A Demon Rises, A Slayer Awakes: II
Kaguya Sumeragi, a fourteen year-old-girl with flowing dark blue hair and green eyes, wearing a light pink traditional Japanese Kimono dress stared down at the strange stone sarcophagus before her. The youngest head of the Six Houses of Kyoto, being the closest at the time, had been called out by a rather shaken manager of the sakuradite mine, telling her of the odd and unnatural casket they had found.
"And you say that you found it while digging?"
"Yes, ma'am." The manager nodded. "One of our workers stumbled on it while they were at work. Took about five of our men to dig it out."
Kaguya examined the casket with her trained eyes, paying particular attention to the inscribed symbols on the top slab. It was a language she had never seen before, quite possibly being from a civilisation going back far before the very birth of Japan. "Have you made any attempt to open it?"
"We have, but whatever this thing's made of, it's the dentist stuff we've ever seen. Broke nearly all the conventional tools we had on hand." The manager drew the girl's attention to the row of ruined mining equipment they had used to try and break it open. All of them were reduced to a pile of mangled scrap.
The young Kyoto head turned back to the mysterious sarcophagus, her attention drawing mostly to the light illuminating the symbols themselves. It was mesmerising, as it was unsettling…
"Have you checked it for radiation?" The young head inquired.
"First thing we did. There's no trace of radioactivity coming off this thing, but that doesn't explain why it's glowing like that." The manager answered, a tremor of concern in his voice.
"No radiation? That's peculiar…" The girl mused aloud. She then dared to approach the casket, causing the manager and his men to reach out to stop her.
As she moved closer to the slab, the young head had to ask; if it wasn't radioactive, why was there so much heat coming off of it?
She wiped her brow when she came up close to the oddity. She raised a hand and was inches away from touching it, before her better judgement kicked in and told her to pull back, which she did.
The mysteries of this box continued to pile up the more time she spent with it. However, one thing was for certain; it could not fall into Brittanian hands. Whatever this casket held within, it was a relic of Japan's lost history, as ancient as it may be. If the Brittanians found out about it, it would be another piece of the conquered country's identity taken away from them. Kaguya turned back to the manager, sweeping her arm out in an authoritative fashion. "Ready a transport for this sarcophagus. I want it delivered to Lord Kirihara before the day is out."
"Yes, ma'am!" The manager quickly bowed before issuing orders to the rest of his men.
"What do you hold that was so important to seal away?"
"I believe we would have a better chance at finding an answer to that, than you."
Kaguya turned about to see a small platoon of Brittanian troopers marching through the mining level. All of them were dressed in intimidating black army fatigues, with matching coloured ballistic armour, and visored helmets, each armed with P90 submachine guns.
Eleven workers quickly parted for the coming squad, fearful of what punishment they could incur if they were to obstruct them by accident. Kaguya grimaced to herself at the sight of her fellow countrymen, grovelling at the foot soldiers of the tyrannical rulers of their homeland. But, like always, she plastered on a faux smile, ready to greet her sudden visitors.
The trooper leading the small battalion marched up to the young head, holding a laptop and opening the screen. The image of a stout, bald man with tanned skin in his late years came to vision, wearing a decorative dark blue military uniform, a couple of medals pinned to his chest, and a monocle in his left eye.
He was Bartley Aspriues, a 'decorated' general of the Britannian military, sub-viceroy of Area 11, formally known as Japan, and well-known suck-up to Prince Clovis Vi Britannia, the current Royal Viceroy of the conquered country.
"General Bartley." Kaguya greeted the man on screen, bowing gracefully with her smile still in place. "A pleasure to see you again. I must say, this is quite the surprise visit."
"Yes…" Bartley answered back in his usual snobbish tone. "I'd be there myself if I wanted to run the risk of having soot infecting my lungs. But, I'm afraid I am far too busy at the moment, tending to Prince Clovis's needs."
"I can only imagine the amount of gruelling work he has you facing, General." Kaguya humoured the pompous man.
"Indeed." Bartley retorted boredom as he rubbed a spot of dirt between his gloved fingers. "Now, the reason for my visit is that I've recently heard a rumour. That your mining operation has found something rather intriguing. Something other than sakuradite…"
The girl managed to withhold a flinch. Someone among the workforce must have alerted Bartley of what they had found, hoping to gain some reward. It was not uncommon for such a thing to happen, but it did let the young Kyoto head know that there was a mole in their ranks. "Indeed, we did, General." Kaguya stepped aside to allow Bartley to have a look for himself, no longer having a point to withhold any information from him.
The soldier approached the casket, allowing Bartley to get a better vision of the slab.
"Fascinating…" The plump general found himself voicing his thoughts out loud. "I've never something quite like this before. I believe Prince Clovis would be rather interested in seeing this." With a snap of his fingers, the lead soldier stepped away, allowing the rest of is men to surround the casket and heft it onto a reinforced trolley.
"W-What are you doing?" Kaguya asked out of surprise. She didn't even see the trolley until now.
"Article 37.8 of the Brittanian Occupation Legislation clearly states; 'Any and all historic items, structures, or monuments are to be effectively dismantled, abolished, or confiscated by Brittanian authorities, in the interest of cleansing all Brittanian occupied areas of radical, false conduct'."
"B-But this isn't even part of Jap-…Area Eleven's history!" Kaguya weakly objected, catching herself for her near slip of the tongue. If there was one thing the Britannian elite hated the most, it was when the populace of the counties they'd taken over referred to their homeland as anything other than their designated number.
Bartley frowned at the girl's defiance against his authority. He motioned for the soldiers carrying him to approach the young head, who stood as valiantly as she could before the man on screen, secretly hoping that things wouldn't get too out of hand.
"You're not intending on going against Britannian law, are you Ms. Sumeragi?" The bald general glared through the screen, speaking in a threatening tone. "Because if you are, I might be forced to investigate your operation, and see what else can be dug up, that could you and the rest of your Kyoto friends in hot water."
Kaguya swallowed her nerves, as well as her anger. She closed her eyes as she gracefully bowed before the man on screen once more. "Of course not, General Bartley. I apologise for my brash behaviour."
"Hmm…It's quite all right." A sneer made its way onto Bartley's face. "After all, children are known to kick up a fuss when they have something taken away from them."
With that last jab at the young house head's pride, the soldier closed the laptop, turned on his heel and marched away, without giving as much of a respectful salute to the girl. As the troops wheeled the stone casket away, Kaguya released the breath she was holding. She cursed herself for letting the Britannians get ahold of what could have been another one of the historic treasures away, along with the Britannians themselves for doing so, and for being in their county, in the first place.
The girl then gave a frustrated sigh. She was going to catch Hell from the other house heads for this blunder.
"…F^&k."
A large black truck drove down the highway leading away from the summit of the ruined Mt. Fuji. Two men sat up front, one sat in the driver's seat, while the other took shotgun; both the seat and the firearm in his hands. In the back of the tailgate they were hauling were six more soldiers, along with the stone casket they had confiscated.
The soldier next to the driver scanned the landscape as they drove when he spotted what he was meant to keep a lookout for. A second black truck, guarded by two armoured jeeps with armed personnel at the front and back.
"There it is." The soldier told the driver. The wheelman picked up a radio and patched in to the oncoming convoy. "Attention, Convoy R. This is infantry troop 41, returning from Mt. Fuji under orders from General Bartley. Requesting permission to merge and follow to your designated destination, over?"
"Roger that, troop 41, you are clear to merge, over." The driver of the second transport replied. The jeep behind the convoy slowed down to allow the truck carrying the casket to turn in and join the convoy.
Darkness.
All she could see around her was darkness.
So dark, it didn't matter whether she had her eyes closed or not.
She could barely make out the colour of her bright green locks within her pitch-black prison.
She could barely move. The restraints of her full-body straitjacket kept her from being able to move an inch. The muzzle over her lips kept her from calling for help. Not that anyone would if she could.
But, even still, she continued to try.
With as much strength as she could conjure, the girl closed her eyes and focused. Soon, a bright red symbol resembling a bird in flight appeared on her forehead, casting her dark, spherical prison in a dull red glow.
"Someone… anyone…please…help me…"
Her only answer was the silence she predicted to hear…
But then, a sensation came upon her, taking her by surprise.
A burning feeling, lighting a flame that appeared in her chest, and slowly began making its way through her body. The girl grew confused, wondering what this sensation could possibly be, and where it could possibly be coming from…
"Can you believe that little, stuck-up, Eleven b£! tried to put up a fight to keep this thing?" One of the soldiers struck up a conversation, earning a chuckle from the rest of his comrades.
"Tell me about it! General Bartley really let her have it. I love seeing Eleven scum get put in their place when they try to act up!" Another cackled with smug glee.
The soldier closest to the casket laughed along with his comrades when suddenly, he caught something out of the corner of his eye, that made him stop in an instant.
The rest of the soldiers started coming out of their laughter when they noticed that one of them had stopped. "Hey, Jerry, what's the matter?"
"It…It moved…"
"…What?" One of the other soldiers asked, unable to believe what he just heard.
"T-The coffin!" The spooked soldier, Jerry, pointed to the casket next to him with a shaky finger. "I-I think I saw it move-!"
BOOM
The entire truck shook, causing all of the soldiers inside the cargo hold to hang on for dear life.
As soon as the shaking started, it stopped. The soldiers were quick to get their bearings, before arming up and exiting out the back. They saw that the jeep following them from behind had been reduced to a flaming pile of scrap, with the armed personal burning along with it. The truck up front had been brought to a sudden stop, accidentally crashing into the jeep, which was blown to bits much like its partner.
"Form a perimeter around the cargo!" The soldier in charge of the second convoy ordered. "Keep your eyes peeled for any insurgents-!"
"NIHON BANZAI!"
Before they could get a visual of where the battlecry came from, a hail of gunfire riddled them all full of holes. As the Brittanian soldiers draped dead to the ground, a man with shaved red hair, wearing a purple jacket and with a red headband, came bounding down the rocky hill the convoy was passing along the road.
"Ha! Stupid Britt b%^&*! ds! Never even saw us coming!" The rowdy redhead laughed as he helped himself to what spare ammunition the dead soldiers had on them.
All of a sudden, the driver of the truck jumped out, drawing his pistol at the sight of the man robbing his dead comrades. "Hey! What do you think you're-!"
BANG
From the other side of the truck, a gunshot rang out, taking the driver by surprise. From around the front of the vehicle, a man with a black pompadour hairstyle, wearing a dark brown bomber jacket, and the same headband as the redhead came walking out and shot him point blank in the head. He then marched up to the redhead and grabbed him by his shoulder, spinning him around to face him. "Dammit, Tamaki! I told you, we needed to keep a low profile!"
"Oh, relax, Ohgi! I knew you had 'em!" The redhead, Tamaki, waved him off nonchalantly. "Besides, we got what we came for, didn't we?"
The pompadoured man looked at the truck before him, before glancing quickly at the one up front. "The information didn't say anything about there being two trucks. And we don't have time to check which one has the bomb."
"Who cares?!" Tamaki barked. "Let's just take both of 'em!"
Ohgi hated to admit it, but his hotheaded friend had a point. He reached for the radio on his belt and held it up to his mouth. "Nagata, Kallen. You guys okay?"
"A-OK, boss!" A man's voice came over the comm.
"Good." He answered back. Two other people came sliding down the rocky slope between the two trucks. One, a man with short, dark purple hair and glasses, and the other a woman with short brown hair framed around her face. Each of them wore the same coloured headband as the other two.
"Naoto, you and Tamaki take this truck and follow Nagata and Kallen to the rendezvous point. Yoshitaka, help me get Kallen's Knightmare into the first one." Oghi ordered.
"Got it!" Naoto, the brown-haired girl, opened the side seat of the truck, pulling out the dead soldier before hopping up and in.
"W-Wait, what?! But I-!" Tamaki spluttered for a counterargument for being made to drive the truck.
"It was your idea to take both trucks, Tamaki. You might as well take responsibility for it!" The leader of the group settled the argument the hothead was trying to start before walking away, with Yoshitaka following behind.
"B-But! I thought-…You can't just…GRRRRAAAHH!" The raging redhead relented as he ran around the truck and jumped up into the driver's seat, starting the engine with a growl.
Nagata, a man with a dark blue ponytail, wearing a light blue delivery uniform and cap, sat in the first truck's driver's seat, where he placed a small photo of a woman and child with the same colour hair as her. A small smile crossed his face when the whole truck jostled him from his memories.
He looked back to see a giant, dull red robot mech, known as a Knightmare Frame, being squeezed through the back door of the cargo hold, past the large mechanised orb they were tasked to grab. "Easy back there, Kallen! We don't want that thing going off, thanks to your lousy driving!"
When the Nightmare, labelled a Glasgow, was finally settled in to the back, a hatch opened up in the back, where Kallen, a young girl with fiery red hair and piercing blue eyes stepped out, wearing the same uniform and cap as Nagata. "Better at driving this thing than you!"
"No arguments there!" The jolly man joked as he started the engine, picking up his radio once more. "All set, Oghi. We ready to move out?"
"Roger that!" The leader answered back. "Let's get a move on. Time to show everyone what the Brittanians are really like!"
With that last declaration, the confiscated convoy began moving again. Swerving past the wreckage and bodies in the road, although Tamaki couldn't resist running over a few of the corpses, they moved out and started heading towards their destination…
The Tokyo Settlement.
Everything was progressing as planned for the band of rebels so far. After arriving at the check-in border into the settlement, Kallen and Nagata played their parts of delivery men to a tee, answering all questions they were asked and following the proper protocol expected of the Britannian security. Things seemed to be running smoothly…
Until Tamaki followed up behind the first truck in the second. And who, much against Naomi's wishes and attempts to stop him, mouthed off at the border security the first chance he got, which proceeded into both trucks having to gun it, instantly giving themselves away, and causing the border patrol to chase after them in hot pursuit.
"Dammit, Tamaki!" Naomi slammed her fist on the front seat's panel. "This is exactly what Ohgi ordered me to go with you. You just couldn't stop yourself from bad-mouthing the Brits for five minutes, could you?!"
"Shut up already, will ya?! I'm tryin' to focus!" The rowdy redhead snapped back, keeping his eyes on the road as he sped past the traffic on the highway he and the first truck were driving on, heading for the Shinjuku Ghetto to try and shake them off. Behind him, sirens blared as Tamaki could see Britannian security gaining on them through the back view mirror.
"S*&t!" Tamaki cursed as he grabbed the radio to his side and brought it to his face. "Listen up guys! I'm gonna turn off at the next cutaway on the left! See if I can draw as many of these Brit b$%^&* ds away from you as I can!"
"Sounds good, Tamaki-Hey!" Kagua answered, only to have the radio snatched from him and Kallen's voice to come on next. "Yeah, Tamaki, great idea…seeing as how this is ALL YOUR FAULT, TO BEGIN WITH!"
Tamaki shot his head away from the radio and crammed it back down on his belt when he saw the turn-off from the highway coming up. He made an immediate turn and sped off down the split road, managing to bring a good chunk of Britannian pressers with him.
However, that also included a squad of Britannian VTOL gunships, taking aim at the truck as they prepared to fire. "Attention, suspects! You are in violation of Britannian law! We hereby order you to slow your vehicle, and surrender at once!"
"How's about you eat my d^&k instead?!" Tamaki poked his head out the window to call back, only to nearly have his head taken off by a hail of gunfire. The redhead lost control in his rush to avoid death, which led to him driving off the road fly through the air, where the truck turn on to its side before crashing down hard in a vacant space of land.
The door way sticking upward from the overturned vehicle thumped a few times, before Naomi was able to kick it open, climb out, and drag a half-unconscious Tamaki out with her. Tamaki! Wake your stupid a%^ up, we gotta go!"
"Huh..hazzawhah…?" The dizzy redhead drawled before Naomi threw him off the overturned truck and onto the hard ground. "Ow! Naomi, what the-!"
"Save it, you blockhead, we gotta get outta here!" The brunette barked as she dropped down next and made a move to run.
"B-But what about the bomb?!" Tamaki pointed to the cargo hold.
"If the bomb was in there, then I'm not about to stick around here to find out!" Naomi shut the redhead down, leaving him behind as she made a run for it.
"H-Hey! Wait up!" Tamaki called out to her as he sprinted to catch up, leaving the truck and its contents behind…
What would come to happen in the next few hours would be a series of events that would later be the beginning of a change in the world's history that none could ever begin to predict or imagine.
After having his classified cargo stolen and taken to the Shinjuku Ghetto, Prince Clovis vi Britannia, in a fit of desperation and fear, ordered nearly the entire military force of Area 11 to find the lost property at all costs. He also ordered that ,in order to make sure the cargo wasn't discovered by anyone other than Britannian forces, all Elevens within the ghetto were to be sought out and terminated on sight.
Thus, the Massacre of Shinjuku was put into action.
At the same time, Lelouch Lamperouge, an exiled prince of the Britannian Royal Family, found himself crossing paths with his long lost childhood friend, Suzan Kururugi, son of the deceased Prime Minister of Japan, who had joined the Britannian Military in an attempt to work toward a peaceful coexistence with the ruling monarch.
However, their reunion is cut short, when the device the Britannians were ordered to find begins to open, revealing to the two boys that inside the supposed explosive device, was in fact a beautiful girl with bright green hair and golden, yellow eyes, restrained in a straightjacket over her entire body.
Before the two can come to her aid, Suzaku is shot near to death by his commanding officer, for refusing orders to kill Lelouch on suspicion of being a terrorist. Lelouch and the imprisoned girl ran for their lives, only to be cornered by the corrupt officers in an abandoned warehouse, surrounded by the bodied of dead Japanese.
Believing this to be his final moments, and after witnessing the girl he tried to save taking a bullet to the head for his sake, Lelouch's final thoughts are of his beloved little sister, Nunnaly. When all of a sudden, the girl returns to life, and presses her lips to his. In an instant, he is given the power of Geass; the ability to gain power over others. With the use of his newfound abilities, he orders the officers to die in his name, which they do so with mesmerised glee.
With this new power, Lelouch begins his lifelong ambition; to destroy all of Britannia, and create a world where his sister can live in peace and harmony.
No matter the cost…
However, while this was happening, something much more dangerous was coming forth from across the furthest side of the ruined city…
After the vicious crash, the stone casket was thrown through the backdoors of the cargo hold, landing across the ground of the empty space the rebels landed in. After the two freedom fighters fled, the VTOL's gave chase, once they discovered that the stolen explosive they were looking for wasn't within the ruined vehicle.
As the gunships flew toward the ghetto, the casket was left abandoned.
Silence soon followed…until…
gunfire…
Explosions…
The casket shifted.
Buildings collapsing…
The splatter of blood…
It tossed and turned, beginning to shake uncontrollably.
And Screaming…so much screaming…!
(At Doom's Gate - Mick Gordon)
Suddenly, the slab over the casket came bursting off, flying high into the air until it landed beside the opened sarcophagus. On the inner surface of the slab, a strange, ominous symbol could be seen, glowing with the same dark red energy as the circled symbol on its front, with four more unreadable characters surrounding it.
A large, gloved hand then gripped the edge of the opened casket, as a large, intimidating figure rose from his confines. He placed a heavy boot upon the lower edge, casting his eyes over the new, unfamiliar landscape he now found himself in. Underneath his arm, he held his green helmet, where over the right brow of its visor, the same symbol as on the slab's inside could be seen.
As he took his helmet in both hands, the sounds of death and bloodshed continued to ring around him. He put the fortified headpiece on, the lights of his visor switching on after so many years. The eyes of the once sleeping warrior remained closed, before snapping open, alight with the fire of pure, unchained fury.
The Slayer was Awake.
(Music End)
The Doom Slayer wasn't surprised in the least to see that the first thing he would witness after waking from his tomb was a war zone.
Airships scattered about the sky, dropping soldiers and giant robots into a city that looked destroyed long before they arrived. Gunshots echoed across the city, with screams of pain and suffering relentlessly following after. Buildings collapsing into heaps of rubble and wreckage. The faint sound of commands being barked out from nearby radio devices, telling them to keep eliminating until none were left alive.
The Doom Slayer trudged through a ruined street. He turned his head to take in the sight of the destroyed urban area around him. The place was completely devoid of life, until the Slayer turned a corner, and saw exactly why.
Bodies. Bodies of civilians, on account of their clothing, lay scattered across the road, littered with bullet holes and seeping blood across the ground. The Slayer walked through the pathway of death. He deduced that judging by their facial features, these people were of Asian nationality. Of what country, he couldn't say.
He soon came across a pile of bodies left to rot in front of what could have been an apartment complex. If he had to guess, the civilians living here were trying to run from their attackers, who had an armed force positioned outside, ready to gun them down the moment they came rushing out. An effective plan, yet a cruel one.
The Slayer scanned the bodies that lay at his feet through his visor, his sight landing on a middle-aged woman lying face down on the ground. She had short brunette hair, wearing a light pink wool vest and grey long skirt, now stained with her blood. But what grabbed the Slayer's attention the most, was the small arm poking out from under her. He kneeled down to get a better look.
It no doubt belonged to a child. A girl, he figured, as he looked at the small stuffed animal clutched in her lifeless grasp. The doll was of a young girl, a tiny smile painted onto its wooden face. It wore a little red kimono dress, with hits hair a rich black, going all the way down to the end of her back. It too was stained in blood. It was no mystery that the mother had tried to protect her daughter from the hail of bullets that came upon them. Sadly, her efforts were in vain.
The Slayer stood once more. His hands clenched into tight fists, shaking with boiling rage…
Suddenly, a scream cried out, causing him to snap his head towards where it came from. Seeing as there was nothing he could do here, he quickly headed toward the source of distress, leaving the deceased mother and daughter to rest in what peace they could.
He didn't know where he was, or what was going on…
But he knew an unfair fight when he saw one.
(The Only Thing They Fear is You - Remastered V2 Remix - Mick Gordon)
A large gathering of Japanese was herded toward a wall at gunpoint by a large squad of Britannian infantry, like lambs to the slaughter. They were pushed and shoved against the side of a ruined building, as the soldiers made ready to shoot them all in one fell swoop. A mother held her crying son, as her husband cursed the soldiers out. "YOU MOTHERF&*KING B£$%^&*DS! YOU MURDERING PIECES OF S%^T! I'LL KILL YOU! I SWEAR, I'LL-!"
He was backhanded and thrown against the wall by the leader of the infantry captain, who showed no emotion, whether he was wearing his mask or not, as he marched back to his men and barked out his orders. "All right, men! Ready…!"
The squad lined up in a side-to-side formation, standing before the row of helpless civilians.
"Aim!"
They pointed their weapons at the small crowd, who screamed for someone, anyone to save them.
The captain rolled his eyes behind his mask at their pleading as he rose his hand, ready to throw it down and execute them…
Only for a stone-crushing stomp from a heavy boot to his left stole his attention.
There, standing at a distance, in the middle of the street, was a man wearing a suit of armour the likes of which he had never seen before. His face was obstructed by a strange helmet over his head, but the lieutenant could easily make out of the furious eyes the newcomer shot at him through the helmet's visor.
"You! Hold it right there!" The captain ordered as he thrust his finger at him. "Identify yourself!"
The Doom Slayer refused as he began walking forward.
"You insolent…! Stop right where you are! That is a direct order!" The captain barked, disbelief in his voice at being disobeyed by anyone.
His disbelief was soon heightened, when the armoured man drew a firearm of a design completely foreign to him, from seemingly out of thin air.
The Doom slayer pumped a fresh shell into his Combat Shotgun. This a%^hole was reminding him of that s £tbag senior officer he beat to paste all those aeons ago, who ordered him to kill unarmed, innocent civilians in cold blood.
And it looked like history was about to repeat itself…
"C-Contact! We have contact with one of the terrorists!" The captain cried out at the approaching suspect. The infantry turned to face the approaching figure, as the almost massacred civilians stared at him in bewilderment and awe at his insane boldness.
The Doom Slayer continued to close in on the captain, who had just about lost all of his composure. "S-Suspect! Drop your weapon and surrender, or we will be forced to-"
BLAM
The slayer took aim and blew the captain off his feet, blasting his helmet, mask, and face, clean off his head with a single shot.
The infantry jumped back as the freshly made carcass of their superior sailed through the air and flopped onto the ground in a splayed-out heap, where they, as well as the civilians, could see that man's face had been replaced by a giant, gaping hole filled with mangled flesh and bone.
"OPEN FIRE!" One of the soldiers took command, causing the rest to take aim at the Hell Walker and shoot. The gunfire sparked the crowd of innocents, who appeared to have been completely forgotten, to make a run for it, hoping not to get caught in the crossfire.
The Doom Slayer kept the soldier's attention on him, allowing the civilians to escape. He fired at the infantry squad, taking out a few of them as he strafed to the right, heading for a large mound of rubble. The squad moved up, spreading out to catch the assailant from both sides of his hiding place.
What they didn't count on was for the Slayer to jump out from above, armed with his Heavy Cannon, and let loose a hailstorm of bullets toward them. Landing on his feet, he continued moving right while he unloaded on the group, peppering most of them with baseball-sized bullet holes as they crumpled to the ground.
One of the soldiers saw the Slayer coming into close quarters and attempted to take him out at point-blank range. However, the Slayer surprised him by putting his gun away, grabbing the one in his hands and yanking it down, before ramming his fist into his face. The force behind his punch was enough to break the soldier's neck on impact.
The next one opened fire on the Slayer as soon as he had the chance. The puny bullets bounced off the Unchained Predator's Preator Armour, not even making a scratch. The Slayer closed in on the soldier, disregarding the gunfire as he ripped the firearm out of his hands, and clubbed the soldier across the face with it.
The last soldier left of the slaughtered squad charged at the slayer with a drawn combat knife. The slayer saw him coming and, when he was within range, swept his leg under the charging man, tripping him up in mid-air. While the soldier was still airborne, the slayer drove his fist down into his face, crushing his skull against the pavement beneath his feet.
With the firing squad now dead, the Slayer turned to his right to see another squad of infantry who had overheard the carnage he caused coming his way. Redrawing his shotgun, he gunned down the oncoming soldiers, when more ammunition was spent uselessly on him, by a trio of Britannians firing on him from a high balcony in the distance.
The Doom Slayer charged forward, replacing his shotgun for the cannon once more, fitting the Precise Shot Mod as he ran. He jumped up onto a wrecked bus, surprising the soldiers with his inhuman feats, as he took aim and popped the two heads of the men on either side of the one in the middle.
While the soldier stared wide-eyed at his beheaded comrades, the Slayer leapt from the bus, soaring through mid-air, and then landed right on top of the poor infantryman. The soldier barely had time to register what just happened, when the Hell Walker stomped on his head, crushing his skull like a melon.
He then heard the sound of breaking wood coming from inside the building. He charged through the walls of the apartment and smashed into the hallway. There, he saw more soldiers, breaking down the doors of people's homes, intent on gunning them down before they could even try to escape.
This did not sit well with him.
He ran up to the first soldier in front of him, grabbed his gun and forced him into aiming up at his own head. The Slayer pulled the trigger, filling the soldier's cranium with lead. He then saw the next soldier running at him. He took the gun from the dead man and, in a fit of pure strength, rammed the barrel of the gun into the incoming soldier, and out through his back.
As the impaled infantryman screamed in agony, the Slayer moved up, firing the P90 at the rest of the men down the hall. When the weapon ran dry, he tossed the gun and dead man aside.
"DON'T MOVE!"
The Slayer turned to face the next soldier, who had ahold of a Japanese woman in his left arm while holding a pistol against her head with his right.
The Doom slayer was mad before. Now, he was p$%^ed.
"DON'T YOU F^&*ING MOVE, OR I SWEAR I'LL-" The poor fool never got the chance to finish as, in the blink of an eye, the Slayer was on him. He tackled the man head-on, who let go of the distraught woman. The woman watched in disbelief and horror, as the large man in green who had saved her, tear the infantryman's left arm right off his body.
The soldier cried out in pain before the Slayer whacked him in the head with his own severed arm. The infantryman went down, but the Slayer kept going, beating the coward to death with his torn-off limb. When he was sure he was dead, the Unchained Predator spotted his next victim; a soldier standing ramrod still in front of a window.
He threw the useless arm aside and charged for the bewildered infantryman. The Britannian fired pitifully at the killer closing in on him, who grabbed him by his face and barrelled through the window behind him. The faceless foot soldier screamed all the whole way down, before the cold, hard ground shut him up, the Doom Slayer crushing him beneath his monstrous weight.
Another rain of gunfire rained down on the slayer from above, where a row of infantrymen opened fire from the windows of an emptied business building. The Doom slayer retaliated by taking out his Heavy Cannon once more, switching the Precise Shot Mod for the Missile Volley, and let loose a barrage of flying explosives, blowing the surprised squad to kingdom come.
Another squad of Britannians nearby were dumbfounded by what they were seeing until the assailant drew his gaze to them. They readied their firearms, but before they could get in a shot, the Slayer swapped out his cannon for his shotgun once more, this time with the Sticky bomb Mod, and launched an explosive toward the man in the centre of the group.
Everyone paused…until…
BOOM
The blast engulfed the soldier, as well as four others who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Slayer fired off three more bombs, blasting many of the squad to pieces before they could retaliate or retreat.
One soldier managed to escape the onslaught, diving behind a mound of rubble and taking cover. From there, he could only watch as his brothers-in-arms were obliterated by the masked monster. Was he one of the terrorists? If so, then where did he come from? Why couldn't they penetrate his armour? Where did he get all this insane firepower? And where the f*&^ was he storing all of it?!
Another blast made him duck under cover. He grabbed his radio and turned it on as it crackled to life. "This is infantry unit 37, location West 498! We are under attack by an assailant, possibly one of the terrorists! All of my squad have been KIA! Repeat, I'm the only one left! Requesting immediate assistance at my location! Repeat-" The strangled cry of his fellow countrymen cut him off, causing him to scream down his radio in desperation. "GIMME ME SOME F&*^ING BACK-UP OVER HERE, NOW!"
"This is Mobile Battalion 21. Roger that, 37. We are on route."
The soldier's panicked inner rant was cut off when one last blast took out the rest of his team, and the Slayer's sights set on him. The soldier wanted to run but found himself too stunned in fear to move a muscle. The slayer closed in slowly on him, pumping his shotgun with a chilling 'CHK-CHIK'…
The infantryman believed this was his end, when suddenly, a Sutherland Knightmare Frame came racing out from the corner of a building, grinding to a halt as the Factsphere Sensor in the mech's head opened up. It flashed with light, taking in the sight of the Slayer and the decimated bodies scattered around him.
"Contact! Target in my sights!" The pilot inside notified as he shifted the oversized Assault Rifle in its grip, taking aim at the man in green. "Taking the shot!"
BRRRRRRRRRRRRT
The Knightmare fired on the Slayer, peppering him with artillery-sized ammunition. The solider who called for help shielded his eyes from any incoming debris, until the assault finally ended. As he turned back, he saw a large cloud of dust taking up the street, kicked up by the onslaught of artillery -sized ammunition.
There was no way anyone could have survived a barrage of bullets like that, the soldier mused. A giddy smile broke out over his masked face. He jumped up from out of cover, laughing like a lunatic as he thrust his fist in the air. "YEAH! THAT'S RIGHT! THAT'S WHAT YOU GET! TAKE THAT YOU CRAZY, SONOFA-"
His celebration was short-lived, however, r when the caught sigh of a silhouette in the dispersing dust. His smile disappeared and his eyes went wide when the Slayer was revealed to still be alive, and looking none the worse for wear.
"What the…?!" The pilot saw the figure he'd gunned down, still standing.
He also noticed that the target was also now holding a whole new weapon in his hands. And it appeared to be, as crazy as it was to believe, to be…A sawed-off?!
The Slayer popped open his most prized firearm, the Super Shotgun, sticking two shells in each barrel before closing it shut.
The soldier to his right began babbling out loud, unable to believe what he was witnessing with his own eyes. "T-That…That's impossible! THAT'S IMPOSSI-!"
BU-BOOM
The Slayer cut off his rambling, by pointing his favourite weapon toward him and, without even looking in his direction, atomised him with the pull of a trigger!
The Slayer kept his attention on the mech that tried to gun him down. The pilot inside sweated nervously as he felt the figure's gaze penetrate him, even when he was behind about four inches of blast-proof armour. He scramble for an answer to how this guy could still be in one piece, when he had just mowed down a group of Eleven's easily only moments ago.
His question was completely forgotten, when the slayer broke into a a high-speed sprint toward him. The pilot quickly took aim and fired once more. But, adding more to his disbelief, the slayer tanked every shot he was struck with like he was being hit by mere cushions, gaining his speed instead of losing it.
The slayer took aim for the centre of the Frame's chest, and launched the Meathook from his shotgun. The chained claw struck the hull of the pilot's cockpit head-on, clamming in tight as the Slayer reeled himself in, tackling the Knightmare with the brunt of his shoulder. The slayer's impact put a colossal dent in the mech's chest/cockpit, sending the entire frame skidding back into a building wall.
The pilot rubbed his head from his disorientation but was then taken by more surprise when a gloved hand punched through the hull of his cockpit and tore the entire structure away. Sunlight shot into his eyes, and when he adjusted, he saw the Slayer standing above him…with his double-barrelled sawed-off aimed down at him.
"NO! NO, NO, NO, WAIT-!"
BU-BOOM
Right when the slayer ended the pitiful pilot's begging, another Knightmare came rushing towards him. The slayer jumped down from the mangled frame's form and blew out the mech's knees with two well-placed shots, reloading the barrels at inhuman speeds. As the warbot fell to a skidding kneel, the Slayer jumped and delivered a devastating punch that crushed the cockpit, along with the pilot.
The Nightmare landed on its back from the heavy impact, revealing another mech right behind it, which fired its built-in missile pods. The Slayer dodged the barrage at the last minute, allowing the missiles to strike the downed Knightmare he was currently standing on. Using the shockwave from the incurring blasts the Slayer was launched high into the air, where he swapped his shotgun out with his trusty Rocket Launcher. Using the Lock-On Burst Mod, he unleashed a trio of missiles that struck the Nightmare head-on.
The Slayer rolled to a stop, just as the wrecked Nightmare fell to the ground. Movement out of the corner of his visor turned his attention toward a large group of infantry, over about twenty men, charging straight for him. The Hell Walker made no move, but the Shoulder Cannon mounted onto his left did. The device sprang up, turned its head at the oncoming forces, and unleashed a Flame Belch that cast the entire platoon in a scorching fire.
For a moment, the chaos seemed to slow to a crawl. As the ignited infantry cried in pain or tried to put out the flames, the Slayer reached into his Inter-Dimensional Pocket device and retrieved the Chaingun, alerting all of the soldiers engulfed in fire of what the armoured beast intended to do next.
The Unchained Predator levelled the multi-barrelled monster at the squad. Some tried to flee before he could open fire, while the rest were either too in pain from the flames or had already burned to death. Regardless, the Slayer released a torrent of lead towards the mass-murdering masses, riddling them all with an uncountable amount of holes.
While this was happening, many civilians who had hidden from the Britannian search parties, watched from what safety they could find as the brutal figure who had come out of nowhere, chased after and gunned down the ones who had been doing the exact same unto them. The scene caused great panic and horror to be stricken within the hearts of the observing Japanese. However, there was also a lingering sensation of… catharsis…as they watched…
Time caught up with the world once more, when the Slayer was suddenly peppered with artillery gunfire from a nearby Nightmare. The Hell Walker turned his chain gun on the frame, unloading upon it until its limbs, armour, and pilot were eaten away by the rain of lead.
After that, an entire team of Nightmares came charging through the streets, heading straight for the untamed assailant who had been slaughtering their men like cattle.
But it was no use.
The Hell Walker man marched up to the first and tore it down with his chain gun. He then switched to back to his rocket Launcher and blew the second sky high. He left onto the third, climbed up to its head, tore it clean off with his bare hands, and shot a grenade down its open neck. The resulting blast launched him into the air, where he pulled out his Heavy Cannon, and reigned a volley of Micro Missiles down onto the fourth, before equipping his Super Shotgun, meathooked to the last one, cannonballed into his chest and blew open a tunnel through the cockpit.
The infantry who had yet to feel the crazed killer's wrath began to retreat. They ran for their lives, praying to the heavens above, some even asking for favour from the homeland's Emperor, to spare them from the masked monster. Only one was left behind, too terrified to move as he fell onto his backside, his fall cushioned by the charred corpses of his dead comrades. All he could do was bare witness, with trembling eyes, to a sight one could only imagine seeing in the deepest pits of Hell…
Surrounded by flames. The sky turning black from the pluming smoke. The smell of charred flesh thick in the air. Nightmares reduced to mangled, smouldering wrecks. Blood running through the streets like a river of red…
And there, standing in the centre of it all, up high on the corpse of a destroyed Nightmare Frame, illuminated by the fires all around him, was the one who had appeared from out of nowhere, and single-handedly laid waste to who knows how many men and machines, in his one-man, unhinged, inconceivable rampage.
The Slayer reloaded his Super Shotgun, ready to continue his punishment on the forces who once slaughtered without remorse, now ran from the same fate felt by his hand. As he snapped his treasured firearm shut, the roar of the Knight Sentinels echoed in his mind, their chant of his battlecry surging him ever onward.
'RIP AND TEAR! RIP AND TEAR! RIP AND TEAR! RIP AND TEAR!
'RIP AND TEAR!'