Chapter 11: Grey Deliverance

The dead had come for the living.

An infected Killer T Cell, with half of his face blown off, lunged at NK, with all intention to rip out her throat.

She steadied her footing before meeting the incoming abomination with an upward slash of Libertas.

Cold iron met rotting membrane as she cleanly cut off the remaining half of his face, leaving only a mushy stump of cytoplasmic matter dangling on top of his neck.

NK then grabbed her opponent by the collar, throwing him to the side, before swinging her sword once again to end the existence of her next attacker.

"HOLD!" roared MT as he cut down rows upon rows of the undead with his chainsword. His eyes burned with rage, hating the fact that he would be the one to send his former comrade-in-arms into the afterlife. His weapon shrieked and howled every time its series of sharp teeth whirled right into an enemy's disgusting organelles. "HOLD THE LINE!"

Behind him, the horde of the damned smashed into the KT's shield wall with ruthless abandon. They pummeled and pushed on the KT line, with some even trying to reach into the gaps to claw at their enemy on the other side. They shrieked horrific sounds no living throat could even utter before the Killer T Cells on the front row ended them with a synchronized thrust of their gladius.

Still, the dead kept coming. Even as the first rank got butchered by the KT cells, immediately they were replaced by another batch of rotting abominations more ruthless and violent than before.

The horde of the damned was composed by an amalgamation of various cell groups that got infected. There were mauled normal cells missing all sorts of limbs in the mix as well as plagued neutrophils and zombie Killer T cells with glowing red eyes and sharp teeth. The veteran Killer T Cells looked at their former brethren with absolute disgust as the virus transformed them into grotesque monsters that should only be allowed to exist in nightmares.

MT pushed his roaring chainblade on an infected normal cell cutting him in half. Sticky cytoplasm burst out from his opponent's exposed organelles, showering him with crimson fluid.

He then proceeded to body slam a damned KT cell who had chunks of his membrane falling off. The undead immune cell staggered for a second before shifting his footing to lunge back at the KT leader.

MT didn't give the dead bastard any chance as he delivered a massive uppercut with his other free hand squarely on his diseased neck.

"Ultra-magnificent upper punch!" he roared.

The force of his blow completely obliterated the head of the dead KT cell into a burst of nucleus matter and cytoplasm.

"That's so lame!" NK laughed as she decapitated, skewered, and bludgeoned three opponents all at the same time. "You still give names to your punches?"

"Shut up!" MT growled with annoyance. "They are not punches, they are techniques!"

NK let out a sarcastic grunt before going back to the slaughter.

The constant shuffling and buckling of the undead horde had brought the two standing back to back. Dozens of their felled enemies surrounded them in a macabre circle as others vied their chances to attack them. The rest had moved to continue their assault against the KT shield wall were a heap of corpses also began to form in front of the formation.

An infected neutrophil with a missing eye climbed on top of one of his rotting compatriots and then proceeded to leap into the air to bypass the shield wall.

A Killer T cell on the first rank saw the incoming undead already too late, and he immediately got smacked to the ground by the infected neutrophil's sheer momentum. The KT cell roared as he tried to get his attacker away from him, but the neutrophil opened his wide gaping mouth and then proceeded to rip his throat out.

Other KT cells near him managed to skewer the infected neutrophil, but the damage was already done.

A gap on the shield wall had formed, and the undead horde immediately rushed toward the opening. The cell behind the fallen KT moved forward with his shield, but then he felt something gnawing on his feet. He looked down and saw the crazed neutrophil still kicking and biting off parts of his left boot. He let out a curse as he slammed the lower tip of his shield down directly on top of his enemy's neck, finally putting him out of his misery.

But that distraction ultimately cost him his life.

Before he could settle his footing, a burly infected KT cell who looked like a former veteran launched his whole body into his shield, toppling him over to the ground.

Again, the defense fell through, and the infected cells behind the undead veteran moved into the gap, and a number more of the shield wall got chipped off.

MT gritted his teeth as he watched the breach in the shield wall getting bigger.

"Hold the line!" he bellowed. "Hold the damned line!"

His platoon need not be reminded but still, they struggled, and already a few of their rank had fallen.

"NK, they need our help!" he growled at his partner.

"We have our own problems," NK responded. "The heavy hitters have arrived!"

On top of the heap of corpses that formed a circle surrounding them came two corrupted Natural Killer cells with long disheveled hairs and eyes thirsting for murder. Like NK, they wore black shirts and shorts, but their heads now donned spiky virus caps.

"Friends of yours?" MT asked.

NK felt her cytoplasm boiling with rage. It was bad enough to see immune cells getting infected, it was even worse to see her own kind fall as well.

"You help with the breach," NK replied. "I'll handle these two myself."

Her muscled partner didn't object. He just gave her a nod before moving on to save his platoon.

"Join usssssss, sisterrr..." one of the infected NKs hissed. Both pointed their sabers at her, vanishing all doubt that by 'joining' they actually meant death. "Stop serviiiinnnngggg this worllldddd… It doesssss not dessssserve your protectionnnn…"

"Save your breath traitors," NK snarled at them, disgust spitting out from her mouth... "You have been judged, and your sentence is death!"

Her corrupted sisters let out a horrifying cackle before they lunged forward toward her, rusted blades at hand. "We are already dead!"

Not dead enough. NK thought before greeting her two counterparts with the cracking slashes of her power blade. The living clashed with the dead, and the three danced a tuneless rhythm of battle. Swings, thrusts, blocks, and bashes colored their spontaneous ballet as each tried to anticipate each other's move.

With NK's raged filled body, the blade in her hand felt like a natural extension of her arm. She swung it into loops, deflecting all attacks aimed at her organelles, before launching her own attacks again and again.

Her two opponents struggled. They snarled and shrieked horrors at her until they gradually synched their moves with hers. NK was the one leading their deadly dance, but they managed to defend when she attacked and attacked when she defends.

"You fighhhhtttt wellll, sissssterrrrr…" one of the infected NK slurred as NK parried her attack.

"Youuu wouulllddd beee a fine boon to Ladyyy Emmmmm's entouraaaaaaaggge…" added the other.

"My blade would be a fine boon to your necks!" NK countered.

The two infected cells hissed a laugh before lunging again toward her in a synchronized attack.

NK stood her ground. She never wavered, she never faltered. Even when surrounded by a horde of her enemies, she paid them no mind as she concentrated all her strength in murdering these two Natural Killer cells who have the gall to allow themselves getting infected.

She fought them with such intense ferocity that she finally surrendered herself to her primal instincts.

She was a Natural Killer, the world's ultimate hunter and harbinger of death. The macrophages may be good at everything, but NK was solely bred for the destruction of her enemies.

She could feel her primal urge to murder finally taking over her, and she welcomed it with all her being.

A minute passed, and their fight became frantic and raw. One of the infected NKs manage to slit her arm with her blade, while the other successfully landed a punch to her side, but she felt nothing.

Their hits meant nothing to her, only their utter destruction.

NK roared once again as she renewed her attack despite her injuries. All thoughts of tactics and strategy vanished, replaced only by her raw, unbridled fury.

She lunged. She attacked. She blocked. She countered. She attacked again. And again. And again. And again. And ag-

And then the first break.

One of the infected NK thrust her rusted sword at her to which NK parried with Libertas. Her opponent then coiled her sword to deliver another attack, but NK instead lurched forward, grabbing her sword arm with her free hand, then smashing her face with a headbutt.

Cytoplasm and cellular fluids spew out from the infected NK's mouth, and she fell to the ground with her pupils rolling up behind her upper eyelids.

NK then swirled to finish off her other opponent, but the second infected NK body slammed her from behind, crushing her down to the ground.

NK roared as she tried to get up, but then her opponent seized her arm from behind, twisting it into an uncomfortable angle while pinning her head down firmly by her opponent's knees

She snarled and cursed as she tried to claw her way out of the bind, but the remaining infected NK's hold on her was as firm and hard as calcium.

"Emmmmbbbbbraaaaacccccceeeee corrrrrupppptionnnnn, sisssssterrrrr…" she heard the gritting voice of her opponent.

"Nhhh…" she gritted her teeth as she tried to get up. "Never…"

The peripheries on her vision started to fade to black. The pressure in her head was immense, and she could feel her cyto-skull getting crushed.

This was becoming serious. Even with her vantage point being pinned down, she could still see MT busy protecting his platoon. A part of her wanted her to swallow her pride and scream for him to help her out. It would be a massive blow to her ego, but she'd be dead if she didn't.

Summoning her last strength, she opened her mouth to scream, but then she saw a corroded blade dangling in front of her eyes.

"Ittt'sssss ovvveeeeerrrrr…" her infected counterpart hissed as she raised her blade. "Welcoommme to theeee cluuuuubbbb…"

This was it… This was how she would end.

Amidst the chaos of corruption, she would be slain.

Alone, bested, and bitter.

But what's more terrible was the fact that she would die knowing she had miserably failed in the service of her duties.

The thought tore her deeply.

She would never get another chance… A humiliating death, pinned down on the ground and unable to move was the only death befitting for a failure like her.

One last time, she finally closed her eyes and waited for her end.

She snapped her eyes wide open.

The blade of her enemy never fell, but instead, her whole surrounding was blanketed by a blinding white light.

Her opponent shrieked with fear, and she could feel the pressure in her head and arm vanishing. The infected NK had stepped back from her and was trying to retreat.

Still lying on the ground, NK turned her head to look at her opponent and saw the reason for her sheer panic.

Right in front of her was deliverance clad in ashen grey dress, wielding a heavy machete with crimson cytosol dripping from its blade.

"L-Lady M-Macrophage?" NK blurted, still not believing that her former master had arrived to save her.

The mighty macrophage turned her head to look down at her former apprentice.

"Hello NK-chan," Lady Macrophage smiled a beaming smile. "Would you like to have tea with me after this debacle?"


A/N:

Let me just start off by saying thanks to all those who have reviewed and sent PM's to me regarding this story. I really appreciate your encouragement and support!

So anyways, we finally see NK and MT in action. I also love writing these two especially when they constantly butt heads and yet still function as an incredible team when faced with a common enemy. Oh and Lady Macrophage finally reappears to save the day. This is getting more and more exciting!

Until next time!


Revision History:

- Originally published on Nov. 16, 2018