“We need back-up! I repeat! We need back-up!” Pollux cried into his receiver.

The soldiers of Delta Team Four were trapped and forced into a confrontation with Phantasm’s Overlord Jee’angzsh and his horde of vampiric army. This was not the first time the Delta Team was caught in a sticky situation, nor was it their first against that inhumane force. But this time round, they were clearly out-leagued. The urban fighters were unfamiliar with the sandy terrain. There were no buildings for them to utilise. Instead, they had to settle for the exposed, wet and sandy shore after they were singled out and pushed out of the forest by the enemy.

Out of all of the eight clashes between Overlord Jee’angzsh and WAR troops, this was the fight where Jee’angzsh clearly gained the upper-hand. Despite being pushed to the point of desperation, Jee’angzsh was able to command his troops with excellent insight. He figured that instead of an outright collision between their forces, he was going to take out the weakest force first to break their formation.

Delta Team of the City Hunters was not weak. They were simply tasked to provide rear support from the edge of the nearby town. However, as the fight prolonged, the Delta Teams were unknowingly lured into the forest and instantly picked out by Phantasm troopers. It was their previous combat experiences with the blood-sucking army which allowed them to continue fighting splendidly, hanging on to their dear lives and making it out to the shoreline.

“Ranger Five is going in,” Grange announced into the receiver.

He led his team out of the forest and took down a section of Phantasm’s soldiers. Once again, he was arm-to-arm with his buddy from Recruit Military Camp, taking cover behind a big boulder.

Grange made a grin at Pollux. Pollux shouted into his buddy’s ear, “YOU SUICIDAL?!”

 ”Can’t leave my best bud behind dying a hero, right?”

“I’m out.”

Grange passed Pollux a magazine and said, “make it count.”

It was Pollux’s turn to grin. He got up, took one shot and crouched back behind.

“A satisfying ring to it,” Grange commented.

“Not satisfying enough,” Pollux replied. He brought the grenade to his mouth, wrenched off the pin and flung it towards the incoming section of soldiers. “GRENADE!”

It was a valiant but futile attempt. Overlord Jee’angzsh was certain of claiming victory. He had learnt from his failed encounters and formulated a plan for his last onslaught. He was going to take back everything he lost with this one victory. From a safe distance in the forest, it was his turn to grin. Cold breath exhaled from his mouth. The vegetation around him immediately drooped.

There was no stopping his offensive. The only one powerful enough to resist him was a town away, fighting a decoy team he had planted as bait. The fanged monster touched his lower rib instinctively and sneered. He has yet to get over the incident at Opolla Harbour. Although the shamans assured him that the wound had already healed, Jee’angzsh understood that some wounds cannot be completely cured. His left lower rib muscles squeezed involuntarily for a second, disrupting his breathing rhythm.

“He’ll pay…” muttered the vampire lord, “insanity overdrive.”

The stench of rotting flesh and dried blood expulsed into the atmosphere. The humidity from the tropics trapped the odour in the forest.

Grange’s eyes widened. “It’s here!”

Pollux caught on immediately. He hissed into the receiver, “overdrive has been activated! I repeat! Overdrive has been activated! We need back-up now!”

Phantasm soldiers rushed out of the forest to satisfy their blood-thirst.

“Disgusting,” Grange muttered. Despite witnessing Jee’angzsh’s Blood Bath Blanche for the forth time, he still could not avoid the involuntary gag in his throat.

Pollux flung another grenade into the air. “When the hell is back-up arriving?!” He cursed. The receiver crackled. He looked up into the sky. The sun was setting.

The leaves rustled. Someone was speeding through the forest. Then it got louder and noisier.

One Phantasm’s set of teeth were an inch away from Pollux’s throat. Then the body dropped to the sand, with a hole right through the brain.

Soldiers in black tactical suits grouped up with the stranded soldiers from the other side of the forest.

“Clarkson!” Pollux here.

“We got your distress call. We’ll cover you. Nyx will be dealing with the tough one,” the young sergeant briefed the two officers, “just follow closely.”

“We’re overpowered! Any plan?” Grange asked.

“Yes. It’s called ‘follow closely behind’, sir.”

Clarkson payed more attention to resupplying assets and tagging them. He handed them night-vision goggles and scanned the shore. All Nightstalkers were in position.

“The sun is setting real fast. Where’s your night vision?” Pollux asked.

“We don’t need them,” Clarkson replied casually.

“What? Why?” Grange questioned.

“Because the sun is setting,” came the reply.

The sentry in the forest gave the signal and things started to get messy.

“Follow closely!”

And the Nightstalkers moved into the forest with their extraction assets.

Bullets were flying everywhere as they manoeuvred in the forest.

Grange and Pollux could not comprehend Clarkson’s reasoning. It was exactly because the sun was setting, which was why they needed night vision goggles. However, none were wearing the equipment.

The two officers found it hard to catch-up with Clarkson. He was like a blur, even with night vision. Miraculously, they were dodging every bullet and every ambush. Most surprisingly, the Nightstalkers could somehow see in the dark. They remained unhaltered, guiding the teams out to the safe zones.

That was when Pollux and Grange caught on. These men were true hunters, wolves at night waiting to pounce on their preys. It may be suicidal of Grange to rush into the war zone, but the Nightstalkers, that was a different thing altogether.

Jee’angzsh sniffed the moist air. He could recognise the blood scent of the man who maimed him permanently. Instantly, the veins on his face enlarged and protruded, becoming visible even at a distance. The white of his eyes turned red from the bursting of vessels. Once again, he enveloped his forearms in solidified blood.

A shadow shot out from the vegetation behind. The vampire instinctively turned his back and their weapons collided. Titanium blade coated with shattered diamonds clashed with crystallised blood. For a second, their eyes met, before they pulled away. They were always testing out the waters, trying to find a weak spot to pierce through.

Captain Nyx crouched lower, his titanium blades in reverse grip. He watched the vampire closely like an eagle locking onto its prey. Then once again, he burst at the Overlord, dancing in darkness. They sparred and each strike became heavier when Nyx parried. Jee’angzsh put all his rage into each blow. The soldier could still handle the assaults but it was clear to him that this Overlord was not to be underestimated.

The blood blade came striking down again and Nyx raised his blades to intercept.

“He’s gotten much faster and stronger,” Nyx thought. Each strike was like a droplet of water dripping from a faulty tap in slow motion to Nyx’s emotionless eyes. After the fourth parry, Nyx had already grasped the relevant information needed for a counter-attack. The speed, the force used, the angle hit, all the way down to Jee’angzsh’s breathing rhythm. The darkness had heightened his senses. All he needed was an opening now. It could be anything. A distraction or the interval between each strike.

Jee’angzsh lifted his arm for another strike. The blood crystals glowed bright red. Then, as it sliced downwards, a small part of the lower rib muscle clenched involuntarily. It was just a slight squeeze, but Nyx did not let the opportunity escape. His senses were pinging wildly. He could hear the shortness of breath, ever so slightly, from the broken breathing pattern. He could see the twitch in muscles. He could smell fear in the Overlord from that moment of hesitation.

Nyx made a small smirk. That was the perfect opportunity he was waiting for. He evaded and side-stepped the strike swiftly. To the untrained eyes, it would seem like he dissolved into the darkness. Once again, he appeared behind his prey and threw slashes at him. It was now Jee’angzsh’s turn to be hunted. Worse still, to be hunted in the dark by a vessel of fear itself.

The wounds on the vampire’s decaying flesh piled up. Yet each time he bled, the blood would crystallised immediately, turning into a thick hide, providing protection for himself.

What Nyx needed was one powerful shot straight into the body. But he did not have the height nor momentum to drive a weapon through. Despite the inevitable, he stabbed his knife straight for the vampire’s exposed back.

CLANKKKK!

His titanium blades were not sharp enough. Jee’angzsh quickly regrouped and commanded a swarm of bats to distract Nyx. The weakened prey transformed into a bat and fled.

“Not so fast.”

Nyx meant for it to be a murmur, but it turned out to be an eerie whisper echoing through the forest. He was not going to let the bat escape, not when the prey willingly wandered into his terrain.

Jee’angzsh thought that he could utilise the darkness and confusion to flee. He was wrong. He was against someone (or something) in a different league as him. Nyx was not someone who specialised in night tactics. He was master of darkness and fear. All those in the embrace of darkness must kneel before to him.

Nyx identified each and every living thing around the vicinity. His eyes were not meant for sight of many, only one target. He used other techniques to sniff out information and single out his mark. That one with a slightly shallower breathing pattern, that one which flaps its wings a bit weaker but more desperately, that one which reeks off fear. His mind was like a homing missile, locked on to that one heat signal. Within the darkness, he located his target. The soldier in black pulled his master arm backwards. The blade in his left hand started to glow in an onyx black aura.

“I am your desolated despair,” he muttered, before launching his knife forward with deadly precision and force.