How's it going, my friends? I'm back for 2021!
My apologies that this chapter took a while to upload. I thought I could make a short, five-chapter miniseries that unfortunately took longer than I thought it would so I scrapped it. That and my long hours at work usually leave me exhausted when I get home. Also, the Borderlands series got in the way too. I need to unwind sometimes. One final thing is that I wanted to go back to my previous chapters of this story and do some corrections, touch-ups, and the like. From now on, I won't give a set date for my updates.
Nonetheless, I'm happy to be back and give you guys another chapter, albeit a short one. Had to cut it in half.
DOOM, My Hero Academia, and Darksiders belong to their respective owners. I do not own either of them.
Chapter 10
Plight
I-ISLAND AIRPORT
The Doomslayer neared the entrance to the balcony, trying to be as quiet as he could. The Sabers on the ground floor and 2nd floor had been taken care of and it now only left the ones on the balcony and the ones around the hostages. He checked his hammerspace backpack to see how many of his improvised weapons he had left. He still had the sledgehammer and fire axe, two rebars, four saw blades, and a ton of combat knives. Perfect.
/The bulkheads sealing the windows and doors are soundproof. Any mercenaries outside will not hear the hostages if they panic but they may hear the muffled gunfire if any weapons go off. I will provide another distraction./
His HUD showed camera footage of the atrium area where five Sabers armed with heavy machine guns around a large circle made up of a hundred or so hostages. Getting out the two rebar rods and clutching them firmly in his armored hands, the Slayer awaited VEGA's signal…
Back in the atrium, the Sabers stood around the huddled mass of frightened civilians. They were all shaking and hugging their children with fear. After watching the terrorists drag away the schoolkids and their teacher, it was evident that they were dead and could do nothing but await their eventual fates. But then the strangest thing happened: one of the hacked security drones entered the atrium and began making beeping noises while wheeling around in a circle.
This attracted the Sabers on the ground level who stared at it in confusion. The ones on the balcony continued to watch the hostages. The Slayer rushed through the open door towards the balcony, impaling two sabers through their heads with his rebars, and then threw the implements at the last two just as they turned around. As soon as the rebars speared into their chests, the Slayer leaped onto the edge just as the bodies fell off the balcony and threw out four saw blades down at the other Sabers below.
The blades instantly decapitated them and caused the hostages to scream when they saw what happened. The last Saber who just noticed his squad mates' heads roll across the ground in front of him went into full-on panic mode when he saw two bodies land on the floor with rebars through their chests.
A large shadow fell over him and he looked up just in time to see a giant of a man wearing power armor jump from the balcony with a fire axe raised over his head! The Soldier raised his LMG and pulled the trigger but it was already too late; the fire axe split him straight down the middle and the blade shattered against the floor. This action sprayed most of the hostages with blood and they all started fleeing towards the sealed entrance at the other end of the atrium, the sounds of their panicked yells and screams blocked out by the bulkheads.
The Slayer stood himself up and inspected the now-broken fire axe as the two halves of the Saber he cleaved in half fell over. Discarding the weapon, the Slayer cast his gaze to the hostages who were regarding him with pure terror. It didn't surprise him: he was standing around the beheaded bodies of their kidnappers and his armor was soaked in blood. That and he just bifurcated a guy right in full view.
/Scanning…the Sabers outside have not been alerted. I will program the drones to keep the civilians safe once you leave./
The Slayer turned around and walked out of the atrium. He strode down the bloodstained halls (from when the hacked drones killed the Sabers patrolling them) towards the main exit of the airport until he heard some footsteps behind him.
"Hey, wait!"
The Slayer slowly turned his head to see two youths wearing school uniforms approaching him. One was a girl with wide eyes and long, royal blue hair that reached down to her waist and seemed to curl around her legs a little. The other was a boy with spiky indigo hair, pointed ears, and tired eyes. VEGA began to scan them and supply him with their bio.
Nejire Hado
Height: 5'4
Age: 17
Quirk: Wave Motion-Converts her vitality into energy and releases it in the form of exceptionally powerful spiral shockwaves.
Current Status: 3rd-year student at U.A. High School.
Tamaki Amajiki
Height: 5'9
Age: 17
Quirk: Manifest-Grants him the ability to transform any part of his body into the physical characteristics of anything he's eaten.
Current Status: 3rd-year student at U.A. High School.
The two students stopped a little bit away from the Slayer, observing him wearily. He could see that they were trying their best to put on a brave face but were downright petrified. The Slayer hoped that they weren't going to try to stop him from doing what had to be done. This situation was way out of their hands.
"Y-you…you aren't a Hero are you?" Nejire cautiously asked him. The Doomslayer gazed at her silently, causing her to back away a little.
"Then you're a Vigilante." Tamaki deduced. "You should know-"
The Slayer's gaze focused on him, eyeing the boy like a hawk. Tamaki almost immediately shrank away from him with a dark cloud seemingly hovering over him as he avoided his gaze. The poor kid looked like he was ready to curl into a fetal position.
"V-v-v-vigilantism is a highly i-i-i-illegal crime a-a-and as Heroes i-i-in training, w-w-w-we can't let you act on y-y-y-y-our own a-accord." Tamaki tried to explain but his shaking stature was a dead giveaway that he was incredibly shy…and frightened.
"We still don't know how many there are out there or how many hostages they have!" Nejire reasoned. "We couldn't fight them because we would end up endangering the civilians. And those kids that tried to-oh God. The children! We have to find them before-!"
The Slayer turned around and pointed upwards at the ceiling. He then waved his hand down at them like he was trying to calm them. Nejire was confused but Tamaki seemingly understood him. "T-they're safe? You saved them?"
The Slayer nodded. Nejire and Tamaki let out a collective sigh of relief, shoulders sagging. But then they regarded the Slayer again. "Listen, we got separated from our friend in the confusion and if you go out there doing whatever you please you're going to get him killed. We can't just let you go out there on another killing spree!" Tamaki implored, now sounding resolute.
The Doomslayer dipped his head a little while still eyeing them and took a step towards them. Immediately, the two Heroes-in-training jumped back and activated their Quirks: Two tufts of Nejire's hair curled upward into spiral horns with her hands crackling with yellow-colored energy while Tamaki's fingers sprouted tentacles. They stared down the Vigilante for several seconds, the towering man's silence steadily beginning to disturb them.
Nejire and Tamaki heard the shuffling of feet and worried chatter coming from the halls behind them and they turned around to see several of the civilians peering from around the corner. The two students could see the fear and anxiety on their faces, the blood coating the walls and floor certainly wasn't helping. They looked back at the ever-silent man who motioned his head towards the civilians. Nejire and Tamaki could only guess that he was telling them to keep them safe.
They looked at each other, unsure of what to do. While they were still training to be Heroes, they had gone on enough internships to know the ins and outs. Normally, Heroes would focus on any innocents caught in the crossfire. That was a number one priority.
However, they would always be on the lookout for those attempting to interfere with professional Hero work or those taking the law into their own hands. This man was doing the latter though they weren't sure if he had a Quirk or not. The right thing to do would be to stop him from doing anything rash but for some reason, the two of them felt that they would stand no chance against this man even if they fought together.
Looking back at the civilians again, Nejire and Tamaki decided that their lives came first and mattered more. But the two of them knew it meant letting this man do whatever he pleased and being unable to prevent him from butchering the terrorists. They were going to have to explain themselves to Principle Nezu when this situation was over.
"I'll go calm the civvies down and make sure they get help." Nejire said to Tamaki.
"I'll be upstairs looking for the school kids." He nodded.
/I will unlock the door for him./
The two of them departed to their tasks but not before giving the Doomslayer one last distrustful look. When they went away, the Slayer moved down the halls to the exit. He mentally remarked on the student's viewpoint of him. At this point, he shouldn't be surprised that they would be afraid of someone like him.
But it was how the Heroes of this world handled threats that bugged him. They were too much like boy scouts: they were so focused on their code of etiquette that they couldn't make a tough decision or make a compromise. That was why he was the only one capable of combating the Steel Sabers. But regardless of those flaws, he did respect them. They were protecting lives and teaching the next generation how to be great Heroes; it truly was admirable what they were doing.
It was such a pity that they were so constrained by the law who was also, much like the Heroes, too lenient for their own good, even for this world. Watching those two voice their objections towards his handling of Villains made him compare them to how Izuku Midoriya stopped him from executing Tomura Shigaraki.
Good kids…but very narrow view of reality.
I-ISLAND CENTRAL TOWER-3rd FLOOR
The recreation room was for staff only. It contained all the necessities: a couch with a small coffee table, a kitchenette, a vending machine, and a flat-screen TV installed into the wall which was still on but muted. It was unoccupied and quiet since the takeover.
A face suddenly materialized through the door and looked around before sinking back into the door.
"Okay, all clear!"
The door opened and Mirio, Izuku, Uraraka, and Shoto quickly piled in; Todoroki locked the door as soon as he shut it. The group collectively caught their breaths; thankful that Mirio's Quirk helped them navigate the hallways and avoid patrols.
"I think we should be safe here." Mirio said, still wearing his makeshift towel toga. "Can't tell you how happy I am to meet other students from U.A.!"
"I'm glad we were able to find more help." Izuku added before realizing something. "Wait, you're from U.A. too?"
"Yup! Third year!" Mirio said proudly as he thumbed his chest. "My friends and I were invited here to attend the expo! That is…until they got captured." His smile fell as he lowered his head.
"Don't worry; I'm sure we can find them." Uraraka encouraged.
Mirio swallowed. "I don't think that'll be possible with the patrols all over the-"
The air vent above them suddenly fell off and two teens fell out into a pile on the ground! The dust cleared to reveal a coughing, sweaty Kirishima on top of Bakugou who was face down on the floor with a large bump on his head.
"Kirishima! Kacchan!" Izuku exclaimed, elated to see his friends.
"Guys! Man, it's great to see you!" Kirishima grinned ecstatically as he picked himself up. Uraraka blushed and looked away when she saw that he was only clad in his underwear.
"Naked." Shoto plainly said, unfazed.
Kirishima looked down at his undies. "Hey, it's only nudity if you're not wearing anything."
"He's right!" Mirio chimed, startling Kirishima. "And I should know!"
"Urgh…" Bakugou groaned as he nursed his aching head. As he thought about ways to murder Kirishima, he saw a hand enter his view.
"Are you okay, Kacchan? Do you need help?" Izuku offered as he held out his hand. Completely unaware that this trigged a bad memory with Bakugou, his hand was instantly smacked away and the spiky-haired bomber stormed away from him the second he got up. Midoriya nursed his hand, noting the hateful scowl his childhood "friend" was sporting.
"So who's Weird Eyes?" Bakugou sneered at Mirio, who was taken aback by his rudeness.
"He's another student from U.A. He's been helping us." Shoto informed, making Mirio smile.
"That's good to know. What happened to the rest of the gang?" Kirishima looked around.
"Captured. Momo, Jiro, Mineta, Ida, Denki, they're all being held in the banquet hall." Uraraka delivered the bad news.
Kirishima clenched his teeth in anxiety, greatly worried about his friends. "Well, what're doing here just standing around? Let's think of a rescue plan!"
"We can't. These men are spread out everywhere. If we try to go rescue our friends, we risk getting caught." Shoto told him in a serious tone.
"But who are they? Terrorists? Villains?" Uraraka wondered, the identity of these soldiers puzzled her.
"They're the Steel Sabers." Izuku announced. Bakugou looked confused while the rest of the student's eyes widened in shock.
"The Steel Sabers?" Mirio whispered in fear. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I remember seeing a documentary about them years ago and I recognized the insignia on their uniforms. It's them." Izuku nodded grimly.
"Who the fuck are the Steel Sabers?" Bakugou demanded, having never heard of them.
"They're the most dangerous, feared mercenaries in the world. They've killed dozens of Heroes and there is no limit to how low they'll sink to achieve victory." Shoto explained, not exaggerating in the slightest. "Last I heard, they've killed up to 246 Heroes."
A dark look formed on Bakugou's face and he started to make his way to the door. Seeing what he was doing, Izuku quickly put himself between Bakugou and the door.
"Kacchan, where are you going?!"
"Outta my fuckin' way, Deku."
"Kacchan you can't face all of them by yourself!"
"Watch me! I'm not letting any of these fuckers leave here alive!"
"Calm down, man!" Kirishima grabbed him by the arm. "We can't take on an entire army!"
"So what, we're supposed to sit here with our thumbs up our asses?!" Bakugou snarled, yanking his arm away from Eijiro. "Help ain't fuckin' coming so it's up to us now!"
"But we're only students! What can we possibly do?" Uraraka tried to get Bakugou to see reason.
"Nothing." Mirio shook his head. "We can't do anything. After I was separated from my classmates and before I ran into you guys, I did some reconnaissance by using my Quirk to-"
"Just cut to the end, Weird Eyes. How fucked are we?" Bakugou impatiently barked.
"Pretty…um…pretty bad. They have the entire island on lockdown, they have patrols sweeping every corner of the island, they've got tanks and APCs on every street corner and I'm pretty sure they hacked the entire defense system which means the drones and cameras are under their control. We're completely outmatched." A dismal Mirio listed.
No one said anything. Even Bakugou couldn't come up with a comeback. This truly was a sordid predicament. But then Shoto began to formulate a plan.
"You mentioned they gained control of the security systems. If we can find out where the main server room is, we could use it to free All Might and the other Heroes. Maybe even contact the mainland and get help." Shoto suggested.
"Now there's a plan!" Kirishima agreed, Izuku and Uraraka nodding.
"But even if we could, we can't forget that they have hostages. If they spot us or find out we tried to call for help, they could execute one or more of them to make an example. Heroes do not endanger the well-being of others." Mirio astutely pointed out.
With the plan shot down, the others began to realize the bleak reality of their situation. But Izuku was unwilling to throw in the towel. "But there has to be some way we can help! We should…"
He trailed off when he noticed something on the TV that caught his eye. It was a news report that showed the port of Tokyo on fire but the tagline drew his attention.
VIGILANTE BARGES THROUGH PORT, BRUTALIZES PRO HEROES
Izuku began to make his way past the TV, concerned about the report.
"Deku?" Uraraka followed him as did the others. Izuku turned up the volume on the TV but not too loud so that it wouldn't draw attention.
"-five Pro Heroes have been rendered unconscious and several more confirmed injured when earlier tonight, an assailant wearing green armor charged through the perimeter made by the Heroes."
The group was taken aback by this startling development. One man took down five Pro Heroes? Izuku felt a chill go down his spine when he heard the news anchor mention a man in green armor.
"Authorities have identified the man as the Vigilante seen yesterday at the Kiyashi Ward shopping mall where said suspect viscously maimed Tomura Shigaraki, also identified as the leader of the League of Villains."
Izuku, Kirishima, and Uraraka felt all of the color drain from their faces. It couldn't be…
The TV showed camera footage of the port, showcasing the Number 6 Pro Hero deploying a massive wall made out of his shield Quirk. Then, in a reveal that stunned the group of students, the armored man ran into view and threw Gran Torino into the right side of the wall, punched his way through Crust's blockade, and head-butted him! It was soon followed up by grabbing the Wing Hero Hawks and slamming him face first into the ground before chucking him over his shoulder and engaging the BMI Hero Fatgum! As soon as the Vigilante knocked him out, the video paused and zoomed in on the man.
Mirio, Shoto, and Bakugou finally got a good look at the man and how imposing he was. What kind of Quirk did he have that allowed him to incapacitate five Pro Heroes? Mirio and Shoto looked over to Izuku, Uraraka, and Kirishima who had expressions of fear written all over their faces. Some of them were sweating, with Uraraka unknowingly holding onto Izuku's arm who barely even noticed. Shoto could understand their fear: they and the rest of his class were there when they witnessed the Vigilante rip Tomura's arm off.
Bakugou wasn't exactly intimidated. Though the thought of someone taking on several Pro Heroes made him question just how strong he was.
"While it was initially unknown why the Vigilante carried out this unprovoked assault, a recent statement from the Voice Hero Present Mic revealed that the perpetrator was attempting to get to I-Island and responded with brutal force when the Heroes attempted to stop him. The Vigilante was able to escape the port and into the water, possibly heading for I-Island."
Izuku felt like his soul got sucked out of his body. That guy wasn't here…was he?
I-ISLAND AIRPORT
Standing near the sealed-up main entrance to the airport, eight Sabers stood guard while the hacked security drones patrolled the area.
"Anything?"
"Nothing. Can't get into contact with our guys in the airport or anywhere near it."
"Radio trouble?"
"Couldn't be. Something must've happened to them."
"But we have this whole island on lockdown and we got the security system on our side. Not even a fucking mouse could slip past us."
"Well, something did. What if that's the reason they're not reporting in? I'm going to call this in to Lieutenant Mummy, see what he can-"
The Saber's head was lopped off his shoulders when the drones, instantaneously reprogrammed by VEGA, began systematically killing the Sabers guarding the airport entrance. The drones were so fast that none of the Sabers could radio for help or even scream as they were decapitated, impaled, strangled, or sliced in half. Once all of the mercs were dead, the bulkheads began to open, allowing the Doomslayer to walk out into the open.
Noticing the dead soldiers and seeing the drones drag them off into the bushes; the Slayer felt a twinge of jealousy that VEGA was stealing the show a little. Nonetheless, he was thankful for the help. Walking down the steps and past the drones, VEGA sealed the bulkheads and the Slayer looked at the expanse of the Island. He was now ready to finally wage war upon the Sabers, eager to spill their blood after they spent years spilling the blood of innocent Heroes. But where to start? VEGA popped in at just the right time.
/My scans show that the highest concentrations of the Sabers are located in the leftmost quadrant of I-Island. Further observations have revealed a way to deal a critical blow against their operations and eliminate a majority of their organization. Mapping the waypoint now./
Pulling his sledgehammer out, the Doomslayer ran down the stairs towards his objective. The Sabers would soon know the true meaning of fear.
To be continued…
It's finally starting to come to a head!
I consider this an important chapter as it begins to show more people becoming aware of soon, with more to follow. One thing I did want to make apparent was the Doomslayer's dislike of how Heroes handle things in this universe. I don't think Heroes are allowed to use deadly force in canon unless somebody knows of one instance where they actually do. I'm planning on having that sort of thing be a central conflict for the Heroes.
I admit I had almost forgotten to include Izuku and his friends in this chapter as it offers a look at how they will last through this ordeal. I do plan on having them bump into the Slayer…in the bloodiest way possible. By the way, how did I do the characterization for the Big Three? I think I got Mirio and Tamaki right but I'm not sure if I got Nejire down correctly. I know she's energetic and bubbly in canon though I did turn it down given the severity of the situation. If there are any suggestions you guys have, I'd be more than happy to implement them.
Stay tuned for the next chapter, I will still be working on this series. I'm considering going back to my other stories once I finish up the Steel Sabers Arc.
Don't forget to review but please don't flame!
Stay home, stay healthy, and stay safe.