Sade had opened the portal, a black big ring shimmered into existence above the ground. The portal rippled like ink spilled in water, suspended unnaturally in midair. It pulsed with a deep, living blackness—not mere absence of light, but a darkness that devoured the space around it. Tendrils of shadow slithered and curled at its edges, reaching out as if searching for something or someone to pull through. There was no sound, only the heavy, silent pressure of something ancient watching from the other side. It was pulling reality itself inward. It wasn't just a doorway, it was a wound in reality, and it bled dread.
The portal was facing the Daemirans that were headed for the West gate and behind the portal, troops of cathedral guards and hunters.
Sade stood before the portal, her voice cutting through the silence.
" Get into the portal! ," She commanded.
The Daemirans didn't hesitate. They sprinted into the black ring, vanishing one by one.
Sade turned to Anna
" Protect the rare," she said firmly, then to the women beside her, "Guard the front. Hold the line till everyone is through."
Without a word, Anna sprinted back towards Rhola. The others headed towards the troops in front. Ready for battle.
BEATRIX GROUP
From the gallows to the West gate, four women ran with relentless speed, slicing through squads of cathedral guards that blocked their path. The closer they got, the more chaos surrounded them.
" There!" Eliana pointed. The distant shimmer of the portal came into view.
" We need to hurry."
RHOLA VS BOYCE
Steel screamed as Boyce's sword came for Rhola's neck. She caught it mid swing with her hand encased with hardened blood. Before he could react, she countered.
"Blood piecing!"
Sharp needles of blood fired at point blank range. Boyce dodged each one with an uncanny speed, only the last grazed his coat. He took it off and threw it at her.
Rhola tried to swat it aside, too late. She felt a sensation again, she looked beside her,
Thud!
Boyce's heavy boots slammed into her stomach with so much speed, it launched her ten paces across the ground. Dust exploded from her impact.
Rhola coughed and rose, her torso shielded by blood armor just in time.
Without hesitation, Boyce unsheathed his second sword, and charged at her.
Rhola reshaped her blood armor into dual blades, gleaming crimson under the infernal sky. They met with a blur of strikes and counters, their clashes invisible to the ordinary eyes. They both possess monstrous strength and their speed was terrifying.
Then came the crash. They both struck simultaneously, their weapons screeching with metallic agony. A shockwave erupted from the collision, blasting winds and debris in every direction.
Boyce staggered, Rhola didn't waste time. She kicked him with brutal force, sending him crashing into a boulder.
Whizz!
Before she could blink, an arrow of sandstone sliced past her face. Blood bloomed across her check.
Boyce found an opening, he launched his sword at her. He almost got her.
"Ice wall!,"
A crystalline barrier erupted between them, halting Boyce's blade mid strike. It froze the metal on contact. He jumped backward to avoid getting frozen.
Anna stepped out of the mist. A fair lady with short hair, glasses fogged. Her body radiation cold, ice smoke hissed from her hands.
That was Anna, one of the top strongest Daemirans, her ability, Ice manipulation. She could freeze water molecules and transform it into any form.
" You missed me?," she asked with a smirk
Rhola wiped the blood from her cheek that was already healing.
" Tsk, give me a break, princess,"
Anna melted the ice wall, he eyes never left Boyce
" They are here," Rhola growled.
SADE GROUP (West gate)
Helga was about to enter the portal, she was one step from safety when a whip coiled around her neck and with speed, it yanked her back. She hit the ground hard, choking.
Sade was occupied with the troops in front, but still she felt what happened to Helga.
" Helga!," both Sade and Beatrix shouted at the same time.
Then, two men emerged from the dust, Omar and Luka. Both men were elite hunters, commanders under General boyce.
Omar retracted his whip, spinning it lazily. Luka drew his twin ring swords, stepping towards the fallen Helga.
Almost all the Daemirans had passed through the portal, only: Helga, Beatrix group, Rhola, Anna and Sade with five others fighting the troops in front remained.
Sade had no choice.
She raised her hand, stretched it towards the portal and clenched her fist. The portal immediately vanished.
The two elite hunters kept walking forward, they kept coming closer and closer to Helga who was helplessly laying on the ground in pain. They reached Helga's position, both men looked at her with cold stare, Luka reached out his hand to grab her from the ground.
Then, midair beside him,a shadow ring flared beside Luka. Too late.
He didn't notice. Immediately, the ring of shadow expanded. In a flash, she struck.
She exploded out of the darkness, her Punch sending Luka flying. But the elite commander was built different. He took that powerful punch and still landed on his feet, stunned but upright.
" Quite a punch you got there," Omar sneered.
Omar drew out his dual sharp sickles made of wooden handles and lunged, ready to fight. Sade stood still, eyes black, unreadable. She walked sideways, eyes still fixed on Omar and yanked Helga behind her.
Suddenly, Sade sprinted towards Omar with speed, she reached his attack range. He struck but Sade vanished, he hit nothing.
Sade appeared behind him, her eyes as black as darkness itself. She tried to land another blow but unlike Luka, Omar was more sensitive. Before her punch reached him, he turned, dodge her attack and counter with a swing, but before his sickle touched her, she vanished again and reappeared beside Helga.
Her movements weren't just fast, they broke logic.
Unlike other Daemirans abilities, Sade's ability was different. Her ability was darkness, the ability to move through shadow, slip and open between dimensions. She could summon shadow creatures from the void, she was not as fast as other Daemirans but among all, only Susuri and Beatrix rivaled her strength.
Luka joined the fight, he brought out his two ring sword. The ring sword is a round sword with handles on one part of the circle. The two elite hunters are now in a battle stance ready to take down Sade and Helga.
Sade looked at Helga, with steel voice,
" Move back, I will take care of them."
Helga hesitated, pain written on her face. The whip Omar used earlier left a red mark on her neck. Sade noticed, it got her angrier.
" I said get back," she snapped.
Helga moved backwards, Sade slowly walked towards the two elite hunters who were already prepared, she walked with a cold look on her face. Two against one, to her it was a fair fight.
BEATRIX GROUP
Beatrix ran ahead of the others, her heart pounding. She felt Helga was in danger.
Just as she reached Rhola and Anna,
Two figures dropped in front of her: Izen and Elvric, both elite hunters, commanders under General Boyce.
No time for talk,
Without warning, the two elite hunters immediately attacked Beatrix. But Beatrix was not just a Daemiran, she was given the title the strongest Daemiran of all Daemirans.
Beatrix moved like lightning, dodging, weaving all attacks. She caught Izen's katana mid swing while gripping his arms. Elvric charged from behind with his sword aiming for her back.
Quickly, she twisted and kicked high. But Elvric dodged the kick, he bent backwards. The speed of her strike was so fast, it was whipping up dust in the direction of the strike.
She tried to twist Izen's hands but it didn't work. He pushed her backwards, immediately followed her with his katana, slashing. She tried to dodge but she felt another blade, Elvric came slashing from below.
She was trapped
Beatrix lifted herself midair, with Izen katana passing just above her and Elvric sword passing below her. They both missed by inches. Still in midair, she spread her arms,
" Repel!,"
A strong shockwave of gravitational force blasted from her hands, pushing both men away in different directions like dolls.
The ability Beatrix displayed was one of her abilities, the gravity manipulation ability; she could manipulate the gravity around her at a certain range. She could both repel- push and attract - pull objects within that range.
She landed with perfect balance. Her eyes glowed grey.
Before Beatrix could react, a ripple of dread swept her spine. A presence familiar and impossible appeared behind her like a shadow.
" Plazma burst!"
The voice was cold. Too cold.
A burst of blue flame erupted from behind her with a deafening roar, racing straight for her back. Beatrix turned slightly, just enough to catch the reflection of the flames in her wide, stunned eyes.
Her body refused to move.
It wasn't the flame that paralyzed her, it was the presence. She had felt it before.
The flame closed in on her, but then.
" Wind tornado!"
A spiral of wind howled into existence, slamming into the plasma flames midair. The fire was snuffed out violently, bursting into harmless sparks and embers that scattered into the smoky sky.
Eliana emerged, but Beatrix didn't move.
She stood frozen, heart thundering. Her breath caught in her throat.
Like she had seen a ghost.
Moments later, the other Daemirans who had escaped the gallows arrived. They stopped dead in their tracks, eyes wide with disbelief as they reached the scene.
They felt it too.
That presence.
Standing behind Beatrix emerging from the shadows like death came early, was a figure none of them ever expected to see again.
The air grew colder.
And the battlefield, already bathed in chaos, took on a new layer of terror.