man.

And so without a surprise, she stumbled on his body and almost fall. But perhaps because she had a great equilibrium, she still manages to stay standing. But not for long however.

With a hitting motion, I materialize another giant fist that immediately punch her. And this time it hit and sent her flying through the room. Only to 'land' through a window.

Crash!

"Well, that window was old anyway." I try to convince myself.

But more than a broken window, I was more concerned about the well-being of that woman. My punch was powerful enough to break a window after all.

'Ring, is she still alive?' I asked nervously while sending a scan toward the the broken widow, because I couldn't really see the witch figure though the dark.

But after the scan, I was surprised by the answer I received.

[There's no one toward that location host. However, I detect the trace of some spacial distortion. Presumably, the target escaped.]

"... I won't even question how she's not at least unconscious. Actually, why am I surprised? This is marvel, there's no normal person here." I complain casually.

[I think that your sneak attack still did some damage. Otherwise she wouldn't have escaped so decisively.]

While Ion comment did make sense, but I still felt weird. Because after learning that I wasn't a chaotic magician or whatever, that woman started to deal with me more casually.

Yes, even though I didn't have any proof, I felt that when she fought against me, she wasn't serious at all. And honestly it stung a little bit knowing that she was able to beat me like that without even putting an effort to it.

[You can sulk more later, the young man is starting to wake up.]

Looking at the ground, 3 meters away from me, the metal guy was indeed standing up. However I immediately notice that contrary to the others monsters, that guy was different. Instead of attacking us, he attacked the couple who were trying to escape discreetly.

The strangest thing however was the fact that the man was somehow aware!

"My... SisteR!...give me baCK ILLYANA!!!" he keep shouting while charging at the couple.

The latters, having been targeted, stand petrify for a moment. And honestly I could understand. While that man seems to be in his 20's, he was as big and muscular as Dwayne Johnson. So when a metallic 'The Rock' with hair rush at you with red eyes, it's understandable to be afraid.

But the couple, while scared, still had some instinct of preservation. After watching the metallic man, approaching them dangerously, they finally regained conscious and once again open their black book. Turning frantically the pages, probably looking for the right spell.

"Chrujka jlium fropm.." Said suddenly the woman while her husband was searching for the right page.

Not knowing what new spell she casting, and seeing that my friends where too far from me to be able to protect them, I decided to interrupt her chanting.

Constructing a head size fist, I sent it flying to the woman's face, effectively shutting her up as she fell on the ground.

[Why not a bigger punch?] Asked innocently Ion.

'Well, because I don't want to kill her. I'm not sure she would be able to tank stronger construct, because contrary to the other witch, those guys are clearly layman when it comes to magic. Meaning their body are still 'mortals'. The very fact that they are just searching for their spells on their grimoire is the biggest proof.'

While in fact it was all just random guesses, I was proven right when after some difficulties the woman sat up with a bloody face while her man, who was somehow more panicked than earlier tried to help her.

But that move was a mistake, because not even a second later an angry metal man slammed into him. The hit was very violent, and even from my position I could hear the sound of the bones cracking upon the impact.

The man was sent flying 5 meters away before crashing into a weretiger? monster. The latter however, didn't even flinch upon the impact. But he was still very angry.

However, before the weretiger could unleash it's anger on the unconscious man, Jessica intervene and punch away the monster from their location.

Seeing that another threat was neutralize, I focus on our metallic man who was now fighting with the injured woman over the open black book. With each grabbing one side of it and pulling to their side.

What confused me however, was how it was possible for the woman to content with the metal man, when it was clear with a glance that the guy was clearly stronger physically.

The answer however shocked me.

[The book is providing her strength through magic.]

'What?! That book is sentient?'

Honestly after watching Harry Potter 2 when I was 10, I became a little bit afraid of sentient books.

[Not exactly. It would be more correct to say that someone left some strong magic intent in the book, and the latter is acting upon it while influencing whoever use it.]

Ion comment didn't reassure me at all, on the contrary.

'Dude, that's literally Tom's dairy! Just without his soul!'

While Ion didn't know what I was talking about, I didn't have the patience and the time to explain to him Harry Potter and the Horcrux. Because the woman who saw that she couldn't win the book by strength only, started to chant again. And this time, I wasn't fast enough, because her spell casting was very short.

"Habarga"

It was short but deadly.

I only had the time yank Ava toward me with a rope construct and protect us with a barrier, before some black substance sprout out from the grimoire and engulf the entire room.

And while I didn't know what it was, that substance drained almost all my spiritual energy in just a few seconds after slamming against my barrier. To be honest it almost scared me away, because it wasn't causing any real damage to my barrier and I didn't need to much focus, but it still cost me most of my spiritual energy to resist against whatever it was.

Fortunately that thing came and went very quickly, but to my horror, it wasn't the only thing that vanish.

With the exception of Ava and me, all the people and objects previously present in this room disappeared. Instead a blonde teenage girl in tattered cloth was lying unconscious, where the metal guy was previously standing.

But honestly I didn't about her. Nor did I care about a black man suddenly entering in the bar, in panic shouting about some 'Reva'.

I didn't care about it because my only family in this world disappeared. Jessica was gone.

She was gone. And I wasn't able to save her.