CRACK—

A crimson red liquid spilled from out of thin air, forming a spiraling plate of red goo. The surface of the portal bubbled, and a leg stepped out from the other side. Soon after, a man wearing a red suit came out, looking at the old, abandoned house in front of him.

A cloud of dust seemed to envelop the building for a moment, but it soon died down, falling to the ground like the crumbling old building.

“Seems like the typical place for troublemakers to hide,” Alex muttered, walking toward the abandoned building. This was the first place he was going to search, and his hopes weren't high.

The Swarm was active in populated areas, and this abandoned building was far away from the city.

Entering the building, Alex frowned.

“There's fresh blood,” Alex took out the Promised Pen and Book, writing down the word [Unsurprising].

Seeing the trail of blood leading down to the basement, Alex cautiously descended down the flight of stairs. When he saw the carnage playing in front of him, he couldn't decide whether to be disgusted or amazed.

“That's at least three different people being consumed by the Swarm,” Alex noted as he raised the Promised Pen and Book. Writing down the word [Exterminate], he kept his attention on the Swarm.

A cold breeze entered the gloomy basement, startling the Swarm who were feasting on their most recent prey. Taking flight, millions of Spawns flew around, erratically searching for the perpetrator when they found Alex.

It took only a moment for the Swarm to blitz Alex, but the latter was prepared.

[Barrier, protect.]

Alex calmly watched as the Swarm was halted a few inches away from his face. The Spawns opened their mandibles, ready to bite Alex at any time. Their ferocious mouths were promising a nasty death, that was being eaten alive!

“No wonder ordinary civilians are helpless against the Swarm. I always assumed that humans can easily outrun the Swarm, but I was wrong. They can burst in speed, instantly reaching nearby humans in a blink of an eye,” Alex murmured, memorizing his discoveries inside his head.

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[Freeze]

After writing down another word on the Promised Book, Alex waited for the effects only to grow bored.

“Does it have little effect when they're mid-flight?” Alex couldn't help getting confused. Previously, he used a technique against the Swarm that used coldness to slow down the Swarm. He thought about doing it here, only to be disappointed.

“Okay, how do I kill them quickly is the question,” Alex sighed. The barrier he cast worked to protect the Swarm from him as well. Though the barrier is currently slowly breaking, he didn't want to be on the passive side when the battle erupts.

“How about…” Alex closed his eyes, keeping his pen on the book, writing down characters with extreme focus. The letters he wrote were rigid and rough, but the intention was clear as day.

[Fatal Cold]

The cold intensified, so much so that the surrounding air began to frost, a chilly atmosphere forming to resemble the inside of a freezer. With the extreme cold, a few Spawns fell to the ground, slowly freezing to death, while the remaining Spawns kept on trying to break Alex's shield. From the outside, Alex was surrounded by a dome of Spawns eager to eat him!

“Hmm, not the effect I was hoping for, but it doesn't matter either way,” Alex wrote down another word.

[Promise]

SHINEEE!!!

A bright, blinding light enveloped the basement, throwing off the Spawns and making them waver. While the bigs around him fell, Alex charged forward, intending to turn the whole basement upside down and find the root of the Swarm, Helzar.

However, he couldn't even sprint for a second before all his speed was taken away from him, and the red sword that was in his hand instantly became heavy. Previously, it was as light as a feather to Alex.

“The technique was canceled? No, if that was the case, then the sword should've reverted back to the Promised Pen and Book,” Alex quietly muttered. Even if you put your ear next to his mouth, you'd only hear gibberish.

Standing straight up, Alex observed the situation around him. Unused furniture was thrown around in a mess, and in the middle of it all, a massive gathering of Spawns could be seen. After transforming the book and pen into the sword, the resulting shockwaved pushed everything toward the walls.

Some fragile furniture was broken, but no Spawns were killed.

“Is the queen of the Swarm in the middle of that pile?” Alex wondered. Walking toward it, he readied his sword for a hectic battle.

A red liquid swirled around the sword like several snakes crawling around the bladed weapon. Raising his sword, Alex was about to bring his weapon down when he was forced to jump back.

BUZZZZ

Furrowing his eyebrows, Alex swung his sword at the incoming swath of Spawns.

SLASH! With a single strike, thousands of Spawns were killed, but more began swarming Alex. Not just from the front, but from the sides, above, and behind as well!

However, even though he was grimly surrounded, Alex felt no fear whatsoever. Instead, he kept swinging his sword, forming arcs of red that lingered in the air for a few moments before vanishing like a mirage.

CRACK—

The Swarm wasn't a pushover, and its efforts were paying off. After trying and failing to gnaw at Alex's defenses, a tiny crack appeared on Alex's neck.

“Hmm,” Alex hummed, his head becoming cool. ‘Not good, I'm still in a passive spot. Thankfully, I had a back up plan,’ Alex sighed in relief. Afterward, he swung his sword once more, catching a few hundred in its way and melting the thousands around them.

“Die, you morbid creatures,” Alex spat, when a piercing headache troubled his already troubled brain.

‘Hello, human. What makes you think you're leaving this place alive?’ Helzar's voice, resembling that of a deep human voice mixed with a high-pitched one, with the added effects of distortion.

‘Because I’m human, and you're not!’

As soon as he spoke, a dozen people came rushing down the stairs. All of them were wearing a black uniform, while wielding several strange objects. All of them were Object Anomalies.

‘I see. But you're too late,’ Helzar shrugged.

BOOOM!

Alex and his agents closed their eyes after the explosion of blinding blue light. Looking around them, the agents saw a faint blue glow with strange written symbols enveloping the entire basement.

‘I don't know if you'll die, but you'll certainly regret messing with the Swarm!’

Helzar cackled inside Alex's mind, further throwing the latter's thoughts into disarray.

‘Let the feast begin.’