“Do not let the scum through!” the warriors shouted, and they chased after the remaining demons near the barriers. The legions gunned down, crushed, skewered and cleaved through everything in their path.

“Hmph. Pathetic.” The Candidates thought before they disappeared behind the tree line. Blood splattered, monstrous screams rang out and the yokai retreated deeper into the jungles.

Kagiso felt a chill run down his spine. He raised a crystal egg that contained a cluster of cells. The egg cracked and the two-horned man obliterated the cells immediately.

“Return to your ships. The real battle has just begun.” Kagiso instructed, and the pirates vanished. A rattling sound grew louder, and he turned towards the tree line. The two-horned man’s eyes glowed curiously, and he saw millions of doors on top of tiny islands of dirt. The islands clustered together, the doors opened slowly and a foul smell poured out.

“Retreat! Return to the ships!” Kagiso rumbled, and his voice washed over the battlefield. The Candidates and the legions felt the urgency in the order, before they felt the waves of malice, hunger, rage, fear, apathy and lust coming from the jungle.

Marshall gripped his weapon tightly and the colour drained from his face. His heart raced and his knees grew weaker. Kenpachi’s voice rumbled chants in his ears and the strength returned to his limbs. Marshall inhaled deeply and he entered a fuguelike state.

The dead bodies scattered around the legions were pieced back together by an invisible force. The severed limbs returned to their torsos, and the decapitated heads rolled back onto their necks. The monstrous bodies stood still and waited for the bullet holes to fill in.

The foul and malicious inter-dimensional energy spilled out of their bodies, and waves of negative emotions washed over the island. The stench permeated the air, dark grey clouds blotted out the sun and the waters grew choppier.

The Demons’ energy signatures skyrocketed, and the commanding officers closed their eyes. The millions of malformed silhouettes shone a cold light that hummed maddeningly. The eerie presence assaulted their senses. It stung, blinded and deafened the tiny silhouettes in the darkness.

The misshapen souls moulded themselves to resemble their monstrous vessels. The Candidates that were there with their siblings grouped up and the rest were isolated. They increased their energy output, and the jungle became heavily saturated with Mana. The foul air grew thicker, and the pressure exerted on the legions’ bodies intensified. Fear coursed through the mortal bodies outside of the barriers. They struggled to catch their breath and the strength was sapped out of their limbs.

A deep voice uttered incoherent invocations. Kagiso rose hundreds of metres into the air. He looked around and searched frantically for the source. The two-horned man looked down, but nobody else seemed to hear the voice.

Kagiso’s muscles seized, and he felt the vibrations in his bones. Thick black plates and golden olive vines materialised onto his Dragon-bone armour. A second voice whispered incoherently in his right ear, and he turned his head. The voices were coming from the tallest mountain to the north. The two-horned man magnified his vision and the voices faded away. Kagiso tilted his head to the side and his eyes glowed. The voices were as familiar as they were foreign to him.

“We are the fastest force on the island. Stay here and defend this position. We will return with our scouting report.” The two-horned man declared and Duke nodded. “Fall back to the barrier.” He ordered, and Dumas inhaled deeply. “Fall back!” he bellowed and his heavy iron plated warriors returned to their senses.

“Captain, return to the barriers.” Gloria ordered. “Retreat!” Avalon roared, and her knights charged towards the watery domes. The pirate ships disappeared and Raymond’s eyes glowed furiously.

“Hmph. Now he abandons his post after sharing-” “-enough! Silence! I have had enough of your gossiping. When were you enslaved? Are you not free to shape your own destiny? You have reached your destination. Get off my ship or pledge your services in return for my protection.” Jane rumbled threateningly, and the Candidates seethed.

The two-horned woman illuminated the dozens of horned men and women standing in the darkness. The island grew with each Candidate that gathered in the Astral space, the grey clouds drifted across the dreary sky and the black and white world trembled.

The Candidates directed their rage at the forty pillars that represented the strongest amongst them. Jane glared at them and they all averted their gaze. She scoffed, folded her arms and turned to face the only empty pillar in the Astral space.

To be continued...