AN: I got slogged with work last week and couldn't upload.

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Chapter 04: Kamen Rider Kabuto Part 2


Former South American Coast

Worm Outpost #404

Two 'human' soldiers stood atop a watchtower of their base, gazing over the dry sea bed. One clad in maroon armor, the other in orange.

The maroon one turned to his brother. "Hey, Chaz"

"Yeah, Bret?"

"You ever wonder why we're here?"

Bret shrugged. "It's just what we do. We assimilate one planet after the other. These humans are just another stepping stone to our spread throughout the universe. They call out to a higher being that a God out there will judge us for what we've done to entire systems, that they'll be saved. I don't think so." Both stare at each other in silence.

"...What the fuck, man?!" Chaz gestured to the horizon of sand. "I mean, why are we out here in this desert?"

He blinked. "Oh. Uh... yeah."

"What was all that stuff about getting judged?"

"Uh...hm? Nothing."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Bret waved it off. "Seriously though, why are we out here? As far as I can tell, we're at a crater in the middle of nowhere. I know our arrival accidentally ruined the planet, but couldn't we have moved to somewhere more scenic?"

"I see what you mean. I would have liked to try those human cities before they got destroyed."

"Do you remember the last time we checked our rankings? I only have 50 confirmed kills."

"Yeah. I have a little over 40, but those were mostly at the start of the invasion. Those are rookie numbers, and we haven't seen action in weeks. Those high-rankers get to go anywhere."

"We conquered this corner of the globe. Why aren't we pushing more against the humans?"

"We have all our stuff from the meteor, but I figured we would have packed up by now."

"Well, last we heard, the hive had been in a frenzy."

Chaz raised a brow. "You don't believe the rumors of some human hunting us down?"

Bret shrugged. "All I know is that some green hulking behemoth is wrecking our shit. I heard it can rip a worm in half with its bare hands."

His friend scoffed. "Yeah, and I heard that it can drive you insane with a look. Don't believe everything you hear?"

"Oh, yeah. What about the warning from Command?"

"We haven't heard from command or any other base since you accidentally broke our radio. Besides, those 'Do not copy' orders are bull. It's probably a stupid human who got lucky with one of our brothers who had too much fun before work."

"If you say so. Commander Nogi will take care of it."

"We'll be fine. He can stop time. Do you know how strong that is? I found this book about this immortal blonde guy with that power. As soon as the humans are all gone, we can finally leave this boring job."

Unbeknownst to them, a suppressed projectile soared through the air, and the heads of two unsuspecting pupa worms on the other side of the base exploded in a spray of brain matter.

Chaz raised a brow, turning back for a moment. "Did you hear something, Bret?"

"No. Why?"

"Hm. Nothing. Must have been the wind."


A worm walked down a hallway and turned a corner only to be met with an arm blade through the carapace. In its dying moments, all it felt was fear at the glare behind a green helmet. The blade slid upward, splitting the alien in two.

The Slayer jogged through the building and spotted another enemy at a terminal. Once in range, his shoulder cannon fired, entrapping it in an orange energized net. Unable to escape, the target was easy pickings. An enhanced Blood Punch struck, liquidating the worm into a mist.

Similar to the last bade, he connected Vega for data extraction. While that was going on, he stretched his shoulders. It was finally time to start the party and let loose.


Bret sighed. "Do you think we should get transferred to the Japan sector?"

"Why?"

"I dunno. Checking out those riders sounds interesting. Also, it might make the overall mission go by faster. Then again, I wouldn't mind completing it after we figure out what they are building into space. Think they are trying to escape and live on the moon?"

"I don't think so. Last I heard, Japan is key to getting reinforcements from our last planet."

"Really? How?"

"Dunno. It's pretty hush-hush. Above my rank."


An unsuspecting worm got trapped in an energy web, pinning him to a wall. Without hesitation, the Slayer materialized his new black battle ax and bisected the creature from the waist up.

Armored hands ripped off a Worm claw with monstrous strength before shoving it through its owner's chest.

A grenade found itself down the alien's throat, blowing it to bits from the inside out.

When an enemy attempted to retreat, it felt the sharp pain of a two-prong meat hook stabbing into its back. At the end of its chain, the executioner delivered the final blow.

Three gray worm soldiers shed their shells, clocking up. The transformed trio sprinted at the seemingly still Slayer. They thought they had him now. From what they had heard, anyone who wanted to observe him with even a chance of survival needed to clock up before engagement. Their fate would be sealed if they got too close or clocked out too soon. This apex predator would always be ready to strike. Even time slowed to his will.

Razor-sharp claws aimed at critical joints on his limbs and neck. Within a few feet, they were assured of their victory.

This reality for them shattered when both arms raised upward at speeds comparable to their own. Without any time to react, the worms slammed into the metaphorical steel pillar. The last thing they heard was the sound of a spinning barrel brought to their world of speed.


BTOOOM

Out of nowhere, the entire base behind them exploded in green fire.

"Holy shit!"

"It's here! We're fucked!"

As if confirming the statement, a charred carapace of a worm landed in front of them.

Before the two could comprehend what to do, half a dozen rockets impacted the base of their tower. With that, the unfortunate duo fell over the railing. All around the complex, it was chaos.

Several minutes of gunfire, explosions, and screams sounded in the air. Bret attempted to stand, only for rebar to pierce through his back, digging into the dirt on the other side. Chaz wasn't far behind. Armored boots crashed down on the extraterrestrial ankles, fracturing it to pieces. Now immobilized, the two couldn't escape the belch of hellfire unleashed upon them. Their screams of pain added to the others before fading into a whimper. No hesitation. No mercy.

A God had come and delivered his judgment. Perhaps their souls may pass on with that form of closure. Perhaps not.

With every fight, the Slayer adapted to their moves, getting faster and predicting them before they could clock up. His reflexes honed against the Khan and Samur were returning after a good warm-up. One by one, their military outposts surrounding the hive was attacked and destroyed. It was only a matter of time before he would reach the main nest.

On his HUD, the Doom Slayer looked at an updated area map, tracing his eyes over points of interest already taken care of. All that was left was the root of everything: The Crater.

Later

Base of Operations

Reiji Nogi, known by his victims and simply as the Cassis Worm, stared at the display in front of him. The map showed large red Xs surrounding a structure in the middle. The Worms higher-up were panicking and expedited his transport from the front lines back east. 'Weaklings…' he thought.

Previously, his objective was to thin out civilian numbers while also countering the efforts of the so-called Neo-ZECT. Reiji was recommended to ease up on ZECT, but he paid no mind. He knew about the long-term plan, so as long as he didn't attack the main ZECT facility, the leaders were willing to brush it under the rug. Reiji had just finished executing an entire squadron of human snipers when he got the call.

Much like the others, he dismissed the early claims of the threat. The worms that died were simply weak if one human was too much. It was too bad that he couldn't feed. However, as the body count began to rise, so did his interest. He crossed his arms. ZECT would be implementing 'their' plan soon, and he wanted to see this new threat for himself before the extinction began. He had crossed paths with the one known as the Caucasus a few times. They shared a similar philosophy of strength. He did not care for humanity, just like his fellow worms. Power was what mattered. Unfortunately, he was ordered to keep his blade against him. They were on the same side, if only loosely. Reiji could not test his power and speed against him.

Suddenly, the room darkened, and a red alarm blared. Low-rank Worms around the meteor complex went into a frenzy to find shelter or escape.

"We're under attack!"

"It's here!"

"We're all gonna die!"

Meanwhile, Reiji simply smirked. More worms would come after the ZECTs mission. He could feed now before the fight and simply say that this Worm Slayer got to them first.

The Field Commander turned to a Worm in the same room who was sweating in fear at the security footage outside. An entire garrison had been eviscerated before his eyes. Then, he heard a loud crunch and felt a sharp pain. Slowly looking down, the lone worm saw the hand of his superior run through him.

Outside

When the Slayer first arrived, he wasn't surprised to see that the remains of the meteor had been excavated into a makeshift base.

After evaluating the area, there were several options for him. However, more information regarding the Worm invasion is needed. They are likely spread all across the planet. It would be more entertaining if he opted for the simple route of bringing down the Lifeforce Max Atlan and turning the place into a new smoldering crater. Still, any information regarding their forces would be lost.

Step One: Collect the information for VEGA.

Step Two: Glass the place.

Deciding on an angle of approach, the Slayer pumped his shotgun and restarted his pest control.

Meanwhile

Japan

Atop a building, the space distorted, appearing like a silver curtain. A brunette dressed in a black suit with a very light magenta shirt stepped through in seconds. The camera hanging around his neck and a large belt-like device shared the same color scheme. He glanced around before new information flowed into his head. "Interesting, another branch from Kabuto, but something feels off. Time to see if this world should be destroyed or not."


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