Chapter 3
The Legend of the Doom Slayer
Adrien arrived at Tom & Sabine's Boulangerie Patisserie, disgruntled at the fact he was not included in a what was supposed to be a board meeting. But the fact that Tom and Sabine welcomed Adrien and his mother calmed the young man, as he sees his honorary cousin. The two went upstairs to Marinette's room, for a little chit-chat.
"I know who the guy in the armored suit's name is!" Adrien tells his cousin
"You know?"
"I'll tell you tonight, but we need code-names for our characters."
"Ladybug."
"Wow, you are quick Marinette! Not to mention, a little more confident in yourself. I love that. Now I need a code-name."
"With the black costume, the cat ears and tail, I think Cat Noir would be an excellent name."
"Cat Noir, I love it! Fits like a glove. The Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir, it has a ring to it."
"Aren't you a showman, Adrien. I wonder if you'd work better as a showman than a business man."
"Hey, my dad is a business man. He just happened to be in a board meeting."
"Sorry." Marinette apologized, with Adrien being a little hurt from the previous discussion with Gabriel.
As the two were playing video games, Marinette's new friend decided to drop by and have a talk with her.
"Hello, girl. Whoa! You must be Adrien Agreste!" to the absolute shock of Alya, while the cousins were laughing.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Marinette's honorary cousin. Not that you didn't know until now. You must be her new friend, right?"
"I am, but I got some questions I would like answered."
"Go right ahead."
"As for the guy in black…"
"Cat Noir, that's what we're going to call him. As for the guy in green, I'll tell you all about him tonight. It's something truly extraordinary."
"Okay, I'll take your word for it." Marinette's new friend tells him with interest.
As day turns to night, Marinette's room is having a sleepover party, with chocolate chip cookies made for the occasion. Alya brought her Majestia comics while Adrien hooked up his smartphone to Marinette's computer, with the news on simultaneously with the recent events occurred being covered. What was covered on the news is the two new superheroes along with the man in the green who single-handedly fought the monsters and won.
"Wow! I didn't know what I have been missing the whole time." Marinette commented on her friend's comic book collection.
"I know, People don't know what they're missing. It's like as if, society moved on from her, relegating her to a relic." Alya sadly replied before Adrien switched off the lights in Marinette's room.
"Everyone ready?" Adrien tells both girls before starting his presentation.
"It was like a month ago that I got the information about the guy in the green armor. My father left a flash drive on the table, thinking it was work files until I noticed the logo is not from my father's line of work. The logo had a circle-in-triangle design in the middle between u and c, so it got me thinking, 'Why is my father have a Union Aerospace Corporation flash drive?'"
That got both Alya and Marinette's minds running, almost as if Adrien opened up a window to the unknown.
"In order to find out, I've hooked up the flash drive to my computer. And there it was, a wealth of information, mainly about the Doom Marine, which is what the scientists call him. But the demons call him in the different name, considering the fact that he fought and killed these things for a very long time. In fact, he fought and killed these things before human civilization has existed, possibly even before the dinosaurs existed."
"Woah! Wait a minute? You're telling me that this guy existed and we didn't know it until recently, and how did you get those files from a UAC flash drive to your files?" Alya questioned the Blond teenage boy.
"The thing is, he wasn't discovered on earth. He was discovered on a facility on Mars of all places. As for the files, they're copies. I've returned the flash drive to the table before my father noticed. And without further ado, I'll start Testament I in order for both of you to get a really good idea how remarkable this guy truly is." as Adrien pressed the start button on his phone set to play UAC Report File H8UM66S, with both Alya and Marinette listening along, having questions that needed answering.
"In the first age, in the first battle, when the shadows first lengthened, one stood. Burned by the embers of Armageddon, his soul blistered by the fires of Hell and tainted beyond ascension, he chose the path of perpetual torment. In his ravenous hatred he found no peace; and with boiling blood he scoured the Umbral Plains seeking vengeance against the dark lords who had wronged him. He wore the crown of the Night Sentinels, and those that tasted the bite of his sword named him... the Doom Slayer."
'Doom Slayer.' Marinette thought about the name for the guy in green as Testament II is about to play.
Meanwhile, the Doom Slayer himself was patiently waiting in front of the Agreste Mansion, along with a short older Chinese man wearing a red Hawaiian shirt, tan capri pants, dark brown shoes, and the Turtle Miraculous on his right wrist. Wang Fu is his name, and he is the current Great Guardian of the Miraculous. As Wang compares himself to Doom Slayer, the Great Slayer is big and intimidating compared to the Great Guardian. Doom Slayer on the other hand, doesn't compare himself to Mr. Fu, as he is a league of his own these days. As both their identities were confirmed, they passed through the gate and into the Mansion itself, where Gabriel Agreste greeted both of them.
"Hello, my fellow guests. I believe there's something very important to talk about, is that correct."
The Doom Slayer replied "It is the case. Can we take the conversation to your office?"
"Sure thing!" Granting the Great Slayer's request. Heading up to the second floor and into the office, Gabriel opened up his safe behind a portrait of who both the Guardian and the Slayer believed to be Gabriel's wife. Out of the safe, was a long lost Miraculous spell-book.
"This is what I believe to be yours. Mr?" as Gabriel gives the once lost spell-book to a man who he just met.
"Wang Fu. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Agreste." the Great Guardian answered.
"How did you know my name?"
"I've been briefed by a friend of yours before we meet. As a matter of fact, we're meeting with two more."
And these two more, happened to be Tikki and Plagg, who arrived quickly.
"You have permission to speak." Doom Slayer tells the two kwamis.
"I thought you two were lost when Argent D'Nur fell!" Gabriel said, all puzzled by the fact both kwamis are right in front of him for the first time in a very long time.
"Well, the previous miraculouses were destroyed before Hawk Moth retrieved them. Having to survive in hell wasn't easy. But at the end of it all, at least we made a home here on earth." Plagg answered to the fashion designer who was all puzzled before the revelation.
"You know why you here in this very residence?" the Doom Slayer asked both kwamis before he answers.
"You're both here for an evaluation, starting with Plagg."
Plagg came to face the Slayer to answer some questions.
"Plagg, what is your observation of your new holder?"
"Well, from my observation, he's a little too quick on the draw. But other than that, I like him. He seems to be dedicated to defending his home and with some training, he would be an excellent ally to your case."
"Who is he you are referring to?" Gabriel asked the black cat kwami.
"Your kiddo." Plagg bluntly answered.
The moment Gabriel found out that his son used the Black Cat Miraculous without his knowledge, he almost started to have a heart attack. His son, a superhero, that was unthinkable! Immediately, Doom Slayer snapped the fashion designer into his senses and lay it out to him.
"Mr. Agreste, what your kid had done was incredibly dangerous. But to put it this way, it is an occupational hazard. And not to mention, there were a very few people who could stop what occurred earlier. We'll discuss about your son later. But in the meantime, we need a report from Tikki."
As soon as the Slayer called out her name, Tikki's blood ran incredibly cold.
"Why are you silent?" the Doom Slayer asked the ladybug kwami.
"I'm talking to you." the Doom Slayer asked again with Tikki remaining silent. Soon, the Slayer decided to grab the non-compliant kwami by the scruff of the neck with his right pointer finger and thumb. That is when the kwami was forced to tell the truth.
"SHE IS HESITANT, VERY HESITANT!"
"She is hesitant? That is all I need to know. And who is your holder?"
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng."
As soon as Gabriel heard his honorary niece's name came out from the kwami's mouth, he's really going into panic mode. Not only his son is in a war that he has no knowledge of until now, but his niece is in there as well! There's absolutely no way in hell that Marinette could stand up to the mayor's bratty daughter, let alone be a superhero.
"You remember Valen's son? His hesitation got him killed. Had he been fully trained, we wouldn't be in the situation that we're in right now." the Doom Slayer tells Tikki before letting her go. As soon as Doom Slayer lets her go, Tikki knew she has a lot to work to get done when it comes to her holder.
"The survival of this planet rests on you Tikki. You and that teenage girl of yours." the Slayer tells the ladybug kwami before being dismissed.
"If something happens to Mr. kiddo to a point that he can't physically do the work, I will be at your service again, my friend." Plagg tells the Doom Slayer in reassurance.
"I know you will, my friend. Take care of yourself, Plagg." Doom Slayer replied before the cat kwami leave his presence.
"I didn't know you three have a history between each other." Mr. Fu commented.
"We have known each other before my time with the sentinels, before I meet Gabriel. Compared to Dr. Samuel Hayden, he's nothing but help. Besides that, our goals align a lot more than you would think." Doom Slayer responded to Wang's comment. Very quickly, Gabriel snapped into his senses once again to join the conversation with the two.
"As for my son and my niece, what are going to do about them." Gabriel asked.
"To answer the question for both of you, I'll be training your kid, Gabriel. As for niece, she needs to prove herself. If she is unable to perform her tasks under stress, Mr. Fu will be obligated to replace her automatically. I will not guarantee their safety, they will have to do their own part as well. Hawk Moth will stop at nothing to get these two miraculouses, even sending troops to Paris is not out of the question." the Slayer answered.
"I understand." Gabriel replied.
"Wang Fu, it has been a pleasure to speak with you. Have a good night." the Slayer dismisses the Great Guardian.
"It has been a pleasure as well." Mr Fu responded before leaving the office, leaving both Gabriel and Doom Slayer.
"I know there's a lot to process right now, but I didn't get where I am by doing fashion or baking bread. I fought hard, and smart. I had enemies on the battlefield and at high places. And yet, here I am. Still alive and kicking, talking to you." Doom Slayer tells his only current ally.
"I already knew that, it's just that, this planet is falling apart! So many institutions and people fell to Hawk Moth's lies and deceit. I can't even trust a superhero, as they have adopted too many corrupt values."
"But I won't. For 298 million years, I've fought Hawk Moth tooth and nail to not spread his corruption, and I didn't yielded one bit. Not once. That doesn't mean I always succeeded though. And for that, I take full responsibility for my worst failures and learn long and hard from them. I will not stop fighting Hawk Moth until the people of Argent D'Nur are free again and the balance of the multiverse is restored."
"And I will fight along with you till the end or through my dying breath. But there's a lot of obstacles to contend with, especially with the superheroes."
"These cosplayers will be dealt with in time. But in the meantime, I'm keep on patrol for the night. You should get some rest, because there could be hell to be raised tomorrow."
"Understood." Gabriel tells his friend as the Great Slayer leaves his residence. With the recent events, he could picture the Battle of Paris to be a long, protracted battle. As he went to bed, he can't close his eyes, knowing that the battle could eventually consume the entire planet. And that alone, terrifies him. 'Is it too late for humanity, or does humanity still have a fighting spirit for this kind of war.' Gabriel thought to himself, trying to get some rest for what's to come tomorrow.
Slayer's Testament VII – UAC Report File JSLR7ESL:
"Yet as the mighty Titan fell and dread engulfed the armies of Doom, the demon priests of the Blood Temples laid a trap to capture this scourge of Hell. Insatiable, even by the vanquishing of the Great One, the Hell Walker sought prey in the tombs of the Blood Keep. And blinded by his fervor, the lure drew him in. The priests brought down the temple upon the Doom Slayer, and in his defeat entombed him in the cursed sarcophagus. The mark of the Doom Slayer was burned upon his crypt, a warning to all of Hell that the terror within must never be freed. There he lies still, and ever more, in silent suffering."
As the final testament is finished, Marinette couldn't comprehend the power of the legendary Doom Slayer. To her, the Slayer has no clear equal. His accomplishments even eclipsed those of the well-established superheroes. It wasn't until Alya shaking her body that she snapped out of her thoughts.
"You okay, girl."
"Yeah, it's just there's a lot to process. Just, all of it."
As for Alya, she has plenty of questions for Adrien.
"Adrien, how did this guy end up on earth?"
"From what I gathered, he outfoxed the head of the UAC facility on Mars. In fact, he recorded a message, which I have on my phone, right after he executed Darkseid for attempting to take advantage of the situation." Adrien answered before he opened the video file that is the message.
In the video, the Doom Slayer seems to be in an ancient castle of some kind. Behind him, is the corpse of Darkseid, hanging in the air with his arms tied from wall to wall, with his eyes gouged out and his ribs broken off from his spine to resemble wings. Marinette wanted to throw up while Alya is downright terrified as the Doom Slayer speaks to the Head of the Mars Facility.
"Hello Dr. Hayden. If you're wondering where I've been, I'm alright. It's just I exploited a flaw in your tethering device. I've noticed your work, and I've came to a conclusion that you're willing to throw away many innocent lives to get what you want. As for that, I'm shutting your operation down altogether.(Doom Slayer shows a demonic-looking hilt.) You simply can't continue your work without this now, can you? My time is up. I'm not going to kill you, but that doesn't mean you're standing in my way. Until we see each other again."
As the message ends, now Alya and Marinette are not sleeping tonight. Not only they learned that the Doom Slayer is extremely powerful, they also learned that he is extremely intelligent. A being that kills demon-kind off single-handedly while outfoxing the brightest minds on Earth shouldn't exist at all. And yet, he does. Now, he is on Earth doing what he does best, killing the worst of the worst. To add a cherry on top of this nightmare, it was recently announced that the Justice League and the United Heroez are being deployed to Paris. It's as if they just entered a horror film, but far more real than they would've imagined.
