"It's real... and we have to accept it," Kaguro finally said, his voice steady despite the dread etched on his face.
Bachi stood beside him, still trying to process what was happening.
"So... what now?"
"First," Kaguro replied, "we call the guard and tell him not to come. If he steps foot here, he might get pulled into the Midnight Realm too. Then... we go ourselves."
"Go? Into that cursed place?" Bachi asked, half-joking, half-horrified.
Kaguro nodded. "Yes. I read about a case in an old scripture. A man went to the capital — the same place our friends vanished — at 3 a.m. Just like now. He was pulled into the realm. There, the Midnight Demon made him fight a warrior who hadn't lost in over 300 years. The man died in that battle. That scripture was discovered 76 years ago."
Bachi stared.
"So... he died. And you want us to go?"
"We're not going alone," Kaguro said. "That man fought alone. But our group is already there. If we fight together, we might stand a chance. The warrior's power was equal to four or five fighters. Together, we might survive."
Bachi sighed, then smirked. "Fine. But let's call the guard first."
Kaguro nodded. "Make up an excuse. Say we found them."
"Thanks, nerd!" Bachi grinned.
Kaguro raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"C'mon," Bachi teased, "a nerd is always useful on the ground."
"Not the time for jokes. Call him."
Bachi dialed. The guard picked up.
"Hello? This is room 324. Uh… don't come. We found the missing kids. Sorry for the confusion."
The guard sounded relieved. "Oh, that's great. Thanks for the update."
The call ended.
"Alright, genius. What's next?" Bachi asked.
"We go to the capital — the playground," Kaguro said.
"Wait, are we really going to the same place where a guy died fighting an undefeated monster?"
"We don't have a choice. Our friends are in danger."
"Alright," Bachi said with a sigh. "Lead the way, nerd king."
At the Playground — Midnight Capital
Under the dead of night, they stepped onto the playground. Within moments, a familiar force began pulling them in — a swirling energy that twisted the air.
Within seconds, they were gone.
They landed with a thud. Everything around them was dark, eerie… unnatural.
"We're here," Bachi muttered, looking around. "The Midnight Realm…"
Kaguro stood tall. "We're here to save our friends. And to break the warrior's undefeated streak."
"Wait," Bachi blinked. "Wasn't that 300 years?"
"The scripture was written 76 years ago," Kaguro said flatly. "So it's been 376 years now. You really need help with math."
Suddenly, a voice boomed around them
"What are you two doing here?" the Midnight Demon said, his voice echoing eerily through the Midnight Realm as he turned around.
Kaguro stepped forward. "Yes. They're our friends. And we're here to fight your warrior. Together."
The demon tilted his head. "You… you're different. Are you a follower of Fujism?"
"Not exactly," Kaguro replied.
"Then how do you know about this realm? The warrior? My capital?"
"I've been studying Fujism for five days now," Kaguro smirked.
The demon chuckled. "You really are a nerd."
"It's not just that. One of my friends — the masked one — had a dream. It showed us all of this."
"I see," said the demon. "Very well. Let's begin the trial."
The Warrior Appears
A new figure emerged. Towering, muscular, draped in black clothing with a cape fluttering behind him — like a dark version of Superman. His face was exposed, with a grotesque grin carved into his cheeks, reminiscent of the urban legend Momo.
"Oh crap, he looks terrifying," Bachi gasped.
The warrior spoke. "Cebravinka."
"Uh… what?" Kaguro blinked.
The Midnight Demon translated. "He said, 'Prepare to die.'"
"Helpful," Kaguro muttered.
The warrior barked again. "Golinka."
"Now he's saying, 'Let's start the fight,'" the demon added.
"This guy really likes to trash talk in Reamism," Kaguro said, cracking his knuckles.
[Note: Reamism is the native language of the Midnight Realm. It uses the same alphabet as English but with different vocabulary.]
The Battle Begins
All five — Kaguro, Bachi, Kamiko, Kashimo, and Alan — charged at once. But the warrior was fast. Inhumanly fast. He dodged every attack with perfect reflexes, slipping past their kicks and punches like a shadow through smoke.
He turned and landed a brutal punch on Alan, sending him flying. Alan collapsed, unconscious — the weakest had been taken out first.
The others fought hard, but the warrior easily defended. It was clear why he had remained undefeated for 376 years.
"We need a plan!" Kaguro shouted.
He whispered quickly — a new strategy. He, Kamiko, and Kashimo would distract the warrior while Bachi went in for a fatal strike.
It started to work. Bachi landed a powerful kick, knocking the warrior to the ground.
He rushed forward, unleashing a flurry of punches, beating the warrior down. But suddenly, the warrior let out a terrifying scream — a high-frequency roar at 110 decibels that left everyone reeling, ears ringing.
He punched Bachi away, sending him crashing into the rocks.
Kaguro stepped up but was quickly overpowered and thrown back ten meters.
Kamiko and Kashimo ran in and managed to slow the warrior down, holding him by the arms.
Then Bachi noticed something — a knife glinting on the ground. Sharp. Clean. Lethal.
"This is our chance," he whispered.
Kaguro, barely standing, tackled the warrior, dislocating his leg and pinning him to the ground.
Bachi ran forward. The warrior thrashed, almost escaping. But Kaguro held on.
In one final move, Bachi drove the knife into the warrior's head.
Silence.
The warrior stopped moving. After 376 years of being undefeated, the Midnight Champion had finally fallen.
Alan lay still, injured. The others gathered around, exhausted but victorious.
Everything came at a cost. Alan suffered another broken bone — the impact hit the same spot Michelle had once injured. Blood dripped from Kaguro and Bachi's mouths, grim signs of internal damage.
But the Nightmare Wasn't Over
They turned to the Midnight Demon.
"Now we can return, right?" Kamiko asked.
The demon laughed. "You think that's all it takes? No. To return to your world, you must find an angel in this realm. Only they can transport you back to reality."
Fear spread across the group's faces — all except Kaguro.
"You KNEW?!" Bachi shouted.
"I read about it," Kaguro admitted calmly. "I didn't tell you because you might not have come. But don't worry. I know where to find them. There's a temple nearby. The angels live there. And they're kind."
The Midnight Demon smiled.
"Yo, human… you really are intelligent."
Chapter 9 Ends.
To be continued...
Don't forgive to show me support