The sun slowly set upon Light City, with its last rays fading into the horizon. Yet to the people trapped in there, it was a sign of the end to come. Many desperately reached out toward the sunlight, trying to grasp the last of its light and warmth before the inevitable happened. However, no matter how hard one tries to grab onto the orange pillar of hope, darkness eventually overtook the sky.
And so it began... At exactly the onset of darkness, Astroboy descended from the sky into the crowd. There was a tense moment of confusion as the panicked populace stared at the winged grim reaper. Time slowed to a crawl as they looked at him, pleading with their frightened expression for an ounce of humanity or mercy on the God-warrior's end. Yet, as Astroboy's crystals shone brightly in contrast to the dark asphalt street, some terrified bystanders began to flee, sensing the armageddon to come.
[Astroboy] - "Guilt Extension: Entropy of Human Perfection. "
Said Astroboy coldly.
Then, the silence broke. The shocked crowd began to run, while others madly charged Astroboy with weapons, thinking they could harm the cyberknight. As many madmen stabbed their knives at Astroboy, their bodies and weapons immediately disintegrated upon coming in contact with Astroboy's kinetic shield.
[policeman] - "Die! Die, you fucking beast! "
Yelled the policeman as he and his colleagues fired at Astroboy.
However, Astroboy's mastery of his ability was beyond even the standard of some of the more powerful cyberknight. After all, he was one of the Grand Cardinals, a breed of cyberknight especially designed to hunt other God-warriors. The bullets streaked toward him, but his kinetic defence immediately returned the rounds back from where they came from with a boost of kinetic energy.
A ring of blood and gore surrounded Astroboy, with many of the policemen still unaware that their own bullets had torn their torso into minced meat. Then, with inhuman speed, Astroboy took a deep breath and blew it forward, infusing it with kinetic energy as the air molecules exited his mouth. By the time the policemen each fell to the ground, their bodies emaciated beyond recognition, that single breath of air expelled by Astroboy had flattened several apartment blocks across several streets.
There was ice in Astroboy's veins even as his actions had probably killed a few thousand by this point. Yet, the mission will not be considered done for the night if the number of dead civilians doesn't reach 10,000 as promised by KD-554. With a leap, Astroboy shot himself up several hundred metres in the air, before finding a massive gathering of civilians in the town square.
The people gathered in the town square were simply trying to bargain for KD-554's mercy. Mothers brought their young infants and children and presented them before the Central tower in the hopes that KD-554 could spare these innocent creatures from the carnage. In the crowd, many families hugged each other with tears flowing down their cheeks. As a single mother brought her two children forward, she fell to her knees and looked up at the skyscraper before her. The massive structure was cold and uncaring as it stood above the helpless civilians at its base.
[mother] - "Please, whoever you are, a Goddess or a ruler, spare the children from this carnage! They do not deserve this! If we had sinned, please allow us to bear the weight of our transgression, but spare those who had not violated your divine laws! "
Cried the mother as she pressed her head against the cold concrete ground.
Yet, no matter how many mothers, fathers, elderly or even children kneeled before the tower, the monotony of a single response remained– that of a quiet mega structure that glowed brightly as the beacon of Light City without empathy toward its subjects. However, to the crowd's surprise, KD-554's projection appeared on one of the tower's many large holographic screens. A sigh of relief shot through the crowd as they believed that their prayers had finally been answered.
[KD-554] - "Greeting, my dear puppets. Yes, I have heard your prayers and let's say it has moved me. As a reward, I shall bestow each and every one of the people in Light City a copy of my philosophy and manifesto: Cogitas, Ergo Non Es. "
Said KD-554 in an unusually calm and soothing voice.
Suddenly, each electronic device in Light City received a downloaded copy of KD-554's manifesto.
[KD-554] - "Heed my words of my manifesto, and you shall be saved. Your strength lies in your nature; use it to destroy the weaklings who are causing your suffering. It's not my fault you are trapped here; it's the fault of those who are unable to use their inner savagery to survive. Compassion, empathy, what use do these emotions have when all they do is put your loved ones in danger? "
As KD-554 spoke, people in the city began to read KD-554's manifesto about the nature of humanity. While many driven mad by the situation nodded in agreement with the twisted messages, the parents and children on the town square were instead appalled by the sick nature of each of KD-554's dictums. Yet, despite the manifesto's revolting philosophy, many desperate parents began to reconsider how civilized they should be if savagery means they could protect their loved ones.
[KD-554] - "And yes, the 10,000 dead per day rule applies to civilians murdered by their own. However, it's still better if you could find and kill that problematic girl, Kadyn, isn't it? "
Said KD-554 with a delighted tone, a sign of her good mood.
Many in the town square began to distance themselves from the others, sensing the brewing tension among the crowd. Many parents, in their desperate attempt to protect their loved ones, looked at their surroundings with murderous intent. If the murder of the 10,000 could be made a group effort tonight, maybe they could avoid having one of their own being randomly chosen as a sacrificial lamb. As this sickening thought spread through the gathered masses, the crowd formed out of unity and hope soon began turning on each other.
[father] - "Stand back, that old hag has lived long enough! I have three children, all of them barely below the age of ten. She should offer herself as a sacrificial piece to fulfill the numbers tonight! "
Screamed a father as he abruptly drew his pistol and aimed it at an elderly woman.
Though his wife was terrified, she too quickly grabbed her pistol and forced the crowd away from her husband and children. Meanwhile, the three children squeezed between the two parents cried with terrified sobs. Yet, the old lady's own two sons quickly stepped forward with their own guns and aimed them back at the father.
[son 1] - "You dare lay hands on my mother, and you can say goodbye to this world and your children! "
Yelled the son as he aimed his gun at the father's forehead.
[son 2] - "Yeah, you bastard, what gives you the right to live more than our mother? "
Meanwhile, after barely escaping an angry mob determined to skin her alive, Kadyn ducked into an alleyway before using her agile body to climb up a building. Before the angry crowd could find where she had gone, Kadyn silently sliced through a window with her blade before ducking into an empty office. After taking a small break and gobbling down a few energy bars like a death row inmate, Kadyn suddenly heard KD-554's voice being broadcast nearby.
Following the noise, Kadyn watched silently in the dark as the sight of the town square appeared in her periphery. Below, a tense scene of accusations and threats played out between the thousands of families present. However, luckily, no shot or brawl had yet broken out between the people as they held onto their last string of civility.
In another part of the crowd, an elderly man in his wheelchair watched the situation with a heartbroken look in his cloudy eyes. Looking at his grandchildren by his side, he gently patted their heads before offering them some sweets. He had lived a full life and was glad to see that his family was happy. Now, with this situation, it was time for him to make one last sacrifice for his beloved grandkids. Without them looking, the old man offered himself as a sacrifice by placing a gun under his chin and pulling the trigger. Sadly, the crowd didn't even notice his death as he slumped forward in his wheelchair.
[KD-554] - "Well, gotta make a decision, people. So far, my reinforcer has killed about nine thousand people tonight. And just letting you all know, he's heading this way, toward where you are standing. "
Said KD-554 with a grin before abruptly ending her broadcast.
It was the final nail in the coffin as the panicked crowd randomly selected their sacrificial lambs. Gunshots quickly rang out as the families turned on each other in an all-out brawl for survival. Driven by their primal instinct to protect their loved ones, parents threw themselves at each other with a level of violence never seen before.
Even with an arm missing and a gunshot wound to the chest, a father kept defending his wife and child with an assault rifle in his remaining hand. In a different area, a mother jumped onto the back of a man twice her size before savagely stabbing him with her pocket knife. Meanwhile, caught in the middle, the children were either trampled beneath the feet of crazed parents or left to the mercy of strangers too far gone to care about their humanity.
With this horrid scene of utter cruelty playing before her, Kadyn ducked down, a mix of disgust at the sight and shame for not being able to help the people below. However, as the screams of children rang below, Kadyn abandoned all sense of rationality and leaped down to help. Passing swiftly between the bloodbath of mindless brawls, Kadyn quickly picked up a baby before it could end up under the boot of a running man.
After putting the baby on the pedestal of a statue of a woman surrounded by doves, which stood as a symbol of peace and healing among eight other statues in the circular town square, Kadyn rushed right back in to save whoever she could. After a short search, she spotted a crying girl in the middle of a brawl, but before Kadyn could reach the child, a stampede of men passed by and the next moment, the child was gone.
[Kadyn] - "FUCK! Fucking hell! "
Cursed Kadyn as tears flowed down her cheeks.
After looking around again, Kadyn spotted a group of children huddled together in fear. With abandon, Kadyn pushed aside a few parents attempting to charge her before reaching the children. However, as she tried to calm the panicked group of kids, a few adults suddenly made a mad dash toward the children with guns and bats, determined to sacrifice the weak and helpless children of another to save their own.
Seeing this, Kadyn's blood boiled with anger as she extended her wrist blades. Consumed with bloodlust, the large group of a dozen parents showed barely any hesitation as they prepared to execute the children.
[father] - "Join us! We can fight better as a group! Get your kid in the back, and move out of the way. "
Yelled the man in front, clearly the leader of the group.
Though Kadyn was ready to strike, a closer look at this group immediately made Kadyn's heart ache. These adults, from multiple different families, had formed a group made up of men in the front for offence, while their children were protected in the middle, with the women in the back as rear-guards. There was a moment of hesitation in Kadyn's eyes as one of the protected children seemed to grab onto the lead man's pants, likely the man's own kid.
[Kadyn] - "No! Have you bloody monsters lost your damn mind? These might not be your own children, but that doesn't mean you can club them to death! Have you people no shame or empathy? "
Yelled Kadyn in a burst of rage as she gathered her group of children behind her back.
[father] - "I'll give you three damn seconds to decide, or else we are gonna just add you as well to the tally. "
Said the father, his eyes livid with madness and desperation.
Kadyn wiped the tears off her face, but more kept leaking out of her eyes.
[Kadyn] - "GOD! FUUUUCK! "
Yelled Kadyn before she defiantly raised her wrist blades in defiance.
Meanwhile, afar, on top of one of the buildings, Voss abruptly spotted Kadyn amidst the crowd through his helmet's magnified vision.
[Voss] - "I found the Arch-mother. Converge at the town square, over. "
Said Voss before quickly jumping down from the building and rushing toward Kadyn.
Meanwhile, Kadyn did her best to slowly make a retreat with the group of children behind her, yet the group of parents would not back down either.
[Mike] - "You have to cut them down. "
Said Mike's ghost as he kneeled beside Kadyn.
[Kadyn] - "I'm not going to! This is what KD-554 wanted, for me to prove to her that I'm only capable of winning by being a monster. "
Whispered Kadyn as she forced one of the adults to back away with her blade.
[Mike] - "Well, this isn't the time for a philosophical debate! These bloody bastards chose their fate the moment they decided to go after other people's children! "
Screamed Mike in anger.
Kadyn glanced at Mike, her gaze a mix of pain and sorrow. Though she didn't speak, Mike understood that she needed him to assure her that her subsequent actions were not those of a monster, but those of a human.
[Mike] - "You are still human in this sea of monsters. "
Said Mike as he stared firmly into Kadyn's eyes.
As both Kadyn and the parents prepared to strike, the familiar sound of a weapon abruptly rang inside Kadyn's ears as the man's face exploded before her eyes. Before Kadyn could even react, Voss's Chimera carbine rang a few more times before the men in the front all dropped dead on the ground. In the rear, the women screamed in fear and shock as their husbands fell before their eyes.
After looking back and forth between the approaching Imperial Marines and the vengeful wives, Kadyn quickly rushed to block the women's path.
[Kadyn] - "Stop... STOP, JUST STOP! Take your children and run! Stop this madness! "
Yelled Kadyn in desperation.
Yet, at that moment, all sense of rationality and logic had long since vanished from the minds of these women covered in the blood of their previous victims. Ignoring Kadyn, the women took up guns and melee weapons before charging at Voss.
[Mike] - "We are but helpless observers in the jaw of the meatgrinder. "
Said Mike as he closed his eyes, knowing what fate awaited these women.
Voss's visor glowed ominously with an emotionless golden shine as the first woman swung her bat at him. Before she could land her strike, Voss abruptly punched forward, his fist easily smashing through her chest without effort. With the efficiency of a cold killer, Voss's body acted in accordance with his training and purpose– to silence a battlefield.
Kadyn grabbed one of the women and held her against the ground, but the rest kept rushing toward their death. Their pistols and rifles proved useless against the World Forger's armour, while anyone foolish enough to close in toward him only found a quick and swift execution. With his arm, Voss struck two women in the face, the impact being powerful enough to instantly decapitate them.
As Voss stood above Kadyn, with his carbine aimed at the pinned woman's face, Kadyn abruptly turned around and pointed her finger at the Marine.
[Kadyn] - "Stand down, soldier! "
Yelled Kadyn, her eyes glowing with their usual green.
As if hit by a spell, Voss abruptly halted, his mind so utterly conditioned to follow such a command that he practically froze. On the ground, the woman struggled against Kadyn's restraint, but found herself quickly exhausted by her fruitless effort. Just as Kadyn breathed a sigh of relief, she suddenly found the barrel of a gun pointed at her face. Shocked, Kadyn looked up to see the child who had previously held onto his father's pants in the group.
[Child] - "You are the girl the governor wanted... If I kill you... We'll be free. "
Said the child in a trembling voice as he held the pistol with shaking hands.
Voss instinctively tried to eliminate the threat, but Kadyn grabbed onto his fist without looking before he could strike the kid.
[Kadyn] - "Stay out of this, Voss. "
Shocked that Kadyn actually knew who he was, Voss backed off.
With a sudden gesture, Kadyn grabbed onto the gun and helped the child hold it steadily before bringing her forehead against the barrel.
[Kadyn] - "It's not your fault, dear. Your dad didn't have to die today... So it's okay. Let's end this together, okay? "
Said Kadyn in a soothing voice.
For a moment, the kid's small fingers squeezed around the trigger, but he could ultimately not bring himself to do it. While Kadyn closed her eyes, she suddenly felt pressure being released from the gun– the child had let go of the weapon. However, the reason why he had abandoned his chance to kill Kadyn was something unexpected.
[child] - "Mom! Mom, are you okay? "
Screamed the child as he kneeled down and touched his mother's cheeks.
Seeing this, Kadyn quickly freed the woman she had pinned under her leg. Suddenly, instead of pursuing her bloodlust, the woman took her boy in her arms and hugged him tightly. As they shared their moment together, the boy had forgotten about Kadyn, while the woman had forgotten about her revenge.
[Mom] - "Oh God, my baby, I'm glad you're safe. "
Said the mother as she cried while holding her boy.
With this scene before her eyes, Kadyn slowly lowered the pistol she still held against her head. Then, as she watched the mother hug her boy, a slight smile crept back onto her face. Though the scene before her was a victory, it was a victory too far. KD-554 will not stop, and tomorrow, this very tragedy will occur again.
As Kadyn's gaze glimpsed the Central tower, she suddenly stood up and rushed toward the building. She didn't care if she could win against KD-554 or not, but she needed to put an end to this madness. Yet, as Kadyn came in contact with the skyscraper's main doors, a powerful shockwave abruptly travelled through her body and sent her flying backward. Following behind her, Voss quickly leaned in and caught Kadyn in his arms.
On the town square, nearly every single spot on the ground was stained by blood. Though KD-554 requested only one thousand more dead, the crowd's uncontrolled frenzy had led to more than three times that number in bodies just on the town square alone. Many of the fallen were parents, children, and the elderly. Despite Kadyn's small victory, KD-554 had asserted an even bigger victory by forcing savagery out of those who were the least likely to adhere to her philosophy.
By now, the town square had been more or less entirely fallen into a deathly silence. While scattered groups retreated from the field, many shocked parents and orphaned children stood like statues in the piles of bodies. With Kadyn unconscious in his arms, Voss turned toward the town square, but the sight was different from earlier. Now with an elevated view of the whole square, Voss could see the carnage in all of its horror.
For a moment, Voss froze and had to take a few laboured breaths just to calm his nerves down. Though Voss was vaccinated against these types of scenes, considering he witnessed the far worse atrocities committed by the Antinoid alien race against the many human colonies, this was still beyond his tolerance. The horrors he had witnessed were done by the Antinoids, but this macabre scene before him resulted from the actions of humans.
Even as an Imperial Marine, Voss still held onto beliefs– one of them being his hopeful attitude toward the civility of humanity. Yet, the evil that had transpired before him made him question if the human race was no better than the Antinoid race he had helped wipe clean. Voss had to force himself to look at the ground as he walked to avoid the mental breakdown that threatened to break him.
[Voss] - "Where are the rest of you? "
Said Voss through his helmet's com.
[Nilsson] - "We're near. What's your situation like, Captain? "
[Voss] - "Stay out of the city square area. Meet me at the Victoria metro station situated two sectors away. I have secured the Arch-mother, but she's unconscious, so make sure there is no surprise in that area when I arrive. "
[Nilsson] - Understood, we are on our way, sir. "
Voss walked, his heart heavier than his steps that cracked the concrete ground. It's better that the rest of the team, including the men not conditioned with resilience to horror like McCree, don't see the atrocity that had taken place here. This scene will break any sane man's mind, and Voss knew morale was now the most important factor if they wanted to survive for long in this accursed city. If it means he alone has to bear the horror, then so be it. However, one day, retribution will come to the one responsible for this atrocity.
[Voss] - "I swear, if I make it out of here and return to my fleet... Whoever you are in that tower, you will feel the wrath of the World Forgers fleet. We will cleanse you like how we cleaned the Antinoids. You wanna declare war on humanity? Then I'm all here to defend it! "
Said Voss, his voice raw with hatred as he glanced at the Central tower.
During this time, atop the Central tower, KD-554 watched with a grin as Voss carried Kadyn away. As Voss finally disappeared out of view, KD-554 and Astroboy's gazes turned toward the horrid scene on the town square. Yet, their inhuman eyes didn't even seem fazed by the disturbing sight below.
[Astroboy] - "Should I take care of the Imperial Marines and the help Kadyn's getting? They seem to be getting in the way of things. "
[KD-554] - "Nah... Let them be. It will only make it more interesting. "
Astroboy raised his eyebrow at KD-554's comment.
[Astroboy] - "Interesting? They will easily massacre anyone even dares to approach Kadyn. Where's the fun in that? Where's the logic in letting them run free? "
Said Astroboy, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
[KD-554] - "You are so simple-minded, my dear Astroboy. You have the talent for a fighter, but not the mind for a leader. You can't see deeper than the surface; that's why you are stuck where you are. Either with me or under the cyberknight order. "
Fed up with KD-554's lack of respect toward him, Astroboy abruptly grabbed her neck and lifted her off the ground.
[Astroboy] - "I ascended above the rules of the cyberknights. I had broken through frontiers no knight could ever dream of, even the Emperor himself. I hold power, I refine power, I live by the rule of power. You think you can just treat me like a pet, but here, I'm the one with the power to destroy you. There's nothing you can do but watch if I decide to kill you. "
Said Astroboy, his voice filled with confidence and spite.
[KD-554] - "Then go ahead! Kill me. The moment I die, no one will listen to you. Your illusion of power will vanish as soon as my soul leaves this prison of a body. Use your power, dominate those who will submit. However, will you be able to dominate Jagger? Will you defeat the Divine Servants? How long can you rule before someone above you in the food chain devours you? "
Said KD-554 with a smug expression on her face.
Astroboy snarled in anger in an attempt to intimidate KD-554.
[KD-554] - "No, right? The Astroboy I know is a man who understands the boundaries he can't break. Without my mastermind, you are but a homeless fool in a world that doesn't consider you special. You are no prodigy, no genius, just a man with a specific set of skills. Your power comes from servitude. The day you can learn to serve without question is when you will have the most power. So that being said, release me. "
Said KD-554 with a smirk that mocked Astroboy throughout her speech.
There was a hint of reluctance in Astroboy's eyes, but his hands obeyed KD-554 and released her without delay.
[KD-554] - "Wise choice, good boy. Now, be smarter and stop trying to one-up me. "
Said KD-554 as her body began to morph.
Soon, KD-554's legs grew to elevate her height to beyond 8 feet. Then, with her hands now morphed into sharp claws, KD-554 caressed Astroboy's head like a pet.
[KD-554] - "Because no matter how you see it, I'll always be one step higher than you. "
Said KD-554 in a mocking voice.
There was hatred in Astroboy's eyes, but he knew deep down that KD-554 was right. Power requires sacrifice, and this humiliation and subservience are his price for power.
To be continued...