The graveyard roared with the sound of the dead rising. Corpses clawed through the soil in countless numbers, hollow eyes gleaming faintly in the fog.
Each movement was stiff and unnatural, yet driven by an endless hunger for life that was no longer their own.
Magnus stood at the center, his cloak snapping faintly in the foul wind, his hand resting loosely on Shusui. His gaze swept the endless graves, his mind already three steps ahead of the battle.
Then, the earth split with a thunderous crack.
From the fog, two enormous figures emerged, towering over the battlefield like living mountains.
Brogy and Dorry the ancient giants of Elbaf, freed from their century old duel , now sworn to Magnus's banner. Their laughter boomed like rolling thunder, shaking loose the mist itself.
"GABABABABABABA!" Brogy's axe split through the air, cleaving a dozen corpses in a single swing, sending shattered bones scattering like leaves in a storm.
"Little shadows dare to crawl from their graves? They will break beneath a giant's step!"
"GEGYAGYAGYAGYA!" Dorry followed with his massive sword, the swing so heavy it crushed a cluster of graves into dust, collapsing coffins and corpses alike.
"At last! A battlefield worthy of our hands!"
The army of the dead faltered for the first time, their advance slowed under the crushing might of the giants.
Each blow from Brogy and Dorry tore open wide paths, clearing swathes of the graveyard with ease.
Magnus watched, his expression unreadable, then gave a single nod. His voice carried sharp and unyielding through the chaos.
"Brogy..Dorry. Tear this graveyard apart. Let no corpse stand."
The giants roared in unison, their weapons raised high before descending like the judgment of gods.
Magnus turned his back on the battlefield. His crew instinctively shifted to cover him, but he raised a hand, his voice calm yet final.
"You will hold this ground. The dead are yours to crush. I have no interest in playing with corpses."
Kael's eyes flicked toward him, sharp with understanding. "You're going after Moria."
Magnus glanced once at the looming silhouette of the castle, its spires rising like broken fangs above the mist. His tone was steady and cold, yet carried the weight of inevitability.
"This ends at the source. A warlord who hides behind puppets deserves only one fate."
With that, he stepped forward, Shusui humming in his grip. The mist parted before him as though pulled aside by unseen hands.
Behind him, the graveyard thundered with the clash of giants and monsters. Ahead, in the depths of the castle, Gecko Moria waited still laughing and still certain of his dominion.
---
The moment Magnus left the graveyard behind, the chaos of battle faded into a dull roar swallowed by the mist. The clash of steel, the thunderous laughter of giants and the crunch of bone became distant echoes, until all that remained was silence and the slow drag of his boots across stone.
Thriller Bark's castle loomed larger with every step, its jagged towers rising like broken claws. The drawbridge stretched out before him, its chains rusted and groaning, the wood blackened and soft with rot.
Beyond the gate only darkness waited.
Magnus walked without hesitation. Shusui rested at his side, faint arcs of black lightning licking its blade. The mist curled away from him as if recoiling from the pressure that rolled off his form.
Inside, the air was thicker still. Damp walls wept with moisture, stone slick beneath the torchlight that guttered in their brackets.
Portraits of forgotten faces lined the hall, their eyes hollow, their frames draped in cobwebs.
At his passing, shadows stretched unnaturally, writhing like living things, crawling across the walls as though eager to pull him under.
Magnus's gaze never wavered. His voice cut the silence like a blade.
"Moria."
The name carried through the hall and the castle itself seemed to shudder in response.
The shadows stirred violently, twisting and coiling together until they formed bodies, faceless puppets with hollow eyes and jagged mouths.
Dozens of them stepped from the walls, their movements jerky, as though dragged by invisible strings.
They rushed forward.
Magnus lifted Shusui with a single hand. The blade's edge pulsed, its surface drinking in the torchlight until the steel gleamed with a dark, otherworldly glow. He moved once with no wasted effort and no hesitation.
A cut too fast for the eye to follow.
The hallway erupted in silence. Shadows that had lunged only heartbeats ago now collapsed, their forms split apart and fading back into nothingness. The walls quaked, cracks running up the stone as if the castle itself had been wounded.
Magnus exhaled, his expression as calm as the sea before a storm. He stepped forward again, his footsteps echoing with finality.
The deeper he went, the more grotesque the halls became.
Rooms full of stitched corpses dangled from hooks, half-assembled zombies waiting for life.
Candles burned low, casting the chambers in a sickly light. From somewhere above, laughter echoed like a jagged, high-pitched cackle that dripped arrogance and madness.
"KISHISHISHI… You've come far, boy."
The voice slithered through the castle, bouncing from wall to wall, impossible to pin down.
"You've broken my toys, you've cut through my graveyard… but here, you are mine. This is my kingdom of shadows!"
Magnus stopped at the base of a spiral staircase, his head tilting slightly toward the voice. His tone was even, cold, as he rested Shusui against his shoulder.
"Then I'll tear down your kingdom, stone by stone, until nothing remains but the coward hiding behind it."
The laughter screeched louder, echoing until the very walls seemed to tremble.
Above, in the throne hall, Gecko Moria stirred from his seat, his grin jagged and grotesque.