Chapter 52, NEW 52 hehe.
Well, this is it, it's the end.
Thank you, everyone, for reading this story to the end. And to those have stuck with me from the start, thank you so much, we have gone through a two-year journey with this story and now it closes. Thank you, everyone, for coming along in this story, 'The Dark Knight of Chiba' was made possible by you all. To everyone who has been a major help (You know who you are), you are all the best.
Share what are your favorite moments in this story. Like a top ten or top five.
And with that, please enjoy.
The Dark Knight Of Chiba
In the streets of Chiba, two police cars were heading towards the Yukinoshita Tower. Their sirens blaring loudly in the night.
No police officer was expecting an explosion from the middle level of the building. The cars served with the screeching of tires, and the cars drifted to a halt. Inspector Yin Etsudo got out of her car quick.
"What the hell?!" She exclaimed and her fellow officers stepped out of the car as well.
As the whole police unit took in what just happened up in the tower, something leaped out of the fire. Something big and fiery letting out a roar and it came down to the ground fast. The gigantic beast standing on two legs, holding a staff and a lantern in each hand. The Oni face showed primal aggression but also showing sage judgment. The Bishamonten, roaring into the night with a burst of flame out of its mouth.
The Bishamonten charged right for the police car, getting the staff in its hand ready to strike.
"Go! Run!" Etsudo shouted to her officers. As they all split up and ducking for cover, the Bishamonten struck the car off the ground, crashing onto the pavement upside down. The Bishamonten then pointed the lantern at the car, the lantern started to shine brightly. A bolt of an intense fire was shot out of the lantern, blasting the car up to a crispy frame.
Bishamonten roared out a ball flame to the sky, the streets glowed a tint of amber from Bishamonten's flames. The beast continued down the streets, away from Yukinoshita Tower. The officers quickly got up from the ground, watching in terror of Bishamonten continuing its rampage on the city.
"What in God's name?" One officer gasped under his breath.
"What in the hell..." Yin Etsudo's eyes wide and in terror.
The police had been stunned locked, not knowing what to do at all. Shaking her head back in focus, Etsudo began giving out her instructions to the other three officers. "Ok! Rina, Takeru, get inside that building and sort that Tower proper, and make sure everyone in that building is ok! Masato! You're with me and call up everyone! We need to find that monster!"
"No way! You insane! What are we supposed to do? What is that thing supposed to be anyway?!" Masato shouted in a panic.
"Calm yourself Masato." Etsudo grabbed his collar getting him to face her, "Get a grip! We need to get any possible civilians away from there!"
"And what the hell do you suggest we do with that monster then huh?" Before any of the police officers could go on, a sound up high took their attention.
Up above, the sounds of screeching appeared, out of the dark sky came a swarm of bats. A swarm of bats flying to the direction of the Bishamonten to face the monster.
A sign of hope.
Knowing what the sign meant, Etsudo said to Masato, "Come on let's go! With me now, we're going to protect any citizens there."
Much further down the streets, Bishamonten had been blasting off bolts of fire all over the streets in its wake, screams of fear were filled through the roads, any late working citizens has been running back into their corporate buildings in fear.
Fire shot all over the place, and Bishamonten set its eyes on the citizens fleeing indoors.
Bishamonten then noticed the sound of the screeching swarm coming from behind. With a growl, the monster turned around, from above the bat swarm were approaching.
In the midst of the bat swarm, black with red streaks giant wings stretched out. Through the multitude of bats, the Crimson Shadow swooped in and the swarm dissipated.
The Huntsman glided down, leaning back with wings slowing him down. Huntsman landed down on the road hard in a crouch. Huntsman rose up slowly, never taking his eyes off the Bishamonten, with the city to witness.
He glared at the monster, his heart was at his throat pulsing intensively and his mouth felt dry. He was already parched, hungry, and weary. But he was still going to face this battle head on to protect everyone.
The people around him, his family, his foes, the whole city, perhaps the whole prefecture. Nearly six million people, resting on the Huntsman.
"Ok, the first step, get its attention. The second step, get it away from the city."
Bishamonten stepped forward, thick smoke brewed from it Oni mask face. The beast stood up straight, casting what appeared to a sage judgment gaze on the Huntsman. And Bishamonten made its judgment on the Huntsman.
Bishamonten roared out, the night brightened up with the flames in the sky.
The beast charged right for the Huntsman, the road almost rumbling with each rampaging step.
Huntsman got his grapnel gun ready, as the Bishamonten got to a closer range, he fired the cable up to a building on the side, hoisting him up, and Huntsman dodged a smashing strike from the Bishamonten's staff. He could feel the sheer heat from the flames on Bishamonten's shoulders.
Firing a cable to the opposite side, the Huntsman swung down to its side, one hand holding out an escrima stick. As he swung right by Bishamonten, he smashed the stick to the side of its face. All that did was make a dent on the Oni mask.
Just as Bishamonten was about to let out a ball of fire, Huntsman quickly slackened the cable allowing him to reel down the line.
The ball of fire went above his head and he reeled back down to the ground horribly.
"Shit!" He landed and rolled along the floor, tripping and landing flat on his chest. The grapnel gun still held firmly in his hand, he quickly got up and detached the burning cable from the grapnel gun. The two then faced each other again.
At the corner of the junction, Etsudo and Masato got to the scene, Etsudo finally caught sight of the Huntsman. It was only a glimpse however when the Huntsman fired his grapnel gun, soaring up into the night sky away from Bishamonten to get the deity moving. The Bishamonten roared again, resonating a rumble in everyone. The Bishamonten began running, roaring at the Huntsman as he soared across the road.
Huntsman got further away from Bishamonten down the street, the monster growled, and pointed the pagoda at Huntsman. It began to glow bright yellow, and a bolt of blinding bright flame fired right at him.
Huntsman saw it coming, jumping of the way. "Dammit!" The bolt exploded on the road, Huntsman kept up the pace running away from Bishamonten.
"Hachiman." He heard Alfred's hasty voice in his mask, "It's on its way. Get ready sir."
He did not have time to answer the call when another bolt of fire was shot at him, and he jumped away into a roll dodging the blast.
Huntsman threw a smoke batarang on the road, and smoke emitted around creating a smoke screen around him. Using the cover he shot out his grapnel gun and the cable attached to a building side.
Bishamonten roared out even louder, the Oni eyes glowed orange the pagoda glowed much brighter than before. A larger ball of bright fire propelled out, shooting through the smoke and it hit the road, and Huntsman was in way too close proximity.
The shockwave and heat knocked him away, sending him flying down the streets.
"Faaacchhh!" Huntsman let out a yell of pain. His whole chest rumbling about from the shockwave, one hand grabbing his cape to make it rigid. He tried to recover from his hit trying glide and soften his landing, but the blast was sending him moving too fast.
He crashed on the pavement. He tumbled and he back skidded along the pavement to a stop. His shirt got tears. The left lens of his mask had been broken off, and his lower lip had a cut.
"Ahh…ow…ahhh…" He wheezed, his ribs hurt badly, his head ringing in pain. He pushed himself up to his feet through the agony. Bishamonten roared out loud, taking slow strides of confident victory.
However, something else was coming into the fray distracting the beast. The sound of loud humming and revving was approaching from far behind Huntsman, the sound of electric humming and revving engine.
Turning his head around, Huntsman saw what was coming, and it was coming in fast. It was a massive black car, with huge tyres and a cannon turret pointing at Bishamonten.
The Batmobile.
The Batmobile fired off a turret shot, impacting the Bishamonten's face. The Batmobile blasted another turret shot right at the monster's legs, knocking it off its feet. The car did a sharp U-turn and pulled to a stop at Huntsman. The hatch opened, and it waited for him revving its engine.
"Batman?" Huntsman said with heavy breathing, the Batmobile revved the engine even louder, the Huntsman quickly got the message and hopped in.
He sat on the driver's seat and the hatched instantly closed.
"Come on, seat belt seat belt." Huntsman looked over his shoulder, pulling the buckle and fastened himself in. Reaching out his hands gripped the steering wheels, and placed a foot on the pedal.
"How do I this? This is not like the arcade. How much gas do I pump in?" Huntsman wheezed out, rubbing the pain in his chest. A roar from behind startled him the monitor on the dashboard showed Bishamoten closing in.
"Oh shit!" Huntsman floored the pedal and the Batmobile's engine revved up and with the afterburner powered up, the Batmobile speeded off and the force of the car pulled the Huntsman into the seat.
The Batmobile raced off with Bishamoenten not far behind.
"How much to turn the wheel dammit?" Huntsman pulled the wheel to the left, the car swerved and turned clumsily. Straightening the wheel, Huntsman pumped more gas and the Batmobile picked up speed. Bishamonten thundering down the streets kept firing a volley of bolts which the Batmobile managed to dodge them, speeding down the road.
"Come on follow me. We're getting out of here." Huntsman drove down the road. As the Batmobile was coming to a cross junction. The traffic lights turned red, cars were about come in from both sides.
"Oh God!" Huntsman slammed his hand on the steering wheel's centre, horn blaring out loud as he crossed over the junction with the Bishamonten hot on his heels and any citizen present to witness.
He took another left, the roads were starting to get empty. He was leading the monster away from the busy districts. "Oh my God! Not like the arcade, not like the arcade!"
"Huntsman." Batman's voice over the monitor said.
"Batman? What the hell? You ok? You got away?" Huntsman asked.
"I'm out of the tower. Get off the wheel, take your foot off the pedal. I'll drive, but you have to navigate. You know the streets better."
Letting go of the wheel, the Batmobile kept up the pace, zooming down. Huntsman said. "Follow down the road. There's going to be a sharp left turn."
"It's going to drift," Batman responded. "There's the trigger handle on the centre you see it?"
Eyeing down to his side there was the turret trigger. He firmly gripped it and said, "I see it."
"Get ready." Batman said. The Batmobile got to the turn, and the vehicle spun around into a sharp drift. Tyres screeching and the engine roared, the Batmobile's front was now facing the Bishamonten as it drifted on the turn.
"Now!" Batman commanded. Huntsman squeezed the trigger and the turret came alive, firing off its rounds right at Bishamonten. It roared in pain as it received a fury of cannon fire from the Batmobile.
Huntsman bared teeth at the moment as he kept shooting the turret at the monster, Bishamonten blasted off its feet and fell on its side. The Batmobile drifted back and drove out of the turn. He stomped his foot down on the pedal and the afterburner propelled the Batmobile even faster right after the turn. The Batmobile sped through the streets like a rocket.
"Well I think that pissed it off." Huntsman said looking at the rear view camera showing a very angry looking deity getting back on its feet, its whole chest looking burnt and destroyed. "Follow down the road there's going to a bend, it'll take us to the canal by the coastline further down." Bishamonten soon got back on hot pursuit, leaping a great bound it chased the vehicle down again, and the Batmobile dodged another blast of fire from the Bishamonten.
Huntsman brought the Batmobile on the path towards Sobu High, with the streets being as far as he was aware. Approaching the bridge the dried up canal was in sight.
"There it is the canal! Open the hatch!" Huntsman said, and the Batmobile's hatch opened up. Unbuckling his seatbelt, Huntsman got his grapnel gun ready and stood on his seat.
From the rear of the Batmobile, flares were shot straight for the beast. The flares dazzled all around it, creating a distraction while the Batmobile with its hatch closed drove out the bridge and onto the canal driving down the dried river bed and going past the abandoned sewer entrance, right to the edge to the coastal water.
The Bishamonten was confused for a second by the flares, but focused on the Batmobile again, blasting a bolt of bright fire from its pagoda too close to the Batmobile.
The impact created a shockwave which made the Batmobile to swerve around till it faced Bishamonten.
Bishamonten growled out, it leaped up into the air with its fist pulled back. The Batmobile in a quick burst of speed moved back as Bishamonten smashed its fist down on the ground with a blast of flames.
Bishamonten swung its staff at the car and the car shifted back again dodging the hit. It roared again, released a breath of fire on the car, unaware of the cable hooking onto its shoulder from behind.
Huntsman reeled up to the back of the deity and perched on it, and there the sword of the Demon Head was in reach. He grabbed onto the sword's handle, and pulled it out.
A mixture of blood and ashes started to spew out from the wound like a fountain, and that caused true agony to the Bishamonten. It roared out in pain, blood and ashes splattered on the Huntsman.
He held onto the back of the monster, trying to maintain balance. Pain still took hold of Bishamonten. Taking the opportunity the Batmobile powered up its engine and drove full speed right through the leg of the monster.
Bishamonten's balance staggered, tumbling to one knee and the Huntsman was tossed up into the air. The Apex Predator of Chiba held the sword pointing the blade downwards and came back down with his wings spread out.
With a yell, the Huntsman delivered the killing blow. Jamming the blade of the Demon Head, into the head of the Bishamonten. It let out it final roar, echoing through the canal.
Hikigaya Hachiman stood triumphant, over his foe. When it was finally over, the adrenaline in his body started to leave, and exhaustion took over.
The deity suddenly went still, Huntsman still holding onto the sword perched on the Bishamonten's head. Blood and ashes spurted out from the killing blow like a fountain.
Every part of the monster started to turn into dark grey, cracks starting to form around it. The sword's blade started to the turn grey as well. And out of the cracks blood shot out like geysers, blood mixed in with ashes. The whole being started to disintegrate as well with the blade, it started to crumble into ashes.
Bishamonten fell apart into ashes and blood, and Huntsman too fell, swallowed into the pile.
"Whoa! Naarghh!" Huntsman tried to find his footing but he plummeted down, piled up and buried in the blood and ashes.
Everything went silent for a long moment, but the silence broke with the Batmobile returning and its engine revving.
And out of the ashes, a fist punched out.
Early morning had arrived, in the Hikigaya residence, Komachi came out of her room. Letting out a yawn she took note of Hachiman's room closed shut and she gave a glare to the door. Walking past his room without giving it a second glance she went downstairs to the kitchen.
After setting up breakfast for Kamakura the cat, she sat down at the dining table with a mug of hot chocolate. Taking out her phone from her pocket, she began to look up the news. She nearly choked on her drink as she came across the first news article, all she paid attention to was the blurred picture of a giant with fire on its back, and a humanoid figure clad in black, both of them facing each other off.
She began to read the news, the telling of a legend fighting to save Chiba from a monstrosity. Completely unaware that the said legend was right upstairs in her own house, couped up in a room for the rest of the day.
Monday came, at Sobu High student were coming in. Hiratsuka Shizuka was trudging down the corridor, her eyes listless. She did not sleep well at all, her body felt stiff and tense. Her pulse was a bit on the high side and she felt very lethargic.
She slowly slid the classroom door open and stepped in. The rowdy class soon settled down, and the teacher stood in front of the class.
"G-Good morning class." She greeted. "Today…w-we…I uh…" Her eyes soon set on Hachiman's seat, and there he was, in a deep slumber and his face buried in his arms.
A huge sense of relief overwhelmed her, doing her best to hide her smile. She bit her lip, and took a deep breath to keep up her composure.
"I…hope you all are doing well with your studies class. Because you guys should decide on what you want to do regarding your further studies." Shizuka covered up her stammer. The lesson went on, with Hachiman not paying attention at all sleeping through the entire lesson. And this time, Shizuka was letting him have it.
There was another student however whom was not paying much attention to the class, Miura Yumiko. Instead, she was looking into her phone discretely, surfing the net and reading on the news regarding the Huntsman. She closed the news page and opened another tab, this time it was a page regarding something she has been looking into recently, the police has been taking interest in any potentials youth who wish to intern in the force, with the programme spearheaded by Yin Etsudo.
The lessons for the day was over, Hachiman was on the rooftop, gazing over the city. The door opened and his teacher stepped out. Spotting him by the railing, she made her way over. Hearing the footsteps behind, Hachiman turned around.
"So…now you know." Hachiman softly said.
Hachiman noticed a fist clenching in one of her hand, he pulled his head back avoiding the slap Shizuka attempted with her other hand.
"Don't dodge." She said.
"Don't hit." Hachiman said, his brows knitted.
Shizuka frowned, but she knew she should not have done it. Everything became so clear to her now.
"Yeah. I guess I shouldn't." Shizuka admitted. She looked into the eyes of her student, and now she knew that he was much more than a student.
"I was wrong." She said. "I was wrong about a lot of things, about you."
Hachiman stayed quiet, allowing her to continue. She went on, "At first I thought you were just a student with a rotten personality because of his lonely childhood. But now I know you are so much more than I could have ever perceived you to be."
Hachiman nodded, he whispered, "Thanks."
But then he asked, "You going to tell on me?"
Shizuka pinched her brows, "As insane as it sounds, no I'm not. Because I know I shouldn't, it'll be safer for you."
"Thanks." Hachiman appreciated that.
"But I have to know, why did you tell me?" She asked.
Hachiman took a second before answering, "I uh…I thought it really was the end. I thought I wasn't coming out of that fight, and before I meet the end, I figured that you deserved to know. That you at least deserve a full explanation." Shizuka felt a tinge of warmth in her hearing that.
But then Hachiman had to dampen the warmth. "It was not without heavy costs. Yukinoshita."
Shizuka knew what he meant, she said, "Yukinoshita Constructions is under heavy police investigation right now, and it's not looking good. Hayama's father is being a defensive wall protecting Yukinoshita's parents as their lawyer, but I do not know how long it will hold."
Hachiman sighed, and Shizuka said, "Yukinoshita, Hayama and Haruno, I have to be there for them, especially when Yukinoshita and Yuigahama is going to become the student council. And you know, I think you should too."
"I'm the one who did this." Hachiman said. "And the Yukinoshita heads brought it upon themselves when they ran crime into this city."
"Even so, I think we should be there for them. I'm sure it will do well for you." Shizuka persisted. His eyes drifted to the side in contemplation.
"We'll see." He doubted and walked off.
"Hikigaya." She called him once more. "Why do you do what you do?"
He stopped and turned around, "I think you already know."
His stance firm and his eye focused, giving her the aura of a silent guardian, its powerful presence went through her.
He left the rooftop, and silently moved through the corridor, he was making his way to the Service Clubroom. As he got closer to the clubroom, he could hear something he dreaded to hear.
The sound of sobbing and sniffing. He grimaced, quietly he got to the edge, peeking the door window. And there he could see, Yukino burying her face in her palms, with Yui embracing her tightly for comfort, and Haruno was with them as well crying.
Hachiman backed away from the clubroom, giving them their moment. "What the hell do I do?" He went down the stairs, heading for the shoe lockers. He sighed, perhaps in time he could do something for them at least, but it was not now.
He ruined a family, he turned down youthful memories that could have been made in high school together with friends. But he also saved an entire city, he saved them all. He became a symbol of hope.
He reached the shoe locker and he opened his locker, only to discover that there was something inside. A letter.
Hachiman cautiously looked around, but there was no one. He opened the letter and read it, his eyes went wide instantly.
"Take responsibility. Teehee, ha-ha."
Another day passed and the night has fallen, and on Wayne Towers, two people were on the rooftop. The Huntsman and the Batman. The Huntsman was now wearing a new uniform.
His cape, boots, and hood repaired, as well with his mask with a layer of dipped titanium. His torso and pants now sported liquid armor, his chest was a tint of dark crimson as with his new gauntlets.
"Very nice. Thanks." The Huntsman said taking his 'Christmas gift'. "And I didn't get you anything, again."
"You don't have to Hachiman." Batman said.
"How's the leg?" Huntsman asked Batman.
"Fine." Batman responded.
"Well we did it, we saved the city from that Bishamonten." Huntsman said, and he held out a trophy from that victory, the handle of the sword of Ra's Al Ghul.
"It's your victory. You did well Hachiman." Batman said.
"Well…there's still a lot of things unsolved." Huntsman said, "There is this student Isshiki Iroha, she's missing and she's not right in her mind, she's under some sort of substance it's messing with her mind. There are still possible contacts that Yukinoshita Yukari has left in the city, I haven't heard from that Nekonee-Chan person anymore. There will probably be more trouble in the future."
"I'll help you look into it. You'll solve them. You will." Batman said, giving an assuring comfort.
"I screwed them over, Yukino and her sister." Huntsman bit his lip shaking his head. "Yukinoshita Constructions is going to be in deep water."
"Yukinoshita Constructions will be in good hands, trust me." Batman said.
Huntsman raised an eyebrow under his mask, figuring out hat he meant. "Wait...you're-you're going to buy the company?" A brief moment of silence told him the answer, "Right, yeah you are. My God."
Huntsman then asked, "Actually there's another thing...something to help in protecting Chiba."
"What?" Batman prompted him to continue.
"You remember the abandoned sewers by the canal? Where no one knows about it?"
"Yes."
Huntsman tried his luck. "Since no one owns it anymore, and it's secluded. Perhaps we could uh I don't know, use it? The Hunting Den, or the Hunting Lodge?" He could almost catch a glimpse of a smirk at the corner of Batman's mouth.
"You're going to be very, very busy Hachiman." Batman stated.
"Yeah. I suppose so."
He then enquired one final thing, "Then what about those ninjas, and uh that 'beloved' of yours? That yandere pardon me." Huntsman crossed his arms.
There was a small scowl at the corner of Batman's mouth. "I will deal with them."
Huntsman nodded, accepting that answer for now. "Fine, alright."
He then said, "You know I never got to thank you, for that night years ago."
"You can thank me by keeping Chiba safe." Batman said.
"Yeah you know it."
"We'll meet again." Batman extended out his hand. Huntsman took it and Batman gave a firm shake.
Huntsman turned around and stepped to the edge, he was certain the second he took his eyes off Batman, he was already gone. Gazing the streets below, he took a deep breath and stepped off gliding into the city.
And thus, the Huntsman has begun.
"Whatever the future holds for me, I cannot forget what had happened to me in the past.
And through this, I decided to protect the people around me and more.
This is who I am. This is what I have to be, this is what I choose to be, this is what I am needed to be.
I am Hikigaya Hachiman, I am the Huntsman.
The Dark Knight of Chiba."
END
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For now. The Huntsman will return.
