A/N: [I don't regularly do this, but I thought this would only be fair so I don't get scolded for this later. This chapter will contain extreme graphic and sexual content. This story is for mature readers anyway. But this chapter, in particular, is just violent and gory. If you guys have weak stomachs, then this is not for the faint of heart. I'm just giving you guys a heads up. Enjoy!]
"I've been an idiot, man."
Much of Eduardo's job duties are to supervise the Hilltop's main gate and alert the colony if danger arises that he and his mentor, Kal, can't manage. Kal was the head of security and gatekeeper at the Hilltop Colony, showing loyalty and protection for his people. Right now, both Eduardo and Kal are wielding spears as their weapons since the community began running out of ammunition.
Eduardo was busy sitting down on the Hilltop wall's elevated wooden floor while Kal kept standing to do his lookout duties. They have had usual discussions of their private life together, showing they might have been close.
"She said she's been giving me all kinds of signals. I don't even know what that means; looking at me and being nice? How am I supposed to pick up on that?" Eduardo began to explain his difficulty with a resident of the Hilltop Colony named Mandy, his girlfriend.
The Hilltop guard remains fixated with sharpening his dagger with a stone in front of what looked like everything had just stepped back in time about two or three centuries. There stood a stately Georgian manor house and a farming community surrounding it.
As the Hilltoppers moved throughout their business, Eduardo looked up slowly, taking in the sights of crops growing, livestock being looked after, and life just going on.
Eduardo sighed before continuing, "Well, whatever. It worked itself out, and we're going to have dinner together tonight. Have you met Mandy? She's-!"
"W-What the hell!? Heads up, Eduardo!" Kal cuts him off in a slightly agitated tone.
Eduardo soon bolts up to look at Kal with confusion, "What is it, Kal?"
Only silence had an answer for Eduardo that something dangerous was coming to the Hilltop Colony.
Eduardo became impatient with his friend's strange deportment, "Kal?! Are Negan's men back again? What would they want now-?"
But as soon as Eduardo observes the indefinite amount of horror from afar, his eyes widen that their new leader, Maggie, was out there. He knew all too well from the time when Maggie came to the Hilltop. Both he and Kal developed a respect for her as the leader of Hilltop over Gregory. But right now, some extremely tall, towering monster popped out of nowhere and started killing two Hilltop residents and leaving the other one getting ripped apart and beheaded. All Eduardo and Kal could hear was the screaming and struggling as Oscar's group got torn to shreds with roars combined.
Eduardo would have bolted in action if not for the hatred reflected in the Arch-Vile's eyes as it incinerated both Alexander and Justine. The creature looked like a monster from Hell, where it features a ghastly sight, eyes wild, glowing devilishly. For Cole's part, Eduardo felt his head nearly exploding at the sight of the resident getting ripped to shreds until death came when Cole's head got torn off by that creature. While Eduardo tried to comprehend what was going on, Kal's eyes widened, and a snarl forming on his lips.
He turned to Eduardo and shouts, "Hurry to the other side to let Maggie inside. After that, alert the residents and get some people to take refuge!"
"Got it!" Eduardo nodded and breathed in as he rushed, climbing his way down from the ladder and shouting to nearby onlookers, "Everybody in your homes now!"
Meanwhile, outside of Hilltop Colony, Oscar carried the weak yet frightened Gregory with his arm around his shoulders. The former leader goes to stand outside the massive gate with Oscar knocking.
"Hey," Gregory bangs on the gate rapidly, "Hello, open the gates! I-I W-We need help! We have been through hell! I know you two are in there and can hear me, goddammit!"
Maggie quickly makes it to Hilltop's front gate and exclaimed, "KAL, EDUARDO! OPEN THE GATE AND CLOSE IT SHUT UNTIL WE'RE ALREADY IN! AND HURRY!"
Speaking of the two guards, Eduardo was already climbing up on top of the other side of Hilltop's entrance to signal Kal on opening the gate doors enough for the group to squeeze right inside. Maggie, alongside Gregory and Oscar, finally made their way inside the enclosed walls of Hilltop. When Kal's eyes locked on the Arch-Vile in the middle of the distance, he blinked, unsure what it is about this monster until it began to summon a group of demons to attack the Hilltop Colony.
With the sight making his heart skip a beat out of terror, Kal screamed to Eduardo, "THERE'S MORE OF THOSE THINGS! CLOSE THE GATES NOW!"
After saying so, both Kal and Eduardo began closing the enormous gate before the Arch-Vile could get a chance to make its way over there. Plus, Oscar and Maggie came back to the gate with some long wooden boards to latch them and keep the entrance barricaded. Both Kal and Eduardo began to notice some of the Imps climbing their way up to where they stood. With frightening grins ripping across each demon's maws, the Hilltop guards raised their spears and then started to poke and stab one Imp or Maggot at a time.
Kal nearly gagged at the sight of what else he saw next, despite Eduardo being too focused on keeping the demons from escalating further. When one or two dead demons had fallen to the ground near the Arch-Vile, the infernal priest raised a clawed hand to bring them back to life as if nothing happened. And with how Kal's hands were trembling with his wielded spear, this was going to become a difficult challenge for everyone's sake.
A few other residents, such as Marco, had to lean his body weight against the gate with Wesley's assistance. Many bodies of the Imps and Hell-Soldiers were pushing back from the other side of the gate. But Oscar came up between the residents to help while Gregory stumbled back and retreated to his bedroom inside the Barrington House. Maggie could only shoot a glare at the way Gregory retreated because of his cowardly nature, showing he doesn't care much for anyone and doesn't respect her.
Bertie came trampling over in a flurry, her dark eyes wide with concern, and Neil was right behind her. And, surprisingly, he was the one to join Maggie in grabbing the wooden boards and placing them up against the doorway as a makeshift barrier. The wooden boards only did so much, though, and only because the Hilltop residents were pushing against the gate.
"What's going on, Maggie?" Bertie asked, concerned as a few people start milling around.
"For God's sake, Bertie, there are monsters out there! Will you people get out of the way!" Maggie shouted to the scared onlookers as the doors shudder when the demons begin to batter them down.
The residents strain to keep them shut while Maggie looked at Bertie and directed, "Call for assistance and tell them to bring weapons."
"heh, heh, heh, heh, heh..."
Her eyes snapped open as a disembodied laugh came to her, knowing far too well that the Arch-Vile was making its way towards Hilltop's front gate. Maggie's anger rose, and she needed to tell everybody what this monster was capable of right now, but even she knew there became nothing else understood about this creature. Before she could say anything, the Arch-Vile that used to be outside of the walls had now teleported itself within the center of Hilltop's community.
The crowd falls back in panic as the Arch-Vile grinned sinisterly at its latest victims. Maggie, as well as everyone else's eyes, nearly popped out of their sockets when they saw the Arch-Vile eyeballing each resident. Most likely, those who are female survivors to use for a slavery market in general. Raising both of its arms, the Arch-Vile let out a demonic cackle until summoning the lake of fire. It stretched all around the outside walls of Hilltop to prevent anyone from escaping this dreadful nightmare.
The second both Kal and Eduardo turned their backs on the Imps, the lake of fire burst up right in front of them, causing one or the other to get thrown off the Hilltop's guard tower. With each guard writhing in pain from their nasty fall onto a few residents or a chicken coop house, the demons finished their climb to the top. Each resident froze at the sight of several Imps descending to the ground in a stance.
"What the hell are those things?!" Freddie, a supply runner of the Hilltop Colony, yelped at the sight of the backbone of all hellspawn.
Andy, a supply deliverer of the Hilltop Colony, felt his eyes widen in terror. "D-Demons! And there's more of them!"
One of the Imps slipped into a racing stance, where the demon jumped and bit through Wesley's throat, gushing blood all over. Wesley's corpse fell while the Imp proceeded to rip through the body's entrails and beat him. Suddenly, two other Maggots came after with eyes blazing as each of them leaped onto several Hilltop residents, savaging them like marauding dogs.
Some of the Gargoyles flew right from above and shot green projectiles from a distance. The demons ran into survivors, where a few tried swerving to avoid them. Monsters started plowing into fleeing onlookers, killing and hurling one through a small wooden shop. Mass confusion as words became shouted and other residents tried to retreat from the creatures.
Both Kal and Eduardo were now up while enduring the cramp-like pains previously, charging towards the Imps with wielded spears. They all began to circulate and look for an opening, with serious looks on the guards' faces. Then Kal thrust his spear into a lunging Imp's chest and moved on to the next one. Eduardo does the same thing, but this time, in a Maggot's back before stomping on the two-headed demon dead.
Meanwhile, Gregory remained currently hidden by his bedroom window, frightfully watching a group of female residents ambushed by the Arch-Vile's summoned demons. With their eyes trailing down, they wasted little time following the Arch-Vile's orders. An Imp's claws slid onto an unlucky woman's tank top then ripped the fabric open, exposing her breasts, as well as her flat stomach.
Each demon's smile grew wider as they gazed down at the nearly topless woman. She started to scream, and her arms went to cover her bare chest, but a pair of Imps tackled the poor woman down. They grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her arms out to the side, forming a "T" with her body.
"Let me go, you sick monsters! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!" The woman tried to struggle, but it was no use.
The woman's breasts moved slowly up and down under the dirty black lace bra. The other Imp slowly ran its claws down her cheek then onto the slightly dirty tops of her tender breasts. The demon looked to the Arch-Vile, who only nodded in approval.
As though to make the enjoyment last, the Imp slowly pulled the cups of the woman's bra into separate directions, the sound of the fabric tearing echoed in the room as the woman's breasts became bared to the Arch-Vile and its audience.
The Arch-Vile looked over at the other women and beamed evilly, seeing them begin to panic and scream while several other Imps kept them in place.
"What the fuck?! Leave us alone!" A woman tried to escape, only to get forced back into the center with other women where the Imps were waiting to get a piece of them.
"You won't get away with this, you sick...!" The woman's words got halted as an Imp slapped her hard across her face, knocking her to the ground.
The Arch-Vile snarled in command as another Imp grabbed the woman's stunned body, lifted her by her hair, and effortlessly dropped her to where three Imps can release some pleasure with her.
An Imp's hands were scorching on one woman's bare breasts, and she started to cry, her anger giving way to fear. Snickering like the devils that they are, the next Imp grinned at another young woman, who tried vainly to break free of the two demons holding her.
The Imp reached up and grabbed the woman by her cheeks, squeezing so hard she screamed as much as she could in the position. While holding her face with one hand, the Imp's other hand ran down along her flat stomach, briefly playing with her a bit before grabbing the top of her lower clothing.
The Imp's powerful arms ripped them open like curtains on the table where the woman had gotten held down.
"No!" The woman screamed as her arms tired from struggling, but her luck had run out. She was going to get raped alongside her female friends, and she became helpless to stop it.
The Imp's eyes looked down at the woman's newly revealed panties. The thong's sheer fabric was so thin it was practically see-thru as it clung to her crotch, outlining her slit that hid underneath. The Imp wasted little time, ripping the panties from her body, baring her lower body before him. The woman's slit looked practically untouched as the Imp released her face and revealed its foot-long cock.
The woman tried to kick, but it was of no use. "Let me go, you freak!"
As the woman tried to kick, the Imp caught her legs before she could even move and spread her legs wide. Her crotch flowering open as she got pulled towards the demon's erection. She closed her eyes tight as she felt the warm tip touch her.
"No...! NO!" She moaned as she felt the tip press into her.
"Please-AAHH!" The woman's mouth dropped open in a scream as the demonic rapist thrust into her.
As the Imp began to pump in and out of her, the helpless woman began to cry harder. The two Imps holding the lady's wrists released her, and her arms fell limply onto the ground as the pace of her rape increased.
The Imp's left claw slid up the woman's body and groped her breast as it continued to thrust into her. Slowly, her crying turned to grunts as the demon's foot-long cock felt like it was tearing her insides apart.
By the time the Imp thrusts deeply into her, the woman's head lulled to the side, her spirit as broken as her virginity. The woman closed her eyes as she saw the demons with their hands on their cocks, jacking off at the sight of her rape. The Imp pushed deep into the woman's now gaping flower, causing her to cry out, but in a weak, wounded animal sort of way.
The Imp held its dick deep inside the young woman as it started to ejaculate inside her, filling her insides with its sizzling seed. As the Imp came, it pulled out, shooting the remainder of wad onto her stomach and up onto the bottom of her slowly rising and falling breasts.
The woman's body stopped moving, ravaged by the rape. The broken female lays there, barely moving, her legs splayed wide as the demon's sperm dripped from her cunt. The other women nearby sobbed, thinking that this was probably just the beginning of what will happen to them. Back at the window, Gregory couldn't help but notice that he drooled out the side of his mouth at the display.
It was wrong to feel aroused by all of this, presenting a sense of danger that unfortunately turned Gregory on so much. He was always so flirtatious and sleazy around women. Gregory would sometimes go out of his way to randomly bump into attractive women and flirt with them. But he always got rejected since many residents here see into his true nature and want nothing to do with him.
Maggie stared in horror at the dark, corruptive beings that came out of nowhere and started attacking the Hilltop Colony's people. Seeing as to how the Arch-Vile is launching projectiles of fire at a few male residents, Maggie could see that she was becoming overpowered once again by something more awful than the Saviors. It was her biggest fear, the one that continually appeared in her nightmares, that had now become real again. Right now, several different demons were stalking their way to where she remained frozen by this overwhelming shock.
A couple of her newest friends are struggling against these monsters with knives and spears. Heart racing, Maggie's eyes rushed all around the community for ways to escape, only to find more and more devilish creatures. The Hilltop Colony became plagued by an uncountable number of demons. Those terrible, evil creatures tormented the Earth and her people.
Maggie's mind nearly collapsed, her breathing became ragged and heavy. She trembled and almost tripped due to the sudden anxiety caused by the demons. All she could think about at this very moment is everyone back at Alexandria, wishing that Glenn was still alive with her. Too traumatized by the past, Maggie's limbs felt numb, and she could only clench her dagger harder and wait for a miracle to save her.
And by a lucky chance, something did happen.
The shadowy thoughts continued to torment Maggie until she realized it was silent, too silent. Just then, heavy steps had gotten heard at the entrance. Further, she didn't think of it anymore, as suddenly the Hilltop gate bursts itself wide open, and they slam against the walls behind them. Everyone in Hilltop stared at the sight of a staggering Mancubus that impacted on top of some dead Imps.
The Arch-Vile turned its attention onto the bloodied Mancubus that groaned and writhed in pain, causing the Arch-Vile to snap at whoever made such a big mistake. But the Arch-Vile became confronted with a shocking sight. Maggie looked at the stranger, and she could not believe what her defective vision showed: a tall, bulky armored form with an aura of power that corresponded to that of the Doom Slayer himself.
The Slayer's presence sent a chill down the Arch-Vile. The demons should have run away, the Arch-Vile should have faced the Slayer chanting a powerful attack that killed the Scourge of Hell, but it couldn't. The other demons outside had not been so lucky, and the Arch-Vile glared at its destroyer within the gory sight behind him.
The fields outside of Hilltop remained a mess. Imps laid broken on the floor. Maggots became shattered here and there, and the undead creatures had gotten melted by intensely powerful weapons of the Slayer. A few Hell-Soldiers had gotten destroyed, and the Gargoyles burned to ashes.
VEGA: {I have detected Maggie's life signature to affirm that she's still alive, as well as the baby that's developing inside of her. For right now, you should focus on tracking down the Arch-Vile as soon as possible. They can summon other monsters, and as a result, eliminating them is your highest priority.}
Standing right next to the Slayer was Sasha after she sniped down two or three more Mecha-Zombies that tried to maim her. As the already damaged Mancubus tried to get up, the Slayer switched to his rocket launcher to shoot projectiles onto each part of the behemoth. He rammed a hand through the creature's exposed heart before ripping it out and stuffed it down its throat.
The Mancubus began to stagger around for a short period before collapsing and bodily organs bursting open to kill the Mancubus. Switching to his plasma rifle, the Slayer rapidly shot down through three Imps before boosting his way over to smash a fist at the Arch-Vile's face with exciting speed and sent it dashing backward against the side of the Barrington House's wall.
The Arch-Vile could not stand the Slayer's silent insults any longer, and it threw a fiery slash at his face with other residents thinking the Slayer became done for now. But then, due to everybody's surprise, even the Arch-Vile's, the Slayer caught its claw. The Arch-Vile growled again and threw over another one at him, but that other one got caught without breaking a sweat.
The Slayer then started crushing its claws even though they were highly durable. The Arch-Vile started grunting in pain, and placed one foot on the Slayer's chest, and tried to pull away from his imposing grip, but the Slayer's grip was just too troublesome for the Arch-Vile. With no other choice, the Arch-Vile equipped itself with a wall of fire that pushes the Slayer and his grasp away for a short period. The Arch-Vile made a fiery projectile dash towards the Slayer, who quickly defends himself with the Crucible Blade to swipe the fireball down.
The Arch-Vile charged and swang its claws at him, but the Slayer used the Crucible Blade to hinder the Arch-Vile's attack. The Arch-Vile emitted many more fire projectiles at the Slayer, but he blocks everything the infernal priest threw at him. The Arch-Vile thrust its fiery claws at the Slayer, but he dodged each swipe.
Quickly, Sasha rushed her way over to aim with her silencer rifle and sniped down a couple more Imps before one Gargoyle attempts to swipe at her. Sasha struggled to retract from the demon before Maggie came up behind the Gargoyle and stabs it through the scalp. It was also thankful that Andy and Freddie silenced the other few Imps with knives to the skull. Neil then used a wooden 2x4 as a weapon to bash through the last Imp while Bertie stabbed its head.
Maggie hurried over to Sasha with concern, "What happened? How'd you get back here?"
"We'll talk about this later, Maggie. Just stay close to me so the baby won't get hurt by those demons," said Sasha before looking at everyone else, "Everyone stays in groups and take these monsters down just like I taught you about the walkers!"
"Jesus, that man could've probably been messier than this!" Freddie blurted out without thinking it over when he witnessed the carnage from outside of Hilltop's courtyard.
"Who's that guy that you brought with here? He's killing those monsters like they were nothing!" Bertie asked Sasha as her tone became extremely serious yet terrified.
"It's okay, Bertie! He's here to help us get rid of these things! He's going to handle that big one right now, so we got to help the rest of the Hilltop Colony!" Sasha explained until her voice was becoming colder the more she spoke as if the entire world was about to be at stake. "Where the hell is Gregory of all places?"
"He's hiding inside of the Barrington House. But that doesn't matter right now because you told us that the man you brought is helping us. We got to start gathering people up and take these bastards down before anything else happens!" Maggie broke it down for everyone else.
Bertie soon agreed, followed by a cacophony of multiple residents deciding to follow Maggie's orders.
Back to the fight, the Arch-Vile delivered a side thrust kick on the Slayer's stomach and sent him flying away. But the Slayer used his thruster boots to kick away from the side of the Hilltop's walls and drops to stomp an Imp flat, leaving blood on his boot. Watching the Arch-Vile order several Imps to attack, the Slayer zipped onward to deliver a heavy punch on the first demon. He slashed his Crucible Blade through two to three Imps, smashing another Imp fast by using one of its legs.
While the Slayer is trying to get the Arch-Vile, he remained busy as he became locked into a fierce battle against a Gargoyle and Imp. Infuriated, the Slayer's energy sidearm shot straight into the Gargoyle's head, piercing its left side and barely missing its eye before digging deeper into the skull. The Slayer then humorously lifts an Imp and punches it hard in its testicles. With the Imp permanently discombobulated, the Slayer swiftly penetrates his fist through the demon's face and kills it. Whipping out his combat shotgun, the Slayer jumped forward and planted bullets that tore through each demon's jaw, head, and torso.
The Arch-Vile growled at the Slayer, frustrated from being toyed around by the likes of him. The Slayer switches to the chaingun, and the Arch-Vile observed him use the mobile turret to unfold into a tri-barreled minigun.
The Slayer commenced firing a giant load of ammunition at the Arch-Vile, and it seemed to make contact with the monster, and plenty of smoke covered the area. The Slayer thought he finished off the Arch-Vile, but when the smoke clears, a flaming wall stood around, shielding the Arch-Vile.
The Slayer glowered a bit and switched to the gauss cannon, running towards the Arch-Vile before it begins hitting the Slayer aside until he kept himself steady after that impact. The Arch-Vile starts laughing at the Slayer before receiving some high damage shots by the gauss cannon.
All of this pissed the Arch-Vile off, watching the Slayer unsheathed the Crucible Blade again. Only for the Slayer to notice the Arch-Vile taking off after him in a zig-zag motion, kicking the Slayer across into one of the Barrington House's windows, one that belongs to Gregory's room. The Arch-Vile snickered in delight before charging forward and jumping to ascend onto the mansion's balcony.
Meanwhile, Kal and Eduardo struggled against a few Maggots after stabbing and piercing through several different demons such as Hell-Soldiers. But thankfully enough, Sasha shot down several Imps and Maggots while Neil comes to bash a Blaster down with a large piece of lumber. Maggie comes in with a machete, this time to hack through the other Blaster's skull.
"Thanks for the help, boss-lady!" Eduardo said while giving Maggie a grin of relief.
"We still got a lot to do, so let's be quick about it!" Kal commented, where he got a few nods of agreement.
"Kal, Eduardo, Marco, Andy, and Freddie, go track down more of these monsters who have people as hostages or those trapped in their homes. Sasha, Bertie, Neil, and Oscar, you're with me to check inside if Gregory is still alive. As much as I detest the idea, we also need to know if that other man needs help." Maggie explained the layout of saving Hilltop and the rest of the community.
"You got it, boss-lady." Eduardo nodded his head as he looked at Kal.
Kal responded in approval, "Follow me, and keep close!"
With that said, Kal and the rest of his group began to track down and kill any monsters who are holding humans as their next victims or playthings.
"The big guy will be okay, Maggie. He's handled these things way before we could ever do. Right now, you need to stay close to me. Nobody's going to harm the baby, not here or now." Sasha hastily sniped down two other Imps that tried to sneak up on the group.
"Well, whatever we do now, that big thing needs to be stopped," Oscar said.
Maggie and her group persisted, making their way to the Barrington House's front door to find where the Slayer crashed inside.
"No, please stop it!"
"No!"
Several Hilltop women, who have gotten tied to posts while unclothed, begged and wailed for the demons to show them mercy. But none would as they were eager to indulge their vices, with most of the women turning their heads away in fear and disgust. The Imps cackled as they started stroking and twiddling the women lecherously. Just then, Kal's group of fighters soon arrive at the very sight before they showed expressions of disgusted shock.
"What the fuck?!" Marco shouted in total confusion.
"You bastards, how dare you!" Kal shouted angrily as the rest of his group looked just as outraged. "Don't you dare lay a hand on them! Violating those girls is something unforgivable!"
One of the Imps sniggered as it licked the navel of one girl, making her cringe in hatred. But what shocked Eduardo much more was that the girl is none other than Mandy getting ravished by these demons. The Imp gave the wide-eyed Eduardo a toothy grin while its cohorts were snickering, knowing they had his attention. Even the detained women watching couldn't help but shiver in faith that Kal's group will save them all.
Eduardo glared into the yellow eyes of the evil Imp and shouted, "MANDY!"
And just like that, Imps that were alongside Maggots charged at Kal's group, who all then spring to attack each one of the Imps with spears and knives. Eduardo, filled with a gallon of fury for what the demons have done, stabbed and intruded his way through several Imps.
Andy began to thrust a knife into an Imp's skull before noticing Freddie getting surrounded by Imps as they tackled him down. He saw Freddie's eyes widen as an Imp's claws penetrated the soft flesh of his abdomen. The Imp ripped its claws horizontally across the man's soft belly, right below the waistline.
"Oh, my god! Freddie!" Marco yells.
Screaming horrifically, Freddie shook with his belly ripped open, and his guts spilled out. Freddie hurled and gurgled before getting his head crushed by an Imp's foot frantically. Andy stared dumbly down at Freddie's slaughtered corpse, then turned his eyes back to see more Imps shadowing forward.
"NO! Get away from there, Andy!" Marco called out, concerned.
"No...! Get away from me!" Andy cried and shook his head frantically.
Gathering a strength he didn't know where it comes from, the panicked man backs away and tried to escape, only to collide with another Imp. Afraid, he punched and kicked it to make it move. It only made the Imp laugh as it dove forward, slamming a fireball through Andy's chest until his body erupted in fire and guts.
Upon seeing both Andy and Freddie being the first to get obliterated, Kal, Eduardo, and Marco were the only three left to face the demons alone.
"My God. They're everywhere." Marco whispered.
"We need to keep pushing, guys! We must protect this place at all costs!" Kal frowned.
Both Kal and Eduardo dodged and galloped from the Maggots before Kal dispatched two or three while Marco avoided an Imp's fireball. Blood splattered on his clothes and half his face as Eduardo penetrated a spear through the Imp's torso, killing it. Exhaustion was soon coming through to each resident, but they would not rest until all the imprisoned women were safe and sound.
Trying to calm himself underneath his desk, Gregory breathed in and exhaled all after the Slayer crash-landed inside the bedroom through the brick wall window. Despite Gregory's effort, his mind raced through the means to escape the community. He takes Simon's hand-written note from his shirt pocket to study it closely, and before the former leader could scamper to his feet, his eyes found the demonic Crucible laid on the ground.
Slowly, Gregory's mind fogged because of the intense power the artifact beheld. It caused him to crawl his way over to touch the object, releasing disturbing images into Gregory's subconscious. The effect caused Gregory to seethe his teeth harshly and his eyes to glow red by the visions that transpired inside his psyche. His mind remained unaware of the Arch-Vile climbing to discover the Slayer hastening to his feet, spotting Gregory handling the Crucible.
Before the Slayer could grab the Crucible away from the former leader, the Arch-Vile tipped and launched the desk that sent the Slayer crashing into the bookcases. Anger filled the Slayer as he tossed the desk aside and used his super shotgun to blast the Arch-Vile three times while reloading, and then kicks the Arch-Vile through the hallway of the mansion.
After that, whipping around to snatch the Crucible away from Gregory's hands, the older man stared at the Slayer with fascinated horror as his lifeless eyes brightened ominously. Nonetheless, the Slayer stepped past the older man and bounded his way to where the Arch-Vile overturned. Gregory became somewhat relieved yet terrified by the Slayer's armored presence while he proceeded onward and left the former leader to fend for himself.
"W-Who was that...?!" Gregory asked himself before something else echoed out of nowhere.
"You do not understand the things that are tampered with, human."
Gregory's eyes bugged out as his head whirled around. "Who's there?!"
"Because of such actions made, the Doom Slayer is now free from his sarcophagus, and we will forever torment your realm as a result."
Realizing the voice was coming from within his head, Gregory began to tremble as he asked, "Who and what are you?"
"You should not ask questions you already know the answer, Gregory."
"But- how-?"
"When you touched the Crucible, you have encountered visions for a brief time. And now, through that, we can contact you as we so please."
Gregory shook his head, steeling himself. "Whatever you're here for, please don't hurt me! I've done nothing wrong!"
"Of course not. After all, this suffering and torment upon your land, it is the Seraphim's doing for granting the Doom Slayer powers."
That gave him a pause. "W-What?"
"He could never understand the gravity of his actions. However, we came to you for a reason, Gregory. To offer you a method for our recovery."
Gregory said nothing, and the voice continued.
"As of now, the Doom Slayer is free once more and will return to Hell to continue his eternal crusade against our very existence. If you can help us seal him once more and keep him contained for eternity, we would cease our invasion of your realm and leave you in peace. We urge you to make a decision quickly-!"
"Deal!"
The voice seemed to be taken aback, "I must say that you're dire to approve such a proposition-!"
Gregory scowled. "Listen, I do not care about that! You would not believe how painful this is for me to get bested by some wolf in sheep's clothing! It feels like my insides become twisted with a mix of humiliation and misery. You are telling me you have a proposition. That is something I would be very grateful for as of now. The Hilltop is mine. I let a fox into my henhouse, where she and her people took advantage of my generous nature. I see that now, and I want to fix it."
"I've accomplished amazing things with this community. It's true! But now, all of my people decided to side with that bitch!" The former leader seethed his teeth, going quiet for a moment to keep himself calm before continuing, "I built this place. I'm the reason my people have lasted this long. I've kept Negan at bay. ME! Margret and her group of freeloaders can't deny that. Now my people are cannon fodder to them."
"For what is now worth, I did zero harm to any cause. So whatever it is that you desire, for my people and to reseal that Slayer person, I will do whatever it takes to get what I want out of this. Everything!" Gregory finished and let out a breath he didn't notice he was holding.
The voice chortled. "I'm satisfied that you are working for the side of sanity. We saw fit to provide your realm with a way to escape the damnation, and yet those foolish mortals refuse out of arrogance. Once we have conquered this world, we will see to it that their souls have become sentenced to only the most unforgiving and unthinkable torment. Untold agony and suffering shall be their fate, as well as the fate of their loved ones, for longer than time itself."
With only a second or moment, Gregory's eyes widen at the mere sight of a hellish crimson portal crackling open within his ravaged bedroom.
"We suggest that you carefully leave this place, and you will prove you're one of us." The voice stated in a sincere tone. "Enter, and we shall see what merit do your words hold."
Gregory said nothing as he took in the voice's words and stood up, nearly hearing Maggie's shouts that were coming outside of his bedroom. What had come over him? Why was he so quick to accept the demons, and so bluntly? True, he would've decided that anyway, but after shaking his head, he had more important things to look forward to for the time being instead of here.
Looking back at the portal, Gregory ignored the shouts from outside and stepped inside until the portal vanished, never to become seen.
The Slayer continued to aim and shoot with his combat shotgun. He charged at the Arch-Vile, who puts its claws together and ignites a fire projectile at the Slayer's torso. After handling the attack and his body crackling with yellowish energy, the Slayer dodged another attack with ease before tossing the Arch-Vile over the balcony of stairs.
The Arch-Vile impacted through the wooden flooring, and despite every attack received from its destroyer, the Arch-Vile still started every fight with a screech of rage.
VEGA: {I have just detected a sign of Hell energy back in the other room where Gregory remained, but his life signature is now gone all of a sudden. I assume that he must have gotten taken willingly by some of Hell's legions or perhaps one of the Hell Priests. All of this could be a sign of trouble for this world.}
The Slayer could only fume in a silent rage on the fact that Hell can manipulate the minds of other humans, much like how it turned out for Olivia Pierce when she made a pact with Hell to aid in their invasion.
Nearly forgetting that the Arch-Vile was still inside the mansion, the Slayer heard Bertie shriek a bit, and he looked over the balcony to spot Maggie's group inside the house's center. He groaned with the annoyance of how many people needed to get saved all the time.
The Slayer saw the Arch-Vile growl ferociously, throwing a fireball aimed at Maggie's head before Sasha ducked her down. Sasha then aims her silencer rifle to try dispatching the Arch-Vile while brushing them off like they were nothing. The Slayer descended to hit the Arch-Vile with a super-charged punch and caved the monster deeper into the flooring.
Pinning the Arch-Vile to the bottom, the Slayer began repeatedly punching it in the face and finishing their fight; however, the Arch-Vile's fury extended as it double-kicked the Slayer to the ceiling, and he fell. Using enough energy, the Arch-Vile teleported out of the destroyed flooring and was outside of the courtyard.
The Slayer quickly got up to rush outside the mansion, pushing aside Bertie and Neil as he whipped out his heavy assault rifle to use the tactical scope and sniped the Arch-Vile. With the Arch-Vile striving to shield itself, only a few shots chipped the Arch-Vile if not for Sasha sniping.
The Arch-Vile soon had enough of this annoying woman as it charged forward until the Slayer caught a face full of a fireball and got sent flying through a tiny wooden shop.
Sasha, who was up close to the Arch-Vile once it glares down at her, didn't have enough time to get away as the Arch-Vile penetrated its flaming claws through her torso.
Blood seemed to spray immediately from what the Arch-Vile had just created, and Sasha choked out some of her blood. Poor Maggie, who was already frightened from whatever was disposing of the Hilltop, let out a heart-wrenching sob as she became forced to watch her friend meet her fate. Everyone else seemed to gasp in sheer horror at what was now happening.
As the Arch-Vile's claws pierced deeply, Maggie cried out, "SASHA, NO!" and it was the most agonizing exclamation any of the residents had ever heard.
Everyone loved Sasha, but Maggie had loved Sasha the most and shared a deep connection with her. She was her supporter when Glenn died, and now she was losing that again. When the Slayer got back up from the debris and witnessed Sasha getting stabbed by the Arch-Vile, his widened eyes soon turned into a deadly scowl as he switched to fire with the super shotgun.
A snarl emitted from the Arch-Vile before tossing Sasha aside, gleeful at the sight of Maggie, who lunged to scoop Sasha gently. The Arch-Vile teleported again through fire and stood outside Hilltop in a short distance. The Slayer glared dangerously before racing his way towards one of the Hilltop's guard towers and climbed up to the top.
Back to where Sasha had laid in Maggie's arms, covered in so much blood and gore, Maggie felt a glimmer of gathering tears fall down her cheeks. With Dr. Carson taken by the Saviors, there was no chance for her now. Sasha was groaning and gasping to breathe and speak when she turned toward Maggie.
Even if the Arch-Vile stopped there, Sasha would not survive this injury.
But then, Sasha hissed in pain as she begins to get up from her wounded state, despite the burning agony she felt. "I...I need to get to the other tower. The big guy needs my help, whether he wants it or not."
"S-Sasha, no..." Maggie's voice broke, mixed with degrees of sadness and anger, trying to keep her friend down from more danger.
But Sasha cuts her off, "I have to...for you and everyone here. I'm not going to make it out of this alive, Maggie, but you will. And this baby. The Slayer will save us all from these demons, and I need to do my part as well. Whatever he's planned for that monster, it's something that I got to do for everyone to survive here."
Without so much as doing so, Bertie soon came to help Maggie get Sasha back up. "I-I understand, Sasha. We'll get you over there, and you'll help the big guy kill that monster."
Slowly, Maggie began to pull herself and Sasha up to their feet with a trembling nod. "O-Okay, okay..."
The Slayer, who was on top of the Hilltop's guard tower, witnessed the Arch-Vile letting out a mortifying measure of laughter as it resurrects the lives of the demons outside the fields. Most of the surviving Hilltop residents soon saw this coming, becoming lost in the dread of what their fates would be like now.
As the Arch-Vile thrusts out its left claw forward, it began to summon something terrifying in the eyes of humanity. It was a monstrous humanoid cyborg that looked muscular and minotaur-like with two dark grey horns. The creature's pelvis and entire right leg are cybernetic equivalents, while the left leg is entirely organic with a cybernetic upper section. Its left arm has gotten replaced with a mounted rocket launcher. Red wiring becomes shown on its lower torso and patches of metal and wires on its right arm.
It was the Tyrant, or commonly a Cyberdemon.
Time seemed to stop at that moment. Not only for the residents standing in Hilltop but also the ones that had run away from the legion. Even others watching from inside their homes could only gasp at what was happening. Other residents that stood afar from it would have nightmares in their futures for what would happen next, as it was unexpected to ever occur in the first place.
The Tyrant roared.
The Arch-Vile grinned with delight as it watches its resurrected army charge in a heap of fury and demonic energy. While knowing that things were going to become perfect, the Arch-Vile soon began to regard the Slayer on one of the guard towers. But now, to the Arch-Vile's shock, the Slayer had pulled out the BFG-9000 with green glowing from within.
The Slayer was just about ready to aim at all forty demons that were in front of him. The Arch-Vile quickly ordered the Tyrant to open fire on its destroyer, right until a few silent shots fired by the weakened Sasha on the other guard tower. The Slayer's eyes caught sight of Sasha's vulnerable form with her silencer rifle shooting at the Cyberdemon as a diversion for him to fire the BFG-9000.
The Arch-Vile glared intently at where Sasha prevailed and blasted a fiery projectile towards her, causing her eyes to widen so quickly there was no time for anyone to prepare for when she suddenly got absorbed into the flaming attack and exploded into a blazing mess. A hot flash of fire tore through as Sasha's scorching body had gotten plunged over the wall to meet her demise. As the Slayer could overhear the loud cries of Maggie somewhere that sounded so mournful, his finger had only enough time to pull the trigger.
With the Arch-Vile grinning for triumph, its attention soon got brought upon a bright green burst shot forward. The BFG-9000 had fired and sent out a burning plasma surge that caused every other demon to get vaporized into oblivion. When a bright green light erupted forth from the BFG-9000, the Hilltop settlers jumped back in surprise as the light engulfed the area. Sasha had successfully provided the Slayer a distraction for him to use the BFG-9000 onto the Arch-Vile and the demon horde.
The Tyrant tried its best to avoid the powerful attack, only to receive the same fate as its comrades before feeling its entire body break off into pieces.
The Hilltop settlers shielded their eyes as a loud roaring sound echoed out, followed by the sounds of the demons' ear-piercing screeches. Each demon's flesh and bones began to peel away from their already damaged bodies and became fragmented beyond any repair until they died out like ashes and soot.
The Arch-Vile still refused to give up and, once the bright green glow came closer, screeched out in agony as it got obliterated by the energy ball.
A moment later, a loud bang had gotten heard as a shockwave erupted outward. Some of the residents got thrown back as the ground rumbled violently. After a few moments, the light faded away, the people stumbling back to their feet and looking with wide eyes at the scene. Maggie shook her head to clear her vision then looked before her.
What used to be outside in the fields of the Hilltop Colony now remained only a wide-sized crater that wasn't too deep. The result of the BFG-9000 burnt and wiped out nearly an entirety of the forest area. The Slayer paid no attention to the rest of the surviving residents; he stood still calmly observing the view afar that has become a complete warzone. He felt uncaring if he gets in trouble or not because right now, the battle was over.
The demons were now dead.
The Arch-Vile was now dead.
And the Hilltop Colony is saved.
Sasha had gone out and died like a warrior, the way Abraham would surely want to go out himself if he were alive as well. Most of the remaining demons that endured within Hilltop were annihilated by Kal's group and saved the women in sexual bondage. When the Slayer finally did come to a stable level of alertness, he achieved his goal of saving the entire community. But of course, he knew there became numerous casualties and victims made here and there.
The Slayer analyzed his surroundings. He observes the destruction and demon carcasses piling all around the Hilltop's interior. Thankfully, some of the demon corpses had rapidly evaporated to skeletal remains, then to nothing at all. The Slayer could understand that Sasha was right in line with the mission at hand and protecting life. It also became thankful that Rosita was needed elsewhere. Otherwise, she would have joined a similar fate that Sasha alone had taken or something worse.
VEGA: {The legions of Hell in this area have become terminated. Maggie is nearby the other guard tower of Hilltop, and she's grieving. It appears that Sasha did not survive after providing that distraction for your victory, Slayer. I suggest that you go and give your condolences while I find more Hell Energy levels rising.}
The Slayer soon acknowledges what VEGA had told him to do, even though it didn't feel like it was necessary to him, but he knew Sasha meant well to Rick's people. He steps over to climb his way down the ladder and walked past a few folks tended by many others. Speaking of which, the Slayer could see female victims wrapped in blankets, their eyes traumatized from the moment of being stripped naked by those demonic cretins.
The Slayer walked through as his violent appearance made them recoil or shrink, but they could practically feel his gaze softening. He continued onward to where Maggie remains, with everyone else mourning the loss of their friend, Sasha. With just about everybody else, their next thought had become instantly dismissed by the sight of the Slayer. He was making his way over to where Maggie sat on her knees by Sasha's concealed corpse. Kal and Eduardo quickly stalked forward with their spears at the Slayer.
"Stop right there," Kal demanded but surprisingly starting to trail off as the Slayer closes up to him. "Who are you? What are you here...for,...?"
"Dude, we should probably let him pass," Eduardo said in a concerned tone as he saw the Slayer burning holes in each guard with his eyes.
Swiftly, the Slayer passes by Kal while Eduardo descends his spear to avoid such harm inflicted upon him. The Slayer's sight became set upon gazing at Sasha's remains, frowning the idea of what will always happen if people started getting close with him. Oscar and Marco had already wrapped Sasha's body tightly in dirty old sheets, which was nothing fancy about it.
Regardless of Sasha's sacrifice, the only fight worth fighting is one for the future. The value of life has grown beyond concern for themselves. The Slayer squatted down to Maggie's eye level, making her flinch back even more.
Despite her fear, she still forced herself to stare back at the Slayer. "W-Who are you? What do you want?"
Oddly enough, at this proximity, Maggie could barely make out the outline of a face underneath the Slayer's visor, along with a pair of blue eyes. One of the Slayer's hands moved, and Maggie instantly began to falter.
Kal called out, "Stop!"
Instead of expecting something harsh, Maggie just felt a hand pat her on the shoulder to show comfort, followed by footsteps heading away from her. It wasn't a natural greeting for the Slayer to adapt quickly, but it was enough to calm Maggie down.
"Did he just pat me on the back?" Maggie timidly blinked, and she saw everyone else looking just as confused as she felt.
Bertie could only nod slowly.
It became a few more seconds before Maggie realized the Slayer was starting to leave the community. "Wait, hold it!"
The Slayer did not stop, so Maggie stands up quickly to intercept him as he marched onward. "Who are you? Where are you going?"
Still no response, and he just calmly walked around her before VEGA decides to introduce himself.
VEGA: {Hello, I am VEGA. An artificial intelligence unit that is currently residing within the Praetor Suit. The man behind the visor remains addressed as the Doom Slayer. Right now, I have detected a signal of Hell Energy nearby another community, miles ahead in the east from here. The Slayer wanted to offer you his condolences for Sasha's death before he leaves. The Arch-Vile needed to become terminated before any more harm got inflicted within the walls of the Hilltop Colony.}
Now that the Slayer had his plan, thanks to VEGA, he just continued walking away. Maggie could understand the Slayer's disappointment for not saving Sasha in time, especially herself for that matter. But Sasha was willing to make a decision to sacrifice herself for the sake of everyone that's still alive. Including Maggie and her unborn child as the future for Hilltop. Maggie then looked at the Slayer with tears welling in her eyes.
"Wait!" Maggie called out again.
That made the Slayer halt and slowly turn to face her.
"Thank you for saving our community, Slayer," Maggie said, new tears spilling over.
"God bless you, Slayer. We all thought we'd become done for," Bertie praised, stepping next to Maggie with a hand on her shoulder. "Please, if you're going to the Kingdom, will you make sure that King Ezekiel and his people are okay too?"
The Slayer continued to hear all of this, just letting it soak in slowly before staring at Bertie incredulously, "Seriously, again with this king nonsense?"
VEGA: {The Slayer will be able to do that as well, ma'am. As much as he would like to stay and assist in repairing the Hilltop Colony, the Slayer must continue his mission to reclaim his Fortress in Extulia. Thankfully, there are no known demonic forces anywhere near the Hilltop Colony. So, you will all be safe for now in the meantime when Alexandria comes to aid you. The Slayer will take care of the rest of Hell's legions until his job becomes finished.}
With that now said, the Slayer nodded at Maggie as a sign of hope before turning away to continue onward to the designated location that VEGA marked down. Watching as the Slayer went far into the distance, some of the Hilltop Colony residents gathered around to observe their savior in fascination and gratitude. They were grateful that all of the communities, except for the Saviors, aren't alone throughout this newfound battle against Hell.
As of now, they have a unique ally.
They have hope.
Hurrying down the road and through the urban lot, Carol kept thinking of more and more of those Hellhounds taking advantage of the situation by chasing her. Carol paid no mind as she ran across a few blocks past the various walkers that Morgan killed earlier today. Carol soon stopped herself and sailed to hide behind an abandoned car, nearly out of breath after running away so much.
Carol breathed so heavily as she listens to the quiet breeze with her rifle checked in her hands. She also carried her machete and knife in each of their sheathes, fortunately. There was a definite chill in the air as Carol sat beneath the road. It was as though the wind itself was perfectly blending with the anxiety she felt right now, shivering solely on account of the weather.
Carol needed to know if Ezekiel knows anything about what's going on. If not him, then maybe the entire community of the Kingdom. Carol could still feel the slimy spot on her cheek when that demonic knight planned to violate her, whether she was alive or dead. There was still a large red handprint on the side of her neck that made her feel like she's getting choked some more.
The older woman wasted no time and stepped in once more, only to hear heavy breathing nearby that causes her to look around wildly. That was until she spotted one of the Hellhounds at a great distance, trotting down the block towards Carol. She turns to flee, her pace becoming a terrifying run. With Carol frantically running down a narrow alleyway, her hand stretched out to grab the first door she sees until opening it. She suddenly steps on something and looks down to see what it is.
It was the gory remains of Fallen Cherubs that Morgan killed.
Carol's eyes widened as she gasped, and her body jerked away from such a horrifying sight. Not to mention how most of these Fallen Cherubs looked like dead children, much like the people she had failed to protect or have killed. Carol began to back up against a brick wall. She wanted to make a run for it, but she only clenched her rifle as she closed her eyes shut. In her frantic state of terror and confusion, she could not figure out how to do something other than simply kill.
All of this made her remember when Rick exiled her from the prison. Never had Carol ever wanted the responsibility of protecting the group when Rick made it seem like she was too dangerous to do so safely. Carol tried to run away at first, but then Daryl had stopped her until they got caught up with Beth. Then the group moves to Alexandria. She had tried to fit in, stay alert here and there, but more people started dying again.
Not only did Carol kill others who crossed her path, but friends she cared for extended periods. Karen and David from the prison while they were sick and alive. Lizzie and her sister, Mika, who she took care of on the road. A bunch of Alexandrians when the Wolves attack, providing a false sense of normalcy to her life. And countless people just as desperate to live as herself, some of which she burned alive. Carol couldn't see the point in killing if more of her people still die regardless.
So she ran away.
Right now, the brutality of everything Carol had experienced has finally caught up with her. She hadn't given herself a second to breathe since losing her daughter, Sophia.
A demonic howl sounded off again, and this time, Carol came back to reality long enough to listen. She glanced over at one of the Hellhounds afar and saw it calling out to its pack members before they appeared behind the Hellhound. Suddenly, the strange vicious haze collapsed, and Carol regained her former self.
"Dammit!" Carol cursed herself quickly, and she runs off towards the parking lot exit.
But before she could make it through, the older woman crashed into something that felt like one of the brick walls from the small buildings seconds ago. Carol collapses to the ground as her sight gets a little blurry from the impact, then she squinted her eyes. It was a shadowy, towering figure above Carol, staring straight down at her.
Believing that it was that demonic knight again, perhaps had now beaten Morgan, Carol scrambled to unsheathe her machete and point it at the person standing in front of her.
"Shit," Carol muttered into a full yell. "Stay away!"
Carol heard some movement from the figure and repeated, "STAY BACK!"
The figure soon pulls out a shotgun of some sort before it blasted one of the Hellhounds that stalked Carol, definitely surprising her. In fact, by the time her cloudy vision returns to its original state, she finds out that the figure was not the Marauder.
It was none other than the Doom Slayer himself aiming his super shotgun at the barking Hellhounds. Carol turned to watch in shock as the Slayer zipped onward to blast shells through the next two Hellhounds, noticing one Hellhound clinging on his back. The Slayer quickly grabbed the Hellhound by its head and slapped the orange spectral wolf away. He then uses the Hellhound as a weapon and smashes it down on the next one, killing them both.
Another Hellhound pounce towards the Slayer until snatching the Hellhound and viciously collides it through a brick wall, getting dispatched. The next Hellhound corner and leap on the Slayer, but he blasts his combat shotgun shells down its throat. The Slayer then delivers a strong punch and slams his boot down on an orange spectral wolf, presumably smashing its skull and killing it.
The Slayer becomes charged and leaped on by another Hellhound. The Slayer, now angrier, thrusts his fist down its throat. He then lifts the Hellhound up and aggressively slams the orange spectral wolf down. Before the Hellhound can recover, the Slayer then melts the Hellhound with the plasma rifle, finishing it off.
One Hellhound attempted to get Carol. But the Slayer jumps up and body-slams the Hellhound through the ground, crushing it. Carol becomes face to face with the dead Hellhound as the Slayer then tosses its melting corpse away from her, causing the body to explode into an orange spray in the distance. The fight seems over, and the Slayer calms slightly, only to be blindsided by the last Hellhound, causing him to punch, claw and grab at the creature's muzzle.
Then, with his intense strength and anger, the Slayer breaks Hellhound's jaws, causing it to let out a yelp of pain. The Slayer then slams the Hellhound onto the ground and, in one swift move, shoves his hand into its mouth. He violently rips apart the corrupted canine to pieces, sending a massive orange spray.
VEGA: {The Hellhounds are now diminished, but I am not sure if they will become revived by Hell's forces somewhere. I have now locked into a substantial demonic energy signature within the area. It must have been where the Hellhounds emerged from, Slayer. There is also one energy signal of a human that seems to be fighting this powerful demon. It is a threat level 5.}
With that becoming told by VEGA, the Slayer couldn't help but have a smirk broad on his face for this new challenge. He ignored the fact that Carol's eyes snapped at him as she started to think of what might work in this situation. Watching him switch to his super shotgun, Carol thought about turning on her Suzy-Homemaker act towards the man. And any man with a large ego could never resist a damsel in distress.
"Th-than-!" The words stuck on Carol, and she changed tactics pronto. "Oh my god, I was so frightened! I don't know what I would have done if you wouldn't have come along, mister."
The Slayer snapped his head to surprise Carol at how quickly he reacted, his gaze behind the visor focused as she nearly got a framework of the Slayer's face. But to the Slayer, by the aspects of how she seemed towards him like some lady in need of rescue, he showed no interest as he turns his back on her and continues to stride onward to VEGA's marked location. Dropping her act, Carol stared at the Slayer with a bit of shock at how calmly he disregarded her as she sprung up from the ground. While he shifted to reload his super shotgun and walk along the way, Carol quickly catches up to him in a storm to tug his arm back.
"Wait!" Carol tried as the Slayer ignored her. "JUST WAIT!"
Reluctantly, the Slayer rolled her eyes and halts to glare at the older woman. Carol nearly flinched under his dark gaze. The Slayer could see from the expression on her face that she had dismissed her mild-mannered innocent persona and looked so sharp and calculating like she was willing to kill. It started as a strategy for Carol to get out. But she knew that this man had just saved her, seeing as what he had done to those Hellhounds minutes ago.
Carol then sighed before carefully asking, "Who are you? Why'd you save me-?"
VEGA: {Hello, I am VEGA. An artificial intelligence unit that is currently residing within the Praetor Suit. The man behind the visor remains addressed as the Doom Slayer. Tell me, are you one of the Kingdom's allies?}
After listening to VEGA's introduction with a defensive expression, Carol tried to decline as she shakily asks, "S-So what if I am? Why would you want to know?"
VEGA: {The Slayer wants to make sure that Hell's forces are not invading the Kindom at this moment. The Hilltop Colony recently got overrun by demons. The Slayer was able to save the community and eliminate the threats that have occurred. Not to mention saving Oceanside alongside Rick Grimes' family from Alexandria.}
Carol's face soon dropped into one of remorse and unease at VEGA's report, "R-Rick? What happened? Tell me what happened in Alexandria! Is everyone okay! Please, tell me!"
VEGA: {Rick Grimes and his people are still alive and well, but more will become explained in time. You should return to the Kingdom and warn King Ezekiel to make preparations for what's coming to your world. Right now, the Slayer must go and inspect the demonic energy signature that I have marked.}
With that, the Slayer turns away from Carol, who then silently watched him race off down the streets. Carol could see that something was going wrong as she let out small noises that sounded almost like she choked on something. Her hands were up near her chest, balled up tightly into fists. And her teeth were glued to each other, with small sounds of struggling released from them, struggling against something powerful.
And finally, the tears fell from her eyes.
Someone else in her family was now gone.
She needed to find out.
As Morgan and the Marauder raged one another with war and violence, Morgan launched himself forward once again, having been knocked back by the Marauder's impeccable red shield. Another strike had come after Morgan as it causes him to barrel-roll to the other side, in which the Marauder kept sprinting towards him.
Morgan didn't see any way to analyze the Marauder's fight pattern and retreat for a tactical advantage. But he can't dwell on that now. He was here, and he wasn't going anywhere.
It is either to fight or to die.
All Morgan had for the weapons he already made are his bo-staff and his knife, which was fine. Pressurized punches were better than normal ones. Morgan swung his bo-staff forward with an exerting effort. The pressurized wind flew past the Marauder as he sent his fist into Morgan's back.
Hitting a tree, then spinning to bounce onto his feet, Morgan was shaking his head of the daze. He glared back at the Marauder as he found him right on top of him, ready to strike again with the Argent Battle-Axe. With widened eyes, Morgan dove back, letting the Marauder smash out the area while he skidded back to safety.
The two jumped at each other again, and Morgan's eye glinted as he spotted a shift in the Marauder's leg. Stopping himself, he quickly leaped to his right, canceling his opponent's fake-out and striking him back. Seeing the Marauder recuperating, Morgan reeled up both his arms, pulling back his bo-staff before thrusting forward.
But the Marauder's knee collided with Morgan's gut, having him gag out a wad of blood as he crashed to the ground. Morgan would admit, he felt some muscles ache and some bones rattle upon touching down, but as his father always told him: tuck and roll. It softens the landing sometimes.
Getting back to his feet, Morgan took a breath as he looked up and ran at the Marauder once more to build enough momentum. The Marauder began to strike. But instead of blocking, Morgan ducked to the side, fixing to retaliate while the Marauder was surprised. The Marauder put up his other arm and backpedaled with the hit he took.
Keeping his arm up, the Marauder awaited Morgan to approach, then punched him into the ground, head-first. Raising his boot, the Marauder hit nothing but dirt as his opponent jumped to the side, then came back to hit him in the jaw.
Spinning with the momentum, the Marauder punched Morgan back once more and sent the man crashing against a tree once more. He was slow to get back up, even falling from the tree and onto the ground. Shaking and quivering from the damage taken, Morgan watches as the Marauder strode towards him, slowly taking one step at a time. As he drew near to Morgan, he uttered out with the slightest strain in his voice.
"You never stood a chance, to begin with, human. Not you, nor that pathetic woman when she first opposed me."
The Marauder ushered around him, once again ushering to the destruction caused by this fight.
"All of her attempts to escape my grasp will fail, just as your attempts to stop me will fail. And now..."
The Marauder gently grasped his enemy's shirt, lifting him into the air with the Argent Battle-Axe in his other hand, ready to strike like a viper.
"YOU... ẂILL...̀ ͡D̀IE.̨..͢!"̡
Tossing Morgan into the air, the Marauder aimed to strike until...
...the Crucible Blade blocked his attack, wielded by the Doom Slayer.
As Morgan dropped, despite his shock and trauma, he manages to stand on one knee. Morgan's eyes turned, watching as the two strange warriors faced down upon each other. The Marauder's eyes had soon widened by the arrival of the Slayer, who looked and saw the demonic knight bearing the emblem of the Night Sentinels. The Slayer knew he had recognized this familiar demon in front of him.
"You...!"
The Marauder soon backed away in a short distance from the Slayer, who only stood still in a casual stance while wielding the Crucible Blade. He pursed his lips into a thin line as the demonic knight circled the area.
"You were never one of us." The Marauder accused in a grave tone.
His Argent Battle-Axe's blade was scraping along the ground, effortlessly carving a line in it as he continued. "Do you think you were a beloved savior? You were nothing but a usurper, a FALSE idol!"
VEGA: {I have identified this demon as the Marauder, a former Night Sentinel that has become resurrected and corrupted for siding with the Khan Maykr and the Hell Priests against the realm of Argent D'Nur.}
The Slayer said nothing. He no longer had anything to prove to anyone, least of all a demon, even if there was a time when he would have called this demon brother.
"Now, my eyes have been opened." The Marauder's eyes briefly flash past the hellish red as he glanced at Morgan next, finishing, "Let me help you both to see what I see, Slayer."
With that becoming declared, the two of them began to square off in peace.
A/N: [This chapter was, without a doubt, a very dark one because of the high tensions on the subject of rape. I wanted it to seem like the demons are doing it out of hedonistic desires or for the procreation of their species. But it looks like they were doing it for pleasure or because they actively enjoy it. I got some inspiration from both Berserk and Goblin Slayer. But my intention is never to make it seem like women become depicted as so helpless. Women are stronger than they look and don't need men defending them when they are just as strong as us males, if not stronger. The Imps go after them because a woman was the most opportunistic prey. Some demons can even test the waters to see how many things they can get away with when crossing the line. And then the women here have to deal with the mental trauma afterward. I hope this explanation had helped you to understand. Please read and review! Until next time.]