Both her fists were raised in front of her, her gaze sweeping across the entire room. About twenty steps from where she stood, her two rattan batons lay on the floor.
"I have to get them. They must've fallen when I got hit earlier."
"These ugly creatures… even if I smash them with my batons, they just come back like nothing happened."
"There has to be a source of their power. If I don't destroy it, defeating them is pointless."
"That reddish sphere in the center… could that be the source?"
"It's way too obvious. Could it really be that simple?"
Before she could think any further, several black creatures charged at her.
Two of them lunged forward. She dodged to the side, deflecting with her left hand, then delivered a powerful punch to one of their heads, followed by a spinning kick with her left leg.
BAM! BAM!
She quickly leaped aside, widening the distance.
The others tried to chase her.
Fatheema used hit-and-run tactics, though some of their attacks still managed to land.
Jumping, running, rolling, striking, blocking, pushing, and kicking—she used everything to fight off the black creatures.
At last, she managed to retrieve her batons.
Blow after blow landed, and every creature struck exploded into black smoke.
Even in the darkness, Fatheema noticed differences in density. There were five spots along the walls where the black smoke was especially thick.
"There's definitely something there!"
"I'll try breaking through one of them."
She attacked again, carving a path toward one of the dark spots.
And sure enough—when she reached it, she found a jar-like object near the wall. It had a wide opening at the top and small holes along the sides near the bottom.
Black smoke flowed into the top and poured out through the small holes.
"This must be why they can't be destroyed," she thought.
Without hesitation, she struck it with her baton.
CLANG!
The jar shattered into pieces!
She moved quickly toward the next dark spot.
CLANG!
The second jar shattered just like the first.
Fatheema observed closely. The creatures were regenerating more slowly now. Their numbers had decreased.
She felt grateful—she could see in the darkness, and even perceive energy flows. She focused, distinguishing the aura of each entity.
CLANG!
The third jar was destroyed.
She ran toward another direction. By her count, only two jars remained. The black creatures were already reduced to half their original number.
WHOOSH!
A vortex of black smoke appeared in the center of the room.
From it emerged the black smoke serpent that had attacked her earlier. It hissed as its body coiled through the air, then lunged at her with a roar.
Fatheema jumped and rolled along the ground to evade, then sprinted in a zigzag toward the next jar.
CLANG!
Another jar shattered.
The remaining creatures roared angrily.
Meanwhile, the black serpent shot upward, circling the glowing red sphere in the center of the room.
About fifteen remaining creatures stopped chasing her. They growled, then slowly merged into a single massive black entity—almost as tall as a house!
With long strides, it advanced toward her.
"Damn… it got bigger! I have to hurry!"
BOOM!
A strike landed beside her.
She dashed in zigzags, leaping occasionally to keep her distance.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The creature's attacks were powerful, but too slow to match her agility—they struck only empty space.
But then—
A thunderous strike from above slammed into her. She tumbled across the floor, then stood up, panting.
"That damn snake! I almost forgot!"
She dashed again, changing direction unpredictably to avoid both enemies.
Then—
From ten steps away, she hurled one of her rattan batons with all her strength.
CLANG!
The final jar shattered!
WHOOSH!
The massive creature exploded into black smoke and vanished.
Now, only Fatheema and the black serpent remained.
"I'll destroy that glowing red sphere. It must be the source of that evil spirit's power," she thought, scanning the room carefully.
She pulled a black plastic bag from her backpack… and took something out—
Garlic.
"They say spirits are disturbed by garlic. I brought this as a little gift… hopefully the story is true," she smirked.
She tossed cloves of garlic in every direction. Two landed near the glowing red sphere.
ZASH! ZASH!
But the sphere remained intact.
"Then I'll just smash it!"
She sprinted toward it.
As she got closer, she realized the sphere hovered above a cone-shaped mound of stone about two meters high. The floor sloped upward around it like a small hill.
The sphere floated above the peak, supported by black smoke rising from the top.
The black serpent noticed her and lunged again with a hiss.
Fatheema ran, dodging its attacks.
CLANG! CLANG!
Her batons collided with the serpent midair.
Then—
Within striking distance, she leapt as high as she could, both sticks raised above her head, ready to smash the glowing red sphere.
And—
***
"Watch out!" Mrs Yuyun screamed in shock.
At that moment, as Fatheema was talking to her, she didn't notice the girl named Hanako standing behind her—grabbing her right shoulder and pulling her backward!
"No! Fatheema! Behind you!" Mrs Yuyun shouted, reaching out to pull her back.
But it was too late.
Fatheema was dragged into a black vortex and vanished instantly.
"Oh my God!" Trembling in panic, Mrs Yuyun pulled a bundle from her bag.
"Come on, Bagas, help me! Let's start praying!"
They spread a mat on a patch of grass nearby.
Mrs Yuyun lit a small fire using charcoal in a clay container. In front of her was a silver basin filled with water and various flower petals. To her right sat a brass betel set.
She sat cross-legged and took out a book, beginning to recite prayers. Occasionally, she sprinkled coarse salt into the fire, producing crackling sounds.
She continued praying, while Bagas sat behind her, joining in.
Suddenly—
The area behind the school darkened, engulfed in black smoke.
From the distance, Hanako appeared, standing in the darkness.
In an instant, she moved closer—like teleportation.
Their hearts pounded wildly.
"Ha ha ha! Mrs Yuyun, what are you doing?" her voice echoed eerily.
"Evil spirit! Return my students!" Mrs Yuyun shouted, striking the brass container in front of her.
Bagas trembled, his lips constantly murmuring prayers.
The darkness flickered with reddish flashes, making everything even more terrifying.
Hanako appeared before them, accompanied by a strong gust of wind that scattered their belongings.
Black smoke poured from her hands as she seized them.
Mrs Yuyun and Bagas struggled as their bodies were lifted into the air.
Hanako laughed maniacally, her voice shrill and chilling, her eyes glowing red.
"Ha ha ha! I will take you both, and I will—"
"What!? What is Fatty doing?"
She stopped.
Slowly, she lowered them. The glow in her eyes faded. The thick smoke vanished.
"What… what happened? I have to go…"
Without another word, Hanako disappeared from their sight.
***