The air inside the Bastion was so saturated with demonic mana that it became almost palpable, a heavy purple molasses that crept into the lungs with every breath. The passage created by the combined assault of the four had closed behind them. Before them stretched a cyclopean inner courtyard.

But what drew their attention was not the unholy architecture of the place, but the human tide facing them... Hundreds of Spectrum members, dressed in black tunics marked with the organization’s seal, were waiting for them. Their eyes shone with a fanatical violet glow and their bodies were covered with pulsing veins of demonic energy.

"They are really numerous..." murmured Julian while adjusting his grip on his sword. "It’s almost flattering to receive such a welcome."

"It’s more of an execution than anything else," replied Jasper in his monotonous voice, his longbow already drawn.

Nox, to his left, let out a joyful laugh. His long black hair whipped the air, and red lightning of destruction was already starting to crackle around his fingers.

The Spectrum members charged with a collective cry that made the basaltic ground vibrate.

"Pay close attention!" suggested Klein while activating his <Eye of Perception>.

Julian was the first to strike. He rushed forward with a grace that contrasted with the brutality of the place.

< Elemental Magic: Breath of Eternal Frost >

A wave of absolute cold burst from his blade, instantly freezing the first line of attackers in grotesque postures. Without stopping, he used his lineage technique.

< Second Movement: Mist Form >

His body literally liquefied into frosted vapor. A group of demonic warriors tried to slash him with their darkness-infused scimitars, but their blades passed through him without resistance. Julian materialized behind them, his blade slicing three throats in a single fluid motion.

Black blood spurted onto the ground, but to the group’s great surprise, it did not flow. The bodies fell, transformed into nauseating violet smoke and disappeared.

"What?" exclaimed Julian, his voice wavering for a moment.

Barely three seconds later, the same men stood up a few meters away, their wounds completely healed, their eyes shining with redoubled intensity.

"They resurrect?" growled Nox while launching a discharge.

< Arcs of Oblivion >

Red lightning struck a platoon of Spectrum members, pulverizing their chests and tearing off limbs in an explosion of flesh and ozone. Heads flew, intestines spilled onto the basalt in a gore and explicit spectacle, but the process repeated: the bodies evaporated to reform almost instantly.

It’s a reincarnation loop, thought Klein, his mind spinning at full speed thanks to <Cold Blood>.

Jasper did not lose his calm. He stepped back slightly, nocking three silver arrows.

< Transcendent Archery >

The projectiles split the air at supersonic speed. In mid-flight, the arrows began to bounce against the obsidian walls of the courtyard, multiplying with each impact until they became a swarm of hundreds of mana points. Each arrow found the eye or the heart of an enemy with psychopathic precision.

However, the Spectrum members were approaching Jasper in close combat, thinking they could take advantage of his archer vulnerability.

With an agile movement, Jasper used his bow like a staff to break an attacker’s jaw before drawing a curved dagger and slitting his throat. Even in the midst of chaos, Jasper remained clean, avoiding splashes of demonic blood with a terrifying economy of movement.

"Kaiser! We can’t continue like this indefinitely!" shouted Julian while parrying an axe blow. "These bastards just keep coming back!"

Klein did not answer, instead concentrating his aura in his palms.

< Aura Attraction >

An invisible and violent force deployed in front of him. A dozen Spectrum members, who were preparing to launch demonic fire spells, were brutally sucked toward him. They collided with each other in a sinister sound of broken bones.

The moment they came within his reach, he changed the polarity of his energy.

< Aura Repulsion >

A massive shockwave exploded from his body. The discharge was so powerful that the ground fractured into spiderwebs under his boots. The enemies were thrown backward with such force that they burst like ripe fruit against the surrounding pillars. The courtyard was briefly cleared, strewn with debris of flesh that, once again, began to evaporate.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Nox joined his hands. The red lightning around him became so dense that they formed a sphere of scarlet darkness.

< Art of Babylon: Blood Singularity >

He projected the sphere into the heart of the human tide. The impact turned into an aspiration. The space around the sphere twisted, and everything within a ten-meter radius stones, Spectrum members, demonic mana was sucked into an absolute void before being vaporized.

For a moment, the resurrection process seemed to stop. The violet particles, which usually formed a rapid and compact whirlwind, scattered like dust in an air current. They visibly struggled to gather, which slowed the reappearance of the Spectrum members.

Taking advantage of this lull, Julian activated his <Mist Form> again. He dematerialized just in time to escape a corruption spell that had split the ground where he had been standing a second earlier. Julian silently reformed at Klein’s side.

For his part, Klein did not take his eyes off the demonic mana. Thanks to his <Eye of Perception>, he observed the flow of demonic mana. This flow, which had struggled to gather moments earlier, was gradually returning to its initial state. The violet particles were accelerating again, and their concentration was increasing more and more.

"Tsss..." made Klein by clicking his tongue against his palate. He narrowed his eyes, disappointed. "It’s not over yet, guys," he warned.

He had not finished his sentence when the Spectrum members began to reappear one by one. First a shadow, then two, then five, and each one resumed his position as if nothing had happened.

"Fuck," swore Nox while stepping back. He observed the courtyard filling up again. "It looks like the number only increases. Every time we kill one, two come back."

"This never ends," protested Julian with irritation. "We’ve been going in circles for an hour. We’re going to have to find another way, because right now, we’re just going to exhaust ourselves for nothing."