Chapter II: Changed Destinies
In the wake of the meteor blast, almost a quarter of Imp City was wiped out by the sheer force of the shockwave. For several minutes, the skyline of Imp City was filled with nothing but a thick smog that overtook the view of every window and hole that could be peered through. Tens of thousands of surviving Imps were buried under the debris and rubble of their former households and buildings, crying out for help from the ashes of what was obliterated. In the mass of outcry, devastation and uncertain circumstances...
One burned claw tore out from the rubble, and the face of an apoplectic Blitzo surfaced from the wreckage.
"WHAT... IN THE FUCK... JUST HAPPENED?!"
Pulling himself out of the wreckage, he looked back at the remnants (not even) of the I.M.P. corporate building he'd spent so much time investing into- his business, livelihood, and goal for great power and money...
RUINED!
"FUCK THIS SHIT!" Blitzo cried out, kicking various scorched debris and stomping on the outreaching hands of those still buried underneath. Another claw burst out from the rubble, and Millie emerged alongside an unconscious Moxxie, coughing as the dust and ash clouded the atmosphere around them.
"What in the sam-hell is going on?!" Millie shouted to Blitzo- Their voices could hardly be heard over the aftermath of the destructive blow to the city. Blitzo raised his claws to the sky in fury.
"We got FUCKED, Millie, THAT'S what! We were suffering from our own success, and GOD had to send a fuckin' meteor to put us down! THAT'S what-the-fuck-happened, MOXXIE!"
"I'm Millie!"
"WHAT-THE FUCK-EVER!"
It suddenly occurred to him that his daughter, Loona, was nowhere to be found, and he began panicking as he dove through the wreckage.
"SHIT-FUCK! LOOONAAAAAA! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
"H-Here!"
"Oh, thank Satan! WHERE?"
Eventually, Loona's voice calling out brought Blitzo over to her, as he unearthed her wriggling furry body from the debris, hugging her tightly as he cried tears of joy. Loona rolled her eyes, pushing him off.
"Alright, team!" Blitzo stated confidently, wiping away his sniffles and posturing himself in a leader-like manner. "We need to get the fuck outta dodge! We can rebuild (as much as I FUCKING hate that idea!), but we can't lose our non-unionized manpower!"
"Non-unionized?" Moxxie interjected. "I signed up for Hell-Workers United! The fuck you mean, non-unionized?!"
"Moxxie, I wasn't going to tell you this, but since our shit's fucked entirely... That's a fake Union I set up for laundering money."
"WHAT?! You exploitative son of a bitch!"
"I'm not a business magnate for no reason."
"WHAT THE FUUUUUCK! I want answers for where I was sending my donation money to all those years!"
"Shut up, Millie, we have bigger things to worry about!"
"I'M FUCKING MOXXXIIEEEEEEEEEEE-!"
The group, having gathered together, skulked away from the mass of wreckage and towards the undestroyed portions of Imp City.
"What have I signed myself up for?"
The muttering could be heard from Charlie as she walked back into the interior of her newest commercial purchase; The Hazbin Hotel, her pride and joy of only one day old. Only now it was co-run with a demonic Al Capone with a penchant for brutally putting down any opposition to his rule.
She wasn't sure whether to feel euphoria for successfully setting up the Hotel, or uncertainty for who she just signed up with to get it. Either way, she wouldn't have any time to fully contemplate before-
SLAM!
"VERRRRYYYYY SORRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYY- to interrupt!" Said Alastor, having slammed through the double doors of the hotel and swaggering in as if he owned 50% of the building. "Buuuuuuut- I have been called away to the Capital to address a -METEORIC- change in the current state of Hell! Nyehehehhehe!"
"Huh?! What happened-"
Before she could even finish her sentence, Alastor merely waved his radio-staff around and poofed out of the room.
"GAAAHHHH!"
Irritated by Alastor's sudden departure and the lack of information given, Charlie momentarily lost her cool and entered into a momentary rage state, tearing through the lobby of the Hotel in a cathartic rampage, throwing furniture around and tearing up the wallpaper. Only moments later, she fell to her hands and knees exhaustedly, the lobby in serious disarray.
Creaaaak.
"Uh... Charlie?"
Charlie heard Vaggie's voice from the doorway, and felt embarrassment creep over her as she realized the disheveled state she'd left the lobby in. Vaggie sighed, approaching Charlie's side and laying a comforting hand on her back.
"I... can understand where you're coming from. We'll have to consider how to deal with Lord Radiohead from now on, but- it's not all bad!"
Vaggie lifted Charlie up by the shoulders, gesturing an open arm to the entirety of the Hotel with an optimistic energy- something she very much had to manufacture for this situation.
"Look! You finally have the hotel! We have on-call staff (no pension or benefits packages yet), a good location, and plenty of customer base! This place will be filled to the brim with repentant souls in no time!"
Charlie couldn't help but budge a smile- Vaggie's encouragement, though rare, was always on point. She raised her shoulders once again, carrying a new outlook on her circumstances.
RRRRiing! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! RRRRRing!
Charlie suddenly fumbled for her Hell-phone, which was ringing with more intensity than previous calls, and raised it to her ear.
"Y-Yes?"
"Charlotte! We need you at the Capital immediately!"
"M-Mom! What's going on?!"
"As I speak to you, I am dealing with fifty-seven Overlords and growing! I don't have time to explain over the phone, just head here now!"
Click.
Charlie felt a mixture of worry and irritation over the sudden hang-up, but she knew it was her duty to find out the current state of events. She looked to Vaggie with concern.
"I... this sucks. I have to leave for the Capital, my mother has called me there. It seems like something big has happened."
"Oh... well, I'll come along!"
Charlie expressed indecision at that comment, lowering her head.
"I don't know if they'd allow you. It is the Capital. I've never seen someone less prestiged than an Overlord enter through the gates of the castle."
Vaggie pursed her lips as she heard those words, pondering what to do, before eventually coming to a conclusion.
"...Alright. I can keep the hotel running with Niffty, Angel Dust and Husk. After all, you can't miss taking advantage of the first days of a business."
Charlie grinned, glad to have such a reliable demon by her side.
"Thanks, Vaggie. I'll be back here before you know it!"
As she made her way hurriedly towards the door, Charlie was stopped by Angel Dust and Husk, who wanted to know where she was going. She explained her situation to them, and Husk seemed fine with it, but Angel Dust took problem with Charlie's sudden leave.
"So you're tellin' me I gotta run this shit without the founder present in its first days?!" Angel complained. "I'm not slave labor, for fuck's sake!"
"Shut the fuck up, you eight-legged fuckstick. This is our mission!" Husk reprimanded him, to little avail.
"What-the fuck-ever! I hope you're back here before long, Miss Princess!"
Charlie gave a salute as she hurried out the door.
"Promise!"
(Queue: "Sierra - Hide")
"Slayer, your adrenaline readings are spiking abnormally- it is my terse recommendation that you calm down-"
CRACK!
The Slayer's metalpunk boot slammed through the debris he was standing on, causing a rumble throughout the area and interrupting VEGA's robotic analysis. The Slayer was in a BLACK RAGE.
The betrayal of Hayden was a fresh wound to his trust in others, and now he was stuck in what seemed to be a different version of Hell- one with a whole host of new and different circumstances. His confrontation of those demons from earlier had, for the first time in untold millennia, startled him ever so slightly- He had been so used to the fearless and unmitigated attacks and frenzied rampages of past demons that this behavioral change he'd encountered forced him to devise new tactics and stratagems; especially regarding how he would deal with such demons that did not want to tear him from limb to limb.
Walking amongst the mass wreckage of his entrance's destruction, he could hear the sounds of wailing voices calling out from under the rubble; Any other would have been overtaken with guilt and considered this atrocity to be their fault. But the Slayer was unmoving in his emotions.
The only feeling that brought his cells together into existence was a bottomless, undying RAGE.
Yet still, he was not an unthinking monster that enjoyed inflicting pain and suffering. Underneath the broiling sea of eons-long hatred and fury that fueled the monstrous furnace of malice within the Slayer, there was a complex, ancient and fundamental yearning for justice and harmony for all beings that existed.
But primarily humans. Humanity was his priority, whose species would be protected with undying devotion by him until the end of time. It was encoded into every molecule and atom in his DNA sequence, and made up his principles through heavenly divination. There was no swaying- no winning of emotions, or erosion of principle. To him, there was only ONE testament to his existence that mattered solely and wholly.
TO RIP AND TEAR UNTIL IT IS DONE.
"Might I suggest a compromise, if you must remain on the warpath?"
The Slayer grunted in a low, menacing tone, clearly frustrated with VEGA's stifling of his singular, all-encapsulating purpose. Nonetheless, he adhered to advice- in an endless sea of rage, it was crucial that he found wisdom in the cold indifference of his only trusted partner, VEGA. The Slayer grunted low, a long-familiar signal to VEGA that he was listening keenly.
"In a unique and unfamiliar setting such as this, and considering the... behavioral strangeness (akin to humans) of the demonic specimen here, I would recommend taking a two-handed approach as we proceed forward. On one hand: If any of these demonic entities do not respond violently to our presence, we leave them be, so as not to further disturb this alien anomaly of an ecosystem. On the other hand, if they respond with lethal violence, then they may be eliminated. As we explore more of the landscape, and you bring me physical samples of the environment to process in my limited database, I can try and theorize possible explanations of this foreign realm we've entered into, so that we may eventually find a specialized solution to depart from this universe- and back to ours."
The Slayer nodded in approval of VEGA's words, as they largely matched with the Slayer's intentions and goal. He did want to leave this realm- especially one that he knew nothing about, and so would be ignorantly influencing the course of events and destinies for untold numbers of sentient species here.
The Slayer was no meathead; Though his mission was singular and unwavering, he carried a vast intellect that analyzed and planned for hundreds, if not thousands of scenarios in a matter of minutes; A result of his eons-long battle experience and imperative focus for thinking quickly on his feet. His actions were calculated, yet marred with eternal passionate rage; His thoughts, clear yet united only on the act of exterminating every single demon that existed.
And this is where the crux of his principles came to a conclusion; That he was stranded in some mirrored universe to his own, where a humanoid species with demon-like attributes had been growing into a civilization that looked far too similar to the evolutionary culmination of humans. In fact, it was this very thought that had restrained his natural tendency to carry out a demonic genocide across the entire realm. In this scenario, there was no mindless carnage, but rather a careful observation of one's surroundings to find the most ideal way to get back to one's own reality.
This was an escape plan, to reach his original universe. And anyone or anything that intended to kill him or prevent him from his temporary goal would be met with unhindered, ancient, endless rage.
Roaming the mass of ruins and flattened landscape, the Slayer spent several moments pulling out struggling Imps from the debris, an indifferent action that was influenced solely by VEGA's advice that earning the temporary gratitude of these demons could prove beneficial in the long run. The Imps that were pulled out either ran off or began pulling out other Imps from the ruins.
"*cough* *cough*... Thank you... sir..."
One of the Imps the Slayer pulled out seemed particularly similar to an elderly human male, with all the traits of one, but plastered onto the body of a devil that almost directly mirrored the physical characteristics of the Imp demons the Slayer had encountered in his original world. The juxtaposing similarities were an irritation to the urges of the Slayer, which mixed between slaying the demon-like individual on sight and protecting them from further danger.
The elder Imp suddenly became distressed as his wife was pulled out of the ruins.
"M-My daughter, Millie! We gotta find her, mister! Please, can you search around the inner city ruins?!"
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
The incoming sound of helicopter blades whirring cut off the dialogue, and everyone's eyes turned towards the military helicopter flying towards the Slayer and group of gathered Imps. Its headlight beamed over the Slayer, causing his dark-green armor to glisten, revealing its untainted, unblemished surface; Not a single chink or scratch could be seen on its pristine and ancient metal. The Slayer gazed upwards at the helicopter, his orange visor continuing to cloud his face despite the blindingly-bright light shining over it.
"IT IS THE JUDISH- JUDI- JU... (Bucky, what does that say? Jud... Judicial? Ok.)- JUDICIAL ORDER OF OVERLORD OLIX THE ONYX, PRESIDING RULER OF IMP CITY'S TWELFTH DISTRICT, THAT YOU LAY YOUR ARMS DOWN AND SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY! FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN BEING FILLED WITH HOT FUCKIN' LEAD!"
The Slayer leaned his head down ever so slightly, a signal that he was waiting to hear VEGA's advice.
"You do not need to amuse these specimen with pedantic acts like 'surrendering'. Need I say the quote, Slayer? RIP AND TEAR UNTIL IT IS-"
(Music: "Rip and Tear", by Mick Gordon)
Before even VEGA's microsecond-response system could react, the Slayer had launched into the air, unsheathing a chainsaw bloodied with the gore of demons slayed long ago, and slammed through the front windshield of the helicopter, tearing a massive hole through the underframe of its structure; The military troopers inside had little time to react before the Slayer tore a hole through the pilot's cabin, then clambered his way into the back-end of the helicopter; The soldiers desperately brought their guns up and unloaded on the Slayer, only to react in horror as the bullets pittered off the stainless hull of his armor like rubber.
They could only emit screams of terror as the Slayer grabbed one of their skulls, crushing their head, then slammed his fist through the face of another, sending their corpse flying out of the helicopter. One soldier unholstered his knife and made a stab at the Slayer's face, only for their arm to be snapped in two by the Slayer's hand, who then slung the screaming soldier into the other two before bringing his massive boot down unto their stacked bodies.
CRUNCH!
The interior of the helicopter was painted red with the demon's blood, and the Slayer quickly hopped out of the careening helicopter as it exploded onto the surface of the hell-torn ground, sending plumes of smoke and fire gushing into the air. The Slayer's precision was so refined that he snatched a gun falling through the air, examining it to see what alien technologies lied within the weaponry wielded by these subpar foes.
"The alloy and make of this rifle are incredibly similar to that of the weaponry wielded by United States and British Armed Forces in the early 2020s. There is something foul in the state of Denmark."
The Slayer's lack of reaction to VEGA's literature joke garnered a robotic disappointment from the implanted AI, but there wasn't much time to ponder the Slayer's lack of knowledge over Hamlet before another problem presented itself boisterously.
"YOU!"
A booming voice echoed across the debris of flattened cityscape, and the Slayer turned his head to see a massive figure standing at the precipice of undestroyed municipality that bordered on the ruined portion of the city; Surrounding him were armadas of helicopters and armored vehicles, as well as thousands of armed soldiers and giant demonic brutes that carried an aura of authority and malice with them. The massive figure that seemed to hold rule over the giant mass of war machines and soldiers was a nine-foot tall demon with goat horns that twisted a meter up into the air, and goat eyes that focused a raw hatred on the Slayer; The demon's mouth was a monstrous maw of jagged, sharpened teeth that curled into a twisted grin; The demon's glistening black armor shone brightly in the fires of the burned ruins, alongside the massive dark halberd wielded in the goat-demon's right hand like a plaything.
The towering goat-demon pointed the halberd at the Slayer, snarling.
"YOU DARE ENCROACH ON MY LANDS WITH YOUR MALFEASANCED PRESENCE, BRINGING RUIN TO MY REIGN AND MY CITY'S GDP! YOU ARE A BLIGHT UPON THIS LAND, AND I, OVERLORD OLIX THE ONYX, SHALL VANQUISH YOU IN THE NAME OF IMP CI-... WHAT ARE YOU DOING, DICKHEAD?"
The masses of Overlord Olix's army were captivated as the Slayer suddenly picked up a stone off the ground and hurled it into the air, traveling hundreds of feet in the space of seconds into the hellish atmosphere. Their eyes were trained on the rock as it launched into orbit, and for the few seconds that they were distracted, the Slayer had launched into a 40 mile-per-hour sprint towards the Overlord, boosting off the ground and raising his gauntlet to punch into the face of the goat-demon.
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-
Overlord Olix's massive body ragdolled backwards and through several dozen buildings, crashing through the walls of each complex without pause, before slamming into a bar and coming to an abrupt halt as plumes of smoke and dust paved the trail of destruction left in its wake.
(Music: "Power", by Lazerpunk)
The masses of soldiers and vehicles that had been standing right beside their Overlord now looked on at the Slayer, standing alone and right in the heart of the huge armed force. Not a single soldier, demon or subordinate Overlord there was unfazed by the quick and deadly strike from the green-armored menace that had just entered their midst. As the Slayer's tinted visor gleamed maliciously over those surrounding them, each demon felt themselves cower instinctively- A response to clear, dominant aggression and battle prowess.
And yet still, there was one such overly-bold demon that chose to raise his weapon towards the Slayer and unload on him; Only for the bullets to clink harmlessly against his armor. The demon didn't even get time to react to his crushing loss before the Slayer beamed over towards him and crushed his face into the ground, splattering the hard soil with brain matter and gore.
Within seconds of that completely one-sided interaction, the remainder of the forces immediately surrendered their arms and raised their hands in utter defeat; No one, not even power-hungry and violence-inclined demons enjoyed committing suicide by violent decapitation.
"These interactions are getting more human by the minute," VEGA responded to the mass surrender. "It is displeasing to see without having full grasp of the knowledge in this realm. We must explore further. Let us question that 'Olix' fellow from earlier- if he is still alive, that is."
The Slayer wasted no time heeding VEGA's advice, launching off the ground and into the air, following the trail of debris and caved-in buildings that showed the direction the Overlord was thrown towards. Within a few dozen seconds, the Slayer slammed into the ground in front of a bar labeled 'The Ditzy Demon', and seeing the Overlord's huge frame plastered across the bar counter, smashes liquor bottles and building debris scattered around his body.
The Slayer stomped over towards the Overlord and lifted him by the collar, allowing VEGA to scan for lifesigns.
"He is still alive, and brainwave readings indicate he is not in any sort of coma. Feel free to interrogate."
The Slayer obliged, grabbing one of the Overlord's finger claws and crushing it with his gauntlet; The Overlord awakened from his shellshocked stupor with a raucous scream that shook the building. He laced outraged eyes over his assailant, only for those same eyes to fill with fear as he realized who was standing in front of him.
"W-WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT, VERMIN!"
Crunch.
The Overlord wailed in agony as yet another finger claw was crushed, and to the Overlord's horror, neither wound healed back to its original state. VEGA spoke in place of the Slayer as Olix's throat was held in a clench.
"We want to know who can help us in leaving this realm. Despite what you may think about our intentions, we did not arrive here to slaughter your kind, whatever you all may be. Help us in this capacity, and I can guarantee we will leave without causing further... complications. That is, if we are free to leave without hindrance. I cannot promise otherwise."
Overlord Olix's mind was in shambles; His decades-long climb up the political and powerbase ladder to reach the heights that he did had been toppled within seconds by this insane monster of a being. Just from the initial encounter, Olix knew there was no way in Hell that anyone in this city could take down this walking unnatural disaster. And now, they were trying to leave?! Still... if he played his cards right, he might have been able to emerge from this shitshow with more gained than lost.
"THE DEMON- Ahem-"
Olix had to tone down his booming voice to speak at conversation-volume.
"THE DEMON YOU SEEK IS NAMED ADAMINO- HE HOLDS THE SECRETS YOU ARE LOOKING FOR, AND HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INTERNAL CONFLICT THIS CITY SUFFERS AS OF NOW! YOU CAN FIND HIM IN THE INNER CITY, EVERY MERCHANT AND COMMONER THERE KNOWS HIM!"
Even if it was only temporarily, Olix would have this menace away from him for a decent period of time, which would allow Olix to retreat from Imp City and wait for reinforcements from the Capital and other Rings to aid him against this brute. On top of that, it would be a plus if this menace happened to kill Adamino, his rival for the city's control, rather gruesomely. He chuckled lowly, but his laughter soon turned into strangled grunts, as the Slayer tightened his grip around Olix's large esophagus.
"Thank you for your cooperation. May God have mercy on your soul."
"HRK! NO, WAIT- GHK!"
Crunch!
The Slayer crushed Olix's throat completely, tearing out his esophagus and leaving the demon choking on his own blood as it gushed over his plated armor, before the Slayer pulverized the demon's head with his palm. The essence of the demon poured out of the massive corpse and pooled on the ground, seeping towards the Slayer and soaking into his armor, sending reinvigorating waves throughout the Slayer and pulsing vibrations through his armor.
Shaking his gauntlets free of the demon's blood, the Slayer stomped towards the inner city of the municipality, his eyes burning with a rage reserved for those demons he had yet to slay. And he had no qualms about adding onto the list with each foe that presented themselves before him here.