Barrier Breach

Location: Blackthorn Forest.
The crimson moon cast a blood-red glow over the dense forest, shrouded in thick fog that hid everything beyond the barrier.
An ominous silence hung in the air, broken only by the low chatter of two men guarding the entrance.
"Arrgh, I'm beat," the guard on the right yawned, eyes heavy from endless watch duty.
"Tell me about it," the other replied. "We don't even get paid enough for this shit."
"All we can do is pray a raid order comes soon—" The left guard started, but footsteps cut him off mid-sentence.
"Oi, someone's coming!" the right guard hissed, tensing as he drew a pistol from his pocket.
The left guard straightened, eyes fixed on the approaching figure clad entirely in black.
"Any word about a visitor?" he asked.
"None that I heard," the right guard answered.
"Then that's a trespasser," the left guard muttered, gaze hardening.
"Stop right there! This area is off-limits!" the right guard shouted.
But the figure kept walking.
"He's not stopping," the left guard said. "We may have to shoot."
"Got it," the right guard nodded, raising his gun.
The shot cracked through the night.
Then came the twist almost immediately.
"Huh?" The left guard blinked, raising a trembling hand to his forehead. He felt a clean hole through it. He lowered his hand, staring at the blood coating his fingers.
"What...?" he whispered, before collapsing with a wet thud.
"Oi!" the surviving guard shouted, whirling toward his fallen partner. "Why did—" He froze, realizing the bullet he had fired had killed his own comrade.
A dark pool spread beneath the body, soaking the uniform crimson.
"Arrgh... arrgh..." the guard panted, heart thudding, face draining of color to pale.
Click. Clack.
The footsteps drew closer.
"Who the hell are you?!" he screamed, spinning toward the figure.
"Good grief," the figure sighed, stepping into the moonlight. His face finally came into view. "Of course, a Glock can't kill Glock."
"What?" The guard's mouth fell open. "G-Glock Harbinger..." he whispered, stumbling backward.
"Quite the name, isn't it?" Glock replied with a cold smile.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" the guard stammered between ragged breaths. "No one except the Sorcerer-General is allowed past this point!"
"Ehh?" Glock purred, eyes slitting as he closed the distance. His voice dropped to a whisper. "What happens to that rule once I kill you?"
"Ugh!" the guard gasped.
"Ehh?" Glock's lips curled into a dark smirk.
"Mother—" The guard's head exploded before the words could leave his mouth.
"Arrgh," Glock sighed as a cool breeze swept through. "Now you've stained my coat," he muttered, dabbing at the blood with a handkerchief while walking onward.
A few meters ahead rose a two-layered translucent barrier that stretched wide, encircling the entire forest.
"Hmm." Glock clicked his tongue and reached out. The moment his fingers brushed the surface, black lightning crackled, and an invisible force hurled his hand back.
"Oh," Glock murmured, pulling away as smoke curled from his palm. "Let's try this, then." He drew a syringe from his suit. Inside glinted a single drop of shimmering red blood.
He plunged the needle into his arm without hesitation.
Veins bulged beneath his skin, eyes flashing bloodshot as power surged through him.
"Gahh... better than sex," he laughed, stretching his hand toward the barrier again.
Lightning lashed his arm, tearing flesh and spilling blood, yet Glock only grinned wider and pushed forward.
"Time sorcery..." he whispered.
A dark blue circle appeared on the barrier, inscribed with clock hands and ancient numerals.
"...regression..."
The clock hands spun backward from three to six, then halted.
A bright light shone from it, engulfing the barrier.
"Perfect. The barrier has been restored to a state where it didn't exist," Glock growled, forcing his palm through.
Sparks erupted as the first layer shattered and vanished.
Glock withdrew his hand, frowning at the smoking wound. "Looks like that's all this amount of blood can do," he muttered.
"Still," his gaze shifted sideways, locking onto two figures emerging from the shadows, "it should be enough for you."
"Terror," Glock greeted.
Just as the name carried death, so did his appearance.
Thick black hair shadowed the demon's face. A black diamond mark glowed on his forehead, dark lines spidering across his pale skin. His eyes were pits of void beneath heavy bags. He wore a pristine white robe laced with black web patterns and in his hand was a Rubik's Cube painted only black and white.
"Long time no see," Terror rasped, stepping forward, as he inhaled. "Finally some fresh air."
Behind him stood another demon who could almost pass for human. Dark blue hair framed a handsome face, but his slitted pupils burned with a dark intent.
Aghnis.
His gaze flicked to the guards' corpses—the ones Glock killed earlier, and he swallowed hard.
"Oi, can I clean those up?" Aghnis asked.
"Do what you want," Glock said, not sparing him a glance.
Aghnis walked to the bodies, crouching beside them, as he gently lifted one by the neck. Then his mouth split impossibly wide from ear to ear, revealing rows of knife-like teeth and a thin, pointed tongue.
Blood sprayed as he sank into the flesh with a wet crunch, devouring everything in a ravage. He gulped hard, swallowing the blood and gore altogether, sucking the intestines like noodles.
"So that blood was a key to the first barrier?" Terror asked.
"Surprisingly," Glock replied. "But it wasn't enough for the second. The real key that can open both barriers resides with Zelazny Zoldrak."
"Haha, that fucker Zoldrak," Terror laughed, voice like gravel.
"There are two things we need to win this war," Glock continued, raising a finger. "One, take the key from Zoldrak."
He raised a second finger. "Two, secure the special blood."
"That's it?" Terror asked.
"Pretty much," Glock said.
A soft breeze stirred Terror's coat. The Rubik's Cube pulsed and crackled, as though warning of the slaughter to come.
Terror's lips parted. "Then I'll start with the blood," he said.
"But let me warn you," Glock said, tone darkening.
Terror's eyeball twitched and rolled to him.
"Avoid Van Ackerman at all costs, only I can take him on."
Terror blinked, an ominous silence filling the air for a few seconds, punctuated by the crunches and gulps from Aghnis.
"If he avoids me...then I'll avoid him," Terror finally replied.
...
Meanwhile, as the echoes of war loomed, a discussion began in the realm of the unknown.
Location: Spiritual Realm of Linkage.
The entire space was engulfed in darkness, stretching infinitely in every direction.
At the center of the void stood a figure. She remained motionless, eyes open but unable to see anything.
Suddenly, breaking the silence, a cold, distant, and terrifying voice echoed.
"I wasn't expecting anyone today, Hinata."
"Huh?" Hina gasped as she spun toward the direction of the voice.
There she sat: on a throne of darkness, clad in darkness. Her eyes were pits of infinite black, and her smile carried a quiet, simmering fury. Everything about her radiated darkness.
Hina's lips curled into a grin. "It's been a while, Aralyss," she said.
"The Author."