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Kalvatar's Hunger: Nusa Heroes as Shadows
🕑 Added 2024-12-15 02:56:17 +0000 UTCThe brave Nusantarangers face the first wave of Kalvatar's sinister power. They are lured into a suffocating maze of silk, where shifting walls reflect their darkest fears and failures. Trapped in the labyrinth, they are tormented by grotesque puppet-like wayang shows that distort their heroic deeds into monstrous acts. Struggling to hold onto their sanity and identity, they fight against the growing pull of Kalvatar’s consuming darkness.
Can courage still shine through when every thread of hope is tangling?
PS: There was a short Indonesian comic about Sentai-styled team that interested me, consider this as my twisted love letter to Nusantarangers!
Special thanks to my loyal and royal patron friends:
Tuck Lee
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darkrai1986
시우 성
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The shadows play a trick on heroes!
The city’s skyline burned with chaos as the Nusantarangers clashed with wave after wave of cecunguk minions. Civilians fled in every direction, their cries of terror drowned out by the monstrous roars of their insectoid attackers. The Nusantarangers held the line, their vibrant, animal-themed suits starkly contrasted against the darkness consuming the streets.
A thick haze clung to the city streets as the Nusantarangers battled to protect fleeing civilians. Cecunguks—hulking, insectoid minions with oily black carapaces and glowing red eyes—skittered through the chaos, their claws slashing, fangs dripping with malice. The Nusantarangers fought bravely, their vibrant suits gleaming in the faint light.
"NusaRed, we've got civilians trapped in the eastern district!" NusaYellow, Kanaya, called out, her blade slicing through a cecunguk lunging for a terrified family.
"On it!" Rangga, the fearless NusaRed, barked back. His hawk-emblazoned armor gleamed as he dodged a claw strike, countered with a devastating slash.
NusaGreen, Rimba, grappled with two creatures at once with his orangutan-themed fists delivering brutal blows. "These things just keep coming!" he growled.
NusaBlack, Renata, spun her anoa-inspired axe with deadly precision, cleaving through her foes. "Stay focused! Civilians first, then we clean up the rest!"
"Push them back! We need to give the civilians more time!" NusaRed Rangga shouted, his hawk-emblazoned armor glowing faintly as he parried the claws of a cecunguk and slashed through its thick carapace.
"These things just don’t stop!" NusaGreen Rimba growled, swinging his massive orangutan-inspired fists into a pair of charging cecunguks. Their bodies crumpled under the force, more took their place.
"Focus up, Rimba!" NusaBlack Renata, barked, spinning her heavy axe to cleave through another cecunguk that leaped toward her. "If we don’t hold here, they’ll tear through the evac routes!"
NusaYellow, Kanaya, darted between fallen debris, her tiger-themed blade slashing at a cecunguk poised to pounce on a mother shielding her child. "Not on my watch!" she yelled, her blade glowing briefly as she cut the creature down.
NusaBlue, Oji, leaped from a ruined car, his shark whip snapping to entangle a cecunguk trying to flank the group. "I’ve got this one! Someone cover my left—"
Before he could finish, a low hum vibrated through the air. The ground beneath the Rangers trembled as a pulse of dark energy emanated from the towering Kalvatar spike. Its spikes gleamed with an oily sheen and tendrils of black mist slithered through the streets like predators hunting prey.
The Nusantarangers paused, their weapons ready, as the energy pulse intensified. A bolt of black lightning shot from the Kalvatar, striking the ground with a deafening roar. The blast sent civilians scattering, the Rangers staggered as their suits flickered, momentarily disrupted.
“This power is overwhelming!” Kanaya yelled, bracing herself against a wall as the black energy surged outward.
“What the—?” Oji stumbled as a glowing beam of black energy shot from the tower, striking the ground between the Nusantarangers and the civilians. The earth cracked, trembled as waves of oily mist surged out, wrapping around the Rangers like tendrils.
“NusaRed!” Kanaya screamed, slashing at the mist with her blade but her weapon passed through it harmlessly.
“Hold your ground!” Rangga shouted, the sound strained as he struggled against the tightening tendrils.
"It’s trying to drain us!" Renata shouted, swinging her axe toward the mist as it coiled toward them. Her strikes were precise but the mist reformed with each slash, its movements more aggressive.
"Hold your ground!" Rangga ordered, his blade glowing as he funneled his energy into a desperate strike at the tendrils lashing out at them. "We have to stop it here!"
But the Kalvatar’s energy was relentless. Tendrils of dark mist lashed around the Rangers, their weapons glowing as they fought to muster their own energy to resist. The struggle was brutal, the air cracked with the collision of light, dark.
"Resist with all your strength!" Rimba bellowed, his massive arms swinging wildly to bat away the tendrils wrapping around his waist. "Don’t let it take us!"
Oji’s whip glowed faintly as he lashed at the mist but it absorbed more energy with every strike. His breathing grew ragged. "I—I’m faltering under the weight!"
The energy surged again, a brutal wave slammed into the Rangers. One by one, the tendrils pierced their defenses, wrapped around their limbs, dragged them toward the Kalvatar.
"No!" Rangga roared, his blade sparking as he tried to cut himself free.
"Don’t let it take us!" Kanaya screamed, slashed desperately at the tendrils binding her arms.
Their weapons flickered, their glow fainted as the Kalvatar’s energy overwhelmed them. In a final, blinding pulse, the Rangers were violently yanked upward, their bodies hurtling through the air as the battlefield disappeared beneath them.
***
The Rangers landed hard in a cavernous, brutal chamber at the heart of the Kalvatar. The smooth, obsidian floor seemed to pulse beneath them and towering silk-like barriers surrounded the space. The air was thick, stifling and the only light came from faint, flickering shadows dancing across the barriers.
The Rangers groaned as they struggled to their feet, their suits faint, their weapons lying uselessly nearby.
"Everyone okay?" Rangga rasped, clutching his side.
"Define okay," Renata muttered, shaking off the disorientation.
Kanaya’s eyes darted around the chamber, her blade in hand. "Where are we? What is this place?"
Before anyone could answer, the silk barriers began to ripple, shadowy wayang figures emerged. At first, the figures seemed normal, depicting heroic poses, battles. But as the images shifted, the wayang figures perverted, making their movements groggy.
"What… what is that?" Oji grumbled, stepped back as the figures began to take on familiar shapes.
The wayang figures now resembled the Nusantarangers but their actions were horrifying. The figures of NusaYellow and NusaBlack loomed over helpless civilians, their silhouettes tearing through villages with monstrous glee. NusaGreen’s orangutan figure dragged prisoners toward massive, jagged boulders, forcing them into brutal labor.
"We know better," Rangga growled, his fists clenched. "It’s some kind of trick!"
But then Oji froze, his visor flickering strangely. His NusaBlue doppelganger appeared on the screen, deceptively normal at first glance. It stood tall, proud but then the figure dragged heavy stones toward a towering spire, its movements robotic, unfeeling. Behind it, more depraved versions of the Nusantarangers hauled massive loads, their backs scarred, bloody as cecunguks cracked whips over them.
"That’s… that’s me," Oji groaned, the sound trembling. "I’m… I’m helping them."
"Oji, snap out of it!" Rangga barked, grabbing his shoulder but Oji’s visor flicked.
"I can see it!" Oji cried, clutching his helmet. "Even when I close my eyes, I can see it!"
Kanaya’s voice broke through the chaos. "Look!" she screamed as the silk tendrils shot out from the walls, latching onto her, Renata.
"No!" Renata roared, swinging her axe as the tendrils pulled her into one side of the chamber.
The remaining male Rangers could only watch in horror as the silk dragged the two heroines away, sealed them behind an impenetrable barrier.
"Kanaya! Renata!" Rangga shouted, slamming his fists against the wall.
The silk screens shifted again, showing more twisted wayang images of the Nusantarangers as slaves under the Kalvatar’s power. The figures hauled massive spikes toward the tower, their every step was punctuated by the crack of cecunguk whips.
"Is this what it wants us to become?" Rimba growled, the sound filled with anger, fear.
Rangga’s fists clenched. "Not while I’m still breathing."
But Oji trembled, the sound barely audible. "What if… what if we already have?"
***
The shimmering labyrinth rippled as Rangga, NusaRed, Kanaya, NusaYellow, found themselves trapped in adjacent corridors of silk. The barriers around them shifted and glowed faintly as misshapen images appeared. Rangga tightened his grip on his blade, his breath became heavy as he scanned his surroundings.
"Kanaya! Are you there?" he called, the sound echoing through the twisting labyrinth.
"I’m here!" Kanaya shouted back, holding her chisel as she slammed it into the shimmering wall. Sparks flew but the silk absorbed the impact and rippled belittlingly. "I can’t break through! Where are you?"
"I don’t know! Just keep calling out—I’ll find you!" Rangga yelled, his blade slicing against the barrier in front of him.
But the labyrinth had other plans. The silk walls shimmered, revealing scenes that made Rangga freeze mid-swing. His counterpart, the twisted version of NusaRed, appeared in the city's ruins. The counterpart knelt before a bloated, fanged demon and offered a stone bowl filled with writhing figures—small, enslaved civilians struggling helplessly in the bowl’s confines.
The demon let out a guttural laugh, its mangled form shaking as it reached forward, its jaws snapping shut over the offering. Blood, shadow spilled from its maw as it devoured its meal, licked its fangs before turning its hollow, sunken eyes toward Rangga.
"What… what is this?!" Rangga shouted, the sound filled with shock, disgust.
The evil twin stood, its cracked, dulled armor glinting faintly under the eerie light. "You see it, don’t you?" it sneered, its voice a distorted echo of Rangga’s own. "This is where you belong. On your knees, offering sacrifices to the strong. A servant of power."
"Shut up! That’s not me!" Rangga screamed, his blade trembling as he raised it again. He struck at the barrier with all his strength but the silk rippled, unscathed.
The doppelganger arched its head, its hollow visor locking onto Rangga. "You’re already halfway there. Look at yourself—swinging aimlessly, desperate to deny the truth."
"I SAID SHUT UP!" Rangga bellowed, his blade glowing faintly as he swung again, again, his strikes growing more frantic.
In her section of the labyrinth, Kanaya faced a vision just as horrifying. Her doppelganger loomed over a line of enslaved youths, the glowing whip in its hand cracking against the ground. The children, their faces streaked with tears, struggled to haul jagged stones up a steep incline. One of them collapsed, their small frame trembling as they tried to rise.
The twin sneered, yanking the chain connected to the child’s neck, dragging them forward. "Keep moving," it snarled, its voice cold, unfeeling.
Kanaya’s breath hitched, her chisel shaking in her grip as she slammed it into the silk barrier. "No! Stop it! That’s not me!"
Her evil twin turned toward her, its visor reflecting her horrified face. "Isn’t it, though? You’ve always been strong. You’ve always known how to lead. This is leadership—ensuring the weak know their place."
"You’re a liar!" Kanaya screamed hard. She swung her chisel wildly, each strike more desperate than the last. "I would NEVER do that!"
The doppelganger moved its helmet, the whip coiling in its hand. "And yet here I am. A reflection doesn’t lie, Kanaya."
"RANGGA! I CAN’T TAKE THIS!" Kanaya yelled, her cry rising as tears streamed down her face.
"KANAYA! I’M HERE! KEEP FIGHTING!" Rangga’s voice echoed through the labyrinth, strained but determined.
The silk walls shifted again, their glowing surfaces revealing more unnatural images. Rangga’s doppelganger stood triumphant as the enslaved civilians knelt before the bloated demon, their heads bowed in submission. The demon reached out, grabbing Rangga’s doppelganger by the shoulder.
"Good," the demon rumbled, its voice deep, heartless. "You’ve finally learned your place."
"I don’t serve anyone!" Rangga roared, his blade sparking as he struck the barrier with renewed force.
"Then why do you look so much like me?" the evil twin sneered, stepping closer to the silk. "You can’t even see the difference anymore, can you? You’re already breaking, Rangga. Just give in."
"I’LL NEVER BE YOU!" Rangga shouted, the sound shaking with fury. He swung his blade again, his strikes growing wild and uneven as panic crept into his mind.
Kanaya’s doppelganger moved with deliberate malice, dragging the chain of the fallen child closer. It bent down, its visor inches from the child’s tear-streaked face. "Weakness disgusts me," it hissed before raising its whip high.
Kanaya screamed, slamming her chisel into the silk repeatedly. "STOP IT! LEAVE THEM ALONE!"
The twin turned toward her, its hollow visor locking onto her again. "You’re shouting at a reflection, Kanaya. Maybe because you know it’s what you really want to do. Strength demands sacrifice. You’ve always known that."
"YOU’RE WRONG!" Kanaya screeched, her hands trembling as she repeatedly struck the barrier. "I HELP people! I protect them! I’m not like you!"
"You will be," the doppelganger said coldly. "It’s only a matter of time."
Rangga’s vision grew darker as the demon leaned closer, its massive jaws snapping at the air. "Your fear tastes sweet," it growled, its voice dripping with malice. You’ve fought so hard to be strong but in the end, you’ll kneel. You’ll kneel, you’ll serve."
"NEVER!" Rangga screamed, the sound hoarse. He slammed his blade against the silk, his entire body trembling with exertion. "KANAYA! I NEED YOU!"
"I’M TRYING, RANGGA!" Kanaya shouted back, her chisel clanging against the barrier with frantic desperation.
The labyrinth perverted further and the silk walls tightened as the visions intensified. The evil twins stepped closer, their degrading voices growing louder.
"Look at them. Swinging their weapons like scared children," Rangga’s counterpart sneered, gesturing toward the real Rangers. "Pathetic."
Kanaya’s doppelganger laughed coldly, cracking its whip in the air. "They’re already breaking. Look at her—crying like a child. The mighty Kanaya, reduced to tears."
"Keep fighting, Kanaya!" Rangga shouted, the sound filled with defiance. "Don’t let them win!"
"I WON’T STOP!" Kanaya screamed, the cry trembling but fierce. She struck the silk again, again, her muscles burning with the effort.
The labyrinth trembled as the silk barriers began to ripple violently and the visions shifted, twisting around the trapped heroes—the replicas, the demon loomed larger, their voices overlapping in a cacophony of taunt, malice.
But Rangga, Kanaya didn’t stop. Their screams of defiance echoed through the labyrinth as their weapons clashed against the silk, their determination cutting through the overwhelming despair.
Together, they fought. Together, they called each other’s names.
And though the silk refused to yield, their voices refused to be quieted.
***
The silk labyrinth depraved, rippled as Rimba the NusaGreen, Renata the NusaBlack found themselves trapped in their own sections, separated by pulsating walls that seemed alive. Each strike of their weapons against the shimmering barriers sent sparks flying but the silk held firm, unyielding, eerily mocking.
“RENATA! WHERE ARE YOU?” Rimba roared, the sound echoing through the maze as he slammed his fists against the glowing walls.
“RIMBA! KEEP CALLING—I’LL FIND YOU!” Renata shouted back, her axe swinging viciously at her own section of silk, her strikes sharp, deliberate.
“I CAN’T SEE YOU! THIS PLACE IS ALIVE!” Rimba bellowed, his frustration mounting as the silk walls shimmered and shifted. Suddenly, the barriers before him began to glow, revealing a horrifying scene that made his breath catch in his throat.
Rimba’s evil twin appeared, hunched over in the ruins of the jungle. The debauched version of NusaGreen wore a filthy, tattered suit, its once-proud orangutan emblem barely visible beneath layers of grime. It knelt before a grotesque, bloated boar-like demon that lounged atop a pile of writhing, moaning bodies.
The demon’s massive belly bulged mangled, its translucent skin revealing faint outlines of children’s faces pressing outward, their mouths open in silent screams. It let out a guttural laugh, its tusked mouth dripping with saliva as it eyed the doppelganger.
Rimba’s evil twin struggled to lift a massive stone bowl filled with quivering, shadowy figures resembling enslaved children. Its body shook under the weight, its knees buckling as it carried the offering toward the boar demon.
Rimba staggered backward, his fists trembling. “WHAT IS THIS?!” he shouted, the sound shattering with shock.
The counterpart paused and turned its hollow visor toward him. “You see it, don’t you?” it said, its voice a distorted echo of Rimba’s own. “This is who you are. A beast meant to serve. The strong, humbled before the stronger.”
“YOU’RE A LIE!” Rimba roared, the sound shaking with fury. He slammed his fists into the silk barrier with all his strength, each strike more desperate than the last. “I’M NOT YOU! I’LL NEVER BE YOU!”
The boar demon chuckled, shaking its bloated form as it reached down with one massive clawed hand. “And yet, here you are,” it rumbled, its voice thick, intimidating. You bring me gifts, I take them. That is how the strong survive.”
The demon’s tusks gleamed as it lunged forward, its jaws snapping over the stone bowl. The quivering figures inside were devoured in a single bite, their muffled screams vibrating through its distended belly.
“NO!” Rimba screamed, slamming his fists harder against the silk. “GET UP! FIGHT BACK!”
But the doppelganger didn’t resist. It knelt before the demon, its head bowed as the beast’s mangled laughter filled the air.
Renata’s section of the labyrinth revealed a different kind of nightmare. Her twin appeared on a raised platform surrounded by shadowy, child-like demons. Their bodies were small, wiry, their eyes glowing with a hungry, vicious light.
The perverted version of NusaBlack clung to a sleek, blackened pole at the center of the platform, moved unnaturally as though guided by invisible strings. Its movements were exaggerated and lurid, each twist and spin elicited gleeful shrieks from the demonic children below.
Renata froze, her axe trembling in her grip. “What the hell is this?!” she screamed, her cry rising in panic as the vision unfolded.
The demonic children threw wads of slimy, foul-smelling money onto the stage, their laughter sharp, discordant. The evil twin’s visor turned toward her, its empty gaze locking onto her horrified expression.
“You see it, don’t you?” the counterpart said, its voice dripping with malice. “This is what strength becomes. A performance. A distraction. A service.”
“NO! THAT ISN’T ME!” Renata screeched, her cry crumbling as she swung her axe at the silk wall. Sparks flew but the barrier held, its glowing surface rippling as if heartless her. “STOP IT! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!”
The demonic children scrambled onto the stage, their clawed hands grabbing at the counterpart, leaving trails of blackened slime across its suit. One child shoved a wad of money into the doppelganger’s hand, its grin wide, full of jagged teeth.
“You like it,” one of the children hissed, its voice shrill, mocking. “You’ll come to love it.”
The doppelganger’s movements became faster, more fluid, as though energized by the interaction. Its helmet stared at Renata with its lifeless visor gleaming. “It’s addictive, isn’t it? The attention. The control.”
“YOU’RE A LIE!” Renata screamed, the cry trembling with rage and disbelief. She slammed her axe into the barrier over and over, each strike fueled by desperation. “I’LL NEVER BE YOU!”
The labyrinth twisted further, the silk walls shimmering as the visions became more vivid, more horrifying.
Rimba’s doppelganger collapsed under the weight of another stone bowl, its body trembling as the boar demon leaned forward, its drooling mouth widening. “More,” it growled, its voice thick with anticipation. “You will always bring me more.”
“GET UP! DON’T LET IT WIN!” Rimba bellowed, his fists slamming into the silk. “I’LL RIP YOU APART!”
Renata’s counterpart continued its grotesque performance, the demonic children swarming the stage, their clawed hands grabbing at its legs and arms. They threw more slimy money onto the platform, their shrieks of laughter growing louder as the doppelganger spun and debauched, its movements growing more erratic.
“STOP THIS!” Renata screamed, tears streaming down her face as she swung her axe with all her strength. “I’LL NEVER GIVE IN!”
The counterpart drooped again, its hollow visor locking onto her. “You already have,” it said coldly.
The silk labyrinth pulsed with dark energy and the evil twins’ intimidating voices overlapped with the demons' guttural laughter. The visions burned into Rimba and Renata’s minds, their weapons clashed against the silk barriers in frantic defiance.
“RENATA! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!” Rimba roared, the sound booming through the labyrinth.
“I’M STILL HERE!” Renata shouted back, the cry fierce despite the tears streaming down her face. “KEEP FIGHTING!”
“I’M NOT STOPPING!” Rimba bellowed, his fists striking the silk repeatedly, his muscles trembling with exertion.
The labyrinth trembled, the visions intensified as the doppelgangers turned their hollow gazes toward their real counterparts, their movements deliberate, belittling.
Rimba and Renata didn’t stop. Their screams of defiance echoed through the twisting labyrinth, their voices rose above the chaos. Their weapons struck the silk relentlessly, their determination burned like a beacon against the overwhelming darkness.
The silk labyrinth rippled violently as Rimba and Renata continued their frenzied assault against the barriers. Their weapons clashed uselessly against the shimmering walls, the horrifying visions burning into their minds with every passing second. The intimidating voices of their twins and the jeers of the grody demons grew louder, pressing down on them like a brutal weight.
“RENATA! FIGHT IT!” Rimba bellowed, his fists pounding against the silk, sparks flying with every desperate strike.
“I’m trying!” Renata screamed back, her cry strained as she swung her axe furiously, her breathing sharp and uneven. “I’m not—" Her words faltered as her axe slipped from her grip, her hands trembled uncontrollably.
She froze, her heart pounding as her body jerked involuntarily. Her legs perverted, her movements unnatural, jerky. Her hands, no longer clutching her weapon, clung to the air as though grabbing for something unseen.
“NO!” Renata shrieked, her cry rising in panic as her body began to mimic the grody movements of her twin. Her feet slid across the ground, moving in an exaggerated, serpentine sway. Her hands ran up, down her sides and her claws rake against her armor as though she couldn’t stop herself.
“WHAT’S HAPPENING TO ME?!” she screamed, the cry deteriorating as her movements became more fluid and unnatural.
The silk walls shimmered and her visions of her evil twin pole dancing in front of the belittling demonic children became sharper, more vivid. Her own body debauched, spun, following the same unnerving rhythm, even as she fought to stop herself.
“I’M NOT YOU! I’M NOT YOU!” she screeched, the cry hoarse as she clawed at her suit, trying to stop the heat from smothering her from within.
Rimba’s fists continued to slam into the silk but he froze when he felt a sudden, unbearable weight pressing against his shoulders. His knees buckled as his body jerked forward, his hands moved involuntarily as though grasping at something heavy.
“What… what is this?!” he roared, the sound trembling with panic as his muscles strained under the invisible load.
His movements grew slower, more deliberate, as though he were hauling an impossibly heavy boulder. His back arched and his arms trembled violently as he mimicked the actions of his doppelganger. Sweat poured down his face, soaking his helmet, his breathing became labored.
“NO! I’M NOT A BEAST OF BURDEN!” he roared as he fought against the phantom weight pressing him into the ground.
The silk walls shimmered again, the vision of his counterpart hauling the massive stone bowl toward the mangled boar demon flashing before his eyes. Rimba let out a guttural scream, his hands clawing at his suit as if trying to tear it away.
“GET OFF ME! I CAN’T BREATHE!” he yelled, the sound breaking as he staggered under the imaginary burden. His legs trembled, his body shivering violently as he collapsed to his knees.
Renata’s movements grew faster while her body depraved, contorting like she was a puppet being pulled by invisible strings. The sound of clinking coins filled her ears, sharp, discordant, though nothing tangible touched her.
The demonic children’s heartless voices echoed through the labyrinth. “Dance for us, NusaBlack! Show us what you can do!”
“SHUT UP!” Renata screamed, clawing at her helmet as though trying to block out their taunts. Her fingers trembled as they gripped the edges of her visor and her body shivered uncontrollably.
But the clinking sound grew louder, filling her mind as her body spun tand wisted. Her suit felt unbearably tight, the heat stifling her as she raked her fingers down her sides, leaving faint scratches on the fabric.
“I CAN’T… STOP THIS!” she screeched, the cry raw with desperation.
Rimba’s trembling hands gripped his shoulders, his claws scraped against his armor as he tried to throw off the invisible burden. His helmet felt suffocating, the heat inside it was unbearable. His breath came in shallow, ragged gasps as he clawed at the edges, his fingers digging into the cracks in the visor.
“RIMBA! HOLD ON!” Renata screamed, the cry wavering as she spun uncontrollably, her body moving against her will.
“I… CAN’T!” Rimba roared while he slammed his fists against the ground. “IT’S TOO MUCH!”
The vision of his counterpart kneeling before the bloated boar demon flashed before his eyes again. The demon’s grody belly bulged, writhed, the faces of devoured children pressing against its translucent skin. Rimba’s stomach churned as he screamed, the sound filled with rage and despair.
“I’M NOT YOUR SLAVE! I’M NOT YOUR ANIMAL!”
But his body continued to mimic the counterpart, his muscles straining as he mimicked hauling the invisible boulder.
The demonic children’s laughter grew louder in Renata’s section of the labyrinth, their glowing eyes watched her every movement. She spun faster, her body jerking unnaturally as she tried to resist. Her hands clawed at her sides, hand er fingers dug into the fabric of her suit as though trying to tear it away.
“I WON’T DO THIS! I WON’T!” she screamed, the cry breaking as her helmeted head gazed up, her body arching painfully.
The clinking coins grew louder, drowning out her thoughts. Her body trembled violently, her knees buckling as she clawed at her helmet, her visor cracking under the pressure of her own hands.
“RIMBA! HELP ME!” she screeched, the cry filled with raw panic.
“RENATA! I’M TRYING!” Rimba bellowed, his fists pounding against the ground as his knees gave out. His breathing was ragged, his body trembling as the phantom weight pressed harder against his shoulders.
The silk labyrinth shimmered again, the intimidating laughter of the demons overlapping with the evil twins’ taunts.
“Look at them,” Rimba’s evil twin sneered, its hollow visor glowing faintly. “They’re already falling apart. It’s only a matter of time.”
Renata’s counterpart moved its helmet, its lifeless visor locking onto her. “You love it, don’t you? The heat. The attention. The control losing ground away.”
“SHUT UP!” Renata screamed, the cry hoarse as she clawed at her helmet again, her body twisting violently.
“I’LL TEAR YOU APART!” Rimba roared, his fists slamming into the silk barrier, his muscles straining against the invisible weight.
Despite their panic, the suffocating heat, their overwhelming despair, Rimba and Renata kept screaming, clawing at their suits, helmets, the barriers around them. Their voices rang out through the labyrinth, overlapping in a cacophony of rage, desperation.
“RIMBA!”
“RENATA!”
Their weapons clashed against the silk, their defiance refusing to be quieted even as their bodies betrayed them.
The labyrinth trembled, the visions intensified as the darkness of the Kalvatar pressed closer. But Rimba and Renata didn’t stop. They fought, screamed, clawed, refused to let the shadows consume them.
***
Oji’s screams echoed through the labyrinth, sharp, primal, as his body writhed uncontrollably under the relentless assault of the glowing beam. His back arched violently, his arms flailing in wide, jerky motions as if trying to escape an invisible predator. His shattered visor flickered, exposing his terror-stricken face as sweat poured down his brow, his breaths ragged, panicked.
“RANGGA! RENATA! SOMEBODY!” Oji screeched, the sound collapsing under the strain. His trembling hands clawed at the air, grasping for anything, anyone, to pull him out of the hellish light consuming him.
The silk fabric surrounding him pulsed with a malicious glow and without warning, a section of it shot forward like a striking serpent. The silk lashed against his broken visor, wrapping tightly around his helmet, muffling his panicked cries.
“NO! GET OFF ME!” Oji screamed, the sound was barely audible through the smothering fabric. He swung his arms wildly, pounded at the silk as it spread, consuming his helmet slowly and deliberately.
His teammates could still hear his muffled screams from the other sections of the labyrinth.
“OJI! WHERE ARE YOU?!” Rangga shouted, the sound hoarse as his blade clashed against the shimmering walls.
“KEEP FIGHTING, OJI! WE’RE COMING!” Kanaya screamed, her chisel striking the silk in a desperate rhythm.
But their cries could not reach him. Inside the stifling silk, Oji’s world turned dark, silent. His muffled screams became guttural gasps as the fabric tightened around his head, crushing his visor into fragments. His hands pounded at the silk, his fists colliding with its surface in a desperate attempt to free himself but it only responded with a slurping, hellish noise that vibrated through his very core.
“LET ME OUT! PLEASE!” Oji shrieked, the sound distorted, cracking. His legs kicked wildly as the silk began to creep downward, wrap around his shoulders, torso.
The suffocating pressure grew worse with each passing moment. The silk seemed alive, tightening, pulsating as though savoring its prey. Oji’s body jerked violently, his legs flailing as he tried to resist being pulled deeper into the fabric.
“NO! I’M NOT DONE! I’M NOT DONE!” he screamed, the sound trembling with denial as the silk constricted further, crushing his chest with a horrifyingly deliberate force.
The sounds of his struggle reverberated through the labyrinth. Rangga froze mid-swing as he heard Oji's faint, muffled thuds pounding against the silk.
“OJI! HOLD ON!” Rangga roared, his blade sparking against the barrier as he tried to break through.
“OJI, KEEP THE FIGHT!” Kanaya’s voice cracked with desperation as she slashed wildly at her section of the labyrinth.
But the labyrinth remained unyielding, its shimmering walls rippling as though degrading their efforts.
Inside the silk, Oji’s struggles grew more frantic as the fabric tightened around his torso, crushing him inch by inch. The stifling space left him gasping for air, his wide, horrified eyes staring into the encroaching darkness.
His legs kicked wildly, the motion growing weaker as the silk wrapped around his waist, then his thighs. The slurping, squelching sound grew louder, echoing inside his mind as though the silk itself was heartless his desperation.
“NO! STOP! LET ME GO!” Oji screamed, the sound raw as his legs thrashed against the fabric. His kicks grew slower, each movement more labored as the silk consumed him further.
The crushing pressure was unbearable. His arms jerked, flailed, his hands clawing at the tightening fabric as it encased him from head to chest to hips. His torso perverted violently, his body convulsing in the small, smothering space as the silk drew him deeper.
“HELP ME! PLEASE! I CAN’T—” His voice broke into a choked sob, his screams muffled as the silk began to engulf his legs.
The other Nusantarangers could only listen to his fading cries from their labyrinth sections.
“WE’RE HERE, OJI!” Renata yelled, her axe slamming into the silk with all her strength.
“DON’T STOP, OJI! DON’T LET IT TAKE YOU!” Rimba bellowed, his fists trembling as they repeatedly struck the barrier.
But the silk ignored their cries.
Oji’s legs kicked weakly as the silk consumed him up to his knees, the crushing pressure leaving him gasping for air. His hands scraped at the fabric, his nails tearing at its surface but the smothering material only tightened in response.
His eyes bulged with terror, his screams reduced to muffled gasps as the silk crept toward his feet. His body jerked violently one final time, his legs thrashing in a futile attempt to escape.
“NO! I CAN’T—NO!” His last scream was cut off as the silk sealed itself around him completely, the slurping noise fading into a deafening quiet.
The labyrinth trembled, the shimmering silk walls pulsated faintly as though satisfied. Oji’s muffled cries were gone, replaced by an eerie stillness that sent chills through the remaining Rangers.
“OJI! ANSWER ME!” Rangga roared, the sound breaking as he slammed his blade into the silk with renewed desperation.
“PLEASE, OJI! SAY SOMETHING!” Kanaya screamed, her chisel trembling as tears streamed down her face.
But there was no response.
The silk walls shimmered inside the labyrinth, their surfaces rippling with faint images of Oji’s final moments. His teammates could only watch in horror as the fabric displayed his struggles—his wide, terrified eyes, his flailing legs, his pounding fists—all consumed, crushed into darkness.
The Kalvatar’s quiet was louder than any scream, a belittling echo of what had been taken.
