Written by SoulEmbrace2010 and Castlecrasher009 in collaboration.
Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto, World's End Harem, or any other media that appears in this fanfiction.
Special thanks to Adventreader221 for the cover image
Warning: This chapter includes a crucial spoiler in World's End Harem regarding Reito's girlfriend, whom he's searching for in his series.
At its core, war is a struggle for control over resources.
Food.
Water.
Salt.
Metal.
Oil.
And now…
"Excuse me! Hasegawa-san!"
"What is it, Shiranui-san? Is everything alright?"
"Our spy in that cultish group in the outskirts sent this. I want to get this to you personally."
"…Are you sure this is accurate?"
"We checked, double-checked, and triple-checked."
"Well, this is a problem. Have you told anyone else?"
"Only you, ma'am."
"...The traps are in working order, but this is a sign not to risk it. We need to retrieve him."
"But if we send any troops, the UW will know."
"That's what the Zero Squad is for, Shiranui-san."
"Oh!"
"I will contact the Zero Squad and hire their services."
"Would you like me to inform the other Immortals? Medaka-san? Yu-san?"
"No, not yet. We shall retrieve him first. Good work, Shiranui-san."
"Thank you, Hasegawa-san!"
"…Finally, the last of UW Japan's hold will be extinguished and put in check. Our beloved Black Dragon will finally be restored…"
In the year of 2040, near the middle of the 21st century, "war" once again consumed the planet.
But this time, the survival of humanity was at stake, and the "break glass in case of emergency" button, had to be pressed.
Humanity would now have to be guided by those who came before, to see them through this catastrophe…
*Brrrrrrrrrp…..Brrrrrrrrrp…..click.*
"Hello?"
"It's me. We got a job."
"The UW again?"
"Not this time. Private. Deep pockets."
"...Underworld?"
"MAELSTROM."
"The MAELSTROM!? What do they want?"
"Retrieval. They want us to get something from an old shrine. A casket with someone very important in it. They already gave me the coordinates."
"What kinda threat are we talking about?"
"Full deployment. All hands. We're going deep into hostile territory. Don't expect any backup from the SDF."
"Jesus…this corpse better be worth the effort."
"They're paying enough for us to live comfortably for quite some time. But I'm also curious about something they said."
"What's that?"
"They said he wasn't really dead."
"...What?"
"Craziest thing I heard. They say he's in some kind of suspended animation."
"Suspended animation? Without a cryo-pod? This I gotta see."
"Well, we'll get a very close look at this guy. Call everyone in. I'll brief the squad this evening, and we'll get our gear in order."
"Got it. We'll be there. Hm, never A dull moment, huh?"
"Not in our line of work. See you in a few, Rika."
"Yeah. See you in a bit, love."
"...You know, some people would accuse you of cradle robbing."
"Ask them if I care. Besides, it's not like any other men like you are running around."
"Hmph, not like any other men are running around, period. I was a fluke."
"Maybe, but I'm not complaining. Talk later."
"Right. Later."
The Black Dragon at World's End
[Skies Over Japan]
In the dark, moonless night skies over Japan's countryside, a lone aircraft chopped the air; its mute black surface reflected no light, nor did it emit any light to avoid drawing attention to itself.
The modified American CH-47 Chinook maneuvered through the mountain terrain as it flew towards a specific set of coordinates relayed to them by their contact. All external lights were off, and only a faint green glow illuminated the cockpit. Two people in army fatigues were busy watching the terrain on their inferred and night vision displays while checking the GPS to navigate the waypoints.
An armored Humvee and a smaller Jeep sat in the cargo bay, anchored down for the trip. The Jeep was armed with a M2 Browning in the rear seat position and a M1919 in the passenger seat. Both were folded down for storage.
One last vehicle, a sleek black motorcycle, stood pointing at the rear ramp, its wheels clamped down with quick-release locks.
Between the vehicles and the cockpit were two sets of seats facing the center, where six individuals sat, members of a special independent mercenary group: The Zero Squad.
"Zero Squad. This request comes from the independent conglomerate of MAELSTROM, and they are by far the most important clients we have ever received. They got their hands in almost everything, keeping them well funded over the years, especially in these…trying times.
They have picked up a coded transmission from a plant inside the Cult of Izanami, a fanatical group named after the Japanese goddess of death and creation, unaffiliated with the UW. Long story short, they have lost some, if not all, of their sanity with their plans. They are moving to acquire a subject they refer to as 'The Immortal Emissary.'
The Izanami cultists are claiming the Immortal Emissary is slumbering under the Kushikawa Sacred Shrine in the Ōu Mountains. The shrine entrance is located near the mountain's base, facing the east, near the Tadami River. Despite the dangers, they are willing to journey to retrieve the target and hopefully revive him. They are planning to use him in the vessel for their god they named themselves after, Izanami.
Zero Squad. MAELSTROM requests that you retrieve the target before the cultists do and bring him back to us. You will be well compensated for the mission. And you won't have to worry about any possible Rifts generating in the area. Briefing over. Godspeed and good luck."
"That is the information we received. They were also kind enough to include maps and intel on the area and shrine. With this, we won't be running around in the dark so much." Minami Rika informed the group as she sat the datapad aside and lifted her shooting glasses to her forehead.
The tanned woman with purple hair was a former Chief of the First Squadron until the incident that rocked the world. Now, she is one of the Zero Squad's elite snipers alongside another in the group. A bit heated, she unzipped her black bulletproof combat suit to cool herself off. "Whew, that's better."
"Can't help but show off the 'Girls', Rika?" The other sniper, a redhead named Yoko Littner, teased with a grin.
"You're one to talk. You always let yours hang out in that bikini top, and they're bigger than mine." Rika quipped back with a grin.
She wasn't wrong. The sniper didn't leave much to the imagination with only a fire-print black bikini top, a pair of black short-shorts with a white belt, white leggings and boots, and a maroon jacket with flames printed on it.
The second sniper of the Zero Squad, she is a young half-Japanese from a rural village in Japan. She is hailed as a prodigy regarding firearms, being the most proficient in sniping. There were once heavy firearm regulations in Japan, but now she can freely carry around her beloved Superconducting Anti-Material Rifle for mercenary work.
The redhead playfully blew a raspberry at the older woman, who smirked as she began to inspect her sniper rifle. A small laugh brought their attention to the silver-haired girl sitting beside Rika, who was wiping down her katana.
"It's always lovely seeing everyone get along, even in these tense situations." Shiryuu Chou'un smiled at the pair, which always made the others wonder how she could see with her eyes squinted shut. She is the team's silver-haired swordswoman and possesses unparalleled human strength. She is rumored to be one of many young children descended from the warriors of the Three Kingdoms.
She and many of those children made names for themselves on the streets of Japan to prove their strength until things went to hell. She was a lone wolf until her surprising defeat resulted in her joining the Zero Squad. Her black and white outfit showed some skins, with armor pieces on her chest and legs.
"Hey, we have to keep the atmosphere positive! There's enough gloom and doom in the world as it is!" Yoko remarked as she threw herself into the backrest of her seat with her hands behind her head, which made her breasts bounce wonderfully in her loose bikini top.
Rika nodded. "That's an understatement."
Meanwhile, the last three members were busy checking their weapons with more focus than the other half of the group.
"So, back into hostile territory, we go. I hope there's hazard pay included in that commission," Kiba Mikoto muttered as she checked her automatic rifle.
Some believe that Mikoto was a proper young lady to be idolized. But in reality, she's a daughter to a Yazuka leader, and her life was altered due to a failed hit that left her in a coma. In a cruel twist of fate, she woke up to a world drastically altered and her older brother gone. She turned to mercenary work to deal with the pain, leading her to the Zero Squad. She wears a beige jacket with a scarf, short bloomers with thigh-high boots, and steel-limbed armor pieces.
"They better! Any sane person would stay 20 kilometers away from them if they valued their lives. Honestly, why did this guy decide to sleep so far out in the boonies!" Miyamoto Rei snapped. The brunette beauty wasn't keen on going outside the city walls despite doing so numerous times with the Squad.
Once, she was just an ordinary schoolgirl and part of the Lance Fighting Club. Her love life was complicated due to losing interest in her boyfriend, going out with his best friends, but still having feelings for the first. Unfortunately, hell struck the world, and she lost both of them. Guilt ripped at her for years, wandering the streets until the Zero Squad took her in and helped her live on for the boys she held dear to her heart. She still wore her white and green school uniform, outfitted with armor pieces, and wielded an assault rifle with a bayonet knife at the end.
"What? Do you think this guy would choose somewhere in the city? It'd be too easy! Nope, he just had to choose the middle of nowhere." Mikoto responded with a heavy hint of sarcasm.
Rei scoffed. "How do we even know this guy is alive, huh? I mean, if we were to believe that story we were given, he literally buried himself. We're just going to find bones, I tell you. There is no way this guy can still be alive or resurrect like some messiah." Rei then turned to the last member of the squad. "You agree with me. Right, Aran?"
The squad's last member was the group leader, the sole male on the aircraft, Kobayashi Aran, AKA Zero. His dark brown eyes, hidden under the fringe of his black hair, focused on the modified MAC-11 submachine gun in his hand as he slammed a clip into it.
The young man wore all black, from his shirt to his boots. A sturdy armored vest protected his chest and torso, and a harness with numerous pockets and pouches was strapped to his chest. He wore combat pants with knee guards over his legs and another harness strapped to carry guns and clips. He also wore a modified trench coat with slats on the back to allow objects to slide through. His hands were covered with fingerless gloves.
"We'll find out soon enough if the stories are true. Regardless, it's the job we took on, and we'll see it through. It doesn't matter what we find waiting for us out there. If those things get in our way, we take them out—simple as that." The rest of the squad listened to his response as he holstered the gun and looked at each member. "In our line of work, we take on the jobs nobody else wants, even if it means diving straight into hell itself to get it done. Even if it means staring the Devil himself in the eyes. The key to surviving isn't about being fearless. It's about becoming something that even the Devil is too scared to fuck with. You become the one thing they fear, and even demons will cower when they hear your name."
The girls were all silent as they processed his words. "Damn….that's hardcore!" Yoko muttered loudly.
"In a world like this, you're either Hardcore…or you're screwed," Aran responded as he stood, pulled out a pair of Ninjato swords from a compartment behind him, and slid the sheaths into the slats on his back. "Let's just hope Izanami isn't ahead of us…"
"We're approaching the operation zone." A voice called on the speakers.
"Good. Deploy the decoy launcher before we get within two clicks. We want to draw as many of them away as possible.
"Roger."
Chapter 01: A New Dark Age
[Landing Zone]
The Chinook landed in a clearing deep in the forest, miles from the target area. The rear door opened, and the squad rolled out with the vehicles. Aran was driving the motorcycle with Mikoto riding behind him, Yoko and Chou'un were in the Humvee, and Rika and Rei were in the Jeep.
"Comms are for emergencies only. Keep the engine running, ladies. We may need a hot evac." Aran told the two military fatigue-wearing women still in the Chinook.
"Of course. We already know how things go when we're involved." Kurokawa Mari said in amusement. "I can't wait to examine this so-called immortal."
She was one of two women who transferred into the Zero Squad from the SDF, where she was a former Sergeant First Class serving as a team medic. She had blue eyes and flowing back hair tied in a low-side ponytail.
"Eh, I wish I could go with you guys! Getting stuck on his hunk of junk is boring!" whined the petite Kuribayashi Shino, who was now getting dragged back by Mari.
Despite being a grown woman and a Sergeant First Class like Mari, she can be pretty temperamental. She was once part of the recon team but longed to be in the field for a fight. She was a brunette with brown eyes and had a short stack figure.
"Just prime the decoy launcher and standby. Wait for our signal." Aran ordered her and pressed on the accelerator. "Night Vision on. Let's move out!"
He shot off first, followed by Yoko driving the Humvee and Rika driving the Jeep. They wore night vision gear to keep the lights off so they wouldn't draw any attention to their convoy. Even out in the middle of nowhere, it was still part of the world's current hell, and they didn't want any unwelcome tagalongs.
So far, the ride has been uneventful. Even the low hum of the engines in the dead quiet was a welcome sound.
"Aran. Girls." Yoko suddenly said, looking around with her goggles on enhanced zoom. "One o'clock, straight ahead."
"Please don't let it be a camp." Rei quietly begged.
"No. I see cages. Breeding cages." Yoko shot back.
"...Oh shit."
"Fuckin' hell…" Aran said as he slowed to a stop. "Must be a hunting party. The camp must not be that far. Yoko, how many contacts do you see operating the vehicles?"
"Twelve. Six for each truck. Looks like they found a hideout. They're raiding a basement under an old convenience store…oh shit, they just dragged out a woman and a girl!"
Aran activated the zoom on his goggles and saw what Yoko was talking about. In front of a derelict store were two macabre-looking flatbed trucks with patchwork cages attached to the beds. Inside one of the cages were two women huddled together in fear.
Standing around the vehicles, as well as two dragging out a screaming mother and daughter, were the most disturbing group of people ever to walk the earth.
"It's them…" Rei whispered, gripping her rifle tightly.
"Reavers," Aran whispered with undisguised hate in his voice.
These Reavers looked human, but that's where their humanity ended. Their skin and flesh were reddish, and their scars were open and/or partially healed. They also had barbaric piercings and random bits of metals shoved into their flesh, some in places that shouldn't be possible, and dressed in blood-stained rags. When they opened their mouths, their teeth were either jagged, pointed, missing, and/or rotting.
The Reavers spoke no words, only grunted, growled, and hissed at each other, with the women they were kidnapping had terrified looks on their faces. They couldn't even scream since they were in the middle of nowhere, and help wasn't coming.
As far as they knew.
"Do we activate the decoy?" Rika inquired, radio in hand.
"Negative. We are not in a position at the shrine yet." Aran said, screwing a long barrel on the front of his gun. "Silencers on, ladies. We take them out quick and quiet and get those women out."
"Roger."
The Reavers had just tossed their final captive into the cage when one of them suddenly dropped. The nearby Reavers moved over to investigate and saw their fallen brethren with a hole in his head. Before one of them could roar to alert the others, all three suddenly got a new hole in their heads to breathe through, courtesy of Mikoto and Rei, causing them to collapse.
Four down, eight to go.
One Reaver got into his vehicle and turned it on, but that's as far as he got. He turned to the side to find Chou'un in the passenger seat, with her sword slicing through his neck, beheading him. Two Reavers investigated why the vehicle wasn't moving but failed to notice a shadow descending, ninjatos in hand. A second later, their heads rolled onto the ground.
Three down, five to go.
One of the heads rolled into a group of four Reavers, alerting them. They growled out to alert their friends, only to get no response, except for a sniper shot from Yoko that took two of them down with one shot. One of the Reavers aimed towards the direction but was brought down by Rika. The fourth Reaver fled back into the abandoned store and was suddenly stabbed from behind by Rei with the blade on her rifle.
"Ew," she whined, pulling out her weapon from the corpse.
One more to go.
The last Reaver had the sound mind to run as it realized his comrades were dead, but it only managed to turn before coming face-to-face with the angry visage of Aran, just as a loud squelch and the dripping of blood made him slowly lower his gaze to the sword shoved through his gut. The Reaver looked back up into a pair of ice-cold eyes as Aran sliced sideways, disemboweling the mutant, who fell to his knees. Aran kicked the dying Reaver away before flicking his sword and sheathing it.
All Reavers were dead.
"W-who are you?" one of the captives asked, squeaking out when Chou'un slashed through the cage with her katana.
"Friends," she said and held out her hand. "Come."
The Zero Squad escorted the women out of the cage and towards their vehicles. The captives were apprehensive about stepping into the forest but relaxed when they saw the Humvee and the Jeep.
"We can't take them where we're going," Mikoto said grimly.
"Don't worry. I can take them back in the Jeep. The rest of you can go on ahead." Rika told her. "As soon as I drop them off on the Chinook, I'll return to join you."
"I'll back you up." Rei offered and gestured to the survivors. "Now come on, ladies! Into the Jeep!"
Aran stayed back as the girls loaded the rescued women into the Jeep. As he started to move towards the Humvee, his eyes caught something in the building. Walking over, he looked at one more woman lying on the floor. An elderly lady who sadly had been slain by the Reavers, as evidenced by the bloody gash from her shoulder to her torso and the slash through her neck. Aran slowly knelt down and gently closed the woman's eyes with his hand. As he gazed at the woman, images of another elderly lady interposed over the woman in a similar state. Aran gnashed his teeth as the painful memories of a dear loved one flooded his mind, and his body trembled with anger.
"Aran?"
A gentle hand landed on his shoulder, which stopped his shaking.
"Aran, are you okay?" Chou'un asked softly.
"...I'm good," Aran said as he slowly stood back up. "She was useless to them. Too old for breeding or for eating."
"...The only blessing is that she was just murdered. Nothing else was done," she said, her eyes open as she stared sorrowfully at the corpse.
"...If any one of you were to be taken by them…to be used in such a manner-" Aran found his voice cracking as his mind began to conjure up images of his squadmates, dragged away by the Reavers and having their garments ripped off of them as their screams filled the air.
A pair of hands grabbed his face, and he stared into green eyes filled with resolve.
"Listen to me, Kobayashi Aran. It will never happen because we have each other, and more importantly, we have you. You saved us all in your own way and brought us all together. It's not just comradery, it's love." Chou'un whispered to him. "This crisis changed our lives, but the one thing it gifted me is you. The Reavers will never get to us because I know you will protect us, just as we will protect you."
Aran trembled slightly at the words as he stared into Chou'un's eyes. Movement caught his attention, and he saw the other girls, Yoko, Mika, Rei, and Mikoto, standing at the door with looks similar to Chou'un's.
Determination and love.
Aran stood for a long second before taking a deep breath and exhaling. He looked at each girl with a smile.
"Thanks, girls."
"Always, Aran. Now, if we're done with the moment, we have a so-called Immortal to retrieve." Yoko said, jerking her thumb towards the envoy. "Now let's go. We've overstayed our welcome."
"...Right."
Aran walked out of the building, and the girls followed behind. He signaled to the Humvee. "Night's burning. Let's roll." Aran jumped on his bike and was joined by Mikoto, who took the spot behind him.
Rika and Rei zoomed away on the Jeep with the survivors while Aran, Chou'un, Mikoto, and Yoko continued to the shrine.
Had they stayed a few minutes longer, they would have seen a hulking Reaver that lumbered onto the Reaver convoy and seen the bodies of his fellow Reavers. He growled, looked toward the shrine, and dragged himself off in pursuit.
[Kushikawa Sacred Shrine, Ōu Mountains]
The Zero Squad stopped at the stairs leading to the shrine. Judging from their length, it would be a long way up. Aran sighed and looked at the girls, who were less than thrilled. "...We'll apologize later for driving on scared grounds. Let's move."
The Humvee and motorcycle rolled up the stairs, creating a bumpy ride for their occupants. Both vehicles shook as they ascended the stairs, which made the Humvee occupants hold onto their seats. The shaking also did wondrous things to specific assets. Aran also felt the effects of the bumps as Mikoto was still pressed against his back, which left him having a little trouble focusing on driving. Halfway up, the group found a break in the trees, allowing them to see down below into a small valley nestled against the cliffside. The valley was littered with campfires, and those fires illuminated dozens upon dozens of make-shift tents…and the mutants that occupied them.
"That….is a lot of Reavers," Yoko commented as she looked through her goggles as the two vehicles stopped to assess the situation.
"Figures the camp would be right next to the shrine." Mikoto groaned, further pressing her chest on Aran's back. "They will be all over us if we start a ruckus now."
"It's a good thing we have something for the occasion," Aran smirked as he turned on his radio. Let's make the baby cry. Shino, Mari, hit it!"
"You got it!"
Back at the Chinook, Shino gleefully pressed a button on her datapad.
A few kilometers away from everyone, a small pod embedded in the ground lit up as the top popped off. The area was illuminated a second later as the pod fired numerous flares and fireworks into the air, reaching a staggering height before the flares ignited. The fireworks exploded with loud explosions and bright colors, putting on a display that was impossible to miss.
From their vantage point, Aran and his girls could easily see the light show in the sky a distance away, and the sounds of the pops and booms reached them a second later. Immediately, the camp below became a flurry of activity as the Reavers' attention was drawn to the lights and sounds in the distance. The mutants raced to any nearby vehicle and piled in and on, roaring and screaming as the vehicles kicked up dust from their wheels. The entire camp emptied, leaving only a small group of stragglers behind.
"That trick never fails. Like moths to a flame, they always go for the flashiest thing around," Aran said as he popped the bike out of park. "That should distract them for a while, at the very least. If our luck is good, then more than a few won't be coming back once Shino gives them her little surprise."
"The less who survive, the better," Yoko said as the group resumed their journey up the stairs. "At least we won't have to deal with as many while we're fiding this 'corpse'."
Mikoto nodded in agreement. "Still, we shouldn't relax yet. There are still enough to cause trouble.
"Too true. Even a handful is too much trouble." Aran agreed as he rode behind the Humvee. "Let's get in and out quickly before they decide to return."
They continued the rest of the way, and when they finally hit even ground, there were shared sighs of relief as they looked around.
On the first observation, the shrine looked normal. But as they passed the Shinto gate, they saw that there were many fox statues around—some docile, some fierce-looking, and thankfully made of stone. The shrine was quite huge, two stories tall and as wide as a house. Looking around, the shrine grounds were extensive enough for a plane to land, and there was another small shrine with fox masks.
"Whoever this guy is, he really likes foxes." Mikoto mused as the vehicles came to a halt.
"Do we have a location on this sacred corpse?" Chou'un inquired as Aran checked his holopad.
"It's supposed to be a few stories underground, and traps are set. Luckily for us, our client gave us cheat codes-"
"Hey-hey! Guys! Hold up! You're going to want to see this. Wait for it…"
As Shino alerted the group of what was to come, the Reaver band had reached the pod's location, spewing sparkles and loudly blaring 'You Could Be Mine' by Guns N' Roses. The Reavers piled out and curiously approached the odd contraption. As they gathered around, grunting and moaning in confusion, a slot atop the pod opened, and a sign on a spring shot out and bounced around, startling the Reavers, who jumped back in surprise. On the sign, a single word could be read.
'Boom!'
"Rrreeeh?!" The nearest Reaver got out before a loud rapid beeping could be heard.
And it was at that moment they knew…they fucked up.
KA-BOOOOOOOM!
Aran and the gang saw a bright flash and a large plumb of fire in the direction of the pod just as the loudest explosion of the night reached their ears.
"BWAHAHAHAHA! It never gets old!"
"Sounds like Shino's having fun." Yoko chuckled with a sweatdrop as they watched the fireball slowly vanish into the dark.
"Hopefully, it got them all," Mikoto said as she turned back to their leader. "Anyways, you were saying?"
"I was saying we got everything we need to find our way to the objective, thanks to our client," Aran said, showing the cheat sheet on his holopad. "Yoko, you shack up upstairs and keep a lookout. Mikoto, Chou'un, you're with me. Quick in and out. Let's go."
Yoko nodded and ran upstairs while Mikoto and Chou'un followed Aran inside. Aran lightly tapped on the floor until he heard an echo. Taking out his ninjato, he stabbed it into a crack and yanked, opening up a trapdoor that led to stairs going down. The trio strode downstairs, entering a wide, brightly-lit hallway with paintings that told a story that appeared to be based on the history of the world's Immortals.
The paintings, which featured tailed beasts, horned aliens, and legendary heroes, were dynamic and eye-catching—but only for those not busy dealing with the traps.
"So what do you have?" Mikoto asked, a bit creeped out at the drawing of a nine-tailed fox ravaging a small village.
"Invisible lasers and pressure plates that trigger arrows, trapdoors that lead to spikes, swinging blades, and all the fun cliches you see in movies and video games. They spared no expense." Aran answered dryly. "If we hit a trip wire, it'll release a gas that triggers a vertigo effect, making this more difficult."
"Those cultists would never have gotten past all of this," Chou'un said with a frown. "More importantly, how are we supposed to get past this?"
Aran pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on. "Our clients gave us these. They're supposed to let me see where the traps and their triggers are. All I have to do is to avoid them, hit the lever at the end down there, and we're in business. The only problem is that once the lever is pulled, we have ten seconds to carry the package out of its resting place before the traps reactivate."
"What's the point of that?!" Mikoto hissed, baffled.
Aran shrugged. "Probably to catch any grave robbers with their pants down. Now you girls wait here. I'll maneuver around the traps and pull the coffin out. Once I hit the lever, you help me carry the coffin to the end."
"Understood. Be careful." Chou'un warned him.
"Hey, it's me!"
Aran looked closely at the trap triggers and mentally formulated a path through. Thankfully, the hallway wasn't long, and he had enough body control to leap on the actual flooring and avoid the pressure plates. There were still the tripwires and lasers, but luck was usually on his side. After formulating his path, he hopped on the safe plates, weaved through the tripwires, and twisted through the lasers. With a forward roll at the end, he cleared the trap and entered the next room.
The door was small, circular, and dark, and the coffin was right before him in the center. Aran brushed the coffin, the dust being wiped away, and spotted a keyhole. Taking out a key, he inserted and twisted it. There was a loud clanging sound as the coffin was detached from the ground, activating an energy surge that allowed the coffin to levitate.
"That's a neat trick," Aran remarked, then quickly pulled the coffin out of the room, mentally noting how heavy it was.
In the hallway's light, the coffin was shown to have spiraling flame designs with the image of a ferocious nine-tailed fox.
"This is it. I got the package! Get ready!" Aran called over to the others and pulled the lever, resulting in echoing clanging and whirling sounds as the traps were temporarily deactivated. Aran quickly pushed the coffin forward a second after the last disarmament, meeting the girls in the middle.
"Move! Move! Move!"
"How is it floating?!"
"Don't know, don't care! RUN!"
Seconds ticked down as they cleared the hallway. Unfortunately, they escaped one second too late, and the traps rearmed themselves. Fortunately, they cleared the tripwires, but Aran broke a laser, and Mikoto accidentally hit a pressure plate with a loud click. Arrows rained down behind them, and vertigo gas started seeping into the hall.
"Shit! Shit! Shit! Move! Move! MOVE!" Aran yelled as they reached the stairs.
With their combined strength, the crew quickly lifted the coffin over their heads to block the arrows while holding their breaths. As their limbs groaned with discomfort, they could hear the distant sounds of arrows embedding themselves on the stairs behind them, and the gas was making its way up. On top of it all, they could see a lid starting to slide over the opening atop the stairs, threatening to trap them inside a death trap.
Realizing things would get very bad if he didn't do something, Aran reached deep inside himself for something only a few people had an inkling he possessed. Feeling a pulse, Aran raised the coffin with a strength that defied his body and threw it up the stairs, clearing every step. In an instant, he wrapped both girls in his arms and, crouching for a split second, jumped with enough force to propel himself with his cargo the rest of the way up.
The next thing the girls knew, they were back inside the shrine's main room. The trio hit the floor and rolled as Aran's legs gave out from the exertion. Behind them, the lid slid shut with an audience 'Thunk'.
"Gah! Huff! Huff! Huff!" Aran panted out as his limbs burned in protest, sweat streaming down his face.
"Dammit, Aran! Did you use that again?!" Mikoto growled at him as Chou'un quickly shut the trapdoor.
"It's that…..or death." Aran panted out as Chou'un crawled over to check on him. "Just…gimmie…a minute…"
"Shhhhhhh!"
Everyone looked to see Yoko, who was now on the first floor and was aiming her rifle outside.
"Is there a problem?" Chou'un started to ask, only to hear a voice other than Rei or Rika.
"We know you're there, Zero Squad. Come out with our Immortal Emissary!"
"You've gotta be-" Aran muttered as he was helped to his feet. "Is that who I think it is?"
"Izume-san, please!" Another female voice said before clearing her throat. "My name is Tachibana Elisa, one of the leaders of Izanami, and we are here to take the coffin off your hands. Please. We know you're doing this for UW Japan, and you must know that their promise rings false. Surrender the coffin to us, and you will be well compensated."
"That holy vessel means more to us than those fossils you work for." the first voice, Izume, said arrogantly. "Now make the right decision so that a new age can dawn for all our sakes!"
"Izume-san!"
"Shit, Izanami's here already?!" Mikoto groaned, not pleased.
"Yeah, and that prior noise pinged them to our position." Yoko hissed back, keeping her scope on them.
"Give me a second," Aran said as he stood back under his strength once more. His limbs felt slightly numb, but he could still fight if needed. "Watch my back, girls." He requested as he calmly walked through the doors.
As he stepped outside, he was greeted by a small group of lightly armed women dressed in tattered robes, standing purposefully between the shrine and their vehicles. A slight groan escaped his lips as his eyes settled on the two women standing before the group.
"Elisa and Izume, I presume?"
"Yes," said the diplomatic speaker, a woman named Elisa with long purple hair and blue irises. "And you must be Kobayashi Aran, the only male active in the world."
"In the flesh." Aran mock bowed.
"Manners aside, I wish this meeting were under better circumstances-" Elisa started to say.
"Be grateful that, for once, you are not our target to revive our God. But that holy vessel, the Immortal Emissary that you so helpfully retrieved, is the one we seek." the second speaker said haughtily, a woman buxomer than Elisa, with velvet-red hair, swept upwards and red eyes.
"Charming. Didn't your mother tell you it's rude to interrupt when someone is talking?" Aran rebuffed as he folded his arms.
"Manners get us nowhere in this twisted world," Izume responded, looking unimpressed. "Now we shall ask-"
"At any rate, there are a few things you need to know. First, the UW didn't ask us to retrieve the coffin. A private entity claimed ownership of the asset, and they had very compelling evidence to that effect. Least of all, the keys and knowledge of how to retrieve the coffin. On an aside, be thankful none of you made it down there. Not one of you who went in would have gotten a meter inside before you died."
The cold look in his eyes let them all know he was not joking, and more than a few of the women shivered.
"Secondly, you ladies are out of luck. You see, I am a man of integrity. Once I accept a contract, I see it through to the end. It would be bad for the business if I were to renege on a contract. I'd lose the trust of future clients."
"Future clients that are undoubtedly connected to the UW as a whole! If only you knew what I knew-" Elisa said urgently before taking a breath, missing the shadows in Aran's eyes. "How much are you being paid? We can more than match what is offered-"
"You Think I Don't Know How They Operate?!" Aran yelled, making the two steps back in surprise. "You think I don't realize they hold the civilized world in their palms? I know damn well what kind of people they are, but they are the ones who keep the majority of humanity safe for now. They are the ones protecting those who still cling to life in this cesspool of a world. They keep people fed, healthy enough to hold on, and they ensure there is a chance that there will be a world to rebuild if and when we can retake the lands outside the walls, even if it is for their selfish desires." Aran growled out. "I hate having to toe the line with the UW, but as it stands, they are the lesser of two evils. The alternative…is far darker in comparison." Aran declared as he gestured to the Reaver camp below.
"...You got a lot of spunk, boy. If any group is the lesser of two evils, it's us, Izanami." Izume said and narrowed her eyes at him. "And I can assure you that our way of life is better than those suffocating standards those politicians impose on everyone else. We will be the ones to bring back the human race, better than the ones who died out three years ago."
"...can you protect every woman in the world from the scourge of the Reavers as you are now?"
Elisa shook her head. "Maybe not, but you can. The Zero Squad can join us and-"
"Pass! You're a cult, considering what you plan to do with the Immortal…" Aran said as his eyes wandered, seeing the Humvee and motorcycle…along with some movement in the trees, not before hearing the clicking of guns from the Izanami group. "Oh."
"So much for talking this out," Izume growled in annoyance. "You will give us the Immortal Emissary, boy! And you might as well give yourself up like you should've done years ago. I know a few ladies who could benefit from your seed."
"Not even tempting, lady. By the way, I strongly advise you to vacate the area!" Aran warned as he slowly reached for his gun.
Izume scoffed. "And why should we do that?"
"Because of the huge Reaver right behind you all- MOVE!" Aran roared as he whipped his MAC-11 out and pointed it at the group's rear, where a massive Reaver was beginning to charge as it roared in beastly fury.
"AARRRRAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The hulking brute was far different from the normal Reaver. Standing all nine feet, it was covered in metal plates and wore a steampunk mask over its face. Jagged pieces of metal were embedded in its back, standing out a foot and a half. It also wore an odd contraption, and a series of metal tubes snaked around its frame, ending in nozzles aimed down towards the ground. In its hands was a giant metal mallet with what appeared to be a rocket engine attached to the back of the head.
"I knew things were going too smoothly~!" Mikoto wailed as she and Yoko opened fire. "Berserker!"
Pandemonium ensued as the women of Izanami screamed and tried to scatter in panic, but were knocked aside like bowling pins, hard. Elisa and Izume managed to get away, but the others weren't so lucky as they succumbed to their injuries, with the monster now charging what it perceived as the most significant threat: Kobayashi Aran. It weaved through the gunfire with deceptive ease as it closed the distance, rearing back its hammer to swing.
Aran was forced to dodge to the left as the brute swung down, slamming the hammer into the shrine's support pillars for the awning. The wood creaked under the strain before toppling, coming down and blocking the entrance to the shrine, leaving Aran separated from his squad mates.
"Aran!" Mikoto screamed through the wreckage before getting tackled by Chou'un to avoid the falling debris.
"He'll be alright!" Yoko told her as she and Chou'un worked to clear the debris with her sword. "Protect the coffin!"
"Damn it!" Aran cursed as he stared down the Reaver, whose glowing red eyes behind the lenses of its mask turned to glare at the smaller man. "Alright, you wanna dance, big guy?" Aran asked as he pulled one of his swords from the sheath. "C'mon. Show me what you got!" Aran challenged as he aimed his gun at the Reaver as the two stood before the shrine.
(cue Bellum (Beyond Fear) by Go Shiina from Code Vein)
The Berserker Reaver roared and fired rockets from his rocket pack at Aran, who bobbed and weaved, slashing down the rockets simultaneously. The mercenary charged at the Berserker, who swung its massive hammer for a devastating blow. Aran leaped over it and swiped his sword towards its face, slashing one of the Berserker's eyes. The Berserker howled in pain, stumbling back as Aran landed on the ground and slashed repeatedly at its hulking frame. Enraged, the Berserker swung its hammer in a 360-degree arc, forcing Aran to block and slide back from the impact.
"Aran? Aran! What's taking so long?" Rei's voice suddenly rang from the comms. "You and the others should've been back by now!"
"Talk later! Busy!" Aran responded as he ducked another swing from the hammer.
"Aran's fighting a massive Berserk Reaver! I've never seen one like this!" Yoko decided to take over the communications. "We're trapped in the shrine, so we can't help him!"
"Just great. Shino! Mari! Fire up the engines! We're heading to them for extraction!" Rika ordered and grabbed her sniper rifle.
"No! We'll come to you! Just keep the engine running!" Aran countered, rolling forward and slashing at the Reaver's legs. "This armor is starting to piss me off!" Aran growled as his sword could barely cut through the weaker joints, allowing only shallow cuts in the Berserker, who acted like the wounds weren't even there.
"Then retreat!"
"No can do! Izanami's here too!"
"Oh, come on!"
Eventually, Aran caught a break. His sword found a kink in the armor and sunk in, cutting a decent wound into the Berserker's side.
"REEEEERAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" The Reaver thrashed in pain as blood dripped from the kinks in the armor.
"Heh! How'd you like that, you damn, dirty-FUCK!" Aran was forced to jump back as the Reaver threw its arms up, and jet exhaust spewed from the nozzles on the suit. Everyone witnessing then watched in stunned disbelief as the Reaver started to hover in the air.
"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING!" Everyone shouted simultaneously as the Berserker readied his hammer, eager to start the second half of the fight.
"They fly now?!" Mikoto wailed.
"They fly now!" Yoko whined in resignation.
"This can't be. The Reavers are supposed to be driven by their primal instincts and devoid of intelligence. How is this possible?" Elisa wondered from Izanami's hiding place. "Either they're evolving…or they're getting help..."
"Impossible. No one in their right mind would try and force these brutes to do anything." Izumi hissed and looked towards the ruined shrine. "Come. We must retrieve the Immortal Emissary while the brat is distracted."
While Izanami sneaked their way to the shrine, Aran rolled to the side as the Berserker swooped at him, the rocket on the hammer burning as it swung down at its target. Aran found himself only a hair width from disaster as he dodged repeatedly.
"Come on! There's got to be a way to beat this thing!" Aran muttered as the Berserker righted itself again after another charge. Aran then noticed a panel had fallen off the pack on the Reavers' back, exposing a weak tube and tank. It took only a second for Aran to devise a plan. "Hello, weak point!" Aran grinned as he dashed towards the Berserker.
Raising his MAC-11, Aran fired a burst at the Reaver's head, forcing it to shield its face. Thus losing track of Aran. The young man took that opportunity to slide past the mutant and jump on its back. Dropping the MAC-11 for the moment, Aran gripped the ninjato tight as he reared back and plunged the blade into the gap, tearing through tubes and tanks alike. He heard the distinct sound of hissing gas and twisted the blade hard. Gas began to visually vent from the hole, and Aran lept off when the Reaver noticed the sound. It mattered little as soon the gas ignited into jets of flame erupting from the Reaver's back.
"GRUAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Berserker screamed as he lost control of his suit and began to fly uncontrollably through the air. The Reaver struck numerous objects in its path, including trees and stone statues, bringing grunts of pain. Eventually, the Reaver flew towards Aran, who casually stepped aside to allow the Reaver to fly into a boulder. The impact turned the Reaver upwards, and the mutant flew straight up in a corkscrew for a few seconds until the pack on its back could take no more.
Ka-Boom!
The pack exploded in a massive fireball, and bits of metal rained down on the shrine and ground. Aran watched the spectacle until the smoking helmet fell at his feet. Aran regarded the metal momentarily before rearing back and punting the helmet off the cliffside.
"Good riddance," he muttered before hearing yelps and sounds of fighting.
He turned towards the shrine to see Chou'un taking down a patrol of Reavers with her martial arts and slicing them down. Mikoto joined in, throwing her body and bashing her opponents with the butt of her Eight Ball, a Smith and Wesson Model 627. Both girls were handling business as Yoko pushed the coffin out of the rubble, breathing heavily while using the coffin to steady her rifle and herself. As she semi-collapsed, Chou'un and Mikoto finished tidying up, with Chou'un holding her blade towards the direction of Elisa, who had her hands up, and Mikoto aiming her Eight Ball at Izume, who stepped back in fright.
"I didn't have to worry." Aran mused.
Mikoto smirked. "We handled to get the jump on that patrol. But about that flying Reaver-"
"Aran! We've got company!" Yoko yelled as she looked through her sniper rifle at the end of the valley. Everyone turned to see numerous lights flickering in the distance, obviously headlights of many vehicles.
And there was only one reason why that many lights were headed their way.
"More Reavers!"
"Fuck! Must have seen the explosion. We gotta move, ladies!" Aran ordered as he helped the others pull the coffin through the debris, and the four hustled to the Humvee.
"Wait!" Elisa called out as she and Izume made to stop the group, but Mikoto and Chou'un stepped in front to block the way. "Please! You cannot give him to them!" Elisa begged as Aran and Yoko loaded the coffin into the Humvee.
"I'm not. I'm giving him to MAELSTROM," Aran said as he shut the rear door.
"...MAELSTROM? Then…"
Elisa seemed to pause momentarily while Izume glared at the group. "The Immortal Emissary is a holy icon! You have no right to keep it from us!"
Aran sighed as the girls loaded up into the Humvee. "I get that you view him as a divine being, and if he is immortal and can revive, then perhaps there is some truth to it. However, my guts tell me that he will have more of an impact in the city than he will if you take him. Call it a hunch, but I think he will be instrumental in reshaping the world with those who truly know him…if he really can come back to life."
"Aran! We need to hurry!" Mikoto yelled out the vehicle's window as the engine roared to life.
"Coming!" Aran responded, then regarded the two women and their fallen comrades before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the keys to his bike. "Here." Aran then threw the keys to Elisa, who fumbled them for a second in surprise. "Take the bike. You'll have a better chance to escape with wheels."
Elisa looked between the keys and the boy who had given them to her. "But why help us?"
Aran opened the back seat driver door and climbed in. "Because no one deserves the fate of getting caught by those monsters. Now, get going! We'll distract as many of them as we can!" The mercenary shut the door and patted the driver's seat, signaling Yoko to drive. The wheels spun as the Humvee shot forward and down the stairs, leaving the two high members of Izanami behind.
"Firing flare!" Mikoto called out, pulling out a flare gun and unleashing the flare into the sky.
This had the intended effect, with all the Reaver's vehicles now speeding towards them.
"Dammit! We had two of them in our grasp!" Izume snapped and glared at Elisa. "This is your fault! Now we have to wait until those fossils find another immune man!"
"They're the Zero Squad! They were going to be difficult no matter what! That's why I wanted to talk them into our side!" Elisa said, not backing down. "It doesn't help that you and your own faction are the reason they have such a bad opinion of us, calling us a cult when we're anything but!"
"And look where your talks have got us!" Izumi snarled as their group recovered from the beating they got. "We had an ambush until you ruined it! For one of our leaders, you've proven to be soft!"
Elisa blanched at that but shook it off. "Enough. We must return and discuss our next course of action," she said and started up the motorcycle left for them. "Whatever happens to that Immortal Emissary, we will know from our spies in UW. They'll want to know MAELSTROM's action regarding that corpse. And remember, MAELSTROM is off-limits!"
Izume 'tched' as she got on the back of the motorcycle. Elisa looked back for a moment at the carnage before driving off.
'MAELSTROM…'
[The Chase]
"Seriously. Why'd you have to give away the bike? You're lucky it's not one of mine, buster!" Mikoto raged, poking at her leader. "Just…why?!"
"You know I have three more of those models," Aran responded. "Like I said, I wouldn't want to wish that on anyone." Aran then moved to the back and opened the top port on the Humvee. He grabbed the hanging 30 cal, swung it up, and locked it into place. Quickly feeding the ammo belt, he got ready for the inevitable fight.
He didn't have to wait long.
"What…is that?" Chou'un murmured, her eyes open.
Rumbling down the road was a large, repurposed school bus painted in red and black, dressed in burnt skeletons. There were also many spikes on its side and rim and a pointed snow plower in the front. The windows were also tinted, with machine guns sticking out and manned by the Reavers inside. To make things worse, it was flanked by several smaller, crudely armored open-air Jeeps with Reavers roaring and shaking their weapons, followed by Reavers on their motorbikes closing in on the Humvee with burning Molotov Cocktails in hand.
(cue Playing with Lightning by Expansion Union from Blade)
"Oh, fuck me running. Floor it, Yoko!" Aran yelled and opened fire. "Chinook, we're about to have some company!"
"Crap!" Mikoto yelled, pulling out an AR-15 and firing upon the Reavers.
"Aran, we had to make an emergency liftoff. The Reavers had found us!" Shino called over the radio. "We'll make our way to another landing zone if you want!"
"No time! This will have to be a hot extract! They now have an armored bus!" Aran shouted, making sure to fire on the riders holding the cocktails, causing them to explode and shower the Reavers in flaming fuel.
"Thankfully, it's not as fast, but it is still closing in," Chou'un noted, slashing the Reavers that got too close. "Be careful not to overheat the gun."
"I knew we should've installed a second turret," Mikoto whined as she reloaded.
"Rika, we need a Code 'C4' on the Takiwa Bridge. You and Rei, go and get set up! Shino, get them there quick!"
"Roger that! Just focus on making it out alive!"
"Hard to do when they don't let up!" Chou'un said as she stabbed a tire out of a Jeep, sending it careening into its fellows in the motorcycles and Jeeps.
"Yoko, do that drifting shit and get us down this mountain!"
"Luckily, there are sharp turns ahead! Hold on tight!" Yoko replied and spun the wheel.
The Humvee's wheels turned opposite the road, allowing it to drift along the sharp path. The Reaver horde behind them attempted to follow, but some didn't make it and were thrown off the road. Unfortunately, the armored bus made the turn not by drifting but by its heavy frame, preventing it from tilting entirely over.
"Oh, come on! There's MORE of them!" Mikoto shrieked, seeing more motorcycles and Jeeps joining the fray.
"Reload!" Aran shouted as he ditched the spent ammo box and grabbed a full one Chou'un provided.
"Another turn up ahead! Hopefully, it'll take more of them out!" Yoko said, making another sharp turn. More Reavers exploded on the same side of the road, but the bus still persisted, and more Reavers joined the fray.
Eventually, the Humvee reached the bottom of the mountain, and the road became straighter. Sadly, the bus was too close, and the machine guns on the bus opened fire, pelting the armored Humvee with bullets.
"Shit!" Aran yelled and dropped for cover.
"Girls! Where are you?! We can't keep this up!" Mikoto wailed, ducking as Chou'un sliced a cocktail out of midair and pulled her down. "Girls?! Girls!"
Yoko gunned the motor to put as much distance as possible between them and the Reavers. A kilometer away, an old stone bridge spans the gap of a ravine. On the support struts, several satchels are attached to the stone. From a distance away, Rika and Rei sit in their idling Jeep as they look through the lenses of the binoculars Rei is holding and the sniper scope Rika has.
"I see them coming. Get ready, Rika," Rei said as she saw the Humvee's headlights.
Rika racked the rifle and focused on the center satchel on the bridge. "Say when."
"We're crossing the bridge! Hold on to something!" Yoko called out and flipped a switch, triggering the vehicle's nitro boost.
The Humvee sped across the bridge, with the Reavers trailing a short distance behind. Rei waited until the Humvee was at the last segment of the bridge before she shouted, "Now!"
Rika pulled the trigger, and a lone bullet left the rifle. It sailed through the air, invisible waves rippling off the bullet as it flew faster than sound. Rika's aim was true, as the bullet struck the satchel and ignited the explosive inside. The satchel exploded, along with the others that were linked to it by an explosive cord, blowing the stone bridge apart. The bus halfway across pitched up as the road buckled, along with any other vehicle on the bridge. Everything on the bridge fell along with the stone into the ravine, creating a spectacle as machines crashed into the unforgiving stone riverbed below. Many vehicles exploded, and the bus crumpled like a soda can before it too ignited.
Behind the Humvee, a large plumb of smoke erupted from the collapsed bridge. Aran grinned as he admired his girl's handiwork.
"Great work, girls!" he said as the Humvee started to slow.
"MAELSTROM better pay us double for this job. I'm at my wits' end between Izanami and those Reavers!" Mikoto groaned, hanging off her seat.
Aran chuckled as the Chinook approached them and landed, followed by the Jeep.
"...Guys, where's the bike?" Rei asked.
"Aran gifted it to Izanami, more specifically to that Tachibana Elisa lady, to help her and her friends escape," Chou'un said, sheathing her blade.
"Oh, why, that's generous. Still generous after everything they put us through trying to get to you for the past two years." Rei said, her eyes twitching.
"Rei…you know what Reavers do to captured women…" Aran said without any emotion in his voice. "Especially when they're alive…"
Rei winced. "I know, I know. But still…"
"Look on the bright side. Zero Squad: 7. Izanami: 0. There's nothing wrong with throwing them a bone." Rika said, saddened, and inspected the cargo. "So this is it, huh? Whoever this is must be a fan of the Nine-Tailed Fox legend."
"...We'll discuss later. We've overstayed our welcome here in the wildlands. Let's exfil." Aran ordered, getting nods in return.
When the Humvee and Jeep were inside, the Chinook closed its doors and took off to the sky. The girls secured the vehicles while Aran walked up to the four ladies they had rescued earlier, who were being tended to by Mari.
"How's our guests?" Aran asked the field medic.
"They're stable. They only have a few bruises from being dragged and thrown into cages. Other than that, they're perfectly healthy. But I recommend a complete check-up when we get to a hospital or if MAELSTROM allows us to use their medical facilities," Mari reported.
"Good. I'm glad we could stop them from taking you, ladies. Trust me, you don't want to know what they had planned for you," Aran told the three women and one preteen.
The woman stared at the young man in shock. "You…you're male." One of the older women spoke out.
"That's correct." Aran nodded.
The pre-teen tilted her head. "But I thought there were no more boys around anymore."
Aran smiled as he gently rubbed her head. "Well, I'm the exception, and it's best to keep it a secret. You girls get some rest. We'll get you to Tokyo safe and sound."
The younger girl then gained a sad look on her face. "But…grandma…" Tears prickled at her eyes.
Aran understood. He knelt and hugged the girl. "I know…I lost my grandma too…"
The members of Zero Squad and the older women stayed silent as Aran comforted the young lady. The Chinook smoothly flew back towards Tokyo as the pre-dawn light began to appear in the east.
[Tokyo]
The sun was rising by the time they reached the city of Tokyo. Tall walls surrounded the borders of Japan's capital, designed to prevent the roving Reavers from entering the city. That and the automated sentry turrets with various ammo made the mutants think twice about getting close to the sanctuary. The only way in was a series of highly secure gates that stretched out from the base of the walls, creating a canal-like series of locks where only one gate would open as the ones behind closed. Even the bay was secured by a massive seawall and towers with turrets encapsulating the bay to keep some of the craftier Reavers from trying to float around into the open bay. Concrete anti-ship spikes stretched out from the wall for several meters, making hugging the wall impossible.
There were also a few railways spanning out into the horizon, but they dipped underground several kilometers, allowing for security. The underground systems also had reinforced gates to prevent unwanted guests.
"Tokyo Control, this is Black Raven One of Zero Squad. Requesting access to Tokyo Airspace. Passcode Bravo-Two-Leamer-Tango-Four-Six. Awaiting verification." Shino called over the radio.
"Black Raven One, this is Control. Verification confirmed. Welcome home."
"Roger," Shino responded as she flew the aircraft over the wall as the turrets stopped tracking her aircraft.
"The UW will know we're back now," Rei said, grimacing.
"Better than being blown out of the sky," Mikoto replied, waving off her concerns.
"No matter. They can take it up with MAELSTROM." Aran said, waving off the concerns. "And speaking of MAELSTROM, set a course and let them know we have women needing medical attention."
"Roger," Shino said and switched channels. "MAELSTROM Control, this is Black Raven One, en route to your HQ with the package. Where do you want us to land?"
"Black Raven One. Head to Helipad Three and standby." a new voice over the radio said.
"Roger. Be advised we have plus four in need of medical. Over."
"Understood. We will have a medical team on standby. See you on deck."
"10-4," Shino said, guiding the craft to the massive building on the horizon.
It was a massive building with three octagonal skyscraper towers, joined by aerial walkways on various floors. Each tower was over 999 meters tall and supported by nine sentry towers, with three per skyscraper. All three towers also had helipads, and a sprawling Japanese mansion was between them. This is the main headquarters of MAELSTROM, a powerful conglomerate with many subdivisions that keep the money flowing for its many operations.
The Chinook entered MAELSTROM's airspace and landed on Helipad Three as directed. And a woman was waiting for them as they landed, with a medical team behind her.
It was a stunningly beautiful and attractive adult woman with hip-length black hair with bangs that stood as two ahoge, green irises with a mole under her left eye, red-framed glasses and silver earrings, and a voluptuous figure that befitted her status as an immortal Goddess walking the Earth; with her outfit consisting of a green-knitted turtleneck, a tight black miniskirt with garter-belt stockings, and a white lab coat.
She watched as the black CH-47 Chinook approached the landing pad she was near, descending as the air whipped about. Aside from her hair flying about, she was unaffected as it landed. She adjusted her glasses as the ramp opened, with the Zero Squad pushing out the coffin, followed by their rescuees.
"The Contract has been fulfilled. We have the item you requested," Aran announced as they pushed the coffin up to the woman.
The woman slowly and gently ran her hand across the fox motif on the lid and smiled. "Did you have any trouble retrieving it?"
At her question, multiple scoffs and deadpan stares met her gaze.
"That bad, huh?" The woman smirked at the leader of the Zero Squad.
"You'll find out when I give you the full report later. For now, I can honestly say we might have to renegotiate compensation for the mission." Aran answered, letting her know just how bad it had gotten.
Upon seeing the group's state, she sighed and nodded. "I understand. Well, I suppose there is no helping it. You did the job, and that is what matters. We'll take it from here. In the meantime, why don't you all rest? We have rooms reserved for you down below. I'm sure you all need a nice shower, some food, and a warm bed after last night," she said before taking the coffin inside.
Aran nodded, and the girls brightened up. The medical team moved in to escort the four survivors to the medical wing while Aran and his ladies pushed the coffin through the roof access to the awaiting team of employees who would take it to wherever. Shino and Mari worked to secure the Chinook, then would leave to find their rooms.
All in all, it was another day for Zero Squad.
[MALESTROM HQ - Mansion]
Meanwhile, down on the ground, a black sports car swerved to a stop at the front entrance. The guards standing by tensed up before relaxing when two familiar women came out of the car, the doors opening upwards instead of sideways.
One had long brown hair tied in a long braid, brown irises with black-trimmed glasses, and a slender figure with large breasts. Her attire included a full-body dark sweater dress, a black coat with a fur collar, and black high heels.
"Whatever Hasegawa-san called us back for, this better be good." Yu Mei-ren said grumpily. "This attempted alliance with China is no picnic."
The other had long purple hair that reached down to her waist, with bangs partially covering her red irises. She had a beautiful body with large breasts and wore a white suit with six buttons over a dark section, a black miniskirt, black leggings, and shoes.
"What's the matter, Yu? I thought you'd be happier to escape them for a little while." Kurokami Medaka teased her as they entered the building.
"This generation is impossible to deal with. If it were their ancestors, it would be easier." Yu sighed as they entered the mansion.
"We can only do what we can. But it is funny." Medaka giggled. "I remember when the Western world claimed that a government run by only women would be a massive improvement."
Yu rolled her eyes as they headed toward the second floor. "Shows what they know. In the end, they are only human. Nothing's changed."
Yu and Medaka entered the room where Hasegawa Chisato was. Before they could greet and/or question the reasons for her summons, they spotted a familiar coffin next to her.
"Hello, my fellow Immortals. As you can see, I have retrieved our Master."
"Okay, not that I'm not happy to have him back, but wasn't the plan to wait until the UW does something…completely stupid?" Yu asked, despite rushing over to the coffin and brushing her hands on it. "This feels too soon."
"A plant from within the Izanami cult informed me that they were searching the decoy shrines. I don't know how they found out, but I'm sure that in their insane minds, they believe they could use him to awaken…Izanami." Chisato informed them.
"...Yes, they are insane. Like batshit. But he would've been safe with those traps. They step in it, they get what they deserve." Yu scoffed and frowned. "But why now?"
"Because our dear Master is more infamous than we could ever be," Medaka whispered with a smile and brightened up. "What's the harm? The world has changed in more ways than one. And here, he won't be so bored dealing with this crisis. If anything, we need him."
"Are you sure your baby clock isn't ringing, Kurokami?" Yu asked dryly.
"...Maybe?" Medaka replied coyly. "Then again, we are running out of his blood."
Yu scoffed. "Half the world's population dropping dead can do that."
"Ladies, crude as it may be, all of your wombs are tingling, and not just ours," Chisato said typically, with Yu looking scandalized. "Despite the pandemic, some influential women worldwide thought this new world was paradise for the first six months. And now look where we are, and the world isn't better off for it."
"If the masses learn about him, they will swarm him just like they tried to do with Aran. And trust me, these women are starving." Yu said, pointing out the window.
"Are we?" Medaka asked with a smirk.
"Focus!" Yu squeaked, now red in the face.
"The choice is clear. We restore him. The world needs us. And we, the Immortals, need our Master."
"No complaints here," Medaka said excitedly.
"...I'm going to be sore for the next few weeks." Yu groaned and sighed.
"You are never beating the horny tsundere allegations."
"Can it, you! Now let's begin."
After moving the coffin into the center of the room, the three Immortals surrounded it. As Chisato and Medaka gathered their power, Yu raised her hand, materializing paper talismans that stuck themselves to the coffin while a sealing formula wrote itself onto the floor around it.
"The power of three Immortals is required to awaken another Immortal in stasis," Chisato said as her hair turned golden-yellow. "Especially one that is an Alpha and an Omega, the strongest creature in existence…"
"He only has that title because of the Tournament of Immortals a century ago," Medaka said, her power turning fluorescent red. "Isn't the next one coming up soonish?"
"Less gloating, more restoration!" Yu snapped, her eyes turning red.
The seals glowed brightly as more power was directed into the coffin. The mansion started to shake as the nine-tailed fox drawing on the coffin glowed orange. Soon, the wind started to blow about, the Immortals remaining unmoving as they continued their task. Soon, the MAELSTROM HQ's lights started blinking on and off with power surges, and everything inside and around was wondering what was going on.
"H-Hey, what's going on?!" Rei cried as she and the others tried to keep their balance.
"I don't know!" Mikoto yelped. "Is it an earthquake?"
Aran steadied himself against the wall as he watched the lights flickering. Suddenly, he felt a pulse deep within, just like when he drew upon the mysterious power to augment his strength, only this time, it felt like it was reacting to something from outside.
"What the?!"
Back with the Immortals, the process was almost complete. The coffin continued pulsing with gathered power that seeped into the "corpse" and jumpstarted the dominant energy from within it. A growling sound erupted from the coffin as the shadow of a black dragon enveloped it.
"Okay, that is not me!" Yu called out.
"I know! It's her!" Chisato said, looking to the side. "Looks like she discovered her master's awakening from the other world."
"From the depths of the world's despair, let the light of the Black Dragon bloom forth!"
"Now awaken!" Chisato, Medaka, and Yu chanted as one and unleashed one final burst of energy, which the coffin absorbed and the sealing formula on the floor.
A few seconds of silence later, energy burst out of the coffin, shattering the windows and cracking the walls, with the trio's clothing also suffering but thankfully hanging on by threads. The coffin then rose to a vertical position, and the lid burst open, revealing a sleeping man with yellow-blond, shoulder-length spiky hair; whisker-marks on his cheeks; pitch-black, scaly skin on his arms and legs, a fit body with abs and strange tattoos on his arms and body, with the only piece of clothing protecting his modesty is a pair of orange shorts. The black, scaly parts then receded into his skin.
Chisato smiled as Medaka's and her hair color returned. "Welcome back to the world of the living… Our fellow Immortal and our Master, Uzumaki Naruto."
At that, the blond's eyes snapped open, revealing slitted, crystal-blue eyes.
End of Chapter 01
Naruto has awakened in this new world after slumbering for 20 years. Refreshed and reinvigorated, he steps out into a new world. But this new world is one he has not anticipated, nor has he not thought possible. There is more than meets to meets the eye, than cultists and Reavers…
Next time… Chapter 02: World on Fire
Soul: From what I could skim in the reviews, not many people are fond of how the idea started, so my homie Castle and I settled on the Zero Squad just retrieving Naruto's coffin from the shrine. In the next chapter, Naruto will learn about the world.
Castle: That's right. This train has started, and we are keeping it rolling.
Soul: So, onto the next chapter.
Notes and References
Shiranui-san is who you think it is. But if you don't know, have fun guessing; she'll appear in the next chapter.
MAELSTROM is based on well-known fictional companies like Stark Industries and Wayne Enterprises, with the PMC part from Metal Gear Rising.
The Zero Squad's mission briefing comes from Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon.
Rika and Rei are from Highschool of the Dead, Mikoto is from Triage X, Yoko is from Gurren Lagann, Chou'un is from Ikkitousen, and Shino and Mari are from the GATE anime.
I (Soul) created the mini-bios for the girls of Zero Squad on the spot.
Kobayashi Aran's appearance is based on Blade from Marvel Comics, specifically the movie. The custom MAC-11 is also based on the gun Blade uses.
The Reavers are from the old TV show Firefly and its movie sequel, Serenity. Let Nathan Fillion buy the series!
The Cry Baby trick is inspired by Terminator: Salvation, where John hacks a MotoTerminator, courtesy of Castle.
"And it was at that moment they knew…they fucked up." A classic.
Izanami makes their early debut, though it's weird that Elisa is considered one of the "leaders," all things considered.
Usually, Izanami would go after a male like Aran, but the reason why they didn't in this case will be explained in the next few chapters. In fact, a lot will be explained there.
The MAC-11 is Blade's weapon from Blade.
The Berserker Reaver is loosely based on the Oliver Collins boss battle from Code Vein.
Go Shiina is the GOAT with the boss's music.
Reaver's fly now? They fly now. Rise of Skywalker may be ass (Soul: I'm a casual SW fan!), but it did give us that little gem.
The chase is based on Resident Evil 5 Mission 2-3. If Capcom remakes Resident Evil 5, it better be co-op, dammit!
The bus is still the Fortnite bus, no longer drivable. Give it back, Epic!
The Destroying the Bridge mission from Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is used.
MAELSTROM's main headquarters is pretty much DOATEC's building from the Dead or Alive/Ninja Gaiden series.
With the Reavers in this world, among other things, the cities will be walled off like in Attack on Titan.
Chisato is from Testament of Sister New Devil, Yu Mei-ren is from Fate Grand Order, and Medaka is from Medaka Box (who deserves a seat at the table with Goku, Naruto, Ichigo, Luffy, and Natsu. Need a Season 3 or a movie dammit!)
More immortals will be shown down the line.
Oh yeah, World's End Harem Fantasia will also be used. You'll see how in the next chapter.
And lemon next chapter!
Released: Monday, April 22, 2024
[Omake - The Coffin or the Chandelier?]
"Welcome back to the world of the living… Our fellow Immortal and our Master, Uzumaki Naruto."
From the coffin lying down, the body of Uzumaki Naruto levitated upwards, rising like Dracula from his crypt-
BONK!
And hit his head on the chandelier above, jolting him awake.
"Ow." he groaned, dizzy-eyed, before falling back into the coffin, stars, chibi foxes, and ramen bowls spinning around his head.
"I learned from the best, Naruto-sama~" Yu jeered as she straddled him with a grin. 'Thank you, Mel Brooks!'
"So you did, my little fairy. Glad to see you have more confidence." Naruto grunted and looked around. "But why the guest room, may I ask?"
"No reason at all. Good to have you back, Naruto. We'll move the chandelier to its proper place next time." Medaka said, squatting down and sharing a smirk with Yu.
Naruto chuckled. "See that you do. My head can't take much more rattling after my hibernation."
"Well, we'll need it," Chisato said as the girls helped him up. "Both of them, in fact, more than ever."
Naruto sweatdropped as Medaka giggled, and Yu looked away with a blush.
Some things never change.