The battlefield stretched far and wide, thick with the smell of blood, smoke, and gunpowder. The ground was littered with bodies – humans, Orks, and things in between. Satoru floated above it all, an untouched god amid the chaos, his robes swaying lazily as the faint glow of his Infinity flickered in the haze. There were more Devourers scattered across the planet, but they were miles away, far from where he stood. And, frankly, he didn't feel like hunting them down. They weren't worth his time, not anymore.
Instead, he looked down at the very tall figure beside him – Nobara, or at least the cursed spirit version of her. It wasn't her; he knew that. The real Nobara was back on Earth, probably still cracking skulls with that cursed hammer of hers. This Nobara was something else entirely – a creature born from his power, imbued with a near-perfect copy of his former student's Innate Technique. How that had happened was still a mystery, but Satoru didn't question it much. Weird things happened around him all the time.
He gave her a casual pat on the head, like one would to a loyal dog.
"Good job," he murmured, watching her dark, red-tinted form bow respectfully. She had done exactly what he needed – kept the hordes of mindless fodder away while he dealt with the real threats. Thousands of armed humans and Orks had fallen at her hands, cut down with brutal efficiency. Satoru hadn't even noticed them. That's how efficient she was.
He smirked. "Go for ten thousand. That should be fun for you."
Without a word, Nobara darted off, vanishing into the battlefield like a shadow, already on the hunt. Satoru barely spared her a second glance. The sound of gunfire, the roaring of Orks, and the shrieks of men dying filled the air. It was a massacre. It likely wouldn't be fun for her, however, because he was pretty sure the Cursed Spirit, because of his aggressive reprogramming, could now no longer perceive the feeling of enjoyment. So, he'll just have to have fun on her behalf.
He hovered in place, surveying the battlefield with a detached gaze. The ground below him was a crisscross of trenches, splattered with blood and mud. Humans and Orks tore into each other in brutal, close-quarter combat, laser guns flashing and blades cutting through flesh. The Orks, massive and green-skinned, charged with savage glee, smashing through the human ranks with sheer brute strength. The humans, desperate but determined, fought back with all they had, their screams echoing across the ruined landscape.
It was a warzone in every sense of the word. Bodies littered the ground, and the earth itself was torn apart by the constant barrage of weapons fire and explosions. Craters pockmarked the field, smoke rising from the burning wreckage of destroyed vehicles. The sky above was a thick, churning mess of storm clouds and ash, casting an eerie red glow over everything.
Yet, despite the chaos, despite the carnage, no one seemed to notice him.
Not that he minded. It was better that way.
"Now, where are those damn wolves?" Satoru muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the battlefield for any sign of the Vlka Fenryka, the legendary warriors he had been expecting to see. They were supposed to be here – the Space Wolves – the real heavy hitters. But he hadn't caught a single glimpse of them.
Instead, all he saw were the normies, the regular soldiers, fighting a losing battle against the Orks. They screamed, they died, and still they kept fighting, huddling in their trenches, firing their weapons with grim determination. The Orks, for their part, reveled in the slaughter, their laughter booming as they smashed through human defenses with reckless abandon. It was a bloodbath, and Satoru found it all... tiresome.
With a sigh, he drifted lower, letting his feet touch the ground. The earth cracked beneath him, but he paid it no mind. His Infinity shimmered softly around him, keeping him untouched by the dirt and grime of the battlefield. The smell of blood and smoke was thick here, almost suffocating. He stepped over a mangled corpse, not even glancing down as he moved through the trenches.
"Where are the wolves?" he wondered aloud again, more to himself than anyone else. The Vlka Fenryka were supposed to be legendary, warriors who could rival gods. He had been looking forward to facing them, testing his strength against theirs; maybe they were a little more prepared now, after their first engagement. Surely, they would have a few anti-Jujutsu Measures somewhere. But so far, nothing. Just the cannon fodder.
A stray Ork – huge, muscle-bound, and covered in crude armor – rushed at him, bellowing a war cry as it raised its massive axe. Satoru didn't even blink. The Ork froze mid-step, its body hanging in the air as if caught in invisible strings. With a flick of his finger, Satoru sent it flying into a nearby trench, where it crashed with a sickening thud. The creature didn't move again.
"Boring," Satoru muttered, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He looked up at the darkened sky, a slight frown tugging at his lips. Maybe the wolves were somewhere else on the planet, too far away to reach him. Or maybe they just hadn't shown up yet. Either way, he was growing impatient.
His eyes flickered with amusement, though, as he felt a familiar energy signature in the distance. Nobara was already at work, her kill count rapidly climbing. He could sense the way she tore through the battlefield, her cursed energy rippling as she dismembered foes with brutal efficiency. He also had to wonder just what the Orks and the humans thought of her, and the confusion that'd likely be plastered on their faces when they saw Nobara killing everything in sight, without regard for a side.
"Guess I'll wait a little longer," he mused, his grin widening.
After all, something interesting was bound to happen sooner or later. It always did.
A massive rocket whizzed overhead, its fiery tail streaking through the sky, leaving a trail of smoke and embers in its wake. Perched atop it was a small, goblin-like creature, its green skin slick with grime, cackling madly as it slammed its fist against the metal shell of the rocket. Its laughter echoed across the battlefield, high-pitched and frenzied, before the rocket disappeared into the swirling fog of war. Moments later, the ground shuddered with the force of the explosion, a distant thundering boom rolling over the trenches, shaking the very earth beneath Satoru's feet.
He blinked. Then another rocket followed. Then another. And another. Ten in total, each one carrying its own gleeful, insane goblin rider. The sky was full of streaking red rockets, like fireflies of destruction, each one screaming toward certain death. Satoru raised an eyebrow, bemused.
"They… they know they're going to die, right?" he muttered, watching the goblins, their deranged laughter barely audible over the roar of their makeshift missiles. "And they're doing it willingly?"
He paused, unsure whether to be impressed or appalled. Maybe both. On one hand, the sheer audacity of these little creatures was kind of admirable. On the other hand… what the hell?
"What the fuck?" he said again, this time out loud, his voice barely cutting through the chaos of the battlefield.
Another rocket roared past, close enough for him to feel the heat of its flames. Satoru cocked his head, watching as the goblin rider screamed in manic delight, its bony arms flailing wildly as it hurtled toward oblivion. Honestly, it was kind of cool.
A grin tugged at his lips as the next rocket screamed overhead. This time, Satoru acted. With a flick of his wrist, he extended Infinity, the invisible barrier slowing the rocket down mid-flight, the air around it rippling as time seemed to warp. The goblin rider blinked in confusion, its mad cackling faltering as it realized something was wrong.
Before the creature could react, Satoru leapt into the air, his movements effortless. He landed lightly on the nose of the rocket, right in front of the goblin. The creature's eyes went wide with panic, its sharp-toothed grin fading as it realized who – or what – was standing in front of it.
"LAPD, I'm commandeering you're vehicle," Satoru said with a smirk, before casually kicking the goblin off its ride.
The goblin let out a shrill scream as it plummeted through the air, its arms flailing wildly before it disappeared into the fog of war below. Satoru barely paid it any mind. Instead, he sat down on the rocket's nose, folding his legs casually as if he were lounging on a park bench.
The rocket, no longer slowed down by Infinity, continued its fiery trajectory, slicing through the battlefield like a red comet. Satoru threw his arms out to the sides, letting the wind whip through his hair, the force of it tugging at his robes. He closed his eyes and laughed, the sound of it loud and carefree, completely at odds with the chaos surrounding him.
The rocket sped up, his Infinity no longer holding it back, and Satoru leaned into the ride, enjoying the wild rush of wind against his face. The ground below was a blur of color and movement, the explosions and gunfire a distant hum in his ears. For a brief moment, he felt like a kid on a roller coaster, the thrill of the ride sending a surge of adrenaline through him.
He glanced up, watching as another wave of rockets flew overhead, more goblins riding them to their fiery deaths. He shook his head, amused.
"These guys are nuts," he said to himself, still laughing.
As the rocket approached its inevitable crash, Satoru simply hopped off, landing lightly on the ground as the missile sped forward. Seconds later, it slammed into a distant trench with a massive explosion, the shockwave rattling the ground once more.
Satoru barely glanced back at the destruction. He dusted off his robes, a grin still plastered on his face.
"Yeah, that was pretty fun," Satoru said, his voice casual as he turned his attention to the rest of the battlefield. But now... now he had found what he was really looking for.
There, amidst the chaos, a contingent of Space Wolves marched forward, their towering forms casting long shadows against the torn landscape. A few dozen of them, marched alongside a massive tank that rumbled like a beast awakening from a long slumber. The thing looked big enough to hold a hundred men, assuming they were crammed together like sardines. Odd thought, Satoru mused, but not completely far-fetched.
Beside the Wolves, thousands of normal human soldiers advanced, their faces hidden behind helmets, their uniforms stained with blood and dirt. Brave, maybe even noble in their own way. They knew they were marching toward death, and still, they marched. Satoru tilted his head, observing them for a moment longer. In another time, another place, he might have spared a thought for their lives, for the courage it took to face such overwhelming odds.
But soldiers were meant to die.
They weren't like civilians, or the innocents caught in the crossfire. These men and women had chosen their fate. They would fight and die, with or without his interference. If anything, his presence here would be a mercy. Better to die swiftly, consumed by his power, than to be ripped apart by Orks or torn to shreds by bullets and shrapnel.
Satoru raised his hand, palm open, fingers spread. His eyes narrowed as he focused, summoning the swirling force of Purple to his fingertips. The air around him seemed to hum with energy, an invisible weight pressing down on the battlefield as the mass of Cursed Energy began to take shape. It expanded rapidly, the dark, swirling sphere growing larger with every passing second. Once, he would have needed Utahime's assistance to create something of this magnitude, but those days were long behind him. Now, his reserves were nearly limitless, his mastery absolute.
He could destroy entire cities if he wanted.
The thought brought no joy, no satisfaction. Just the cold reality of what needed to be done.
Satoru's smile faded as he gathered the final threads of energy. The Purple sphere pulsed, hungry, alive, its surface rippling with the promise of annihilation. Then, with a simple flick of his wrist, he let it go.
The universe seemed to hold its breath.
For a moment, there was no sound. No screams, no gunfire, no roars of the battlefield. Only silence, as the mass of energy tore forward, devouring everything in its path. The Space Wolves had no time to react, their massive forms reduced to dust in the blink of an eye. The human soldiers fared no better, their bodies disintegrating before they could even register what was happening.
The tank was gone in a heartbeat, swallowed by the expanding mass of destruction. The ground cracked and split beneath the force of the blast, craters forming in the wake of Purple's deadly advance.
Hundreds died in the first second. Thousands in the next. Tens of thousands more by the third.
Human and alien alike, all consumed by the eerie, violet glow of Purple, erased from existence as though they had never been. The battlefield, once alive with the cacophony of war, was reduced to a void of silence, a swath of nothingness where life had once stood.
Satoru lowered his hand, the remnants of Purple fading into the ether. The world slowly resumed its chaotic hum, the distant gunfire and explosions creeping back into his awareness, but here, in the aftermath of his attack, there was nothing left but scorched earth and emptiness. He stood alone in the wasteland, the ground still trembling beneath his feet from the aftershocks of his power.
For a brief moment, he stared at the destruction he had wrought, expressionless. The lives he had taken were already slipping from his mind, fading into the background noise of war. It was necessary. That was all. Nothing more, nothing less.
He turned away, eyes scanning the horizon for his next target.
There would always be more.
And then, he paused. Wasn't his job here to provide a distraction? Something to keep the Space Wolves glued to this planet to keep them from interfering with whatever it was that everyone else was doing?
He just had the perfect idea for that, because doing it by himself, alongside a handful of BDSM sluts, otherwise known as Drukhari, was beginning to seem like a drag. And so, he reached into Tzeentch's realm, but instead of siphoning energy, Satoru expanded the little hole he'd made through the material world. "Hey, Tzeentch, big guy, how about a whole planet, huh?"
AN: Chapter 57 is out in (Pat)reon!