...10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...0
DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG.
Six times. Only one event caused the clock to make that sound in that number. It was meant to mark the beginning but also herald the end. The descent of the Exterminators.
There was no grandeur. Only the barely detectable sound of wings gently flapping. Many shadows fell upon the city, cast by the crimson light of Hell itself. But only some would touch the ground, while the rest remained in the air.
A few would go off alone; the rest would stay in large and small groups. Every street, alley, and passageway would soon have at least one Exterminator. And after some time, the rest of Hell would as well. They merely wished to begin this cleansing in the capital city of the corrupted realm.
Seconds became minutes, and nothing happened. The few brave souls who dared peak from behind curtains and shutters only caught glimpses of their hunters. The Exterminators were far too skilled to be seen in all their glory, less you happened to be on the other end of their weapon. They wanted their appearance to be like a surprise; fun for them, terrifying for their prey.
However, there were some places that they steered away from. Homes of the nobility of Hell, including the devil's estate. Yet if an Overlord were to be brazen, to try their best to slay an angel, the Exterminators would be permitted to respond in kind with an equal lack of mercy. But this rarely happened; the bulk of the sinful found and culled were out in the open.
To one Sinner, this was the unfortunate reality of her situation. She hadn't been here for long, barely enough time to make a living. Which in turn meant she had no safe place to hide. All this poor Sinner could do now was hope.
With whatever faith she could muster, she believed she would survive this. What more could she do than that? Force out all the fear and anxiety threatening to consume her soul. Maybe then, if only by a little, she'd begin to believe such a slim possibility.
Although, admittedly, there was another emotion present: Anger. In what could be her final moments, this Sinner thought of all who were to blame for these circumstances. The husband that had betrayed her. The temptress that ruined her life. And the deity that believed seeking justice for this cruelty should be met with punishment.
This Sinner had been a good person. Not a saint, but decent. And in a moment when everything she knew was falling apart around her, even the lord himself sought to kick her. Leaving her again to ask a question that would never be answered, why?
Sadly, that was the last thing to enter the Sinner's mind. Without having made a single noise, an Exterminator discovered her. It pushed aside the dumpster and bins she used to conceal herself with no effort. Granting them a clear shot.
Watching helplessly as the angel raised its weapon, revealed to be a rifle, tears began to fall from the Sinner's eyes. She didn't run or even beg, as her body couldn't move. The only motion she could muster was a light shake as the barrel was aimed at her face. And when her eyes looked to those of her killer for but a moment, she saw the unwavering expression of the mask they wore, which bore a sinister smile.
But within an instant, her gaze would suddenly shift to the left. For it seemed as though something had appeared, and it glistened with the shine of freshly cleaned metal.
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Was...that an engine? Or the guttural growl of a beast? The demon couldn't discern which it was right now, for she was in a state of shock. Caused by a sputtering wave of crimson warmth erupting from the Exterminator as its body was torn apart by serrated steel teeth.
They screamed in agony, unable to do more than convulse as their life slowly ended. The conclusion of which was quite grim. Starting from the space between their neck and left shoulder, the metal monster cut diagonally through the angel's flesh and bone until exiting the right hip. At which point, the two halves of the former Divine creature fell to the ground, landing with a wet and messy: PLOP.
And yet, the Sinner did not look at the corpse. Nor did she stare at the weapon that nearly ended her life. Her eyes were fixated on the metal monster, which turned out to be a chainsaw. As for who wielded it, she...couldn't make sense of them.
This Stranger, whoever they were, was clad in armor the Sinner had never seen before. It covered every inch of their body. Preventing any details that could show their identity from being seen. However, the armor had a few traits her shaken mind could register.
It was dark green with brown in a few places. A noticeable unknown red thing was on the left breastplate. And the helmet, which concealed the Stranger's face, had a visor. Through which the Sinner could barely make out what looked to be a nose and mouth.
But those would be the only things she could see before the Stranger looked away. Their attention was redirected to two more Exterminators who had just arrived. Undoubtedly drawn to the location by the screaming. Even with masks on their faces, the Sinner and the Stranger could see the angels were shocked by their body language.
Their torsos were pulled back in surprise. Their arms lowered as they focused on the scene rather than the weapons in their hands. Any intention of partaking in whatever was happening was gone. Just like the Sinner, they couldn't understand any of this.
And, as all would soon learn, the Stranger wouldn't give them a chance to.
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That same noise filled the air. Even now, as the Sinner knew it belonged to a chainsaw, she couldn't help but interpret it as the cry of a creature as it set out to take a life. Which, in all fairness, was not an inaccurate description of the display happening in front of her. With remarkable speed and power, the Stranger cut down the duo.
The chainsaw sliced through the angels like a sword would with paper. Doing so in a single swing that began on one angel's torso and ended on the other. These Exterminators' corpses hit the ground with the same sound as the first. A mess of blood covered everything around them, including the Stranger.
This would be met with a far swifter reaction. More Exterminators, approaching from the air, began to send forth their spears, arrows, and bullets toward the armor-clad individual. Yet the Stranger was unphased. They received this retaliation with the same laxness as a person would with rain falling on them.
However, the angels were quick to notice this as well. And thus increased the power of their attack by as much as they could, hoping it would defeat this unexpected enemy. But the Stranger did not move; they only stared. Almost as if the best these Divine beings could conjure was so insignificant that no response was necessary.
It was then, amidst this barrage, that the Stranger looked back to the Sinner. And for whatever reason, looking at her compelled them to act. Similar to how demons call forth familiars and other such things. The Stranger, through mysterious means, made their chainsaw disappear, replacing it with an intimidating firearm of their own.
Through the Sinner's eyes, what happened next was beautiful. A stream of bullets left the weapon. Faster than any but the Stranger could see. And each one created a perfectly formed hole in the Exterminators' forms.
Blood. Bodies. Bullets. A trifecta that came together to create an image that one would expect to find written in holy texts or painted within the walls of sanctums. They all fell from the sky perfectly. And to the Sinner, who watched it all, they descended slowly.
This breathtaking brutality lasted less than a minute. By the end, a small pile of corpses joined the other three. As for the Stranger, they still looked into the sky, focused on the distant horizon. Expecting more of these masked figures to arrive.
This assumption wasn't without reason, ignoring the dead that surrounded them. As the Stranger could see, clear as day, more of these entities were above the city. Of course, the Exterminators could see the Stranger as well, and most of them had witnessed the death of their comrades in that short period. That explained why they stayed away rather than move closer, for they knew it wouldn't be safe.
DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG.
That sound. It was similar to the clock tower. Yet it possessed an indescribable aura to it. Some might even say it was saintly.
Additionally, unlike the clock tower's ringing, this did not end at six. It was meant for the angels, beckoning them to return from whence they came. However, they did not retreat right away. Those who could see the Stranger and thus knew why they were being summoned continued to stare.
As for those who couldn't, they were simply confused. The Extermination had just begun; why was it ending? This had never happened before. So, the blissfully unaware didn't know what to think of it.
But eventually, as it would be blasphemous to ignore Heaven's call, the Exterminators responded to the ringing and returned to their home. And only when they were all gone, and the ringing from above ceased, did the Sinner look back to the Stranger. To which they discovered the Stranger had done the same.
What followed afterward, in many ways, was stranger than everything that just transpired. The Stranger, via the same method used with the chainsaw, made their firearm vanish. They did this so their arms would be free to carry...the Sinner. No, this wasn't a hallucination or dream concocted by the Sinner's mind; the Stranger returned to her and lifted her from the ground.
Carrying her in what most would call bridal style. The Stranger with the Sinner in their arms proceeded down the alley. Where they were going, why the Stranger was doing this, and any other relevant questions didn't enter the Sinner's mind. Instead, she laid her head against their armored chest and allowed herself to feel safe. For at long last, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, this Sinner found her Savior.