They are rage,
Brutal,
Without mercy.
But you,
You will be worse...
Rip and tear...
Until it is DONE.
-
The familiar voice forced him awake.
The first thing he felt, was pain. Coursing through his joints. He struggled to make a sense of where he is.
The pain was troublesome, but he had gone through worse. His vision was blinded with a bright light. Covering his eyes with his hand, he realized where he was now.
Gone were the barren red landscapes of Mars, gone were the endless assortment of corridors and machinery that make up the Argent facility, gone were the familiar landscape of Hell, instead in his eyes, he saw trees, grass, and other lush green wildlife covering the view.
For a second, he thought he was back at Argent D' Nur, how it used to be anyway, but that would be impossible. His world was long gone, there was nothing else he could do to save it. Except to hunt them down to extinction.
Taking the first step, he started walking among the trees, taking in the fresh air seeping from the outside into his helmet. He thought about opening his helmet now and enjoying the breeze, but there could be an Imp lurking nearby, waiting for the right moment to strike.
After spending eons fighting in Hell, one can never be too careful, or too paranoid.
He had come to the conclusion that he was now on Earth, however ridiculous it might seem. He simply couldn't think of any other place that could resemble where he is now. For a second, he wondered if he might be in heaven, but that would mean he had died, which meant he had failed in his conquest to exterminate them from existence, and he didn't like that.
Checking his inventory, he was relieved that all his weapons were still intact, though even if it comes down to it, he wouldn't mind using his fists alone, as long as it did the job.
He started sprinting.
The pain now gone, he started finding his way out of the forest and searching for any signs of civilization. If he was indeed on Earth, there could be a chance of a possible demonic invasion happening at any moment. And if there was, he needed to stop it before it is too late. He doesn't want to risk another Mars.
The green visage became thinner, until he heard the sounds of vehicles. He looked up and saw tall structures from the horizon, most likely buildings, which meant he was getting close.
Finally leaving the forest behind, he stumbled upon...a peculiar sight to behold.
For one, the vehicles, the buildings, they all seemed to be primitive compared to the technological advancements at Mars, which doesn't make sense. The people of Earth, according to Hayden, had grown dependent on Argent energy to power pretty much everything. Yet, he didn't see a single piece of technology here that would utilize Argent energy. It felt as though he had travelled back in time, as ridiculous as that sounds.
But that wasn't what bewildered him the most.
Humans with long ears walking around, some with furry limbs and tails, others having scales on their skin and wings, even some of them only have one eye, or a third eye on their foreheads. They all possess animalistic features to separate them from normal humans, he could swear he even saw one with a snake body for legs.
What. The. Hell.
He must be dreaming.
He must definitely be dreaming.
But how could he, if he wasn't asleep?
Perhaps that dimensional tethering had messed up his sight, or he hadn't had enough rest, which wouldn't make sense for a being who had fought Hell for millenia without sleep.
The humans that he can recognize go about their daily lives, as if not caring about the particular "demihumans" walking among them, as if they're used to it. Some of them even looked at him funny, saying he was some sort of cosplayer or "chuunibyou", whatever those mean. And he overheard some of them calling him a "liminal", again, he had no idea what it meant.
Just then, he heard static inside his own helmet, and several ominous symbols and digital animations began forming on his visor, followed by the word "CALIBRATING" displayed in the middle of his vision. A familiar voice reached his ears.
"Tr...ttrik..ttik...cali-..b...-ting...ttrik-ttik. Calibration complete. Greetings Doomslayer, I am VEGA."
VEGA? Oh right, he did save a copy of VEGA's AI into his own suit back in Mars. Though he wondered how the AI managed to function in his suit.
"You might be having questions about my circumstances, and to answer them: I have recalibrated my processing capacity to function on your Praetor Suit. 99% of my primary functions are no longer operational due to your suit's limited space, however I am still capable of monitoring your vitals and surroundings using your suit's scanner, should you wish me to be of assistance."
He wasn't sure if he even needed VEGA for now, but to know that he now has an AI to accompany him in this alternate Earth, doesn't sound so bad.
"Analyzing...analyzing...analysis complete. Doomslayer, I detected a large quantity of organisms with strange physical traits currently in your location. They harbor humanlike appearance, yet possess different nonhuman traits that range from slightly pointed ears to animal appendages, and even whole human limbs replaced with animal ones. Judging from their behaviour, they seem to coexist peacefully among humans here. Which might suggest that they have integrated into the current human society. It is not known if the same can be said everywhere else on Earth, but it is safe to assume that this not the Earth that we are familiar with. I am unable to detect any UAC-based technology within the area, and the vehicles nearby that I have analyzed uses traditional fossil fuel instead of Argent energy, which shouldn't be plausible."
So his hunches were true. This is not the same Earth the UAC was from. Somehow, he managed to travel to a different dimension.
A dimension where the UAC might not exist.
Which means there was no demonic invasion in the first place.
For the first time in possibly eons...the Doomslayer felt lost. He was far away from his home dimension, that damned robot Hayden with his Crucible possibly doing god knows what, and there's nothing he could do about it.
On the other hand, here it is, a world untouched by them. A world so peaceful it reminded him of his own homeworld.
"I have discovered something else peculiar about the nonhumans roaming around our current location. Further analysis showed very faint traces of Argent energy stored within their bodies. It is almost unnoticeable, but it is present."
His eyes widen. Argent? Here?
There is only one other race he knows of that possesses Argent in their blood, and it is the one he swore to destroy.
His instincts told him to conjure a Combat Shotgun, but VEGA insisted otherwise.
"Before you act, Doomslayer, allow me to inform you that these nonhumans, while they do possess faint traces of Argent energy, are not in any way related to the demons you once fought. Their biology is vastly different, and it appears they are rather peaceful with humans based on my current observation. Perhaps it is best if you do not engage them, at least at the moment so as to not attract any unwanted attention. After all, we are currently in a populated area with an established society, and therefore it is not advised for you to act, "you", in our current position."
He did not like what VEGA is suggesting, but he cannot deny that the AI is correct in a way. So far, none of these humanlike creatures have decided to act aggressive yet, which is not like how demons would act. Otherwise, this town would be filled with Gore Nests already.
So he decided to comply. Stuck in an alternate Earth, the Doomslayer felt truly lost. He wasn't sure if VEGA could somehow get him back to his original dimension, and he knew such a feat would be impossible, considering the lack of UAC technology in this Earth.
So he kept walking, wandering through the streets, with no sense of purpose. The civilians around him gave questioning glances, probably due to the strange armor he was wearing. Some were even disgusted and distanced themselves away. Makes sense, since he hadn't actually washed his suit since coming here, and the smell of rotten demonic blood would be present by now.
As he was walking, he realized that there was a commotion in the streets. He saw civilians running away in a single direction, with several men in uniforms, possible law enforcement, accompanying them. Something bad must have happened for so many people to evacuate at the same time, so he did what no one else would. He ran the opposite direction.
Meanwhile...
A squad of policemen had formed a perimeter around a local adult store. Six orcs, all armed, were holed up in said store and holding several employees and customers hostage. As of now, the local police could not do anything to restrain the criminals since they are non-human, and the Interspecies Exchange Bill forbids humans from harming another liminal. The media were restless, and the police were unsure what to do.
"Dammit, why can't we just go in and bust those bastards a new one!?" A rookie officer voiced his emotions out loud. He was answered by his senior, "How many times do I have to tell you, we CAN'T do anything!! The Bill doesn't allow us to. Yeah, I know it's bullshit, but the best we can do is wait for further instructions, and hope for the best." The officer looked to the store with a grim look in his eyes. The criminals currently have an upper hand, and god knows what they'll do to the hostages.
2 kilometres away from the scene, on top of a building, a lone purple-haired girl was currently observing the situation with the sniper rifle in her hands. She was wearing a yellow armor vest, and surprisingly had only one eye. Her vision was focused on the blinds of the store, waiting for her partner to do her role and execute the next part of the plan.
"Huh? What's that green guy doing-wait, he's running towards the store?"
However, her focus was interrupted by the strange sight of a green silhoutte running towards the store. The police didn't realize the entity as they weren't watching their backs.
Just as she realized this, the blinds of the store had been torn to reveal the inside of the store, where the police gazed their eyes on the horrifying and disgusting sight of a little girl shouting for help, only to be caught and sexually harassed by one of the orcs.
What the police didn't know, however, was that this was part of the MON squad's plan to handle this situation. But their plan was, needless to say, shattered, by the presence of a man in green armor.
"Huh? Hey, what are you-wait, stop!! Someone stop him!!" An officer who was on standby shouted to his fellow comrades. A strange man in green rushed towards the store, ignoring the shouts of every other police officer on guard, and even managed to pass through their perimeter.
The orc, who was busy fondling the body of an unwilling young girl, was surprised by the sudden appearance of a green entity, who was now dangerously close to the front window of the store they were in.
"Huh!? Who's that-w-wait, wait a minute-ARGH!!!"A steel fist connected with the orc's left cheek upon shattering the front window, and sending him flying towards a nearby book rack, surprising everyone in the store.
The police were jaw-dropped, the hostages were silent but scared, and the orcs who were responsible for the hostage situation, were petrified by the sight in front of them.
A lone faceless man in strange green armor just punched through a glass window and knocked out their leader, in one punch.
Over 2 kilometres away, a certain one eyed sniper was gaping at the sight.
"What the heck is that thing!?"
Back to the orcs...
"W-what are you waiting for!!? Open fire!!!" One of the orcs said out loud. They began opening fire on the, "thing" in front of them, only to find that the bullets were useless. If anything, they'd probably made it even more pissed.
The armored stranger suddenly became a blur, and before they realized it, he had gripped one of the orcs' neck. In his struggle, the orc in question stared into the faceless visor, and felt something he had never imagined would exist.
Rage.
Pure, unadulterated, unbridled rage.
"What the hell just happened!?" "Did-did you see that thing just there!?" "Boss, what do we do!?" The police were in panic. A random stranger in green just went into the store pass their perimeter without warning, and they were too late to do anything about it.
Suddenly, a loud crash can be heard vvg.
Everyone's attention were focused to a particular orc, now in bruises, on top of a damaged police car.
Somehow, someone managed to throw an adult orc 15 metres away, and onto a police car, severely wrecking it.
"AAAAAAH!!!" An inhuman scream can be heard from within the store. Another orc was thrown out the window and landed outside, covered with cuts and bruises, and his clothes completely tattered.
Inside the store, a fight was ensuing between four liminals and a green armored being.
Except it wasn't much of a fight, but more of a massacre.
VEGA had already reminded him not to use any firearms especially when there are civilians around, which annoyed him. But it didn't matter. His fists are more than enough.
The remaining pig-like creatures kept firing their rifles at him, wasting their ammo in a fruitless effort to penetrate his Praetor Suit.
He knew VEGA insisted otherwise, but he just couldn't help but be a little trigger-happy.
Pulling out the EMG Sidearm, he rapidly shot at all of the nonhumans. Their guns, not their torsos. A single shot is enough to dismantle each of the AKs they were holding. The nonhumans were baffled, trying to comprehend what just happened, though they didn't get a chance to when the Doomslayer quickly closed the distance and delivered a swift uppercut at one of their comrades, immediately knocking him out.
He moved like a blur, dashing through another, and punched him square in the stomach, forcing him to vomit his breakfast. He grabbed the nonhuman and threw him to the wall, effectively cracking said wall. Another closed in from behind him, trying to deliver a punch. He grabbed the incoming fist, and crushed it.
"UGH-AAAAGH!! My hand!!!" The pig's cry was cut short by a quick jab in the face, rendering him unconscious. The last nonhuman still standing, however, had the brains to plea for mercy instead. "Wait!!! I surrender!!! Please have mercy!!"
The green behemoth in front of him, merely stared at him in silence. Then, he started walking towards him, his fists still forming.
"W-wait a minute, I already surrendered!!! You-you can't hurt me-uugggh!!!" The orc found himself struggling for air, as he was held in the air by the man-no, monster's tight grip. Even though he only saw a reflection of himself in the visor, he could feel a sense of bottomless fury radiating from underneath it. Then, he felt a metal surface hit his forehead, and everything went black.
The orc leader who passed out earlier, regained consciousness, only to be greeted by the sight of a green behemoth, the entire adult store practically trashed, and all of his fellow goons unconscious. Before he could even say anything, a metallic hand reached out to his neck, and he was lifted up to the sight of a faceless, bloodied visor.
"Ugh-aagh!!" Gasping desperately for air, he felt a metal surface hitting him square in the forehead. But he was still conscious. Not even having time to scream, he felt himself lifted in the air again and smashed down to the floor, repeatedly. As he felt every bone in his body turn to jelly, the orc found himself flying in the air, before kissing the solid asphalt and concrete below. He looked up, and saw endless number of human officers staring at him, their faces riddled with shock and terror.
That's when he realized, they were actually staring behind him.
He heard metal footsteps getting closer behind his back, and he looked back to see the green behemoth from earlier. At this point, the orc had lost all sense of rationality and tried his best to limp away from the green monster.
"No...no,NO!! STAY AWAY FROM ME!!! STAY BACK!!! YOU MONSTER!!!!" The more he tried to crawl away, the more distance the monster managed to cover. Suddenly, the monster stopped in his tracks, and a weird-looking pistol materialized out of nowhere in his palm. The orc's eyes widened. He was going to get killed.
"H-HEY!!! FREEZE!!! PUT YOUR GUN DOWN!!!" All of the police officers aimed their guns toward the green stranger. They weren't sure if the stranger was a human or a liminal, but they couldn't allow anyone, even a criminal, to be shot dead by this behemoth.
Back inside the store, the young girl earlier, who had now changed appearance into a black skinned naked girl with long white hair, was unsure of what to do. Her comrade, who was pretending to be dead the whole time, had stopped pretending and were now also gazing at the scene unfolding with a mix of shock and curiosity. The hostages were still inside the store, too terrified to even move.
A loud sound of collapsing walls soon followed, and a large armored being emerged from the hole in the wall, only to be surprised by what she saw.
"...umm, was I too late? What happened?" Her team, however, was too focused on something else to even respond.
Ms. Smith, the person in charge of the whole hostage operation, stood among the police, her eyes trained upon the mysterious man, or liminal, in strange green armor.
In a matter of minutes, a single man managed to ruin her entire operation, while at the same time ironically, successfully apprehended the criminals, which was her team's intended goal in the first place, while displaying inhuman fighting prowess, all by himself. Said person is now, however, held at gunpoint by the entire police squad after somehow materializing a strange looking gun out of thin air, and almost killing one of the criminals, which is an act of crime itself.
And from what she could gather, the man in question does not intend to let go of his gun.
And here she was, hoping she could go through this day with the least amount of complications as possible.
Reality can be a bitch sometimes.