Testament XVI: Battles Raged (Part III)

For many days, the war raged across the state of Oregon, as ARC made its desperate attempts to reclaim much of humanity back from the demonic forces. Yet they struggled to hold their own against the overwhelming forces of the demons. Their only solace in this hopeless, grim scenario was the Slayer himsel.

And yet, he could not be at every battlefront at once. Wherever he went, he wreaked havoc and laid waste to every demon he could see; But also left the other flanks exposed to overwhelming demonic force, of which they returned the favor to his allies. Territory was quickly gained and just as quickly lost; At this rate, the only one left would be the Slayer.

With this problematic development, a council of advisors was formed, made up of the intellectual minds that had aided the Slayer on his journey...

(Queue 'UAC Atlantica Light')

"Currently, we are working on fortifying the southern and western edges of Oregon with forward operating bases."

"What about expansion? We can't leave the demons to their own devices, they'll just get stronger and more clever in their tactics! It's only been a month, and most of the world's population is fucking dead!"

Charlie wanted to scream into a pillow. As she sat at the huge table of top strategists, the entire conversation had been this intense and desperate-sounding. While there was discourse actually happening, there was also an overbearing sense of fear and dread at the prospect of losing this war.

"Yes, that's why we have the Slayer and Strike Team, to act as the main shock forces against the larger enemy threats-"

"They can't be everywhere at once. The enemy is all around us! While they're fighting on two fronts, the enemy is fighting on all of them!"

Charlie turned her head down, thinking about that officer's words. She was undoubtedly correct; From what Charlie had learned after talking to many of the ARC officials, she had come to realize just how desperate this situation was.

For one thing, there was almost no hope of returning to everyday life- Since the vast majority of Earth's populace had been killed in the initial invasion, reproduction and re-stabilizing society would be the priorities…

"Huh?" Charlie mumbled, almost to herself. When had she gotten so… strategic?

She twirled one strand of hair in thought. Perhaps this was the intrinsic part of her that was meant to command- as a Princess, despite how others treated her in Hell, she still had a position of authority.

The type of position that led people.

So then… maybe this was her way of adapting to the circumstances- maybe, for once… she had a chance to do what she was born to do.

"Anna's right." Another officer chimed in. "We don't have time to let the Slayer deal with every threat. We have to figure out a viable method to fight back against the demonic forces that doesn't involve throwing our own troops into the slaughter. While the equipment that Commander Hayden created has vastly improved survival rates of our soldiers, there is still an extreme gap between us and the demons in terms of sheer power."

"Not just that…" A third officer spoke up. "What are we gonna do about all the rescued civilians?"

Outside the tent, masses of saved civilians were being assigned dormitories to unload at and to recuperate. Men, women, children, of every age and creed; Most, if not all of them wept at the loss of loved ones and trauma suffered at the hands of the demons. UAC and ARC personnel alike tried their best to keep them under wraps; Since there was not nearly enough to house all of the refugees, it was practically chaos across the base as people flooded into the massive facility nearly uncontrolled.

"CHRIST!" One of the civilians screamed in horror, pointing at Angel, Husk and Niffty, who were standing a few meters away from a big civilian group. "THERE ARE MORE DEMONS HERE?!"

A momentary panic erupted in the crowd as the military personnel did their best to control it. Husk, who was looking on at the crowd, grit his teeth in indignation.

"Calling us demons, when we just saved their sorry asses?! Ungrateful cunts…"

"But," Niffty remarked in confusion. "We are demons."

"So? It's the intention of their words that pisses me off!"

Angel Dust sighed to himself as he looked over his weapon; He'd been studying this complex piece of technology for a while now; After all, it was the weapon he'd had since the beginning of this whole mess…

"What does it matter how they think of us?" Angel muttered. "We've fought in battles they'd never believe; Killed monsters and behemoths that'd make them piss themselves if they faced. So I could care less what these sheep think of us."

A malicious grin passed along his face, one that deeply disturbed Husk.

"We're battle-proven warriors."

"Okay, Hercules," Husk muttered. "Slow your roll there. When did your personality change so much?"

Angel shrugged.

"Whaddya mean? I've always had a god complex."

"Recognizing the problem is the first step!" Niffty said, unhelpfully.

Back at the war room, Isabella eyed Charlie, who was in deep thought as she mulled over the data on the table. Watching her movements, the subtle mannerisms of hers, the way her eyebrow crinkled in worry and concern over undiscussed matters…

Just like a human.

This observation prompted Isabella to reminisce on a brief conversation she had with the Slayer and his robotic assistant only a few days ago…

(Queue 'Autumn Moon' by Eternal Eclipse)

"Slayer," Isabella started, finding it difficult NOT to avert her eyes from that menacing orange visor of his. She had invited him to the observation balcony, alone and after hours. "I wanted to speak with you privately; It's regarding your… allies."

The Slayer stood quietly, listening to Isabella as she voiced her concerns.

"From what I saw, they had little difference in features from the demons we're fighting right now. My subordinates and most other personnel on base are terrified of those demons you've brought with you, and for good reason."

She looked out over the balcony, seeing the peaceful forestry and serene landscape, which was lit rather beautifully by a full moon. A morbid contrast to the state of things in the cities and the rest of the world.

"These men and women have had their loved ones viciously killed by the forces that have invaded this world. Our way of life has been disrupted, and potentially forced into extinction. Most people would never have thought that such horror could be brought by these mythical creatures. And yet, here we are."

She turned to look the Slayer in the eye; He could see they were filled with a familiar-looking rage, the kind that could drive one insane if left untempered.

"Which is why I want to know- Why did you bring these demons with you? What exactly separates them from the ones we're fighting right now? They're foul-mouthed, they don't intermingle with our soldiers, and they resort to violence so easily- like they enjoy it. They act JUST like demons, and you still TOLERATE their existence!"

Isabella hadn't noticed it, but she had begun ranting and raving incessantly, almost fanatically about the demons with a murderous intonation behind her every word. This was not her fault; She'd learned only days ago that her family was slaughtered in Atlanta, and her daughter abducted. She was rife with rage, and looking for an outlet to release it.

The Slayer stayed quiet as she went on, unfurling the massive pile of emotions that had been riding on her. By the end of it, she was kneeling on the floor, sobbing into her palms. The Slayer merely looked on, before answering with a few words.

"RAISE… YOUR… HEAD…"

Isabella was nearly shocked out of her despair. The empowerment behind such few words, Isabella raised her head up to meet his visor, looking desperately for words of encouragement. Instead, the Slayer extended his hand to her. Feeling no other choice, she took it, standing on her own two feet.

The Slayer nodded, then did something shocking to her.

He took off his helmet (to yet another woman). She was surprised by the normalcy of his features- despite the numerous scars that marked him. His expression was one of subtle rage mixed with seriousness.

As she stared at those intense eyes of his, she couldn't help but feel a surge of confidence. While she had been through hell beyond measure, this road wasn't filled with despair. This one man alone, a legend amongst legends, was standing right before her, in the flesh.

And he vowed to protect all of humanity. On the cusp of annihilation, Isabella felt as if she were staring at the sole, true protector of Earth and all of Mankind.

He placed his helmet back on his head as Isabella continued gazing at him with awe- her questions from earlier had dissipated from her thoughts. While she was still exceedingly cautious of the demons he'd brought with him, Isabella had faith in the Slayer himself.

From the intensity of his aura, to the sheer confidence of his every movement, no matter how subtle- And above all, the ferocity emanating off of him like an overwhelming musk. She had no doubt in her mind- This was the Doom Slayer, manifested from…

An Id Software game. This world was truly insane.

"...Personally I preferred Final Fantasy XIV."

"What? That's, like, the worst one out of them. XV is where it's at."

"Uh, no, I don't think so. The FF series sucks, the combat is trash. Play Monster Hunter:World to actually do something stimulating-"

Isabella was disrupted from her reminiscing by a fervent discussion about JRPGs. Only a few of the strategists were actually engaged in the asinine conversation- the rest were looking at the giant holographic map on one of the war room walls, studying the various red dots that represented different companies of their soldiers and scouts moving about the local region.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Isabella shouted in anger, irritated by the stagnated atmosphere. However, her words fell on deaf ears as suddenly everyone began staring at the holographic map; One of the red dots, the Slayer, was rapidly traveling back towards the base.

"Wow, he's moving at an incredibly fast pace." One of the intelligence officers remarked. "It's surreal seeing it in action."

"Why is he coming towards us so quickly…?"